cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymerization of olefins through heterogeneous catalysis, I. Low pressure propylene polymerization in slurry with Ziegler–Natta catalyst

Propylene was polymerized in slurry over a TiCl3·⅓ AICI3 (Stauffer Type AA) catalyst with Al—Et2Cl cocatalyst at 60 psig pressure both with and without H2 present. The effects of polymerization temperature, catalyst poisons, and type of slurry liquid were investigated, with particular emphasis on the yield, tacticity, and MWD of the resulting polymer. The highest yields and isotactic content were obtained with decane–heptane mixtures as a slurry liquid, while slurry liquids in which polypropylene was most soluble gave the narrowest MWD.
Buckling of cylindrical liquid-storage tanks under earthquake loading

The earthquake response behaviour of a cylindrical wine storage tank similar to many that were damaged in Livermore, California during the January 1980 earthquake was studied on the University of California shaking table. Tests of the 9.5 ft diameter by 20 ft high tank, with simulated earthquake accelerations up to 0.95 g, induced buckling patterns similar to those observed after the actual earthquake. Observed peak axial compression stresses in the test tank wall were substantially higher than those assumed in typical design standards, demonstrating the need for further study of the buckling problem in tanks free to uplift during earthquake excitation.
Effects of enrichment predominate over those of chronic stress on fear-related behavior in male rats

The ability to discriminate between spatial contexts is crucial for survival. This ability can be succinctly tested in the paradigm of fear renewal. In this paradigm, a change of spatial context results in robust renewal of conditioned fear, even if the conditioned fear has been previously extinguished. Chronic stress and environmental enrichment are known to affect learning and memory in opposite directions, with the former generally being deleterious. In this study, we examined the effects of chronic stress and enrichment on fear renewal in rats. Fear was evaluated as freezing responses to an auditory conditioning stimulus initially associated with footshocks in context A; fear extinction was evaluated in a novel spatial context (B) without the conditioned stimulus, and renewal in a third context (C) with the auditory cue. Specifically, we aimed to test if environmental enrichment can oppose the effects of chronic stress on fear renewal. We exposed different groups of adult male Wistar rats (6-12 per group) to 10 days of chronic stress (immobilization for 2 h daily), 14 days of enrichment, or a combination of both. We report that chronic stress compromised fear extinction and renewal. In contrast, enrichment re-established fear renewal in chronically stressed rats. Enhanced contextual modulation of fear memories in animals experiencing environmental enrichment while stressed could reflect an adaptive response. This could allow greater flexibility to optimize vigilance in differing spatial contexts.
Mobile Robot Path Planning Using Support Vector Machines

This paper describes an approach that uses support vector machines (SVM) for path planning of mobile robots. The algorithm generates a collision free path for mobile robots running between two tracks or moving towards a known way point. This approach can negotiate tracks and avoid obstacles which may be initially unknown but are later perceived by the robot, and hence is suitable for use with onboard sensors which provides local information. The approach involves dividing the whole terrain into two different classes, classifying any new point obtained from sensors into either of the classes, and generating a track between both the classes as a path of the robot. SVM generates a non-linear class boundary on the principle of maximizing the margin. The boundary generated by this method is smooth, free of obstacles, and safe for a robot to navigate. The paper presents various case studies and simulation results. Future possibility to integrate this technique with other path planning techniques is also discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
304 THE RELATIONSHIP OF PLACENTAL OXYGEN UPTAKE AND TRANSFER TO UTERINE BLOOD FLOW

Although several theoretical models have been proposed to explain the relationship of placental oxygen uptake and transfer to uterine blood flow, there is no supportive experimental data in a chronic, non-stressed animal preparation. To provide this evidence, uterine blood flow was decreased by mechanical arterial occlusion in 5 ewes. Each ewe was studied at her normal uterine blood flow and at 3 to 7 different uterine blood flow levels. Uterine and umbilical blood flows were measured with antipyrine by application of the Fick Principle. Oxygen tension (PO2) and oxygen content were measured in the uterine artery and vein and in the umbilical artery and vein. In each animal, we found that fetal and placental oxygen uptake remained constant to at least a 50% reduction in uterine blood flow before decreasing. The PO2's decreased in the uterine vein and in the umbilical vessels as uterine blood flow decreased, but the PO2 difference between uterine and umbilical venous blood remained constant. We conclude that (1) variability in uterine blood flow has no effect on fetal and placental oxygen uptake over a wide range, and (2) the placenta does not become a more efficient respiratory organ as uterine blood flow decreases.
A Formulation and Numerical Scheme for Fractional Optimal Control Problems

