cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chitosan Oligomers and Related Nanoparticles as Environmentally Friendly Wood Preservatives

The efficacy of chitosan oligomers and related nanoparticles as environmentally friendly wood protection agents was evaluated in this study. Commercially sourced low-molecular weight chitosan was depolymerized using sodium nitrite. Evaluation of depolymerized chitosan to the nano level by thin layer chromatography confirmed acceptable results for obtaining a degree of polymerization of four. Then, oligomers were modified to form quaternized chitosan oligomers. Both quaternized and non-quaternized oligomers were mixed with tripolyphosphate (TPP) to form nano-chitosan-TPP particles via an ionic gelation method. Southern pine wood samples were treated with different chitosan-based solutions and suspensions under a vacuum impregnation process. The mass and volume of the treated samples were calculated before and after treatments to evaluate bulking. The mass loss after leaching of the treated wood samples was calculated. The mass and volume gain results indicated that quaternized nano-chitosan-TPP treated samples had more mass and volume gain after treatment in comparison with non-quaternized nano-chitosan-TPP-treated and control samples. The mass loss results revealed that mass loss increased in quaternized nano-chitosan-TPP particles. Although quaternized nano-chitosan particles were positively charged, they could not fix to the cell walls and became leached out. Therefore, these nanoparticles can likely be used as wood preservatives in non-leaching applications.
Comparison of murine behavioural and physiological responses after forced exercise by electrical shock versus manual prodding.

NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? Forced treadmill exercise using electrical shock is the most common technique in rodent exercise studies. Here, we examined how the use of electrical shock during forced treadmill exercise affects behavioural and physiological responses in comparison to a novel non-electrical shock technique. What is the main finding and its importance? In comparison to mice that underwent traditional treadmill running induced by electrical shock, mice that underwent forced running using a novel technique involving gentle prodding to induce running showed: (i) higher locomotor activity; (ii) less anxiety-like behaviour; and (iii) altered exercise-induced muscle pain immediately after exercise. ABSTRACT Animal models of exercise have been useful to understand underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. Many studies have used methods of exercise that are unduly stressful (e.g., electrical shock to force running), potentially skewing results. Here, we compared physiological and behavioural responses of mice after exercise induced using a prodding technique that avoids electrical shock versus a traditional protocol using electrical shock. We found that exercise performance was similar for both techniques; however, the shock group demonstrated significantly lower locomotor activity and higher anxiety-like behaviour. We also observed divergent effects on muscle pain; the prodding group showed hyperalgesia immediately after exercise, whereas the shock group showed hypoalgesia. Corticosterone concentrations were elevated to a similar extent for both groups. In conclusion, mice that were exercised without shock generated similar maximal exercise performance, but postexercise these mice showed an increase in locomotor activity, less anxiety-like behaviour and altered muscle pain in comparison to mice that exercised with shock. Our data suggest that running of mice without the use of electrical shock is potentially less stressful and might be a better technique to study the physiological and behavioural responses to exercise.
Do policies and institutions matter for pre-tax income inequality? Cross-country evidence

Do policies and institutions matter for pre-tax income inequality? I build an annual panel of 43 countries for the period 1980–2016 to document cross-country facts. I find robust correlations between pre-tax income shares and economic policy—financial development, trade openness, government expenditure, and income taxation—even after controlling for economic development. I further find that proxies of institutional quality—e.g., state development, corruption, or political exclusion—mediate the relationship between top income shares and economic policy, in particular for trade openness and government expenditure. The role of institutions in allowing or limiting rent-seeking can rationalize the results.
Self-Report Hearing and Injury or Falls in Older Adults from the National Health and Information Survey

This article aims to investigate the association between hearing and nonfatal injury or falls in a nationally representative sample of adults from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) utilizing over 20 years of participant surveys. We conducted a pooled cross-sectional analysis of participant surveys (aged 50 years and older) from 1997 to 2017. Self-report hearing difficulty, history of injury over the last 3 months, reported injury from fall over the last 3 months, and reported reason for fall (including due to balance/dizziness) were collected. Using logistic regression, we investigated the odds of injury, injury from fall, and fall due to balance/dizziness by self-report hearing status. In secondary analysis, we investigated the odds of each outcome by reported hearing aid use. Models were adjusted for demographics, year of study, vision difficulty, diabetes, employment, and cardiovascular disease. Reported moderate or greater difficulty hearing demonstrated a significantly greater odds of injury (odds ratio [OR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18, 1.42) or fall due to balance/dizziness (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.60) compared with reported excellent/good hearing. A dose–response association was seen across levels of reported difficulty hearing for all outcomes. In this nationally representative study of adults aged 50 years and older, greater reported difficulty hearing was significantly associated with increased odds of injury and suggests greater odds of falls or fall due to balance/dizziness compared with reported good hearing. Results suggest hearing loss should be considered as a possible risk factor for both injury and fall prevention studies and programming in older adults.
Participatory Budgeting in Local Government: Evidence from New Jersey Municipalities

