cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Starvation-Survival Physiological Studies of a Marine Pseudomonas sp.

Starved cultures of a marine Pseudomonas sp. showed a 99.9% decrease in viable cell count during the first 25 days of starvation, yet the culture maintained 105 viable cells per ml for over 1 year. The physiological responses of populations of a marine Pseudomonas sp. to nutrient starvation were observed for periods of up to 40 days. At various intervals during starvation, the numbers of total, viable, and respiring cells were determined within the cultures. The ATP content, endogenous respiration rate, uptake rates, and percent respiration for exogenous glucose and glutamate were determined throughout the starvation period to characterize the physiological changes in the cells. It was observed that, after initial adjustment periods, all parameters tested reached stabilized states after 18 to 25 days of starvation. The results indicate that the actively respiring subpopulation, rather than the viable or total cell numbers, is the most appropriate denominator for interpretation of observed activities on an individual cell basis.
An integrated automatic compiling system for student feedback on Java programs

In colleges today, learning computer languages is becoming more popular not only because the current job market highly demands jobs requiring these skills, but also because many STEM fields require programming skills. Java is one of the most widely used languages in client-server applications because of its rich API, portability, simplicity, and object-oriented features. To learn their first programming languages, students must write many programs for practice on the path to mastery. More programming assignments increase the workload of faculty. This paper presents an integrated online system to help instructors manage programming assignments effectively, providing immediate compiling and runtime messages, and display of the results when the students submit the program. This immediate feedback improves the student learning experience, with targeted information and encourages student success.
Results of peripheral laser photocoagulation in pars planitis.

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine the effect of peripheral retinal laser photocoagulation (PLP) on visual acuity, intraocular inflammation, and other ocular findings, including retinal neovascularization in eyes with pars planitis. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of eyes with pars planitis that had undergone PLP. RESULTS: Twenty-two eyes in 17 patients with pars planitis had undergone treatment with PLP at 2 centers. The mean age at the time of treatment was 19.3 years. Following treatment, mean follow-up was 16.3 months (range, 6 to 37 months). Mean visual acuity was 20/60 preoperatively and 20/50 postoperatively. This level of improvement was not statistically significant (P > .10), but there was a statistically significant decrease in the use of corticosteroids between the preoperative examination and the last postoperative examination (86% versus 27%, P < .05). There was also a statistically significant decrease in vitritis at the last follow-up (P = .0008) and a decrease in neovascularization of the vitreous base (P = .03) and in clinically apparent cystoid macular edema (P = .02). Epiretinal membranes were noted in 23% of eyes preoperatively and in 45% of eyes postoperatively. Only one of these epiretinal membranes was considered to be visually significant. One eye developed a tonic dilated pupil, which slowly improved. CONCLUSIONS: Although the long-term natural history of clinical findings in pars planitis is not well documented, PLP appears to decrease the need for corticosteroids while stabilizing visual acuity. It also appears to decrease vitreous inflammation. PLP has few complications and should be considered in patients with pars planitis who are unresponsive or have adverse reactions to corticosteroids.
Enforcing Rules on Oneself

How does one devise a contract that it is easily enforced on each party by the other? How are rules designed for the behavior of each party, and incentives attached to compliance, so that the temptations and opportunities for noncompliance are minimized? How does an agreement make room for exceptions, for discretionary judgment about what is required, and for penalties on violations so that the whole arrangement need not collapse upon the first failure? How are the terms of agreement structured so that invisible noncompliance can be made visible or noncompliant intention be revealed in time to be challenged. For contractual arrangements between two parties, this can be formulated as the question, How to compose the "bargain" to enhance the likelihood that it will be kept? The reciprocal bargain can be decomposed into the rules that each devises for the other: how do I devise your part of the bargain, the rules that you accept that I impose on you, to make it most likely that you will keep your part of the bargain? You have the same criteria for rules you impose on me, as part of the bargain. Often the reciprocal rules and incentives are interdependent: the sanction on my nonperformance is your release from a corresponding obligation, either some symmetrical obligation or any other part of the bargain that we have linked for purposes of incentives or equitable performance. But the rules we impose on each other are often quite asymmetrical. If I hire you to work for me, or lend you money, or rent you my home, there is typically no service you are to provide for me. If I do not want you to drink on the job or smoke in the presence of customers, the "rules" that I impose on your performance have no counterpart in the "rules" that you impose on me, such as that I pay you every week with a check that does not bounce. I am interested in the special case of rules that people impose on themselves. I am thinking of people who wish not to oversleep, not to lose their
The Settlement of Disputes in the Field of the International Law of the Environment

