cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Health information needs on diseases: A coding schema development for analyzing health questions in social Q&A

Health-related questions users posted on social Q&A sites are a representation of consumers' real-life needs for health information. To tap into this source for a deeper understanding of general people's health information needs and information searching behavior, this poster reports an attempt to develop a coding schema for analyzing disease-related questions in social Q&A sites. The developed schema could serve as a basis for analyzing a wide range of topics in health. It could also guide the implementation of automatic data mining approaches to analyze the vast amount of data generated on social media platforms.
Absorption of calcium as the carbonate and citrate salts, with some observations on method.

Calcium supplement use has increased and there is confusion about the relative absorbability of various sources. Absorbability of calcium from the carbonate and citrate salts was compared at 300 mg and 1000 mg calcium loads, ingested as part of a light breakfast meal. Absorption was measured at the high load both by tracer appearance in serum and by the absorptive increment in urinary calcium, and at the low load by the tracer method only. Subjects were 37 healthy adult men and women, studied as outpatients, and each tested on both salts at the same load. Mean tracer absorption (± SD) for both salts combined was 36.0% at the 300 mg load and 28.4% at the 1000 mg load. In both experiments the observed mean difference in absorption between salts was very small. By the tracer method the within-subject difference (carbonate less citrate) was +3.3%± 1.2% of the ingested dose (mean ± SEM; P <0.05) at the high load, and at the low load, 3.6%± 2.7% (NS). Combining the two experiments yielded zero difference between sources. By the urinary calcium increment method, the mean difference between salts at the 1000 mg load was 1.8 ± 4.1 mg (NS). Side-by-side comparisons of the two methods revealed that the tracer method was 3 times more sensitive than the urinary increment method. We conclude that, when taken with food, calcium from the carbonate salt is fully as absorbable as from the citrate, and that the urinary increment method is not sufficiently sensitive to be useful in comparing sources in free-living subjects.
Influence of agents that affect intracellular calcium regulation on progesterone secretion in small and large luteal cells of the sheep

Enriched fractions of small and large luteal cells were incubated for 2 h with 1 or 10 microM calcium ionophore, A23187: unstimulated secretion of progesterone and viability in small cells were not affected but these measures were decreased (P less than 0.01) for unstimulated large cells and were significantly correlated (P less than 0.05). This effect in large cells was independent of extracellular calcium. Therefore, incubations of the two cell types were made in the presence of increasing concentrations of a protein kinase C activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA). Secretion of progesterone and viability were not augmented in unstimulated small cells, but TPA prevented (P less than 0.05) the full stimulation of secretion of progesterone by LH. Secretion of progesterone in unstimulated large cells was inhibited (P less than 0.01) by TPA (100 nM and 10 microM), although viability was unaffected. The non-tumour promoting phorbol ester, 4 alpha-phorbol didecanoate, had no effect on large cells. Extracellular calcium was not required for the observed effect of TPA. Sphingosine, an agent inhibitory to protein kinase C activity, inhibited (P less than 0.01) secretion of progesterone in small and large cells, and also reduced (P less than 0.01) cell viability. These values were significantly correlated (P less than 0.05) in both cell types. The above observations suggest that protein kinase C may invoke negative regulation on progesterone production in unstimulated large and hormone-stimulated small luteal cells of sheep. Since sphingosine significantly reduced viability in small and large cells and ionophore selectively inhibited viability in large cells, the ability of these agents to influence calcium-mediated intracellular regulation of steroidogenesis is still uncertain.
Waxy gene haplotypes: Associations with pasting properties in an international rice germplasm collection

Associations between RVA pasting properties and three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in the Waxy gene intron 1, exon 6, and exon 10 were determined using rice genotypes of diverse geographic origin. A total of four SNP-haplotypes (combination of SNP alleles) were identified that explained high proportions of the variation in RVA pasting properties (R 2 ¼ 0.574–0.704). A haplotype containing DNA sequence variation in exon 10 (exon 10 cytosine nucleotide) was exclusively found in high-apparent amylose content (AAC) genotypes with a higher RVA viscosity profile compared to the high AAC genotypes with a different haplotype. The exon 10 SNP explained variances in coolpaste and setback (coolpaste–hotpaste) to 0.642 and 0.499, respectively. Across three haplotypes, which contained exon 10 adenine nucleotide, AAC was correlated with peak, hotpaste, breakdown and setback (coolpaste– hotpaste) at r ¼� 0.85, � 0.75, � 0.79, and 0.49, respectively. Therefore, the exon 10 SNP differentiates high AAC types with a strong RVA profile and thus can be used by molecular breeding programs focused on quality improvement. Additionally, characterizing genotypes by their functional SNPs allowed us to better understand the relationship between the Waxy gene, its chemical product (i.e., AAC) and the functionality created by the product (i.e., pasting properties). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A disjunctive programming approach for the optimal design of reactive distillation columns

