cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of nanotribological properties of self-assembled monolayers with alkyl and biphenyl spacer chains (Invited)

Abstract Understanding the relationships between molecular structure and nanotribological performance of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are quite important for molecular tailoring for efficient lubrication. For this purpose, SAMs, having alkyl and biphenyl spacer chains with different surface terminal groups (CH 3 , COOH, and OH), and head groups (SH and OH), were prepared. The influence of spacer chains, surface terminal groups, and head groups on adhesion, friction and wear properties were investigated by contact mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). The relative stiffness of SAMs was determined by force modulation mode AFM and indentation experiments using load–displacement curves. The friction properties of SAMs are explained using a molecular spring model in which local stiffness governs the friction properties. Micropatterned SAMs specimen were fabricated and studied to verify the molecular spring model. The influence of relative humidity, temperature and velocity on adhesion and friction was studied. The failure mechanisms of SAMs and substrates were investigated by wear and continuous microscratch AFM technique. Based on these studies, the adhesion, friction and wear mechanisms of SAMs at molecular scale are discussed.
An approximate method for the production scheduling of industrial batch processes with parallel units

Abstract In the first part of this paper, we present the results of a survey of production scheduling problems occurring in a broad range of industries, including the manufacture of polymers and aromas, and the processing of minerals. The surprising result of interviews with plant managers and production schedulers is the remarkable similarity in the process structures, product sequencing constraints, and scheduling objectives important to these diverse industries. Scheduling to reduce tardiness of customer orders was found to be the most important objective. A key requirement was the ability to handle realistic constraints on product sequencing and restrictions on the number of units which can make a given product. Thus, a class of industrial scheduling problems important to a broad range of process industries is defined. This is significant, since a great deal of research effort has, in the past, been devoted to problems with other scheduling objectives, without sequencing constraints and with identical units. In the second part, a solution method is presented which is shown to obtain optimal or near-optimal solutions for processes involvin stage of nonidentical parallel units. Sequence-dependent cleanouts, unit- and product-dependent processing times and product-to-unit assignment constraints are modeled. Test problems with up to 12 process units and up to 100 customer orders were solved, which is the typical size of industrial-scale problems. An evolutionary strategy was developed which generates an initial solution using heuristics, then systematically improves the solution until certain necessary conditions for optimality are satisfied. The method found optimal or near-optimal schedules for highly-constrained and difficult test problems with modest computational requirements. These results are significant since an effective solution method for single-stage industrial problems of this complexity has not heretofore been demonstrated.
Transitory Hosts of the Pear Psylla

Sexually diapausing or overwintering forms of psylla pyricola Foerster died in 3 days when they were held at room temperature without food or water, but they lived 42 days when they were held at the same conditions on pear, and 22 days when water alone was offered. Therefore, since the insects lived 8-27 days on 34 transitory host plants on which reproduction does not occur, plants other than pear probably provide enough moisture to sustain the diapausing pear psylla.
A new mechanism for CP violation

We propose a new mechanism for CP violation in supersymmetric theories. CP is broken spontaneously at a high energy scale, and at the weak scale this CP violation appears only in soft, supersymmetry breaking operators. The weak interactions conserve CP and the strong CP problem is solved. We investigate in detail an SU(5) theory which incorporates this mechanism. Phases in squark masses are responsible for CP violation in the kaons via e. The penguin diagram is real and can give large contributions to ΔI = 1/2 kaon decays without contributing to e′/e. A non-zero neutron electric dipole moment should be detected soon, while e′/e is likely to be as small as 10 −4 . The cosmological baryon asymmetry is produced by the same phase which is ultimately responsible for e. This yields a natural expectation for n B / n γ in the vicinity of the observed value.
Measurement of the global lumped constant for 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose in normal human brain using [15O]water and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography imaging. A method with validation based on multiple methodologies.

Abstract PURPOSE: This study aims to determine a lumped constant (LC) value that can be applied to the 2-deoxy-2[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) study to yield a physiological value of cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) in normal brain. PROCEDURES: We developed a more robust method for determining the global FDG LC. Dynamic FDG and H215O PET studied were acquired in 18 normal subjects. Arterial-venous difference of blood glucose level was measured. RESULTS: A global LC of 0.65 ± 0.15 was obtained if a 3-microparameter FDG model (k4*=0)was assumed. Assumption of a 4-microparameter FDG model (k4*≠0) in analyzing the FDG data resulted in a higher LC value of 0.81 ± 0.18. CONCLUSION: The value of LC used for quantitating CMRglc should match the assumption inherent to the method of data analysis. The LC results in this study agree well with recent findings in the literature.
Evidence-Based Practice As Mental Health Policy: Three Controversies And A Caveat