This series of five lectures (1) examines the nature of international environmental disputes and their significance for international order; ( 2) surveys and analyzes relevant experience in the settlement of international environmental disputes, with particular attention to environmental problems relating to international rivers and lakes, the oceans and the atmosphere; and (3) suggests some of the principles, approaches and techniques through which international law and institutions may be able most effectively to contribute to the avoidance and adjustment of international environmental disputes and the protection of the international community’s interest in the environment. The five lectures deal, respectively, with: (1) preliminary questions, including the characteristics of international environmental disputes, obligations concerning the avoidance and settlement of disputes, and methods of dispute avoidance and settlement; (2) disputes concerning international rivers and lakes; (3) disputes concerning the marine environment; (4) disputes concerning air pollution and in other environmental contexts, such as outer space, Antarctica, nuclear testing, weather and climate issues, international trade and investment, and other problem areas; and (5) a conclusion which proposes a number of principles of environmental dispute settlement, discusses the usefulness of various institutional means, emphasizes the importance of protecting the international community’s interests, and suggests prospects for the future.The proposed principles on environmental dispute settlement, explicated and discussed in the conclusion, are: (1) the principle of environmental responsibility; (2) the principle of diverse approaches; (3) the principle of factual knowledge; (4) the principle of dispute avoidance; (5) the principle of predictability; (6) the principle of flexibility; (7) the principle of lowest-level solutions; (8) the principle of non-legalistic solutions; and 9) the principle of co-ordination.The five lectures were presented as an integrated course at the summer 1975 session of the Hague Academy of International Law in the Hague, the Netherlands and published in the Academy’s Recueil de Cours, Vol. I –1975.
Towards automated privilege separation

Applications are subject to threat from a number of attack vectors, and limiting their attack surface is vital. By using privilege separation to constrain application access to protected resources, we can mitigate the threats against the application. Previous examinations of privilege separation either entailed significant manual effort or required access to the source code. We consider a method of performing privilege separation through black-box analysis.We consider similar applications to the target and infer states of execution, and determine unique trigger system calls that cause transitions. We use these for the basis of state-based policy enforcement by leveraging the Systrace policy enforcement mechanism. Our results show that we can infer state transitions with a high degree of accuracy, while our modifications to Systrace result in more granular protection by limiting system calls depending on the application’s state. The modified Systrace increases the size of the Apache web server’s policy file by less than 17.5%.
Association of alkali metal and alkaline earth cations with subcellular particles prepared from renal cortex.

A differential centrifugation procedure was used to separate homogenized renal cortex of normal dogs into four sediments and four supernatants, each of which was analyzed for alkali and alkaline earth cations and for dry weight. The amount of each of the cations associated with, or "bound" by, the particles sedimenting in each step was computed by a method which takes into account trapped supernatant. Trace cations were determined radiometrically, except for lithium, which was administered by priming injection and constant infusion for 2 hr prior to nephrectomy. The extent of association of each cation with each of the four types of particles was expressed as the percentage of total tissue cation sedimenting with those particles. For the largest ("nuclear") particles, the extent of association of five alkali cations averaged 5.6%, and of four alkaline earths (Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba) averaged 24%; no selectivity was seen in either group. The second largest ("mitochondrial") particles showed pronounced selectivity, the extent of association increasing from 2% to 15% with increasing atomic weight in the first group, and from 19% to 70% in the second. The third ("heavy microsomal") fraction showed no selectivity; an average of 1.4% of the alkaline cations and 6.7% of the alkaline earths was associated with these particles. The fourth ("light microsomal") fraction showed the following selectivity in order of increasing atomic weight: Li = Na > K Ca> Sr « Ba. Thus the "mitochondrial" particles preferentially adsorb (or take up during homogenization) larger cations in both groups, while the "light microsomal" particles show least binding of cations of intermediate size. The sequence of tissue-to-plasma ratios of alkaline earths was similar to the sequence of their association with the "light microsomal" particles. For alkali cations, tissue-to-plasma ratios paralleled the extent of their association with the "mitochondrial" particles.
Low-Coherence, Wavelength-Encoded Addressing for Integrated Long-Gauge Length Fiber Optic Strain Sensing

Here, we present a low-coherence interferometry-based, wavelength-encoded addressing scheme to sense the integrated fiber optic strain over several meters of fiber.
Monte carlo feasibility study of an active neutron assay technique for full-volume UF6 cylinder assay using a correlated interrogation source