Abstract A generalized disjunctive programming formulation is presented for the optimal design of reactive distillation columns using tray-by-tray, phase equilibrium and kinetic based models. The proposed formulation uses disjunctions for conditional trays to apply the MESH and reaction kinetics equations for only the selected trays in order to reduce the size of the nonlinear programming subproblems. Solution of the model yields the optimal feed tray locations, number of trays, reaction zones, and operating and design parameters. The disjunctive program is solved using a logic-based outer-approximation algorithm where the MILP master problem is based on the big-M formulation of disjunctions, and where a special initialization scheme is used to reduce the number of initial NLP subproblems that need to be solved. Two examples are presented that include reactive distillation for the metathesis reaction of 2-pentene and for the production of ethylene glycol. The results show that the proposed method can effectively handle these difficult nonlinear optimization problems.
Methylation of DNA in human chronic granulocytic leukemia cells

Abstract Human leukemic granulocytes actively synthesize and methylate DNA during incubation at 37°C. Maximal DNA synthesis occurred after one hour of incubation while maximal DNA methylation was reached at two hours. The following DNA methylated bases were identified: 1-methyladenine, 5-methylcytosine, 1-methyl and/or 7-methylhypoxanthine, and 6-dimethylamino purine and/or 6-methyl mercaptopurine. It was further found that the main DNA peak banded at ϱ =1.6916 g. cm −3 in the CsC1 gradient and had an approximate guanine-cytosine content of 32.2 per cent.
G-protein receptor responses in trauma neutrophils.

BACKGROUND Trauma modulates polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) function, predisposing to organ failure and infection. Many chemoattractants released by injury activate PMNs via G-protein-coupled (GPC) receptors, which elevate PMN cytosolic calcium ([Ca2+]i). Nonetheless, PMN GPC receptor function after injury is unstudied. METHODS PMNs from 11 major trauma patients (Injury Severity Score = 31 +/- 3, eight men and three women, age = 38 +/- 3) were obtained on days 1, 3, and 7 after injury. Nine developed organ failure and one died. PMNs were exposed to interleukin-8 (IL-8), growth regulated oncogene-alpha (GRO-alpha), and platelet-activating factor (PAF) to stimulate the CXCR1, CXCR2, and PAF receptors. [Ca2+]i flux measurements were used to quantify receptor responses. Receptor responses to individual as well as serial GPC agonists were studied over the week after injury and compared with the responses of PMNs from healthy volunteers (n = 10-23). Results were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance, and paired and unpaired t tests. RESULTS Responses to GRO-alpha and PAF were significantly depressed early after injury (p < 0.01). Responses to all agonists tested tended to be lowest on day 1, to peak on day 3, and to decrease again by day 7, but variations in response to GRO-alpha were the most marked (p < 0.03, analysis of variance). Whereas GRO-alpha primed IL-8 and IL-8 primed PAF in normal PMNs, GRO-alpha paradoxically suppressed IL-8 responses and IL-8 suppressed PAF responses in trauma PMNs. PAF priming of IL-8 responses was unaffected by injury. CONCLUSION Receptor responses to individual GPC agonists are suppressed early after trauma, but increase by day 3. Normal chemokine priming of PMN calcium mobilization is reversed by injury; priming by PAF is intact. PMN GPC responses depend on the sequence in which agonists are encountered. Injury appears to alter these interactions, thus priming some aspects of PMN function while simultaneously suppressing others.
Heart failure and diabetes: time to pay attention.

The development of heart failure (HF) represents an important cardiovascular (CV) complication of diabetes mellitus. Multiple studies have demonstrated that diabetes is associated with increased risk for the development of HF. The mechanisms contributing to this increased HF risk are not well understood but include the frequently associated comorbid conditions of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity, renal dysfunction, and increased arterial stiffness. In addition to these risk factors, other mechanisms such as disturbances in cardiac metabolism, abnormal intracellular signaling and calcium handling, increased myocardial fibrosis, local activation of the renin angiotensin system, and direct and indirect effects of advanced glycation end products may also contribute to cardiac dysfunction. Data from epidemiological studies and clinical trials have also clearly established that worse glycemic control, as indicated by either fasting glucose or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, is associated with increased risk for the development of HF. For example, in a cohort of 48,858 adult diabetic patients without baseline HF, each 1% increase in HbA1c correlated to an 8% increase HF risk. Intuitively, this nearly continuous epidemiological relationship between the degree of dysglycemia and HF risk would suggest that improving glycemic control would also lead to decreased HF risk. In this issue of the Journal, Castagno et al address this concept by examining whether strategies of more intensive glycemic control are associated with reduced HF events. The authors perform a meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials involving N37,000 patients with type 2 diabetes that either compared strategies of more versus less intensive glucose-lowering or that had statistically significant group differences in mean HbA1c at follow-up. In the study, the authors demonstrate that, despite achieving an HbA1c difference of 0.9% between the 2 groups, more intensive glycemic control did not affect the incidence of HF outcomes. In addition, studies that had significant thiazolidinedione (TZD) use or that tested a specific TZD strategy were associated with increased HF risk. The authors acknowledge and highlight several limitations of the study, including the heterogeneous populations with differing background CV risk, the lack of patient specific data, and the different definitions that
Sarin transport across excised human skin II: Effect of solvent pretreatment on permeability

