cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness and Patient Acceptance of Halcinonide 0.1% Cream in 216g Jars for Large-area Steroid-responsive Dermatoses.

Evaluation of the affected skin area in dermatitis is a crucial factor in grading the degree of disease severity, as are location, number of lesions, response to topical therapies, and physical and psychological effects of the disease on the patient.1 In the case of psoriasis, the percentage of body surface area (BSA) involved has traditionally been used to help determine severity. BSA involvement of three percent or less may be considered mild disease, involvement of 5 to 10 percent may be considered moderate disease, and involvement of greater than 10 percent may be considered severe disease.2 Although patients may present with psoriasis in elbows, knees, palms, and soles, which are small surface areas in and of themselves, when added together, they may represent close to 10 percent BSA affected. Although the BSA may amount to less than 10 percent, hands and feet can cause significant disability. Further, anterior or posterior trunk represents 15 percent each for a total of 30 percent BSA. An entire leg (including the foot) represents roughly 20 percent of BSA. When treating patients with extensive dermatitis, total BSA affected must be considered when prescribing topical medication. Small tubes of medication will not be sufficient to treat these patients for a typical four-week period. Insufficient medication may affect adherence and result in increased phone calls to the dermatology office and additional copays to obtain prescription refills. Patients with dermatitis affecting 10 percent BSA will require 165g of topical medication per month when applied twice daily, and those with 15 percent BSA affected will require nearly 250g per month when applied twice daily.2 Halcinonide is a class 2 topical corticosteroid indicated for relief of inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatitis.3 It is now available in a 216g jar, which provides convenience and cost effectiveness for patients with large-area dermatoses. It is an excellent choice for stepping up therapy from triamcinolone (class 4) or stepping down to maintenance therapy from super-potent topical corticosteroids. Compared with triamcinolone one-pound jars, halcinonide offers greater potency and one affordable copay for patients requiring treatment over a large surface area. The present study was conducted to determine the efficacy and patient acceptance of halcinonide cream in 216g jars for the treatment of large-area corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses. Patients with large area (diffuse) dermatitis (BSA averaging 12%) were studied to ensure that the halcinonide cream in 216g jar was prescribed for patients who needed the entire jar contents over a period of one month or less.
Scalable Microring-Based Silicon Clos Switch Fabric With Switch-and-Select Stages

We propose and analyze a scalable microring-based Clos switch fabric architecture constructed with switch-and-select switching stages. A silicon 4 × 4 building block that was designed and fabricated through American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics is used for the proof-of-principle demonstration of a 16 × 16 Clos switch fabric. By fully blocking the first-order crosstalk, the 4 × 4 device is measured to show a crosstalk ratio in the range of –57 to –48.5 dB, enabling better than –39 dB crosstalk for the 16 × 16 switch. Our study shows that the three-stage Clos design enables up to a factor of 4 in the reduction of the number of switching cells compared to single-stage switch-and-select fabrics. We further explore the design space for both first-order and second-order switching elements using the foundry-validated parameters and how these factors impact the performance and scalability of the three-stage Clos switch. A detailed power penalty map is drawn for Clos switch fabrics with various scales, which reveals that the ultimate key limiting factor is the shuffle insertion loss. An optimized 32-port Clos switch fabric using foundry-enabled parameters is shown to have a less than 10-dB power penalty.
The impact of sorafenib on the treatment and survival of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): Analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2004 to 2014.

e15682Background: HCC is a common cause of mortality in the U.S. among men and women (5thand 7th, respectively) with overall five-year survival of ~18%. Sorafenib was the only FDA approved therapy ...
Short, and long-term mortality among cardiac intensive care unit patients started on continuous renal replacement therapy

Abstract Purpose Patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are at high risk of death. Predictors of hospital mortality and post-discharge survival in cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) patients requiring CRRT have not been reported. Materials and methods Retrospective review of 198 CICU patients undergoing CRRT from 2006 to 2015. Multivariable regression identified predictors of hospital mortality and Cox proportional-hazards identified predictors of post-discharge mortality among hospital survivors. Results The indication for CRRT was volume overload in 129 (65%) and metabolic abnormalities in 76 (38%). 105 (53%) subjects died in hospital, with 22% dialysis-free hospital survival. Cardiogenic shock was present in 159 (80%) subjects; 150 (76%) subjects received vasopressors and 101 (51%) subjects required mechanical ventilation. Hospital mortality was similar in cardiogenic and non-cardiogenic causes of CICU admission. Predictors of hospital death included semi-quantitative RV function, Braden score, VIS, and PaO2/FIO2 ratio. Median post-discharge Kaplan-Meier survival was 1.9 years. Predictors of post-hospital death included age, VIS, diabetes, Braden score, semi-quantitative RV function, prior heart failure, and dialysis dependence. The indication for CRRT was not predictive of survival. Conclusion Mortality is high among CICU patients requiring CRRT, and is predicted by the Braden score, RV dysfunction, respiratory failure and vasopressor load.
The Perceived Influence of Social Media on High School Band Students’ Decision to Participate in a College Marching Band:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived influence of social media on high school band students’ future decision to participate in a college marching band. Participants (N = 158) ...
Dual Stimuli Switching: Interconverting Cationic and Radical Polymerizations with Electricity and Light