Abstract Uranium cylinder assay plays an important role in the nuclear material accounting at gas centrifuge enrichment plants. The Passive Neutron Enrichment Meter (PNEM) was designed to determine uranium mass and enrichment in 30B and 48Y cylinders using total neutron and coincidence counting in the passive mode. 30B and 48Y cylinders are used to hold bulk UF 6 feed, product, and tails at enrichment plants. In this paper, we report the results of a Monte-Carlo-based feasibility study for an active uranium cylinder assay system based on the PNEM design. There are many advantages of the active technique such as a shortened count time and a more direct measure of 235 U content. The active system is based on a modified PNEM design and uses a 252 Cf source as the correlated, active interrogation source. We show through comparison with a random AmLi source of equal strength how the use of a correlated driver significantly boosts the active signal and reduces the statistical uncertainty. We also discuss ways in which an active uranium cylinder assay system can be optimized to minimize background from 238 U fast-neutron induced fission and direct counts from the interrogation source.
The Astronomical System in Mūsā ibn Nawbakht's Astrological Treatise, the Kitāb al-Kāmil

L'A. tente de discerner le systeme de l'astronomie planetaire de Mūsā ibn Nawbakht a travers les pratiques de l'astronomie et de l'astrologie medievales
Hard limiting of three and four sinusoidal signals

An analysis of the effect of hard limiting on a sum of three or four sinusoidal signals has been performed. Analytic expressions are obtained for the output amplitudes for three input signals, two of equal amplitude, and for four signals, amplitudes equal in pairs. The results are compared with previous investigations that employ digital computer simulation, and excellent agreement is obtained. The signal suppression is investigated, and the "negative suppression" effect found numerically by other authors is shown to arise from logarithmic terms in the dependence of the output amplitude on the input signal amplitude ratio. These results should aid in understanding the interactions that occur when a limiting communications receiver is addressed by several signals.
Formycin B, purine nucleoside phosphorylase and lymphocyte function.

A genetic deficiency of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (NP) is associated with immune dysfunction that specifically affects T cells. An absence of adenosine deaminase (ADA), the preceding enzyme in the pathway of purine recycling, is associated with failure of both T and B lymphocyte function.Formycin B, an analogue of inosine and an inhibitor of purine nucleosidase phosphorylase, was used in cell culture systems to stimulate deficiency of this enzyme. The cells used were normal circulating lymphocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) with T and B cell characteristics. Formycin B inhibited the growth of these cells, but its primary effect was found to be due to a mechanism other than purine nucleoside phosphorylase inhibition.The possibility that formycin B was inhibiting adenosine deaminase, for which it is a product analogue, was studied by the anaylsis of reaction progress curves using the integrated rate equation. The molecular structure of formycin B, whilst preventing its phosphorylytic cleavage...
High-resolution imaging of dissipative structures in a turbulent jet flame with laser Rayleigh scattering

High-resolution 2-D imaging of laser Rayleigh scattering is used to measure the detailed structure of the thermal dissipation field in a turbulent non-premixed CH4/H2/N2 jet flame. Measurements are performed in the near field (x/d = 5–20) of the flame where the primary combustion reactions interact with the turbulent flow. The contributions of both the axial and radial gradients to the mean thermal dissipation are determined from the 2-D dissipation measurements. The relative contributions of the two components vary significantly with radial position. The dissipation field exhibits thin layers of high dissipation. Noise suppression by adaptive smoothing enables accurate determination of the dissipation-layer widths from single-shot measurements. Probability density functions (PDF) of the dissipation-layer widths conditioned on temperature are approximately log-normal distributions. The conditional layer width PDFs are self-similar functions with the layer widths scaling with temperature to the 0.75 power. The high signal-to-noise ratio of the Rayleigh scattering images coupled with an interlacing technique for noise suppression enable fully resolved measurements of the mean power spectral density (PSD) of the temperature gradients. These spectra are used to determine the turbulence microscales by measuring a cutoff wavelength, λC, at 2% of the peak PSD. The Batchelor scale is estimated from λC, and the results are compared with estimates from scaling laws in non-reacting flows. At x/d = 20, the different approaches to determining the Batchelor scale are comparable on the jet centerline. However, the estimates from non-reacting flow scaling laws are significantly less accurate in off-centerline regions and at locations closer to the nozzle exit. Throughout the near field of the jet flame, the measured ratio of a characteristic dissipation-layer width to the local Batchelor scale is larger than values previously reported for the far field of non-reacting flows.
Psychological stress and phorbol ester inhibition of radiation-induced apoptosis in human peripheral blood leukocytes.