The effect of pretreating callus membranes with dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylacetamide, dimethylformamide, formamide, dioxane, or methyl orthoformate on sarin permeability was studied at three temperatures to determine the activation energy for transport. In addition, the effect of membrane pretreatment on permeability through callus membranes from either a sarin-carboxypolymethylene gel or a sarin-polymethyl methacrylate gel was studied.
Emerging role of probiotics and antimicrobials in the management of irritable bowel syndrome.

AbstractObjective:To review the potential role of probiotics and antimicrobials for management of functional bowel disorders (FBDs), with a focus on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).Research design and methods:Relevant adult data were identified via PubMed, with additional references obtained by reviewing bibliographies from selected articles.Results:Probiotic treatment involves colonizing the intestines with beneficial microorganisms, whereas antimicrobial therapy involves modulation of the bacterial load and/or host response. A meta-analysis reported that all probiotic species evaluated improved flatulence compared with placebo; some, but not all, species improved abdominal pain and abdominal bloating/distension; and no species evaluated improved stool frequency or consistency, straining during stool evacuation, sense of incomplete evacuation, or fecal urgency. Two additional meta-analyses reported that probiotics significantly improved overall IBS symptoms. Individual studies have demonstrated potential ...
Intergranular fracture in bicrystals—II

Abstract In this paper results of stress rupture experiments on bicrystals of a structural alloy, 316 stainless steel, are reported and contrasted with equivalent results from copper-bicrystals which were reported earlier. In both instances the boundary was aligned normal to the tensile axis to minimize the influence of grain boundary sliding. In contrast with the experiments on copper, where it was found that the time to fracture could be reasonably well predicted on the basis of cavity growth only, in 316SS it is found that predictions based upon cavity growth considerably underestimate the failure times. It is inferred that cavity nucleation takes up a dominant fraction of the fracture time in the 316SS bicrystals. The data asymptotically approaches a threshold stress at low stresses. It is suggested that the threshold stress, so measured, may be used as a parameter in the design of structures which operate under steady state, long term, elevated temperature conditions. Fracture in bicrystal specimens always occurred sooner than fracture in polycrystals of 316SS.
A comparision of the abilities of plasma kallikrein, β-factor XIIa, factor XIa and urokinase to activate plasminogen

Abstract In order to compare the relative potencies of plasma kallikrein, β-Factor XIIa, Factor XIa and urokinase as plasminogen activators, plasminogen activation by these proteins was studied using a radiolabeled fibrin plate assay. Urokinase was approximately 20,000 times more active than kallikrein or Factor XIa and 300,000 times more active than B-Factor XIIa. Kallikrein and Factor XIa were approximately equal in plasminogen activator activity and were 20 times more potent than β-Factor XIIa.
Medical students' concepts of childhood cancer and its management.

Medical students' attitudes toward cancer and patients with cancer were studied prior to and following a required pediatric clerkship which included contact with children on an oncology service. Emphasis in the study was placed on the students' reactions to the child with cancer, and these were compared with the same students' attitudes in the context of the adult with cancer or general oncology. Early diagnosis is regarded as of more significance, and an aggressive therapeutic response following diagnosis of more urgency when the patient is a child. These attitudes, recognizing the importance of early diagnosis and expressing strong approval of aggressive therapy for the pediatric patient, increased during the clerkship. The students strongly supported a program aimed at return of the child to his normal activities with the least delay; recognized the special significance of long-range surveillance for secondary effects in the pediatric patient; and recommended the “center” as opposed to the community hospital as the site for care of the child with cancer. In other areas of cancer management, including (a) the importance of psychosocial support, (b) the problems of emotional involvement of the physician with the patient, and (c) care of the dying patient, attitudes toward patients in the two age groups was not significantly different.
Salt appetite induced by DOCA treatment or adrenalectomy in rats : analysis of ingestive behavior

A detailed description of the increased intake of 0.5 M NaCl solution by rats after systemic treatment with desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) or after adrenalectomy was obtained by measuring feeding and drinking activity every 6 s for 23 h. In both models of salt appetite, the induced increase in saline intake occurred mostly at night and in close temporal association with bouts of eating and water drinking rather than in isolation. Consequently, there was no significant change in the total number of ingestive episodes, despite the substantial increase in the number of saline bouts. Saline drinking was in small draughts that usually were preceded by food bouts and followed promptly by water bouts. These and other observations indicate that under standard maintenance conditions of ad lib access to food and fluids, adrenalectomy and DOCA treatment each produce a relatively weak stimulus of salt appetite, and large daily intakes accrue because the animals do not remain satiated and the appetite recurs repeatedly.
Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells as models for normal and diseased cardiac electrophysiology and contractility.