Summary Increasing demand for advanced materials essential to emerging technologies calls for synthetic methods that can easily generate polymers with complex structures. Multiblock copolymers display a range of material properties depending on the length and number of polymer blocks. Currently, there remains a lack of polymerization processes that can easily synthesize these multiblock structures. Here, we report the in situ synthesis of multiblock copolymers by controlling monomer incorporation with electrochemical and photochemical stimuli. To achieve this, we developed a cationic polymerization where polymer chain growth is controlled by reversible electrochemical oxidation of the polymer chain end and coupled this with a compatible photocontrolled radical polymerization. This process was used to generate higher-order multiblock copolymers wherein the number of blocks and the length of each segment is controlled by the two stimuli. This method, which lends itself to automation, will aid in accelerating the rate at which next-generation materials are discovered.
Benzene emissions from gas station clusters: a new framework for estimating lifetime cancer risk

During gas station operation, unburned fuel can be released to the environment through distribution, delivery, and storage. Due to the toxicity of fuel compounds, setback distances have been implemented to protect the general population. However, these distances treat gasoline sales volume as a categorical variable and only account for the presence of a single gas station and not clusters, which frequently occur. This paper introduces a framework for recommending setback distances for gas station clusters based on estimated lifetime cancer risk from benzene exposure. Using the air quality dispersion model AERMOD, we simulated levels of benzene released to the atmosphere from single and clusters of generic gas stations and the associated lifetime cancer risk under meteorological conditions representative of Albany, New York. Cancer risk as a function of distance from gas station(s) and as a continuous function of total sales volume can be estimated from an equation we developed. We found that clusters of gas stations have increased cancer risk compared to a single station because of cumulative emissions from the individual gas stations. For instance, the cancer risk at 40 m for four gas stations each dispensing 1 million gal/year is 9.84 × 10−6 compared to 2.45 × 10−6 for one gas station. The framework we developed for estimating cancer risk from gas station(s) could be adopted by regulatory agencies to make setback distances a function of sales volume and the number of gas stations in a cluster, rather than on a sales volume category.
Transition state analogue of MTAP extends lifespan of APC Min/+ mice

A mouse model of human Familial Adenomatous Polyposis responds favorably to pharmacological inhibition of 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP). Methylthio-DADMe-Immucillin-A (MTDIA) is an orally available, transition state analogue inhibitor of MTAP. 5′-Methylthioadenosine (MTA), the substrate for MTAP, is formed in polyamine synthesis and is recycled by MTAP to S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) via salvage pathways. MTDIA treatment causes accumulation of MTA, which inhibits growth of human head and neck (FaDu) and lung (H359, A549) cancers in immunocompromised mouse models. We investigated the efficacy of oral MTDIA as an anti-cancer therapeutic for intestinal adenomas in immunocompetent APCMin/+ mice, a murine model of human Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Tumors in APCMin/+ mice were decreased in size by MTDIA treatment, resulting in markedly improved anemia and doubling of mouse lifespan. Metabolomic analysis of treated mice showed no changes in polyamine, methionine, SAM or ATP levels when compared with control mice but indicated an increase in MTA, the MTAP substrate. Generation of an MTDIA-resistant cell line in culture showed a four-fold amplification of the methionine adenosyl transferase (MAT2A) locus and expression of this enzyme. MAT2A is downstream of MTAP action and catalyzes synthesis of the SAM necessary for methylation reactions. Immunohistochemical analysis of treated mouse intestinal tissue demonstrated a decrease in symmetric dimethylarginine, a PRMT5-catalyzed modification. The anti-cancer effects of MTDIA indicate that increased cellular MTA inhibits PRMT5-mediated methylations resulting in attenuated tumor growth. Oral dosing of MTDIA as monotherapy has potential for delaying the onset and progression of colorectal cancers in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) as well as residual duodenal tumors in FAP patients following colectomy. MTDIA causes a physiologic inactivation of MTAP and may also have efficacy in combination with inhibitors of MAT2A or PRMT5, known synthetic-lethal interactions in MTAP−/− cancer cell lines.
The Evolutionary Ecology of Primate Hair Coloration: A Phylogenetic Approach

Understanding trait evolution is essential for explaining modern biological diversity, and this is particularly exemplified by studies of coloration. Recent studies have applied evolutionary models to understand animal coloration, yet we have limited knowledge of how this trait evolves in mammals in a comparative context. Here we use phylogenetic methods to examine how different traits are associated with the evolutionary diversity of primate hair color. We hypothesize that hair color evolves independently across body regions, and that variation in biological and ecological traits influence patterns of hair color evolution. To test this, we quantify the phylogenetic signal of coloration for each body region, then compare the fit of three evolutionary models and a null, non-phylogenetic model to explain color variation across 94 primate species. We then test how trait optima and rate of color evolution covary with biological traits, clade membership, and habitat. Phylogenetic signal varies across regions, with head and forelimb coloration exhibiting the highest values. Head and forelimb coloration is best explained by an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model, which could suggest stabilizing selection, whereas a null model best fits other body regions. Rates of hair color evolution and optimal color values vary across species with different visual systems, activity patterns, habitat types, and clade memberships. These results suggest that selective pressures are acting independently across body regions and across different primate taxa. Our results emphasize the importance of investigating patterns of trait evolution across regions of the body, as well as incorporating relevant biological and ecological traits into evolutionary models.
High tech and high touch: Recruitment strategies for enrolling African American stroke survivors in Community Based Intervention under Nurse Guidance after stroke (CINGS) trial.