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the subject of vigorous controversy in the field of mental health. In this paper I discuss three distinct but interrelated controversies: how inclusive the mental health evidence base should be; whether mental health practice is a variety of applied science; and when and how the effectiveness goal in mental health is defined. I provide examples of evidence-based policy in mental health. These controversies pertain as well to general medicine. To the extent that they remain unresolved, evidence-based policy making may lead to ineffective and limited care.
Laser welding in penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery in pediatric patients: early results.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of diode laser welding to close corneal wounds in penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and cataract surgery in pediatric patients. Setting Ophthalmology Department, Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy. Design Prospective observational study. Methods Patients had surgery for congenital cataract (Group 1) or femtosecond laser–assisted PKP (Group 2). The surgery was followed by corneal wound closure using diode laser welding of the stroma. In Group 1, no standard suturing was used. In Group 2, the donor button was sutured onto the recipient using 8 single nylon sutures or a 10-0 nylon running suture (12 passages). Laser welding was then used as an adjunct to the traditional suturing procedure. Results Group 1 comprised 7 eyes (7 patients; mean age 8.1 years ± 5.3 [SD], range 1 to 15 years) and Group 2, 5 eyes (5 patients; mean age 10.6 ± 3.3 years, range 6 to 15 years). The adhesion of the laser-welded tissues was perfect; there were no collateral effects, and restoration of the treated tissues was optimum. Seidel testing showed no wound leakage during the follow-up. Postoperative astigmatism did not change significantly from the first day after cataract surgery and shifted moderately 3 months after PKP. Conclusion Laser welding of corneal tissue appeared to be safe and effective in children for whom a sutureless surgical procedure is important to reduce the use of anesthesia for suture management, prevent endophthalmitis, and improve the antiamblyopic effect. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Multi-species measurements in 2-butanol and i-butanol pyrolysis behind reflected shock waves

Abstract The kinetics of 2-butanol and i -butanol pyrolysis were investigated by measuring multi-species time histories using shock tube/laser absorption methods. Species time histories of OH, H 2 O, C 2 H 4 , CO, and CH 4 were measured behind reflected shock waves using UV and IR laser absorption during the high-temperature decomposition of 1% butanol/argon mixtures. Initial reflected shock temperatures and pressures for these experiments covered 1270–1640 K and 1.3–1.9 atm. These are the first multi-species time history measurements in shock tubes for 2-butanol and i -butanol. Production pathways and reaction rate sensitivities for the measured species are analyzed using the recent Sarathy et al. [36] detailed mechanism. It is observed that radical branching in 2-butanol is a highly complicated process with multiple reactions indistinguishably affecting the measured species profiles. However, i -butanol exhibits relatively simple radical branching, and evidence is presented that demonstrates radical branching must be adjusted to favor the iC 4 H 8 OH-β channel. Recommendations for i -butanol + H reactions are suggested and significant improvements between measurements and simulations using the Sarathy et al. [36] mechanism are achieved with these revised values.
Common-image gathers in the incident phase-angle domain from reverse time migration in 2D elastic VTI media

Reverse time migration (RTM) was implemented with a modified crosscorrelation imaging condition for data from 2D elastic vertically transversely isotropy (VTI) media. The computation cost was reduced because scalar qP- and qS-wavefield separations are performed in VTI media, for the source and receiver wavefields only at the RTM imaging time, to calculate the migrated qP and qS images. Angle-domain common-image gathers (CIGs) were extracted from qPqP and qPqS common-source RTM images. The local incident angle was produced as the difference between the qP-wave phase angle, obtained directly from the source wavefield polarization, and the normal to the reflector, calculated as the instantaneous wavenumber direction via a directional Hilbert transform of the stacked image. Angle-domain CIGs were extracted by reordering the prestack-migrated images by local incident phase angle, source by source. Vector decomposition of the source qP-wavefield was required to calculate the qP-wave phase polarization direction...
Intergenerational transmission of educational attainment: The role of household assets

Abstract High intergenerational persistence of educational attainment is an indicator of educational inequality and a barrier to equal opportunities in the labor market and beyond. This study uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to generate a sample of two cohorts of children (’84 and &94 cohorts), and it examines whether intergenerational transmission of educational attainment varies by household economic resources, especially household assets. Results show that, among male children in the &94 cohort, household assets increase the strength of the association between parents’ and children's years of schooling. Also, household assets are found to interact with parental education to affect educational attainment, as measured by college completion, among female children in the &94 cohort. Research and policy implications are discussed.
Collaborative environments for capability-based planning