Existing research indicates that meaningful, effective, and authentic citizen participation requires two-way dialogue between government and citizens. The question of what determines the likelihood that local government will provide two-way dialogue opportunities in the budgeting process has not been studied in the literature. The present research attempts to fill this academic deficit. Survey data from municipal managers and mayors in New Jersey are used to examine how public officials' attitudes and perceptions, forms of government, council's diversity and politics, and community characteristics influence the adoption of mechanisms of two-way communication for participatory budgeting.
Quantifying the Impact of Comorbidities on Outcomes Following Surgery for Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

Introduction Studies have shown that osteoporotic patients are more likely to have medical or surgical complications postoperatively. In this study, we determine the predictive value of various comorbidities on the likelihood of postoperative complications, mortality, and 30-day readmission following cement augmentation for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Methods A retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Project (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2007 to 2014 identified 1979 patients who met inclusion criteria. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was utilized to determine the relationship between various comorbidities and perioperative mortality, postoperative complications, and 30-day readmission rates. Results A history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA), coagulopathy, diminished preoperative functional status, and/or an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class > 2 were statistical predictors of postoperative complications. CVA generated the highest odds ratio among these comorbidities (OR = 5.36, p = 0.02 for minor complications; OR = 4.60 p = 0.05 for major complications). Among the 15 comorbidities considered, steroid use (OR =1.81; p = 0.03) and an ASA class > 2 (OR = 14.65; p = 0.01) were the only ones that were correlated with mortality; an ASA class > 2 had a particularly strong effect on the likelihood of mortality (OR = 14.65). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), obesity, significant weight loss, and an ASA class > 2 were correlated with 30-day readmissions. Congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes, dialysis, hypertension, or smoking was not correlated with adverse postoperative outcomes. Conclusions Of the 15 comorbidities considered in this study, four were statistically associated with increased rates of postoperative complications, two were associated with increased mortality, and four were associated with increased rates of readmission at 30 days. The presence of CHF, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, ascites, renal failure, or smoking were not associated with the adverse outcomes studied. Level of Evidence III.
Migrant Flows: Hydraulic Infrastructure, Agricultural Industrialization, and Environmental Change in Western Mexico, 1940–64

AbstractThis article explores the relationship between the growth of irrigation works, environmental change, and rural migration in western Mexico from 1940 to 1964. It begins by analyzing how Mexi...
Investigating Decreased Rates of Nulliparous Cesarean Deliveries during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective Preventing the first cesarean delivery (CD) is important as CD rates continue to rise. During the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, quality improvement metrics at our hospital identified lower rates of CD. We sought to investigate this change and identify factors that may have contributed to the decrease. Study Design We compared nulliparous singleton deliveries at a large academic hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic (April through July 2020 during a statewide “stay-at-home” order) to those in the same months 1 year prior to the pandemic (April through July 2019). The primary outcome, mode of delivery, was obtained from the electronic medical record system, along with indication for CD. Results The cohort included 1,913 deliveries: 892 in 2019 and 1,021 in 2020. Patient characteristics (age, body mass index, race, ethnicity, and insurance type) did not differ between the groups. Median gestational age at delivery was the same in both groups. The CD rate decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with prior (28.9 vs. 33.6%; p = 0.03). There was a significant increase in the rate of labor induction (45.7 vs. 40.6%; p = 0.02), but no difference in the proportion of inductions that were elective (19.5 vs. 20.7%; p = 0.66). The rate of CD in labor was unchanged (15.9 vs. 16.3%; p = 0.82); however, more women attempted a trial of labor (87.0 vs. 82.6%; p = 0.01). Thus, the proportion of CD without a trial of labor decreased (25.1 vs. 33.0%; p = 0.04). Conclusion There was a statistically significant decrease in CD during the COVID-19 pandemic at our hospital, driven by a decrease in CD without a trial of labor. The increased rate of attempted trial of labor suggests the presence of patient-level factors that warrant further investigation as potential targets for decreasing CD rates. Additionally, in a diverse and medically complex population, increased rates of labor induction were not associated with increased rates of CD. Key Points
Motorsports medicine