Abstract Background Substantial effort has been undertaken to improve the recruitment and retention of participants in stroke trials. African Americans are disproportionately under-represented in stroke clinical trials as well as clinical trials for other chronic disease conditions. To circumvent barriers to recruitment, clinical trial recruitment strategies used to recruit African Americans have focused on different aspects of community engagement. Purpose This study examined a community-engaged, multi-phased tailored approach to recruiting African Americans with stroke. The recruitment approach described was designed to support the Community Based Intervention under Nurse Guidance after Stroke (CINGS) trial, part of the Wide Spectrum Investigation of Stroke Outcome Disparities on Multiple Levels (WISSDOM) Center established to explore stroke disparities. Methods A multiple-phased recruitment approach was undertaken and involved a recruitment planning phase and a recruitment phase. The recruitment planning phase involved the use of focus groups designed to explore barriers and facilitators of stroke recovery. The active recruitment phase included multiple strategies with ongoing evaluation. Results Information gained from focus groups offered insights into strategies critical to recruiting African Americans with stroke for behavioral research during the early recovery period. Strategies to enhance the identification of and recruitment of potential participants included use of: a) a hospital system stroke database, b) system-wide friendly visits/warm handoff approaches, c) electronic health record, d) associated external sites and e) protocol adjustments. Conclusions Developing tailored approaches to curtail barriers to research participation is critical for increasing the probability of reaching African American study participant recruitment and retention goals. Research teams may require training in community-engagement research strategies essential for obtaining achieving target recruitment goals.
Clinical Outcomes and Assessment of Racial Disparities for Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Radiotherapy

Purpose/objective(s) The purpose of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between black and white females treated with curative intent for vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (VSCC) and identify factors that correlate with locoregional control (LRC) and survival. Materials/methods Patients with VSCC treated with either adjuvant or definitive radiotherapy with curative intent from 2009-2020 within our multi-center academic medical system were retrospectively analyzed. Patient and treatment-specific factors were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and Univariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate and assess factors correlated with LRC, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Comparisons between groups were performed using the log-rank test. Results We identified 39 patients with VSCC treated with curative intent; 43% (n = 17) received adjuvant RT and 56% (n = 22) received definitive RT to a median dose of 59.4 Gy and 64.4 Gy, respectively. Thirty-four patients received external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone, 5 pts received EBRT plus brachytherapy and 22 patients received concurrent chemotherapy. The cohort was comprised of 22 black patients (BP) and 17 white patients (WP) with a median age of 62 (range: 32-93) and 68 (38-98), respectively. Median follow up for the entire cohort was 12.5 months (Q1-Q3: 2.8-31.3mos) for all patients and 14.9 months (3.8-33.2) for alive patients. BP were significantly more likely to present with clinical FIGO stage I/II (73% vs 24%, P = 0.002), undergo surgical resection (68% vs 18%, P = 0.002) and to have HPV-positive tumors (55% versus 29%, P = 0.012). 6 BP were HIV-positive versus 0 WP. There was no difference between the groups in relation to smoking status (P = 0.72). The complete response rate was 86% (n = 19) among BP (FIGO stage I; n = 9, II; n = 4, III; n = 4, IVA; n = 2) versus 59% (n = 10) among WP (I; n = 1, II; n = 1, III; n = 6, IVA; n = 2), (P = 0.51). One-year estimated LRC, PFS and OS were 100% versus 66% (P = 0.001), 100% versus 50% (P Conclusion This data demonstrates high response rates and local control for early stage VSCC, which primarily included BP in this cohort. Further exploration is needed to understand the etiology behind these differences. These data suggest a potential role for therapeutic stratification to optimize outcomes and decrease late toxicity. Author disclosure J.S. Remick: None. N.S. McCall: Honoraria; PrecisCA.N. Khanna: None. J.W. Shelton: None. S. Hanasoge: None. P.R. Patel: None. A.B. Patel: Honoraria; American College of Radiology. T. Cole: None. A. McCook: None. A.N. Gordon: None. C. Han: None. K. Starbuck: None. J. Switchenko: None. T.Y. Eng: Stock; Amgen.
Diet Modulation of Chronic Inflammation in Individuals with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Those living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) may experience chronic inflammation that may affect quality of life. Although no definitive research has been performed, many studies have suggested that micronutrients such as sulfur amino acids, vitamin E, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids in combination with an adequately nutritious diet may help reduce inflammation.
On the Quantum Analogue of the Levy Distribution