Distributed collaboration is an emerging technology for the 21st century that will significantly change how business is conducted in the defense and commercial sectors. Collaboration involves two or more geographically dispersed entities working together to create a “product” by sharing and exchanging data, information, and knowledge. A product is defined broadly to include, for example, writing a report, creating software, designing hardware, or implementing robust systems engineering and capability planning processes in an organization. Collaborative environments provide the framework and integrate models, simulations, domain specific tools, and virtual test beds to facilitate collaboration between the multiple disciplines needed in the enterprise. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting a leading edge program in developing distributed collaborative technologies targeted to the Air Force's implementation of systems engineering for a simulation-aided acquisition and capability-based planning. The research is focusing on the open systems agent-based framework, product and process modeling, structural architecture, and the integration technologies - the glue to integrate the software components. In past four years, two live assessment events have been conducted to demonstrate the technology in support of research for the Air Force Agile Acquisition initiatives. The AFRL Collaborative Environment concept will foster a major cultural change in how the acquisition, training, and operational communities conduct business.
Ultrabroadband 50-130 THz pulses generated via phase-matched difference frequency mixing in LiIO 3

We report the generation of ultrabroadband pulses spanning the 50-130 THz frequency range via phase-matched difference frequency mixing within the broad spectrum of sub-10 fs pulses in LiIO3. Model calculations reproduce the octave-spanning spectra and predict few-cycle THz pulse durations less than 20 fs. The broad applicability of this scheme is demonstrated with 9-fs pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator and with 7-fs amplified pulses from a hollow fiber compressor as pump sources.
Scalable querying and tracking of sensor networks from mobile platforms

With the widespread availability of wireless technology and the deployment of an increasing variety of sensors, information generated by sensors is becoming available to applications running on mobile nodes. Retrieving this information in a reliable, efficient manner will be an important building block for many applications. However, unreliable, low bandwidth communication links and node mobility make efficient, reliable, and scalable information retrieval a challenge.
Metallic surface-relief on-axis and off-axis focusing diffractive cylindrical mirrors

Metallic surface-relief diffractive cylindrical mirrors are designed for on-axis and off-axis focusing and incidence configurations. These diffractive structures are analyzed by both rigorous and scalar integral methods. Two design methods, based on initial assumptions of zero-thickness and finite-thickness structures, are presented for determining the zone-boundary locations and the surface-relief mirror profiles for the general case of an off-axis incident plane wave and off-axis focusing. With the use of these methods, continuous diffractive, multilevel diffractive, and continuous nondiffractive mirrors were designed. Rigorous analysis is performed for both TE and TM polarizations by using an open-region formulation of the boundary element method (BEM) suitable for regions of complex refractive index such as finite-conductivity metals. Three scalar integral methods corresponding to Dirichlet, Neumann, and Kirchhoff boundary conditions are also used to analyze the diffractive mirrors. The diffracted fields from both the rigorous BEM and the scalar methods of analysis are used to calculate a number of performance metrics including diffraction efficiency, sidelobe power, total reflected power, and focal spot size. The performance of the mirrors is evaluated, and the accuracy of the various scalar methods is determined.
Cases from NACCT acute and intensive care symposium: altered mental status, seizures, and rash in a fumigation company employee.

Context. Methyl bromide is a halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon that exists as a colorless gas or a volatile liquid. Methyl bromide historically had been used in fire extinguishers but is more commonly used as a gas fumigant for soil-borne diseases and pests. Methyl bromide is being phased out due to concerns for ozone depletion but can still be found. It is readily absorbed through the lungs while dermal absorption can also occur. Signs and symptoms of severe exposures include headache, respiratory distress, pulmonary hemorrhage, and seizures. In large pulmonary exposures, death can occur as rapidly as 1 h usually from respiratory failure. Methyl bromide can penetrate clothing and protective equipment presenting challenges to first responders. There is a debate over the mechanism of toxicity of methyl bromide and the role of hemodialysis and chelation in treatment. Case details. A 22-year-old female employee of a fumigation company contacted emergency medical services (EMS) after opening a tank of compres...
Colon-specific antigen-p (csap). II. Further characterization in colorectal and pancreatic cancer.