Motorsports is the fastest growing professional sport in the United States. Each year approximately 14 drivers die, and many others are paralyzed or seriously injured. Although there is a common misconception that motorsports medicine is analogous to standard emergency or sports medicine, due to the unique racing environment a traditional approach to emergency medical services can be ineffective and may expose drivers, spectators, and medical personnel to great danger. This article is a general review of the evolving subspecialty of motorsports medicine.
Innate immunity receptors in depression and suicide: upregulated NOD-like receptors containing pyrin (NLRPs) and hyperactive inflammasomes in the postmortem brains of people who were depressed and died by suicide

Background Abnormalities of inflammation have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression and suicide, based on observations of increased levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the serum of people who were depressed and died by suicide. More recently, abnormalities in cytokines and innate immunity receptors such as toll-like receptors have also been observed in the postmortem brains of people who were depressed and died by suicide. In addition to toll-like receptors, another subfamily of innate immunity receptors known as NOD-like receptors containing pyrin (NLRPs) are the most widely present NOD-like receptors in the central nervous system. NLRPs also form inflammasomes that play an important role in brain function. We studied the role of NLRPs in depression and suicide. Methods We determined the protein and mRNA expression of NLRP1, NLRP3 and NLRP6 and the components of their inflammasomes (i.e., adaptor molecule apoptosis-associated speck-like protein [ASC], caspase1, caspase3, interleukin [IL]-1β and IL-18) postmortem in the prefrontal cortex of people who were depressed and died by suicide, and in healthy controls. We determined mRNA levels using quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and we determined protein expression using Western blot immunolabelling. Results We found that the protein and mRNA expression levels of NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRP6, caspase3 and ASC were significantly increased in people who were depressed and died by suicide compared to healthy controls. Limitations Some people who were depressed and died by suicide were taking antidepressant medication at the time of their death. Conclusion Similar to toll-like receptors, NLRP and its inflammasomes were upregulated in people who were depressed and died by suicide compared to healthy controls. Innate immunity receptors in general - and NLRPs and inflammasomes in particular - may play an important role in the pathophysiology of depression and suicide.
Busaadiya's House (2015) A Short Story from Libya (Muhammad Al-Maghboub)

Bussadiya's House is a Libyan short story published in 2015 as part of a collection of short stories titled Hadatha Alhudhud Qal by Libyan author Muhammad Al-Maghboub. Inspired by the socio-political movement of the Arab Spring in Libya, Al-Maghboub transcribes a man's inner struggle to find his way to his dream in the midst of conflict.
A Preliminary Model of Media Influence on Attitude Diffusion

We (Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. This document has technical report number: SAND2013-9802C.) study the effects of agenda setting on attitude diffusion using the “Multi-Agent, Multi-Attitude Framework” (MAMA). MAMA captures the interaction between attitudes (through cognitive consistency effects) and interpersonal interaction. Agenda setting is when media’s focus on certain stories increases their importance in the minds of the viewers. Using the MAMA model, we show that agenda setting plus strategic choice of seed nodes minimizes diffusion time.
Evaluation of Explore-Exploit Policies in Multi-result Ranking Systems.

We analyze the problem of using Explore-Exploit techniques to improve precision in multi-result ranking systems such as web search, query autocompletion and news recommendation. Adopting an exploration policy directly online, without understanding its impact on the production system, may have unwanted consequences - the system may sustain large losses, create user dissatisfaction, or collect exploration data which does not help improve ranking quality. An offline framework is thus necessary to let us decide what policy and how we should apply in a production environment to ensure positive outcome. Here, we describe such an offline framework. Using the framework, we study a popular exploration policy - Thompson sampling. We show that there are different ways of implementing it in multi-result ranking systems, each having different semantic interpretation and leading to different results in terms of sustained click-through-rate (CTR) loss and expected model improvement. In particular, we demonstrate that Thompson sampling can act as an online learner optimizing CTR, which in some cases can lead to an interesting outcome: lift in CTR during exploration. The observation is important for production systems as it suggests that one can get both valuable exploration data to improve ranking performance on the long run, and at the same time increase CTR while exploration lasts.
STAT Activation in the Acute Phase Response

Based on the terminologies suggested by Kushner (1, 2), the following definitions were applied to this presentation on acute phase response: Inflammation is the tissue response to injury, acute phase response is the systemic reaction to inflammation, and an acute phase protein (APP) is a gene product whose expression is induced (positive APP) or suppressed (negative APP) during the acute phase reaction. The most prominent effect of the acute phase response in vertebrate species is detected in the increased production of a set of liver-derived plasma proteins, the acute phase plasma proteins. The specificity and large magnitude of induction have promoted the acute phase plasma proteins as the markers par excellence for the inflammatory process in vivo and for the identification of the molecular mode of cytokine signaling and gene regulation in vitro.
Considerations in the design of optimum compaction filters for subband coders