This article presents a general formulation and general numerical scheme for a class of fractional optimal control problems (FOCPs). The fractional derivative is described in the Caputo sense. The performance index of a FOCP is considered as a function of both the state and the control variables, and the dynamic constraints are expressed by a set of fractional differential equations. The calculus of variations, the Lagrange multiplier, and the formula for fractional integration by parts are used to obtain Euler-Lagrange equations for the FOCP. The formulation presented, and the resulting equations, are very similar to those that appear in classical optimal control theory. Thus, the present formulation essentially extends classical control theory to fractional dynamic systems. The formulation is used to derive the control equations for a quadratic linear fractional control problem. An iterative numerical scheme for finding the approximate numerical solution of the resulting equations is presented. For a li...
G protein threshold behavior in the human neutrophil oxidant response: measurement of G proteins available for signaling in responding and nonresponding subpopulations

Threshold behavior is an important aspect of signal transduction pathways that allows for responses to be turned on or off. Human neutrophil responses to N-formyl peptides, including oxidant production and release, exhibit threshold behavior with respect to the number of G proteins available for signaling; progressive treatment of neutrophils with pertussis toxin causes the conversion of responding cells to nonresponding cells. To quantify the threshold level of G proteins required for signaling of N-formyl peptide stimulated oxidant production in a neutrophil population, we used a plasma membrane associated G protein quantification assay in conjunction with a sorting flow cytometer and measured differences in the average number of G proteins available for signaling per cell in both the responding and the nonresponding subpopulations after pertussis toxin treatment. Although there appeared to be a threshold separating responding cells and nonresponding cells for a given sample, no discrete threshold was measured across multiple treatment conditions. A mathematical model of the early steps in signaling suggests that cell-to-cell variability in signal parameters, such as numbers of signal components and values of kinetic rate constants, obscures the measurement of a discrete threshold and leads to an apparent decrease in the threshold level of G proteins available for signaling as the total G proteins are decreased.
Design of a Frontal Rail Structure With Thickness Variation That Performs Under Axial and Oblique Loading

Progressive crushing of the frontal part of the frame in any collision (frontal, offset and oblique) is one of the factors that determine the safety level that a car or a truck can provide to the occupant. A new approach in frontal rail design will be covered in this paper. The rail thickness will vary along the length of the rail in such away that the compressive strength of a rear section on the compression side of the rail will be greater than or equal to the section in front of it. This design will enable the front rail to collapse in a progressive manner such that the collapse will be transmitted from the front to the rear. Preventing early global bending in the rail will enhance the efficiency of energy absorbed during a crash. Starting with the section with the lowest compressive strength (most forward section of the rail), in a controlled way, the section strength is designed to increase with length. This will help meet the federal regulations such as FMVSS 208 by collapsing the least strong front sections at lower speeds and the strong rear sections at higher speeds. Also, collapsing of the weak frontal sections in a crash can help in compatibility between different vehicles on the road.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Space Radiation: The Number One Risk to Astronaut Health beyond Low Earth Orbit

Projecting a vision for space radiobiological research necessitates understanding the nature of the space radiation environment and how radiation risks influence mission planning, timelines and operational decisions. Exposure to space radiation increases the risks of astronauts developing cancer, experiencing central nervous system (CNS) decrements, exhibiting degenerative tissue effects or developing acute radiation syndrome. One or more of these deleterious health effects could develop during future multi-year space exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit (LEO). Shielding is an effective countermeasure against solar particle events (SPEs), but is ineffective in protecting crew members from the biological impacts of fast moving, highly-charged galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) nuclei. Astronauts traveling on a protracted voyage to Mars may be exposed to SPE radiation events, overlaid on a more predictable flux of GCR. Therefore, ground-based research studies employing model organisms seeking to accurately mimic the biological effects of the space radiation environment must concatenate exposures to both proton and heavy ion sources. New techniques in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and other “omics” areas should also be intelligently employed and correlated with phenotypic observations. This approach will more precisely elucidate the effects of space radiation on human physiology and aid in developing personalized radiological countermeasures for astronauts.
Finite-temperature elasticity phase transition in decagonal quasicrystals.

We present evidence for a finite-temperature phase transition in the phason elasticity of quasicrystals. A tiling model for energetically stabilized decagonal quasicrystals has been studied in an extensive series of Monte Carlo simulations. The Hamiltonian (energetics) of the model is given by nearest-neighbor Penrose-like matching rules between three-dimensional unit cells. A new order parameter and diagnostics have been introduced. We show that a transition from locked-phason to unlocked-phason dynamics occurs at finite temperature. In the unlocked phase, phasons can be thermodynamically excited even though the quasicrystal is energetically stabilized at low temperatures.
Comparison of Carbon Dioxide and Air Pneumoperitoneum for Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer Under Conscious Sedation and Local Anesthesia