The physicochemical and immunological characteristics of colon-specific antigen-p (CSAp) in plasma and in colorectal and pancreatic tumors were investigated. CSAp in the plasma of a rectal cancer patient and in a colonic carcinoma xenografted in hamsters (GW-39 tumor) appeared to have similar chromatographic properties, being of a molecular size of 4 million or more. The activities of CSAp in both plasma and tumor were similarly destroyed by treatment with a thiol reagent. Finally, identical immunological reactions in radioimmunoassay and gel diffusion tests were obtained between the CSAp's in patient plasma and in GW-39 tumor tissue. Also CSAp in human pancreatic cancers xenografted in nude mice showed a precipitin line of complete identity with CSAp extracted from GW-39 human colonic carcinoma transplants. Thus, the CSAp's found in colorectal cancer patient plasma, in colonic carcinoma, and in pancreatic cancer tissues appear to be immunologically identical.
Minute by minute: Efficiency, normality, and randomness in intra-daily asset prices

In this study we test the efficiency of asset markets at intervals as short as 30 seconds. We also describe the properties of a simple new stochastic process as a potential model of the behaviour of asset prices and test it on intra-daily Deutsche Mark futures prices. According to this process, asset prices are constant between economically relevant events, which occur at the random times generated by a Poisson process. At the moments of these events, prices jump to new values; the size of the jump is drawn from a normal distribution. Tests of this process indicate that it cannot be rejected for most of the days in the sample.
Looking Up Mindfulness Increases Positive Judgments and Reduces Negativity Bias

The present research examined the relation between mindfulness and negativity bias, or the tendency to weigh negative information more heavily than positive. A randomized experiment compared a brie...
Secondary instabilities, coherent structures and turbulence

In this paper, we review recent progress on several problems of transition and turbulence. First, we explore the role of secondary instabilities in transition to turbulence in both wall bounded and free shear flows. It is shown how the competition between secondary instabilities and classical inviscid inflectional instabilities is important in determining the evolution of free shear flows. An outline of a general theory of inviscid instability is given. Then, we explore recent ideas on the force-free nature of coherent flow structures in turbulence. The role of viscosity in generating small-scale features of turbulence is discussed for both the Taylor-Green vortex and for two-dimensional turbulence. Finally, we survey recent ideas on the application of renormalization group methods to turbulence transport models. These methods yield fundamental relationships between various types of turbulent flow quantities and should be useful for the development of transport models in complex geometries with complicated physics, like chemical reactions and buoyant heat transfer.
Capital Expenditure Decision/Making: Some Tools and Trends

During the past two decades, several independent surveys were conducted to determine the art and science of capital budgeting, as practiced in business and industry. This paper outlines a synthesis of the various surveys and highlights some changes and trends regarding the adoption of quantitative tools in the capital budgeting process. The topics to be discussed include the use of discounting methods, the determination of discount and cut-off rates, the use of mathematical programming and capital rationing, and approaches to risk and uncertainty in the capital budgeting process. Before beginning, three possible sources of bias in what is reported here must be acknowledged. First, the various surveys included firms which were selected using a variety of criteria. However, it is entirely possible, even likely, that some firms participated in more than one of the surveys. Second, the surveys in total contain a disproportionately large fraction of very large firms. Third, as is true in many surveys, the results reported here may well be biased by the self-selection which takes place when firms decide to participate.
Exploring the Concept of 'Profession' For Organizational Communication Research: Institutional Influences in a Veterinary Organization

Recent scholarship has argued that the concept of profession is undertheorized and accepted uncritically. The authors address this issue by summarizing the characteristics of professions and articu...
Helicopter EMS: Research Endpoints and Potential Benefits

Patients, EMS systems, and healthcare regions benefit from Helicopter EMS (HEMS) utilization. This article discusses these benefits in terms of specific endpoints utilized in research projects. The endpoint of interest, be it primary, secondary, or surrogate, is important to understand in the deployment of HEMS resources or in planning further HEMS outcomes research. The most important outcomes are those which show potential benefits to the patients, such as functional survival, pain relief, and earlier ALS care. Case reports are also important “outcomes” publications. The benefits of HEMS in the rural setting is the ability to provide timely access to Level I or Level II trauma centers and in nontrauma, interfacility transport of cardiac, stroke, and even sepsis patients. Many HEMS crews have pharmacologic and procedural capabilities that bring a different level of care to a trauma scene or small referring hospital, especially in the rural setting. Regional healthcare and EMS system's benefit from HEMS by their capability to extend the advanced level of care throughout a region, provide a “backup” for areas with limited ALS coverage, minimize transport times, make available direct transport to specialized centers, and offer flexibility of transport in overloaded hospital systems.
Sensitivity analysis of optimal matchings

After stating the weighted, perfect matching problem and briefly describing Edmonds' algorithm, certain postoptimality procedures are described. These procedures aid in reoptimizing related matching problems in which a few edge weights are altered. Regardless of the actual implementation of the matching algorithm used, when changing a single edge weight, the postoptimality procedures are on the order of cardinality (N) more efficient than solving the modified problem “from scratch,” where N is the node set of the underlying graph.
Protecting Persons While Protecting the People: Second Annual Workshop on Information Privacy and National Security, ISIPS 2008, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, May 12, 2008. Revised Selected Papers