Recently there has been considerable interest in the design of optimal paraunitary filter banks for a given class of inputs. In this paper we address a number of practical considerations associated with the design and implementation of optimal paraunitary filter banks.
Building Modeling through Enclosure Reasoning

This paper introduces a method for automatically transforming a point cloud from a laser scanner into a volumetric 3D building model based on the new concept of enclosure reasoning. Rather than simply classifying and modeling building surfaces independently or with pair wise contextual relationships, this work introduces room, floor and building level reasoning. Enclosure reasoning premises that rooms are cycles of walls enclosing free interior space. These cycles should be of minimum description length (MDL) and obey the statistical priors expected for rooms. Floors and buildings then contain the best coverage of the mostly likely rooms. This allows the pipeline to generate higher fidelity models by performing modeling and recognition jointly over the entire building at once. The complete pipeline takes raw, registered laser scan surveys of a single building. It extracts the most likely smooth architectural surfaces, locates the building, and generates wall hypotheses. The algorithm then optimizes the model by growing, merging, and pruning these hypotheses to generate the most likely rooms, floors, and building in the presence of significant clutter.
Black-box construction of a non-malleable encryption scheme from any semantically secure one

We show how to transform any semantically secure encryption scheme into a non-malleable one, with a black-box construction that achieves a quasi-linear blow-up in the size of the ciphertext. This improves upon the previous non-black-box construction of Pass, Shelat and Vaikuntanathan (Crypto '06). Our construction also extends readily to guarantee non-malleability under a bounded-CCA2 attack, thereby simultaneously improving on both results in the work of Cramer et al. (Asiacrypt '07). Our construction departs from the oft-used paradigm of re-encrypting the same message with different keys and then proving consistency of encryptions; instead, we encrypt an encoding of the message with certain locally testable and self-correcting properties. We exploit the fact that low-degree polynomials are simultaneously good error-correcting codes and a secret-sharing scheme.
Antiangiogenic therapy of experimental cancer does not induce acquired drug resistance

Acquired drug resistance is a major problem in the treatment of cancer. Of the more than 500,000 annual deaths from cancer in the United States, many follow the development of resistance to chemotherapy. The emergence of resistance depends in part on the genetic instability, heterogeneity and high mutational rate of tumour cells. In contrast, endothelial cells are genetically stable, homogeneous and have a low mutational rate. Therefore, antiangiogenic therapy directed against a tumour's endothelial cells should, in principle, induce little or no drug resistance. Endostatin, a potent angiogenesis inhibitor, was administered to mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma, T241 fibrosarcoma or B16F10 melanoma. Treatment was stopped when tumours had regressed. Tumours were then allowed to re-grow and endostatin therapy was resumed. After 6, 4 or 2 treatment cycles, respectively, no tumours recurred after discontinuation of therapy. These experiments show that drug resistance does not develop in three tumour types treated with a potent angiogenesis inhibitor. An unexpected finding is that repeated cycles of antiangiogenic therapy are followed by prolonged tumour dormancy without further therapy.
MENTAL ILLNESS RESEARCH IN ROMANIA: A REVIEW OF AUTHOR ATTENTION TO ETHICAL NORMS

Access to care for mentally ill persons in Romania is frequently limited and degrading. These conditions underscore the importance of protecting mentally ill research participants. We reviewed articles in EBSCO, Google Scholar, PsychLit, and Medline for 2005-2012 for author disclosure of (1) informed consent procedures, (2) ethics committee review, (3) assessment of participant capacity, (4) special protections or a discussion of the risks and benefits, and (5) the source of funding and conflicts of interest. We examined whether the editorial policies of the journals in which manuscripts appeared required discussion of specified ethical norms. We included 52 articles in our analysis. Many manuscripts lacked information relating to informed consent, research ethics committee approval, assessment of participant capacity, risks and benefits of participation, special protections, source of study funding, and/or conflicts of interest. Additional training of investigators is needed. We suggest that a working group of Romania-based editors and publishers be convened to explore cross-journal agreement regarding publication standards.
Edge-Enhanced Image Reconstruction Using (TV) Total Variation and Bregman Refinement