Abstract Apoptosis is a process of genetically programmed alternations of cell structure that lead to failure of proliferation and differentiation, and eventual cell death. Apoptosis is induced by a variety of toxic insults including growth factor deprivation and ionizing radiation. This process may function to protect against the appearance of heritable phenotypic changes in cells and may be a critical factor in normal cellular immune function. Phorbol esters inhibit apoptosis, but little is known about factors that regulate this process physiologically. In this study, we demonstrate an association between an acute psychological stressor, taking examinations, and the induction of substantial and reversible changes in the response of peripheral blood leukocytes to gamma irradiation and to phorbol ester treatment. These data suggest that psychological stress may induce physiological changes that regulate the ability of immune cells to initiate apoptosis.
Promoting responsible conduct in research through “survival skills” workshops: Some mentoring is best done in a crowd

For graduate students to succeed as professionals, they must develop a set of general “survival skills”. These include writing research articles, making oral presentations, obtaining employment and funding, supervising, and teaching. Traditionally, graduate programs have offered little training in many of these skills. Our educational model provides individuals with formal instruction in each area, including their ethical dimensions. Infusion of research ethics throughout a professional skills curriculum helps to emphasize that responsible conduct is integral to succeeding as a researcher. It also leads to the consideration of ethical dimensions of professional life not covered in traditional ethics courses.
Differential recording with infrared spectrophotometers

For any type of differential recordings and average band with conditions, the preceding procedures will be of value in determining sampling conditions.
Combustion of ethane with small concentrations of methyl chloride in a refractory tube burner

Abstract Premixed, thermally stabilized combustion inside a refractory-tube without a flameholder has a number of unique characteristics that are favorable for incineration. Owing to the fully developed turbulent flow, the velocity, temperature and composition are relatively uniform across the channel, Because of the absence of backmixing other than the negligible degree associated with confined turbulent flow, the flame front is a virtual step in temperature and composition. Owing to the thermal feedback by wall-to-wall radiation and in-wall conduction, the temperature of the stream of gas immediately behind the flame front exceeds the adiabatic value, and owing to the great thermal inertia of the refractory tube and the plug-like flow, the combustion is very stable and free of oscillations. Most important of all, the temperature of the wall is close to that of the gas throughout the burner. The net effect of these characteristics is that every molecule of the gaseous mixture experiences essentially the ...
Metabolic glycoengineering sensitizes drug-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to tyrosine kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib

Metastatic human pancreatic cancer cells (the SW1990 line) that are resistant to the EGFR-targeting tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs (TKI) erlotinib and gefitinib were treated with 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc, a 'metabolic glycoengineering' drug candidate that increased sialylation by ∼2-fold. Consistent with genetic methods previously used to increase EGFR sialylation, this small molecule reduced EGF binding, EGFR transphosphorylation, and downstream STAT activation. Significantly, co-treatment with both the sugar pharmacophore and the existing TKI drugs resulted in strong synergy, in essence re-sensitizing the SW1990 cells to these drugs. Finally, 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAz, which is the azido-modified counterpart to 1,3,4-O-Bu3ManNAc, provided a similar benefit thereby establishing a broad-based foundation to extend a 'metabolic glycoengineering' approach to clinical applications.
The use of the taylor spatial frame for the treatment of unstable tibial fractures in children.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the use of the Taylor Spatial Frame (TSF) in the treatment of unstable tibial fractures in skeletally immature patients. DESIGN Retrospective review. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS Twelve consecutive skeletally immature patients with unstable tibial fracture treated at our centre with a TSF. INTERVENTION A TSF was applied by a single surgeon for the stabilization of unstable tibial fractures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Time to union, nonunion, malunion, reoperations, leg length discrepancy, and complications such as infections and compartment syndrome in both closed and open tibial fractures. RESULTS Over a 4-year period, 8 patients with closed unstable tibial fractures and 4 patients with grade IIIB open fractures were treated with a TSF by a single surgeon. Union was achieved in all cases with no residual angulation and no leg length discrepancy. The mean time of the TSF treatment for the 8 closed fractures was 12.6 (range: 8-22) and for the 4 grade IIIB open fractures was 24.25 weeks (range: 13-36). There was 1 patient who developed compartment syndrome after application of the TSF and 2 who developed superficial pin site infections treated with oral antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the use of TSF in experienced users for the treatment of unstable closed and open fractures in skeletally immature patients.
Infliximab: Use in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic and often debilitating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) without medical cures. Despite the existence of multiple therapies, the medical treatment of these diseases often has proven insufficient and surgery is frequently required. However, as our understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (eg, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis) has grown, new and more specific biologic therapies have been developed that are proving more effective than traditional agents. Infliximab is a genetically engineered monoclonal antibody that targets the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and represents the first effective biologic therapy for IBD and has largely revolutionized treatment. Infliximab initially was developed to be used in patients with moderate to severe luminal or fistulizing CD who are refractory to standard medical therapy. More and more practitioners now are using infliximab as first-line therapy because of its superior efficacy. Infliximab rapidly induces remission in CD, but when given chronically, it can provide long-term maintenance of remission. In addition, there are some data to support its use as a steroid-sparing agent and treatment for various extraintestinal manifestations of IBD and, although used predominantly to treat CD, recent data suggest that infliximab also may have a role in the management of UC. Overall, infliximab represents a clinically useful, cost-effective therapy that works well, even though careful patient monitoring is required to avoid rare but significant toxicities. The hope is that infliximab, together with other biologic agents that currently are in development, will allow us to modify the course of IBD, avoid complications such as strictures and abscesses, and reduce the need for surgery.
Transport Changes Inferred from HALOE Water and Methane Measurements