The Second Annual Workshop on Privacy and Security, organized by the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Information Privacy and Security of the School of C- munication and Information at Rutgers University, was held on May 12, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. A few of the papers in this volume were produced through a multi-step process. First, we recorded the talk given by each author at the workshop in May 2008. Next, we transcribed the recording. The authors then produced a draft of their paper from these transcriptions, refining each draft until the final version. Although the papers are not verbatim transcriptions of the talks given, some do retain the informal and conv- sational quality of the presentations. In one instance we have included some material from the question-and-answer period after the talk, since the material covered proved to be relevant and interesting. The majority of authors, however, preferred to include a more formal paper based on the material presented at the workshop
Treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn

Objective: to review the medical literature, emphasizing the new scientific advances in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Sources: literature review using Medline and Cochrane library. Summary of the findings: persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) is characterized by an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance associated with right to left shunt through the foramen ovale or ductus arteriosus, leading to marked hypoxemia and respiratory failure. The balance between the vasoconstrictor (endothelin) and vasodilator (nitric oxide and prostaglandin I2) mediators plays an important role in the regulation of the transition from fetal circulation with high pulmonary vascular resistance to postnatal circulation with low pulmonary vascular resistance. In addition to general management, cardiovascular support, the treatment of the cause of the PPHN, and the use of selective pulmonary vasodilator such as inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) are indicated. Furthermore, the combined therapy with iNO and high-frequency oscillatory ventilation significantly improved the oxygenation of patients who were refractory to iNO therapy and conventional ventilation. The practice of hyperventilation and the administration of nonspecific pulmonary vasodilators (tolazoline) should be avoided. On the other hand, the administration of surfactant to patients with PPHN due to meconium aspiration should be considered. However, if all these therapies fail, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) should be considered as rescue therapy. Conclusions: the mortality due to PPHN has significantly decreased with the use of new therapies, and the major concern today is the quality of life of these patients, especially in terms of neuropsychomotor development.
Effect of electronic health records in ambulatory care: retrospective, serial, cross sectional study.

Objective To evaluate the effect of implementing comprehensive, integrated electronic health record systems on use and quality of ambulatory care Design Retrospective, serial, cross sectional study. Setting Colorado and Northwest regions of Kaiser Permanente, a US integrated healthcare delivery system. Population 367 795 members in the Colorado region and 449 728 members in the Northwest region. Intervention Implementation of electronic health record systems. Main outcome measures Total number of office visits and use of primary care, specialty care, clinical laboratory, radiology services, and telephone contact. Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set to assess quality. Results Two years after electronic health records were fully implemented, age adjusted rates of office visits fell by 9% in both regions. Age adjusted primary care visits decreased by 11% in both regions and specialty care visits decreased by 5% in Colorado and 6% in the Northwest. All these decreases were significant (P < 0.0001). The percentage of members making ≥ 3 visits a year decreased by 10% in Colorado and 11% in the Northwest, and the percentage of members with ≤ 2 visits a year increased. In the Northwest, scheduled telephone contact increased from a baseline of 1.26 per member per year to 2.09 after two years. Use of clinical laboratory and radiology services did not change conclusively. Intermediate measures of quality of health care remained unchanged or improved slightly. Conclusions Readily available, comprehensive, integrated clinical information reduced use of ambulatory care while maintaining quality and allowed doctors to replace some office visits with telephone contacts. Shifting patterns of use suggest reduced numbers of ambulatory care visits that are inappropriate or marginally productive.
Strength-Based Assessment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:

Despite improvements in interventions for children with autism, assessments tend to focus on their social, cognitive, and behavioral deficits, without similar systematic examination of their strengths. Strength-based assessment (SBA), which has been used in work with children with milder behavioral disorders, may also have value for individuals who have autism. Although not supplanting usual assessment procedures, SBA provides a method for identifying personal, familial, and broader contextual strengths. Research outside the area of autism has found that SBA can be a useful addition to assessment protocols because it provides specific information on assets that can be incorporated into interventions. Further, SBA has the potential to affect the attitudes and beliefs of parents and educators involved in the assessment, creating greater hope about the ability of the child to function well and contributing to a stronger bond between the assessor, the child, and their family. This article describes ways in wh...
Spitz nevi in black children

Four black children with Spitz nevi are presented. The initial clinical diagnosis was pyogenic granuloma for three patients. One child had two Spitz nevi. Histologic examination revealed melanocytic dendritic hyperplasia in all cases.
Differential signaling mechanisms regulate expression of CC chemokine receptor-2 during monocyte maturation