We propose a novel image resolution enhancement method for multidimensional images based on a variational approach. Given an appropriate down-sampling operator, the reconstruction problem is posed using a deconvolution model under the assumption of Gaussian noise. In order to preserve edges in the image, we regularize the optimization problem by the norm of the total variation of the image. Additionally, we propose a new edge-preserving operator that emphasizes and even enhances edges during the up-sampling and decimation of the image. Furthermore, we also propose the use of the Bregman iterative refinement procedure for the recovery of higher order information from the image. This is coarse to fine approach for recovering finer scales in the image first, followed by the noise. This method is demonstrated on a variety of low-resolution, natural images as well as 3D anisotropic brain MRI images. The edge enhanced reconstruction is shown to yield significant improvement in resolution, especially preserving important edges containing anatomical information.
Across-column cracks and axial splits in S2 saline ice under compression

Experiments on plate-like specimens have established that across-column cracks form within S2 (columnar) salt-water ice when compressed uniaxially along a direction inclined to the long axis of the grains. Wing cracks initiate from the across-column cracks and lengthen into axial splits when the ice is rapidly deformed; correspondingly, the macroscopic behavior changes from ductile to brittle. The across-column cracking is attributed to grain-boundary sliding, and the splitting to the suppression of crack-tip creep.
The association of transcribed genes with the nuclear matrix of Drosophila cells during heat shock

Abstract Using the transcriptional modulation afforded by heat shock, we found that the association of active genes with the nuclear matrix was not dependent on their level of transcription. Heat shock genes were matrix associated both before heat shock (when transcription was relatively low), and during heat shock (when transcription was greatly increased). Conversely, the cytoplasmic actin gene was matrix associated during normal growth conditions (when transcription was high) and during heat shock (when transcription was greatly decreased). Removal of greater than 99.7% of nascent RNA during preparation of the matrices did not affect these findings. Detailed examination of the cytoplasmic actin gene revealed that its matrix association was apparently mediated by multiple interactions near the 5' end of the gene.
Alpha spectrometric characterization of process-related particle size distributions from active particle sampling at the Los Alamos National Laboratory uranium foundry

Uranium particles within the respirable size range pose a significant hazard to the health and safety of workers. Significant differences in the deposition and incorporation patterns of aerosols within the respirable range can be identified and integrated into sophisticated health physics models. Data characterizing the uranium particle size distribution resulting from specific foundry-related processes are needed. Using personal air sampling cascade impactors, particles collected from several foundry processes were sorted by activity median aerodynamic diameter onto various Marple substrates. After an initial gravimetric assessment of each impactor stage, the substrates were analyzed by alpha spectrometry to determine the uranium content of each stage. Alpha spectrometry provides rapid non-distructive isotopic data that can distinguish process uranium from natural sources and the degree of uranium contribution to the total accumulated particle load. In addition, the particle size bins utilized by the impactors provide adequate resolution to determine if a process particle size distribution is: lognormal, bimodal, or trimodal. Data on process uranium particle size values and distributions facilitate the development of more sophisticated and accurate models for internal dosimetry, resulting in an improved understanding of foundry worker health and safety.
Diurnal Rhythm in Endoplasmic Reticulum of Rat Liver: Electron Microscopic Study

Electron microscopy of rat hepatocytes revealed a diurnal variation in the relative amounts of endoplasmic reticulum structures and regional differences in their distribution within the hepatic lobule. The diurnal changes in smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum structures were compared with the diurnal changes in the hepatic microsomal enzyme hexobarbital oxidase. In the control group, at the time when enzyme activity was maximum, the amount of smooth endoplasmic reticulum was also maximum and vice versa. When the enzyme rhythm was abolished, as in blinded rats, the diurnal rhythm in the endoplasmic reticulum was also abolished.
Orbital modifications using forced tether-length variations

It is shown that once-per-orbit modulations of the length of an orbiting tether can be used to modify the eccentricity, energy, and line of apsides orientation of its center of mass while maintaining a constant angular momentum and orbital parameter. Appropriate length variation laws are developed and the effects are quantified and interpreted. Several applications are discussed, including modifications to the orbit of a space station, reduction by 30% of the A V to launch a satellite to 12 h orbit, and the relocation of the apogee for observation satellites. HE common observation of children "pumping" themselves up at a swing by rhythmically shifting their legs' weight has prompted speculation about the possibility of performing fuelless orbital changes using conformable spacecraft.1'2 Particularly intriguing are the possibilities opened by the advent of ultralong, thin tethers that can be conveniently reeled in and out from a satellite while carrying another body at its end. Obviously, any such reel-unreel operation will set up Coriolis forces that will induce in-plane libration of the tether. To conserve angular momentum, equal and opposite variations will appear in the center of mass orbital angular momentum. If these can be made to resonate with the orbital motion, it is conceivable that the system could bootstrap itself and either increase or decrease the orbital energy without setting up unbounded librations (and getting wrapped up in the process). A clear limitation of any such scheme is the need to supply mechanical power onboard. Another one is the impossibility of modifying the overall angular momentum in this manner, since operation in a central force field is assumed and no internal angular momentum is allowed to accumulate. The question of whether the center of mass motion can be affected by means of forces internal to the mass-tether system is more subtle; although it is true that the acceleration of the center of mass is due to only the net external force, nonrigid changes to the configuration of the system can affect the net external force for a given center of mass location and hence can affect the center of mass motion. In this paper we show how this can be accomplished using a rewindable tether. The practical application of the concept to several space transportation missions is also discussed. The analysis presented here is restricted to the small oscillation of a "dumbbell" satellite whose cable length is assumed fully controllable by means of powered winches on board one or both of the connected masses.
Wholes, holes, and basic features in vision