Josef Jauch has made important contributions to the extension of the algebraic formulation of quantum mechanical ideas through the use of quaternions.
Ensuring the Integrity of Encrypted Databases in the Database-as-a-Service Model

In the database-as-a-service model, a service provider hosts the clients’ data and allows access to the data through the Internet. Database-as-a-service model offers considerable benefits to organizations with data management needs by allowing them to outsource their data management infrastructures. Yet, the model introduces many significant challenges, in particular that of data privacy and security. Ensuring the integrity of the database, which is hosted by a service provider, is a critical and challenging problem in this context. We propose an encrypted database integrity assurance scheme, which allows the owner of the data to ensure the integrity of the database hosted at the service provider site, in addition to the security of the stored data against malicious attacks.
Production and Investment

The focus in this chapter is on the role of capital in production and the relationship between demand, short-run marginal cost, and investment. The point of departure is the simple truism, noted in Chap. 1, that current demand has to be served from current capacity, which is fixed. Current production decisions, accordingly, involve the choice of how much of current capacity is to be utilized. This depends upon expectations of current demands in relation to current short-run avoidable costs of production. Current investment decisions, in contrast, depend upon demands expected in the future in relation to the expected short-run avoidable costs of operating the capacity, which is expected to be available for serving those demands.
Elevated CO2 alters belowground exoenzyme activities in tussock tundra

A three-year exposure to a CO2 concentration of 680 μmol mol-1 altered the enzymic characteristics of root surfaces, associated ectomycorrhizae, and in soils surrounding roots in a tussock tundra ecosystem of north Alaska, USA. At elevated CO2, phosphatase activity was higher on Eriophorum vaginatum root surfaces, ectomycorrhizal rhizomorphs and mantles associated with Betula nana roots, and in Oe and Oi soil horizons associated with plant roots. Also, endocellulase and exocellulase activities at elevated CO2 were higher in ectomycorrhizal rhizomorphs and lower in Oe and Oi soil horizons associated with roots. These results suggest that arctic plants respond to raised CO2 by increasing activities associated with nutrient acquisition, e.g. higher phosphatase activities on surfaces of roots and ectomycorrhizae, and greater cellulase activity in ectomycorrhizae. Changes in enzyme activities of surrounding soils are consistent with an increase in carbon exudation from plant roots, which would be expected to inhibit cellulase activities and stimulate phosphatase activities of soil microflora. These data were used to modify existing simulation models describing tussock phosphatase activities and litter decay. Model projections suggest that observed increases in phosphatase activities at 680 μmol mol-1 CO2 could augment total annual phosphorus release within tussocks by more than 40%, at present levels of root and ectomycorrhizae biomass. This includes a nearly three-fold increase in potential phosphatase activity of E. vaginatum roots, per unit of surface area. Observed reductions in cellulase activities could diminish cellulose turnover by 45% in soils within rooting zones, which could substantially increase mineral nitrogen availability in soils due to lowered microbial immobilization.
Meta-analysis: the effects of gut flora modulation using prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics on minimal hepatic encephalopathy.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 662–671 Summary Background Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is characterised by subtle neurocognitive deficits without overt clinical manifestations. Although several trials have individually evaluated the role of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics, there is yet no consensus on the management of MHE. Aim To estimate the efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics in MHE in randomised controlled trials. Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched for published studies in all languages. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined a priori. Pooled relative risk and heterogeneity were estimated as the measures of association. Results Nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Use of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics significantly reduced the pooled relative risk (RR) of no improvement of MHE (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.32–0.50; P < 0.001). Upon subgroup analysis, five studies with lactulose showed significant reduction of risk of no improvement of MHE (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24–0.47; P < 0.0001) with no inter-trial heterogeneity. In two trials each of probiotics and synbiotics, their use was associated with significant beneficial effects (RR 0.41, 95% CI 0.26–0.65; P < 0.0001 and RR of 0.51, 95% CI 0.32–0.80; P = 0.004 respectively). There were no major adverse events though probiotics and synbiotics were better tolerated than lactulose. Conclusions The use of prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics was associated with significant improvement in minimal hepatic encephalopathy. Among individual agents, lactulose appears to have the most beneficial effect, followed closely by probiotics and synbiotics.
A Proposed Narrowing of the Clean Water Act's Criminal Negligence Provisions: It's Only Human?