Since the first description of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), these cells have garnered tremendous interest for their potential use in patient-specific analysis and therapy. Additionally, hiPSC-CMs can be derived from donor cells from patients with specific cardiac disorders, enabling in vitro human disease models for mechanistic study and therapeutic drug assessment. However, a full understanding of their electrophysiological and contractile function is necessary before this potential can be realized. Here, we review this emerging field from a functional perspective, with particular emphasis on beating rate, action potential, ionic currents, multicellular conduction, calcium handling and contraction. We further review extant hiPSC-CM disease models that recapitulate genetic myocardial disease.
Evaluating classifiers' performance in a constrained environment

In this paper, we focus on methodology of finding a classifier with a minimal cost in presence of additional performance constraints. ROCCH analysis, where accuracy and cost are intertwined in the solution space, was a revolutionary tool for two-class problems. We propose an alternative formulation, as an optimization problem, commonly used in Operations Research. This approach extends the ROCCH analysis to allow for locating optimal solutions while outside constraints are present. Similarly to the ROCCH analysis, we combine cost and class distribution while defining the objective function. Rather than focusing on slopes of the edges in the convex hull of the solution space, however, we treat cost as an objective function to be minimized over the solution space, by selecting the best performing classifier(s) (one or more vertex in the solution space). The Linear Programming framework provides a theoretical and computational methodology for finding the vertex (classifier) which minimizes the objective function.
Radiative transfer theory for scattering by layered media

Remote sensing of brightness temperatures of a scattering medium composed of spherical scatterers beneath a homogeneous surface layer is studied by using Mie scattering functions. We illustrate the effects of a surface layer by plotting the brightness temperatures as functions of frequency and viewing angle for different layer thicknesses, dielectric constants, and fractional scattering volumes. It is found that the brightness temperature increases when the loss tangent of the surface layer is increased and when the fractional volume occupied by the scatterers is decreased. In the absence of a surface layer the brightness temperature is usually decreasing as a function of frequency. The presence of a homogeneous layer may cause the brightness temperature to increase with frequency. At all viewing angles the vertical polarization is brighter than the horizontal polarization.
Increase in glutathione and glutathione reductase in livers of rats fed ethionine

Abstract The effect of feeding a stock diet to which had been added 0.25% of dl -ethionine on liver-reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-PGD) was studied in male and female rats. Liver GSH concentration was consistently increased in rats of both sexes fed ethionine. This effect could not be prevented by methionine, which, in fact, also increased liver GSH, but was reversible by feeding an ethionine-free diet. Cysteine, added to the stock diet in place of ethionine, did not increase hepatic GSH. Activities of the enzymes GR and G-6-PD, but not of 6-PGD, were significantly higher in the livers of the ethionine fed rats. Additional studies indicated that ascorbic acid concentrations in blood, liver, and adrenals were reduced after ethionine feeding.
Factors controlling long- and short-term sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in a mid-latitude forest.

Net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) measured by eddy covariance in a 60- to 80-year-old forest averaged 2.0 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year during 1993 to 2000, with interannual variations exceeding 50%. Biometry indicated storage of 1.6 ± 0.4 megagrams of carbon per hectare per year over 8 years, 60% in live biomass and the balance in coarse woody debris and soils, confirming eddy-covariance results. Weather and seasonal climate (e.g., variations in growing-season length or cloudiness) regulated seasonal and interannual fluctuations of carbon uptake. Legacies of prior disturbance and management, especially stand age and composition, controlled carbon uptake on the decadal time scale, implying that eastern forests could be managed for sequestration of carbon.
Transposon tagging of genes for cell-cell interactions in Myxococcus xanthus.

Abstract The prokaryote Myxococcus xanthus is a model for cell interactions important in multicellular behavior. We used the transposon TnphoA to specifically identify genes for cell-surface factors involved in cell interactions. From a library of 10,700 insertions of TnphoA, we isolated 36 that produced alkaline phosphatase activity. Three TnphoA insertions tagged cell motility genes, called cgl, which control the adventurous movement of cells. The products of the tagged cgl genes could function in trans upon other cells and were localized primarily in the cell envelope and extracellular space, consistent with TnphoA tagging genes for extracellular factors controlling motility.
A multivariate statistical analysis of sampling uncertainties in geometric and dimensional errors for circular features

Traditional research on sampling strategies for circular features has focused on reducing the error in estimation of form error for determining the optimal sample size. However, circular features have more than one geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) error (form, position, and size) that need to be estimated simultaneously using a single inspection procedure. The inspection method used should, therefore, have a good overall performance in simultaneously assessing all of the GD&T parameters of interest. In this paper, a multivariate statistical model using Exploratory Factor Analysis has been presented for simultaneously analyzing the effect of sampling strategies on the sampling uncertainty of the GD&T errors. Realistic circular profiles have been generated incorporating lobes, eccentricity, and roughness, and a minimum zone fitting algorithm has been used to determine the form error. The error in position and size are computed based on the minimum circumscribed circle of the profile, in accordance with ANSI guidelines. A six-dimensional performance metric vector quantifies the difference between the true value of the errors and the value evaluated using the sample. This vector is used as a basis to recommend a sample size and technique that performs well in simultaneously evaluating the form error, position, and size of a circular profile. The results obtained from the simulated profiles are validated using data collected from manufactured parts.
ACTION OF THYROXIN ON ESTROGEN-INDUCED CHANGES IN BLOOD CHEMISTRY AND ENDOSTEAL BONE