Abstract Objective: To compare patient tolerance and pregnancy rates (PRs) between two cohorts that underwent GIFT under local anesthesia with air versus carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) pneumoperitoneum. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University clinic. Patient(s): Eighty-five patients who underwent 125 laparoscopies under conscious sedation for GIFT using air pneumoperitoneum were compared with 42 patients who had 70 GIFT procedures with CO 2 pneumoperitoneum. Intervention(s): Transvaginal ultrasound-guided egg retrieval followed by GIFT with compressed air or CO 2 for pneumoperitoneum under local anesthesia and IV sedation. Main Outcome Measure(s): Patient tolerance and viable PR. Result(s): The percentage of patients scoring "very good" was lower in the CO 2 group (73% for air versus 57% for CO 2 ), but the combined percentage of those scoring "very good" or "good" was comparable at 89% and 87%. The difference in the viable PRs between the two groups (43% versus 37%) for patients Conclusion(s): Patient tolerance and PRs are similar for air and CO 2 pneumoperitoneum during GIFT under local anesthesia. Given the theoretical risk of air embolus and lack of detrimental effect of CO 2 on patient tolerance and success rate, it seems prudent to use CO 2 in such a setting.
Chief executive compensation: A study of the intersection of markets and political processes

A model of the determinants of chief executive (CEO) compensation is presented and tested. Based on a sample from the leisure industry, the study finds that CEO pay has complex links to several factors: firm size, complexity, performance, CEO power, board vigilance, and the CEO's human capital. The study includes a separate examination of CEO salary and bonus, as well as a test of pay determination across McEachern's (1975) ownership categories.
Crack growth with a part-through process zone in thin plates

A cohesive zone model has been proposed to model crack growth with a part-through process zone in a thin solid. With the solid being modeled in Kirchhoff’s plate theory, the crack with a relatively long, inclined front is modeled as a line discontinuity with a finite cohesive zone within the plate. A cohesive force law is adopted to capture the effect of residual strength and residual rigidity of a plate cross-section gradually cracking through the thickness. It is derived by a plane-strain elasticity analysis of a cross section normal to the part-through crack. It is then applied in the plate formulation of a line crack to simulate its propagation within the plate plane. This model essentially resolves the originally three-dimensional crack problem in two hierarchical steps, i.e., in the thickness and in the in-plane directions. In the present study, the bending case is considered. A boundary element method is applied to numerically derive the cohesive force law and simulate the crack growth in a thin titanium-alloy plate. The computational efficiency of the model is demonstrated. The plate is shown to fracture in a nominally brittle or ductile manner depending on its thickness.
Studies on the structure of the acetylcholine receptor from Topredo marmorata

Abstract The purified acetylcholine receptor of Torpedo marmorata has been characterized by sedimentation velocity measurements on dilute solutions using an ultracentrifuge and scanner. Several preparations were studied and all exhibited sedimentation coefficients in the vicinity of 24S. In a number of experiments the receptor could be resolved into two sedimenting boundaries of 18S and 26S, corresponding to minimum molecular weights of about 5 × 10 5 and 10 6 , respectively. Additions of sodium dodecyl sulfate or Triton X-100 resulted in marked decreases in sedimentation coefficient, while treatment with Lubrol-WX had only a slight effect on the S values. Small changes in S 20,w were produced by guanidine hydrochloride alone, although addition of dithiothreitol with 6 M guanidine hydrochloride resulted in an 8.8S component. Electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate gave one principal band with a molecular weight of 46,000.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Assay for Meptazinol and Metabolite in Plasma and Urine Using a Silica Gel Column and an Aqueous Mobile Phase

Abstract An HPLC method for quantitating meptazinol, a synthetic narcotic analgesic, and its glucuronide in plasma and urine is presented. the method involves extraction from plasma with methylene chloride under alkaline conditions (pH = 9.7). Urine samples are injected without further preparation following addition of internal standard. the conjugate metabolite of meptazinol was hydrolyzed with β-glucuronidase. Samples are analyzed using an Ultrasphere Si column with an aqueous mobile phase of 65% acetonitrile and 5 mM dibasic ammonium phosphate at pH = 7.0. the flow rate is 1.0 ml/min. Fluorescent detector settings were 275 nm and 315 nm for excitation and emission wavelengths, respectively. Detection limits were 2 and 5 ng/ml in plasma and 50 and 70 ng/ml in urine for meptazinol and the hydrolyzed glucuronide, respectively. the coefficients of variation for interday and intraday precision were less than 10%. This method has been used in pharmacokinetic studies of i.v. and i.m. formulations involving 13...
Factors influencing the control of Pythium ultimum-induced seed decay by seed treatment with Pseudomonas aureofaciens AB254