Peripheral blood monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages are key regulatory components in many chronic inflammatory pathologies of the vasculature including the formation of atherosclerotic lesions. However, the molecular and biochemical events underlying monocyte maturation are not fully understood. We have used freshly isolated human monocytes and the model human monocyte cell line, THP-1, to investigate changes in the expression of a panel of monocyte and macrophage markers during monocyte differentiation. We have examined these changes by RT-PCR and FACS analysis. Furthermore, we cloned the CCR2 promoter and analyzed specific changes in transcriptional activation of CCR2 during monocyte maturation. The CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is rapidly downregulated as monocytes move down the macrophage differentiation pathway while other related chemokine receptors are not. Using a variety of biochemical and transcriptional analyses in the human THP-1 monocyte model system, we show that both monocytes and THP-1 cells express high levels of CCR2, whereas THP-1 derived macrophages fail to express detectable CCR2 mRNA or protein. We further demonstrate that multiple signaling pathways activated by IFN-γ and M-CSF, or by protein kinase C and cytoplasmic calcium can mediate the downregulation of CCR2 but not CCR1. During monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation CCR2, but not CCR1, is downregulated and this regulation occurs at the level of transcription through upstream 5' regulatory elements.
Biophysical and atomic force microscopy characterization of the RNA from satellite tobacco mosaic virus

Agarose gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry showed that single-stranded RNA from satellite tobacco mosaic virus transforms from a conformationally ‘closed state’ at 4 � C to a more conformationally ‘open state’ at 65 � C. The transition is reversible and shows no hysteresis. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) allowed visualization of the two states and indicated that the conformationally ‘closed state’ probably corresponds to the native encapsidated conformation, and that the ‘open state’ represents a conformation, characterized as short, thick chains of domains, as a consequence of the loss of tertiary interactions. Heating from 75 � Ct o 85 � C in the presence of EDTA was necessary to further unravel the ‘open’ conformation RNA into extended chains of lengths >280nm. Virus exposed to low concentrations of phenol at 65 � C, extruded RNA as distinctive ‘pigtails’ in a synchronous fashion, and these ‘pigtails’ then elongated, as the RNA was further discharged by the particles. Moderate concentrations of phenol at 65 � C produced complete disruption of virions and only remains of decomposed particles and disordered RNA were evident. AFM images of RNA emerging from disrupted virions appear most consistent with linear arrangements of structural domains.
Effect of Local Impedance Variation and Non-Linearity on Multiple Tone Attenuation

An iterative Finite Element Method (FEM) is introduced for prediction of attenuation in a duct in which acoustic lining impedance depends on local grazing flow Mach number and overall local sound pressure level. A general approach is described with emphasis on the case of a source spectrum that is dominated by several tones, where each is tone specified by its frequency, circumferential mode, and a statistically represented radial mode amplitude distribution. Lining impedance is computed locally by an iterative model imbedded in the FEM propagation code. For propagation in the duct, a rapidly convergent iteration is used in which the defined source spectrum initially determines local lining impedance. In successive iterations the local sound pressure level spectrum on the lining from the previous iteration determines the new local impedance. The iterative model is implemented to assess the attenuation performance of a two degree of freedom lining initially designed with impedance dependent only on the def...
Two-Dimensional Mapping of 3D Data from Confocal Microscopy

Confocal microscopy has been experimentally proven for decades to provide high-quality images for biological research. Its unique property of blocking out-of-focus light enables 3D rendering from planar stacks and visualization of internal features. However, visualizing 3D data on a flat display is not intuitive, and would lead to occasional distortion. In this study, a novel, easy-to-implement, and computationally fast solution is provided to reconstruct a confocal stack to true 3D data and subsequently map the information correctly with size and shape consistency to a 2D space for visualization and image analysis purposes.
Minding the Gap: Networks of Animal Welfare Service Provision:

This research focuses on public service provision in the context of an important emerging urban policy issue: increasing numbers of roaming animals in distressed cities in the United States. The ca...
Clinical outcomes of combined flow-pressure drop measurements using newly developed diagnostic endpoint: Pressure drop coefficient in patients with coronary artery dysfunction

Clinical outcomes of combined flow-pressure drop measurements using newly developed diagnostic endpoint: Pressure drop coefficient in patients with coronary artery dysfunction
MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF MORPHOMETRIC DATA FROM NATURAL PLANT POPULATIONS: INSIGHTS INTO ONTOGENETIC, GENETIC, AND SELECTIVE CORRELATIONS IN DALECHAMPIA SCANDENS