The Senate Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife is considering an amendment to the Clean Water Act (CWA) that would require human endangerment for a anding of criminal negligence under section 309(c). This proposal is in reaction to United States v. Hanousek and United States v. Hong, seen by some as overly harsh punishment for mere “accidents,” contrary to the intent behind the CWA. Others have defended the decisions, arguing that requiring human endangerment for section 309(c) violations would unjustiaably excuse negligent conduct harmful to the environment and the public welfare. This Note reviews the criminal negligence standard under section 309(c), its application in Hanousek and Hong, and the major arguments proffered by the amendment’s proponents and opponents. It concludes that the amendment is ill-advised, risking failure to capture signiacant environmental harms and depriving prosecutors of leverage in plea-bargaining.
Adolescent Health and Health Behaviors

This article considers adolescent health behavior, with a focus on the major contributors to mortality in adolescence and young adulthood. The article considers substance use, sexual behavior, violence, and emotional distress and suicide risk. These risk behaviors tend to occur together. Theoretical approaches include normative/attitudinal models, social influence and social perception models, and stress-coping models. The article discusses how vulnerability or protection for risk behavior occurs through multiple contributions from: demographic and environmental variables; family support or conflict; temperament and self-control characteristics; aggressiveness and hostility; involvement in school; life stress; specific norms, attitudes, and efficacies; coping motives; and peer social networks. Directions for future research are considered briefly.
Armed Response: How Dying Cells Influence T-Cell Functions

Immune responses during infection, injury, and cancer proceed in the presence of tissue injury and cell death. Consequently, the system must deal with its own dead cells while it determines the appropriate response to the invader. As apoptotic cells are known to induce immune tolerance and necrotic cells can be potent stimulators of immunity, this decision becomes more complex. The key to understanding the immunologic choices made during cell death is to examine the mechanisms of tolerance induction by dying cells and then relate them to the mechanisms of immunity. Ideally, immunogenic cell death should be directed toward tumor cells and infected cells, whereas tolerogenic cell death should be associated with preventing unwanted immune responses to self. In this review, we discuss how the decision is made by focusing on the biochemical process of cell death and how its key components can influence both tolerance and immunity.
Smoking accelerates biotin catabolism in women

Background: Smoking accelerates the degradation of many nutrients, including lipids, antioxidants, and certain B vitamins. Accelerated biotin catabolism is of concern in women because marginal biotin deficiency is teratogenic in mammals. Objective: The objective was to assess the effect of smoking on the biotin status of women. Design: A preliminary study of 7 women and 3 men examined the urinary concentrations of biotin and its metabolites biotin sulfoxide and bisnorbiotin in smokers. The interpretation of the results of this study was limited by the lack of a contemporaneous control group; consequently, we conducted a cohort-controlled study. Smoking women (n = 8) and nonsmoking control subjects (n = 15) provided 24-h urine samples; excretion rates of biotin, the biotin metabolites, and 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid were determined. Increased urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid, which reflects a reduced activity of the biotin-dependent enzyme 3-methylcrotonyl-Co A carboxylase, is a sensitive indicator of biotin depletion at the tissue level. Results: Compared with control subjects from previous studies, the smoking women in the preliminary study excreted significantly less urinary biotin (P = 0.02). Moreover, the ratio of urinary biotin sulfoxide to biotin increased (P = 0.04) in these women. In the cohort-controlled study, the urinary excretion of biotin decreased by 30% (P = 0.04), and the ratios of urinary bisnorbiotin and biotin sulfoxide to biotin increased significantly, which indicated accelerated catabolism in smokers. Moreover, the urinary excretion of 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid was greater in the smokers than in the control subjects (P = 0.04), which indicated biotin depletion in the smokers at the tissue level. Conclusion: These data provide evidence of accelerated biotin metabolism in smoking women, which results in marginal biotin deficiency.
On the layer of relatively low wave velocity at a depth of about 80 kilometers

More than twenty years ago, the author (Gutenberg, 1926) pointed out that the longitudinal waves of shallow earthquakes decrease considerably in amplitude at epicentral distances between a few (say 2) degrees and about 15 degrees. At greater distances the amplitudes become again rather large, at 16° epicentral distance about as large as at 2°. With further increase in epicentral distance the amplitudes decrease slowly, The whole phenomenon was interpreted as due to a decrease in wave velocity at a depth between 70 and 80 km. Further investigations (Gutenberg and Richter, 1931; 1935, pp. 335-343; 1939a; Gutenberg, 1945a; 1945c, pp. 126-127) indicate that the decrease in velocity must be rather small, that the shadow zone is less significant in earthquakes which start at a depth of 150 to 250 km. and is absent in earthquakes originating at a depth of more than about 300 km.
Stability of false lock states in a class of phase-lock loops

False lock is a practical, often very perplexing, problem in phase-lock loops (PLLs). When false lock occurs, the PLL may appear to be operating nominally; the phase detector output may have a nominal (usually small) average value, and a conventional lock detector may indicate a correct phase lock state. However, a static average frequency error exists in the loop. While stable false lock states are the most troubling from a practical standpoint, unstable false lock states are possible. This paper describes a method for analyzing the false lock problem in a broad class of PLLs. A functional differential equation and its first variation are developed for the PLL. A qualitative description is given for the functional differential equation solution that corresponds to a false lock state. The stability of the false lock state is related to a characteristic exponent of the first variation equation with respect to the false lock solution. An approximation is developed for this characteristic exponent, and this is used to determine the stability of the false lock state. Finally, the theory is applied to a simple example, and numerical results are given.
BREP Identification During Voxel-Based Collision Detection for Haptic Manual Assembly