Abstract Emergence of sh-2 sweet corn seedlings from soil infested with Pythium ultimum at three diverse field sites was greatly improved either by coating the seed with Pseudomonas aureofaciens AB254, or by biopriming the seed with this bacterium. Both treatments were equivalent to the control provided by treating the seed with the fungicide metalaxyl. In controlled-environment tests, emergence of sweet corn seedlings in soil that was autoclaved or naturally infested with P. ultimum increased with soil temperature from 5 to 24°C. Low soil temperatures enhanced the impact of P. ultimum on sweet corn seed, with the most severe decay of untreated seed at soil temperatures between 5 and 17°C. Bio-priming and seed coating with P. aureofaciens AB254 increased seedling emergence compared with that of untreated seed at all temperatures, even though bacterial multiplication did not occur at low temperatures. Increasing P. ultimum inoculum density from 0 to > 1800 propagules per gram (p.p.g.) decreased emergence from untreated seed from 90 to 11%. There was no corresponding reduction in emergence in soil with inoculum densities >159 p.p.g. when the seed was bio-primed or coated with bacteria. Decay was more severe with increasing soil water potential from −0.07 to −0.01 MPa. At low and intermediate soil moisture, both bio-priming and bacterization with P. aureofaciens AB254 improved seedling emergence compared with untreated seed, but at the highest soil moisture only the bio-priming treatment provided protection.
Regulating alcohol advertising: content analysis of the adequacy of federal and self-regulation of magazine advertisements, 2008-2010.

Objectives. We analyzed beer, spirits, and alcopop magazine advertisements to determine adherence to federal and voluntary advertising standards. We assessed the efficacy of these standards in curtailing potentially damaging content and protecting public health.Methods. We obtained data from a content analysis of a census of 1795 unique advertising creatives for beer, spirits, and alcopops placed in nationally available magazines between 2008 and 2010. We coded creatives for manifest content and adherence to federal regulations and industry codes.Results. Advertisements largely adhered to existing regulations and codes. We assessed only 23 ads as noncompliant with federal regulations and 38 with industry codes. Content consistent with the codes was, however, often culturally positive in terms of aspirational depictions. In addition, creatives included degrading and sexualized images, promoted risky behavior, and made health claims associated with low-calorie content.Conclusions. Existing codes and regulat...
The character and causes of flash flood occurrence changes in mountainous small basins of Southern California under projected climatic change

Abstract Study region Small watersheds (O[25 km2]) in the mountain regions of southern California comprise the study region. Study focus This paper examines changes in flash flood occurrence in southern California resulting from projected climatic change. The methodology synthesizes elements of meteorological modeling, hydrology and geomorphology into an integrated modeling approach to define flash flood occurrence in a systematic and consistent way on a regional basis with high spatial and temporal resolution appropriate for flash flooding. A single climate model with three-dimensional atmospheric detail was used as input to drive simulations for historical and future periods. New hydrological insights for the region Results indicate an increase in flash flood occurrence for the study region. For two distributed hydrologic models employed, the increase in flash flood occurrence frequency is on average between 30% and 40%. Regional flash flood occurrence is characterized by near saturation of the upper soil layer, and wider ranges in lower soil layer saturation and in precipitation. Overall, a decrease in the total number of precipitation events was found, although with increased precipitation intensity, increased event duration, and higher soil saturation conditions for the 21st century. This combination could signify more hazardous conditions, with fewer precipitation events but higher rainfall intensity and over soils with higher initial soil moisture saturation, leading to more frequent occurrence of flash floods.
Incorporating dynamic building load model into interconnected power systems

A driving force behind improving the information embedded power system is the ever growing need to enhance the controllability of electrical demand. The smart grid initiative approaches this problem by enhancing the communication between power system components. Bi-directional communication and increased data acquisition/transmission speeds help to portray system dynamics as was not widely available in the past. With enhanced metering/actuating infrastructures building dynamics can be incorporated into the grid with an appropriate dynamic model. The presented work proposes to utilize a dynamic building load model to integrate a building and/or a group of buildings to the electric grid and thereby evaluate its dynamic performance. The model leverages the electro thermal coupling of the building and thereby also evaluates the demand response capability of the building. This work further enhances the scope of the “smart building” classification by providing a simple tool for a network operator or planner. The model can be used to investigate the dynamic behavior of grid connected buildings under load variations or demand response actions.
Numerical Modeling of Dynamic Wave Force Acting on Escambia Bay Bridge Deck during Hurricane Ivan

Bridge decks in Escambia Bay were damaged during the storm surge of Hurricane Ivan in 2004. In this study, a numerical wave-load model based on the incompressible Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations and k-e equations has been used to investigate dynamic wave forces exerted on the bridge deck. The volume of fluid method is adopted in the model to describe dynamic free surface, which is capable of simulating complex discontinuous free surface during wave breaking and wave-deck interactions. The model was satisfactorily tested against experimental data of uplift wave forces on horizontal plates. The validated model was applied to investigate wave forces acting on the bridge deck in Escambia Bay in the case of Hurricane Ivan. The time history of wave profiles, turbulent velocity fields, and dynamic uplift and horizontal forces acting on the full-scale bridge deck were simulated and analyzed. Results indicate that, during the storm surge event of Hurricane Ivan, the maximum uplifting wave forces were lar...
Ubiquitination regulates proteolytic processing of G protein-coupled receptors after their sorting to lysosomes