ESTROGENS increase greatly the calcium, phosphorus and lipid content of bird plasma; they also induce growth of the oviduct and formation of endosteal bone in both birds and mammals. The literature on this subject has been reviewed by Riddle (1942) and by Gardner and Pfeiffer (1943). Riddle and Dotti (1936, 1945) noted that in pigeons thyroidectomy does not notably affect the ability of estrogens to raise the plasma calcium. Clavert (1942) reported that the hypercalcemic and osteogenic actions of estradiol dipropionate in drakes are reduced by thyroidectomy, and that these actions are restored by injections of thyroxin. Thyroidectomy has been shown to increase the cholesterol, fatty acid and phospholipid content of drake plasma (Benoit and Bogdanovitch, 1937) and the administration of thyroxin apparently decreases the fat content of pigeon plasma (Riddle, Senum and Rauch, 1945).
Bank Influence and the Failure of US Monetary Policy during the 1953–54 Recession

This paper presents archival and econometric evidence that challenges the conventional belief that independent central banks are necessary to stabilise economies on non-inflationary growth paths. The evidence suggests that, when the US central bank—the Federal Reserve—became independent of democratic control in March 1951, it became dependent on the large banks. It is shown that excessive banker influence caused the Federal Reserve to miss its first opportunity to stabilise the economy, during the 1953–54 recession.
Update on the Clinical Management of Atrial Fibrillation: Guidelines and Beyond

AbstractIn clinical practice, atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia. With the aging of the US population, the number of patients with AF that physicians encounter will increase. Atrial fibrillation management involves a combination of rate- and rhythm-control strategies with thromboprophylaxis, a complicated endeavor given side effect profiles of treatments, patient comorbidities, and anticoagulation treatment requirements. Early treatment discontinuation and poor compliance with anticoagulation treatment are frequent and result in increased mortality, a 5-fold increased risk of ischemic stroke, decreased health-related quality of life, and decreased exercise capacity. In 2006, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/European Society of Cardiology (ACC/AHA/ESC) provided guidelines for the management of patients with AF. Recently, the ACC Foundation, AHA, and Heart Rhythm Society released updates to these guidelines (January and February 2011). This arti...
Video-Mediated Objective Self-Awareness, Self-Perception, and Locus of Control:

Mediation of objective self-awareness by video feedback was hypothesized to elicit changes in self-perception. The effects of differences in locus of control and two feedback conditions on self-representation (categorization of free responses) were studied using a repeated-measures design. Internal and external subjects were videotaped with the monitor on (mediated) or off (non-mediated). Significant shifts in self-representations from categorical to attributive responses and from neutral (descriptive) to positive (evaluative) statements occurred for all subjects. No effects for locus of control were noted. Implications of video feedback for self-awareness and perception are discussed.
Hyperglycemia- and neuropathy-induced changes in mitochondria within sensory nerves

Objective This study focused on altered mitochondrial dynamics as a potential mechanism for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). We employed both an in vitro sensory neuron model and an in situ analysis of human intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENFs) from cutaneous biopsies to measure alterations in the size distribution of mitochondria as a result of hyperglycemia and diabetes, respectively.
Effect of hydrogen bonding ability, dipole-dipole interactions and viscosity of extracellular matrix fluid on the bone mechanical behavior

Fragility fracture as a mode of pathologic failure in bone is a major healthcare concern and has adverse consequences with respect to morbidity, cost and to a lesser extent mortality. Understanding the structure/composition and functional relationships among the bone constituents is an important step towards prevention/treatment of fragility fractures.© 2012 ASME
Repurposing MARC Data: Some Pitfalls

Purpose – Options to consider when reviewing Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) data suggest both advantages and disadvantages.Design/methodology/approach – This short piece suggests some issues to ponder that may not be the most advantageous. Opening up the door to perhaps some troubling concerns encourage one to pause and consider the available technologies and the role of the metadata.Findings – Earlier efforts to organize search output from online public access catalog searches retrieved items in reverse chronological order. Commercial indexing efforts were able to retrieve output in relevancy rankings based on search algorithms. This essay suggests that there are reasons for both and MARC contributes some particular nuances that complicate the potential for the most challenging searching.Originality value – Provides information of value to library professionals.
The effect of CdTe growth temperature and ZnTe:Cu contacting conditions on CdTe device performance