This paper presents a novel method to tie geometric boundary representation (BREP) to voxel-based collision detection for use in haptic manual assembly simulation. Virtual Reality, in particular haptics, has been applied with promising results to improve preliminary product design, assembly prototyping and maintenance operations. However, current methodologies do not provide support for low clearance assembly tasks, reducing the applicability of haptics to a small subset of potential situations. This paper discusses a new approach, which combines highly accurate CAD geometry (boundary representation) with voxel models to support a hybrid method involving both geometric constraint enforcement and voxel-based collision detection to provide stable haptic force feedback. With the methods presented here, BREP data can be accessed during voxel-based collision detection. This information can be used for constraint recognition and lead to constraint-guidance during the assembly process.© 2011 ASME
Nature of the crust beneath west-central Chihuahua, Mexico, based upon Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions at the Tomóchic volcanic center

In regions where crystalline basement is not well exposed, radiogenic isotope data from high-level igneous rocks can provide important information about the underlying crust, even if only modest amounts of crustal assimilation have occurred. One such region is northwestern Mexico, where cover sequences and younger tectonic features obscure the southern margin of the North American craton. Within the heart of the Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic field in northwestern Mexico, ranges of isotope ratios from the 38–29 Ma Tomochic volcanic center in west-central Chihuahua, are ϵ Nd, +2.3 to −5.2 (with only one value 87 Sr/ 86 Sr, 0.7043–0.7089 (with only one value > 0.7070); 206 Pb/ 204 Pb, 18.49–18.80; 207 Pb/ 204 Pb, 15.56–15.62; and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb, 38.35–38.79. These values are unlike those of xenolith-bearing, primitive, mantle-derived magmas from either the southwestern United States or northern Mexico, and are interpreted to reflect modest crustal interaction, even in the least evolved compositions (basaltic andesite). Volcanic rocks of the Tomochic volcanic center have less radiogenic Sr and more radiogenic Nd than rocks from calc-alkaline, mid-Tertiary, ash-flow tuff provinces in the southwestern United States that were erupted through the 1.8–1.0 Ga North American Precambrian craton (Laurentia). The Pb isotopic compositions of the Tomochic volcanic center have a restricted range and closely resemble those for volcanic rocks in eastern Chihuahua and west Texas that were erupted through the basement of the Coahuila block, which is outboard of the Ouachita front in the region. These results eliminate the possibility that Laurentia continues southward beneath the Tomochic area. We suggest instead that the younger basement to the south of the Ouachita front continues into western Chihuahua, although a regional isotopic study is needed to demonstrate the continuity of this configuration.
In Vivo Fluorescent Detection of Fe-S Clusters Coordinated by Human GRX2

A major challenge to studying Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in higher eukaryotes is the lack of simple tools for imaging metallocluster binding to proteins. We describe the first fluorescent approach for in vivo detection of 2Fe2S clusters that is based upon the complementation of Venus fluorescent protein fragments via human glutaredoxin 2 (GRX2) coordination of a 2Fe2S cluster. We show that Escherichia coli and mammalian cells expressing Venus fragments fused to GRX2 exhibit greater fluorescence than cells expressing fragments fused to a C37A mutant that cannot coordinate a metallocluster. In addition, we find that maximal fluorescence in the cytosol of mammalian cells requires the iron-sulfur cluster assembly proteins ISCU and NFS1. These findings provide evidence that glutaredoxins can dimerize within mammalian cells through coordination of a 2Fe2S cluster as observed with purified recombinant proteins.
Amino acids as repressors of nitrogenase biosynthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Abstract Nitrogenase biosynthesis in Klebsiella pneumoniae including mutant strains, which produce nitrogenase in the presence of NH 4 + (Shanmugam, K.T., Chan, Irene, and Morandi, C. (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 408, 101–111) is repressed by a mixture of L -amino acids. Biochemical analysis shows that glutamine synthetase activity in strains SK-24, SK-28, and SK-29 is also repressed by amino acids, with no detectable effect on glutamate dehydrogenase. Among the various amino acids, L -glutamine in combination with L -aspartate was found to repress nitrogenase biosynthesis completely. In the presence of high concentrations of glutamine (1 mg/ml) even NH 4 + repressed nitrogenase biosynthesis in the strains SK-27, SK-37, SK-55 and SK-56. Under these conditions, increased glutamate dehydrogenase activity was also detected. Physiological studies show that nitrogenase derepressed strains are unable to utilize NH 4 + as sole source of nitrogen for biosynthesis of glutamate, whereas back mutations leading to NH 4 + utilization results in sensitivity to repression by NH 4 + . These findings suggest that amino acids play an important role as regulators of nitrogen fixation.
A DISCRETE LOCATION ASSIGNMENT PROBLEM WITH CONGESTION