Ubiquitination is essential for the endocytic sorting of various G protein-coupled receptors to lysosomes. Here we identify a distinct function of this covalent modification in controlling the later proteolytic processing of receptors. Mutation of all cytoplasmic lysine residues in the murine δ-opioid receptor blocked receptor ubiquitination without preventing ligand-induced endocytosis of receptors or their subsequent delivery to lysosomes, as verified by proteolysis of extramembrane epitope tags and down-regulation of radioligand binding to the transmembrane helices. Surprisingly, a functional screen revealed that the E3 ubiquitin ligase AIP4 specifically controls down-regulation of wild type receptors measured by radioligand binding without detectably affecting receptor delivery to lysosomes defined both immunochemically and biochemically. This specific AIP4-dependent regulation required direct ubiquitination of receptors and was also regulated by two deubiquitinating enzymes, AMSH and UBPY, which localized to late endosome/lysosome membranes containing internalized δ-opioid receptor. These results identify a distinct function of AIP4-dependent ubiquitination in controlling the later proteolytic processing of G protein-coupled receptors, without detectably affecting their endocytic sorting to lysosomes. We propose that ubiquitination or ubiquitination/deubiquitination cycling specifically regulates later proteolytic processing events required for destruction of the receptor's hydrophobic core.
Solidification of an alloy 625 weld overlay

The solidification behavior (microsegregation, secondary phase formation, and solidification temperature range) of an Alloy 625 weld overlay deposited on 2.25Cr-1Mo steel by gas metal arc welding was investigated by light and electron optical microscopy, electron microprobe, and differential thermal analysis techniques. The overlay deposit was found to terminate solidification at {approx}1,216 C by a {gamma}/Laves eutectic-type reaction. The Laves phase was highly enriched in Nb, Mo, and Si. The solidification reaction and microsegregation potential of major alloying elements in the overlay deposit are compared to other Nb-bearing Ni base alloys and found to be very similar to those for Alloy 718. Solidification cracks observed in the overlay were attributed to the wide solidification temperature range ({approx}170 C) and formation of interdendritic ({gamma} + Laves) constituent. Reasonable agreement is obtained between the calculated and measured volume percent ({gamma} + Laves) constituent with the Scheil equation by treating the overlay system as a simple {gamma}-Nb binary and using an experimentally determined k{sub Nb} value from electron microprobe data.
Zone-plate array lithography (ZPAL): A new maskless approach

This paper reviews recent progress in our development of a new maskless lithography scheme which utilizes an array of Fresnel zone plates to write arbitrary patterns on a wafer. Maskless, zone-plate-array lithography (ZPAL) should be capable of producing 25 nm feature sizes at a throughput of 1 cm 2 /second using 4.5 nm radiation from an undulator on a compact synchrotron. This wavelength will allow a large depth-of-focus with essentially no proximity effect at a large gap between the zone-plate array and the substrate. We present a detailed ZPAL system design, and show calculations and simulations which address issues of resolution, contrast, throughput, source characteristics. and micromechanical modulation schemes for x-ray beamlets in ZPAL. We review our experimental efforts in ZPAL in the x-ray and ultraviolet regions.
Reduction of residues of heptachlor and chlordane in carrots with soil applications of activated carbon.

Applications of activated carbon were used in greenhouse and field experiments to reduce the uptake by carrots of heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, and chlordane from soils to which heptachlor or chlordane had been added. In a greenhouse test uptake of DDT by carrots and radishes was not affected by the addition of activated carbon. In 1 field test where the soil contained long-term, low residues of insecticide, the addition of activated carbon to the soil did not reduce residues of the insecticides in carrots grown in this field.
Model error sensitivity suppression: Quasi-static optimal control for flexible structures

Model Error Sensitivity Suppression (MESS) provides simultaneous solution for two control problems inherent to flexible spacecraft control: a dynamic problem-modal stabilization, and a static problem modal decoupling. The (MESS) algorithm is developed in simplified form to illustrate the decoupling properties of the alogirthm. An example is presented that highlights an interesting property of the algorithm; namely, the determination of the directions of the column vectors of the optimal gain matrix, a priori, before solution of the Riccati equation. Similar results hold for dual estimator design. These static decoupling properties of the algorithm allow reduced-order estimating and decentralized control.
Type IIB Procollagen NH2-propeptide Induces Death of Tumor Cells via Interaction with Integrins αVβ3 and αVβ5