A key issue for theories of perception is specifying the primitives used by the visual system to isolate and identify the objects in an image. Although local features are typically suggested, there is good reason to look for global, configural features as primitives too. Chen et al.'s specific proposal of topological features is both explicit and capable of capturing important global information. It may seem surprising that topology can be detected by honeybees, but Chen's results are in keeping with other findings from humans that global properties are sometimes perceived better than local ones and thus might be basic.
Indomethacin facilitates acute tolerance to and dependence upon morphine as measured by changes in fixed-ratio behavior and rectal temperature in rats

The effects of indomethacin, a prostaglandin (PG) synthetase inhibitor, on acute tolerance to and dependence on morphine were investigated. Twelve mature, male Long-Evans rats were trained to lever press for food reinforcement on a fixed-ratio 30 schedule (FR 30 behavior) and have their rectal temperature taken. The experimental protocol began with taking the rat's temperature followed by a 30 minute behavioral session. Immediately after this session the animal was injected with indomethacin or its vehicle. Two-and-a-half hours later this procedure was repeated, except that morphine or saline was administered. After an additional 2.5 hours had elapsed, a 60 minute behavioral session occurred. Half-way through the session the rat was injected with morphine (tolerance), naloxone (dependence), or saline. Immediately after the session the rat's temperature was recorded. Indomethacin potentiated the acute tolerance to the behavioral suppressant and hyperthermic effects of morphine. Indomethacin pretreatment also greatly enhanced the capacity of naloxone to decrease temperature and suppress FR 30 behavior in morphine-treated rats. These effects were not due to indomethacin altering the acute effects of morphine or the amount of morphine in the brain. These data suggest that indomethacin is inhibiting synthesis of PGs which are important in morphine tolerance and dependence.
The effect of sodium deficient perfusion on calcium exchange in cardiac tissue culture.

Abstract The effect of partial removal of sodium (Na) ion from the perfusion medium on calcium (Ca) influx and efflux in heart cell culture was studied. A decrease of [Na] o to 33 m m (25% of control) produced a mean net gain of 2.66 ± 0.19 μmol Ca/kg dry wt (454 μmol/kg wet wt)—complete within 5 min of onset of low [Na] o perfusion. A similar decrease in [Na] o during 45 Ca washout failed to produce any change in the washout pattern. The results indicate that the primary effect of a reduction of [Na] o in cultured cardiac cells is augmentation of Ca influx. This is consistent with the concept that, in heart muscle, alterations in [Na] i [Na] o ratio effect Ca exchange primarily by induction of changes in the rate of Ca influx.
SU-GG-T-470: Impact of Daily Patient Setup Variation on Proton Beams Passing through the Couch Edge

Purpose:Proton treatments are sensitive to radiological pathlength in the beam path. The goal is to assess the amount of dose variation caused by the changes of couch edge in the beam during daily treatment. Method and Materials: Daily couch positions were obtained from the R&V system to compute lateral setup variations. Couch positions were simulated by shifting the isocenter and the patient's CTimages above the couch‐top for two standard‐deviations (2SD). One and two‐field passive scatter proton plans were designed to cover 95% of ICTV to 74Gy in the reference planning CT. The single beam plan was always chosen to bisect the couch edge. Two‐field plans were designed by adding a second beam not intersecting with the couch. Doses were re‐calculated in the shifted CTimages for 10 patients. Results: The one standard‐deviation of couch lateral variation for 11 patients in 388 daily setups was 0.53cm. We found that lateral couch variations increased for light‐weighted patients (Spearman's correlation=0.76, p=0.007). For single‐beam plans, dose decreased for all organs‐at‐risk when patient setup caused the couch to move into the beam. The reverse effect was true when couch moved out of the beam. The largest change in DVH at any dose level was −1.31% and −0.64% for the ipsilateral and total lungs when the couch moves into the field, and 1.53% and 1.88% when the couch moves out of the field. Compared to the corresponding single‐beam plan, dosimetric uncertainty was reduced to 1.16% and −2.7% with a 2‐beam plan. Conclusion: The overall dosimetric impact is limited if a single beam is allowed to shoot through the couch edge, although attention should be given to light‐weight patients whose position on couch tends to be more uncertain. Selection of a good beam angle for planning is perhaps more important than the couch‐induced dosimetric uncertainties.
Magnetically Anchored Cautery Dissector Improves Triangulation, Depth Perception, and Workload During Single-Site Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