CdTe device performance is strongly dependent on the quality of the back contact and the ability of the back contact to introduce a copper doping profile in the CdTe layer itself. Copper-doped ZnTe (ZnTe:Cu) is a nearly ideal contact material for CdTe solar cells due to its work function and ability to source copper to CdTe. Most of the ZnTe:Cu studies in the past used CdTe grown at relatively low deposition temperatures (550°C and below). Here we investigate the use of ZnTe:Cu as a back contact for CdTe grown at temperatures up to 620°C. We observe a strong interplay between the CdTe absorber deposition conditions and optimized ZnTe:Cu contacting conditions. Device JV characteristics suggest that CdTe solar cells with absorber layers deposited by close-space sublimation (CSS) at high temperature, 600–620°C, are more robust to the back contact Cu doping level and contacting temperature than CdTe grown at lower temperatures. The implication for industrial processes is a ∼1% absolute increase in device efficiency for devices in which the CdTe is deposited on PV glass at high temperature. Perhaps more importantly, this increased performance is maintained for a larger window of temperature and doping level of the ZnTe:Cu back contact. For devices with CdTe absorbers deposited at 600°C, device efficiency in excess of 13.5% is maintained for back contacts containing 2–5 wt.% Cu, and for contacting temperatures ranging from 300–360°C. Red-light bias quantum efficiency (QE) and capacitance-voltage (CV) measurements are used to probe the effect of the introduced copper doping profiles and net acceptor density to better understand how ZnTe:Cu sources influences the resulting CdTe device.
Energy dependence of correction factors for some low-energy direct-reading pocket dosimeters

The energy dependence for each of five models of low‐energy direct‐reading pocket dosimeters was characterized through an examination of the exposure correction factors determined over the diagnostic x‐ray range (0.4–4.1‐mm Al HVL) for many samples of each model. The results of an analysis of variance performed by model on the correction factors are reported as mean correction factors for the x‐ray beams evaluated, the relative standard error being less than 0.8% in all cases. Energy‐dependence curves for the dosimeter models are given, and their use is described.
The effect of testosterone in pharmacological doses on plasma volume and on some serum proteins in patients with sickle cell anemia and in sexually impotent men.

Serum levels of 13 plasma proteins and the plasma volumes were estimated in 10 patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA) and in 6 sexually impotent males (SIM) before and during treatment with high-dose androgens. In both groups an increase was seen for α1-antitrypsin and orosomucoid. In the SCA group a marked increase was found for hemopexin. Haptoglobin could be demonstrated in some samples during treatment. In the SIM group hemopexin did not change but haptoglobin increased. On androgens plasma volume decreased in the SCA and increased in the SIM group.
Measurement of three-dimensional temperature fields in conjugate conduction-convection problems using multidirectional interferometry

Abstract A computational and experimental study is performed to optically record and reconstruct an asymmetric three-dimensional (3-D) temperature field in conjugate conduction-convection heat transfer problems. In a thermally coupled application, the temperature distribution must be obtained within the conducting solid and in the adjacent convecting fluid. A reconstruction algorithm is developed that provides the 3-D temperature field in a region occupied by multiple mediums (solids and/or fluids). The 3-D temperature distribution is reconstructed in and around a short heated cylinder placed in a fluid to which heat is transferred by natural convection. Experimental measurement of the field is made by recording and reducing the data from a number of interferograms taken along different angles to the flow. In order to obtain interference data through the combined solid and liquid, the refractive index of the cylinder is matched with the fluid. Numerical solutions for this geometry are also obtained which provide temperature fields that compare favorably with the experimentally obtained values.
Wild-Type and Mutant Huntingtins Function in Vesicle Trafficking in the Secretory and Endocytic Pathways

Huntingtin is a cytoplasmic protein that is found in neurons and somatic cells. In patients with Huntington's disease (HD), the NH2-terminal region of huntingtin has an expanded polyglutamine tract. An abnormal protein interaction by mutant huntingtin has been proposed as a mechanism for HD pathogenesis. Huntingtin associates with vesicle membranes and interacts with proteins involved in vesicle trafficking. It is unclear where along vesicle transport pathways wild-type and mutant huntingtins are found and whether polyglutamine expansion affects this localization. To distinguish wild-type and mutant huntingtin, fibroblasts from normals and HD patients with two mutant alleles (homozygotes) were examined. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed that mutant huntingtin localized with clathrin in membranes of thetransGolgi network and in clathrin-coated and noncoated endosomal vesicles in the cytoplasm and along plasma membranes. Separation of organelles in Nycodenz gradients showed that in normal and HD homozygote patient cells, huntingtin was present in membrane fractions enriched in clathrin. Similar results were obtained in fibroblasts from heterozyote juvenile HD patients who had a highly expanded polyglutamine tract in the HD allele. Western blot analysis of membrane fractions from rat brain showed that wild-type huntingtin was present in fractions that contained purified clathrin-coated membranes or a mixture of clathrin-coated and noncoated membranes. Electron microscopy of huntingtin immunoreactivity in rat brain revealed labeling along dendritic plasma membranes in association with clathrin-coated pits and clusters of noncoated endosomal vesicles 40–60 nm in diameter. These data suggest that wild-type and mutant huntingtin can influence vesicle transport in the secretory and endocytic pathways through associations with clathrin-coated vesicles.
Perforin- and Granzyme-Mediated Cytotoxic Effector Functions Are Essential for Protection against Francisella tularensis following Vaccination by the Defined F. tularensis subsp. novicida ΔfopC Vaccine Strain