Cartilage is resistant to tumor invasion. In the present study, we found that the NH2-propeptide of the cartilage-characteristic collagen, type IIB, PIIBNP, is capable of killing tumor cells. The NH2-propeptide is liberated into the extracellular matrix prior to deposition of the collagen fibrils. This peptide adheres to and kills cells from chondrosarcoma and cervical and breast cancer cell lines via the integrins αvβ5 and αvβ3. Adhesion is abrogated by blocking with anti αvβ5 and αvβ3 antibodies. When αv is suppressed by small intefering RNA, adhesion and cell killing are blocked. Normal chondrocytes from developing cartilage do not express αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins and are thus protected from cell death. Morphological, DNA, and biochemical evidence indicates that the cell death is not by apoptosis but probably by necrosis. In an assay for invasion, PIIBNP reduced the number of cells crossing the membrane. In vivo, in a tumor model for breast cancer, PIIBNP was consistently able to reduce the size of the tumor.
Development in hepatitis C during 1997 - 1999

Hepatitis C has become an area of intensive research over the past several years. With current worldwide prevalence estimated at 150 to 200 million people, and with almost four million Americans infected, it is a major public health issue [1]. Of those infected, over 85% will develop chronic infection [2,3]. Of those who develop chronic infection, 20% will develop cirrhosis, and in the cirrhotic population, 20% develop hepatocellular carcinoma [4]. It is still difficult in the early stages of disease to determine who is at risk of developing cirrhosis, and therefore who would benefit most from therapy. However, even in the non-cirrhotic individual, there are many symptomatic manifestations of the disease that lead clinicians to initiate therapy [5]. The ultimate goal of treatment is to achieve sustained eradication of the virus. Until recently, the mainstay of treatment has been interferon (IFN-) monotherapy, which is less than 25% effective and is generally accompanied by side effects. Newer therapeutic ...
Human-mediated shifts in animal habitat use: sequential changes in pronghorn use of a natural gas field in Greater Yellowstone.

Abstract To manage America’s 991,479 km2 (245 million acres) of public BLM lands for such mixed uses as natural resource extraction, wildlife, and recreation requires knowledge about effects of habitat alterations. Two of North America’s largest natural gas fields occur in the southern region of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Wyoming), an area that contains >100,000 wintering ungulates. During a 5-year period (2005–2009), we concentrated on patterns of habitat selection of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) to understand how winter weather and increasing habitat loss due to gas field development impact habitat selection. Since this population is held below a food ceiling (i.e., carrying capacity) by human harvest, we expected few habitat constraints on animal movements – hence we examined fine-scale habitat use in relationship to progressive energy footprints. We used mixed-effects resource selection function models on 125 GPS-collared female pronghorn, and analyzed a comprehensive set of factors that included habitat (e.g., slope, plant cover type) and variables examining the impact of gas field infrastructure and human activity (e.g., distance to nearest road and well pad, amount of habitat loss due to conversion to a road or well pad) inside gas fields. Our RSF models demonstrate: (1) a fivefold sequential decrease in habitat patches predicted to be of high use and (2) sequential fine-scale abandonment by pronghorn of areas with the greatest habitat loss and greatest industrial footprint. The ability to detect behavioral impacts may be a better sentinel and earlier warning for burgeoning impacts of resource extraction on wildlife populations than studies focused solely on demography. Nevertheless disentangling cause and effect through the use of behavior warrants further investigation.
Failed Cooperation in Heterogeneous Industries Under the National Recovery Administration

A case study, a formal model, and an anaLysis of Census of Manufactures data support a conclusion that cost heterogeneity was a major source of the “compliance crisis” affecting a number of National Recovery Administration “codes of fair competition.” Key elements of the argument are assumptions that progressives at the NRA allowed majority coalitions of small, high-cost finns to impose codes in heterogeneous industries, and that these codes were designed by the high-cost firms under an ultimately erroneous belief that they would be enforced by the NRA.
“Fluorescent electron emission” - A prediction for resonant photoemission spectra

Abstract We have studied the effects of electronic relaxation in resonant photoemission spectra using a model of discrete plasmon-type relaxation with finite plasmon lifetime. In addition to the usual satellite peak with fixed binding energy, we predict the existence of a “fluorescent electron emission” peak at fixed electron kinetic energy.
From Symbols of the Sacred to Symbols of Subversion to Simply Obscure: Maryknoll Women Religious in Guatemala, 1953 to 1967