Changes in water vapor and methane covering the period 1992 through April 2001 are discussed. Global increases in 2 x CH 4 + H 2 O are evident, however there is significant spatial structure at levels between 10 and 100 hPa. Anti-correlated decreases in methane and increases in water vapor are noted in the upper stratosphere; these are associated with a slowing of the mass flux into the upper stratosphere and a concomitant increase in residence time above 10 hPa. Increases greater than those due to the surface increase in methane are more difficult to explain. One possibility is changes in the water vapor flux into the middle and upper stratosphere associated with a widening of the tropical upwelling. Another possible cause is a change in the ratio of summer/winter net upwelling. Additionally, the first 3 years of the period considered appear anomalous at many levels simultaneously. It is postulated that this is due to enhanced vertical mixing at the start of the data record.
Characteristics and utilization of dry roasted air-classified navy bean protein fraction

Navy beans,Phaseolus vulgaris, were dry roasted in a particle-to-particle heat exchanger, dehulled by air aspiration, pin-milled and air-classified to yield a high protein fraction. Proximate analyses, nitrogen solubility indices and oligosaccharide contents of this high protein fraction as influenced by processing parameters which affected final product temperature were determined. Farinograms of wheat/bean protein fraction composite flours were run. A high-protein bean flour fraction was selected from these dry and roasted treatments and used in product development. Quality characteristics and consumer acceptability of high-protein prototype products were evaluated. Results of this research indicate that the dry roasting process influences the characteristics of the air-classified protein fraction. Flour color, nitrogen solubility and dough mixing properties were most greatly influenced by roasting time and temperature. Increased roasting resulted in increased browning and decreased nitrogen solubility and dough mixing stability. Wheat flour bread products, substituted with low levels of high-protein bean flour, were of high quality.
The rhetoric of nursing theory.

Summary. Skeptics who question the validity and relevance of nursing theory in the nursing curriculum demonstrate the failure to persuade nurses of the importance of theory. Attempts to justify theory by forcing its use in contexts where it barely fits have contributed to the increasing disenchantment. But however misused and misunderstood, theory is nevertheless a lasting and essential part of nursing knowledge. Theory is the intellectual life of nursing. To further research, experiment, and insight in nursing as a discipline, theorizing must be encouraged–subject as all intellectual efforts must be–to honest critique and a healthy willingness to acknowledge success or failure.
Heterogeneous pathways of oxidizing radical production in human neutrophils and the HL-60 cell line.

Summary: Oxygen-derived free radicals with hydroxyl radical (OH·)-like reactivity are products of the human neutrophil respiratory burst. Such radicals, although dependent on O2- generation arise from complex oxidation reactions that may be independent of an iron-or lactoferrin-catalyzed Haber-Weiss mechanism. Differentiated HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cells completely deficient in lactoferrin generate oxidizing radicals at a rate greater than that of human neutrophils, indicating lactoferrin-independent pathways for OH· generation. The further heterogeneity of pathways generating OH· activity in neutrophils is indicated by the cell concentration dependence of the reaction, the variability of H2O2 as a precursor reactant, and the various proportions of oxidizing radical activity to O2- detected in human neutrophils stimulated to a variety of agonists Speculation: The ethylene assay for oxidizing radical activity may detect different classes of oxidizing species capable of reacting with the aldehyde substrate. The complexity of defining the oxygen-derived radicals of the ethylene assay suggests methodologic difficulties of either quantitating or precisely defining the radicals generated in the respiratory burst by this method.
Uncertainty analysis of transient population dynamics