A licensed vaccine against Francisella tularensis is currently not available. Two Francisella tularensis subsp. novicida (herein referred to by its earlier name, Francisella novicida) attenuated strains, the ΔiglB and ΔfopC strains, have previously been evaluated as potential vaccine candidates against pneumonic tularemia in experimental animals. F. novicida ΔiglB, a Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI) mutant, is deficient in phagosomal escape and intracellular growth, whereas F. novicida ΔfopC, lacking the outer membrane lipoprotein FopC, which is required for evasion of gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-mediated signaling, is able to escape and replicate in the cytosol. To dissect the difference in protective immune mechanisms conferred by these two vaccine strains, we examined the efficacy of the F. novicida ΔiglB and ΔfopC mutants against pulmonary live-vaccine-strain (LVS) challenge and found that both strains provided comparable protection in wild-type, major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) knockout, and MHC II knockout mice. However, F. novicida ΔfopC-vaccinated but not F. novicida ΔiglB-vaccinated perforin-deficient mice were more susceptible and exhibited greater bacterial burdens than similarly vaccinated wild-type mice. Moreover, perforin produced by natural killer (NK) cells and release of granzyme contributed to inhibition of LVS replication within macrophages. This NK cell-mediated LVS inhibition was enhanced with anti-F. novicida ΔfopC immune serum, suggesting antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in F. novicida ΔfopC-mediated protection. Overall, this study provides additional immunological insight into the basis for protection conferred by live attenuated F. novicida strains with different phenotypes and supports further investigation of this organism as a vaccine platform for tularemia.
Triplet management in organic light emitting diodes and lasers

By doping a molecule with low triplet energy in the active regions of organic light emitting diodes and lasers, we demonstrate suppressed triplet-induced losses, thus overcoming a significant obstacle to electrically pumped organic lasers.
Work in progress - highlights and challenges of a student driven co-curricular leadership program

The Engineering Leadership Program is entering its fourth year as a co-curricular program at Iowa State University. It is a values-based learning community for engineering students passionate about contributing to their communities, locally or globally. As the program has grown from 15 to over 80 scholars, it has experienced creative challenges such as retaining a sense of community, succession planning, and student empowerment. Work is in progress to effectively assess the student learning outcomes within the constraints of a flexible and personalized co-curricular program. The program is generating campus-wide collaboration to better understand the continuum of student development in curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular settings, and the optimal balance among them.
RECONSTITUTION OF HUMAN CORPORAL SMOOTH MUSCLE AND ENDOTHELIAL CELLS IN VIVO

AbstractPurpose: The availability of autologous erectile tissue composed of corporal smooth muscle and endothelial cells would be beneficial in patients undergoing penile reconstruction. We previously showed that cultured cavernous cells seeded on polymer scaffolds form corporal muscle when implanted in vivo. However, to reconstruct corporal tissue endothelial and corporal muscle cells are necessary. In this study we investigated the possibility of developing tissue composed of corporal cells in vivo by combining smooth muscle and endothelial cells.Materials and Methods: Human corporal smooth muscle and endothelial cells were seeded on biodegradable polyglycolic acid polymer scaffolds at concentrations of 20 x 106 and 10 x 106 cells per cm.3, respectively. A total of 60 polymer scaffolds seeded with cells and 20 control polymers without cells were implanted in the subcutaneous space of 20 athymic mice. Mice were sacrificed 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days, respectively, after implantation. Immunocytoche...
Laparophobia: a cognitive perspective on appetite control in anorexia nervosa

Decades of research have demonstrated that anorexia nervosa (AN) may be associated with aberrant cognition, yet, its role in maintaining stringent dieting has received relatively little attention from mainstream researchers of eating disorders. The purpose of the present article is to highlight cognitive ('top-down') factors that are considered responsible for anticipatory anxiety of stoutness and frank fat-phobia (laparophobia). A cognitive model proposed departs from the formulation suggesting that phobia of over-eating is superimposed on avoidant tendencies ('environmental autonomy syndrome'), whereas excessive exercising becomes a natural coping strategy with laparophobia, an instrument of reward. AN ideation involves complex neuronal circuitries and multiple neurochemical components that may conceivably represent a mirror image of those underlying obesity. The emphasis on phobia and aberrant membrane excitability akin to channelopathies behoves the clinicians to be aware of potential uses of drugs acting at the gamma-aminobutyric acid and the N-methyl-D-aspartate/AMPA [2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazol-4-yl) propionic acid] receptors sites as the adjuncts to conventional agents in managing AN.
Reactions of Rh(SbPh3)3(CO)X (X=Cl, Br) with organic propargyl compounds. Synthesis, structure and reactivity of rhodiacyclopent-3-ene-2-one complexes