This study evaluated operative outcomes and workload during single-site laparoscopy (SSL) using a magnetically anchored cautery dissector (MAGS) compared with a conventional laparoscopic hook cautery (LAP). Each cautery was used to perform six SSL porcine cholecystectomies. For MAGS, the cautery device was inserted through the umbilical incision, magnetically coupled, and deployed; two graspers and a laparoscope were used. For LAP, two percutaneous retraction sutures, one grasper, a hook cautery dissector, and a laparoscope were used. Operative outcomes, surgeon ratings (scale, 1–5; 1 = superior), and workload (scale, 1–10; 1 = superior) were evaluated. No significant differences were detected for operative outcomes and surgeon ratings, however, trends were detected favoring MAGS. Surgeon workload ratings were significantly better for MAGS (2.6 ± 0.2) vs. LAP (5.6 ± 1.1; p < 0.05). For MAGS, depth perception and triangulation were excellent and the safe handling protocol was followed with no complications. For LAP, the parallelism of instruments and lack of triangulation hindered depth perception, caused instrument conflicts, and resulted in two minor complications (one superficial liver laceration and one inadvertent burn to the diaphragm). These data suggest that using the MAGS device for SSL cholecystectomy results in equivalent (or better) operative outcomes and less workload compared with LAP.
Two soft relatives of learning vector quantization

Abstract Learning vector quantization often requires extensive experimentation with the learning rate distribution and update neighborhood used during iteration towards good prototypes. A single winner prototype controls the updates. This paper discusses two soft relatives of LVQ: the soft competition scheme (SCS) of Yair et al. and fuzzy LVQ=FLVQ. These algorithms both extend the update neighborhood to all nodes in the network. SCS is a sequential, deterministic method with learning rates that are partially based on posterior probabilities. FLVQ is a batch algorithm whose learning rates are derived from fuzzy memberships. We show that SCS learning rates can be interpreted in terms of statistical decision theory, and derive several relationships between SCS and FLVQ. Limit analysis shows that the learning rates of these two algorithms have opposite tendencies. Numerical examples illustrate the difficulty of choosing good algorithmic parameters for SCS. Finally, we elaborate the relationship between FL VQ, Fuzzy c-Means, Hard c-Means, a batch version of LVQ and SCS.
Measurement of serum amyloid A in the neonatal foal using a latex agglutination immunoturbidimetric assay: determination of the normal range, variation with age and response to disease

This paper describes the use of a latex agglutination assay to measure serum amyloid A (SAA) in the neonatal foal. The normal range and response to clinical disease was determined. This retrospective study evaluated SAA concentrations over the first 3 days postpartum of 226 Thoroughbred foals judged to be clinically healthy. The normal range for each day was determined; levels were found to be significantly highest on Day 2 (Day 1 vs. Day 2 P 100 mg/l are highly suggestive of infection in young foals.
Self-referenced sense amplifier for across-chip-variation immune sensing in high-performance Content-Addressable Memories

A memory sense-amplifier self-calibrates during sense-line precharge to reduce the required signal development and minimize data capture timing uncertainty caused by random device variation. When compared to conventional single-ended sensing, this method reduces sense time by 70% and decreases sense-power by 40%. The self-referenced sensing scheme (SRSS) is used to implement the search operation in content-addressable memory (CAM) testchip. Fabricated in 1V 65nm CMOS, this scheme achieves a 0.6ns search time on a 70bit sense-line while consuming only 0.99 fJ/bit/search. Measured search access time on a five bank 64times240bit ternary CAM including selective precharge is 2.2ns. Measured power consumption at 450MHz is 10mW. Hardware shows robust search operation over a voltage range of 0.6V to 1.7V
Microlesions: Theory and reality