In December of 1980 three women religious and a lay missioner from the United States were brutally raped and murdered by the Salvadoran military. This outrage brought international attention to the violence in El Salvador and led to a temporary halt in US military aid. The sisters were neither the first nor the most violently killed—8,000 people were massacred in 1980 and 45,000 between 1980 and 1984—but their rape and murder, the murder of Archbishop Romero in March of 1980, and that of six Jesuit priests in 1989 were consistently cited as evidence of the sheer brutality and impunity of the Salvadoran military regime. Killing priests and bishops and raping and murdering nuns signified quite simply that “nothing was sacred.”
Balloon dilation compared to stenting of dominant strictures in primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Balloon dilation compared to stenting of dominant strictures in primary sclerosing cholangitis
A semiquantitative method to assess role image in nursing through the application of semantics

A semiquantitative method is described for linking professional role image to semantics. The number and type of words generated by three open-ended questions seem to demonstrate professional role image in a staff population of a psychiatric unit. These relationships are quantified as the Role Image Index (RII). The population of a pilot group was divided into three main categories: (1) Nursing Service, Professionals; (2) Nursing Service, Nonprofessionals; and (3) Other Professionals, consisting of psychiatrists and other psychotherapists. Each group was subsequently divided into subgroups. Of these, the Associate Degree Nurse was the only nursing subgroup which demonstrated role image strength consistent with other professionals. Statistical measures employed were regression analyses to assess unusual individual behavior and correlational studies between three proposed indicators of role image strength. While the population is too small to be statistically significant, data are presented to demonstrate the potential significance in the employment of psycholinguistics as a tool for role assessment and development. The tool is seen to have implications for both nursing education and service in the affirmation of nursing as a profession.
63rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine

The Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) was held on 15–17 October 2007, in Washington (DC, USA). This meeting had the largest number of registrants of any ASRM meeting, with over 6000 people attending. The theme for this meeting was Capitalizing on Innovations in Reproductive Health Care. The program was put together under the leadership of Steven Ory, ASRM President, and David Keefe, General Program Chair, and encompassed a wide variety of topics highlighting new discoveries, new treatments and new approaches to reproductive healthcare.
America and the patterns of chivalry

Preface Part I. From cavaliers to cowboys: chivalry in history and imagination Part II. Chivalric patterns in industrialising America Part III. Chivalry and ethics Notes Index.
Incidence of lumbar spine pedicle breach after percutaneous screw fixation: a radiographic evaluation of 601 screws in 151 patients.

Study Design:Prospective clinical study.Objectives:Although percutaneous pedicle screw fixation continues to be increasingly practiced, there remain few reports specifically addressing the accuracy and clinical safety of this technique. The goal of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of fluorosco
The nonlinear Poisson equation via a Newton-embedding procedure

This article considers the semilinear boundary value problem given by the Poisson equation, −Δu = f(u) in a bounded domain Ω ⊂ ℝ n (n > 2) with a smooth boundary. For the zero boundary value case, we approximate a solution using the Newton-embedding procedure. With the assumptions that f, f′, and f″ are bounded functions on ℝ, with f′ < 0, and Ω ⊂ ℝ3, the Newton-embedding procedure yields a continuous solution. This study is in response to an independent work which applies the same procedure, but assuming that f′ maps the Sobolev space H 1(Ω) to the space of Holder continuous functions , and f(u), f′(u), and f″(u) have uniform bounds. In the first part of this article, we prove that these assumptions force f to be a constant function. In the remainder of the article, we prove the existence, uniqueness, and H 2-regularity in the linear elliptic problem given by each iteration of Newton's method. We then use the regularity estimate to achieve convergence.
Geochronology and petrochemistry of Easter and Sala y Gomez Islands: implications for the origin of the Sala y Gomez Ridge

Abstract Easter and Sala y Gomez Islands lie along the Sala y Gomez Ridge, a broad zone of high topography and scattered seamounts extending east-southeast from the East Pacific Rise. K-Ar ages and major element abundances of volcanic rocks from these islands are used to test the fixed melting spot hypothesis for the origin of this feature. Poike volcano, the oldest center on Easter Island, was constructed in two episodes, occurring at 2.5 and 0.9 m.y. ago. Eruptive activity on Sala y Gomez was nearly contemporaneous with the earliest volcanism on Easter Island. No migration of volcanism with time is apparent along the Sala y Gomez Ridge. Basaltic rocks from Easter Island have tholeiitic affinities, while those dredged from the base of Sala y Gomez belong to an alkali olivine basalt series. Differences in basalt chemistry suggest that the volcanic rocks from the two islands formed from magmas that equilibrated at different pressures, and a model is presented which relates the character of the erupted liquids to magma segregation at the base of a progressively thickening lithosphere. The islands and seamounts comprising the Sala y Gomez Ridge do not fall on a small circle about the Nazca-mantle pole of absolute motion. Available evidence, therefore, does not support a fixed melting spot origin for Easter Island, Sala y Gomez, and the Sala y Gomez Ridge. Rather, it appears that the Sala y Gomez Ridge formed along a leaky fracture zone, and in response to a major re-orientation of spreading centers in this area.
PACS archive strategy utilizing a 3-TB jukebox