Abstract The five-coordinate rhodium(I) stibine complexes Rh(SbPh3)3(CO)X (X=Cl (1), Br (2)) react with HCCCH2Y (Y=Cl, Br, OTs, OBs) in CH2Cl2 at ambient temperature to afford the η1-allenyl Rh(SbPh3)2(CO)X(Y)(η1-CHCCH2) (X=Cl, Y=OTs (3a), OBs (3b); X=Y=Br (3c)) and the rhodiacyclopent-3-ene-2-one Rh(SbPh3)3Cl(η2-C(O)CHC(Cl)CH2) (5a) and Rh(SbPh3)3Br(η2-C(O)CHC(X or Y)CH2) (X or Y=Cl (5b), Br (5c)) products. The corresponding reactions of Rh(SbPh3)3(CO)X with MeCCCH2Y yield the η1-propargyl Rh(SbPh3)2(CO)Cl(OTs)(η1-CH2CCMe) (4) and the rhodiacyclic Rh(SbPh3)3(X or Y)(η2-C(O)C(Me)C(Y or X)CH2) (6) complexes. The rhodiacycles 5a and 5c were converted to the η1-allenyls Rh(SbPh3)2(CO)Cl2(η1-CHCCH2) (3d) and 3c, respectively, upon heating at 60 °C in THF, with the relative rates being 5c>5a. Treatment of 5a and 5b with one equivalent of AgOTf or AgOTs results in replacement of the halide bonded to Rh and formation of Rh(SbPh3)3(OTf)(η2-C(O)CHC(Cl)CH2) (5d) and Rh(SbPh3)3(OTs)(η2-C(O)CHC(Cl)CH2) (5e), respectively. The structure of 5d (as 5d·0.5C7H8) was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Addition of two equivalents of AgOTf to 5a and 5b, or of one equivalent of AgOTf to 5d, leads to the replacement of the remaining halide to afford the η1-allenyl Rh(SbPh3)2(CO)(OTf)2(η1-CHCCH2) (3e). The reverse of the 5a to 3e conversion can be effected with chloride and SbPh3; however, without added SbPh3, the reaction affords the substitution product 3d instead. Addition of excess pyridine or PPh3 to 5a yields the substitution products Rh(SbPh3)2(py)Cl(η2-C(O)CHC(Cl)CH2) (9) and five-coordinate, 16-electron Rh(PPh3)2Cl(η2-C(O)CHC(Cl)CH2) (7), respectively. A mechanism is proposed for the conversion of 1 and 2 to 5 and for the transformations between 5 and 3.
Bystanders' Perceptions of Perpetrators and Victims of Hate Crime An Investigation Using the Person Perception Paradigm

This study used the person perception vignette method to examine whether people perceive hate crime victims as more culpable than non-hate crime victims. In a between-participants design, participants were randomly assigned to read a vignette depicting a nonhate crime or a comparable hate crime motivated by the perpetrator's hatred for either the victim's race, sexual orientation, or religion. Results showed that participants assigned more blame to the victim in the non-hate crime condition compared to the victims in each of the three hate crime conditions. In addition, they perceived the perpetrators as more guilty in each of the three hate crime conditions compared to the non-hate crime condition. In addition, people with prejudiced attitudes perceived both hate crime and non-hate crime victims as more culpable and both hate crime and non-hate crime perpetrators as less culpable than did unprejudiced people.
Integration of breast MRI in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are the mechanism for implementing new treatment methods into clinical practice. A number of organizations have been developed to facilitate the initiation, implementation, and data analysis for clinical trials. Imaging is important for patient selection and establishment of endpoints, yet imaging expertise has been underrepresented in most clinical trial groups. The integration of breast MRI in clinical trials is an important step toward the establishment of this method of imaging in routine practice. In addition, these data will be important in justifying the expense of MRI to payer organizations. The potential roles of breast MRI in clinical trials are reviewed. These breast MRI applications are linked with some of the studies that are under development. It is important for the MRI community to be aware of the importance of clinical trials in the future clinical establishment of breast MRI. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2001;13:830–836. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Role of the Fas/FasL pathway in HIV or SIV disease

Human immunodeficiency virus disease involves progressive destruction of host immunity leading to opportunistic infections and increased rates for malignancies. Quantitative depletion of immune cell subsets and accruing defects in cell effector functions are together responsible for immunodeficiency The broad impact of HIV reflects a similarly broad spectrum of affected cells including subsets that do not express viral receptors or support viral replication. Indirect cell killing, the destruction of uninfected cells, is one important mechanism due partly to activation of the Fas/FasL system for cell death. This death-signaling pathway is induced during HIV disease and contributes significantly to viral pathogenesis and disease.