I examined patterns of covariation of three morphometric blossom characters [gland area (GA), gland-stigma distance (GSD), and bract length (BL)] within genets, among genets, and among populations of the tropical vine, Dalechampia scandens (Euphorbiaceae). Covariance between BL and GA was evenly distributed among the three levels. This observation, coupled with developmental information, indicates that the two characters change size similarly during development, that there is probably genetic covariance between them (apparently caused by pleiotropy), and that the genetic covariance may have constrained (at least proximally) the course of population differentiation with respect to these characters. Most covariance between GSD and GA occurred at the among-population level. This observation, coupled with developmental information, indicates that there is negligible ontogenetic covariance and that within populations there is probably little or no genetic covariance between the two characters. Among-population covariance has probably been caused by natural selection operating in a correlated fashion on characters that functionally interact in pollination.
Photonic Materials by the Sol-Gel Process

The sol-gel technique offers a low temperature method for synthesizing amorphous inorganic solids which contain trapped organic molecules with deliberately chosen optical properties. The poor thermal stability of organic molecules has precluded their incorporation in traditional oxide host materials because of the elevated processing temperatures involved with these materials. Using the sol-gel approach, a wide variety of organic molecules have been incorporated in sol-gel matrices and demonstrated that they retain their specific optical properties in the sol-gel environment. Thus, it has been possible to use the sol-gel method to prepare photonic materials which are luminescent or photochromic, which possess nonlinear optical properties or which exhibit laser action. This paper reviews the two principal areas where sol-gel methods are used to produce organic-doped photonic materials. One area of activity involves the utilization of the organic dopants as luminescent probes of the sol-gel process. Examples of matrix rigidity and solvent chemistry changes are shown. The second area concerns the synthesis of new photonic materials whose optical properties are induced by the addition of specific dopants. Significant results involving tunable solid-state lasers, nonlinear optical properties and photochromic materials are presented.
Hydrodynamic mechanism for the Laramide orogeny

The widespread presumption that the Farallon plate subducted along the base of North American lithosphere under most of the western United States and ∼1000 km inboard from the trench has dominated tectonic studies of this region, but a number of variations of this concept exist due to differences in interpretation of some aspects of this orogeny. We contend that five main characteristics are central to the Laramide orogeny and must be explained by any successful hypothesis: thick-skinned tectonism, shutdown and/or landward migration of arc magmatism, localized deep foreland subsidence, deformation landward of the relatively undeformed Colorado Plateau, and spatially limited syntectonic magmatism. We detail how the first two elements can be well explained by a broad flat slab, the others less so. We introduce an alternative hypothesis composed of five particular processes: (1) a more limited segment of shallowly subducting slab is created by viscous coupling between the slab and the Archean continental keel of the Wyoming craton, leaving some asthenosphere above most of the slab; (2) dynamic pressures from this coupling localize subsidence at the edge of the Archean Wyoming craton; (3) foreland shortening occurs after the subsidence of the region decreases gravitational potential energy, increasing deviatoric stresses in lithosphere beneath the basin with no change to boundary stresses near the subduction zone or changes to basal shear stress; (4) shear between the slab and overriding continent induces a secondary convective system aligned parallel to relative plate motion, producing the Colorado Mineral Belt above upwelling aligned along the convection cell; (5) the development of this convective system interrupts the flow of fresh asthenosphere into the arc region farther west, cutting off magmatism even in segments of the arc not over the shallowly dipping slab.
Methysergide reduces nonnutritive blood flow in normal and scalded skin.

Methysergide is a serotonin antagonist and has been demonstrated to reduce wound blood flow and edema formation. We have determined the effect of methysergide on protein kinetics in normal and scal...
Application and Analysis of Project Management on Government Funds for Public Health in Minhang District in Shanghai

OBJECTIVE To summary the experience of project management of funds for public health and its effect.METHODS Quantitative and qualitative research was used in the paper.RESULT The quantity and the quality of public health services have been increasing since the implementation of project management.In additional,project management promote the development of public health,also strengthen the guidance of CDC and inner management in community health center.CONCLUSION It is proved in practice that the project management for funds of public health is of important significance to enhance the efficiency in use of government funds on public health,raise efficiency of community health service.
Megapezia longipes Willard and Cleaves 1930 from the Pennsylvanian Rhode Island Formation of Massachusetts: ichnotaxonomic status