Abstract Given a set of sites, this paper deals with the selection of sites for installing facilities and the assignment of customers to them. The customers have random demands for service and form finite source queues at the installed facilities. The objective is to minimize the expected total cost per unit of time consisting of travel cost, waiting cost for service, and fixed cost for installing and maintaining the facilities. A heuristic algorithm is developed. Computational results supporting the efficiency and accuracy of the heuristic are included. Under specific conditions, the problem is reduced to a linear integer programming problem and is solved by a branch and bound algorithm.
Factors Influencing the Time-Resolved Evolution of NO, HCN, and N2O during Char Oxidation at Fluidized Bed Conditions

There is increasing evidence that HCN is an important intermediate to the production of N2O during the oxidation of char nitrogen at fluidized bed combustion conditions. The experimental evidence shows that N2O is formed primarily during oxidation so that the fundamental question is on which fuel N intermediate is formed during char consumption. This paper models first the conversion of char nitrogen assumed to be released as HCN, simulating the homogeneous nitrogen chemistry in the boundary layer of a single char particle. This pathway, which is based on 180 reversible gas-phase reactions and 33 chemical species, assumes that HCN is released at a rate proportional to carbon consumption. The oxidation of HCN occurs in the boundary layer of the particle. An alternative pathway assumes that during oxidation, NO is formed in addition to a cyano species by heterogeneous processes and then both NO and the cyano species react in the boundary layer. The temporal evolution of NO, N2O, and cyano compounds from bot...
Invasive Trichophyton rubrum resembling blastomycosis infection in the immunocompromised host.

A 55-year-old renal transplant recipient with onychomycosis and chronic tinea pedis presented with tender nodules on his left medial heel. He then developed papules and nodules on his right foot and calf. A skin biopsy demonstrated periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) positive, thick walled round cells, 2 to 6 μm in diameter, in the dermis. Skin biopsy culture grew Trichophyton rubrum. T rubrum has been described as an invasive pathogen in immunocompromised hosts. The clinical presentation, histopathology, and early fungal culture growth suggested Blastomyces dermititidis in the differential diagnosis before the final identification of T rubrum. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;39:379-80.)
The amplitude of elicited PGO waves: a correlate of orienting

Ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves spontaneously occur in the pons, lateral geniculate body (LGB), and occipital cortex during rapid eye movement sleep (REM), and PGO-like waves (PGOE) may be elicited in LGB during sleep and waking. Because REM has been hypothesized to be a state of continual "orienting" or "hyper-alertness," we tested whether the amplitudes of PGOE in "alerting" situations (the abrupt onset of a loud sound or presentation of a novel stimulus within a series of stimuli) that evoke orienting responses (OR) would be greater than those following stimuli without OR. We also compared PGOE accompanying OR to PGOE during REM and NREM when OR are absent. The amplitudes of PGOE in W were greatest when OR were observed, and the amplitudes of PGOE accompanying OR were not significantly different from PGOE amplitudes in REM. Likewise, the amplitudes of PGOE during REM were not significantly different from those of the highest amplitude spontaneous PGO waves. We propose that the presence of PGOE signals registration of stimuli and that stimuli of sufficient significance to induce behavioral OR in waking also elicit PGOE of significantly greater amplitudes in all behavioral states. These findings support the hypothesis that the presence of high-amplitude PGO waves in REM indicates that the brain is in a state of more-or-less continual orienting.
Estimation of alewife biomass in Lake Michigan, 1967-1978

Abstract The buildup of salmonid populations in Lake Michigan through annual stockings of hatchery-reared fish may become limited by the quantity of forage fish, mainly alewives Alosa pseudoharengus, available for food. As a part of a continuing examination of salmonid predator-prey relations in Lake Michigan, we traced changes in alewife biomass estimated from bottom-trawl surveys conducted in late October and early November 1967–1978. Weight of adult alewives trawled per 0.5 hectare of bottom (10-minute drag) at 16 depths along eight transects between 1973 and 1977 formed a skewed distribution: 72 of 464 drags caught no alewives; 89 drags caught less than 1 kg; and 2 drags caught more than 100 kg (maximum 159 kg). Analysis of variance in normalized catch per tow indicated highly significant differences between the main effects of years and depths, and highly significant differences in the interactions of years and transects, years and depths, and transects and depths. Five geographic and depth strata, f...
The reductionist blind spot

Can there be higher level laws of nature even though everything is reducible to the fundamental laws of physics? The computer science notion of level of abstraction explains how there can be. The key relationship between elements on different levels of abstraction is not the is-composed-of relationship but the implements relationship. I take a scientific realist position with respect to (material) levels of abstraction and their instantiation as (material) entities. They exist as objective elements of nature. Reducing them away to lower order phenomena produces a reductionist blind spot and is bad science. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2009.
Type I, Type II, and Type III Gaps in Bundle-Branch Conduction