Abstract Two types of demographic analyses, perturbation analysis and uncertainty analysis, can be conducted to gain insights about matrix population models and guide population management. Perturbation analysis studies how the perturbation of demographic parameters (survival, growth, and reproduction parameters) may affect the population projection, while uncertainty analysis evaluates how much uncertainty there is in population dynamic predictions and where the uncertainty comes from. Previously, both perturbation analysis and uncertainty analysis were conducted on the long-term population growth rate. However, the population may not reach its equilibrium state, especially when there is management by harvesting or hunting. Recently, there has been an increased interest in short-term transient dynamics, which can differ from asymptotic long-term dynamics. There are currently techniques to conduct perturbation analyses of short-term transient dynamics, but no techniques have been proposed for uncertainty analysis of such dynamics. In this study, we introduced an uncertainty analysis technique, the general Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST), to study uncertainties in transient population dynamics. The general FAST is able to identify the amount of uncertainty in transient dynamics and contributions by different demographic parameters. We applied the general FAST to a mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) matrix population model to give a clear illustration of how uncertainty analysis can be conducted for transient dynamics arising from matrix population models.
Isolation and characterization of a marine bacteriophage

A bacteriophage active against a marine Aeromonas sp. was isolated from surface sediments of the North Pacific Ocean at 825 m depth. The sensitive Aeromonas sp. grew between 0° and 33°C but plaques were formed only between 0° and 23°C with a maximum zone of lysis at 5° to 12°C. The phage was rapidly inactivated at temperatures above 45°C. The characteristic plaque formation occurred only on media made with sea-water but some lysis was obtained in distilled water media supplemented with 0.085 M NaCl and 0.05 M MgCl2. Phage replication occurred in cultures of Aeromonas sp. growing under applied hydrostatic pressures of up to 200 atmospheres. Electron microscopy revealed that the phage has an hexagonal head 530 A in diameter, a thin tail 1200 A in length and a terminal base plate 400 A in diameter.
Female-specific Factors for IHD: Across the Reproductive Lifespan

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the number one health threat to women in the USA. While significant advances in female-specific symptoms and pathophysiology have begun to improve mortality rates, a closer look at risk factors across a woman’s lifespan needs to be explored. This review targets three time frames: premenopause, pregnancy, and postmenopause. During premenopause, menstrual cycle patterns and estrogen status provide information for IHD risk. Pregnancy conditions provide another window of time that potentially contributes to future cardiovascular risk. Lastly, there is a rise in IHD events and mortality after menopause. Research continues to decipher the impact of estrogen decline at this stage and the effect of menopause hormone therapy as they relate to the cardiovascular health of menopausal women.
Predicted and observed long night and day temperature trends

Abstract We performed a principal component analysis of observed winter and summer temperature north and south of 55° latitude, in order to examine the spatial and temporal history of long day and night temperatures. We used the component weightings calculated from the observed record to calculate an analogous set of component scores from an infrared-transient coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). We found no evidence for the increase in the observed night temperatures that is observed at lower latitudes. Comparison of the observed and GCM-calculated climate revealed that in only one of forty possible components were the patterns of observed and calculated climate change similar. This behavior is disturbing, because it is at these latitudes that the greatest climatic changes have been predicted to have already occurred.
Forecasting the future for patients with hereditary TTP

Hereditary thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) may be rare, but it is forever. What is the future for our patients?
Experimental study of the dynamics of a ruby laser pumped by a CW argon-ion laser

A study of the dynamics of a ruby laser pumped by a CW argon-ion laser is presented. The ruby laser is predominantly stable but has two accessible unstable states. One state exhibits chaotic output, while the other results in regular self-pulsing. The conditions needed for instability are discussed and homodyne spectra and temporal maps of the phase-space attractors are obtained. In addition, a numerical simulation of nonlinear beam propagation in ruby is presented that shows that strong deviations from plane-wave behavior exist, and that transverse effects must be incorporated into theoretical models of the instability.
Condensate compressibility and superconductor-insulator transition in Josephson junction arrays

Abstract We study the onset of global phase coherence in a two-dimensional array of junctions in the mean-field approximation which includes, besides the charging energy, the contribution due to the finite compressibility of the Fermi superfluid. In ultrathin films, the effect of the geometric junction capacitance is found obliterated by the compressibility energy, yielding a nearly universal onset sheet resistance.
Comment on Jennifer Steffel Johnson and Emily Talen's “affordable housing in New Urbanist Communities: A survey of developers”