The type and only specimen of the ichnospecies Megapezia longipes , from the Pennsylvanian Rhode Island Forma-tion of Plainville, Massachusetts, consists of two poorly defined tracks, one made by a manus and the other by a pes, rather than a single pedal imprint. Whereas the type species of Megapezia , Megapezia pineoi , has tetradactyl pedal imprints, the pes imprint of Megapezia longipes is pentadactyl, a feature that precludes assignment to this ichnogenus. Rather, the tracks share two characteristics with the ichnogenus Matthewichnus , namely elongate digits II and III on the manus, and a pes imprint oriented anterolaterally to the manus imprint, and are thus tentatively reassigned to that ichnogenus. Cf. Matthewichnus longipes is retained as a separate ichnospecies pending the collection of additional ma-terial that can be compared with other species within the ichnogenus. With the tentative reassignment of the Plainville tracks to Matthewichnus , Megapezia becomes monospecific and is no longer recorded in New England. The tracks are the first known occurrence of Matthewichnus from this region.
Ta-E-Wun: A Colonial Period Hohokam Campsite in East-Central Arizona

ABSTRACTTa-e-wun is a Hohokam campsite dating to the latter part of the Colonial period that was excavated during December, 1971 as part of a salvage program aimed at recovering archaeological remains which would be destroyed by mining activities near Globe-Miami, Arizona. The site probably functioned as a temporary habitation area used by small groups of people at brief intervals over a period of many years. There is some evidence to suggest that it may have been a base camp where non-domesticated foods were processed, and that it may also have been a stopover on an established trade route.
Combining structure and motion

Most of this book has been devoted to structure, although in Chapter 8 we talked about DNA-based nanomechanical devices. It is a natural thing to wish to combine devices with structures, so that one can place the devices and get them to work in a specific structural context. To be sure that the motion is occurring in the device whose state is being varied, as opposed to some other devices that might be in solution, direct structural observation of the device, or an array of devices, is desirable. Therefore, it is necessary is to have a structure large enough to accommodate both a machine and the attachments necessary to demonstrate the motion. Combinations before origami. The first attempt at doing this was in the era before DNA origami. Thus, the way to provide a structural context for a nanomechanical device was a 2D array. We saw in Chapter 7 that a TX array can be connected 1–3 to its neighbors (see Figure 7-8), thereby generating a gap that provides a little space for accommodating the attachments. This space provides an attachment point where a nanomechanical device can be placed. The PX-JX 2 device was used in the first example below. This device was converted to a cassette that could be fitted into the slot by the addition of an extra helix. The cassette consists of the PX-JX 2 device with another domain added to it on one end, as shown in Figure 10-1. Panel a shows the cassette in the PX state in a frontal view. A third helical domain is visible on the lower left. Panel c shows the same cassette in the JX 2 state. You should note that the PX device is formed with crossovers between strands of the same polarity, but the cassette has been added by fusing strands of the opposite polarity. So as to visualize the motion of the device in the context of the array, it was necessary to add a hairpin marker, which appears as a circular magenta helix with yellow base pairs viewed down its axis. It is in front of the cassette device in panel a, and behind it in panel c. The cassette is shown obliquely in panels b and d, where the hairpin is more readily visible.
Book Review: Rob Jenkins, Loraine Kennedy and Partha Mukhopadhyay, eds, Power, Protest and India’s Special Economic Zones

Rob Jenkins, Loraine Kennedy and Partha Mukhopadhyay, eds, Power, Protest and India’s Special Economic Zones. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2014. 396 pages. ₹1,145.
Financial Analysis of an Intensive Pediatric Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Program.

Study Objectives Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea in children, but adherence to therapy is low. Our center created an intensive program that aimed to improve adherence. Our objective was to estimate the program's efficacy, cost, revenue and break-even point in a generalizable manner relative to a standard approach. Methods The intensive program included device consignment, behavioral psychology counseling, and follow-up telephone calls. Economic modeling considered the costs, revenue and break-even point. Costs were derived from national salary reports and the Pediatric Health Information System. The 2015 Medicare reimbursement schedule provided revenue estimates. Results Prior to the intensive CPAP program, only 67.6% of 244 patients initially prescribed CPAP appeared for follow-up visits and only 38.1% had titration polysomnograms. In contrast, 81.4% of 275 patients in the intensive program appeared for follow-up visits (p < .001) and 83.6% had titration polysomnograms (p < .001). Medicare reimbursement levels would be insufficient to cover the estimated costs of the intensive program; break-even points would need to be 1.29-2.08 times higher to cover the costs. Conclusions An intensive CPAP program leads to substantially higher follow-up and CPAP titration rates, but costs are higher. While affordable at our institution due to the local payer mix and revenue, Medicare reimbursement levels would not cover estimated costs. This study highlights the need for enhanced funding for pediatric CPAP programs, due to the special needs of this population and the long-term health risks of suboptimally treated obstructive sleep apnea.