"Gaps" in bundle-branch conduction were observed in three patients using the combined technic of premature atrial stimulation and His bundle recordings. In type I gap a complete LBBB pattern disappeared at shorter coupling intervals because the premature atrial impulses encountered enough delay at the A-V node to reach the left bundle branch after the end of its effective refractory period. When this occurred, the H1-H2 intervals were longer and the H2-V2 intervals shorter than that at which complete LBBB had been present. In type II gap a complete RBBB pattern disappeared at shorter coupling intervals because the premature atrial impulses were so delayed within the proximal His-Purkinje system that they reached the right bundle branch after the end of its effective refractory period. When this occurred the H1-H2 intervals were shorter and the H2-V2 longer than that at which complete RBBB had been present. In the patient with type III gap and complete LBBB, conduction to the ventricles through the right b...
Protein Content of Bulk Wheat from Near-Infrared Reflectance of Individual Kernels

ABSTRACT Protein content of wheat by near-infrared (NIR) reflectance of bulk samples is routinely practiced. New instrumentation that permits automated NIR analysis of individual kernels is now available, with the potential for rapid NIR-based determinations of color, disease, and protein content, all on a single kernel (sk) basis. In the event that the protein content of the bulk sample is needed rather than that of the individual kernels, the present study examines the feasibility of estimating bulk sample protein from sk spectral readings. On the basis of 318 wheat samples of 10 kernels per sample, encompassing five U.S. wheat classes, the study demonstrates that with as few as 300 kernels bulk sample protein content may be estimated by sk NIR reflectance spectra at an accuracy equivalent to conventional bulk kernel NIR instrumentation.
Magnetic field assisted polyol synthesis of cobalt carbide and cobalt microwires

Cobalt–cobalt carbide [Co x C (x = 2 or 3)] and cobalt (FCC-Co) microwires have been synthesized using a polyol method in the presence of a high external magnetic field of 4.3 kOe. It was reported before that the synthesis of these particles in the absence of magnetic field leads to the formation of spherical particles. Analysis of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) scans indicates that the synthesized Co x C wires consist of four phases’ α-Co, β-Co, Co3C, and Co2C. The percent composition of these phases was 53.3 % Co3C, 26.8 % Co2C, 12.5 % α-Co, and 7.4 % β-Co. XRD analysis of the as-synthesized cobalt wires shows that it consists of single-phase FCC-Co. Based on Scherrer analysis of the XRD data, the average crystallite sizes of the cobalt carbide and the cobalt particles are 18.5 and 16.3 nm, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies show that the diameter of Co x C wires is in the range of 1.6(±0.2) μm with their length varying between 18 and 30 μm while the diameter of the cobalt wires is 1.65(±0.1). The SEM results infer that the morphology of the growing particles was controlled by the magnetic field with the applied field directs the growth of the particles into wires. The magnetic measurements indicate a superparamagnetic character of the cobalt wires and a soft ferromagnetic nature of the synthesized Co x C chains. The degree and field range of the interactions between magnetic domains have been investigated using a Henkel plot.
Explicit incorporation of cross-slip in a dislocation density-based crystal plasticity model

We present a crystal plasticity model that incorporates cross-slip of screw dislocations explicitly based on dislocation densities. The residence plane of screw dislocations is determined based on a probability function defined by activation energy and activation volume of cross-slip. This enables the redistribution of screw-dislocations and dislocation density patterning due to the effect of stacking fault energy. The formulation is employed for explaining the cross-slip phenomenon in aluminium during uniaxial tensile deformation of ⟨100⟩ single crystal and a single slip orientation of single crystal, and compare the results with experimental observations. The effect of cross-slip on the stress–strain evolution is seen using this explicit treatment of cross-slip.
Direct Measurement of Energy Migration in Supramolecular Carbocyanine Dye Nanotubes.

Exciton transport lengths in double-walled and bundled cylindrical 3,3′-bis- (2-sulfopropyl)-5,5′,6,6′-tetrachloro-1,1′-dioctylbenzimida-carbocyanine (C8S3) J-aggregates were measured using direct imaging of fluorescence from individual aggregates deposited on solid substrates. Regions identified in confocal images were excited with a focused laser spot, and the resulting fluorescence emission was imaged onto an electron multiplying charged coupled device camera. A two-dimensional Gaussian fitting scheme was used to quantitatively compare the excitation beam profile to the broadened aggregate emission profiles. The double-walled tubes exhibit average exciton transport lengths of 140 nm, while exciton transport in the bundled nanotubes was found to be remarkably long, with distances reaching many hundreds of nanometers. A steady-state one-dimensional diffusion model for the broadening of the emission profiles yields diffusion coefficients of 120 nm2 ps–1 for the nanotubes and 7000 nm2 ps–1 for the aggregat...
Geometric permutations of higher dimensional spheres

In this paper, we prove that the maximum number of geometric permutations (induced by line transversals) of a set of n pairwise disjoint spheres with a bounded radius ratio in Rd for d ≥ 3 is at most 2⌊√2M⌋+1, where M is the ratio of the largest radius and the smallest radius of the spheres. Setting M to 1, this gives an upper bound of 4 on the maximum number of geometric permutations for congruent spheres in Rd, matching a recently independently discovered result [Y. Zhou, S. Suri, in: Proc. of 12th Annual ACM-SIAM Symp. on Discrete Algorithms, 2001, pp. 234-243] on this case. Our result settles a conjecture in combinatorial geometry.