Abstract Johnston and Talen use survey data to investigate the experience of developers employing New Urbanist techniques. The authors conclude that for cases in which affordable housing has been included in New Urbanist projects, developers typically relied on complex arrangements or incentives to achieve this goal. Whether New Urbanist objectives and the promotion of affordable housing can be simultaneously incorporated in projects on a large scale remains an open question. This comment identifies the incentives available for affordable housing and community development and notes the problems that ensue when these incentives are used together. Further, this comment examines the market‐demand challenges faced by developers trying to construct affordable housing within a New Urbanist framework. The findings suggest that the most efficient way to further New Urbanist principles, where the market demands such techniques, is to increase the flexibility of tax incentive programs.
Withanamides in Withania somnifera fruit protect PC-12 cells from β-amyloid responsible for Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder with symptoms of confusion, memory loss, and mood swings. The beta-amyloid peptide, with 39-42 amino acid residues (BAP), plays a significant role in the development of AD. Although there is no cure for AD, it can be managed with available drugs to some degree. Several studies have revealed that natural antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene, may help in scavenging free radicals generated during the initiation and progression of this disease. Therefore, there has been considerable interest in plant phytochemicals with antioxidant property as potential agents to prevent the progression of AD. Our earlier investigations of the Withania somnifera fruit afforded lipid peroxidation inhibitory withanamides that are more potent than the commercial antioxidants. In this study, we have tested two major withanamides A (WA) and C (WC) for their ability to protect the PC-12 cells, rat neuronal cells, from beta-amyloid induced cell damage. The cell death caused by beta-amyloid was negated by withanamide treatment. Molecular modeling studies showed that withanamides A and C uniquely bind to the active motif of beta-amyloid (25-35) and suggest that withanamides have the ability to prevent the fibril formation. Further understanding of the mechanism of action and in vivo efficacy of these withanamides may facilitate its development as a prophylaxis.
Designing and Implementing a Mentoring Program to Support Clinically-Based Teacher Education

This article describes one teacher preparation program's approach to designing and implementing a mentoring program to support clinically-based teacher education. The design for the program is based on an interview study that compared the mentoring experiences of 18 teachers across three different contexts: student teaching, early field experiences, and entry year teaching. The findings were used to extend field experiences, to develop a clinical curriculum that clearly articulated university expectations, and to create a series of three mentoring workshops. In the description of the mentoring workshops, we show how we developed a curriculum for professional development of mentor teachers that includes a clear articulation of teacher candidate activities, co-teaching approaches, and mentoring strategies needed at different levels of teacher candidate development.
Coordinated variable structure switching attack in the presence of model error and state estimation

Coordinated variable structure switching attacks have been recently proposed as a class of cyber-physical attacks on future smart grid systems. In the traditional formulation of this assault, the opponent is assumed to have a local model of the power system and knowledge of the state (rotor angle and frequency) of a target generator under attack. In this paper, we study the performance of this attack when the opponent has imperfect knowledge of the local system dynamics and partial knowledge of the generator state. In such a situation, we demonstrate how the attacker can make use of Luenberger-based state estimation techniques that are robust to model error to still achieve power system disruption via rotor angle instability.
Temperature gradient in differential scanning calorimetry

Abstract A temperature gradient is required for any type of heat flow process. In a dynamic calorimeter, temperature gradients exist in the entire calorimetric system during the measurement of temperature differences or heat flow. Most organic materials are of relatively low thermal conductivity in comparison to metallic and inorganic materials. Therefore large temperature gradients are expected to exist in organic materials during the measurement. The magnitude of the temperature gradient can be estimated through a simple modeling procedure. The results of experimentally determined temperature gradients during the cure of an epoxy resin in a differential scanning calorimeter are presented to confirm the expected magnitude of temperature non-uniformity.
Thermoregulatory responses to photoperiod by kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii): Influence of night lighting on nonshivering thermogenesis and resting metabolism

The influence of photoperiod on resting oxygen consumption and nonshivering thermogenesis of winter-acclimatized kangaroo rats was determined by exposing freshly captured animals to 10-week controlled photoperiod treatments. Three treatments were employed: (1) long days (LD) = 16L:8D, (2) short days (SD) = 8L:16D, and (3) short days interrupted with 15 min light at midnight (SDL). Thermoneutral oxygen consumption was uninfluenced by treatment, and posttreatment values were not different from pretreatment values. Below thermoneutrality, mean values for oxygen consumption and norepinephrine(NE)-induced thermogenesis each were significantly greater in the SD group than they were in either the LD or SDL groups. Furthermore, oxygen consumption of LD and SDL groups, and NE-induced thermogenesis of LD and SDL groups were indistinguishable. Posttreatment oxygen consumption and NE-induced thermogenesis of the SD group were not different from pretreatment values. These results indicate that thermogenic capacities of kangaroo rats are strongly influenced by photoperiod. The similarities of responses by the LD and SDL groups indicate that the length of the dark period is of importance, and indirectly support suggestions that the pineal gland, through its nocturnal secretion of melatonin, may be involved in the transduction of photic information.
Contour analysis of fusion reactor plasma performance