A large distributed image archive has been designed and is currently in the final stages of development as part of the Picture Archiving and Communications Systems at the University of Florida. The problem was to create a large yet efficient image archive to store the images from all the currently supported imaging modalities with expansion capabilities for the future. The design consists of modality acquisition processors (for the receipt, conversion and routing of image data from the diagnostic imaging equipment), medium term organ based magnetic archives (capable of storing patient studies for 4 - 6 months), a 3 Terabyte mixed media long term archive (currently using Digital Linear Tape), and a centralized image management data base. While the archive was primarily designed to support DICOM, certain legacy image formats such as ACR-NEMA 2.0 and native mode nuclear medicine formats are also supported until DICOM compliant acquisition is available from all imaging modalities.
Public Economy and The Well‐ordered Market: Law and Economic Regulation in 19th‐Century America

This essay is an attempt to uncover and reconstruct 19th-century legal notions of “public economy” and the “well-ordered market.” Through an analysis of 19th-century product and inspection laws, licensing cases and regulations, and public controls on the urban marketplace, the author argues that economic regulation was deeply rooted in American life and law throughout the pre-Civil War era. The pervasiveness of these regulations and accompanying legal rationales steeped in a vision of a “well-regulated society” call into question historical descriptions of this period as the golden age of market capitalism and possessive individualism Law's preeminent role in the construction of public economy also suggests the need to revise our inherited picture of antebellum law as pragmatic, instrumental, and wedded to classical conceptions of property, contract, and the market.
Self-rated health among women with coronary disease: depression is as important as recent cardiovascular events.

Background Prior studies have shown an association between depression and self-rated health among patients with coronary disease. However, the magnitude of the effect of depression on self-rated health compared with that of major clinical events is unknown. Our main objective was to clarify the association between depression and self-rated health using longitudinal data. Methods We performed a prospective cohort study of 2675 postmenopausal women with coronary disease. The primary predictor variable was a 4-state categorical depression variable based on the Burnam depression screen assessed at sequential visits. The outcome variable was self-rated overall health (excellent, very good, or good vs fair or poor). Results After adjustment for age, comorbidities, prior self-rated health, and interim events, women with depression at both current and prior annual visits had a >5-fold increased odds of fair/poor self-rated health (odds ratio [OR] 5.1, 95% CI 3.8-6.8). New depression was associated with a >2-fold increased odds of fair/poor self-rated health (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.0-3.4). Having a history of depression at the preceding annual visit but not at the current visit was associated with a slight increased odds of fair/poor self-rated health (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7). The magnitude of the impact of persistent or new depression was comparable to that of recent angina, myocardial infarction, angioplasty, heart failure, or bypass surgery. Conclusions Women with persistent or new depression are more likely to report fair/poor self-rated health. The magnitude of the impact of persistent or new depression is comparable to that of major cardiac events.
Fixing the Q cycle

Mitchell's key insight that all bioenergetic membranes run on the conversion of redox energy into transmembrane electrical and proton gradients took the form 30 years ago of a working model of the Q cycle of cytochrome bc1, which operates reversibly on coupled electron and proton transfers of quinone at two binding sites on opposite membrane faces. His remarkable model still stands today, but he had no structural information to provide understanding into how dangerous short-circuit redox reactions were avoided. Now, it is clear that the Q cycle must be fixed with a special mechanism that avoids semiquinone-mediated short circuits. Either the redox states of the quinone electron-transfer partners double-gate the semiquinone-intermediate stability, or semiquinone is avoided altogether in concerted double-electron transfer.
A multi-species, density-dependent matrix growth model to predict tree diversity and income in northern hardwood stands

Abstract A density-dependent matrix model of stand growth is presented. The model was calibrated with re-measured plots in the northern hardwood forests in Wisconsin. Trees were divided into shade-tolerant, intermediate, and shade-intolerant species in twelve diameter classes. Model predictions were tested against post-sample observations for short-term (15-year) and long-term (steady-state) accuracy. This growth model was then applied to study stand growth dynamics with and without management. Starting with the current average stand state, the predicted stand basal area of an unmanaged stand rose steadily to a maximum, dropped gradually, and finally reached a steady state. The time paths of basal area and tree size diversity were highly and positively correlated. Instead, tree species diversity decreased when size diversity and basal area increased, and vice-versa. When harvesting was introduced, it was found that more intensive harvest increased the diversity of tree species, while decreasing the diversity of tree size. A 20-year cutting cycle could produce higher economic returns than a 10-year cutting cycle, with similar size and species diversity. Harvesting most of the saw timbers every 20 years could be a good compromise between economics and tree diversity, at the stand level.