Efforts to assess radiation risk in space have been complicated by the considerable unknowns regarding the biological effects of the heavy ion component (HZE particles) of the cosmic rays. The attention has focused primarily on the assignation of a quality factor (Q) which would take into account the greater effectiveness of heavy ions vis-a-vis other forms of ionizing radiation. If, however, as the so-called 'microlesion theory' allows, the passage of HZE particles through living tissue produces unique biological damage, the traditional use of Q becomes meaningless. Therefore, it is critical to determine if microlesions, in fact, do exist. While the concept does not necessarily require detectable morphological damage, 'tunnel-lesions' or holes in ocular tissues have been cited as evidence of microlesions. These data, however, are open to reinterpretation. Ongoing light, scanning and transmission electron microscopic studies of the corneas, lenses and retinas of rat eyes exposed to 450 MeV/amu Fe-56 ions thus far have not revealed tunnel-lesion damage. The morphological effects of the heavy ions have been found to be qualitatively similar to the changes following other kinds of ionizing radiation.
Premarital Cohabitation and Marital Dissolution: An Examination of Recent Marriages.

An ongoing question remains for family researchers: Why does a positive association between cohabitation and marital dissolution exist when one of the primary reasons to cohabit is to test relationship compatibility? Drawing on recently collected data from the 2006 – 2008 National Survey of Family Growth, the authors examined whether premarital cohabitation experiences were associated with marital instability among a recent contemporary (married since 1996) marriage cohort of men (N = 1,483) and women (N = 2,003). They found that a dichotomous indicator of premarital cohabitation was in fact not associated with marital instability among women and men. Furthermore, among cohabitors, marital commitment prior to cohabitation (engagement or definite plans for marriage) was tied to lower hazards of marital instability among women, but not men. This research contributes to our understanding of cohabitation, marital instability, and broader family change.
Mission Design for NISAR Repeat-Pass Interferometric SAR

The proposed spaceborne NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission would use the repeat-pass interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to measure the changing shape of Earth’s surface at the centimeter scale in support of investigations in solid Earth and cryospheric sciences. Repeat-pass InSAR relies on multiple SAR observations acquired from nearly identical positions of the spacecraft as seen from the ground. Consequently, there are tight constraints on the repeatability of the orbit, and given the narrow field of view of the radar antenna beam, on the repeatability of the beam pointing. The quality and accuracy of the InSAR data depend on highly precise control of both orbital position and observatory pointing throughout the science observation life of the mission. This paper describes preliminary NISAR requirements and rationale for orbit repeatability and attitude control in order to meet science requirements. A preliminary error budget allocation and an implementation approach to meet these allocations are also discussed.
Diffusion of disintegration products of inert gases in cylindrical tubes

Presented herein is the problem of steady-state diffusion of the decaying products resulting from the disintegration of an inert gas flowing through a cylindrical tube. The disintegration products of the gas diffuse radially to the walls of the tube where they are absorbed. Three velocity distributions (uniform-, parabolic-, and Langhaar-) are considered and the respective solutions for the concentration distributions are obtained. Also presented are the F(μ) values for the respective velocity distributions. These values are needed in the determination of the diffusion coefficients of the disintegration products.
Integration of chemical catalysis with extractive fermentation to produce fuels

The integration of biological and chemocatalytic routes can be used to convert acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation products efficiently into ketones by palladium-catalysed alkylation, leading to a renewable method for the alternative production of petrol, jet and diesel blend stocks in high yield. Using a method that combines biological and chemical catalysis, Dean Toste and colleagues demonstrate the efficient conversion of acetone–butanol–ethanol fermentation products into ketones via a palladium-catalysed alkylation. With further improvement, this process could provide a means of selectively manufacturing gasoline, jet and diesel blend stocks from lignocellulosic and cane sugars derived from biomass at yields close to the theoretical maxima. Nearly one hundred years ago, the fermentative production of acetone by Clostridium acetobutylicum provided a crucial alternative source of this solvent for manufacture of the explosive cordite. Today there is a resurgence of interest in solventogenic Clostridium species to produce n-butanol and ethanol for use as renewable alternative transportation fuels1,2,3. Acetone, a product of acetone–n-butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation, harbours a nucleophilic α-carbon, which is amenable to C–C bond formation with the electrophilic alcohols produced in ABE fermentation. This functionality can be used to form higher-molecular-mass hydrocarbons similar to those found in current jet and diesel fuels. Here we describe the integration of biological and chemocatalytic routes to convert ABE fermentation products efficiently into ketones by a palladium-catalysed alkylation. Tuning of the reaction conditions permits the production of either petrol or jet and diesel precursors. Glyceryl tributyrate was used for the in situ selective extraction of both acetone and alcohols to enable the simple integration of ABE fermentation and chemical catalysis, while reducing the energy demand of the overall process. This process provides a means to selectively produce petrol, jet and diesel blend stocks from lignocellulosic and cane sugars at yields near their theoretical maxima.