A method of analysing plasma performance over large regions of density and temperature space with time-dependent multi-dimensional transport codes is presented. Contour plots of global steady-state plasma parameters are generated and then used to show: the relationships between driven and ignited operation; regions of thermal stability; the effects of the shift of the magnetic axis with increasing beta on beam penetration and thermal conduction losses from toroidal field ripple; and optimal neutral beam heating during start-up in tokamak reactor applications.
A TEST FOR DECLINING DIVERSITY

A common problem in applied ecology is to determine whether the diversity of a biological community declines along a gradient. This note describes a statistical test for such a decline. The test is based on a combination of nonlinear optimization and a parametric bootstrap. An illustration involving late Cretaceous dinosaur diversity is presented.
Structural, Spectroscopic, and Theoretical Comparison of Traditional vs Recently Discovered Ln2+ Ions in the [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][(C5H4SiMe3)3Ln] Complexes: The Variable Nature of Dy2+ and Nd2+

The Ln3+ and Ln2+ complexes, Cp′3Ln, 1, (Cp′ = C5H4SiMe3) and [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][Cp′3Ln], 2, respectively, have been synthesized for the six lanthanides traditionally known in +2 oxidation states, i.e., Ln = Eu, Yb, Sm, Tm, Dy, and Nd, to allow direct structural and spectroscopic comparison with the recently discovered Ln2+ ions of Ln = Pr, Gd, Tb, Ho, Y, Er, and Lu in 2. 2-La and 2-Ce were also prepared to allow the first comparison of all the lanthanides in the same coordination environment in both +2 and +3 oxidation states. 2-La and 2-Ce show the same unusual structural feature of the recently discovered +2 complexes, that the Ln–(Cp′ ring centroid) distances are only about 0.03 A longer than in the +3 analogs, 1. The Eu, Yb, Sm, Tm, Dy, and Nd complexes were expected to show much larger differences, but this was observed for only four of these traditional six lanthanides. 2-Dy and 2-Nd are like the new nine ions in this tris(cyclopentadienyl) coordination geometry. A DFT-based model explains the res...
Hemodynamic and hormonal changes during pneumoperitoneum and trendelenburg positioning for operative gynecologic laparoscopy surgery.

Objective: The number and types of surgical procedures being preformed using laparoscopic technique is increasing due to technological advances. Recent studies suggest the carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum and patient positioning causes hemodynamic alterations, respiratory acidosis, and a release of stress hormones. However, to date, no studies have investigated the physiological effect of laparoscopic procedures lasting more than 60 minutes on the stress response and the effect of Trendelenburg positioning. The purpose of this study was to identify the physiological effect of pneumoperitoneum and positioning during prolonged laparoscopy on hemodynamic (cardiac index, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, systemic vascular resistance, and stroke volume), metabolic (arterial blood gases), and hormone (arginine vasopressin, aldosterone, and plasma renin activity) parameters. We hypothesized that pneumoperitoneum and patient positioning will alter the hemodynamic, hormone, and metabolic parameters. Methods: The study was longitudinal in design and sampled a total of 31 healthy subjects having a gynecologic oncologic laparoscopic procedure at Hurley Medical Center, Flint, Michigan. The subjects were randomly assigned one of three groups receiving an initial insufflation pressure of either 10, 15, or 18 mmHg. After obtaining informed consent hemodynamic, metabolic, and hormone measurements were obtained at the following times: 1) pre-induction, 2) post-induction, 3) post-insufflation, 4) post-Trendelenburg 5 minutes and at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post-insufflation. The results were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures with a P < .05. A power of 0.9 was obtained to identify changes over time. Results: During the time course of the study the hemodynamic, metabolic, and hormonal parameters showed significant alterations. The most dramatic hemodynamic changes occurred post-insufflation characterized by a decrease in cardiac index and stroke volume with a concurrent increase in systemic vascular resistance. The metabolic parameters showed a significant decrease in pH and corresponding increase in Paco2. However, the pH and Paco2 remained within normal limits through the study. As part of the study’s protocol the investigators increased minute volume to control for a rise in Paco2 during the procedure. A significant increase was noted in aldosterone and arginine vasopressin at post-insufflation and Trendelenburg positioning. Plasma renin activity showed a dramatic increase following post-insufflation. None of the subjects developed any post anesthetic complications. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning cause statistically significant elevations in the stress hormones and concurrently cause a decrease in hemodynamic parameters. A healthy patient may tolerate these changes but a patient with cardiovascular disease or pulmonary problems may not be able to compensate as efficiently.