cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opposite effects of variations in food intake on carbohydrate and fat oxidation in ad libitum fed mice

Abstract Daily carbohydrate and fat oxidation rates were determined during 160 consecutive days in 10 female CDI mice. The animals had free access to a running wheel and to one of two synthetic diets whose composition resembled either lab chow or a mixed western diet. Carbohydrate oxidation was found to be correlated positively with daily variations in food intake, matching carbohydrate intake closely, regardless of the diets' macronutrient contents (R = .83 and .72, respectively). By contrast, fat oxidation was correlated negatively with daily variations in food intake on each diet, being inhibited by carbohydrate intake (R = − .65). Such results reflect the priority given in metabolic regulation to the maintenance of carbohydrate balance over the maintenance of fat balance, as well as over energy balance, which was linked very tightly to the latter (R = .91 and .95). Fat oxidation appeared to be determined by the gap between overall energy expenditure and the sum of carbohydrate plusprotein energy ingested (R = .9), rather than by the amounts of fat consumed. These findings thus illustrate fundamental differences in the control of carbohydrate and fat metabolism, which must be taken into account to understand body weight regulation and maintenance.
Do primary care physicians screen patients about alcohol intake using the CAGE questions

The performances of 134 primary care physicians at initial screening about alcohol use and screening with the CAGE questions were assessed using 17 standardized patients. For three-fourths of the standardized patients, more than 50% of the physicians asked an initial alcohol screening question. However, use of the CAGE questions with six patients who reported drinking more than one drink per day was less consistent; for most of these patients, few physicians asked any CAGE questions. Fewer than 50% of the physicians included alcohol abuse in the differential diagnosis for three of four patients who drank four or more drinks per day. Methods are needed to incorporate the CAGE questions into primary care practices in a more systematic manner.
Earthquakes, Nongovernmental Organizations, and Governance in Haiti:

On January 12, 2010, the Haitian people suffered the most dramatic and unimaginable catastrophe in the Caribbean in recent times. More than 222,570 citizens perished as a result of a 7.0 earthquake, and over 1.3 million are currently homeless. The city of San Francisco, in California, United States, had a similar earthquake in the 1990s, and fewer than 100 people were killed. Chile a few months ago had an earthquake that was far stronger than Haiti’s, but fewer than 1,000 people were killed. So why did a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale cause so much destruction in Haiti? In this article, the author argues that the historical boycott of Haiti’s government in the 19th and 20th centuries by the international community, the constant internal struggle among the members of the elite for the control of state power, and the weakening of state structures through the creation of nongovernmental organizations have weakened the government’s capacity to deal with major catastrophe and meet the needs of its citizens.
Regulation of adiponectin in adipocytes upon exposure to HIV-1.

Objectives Adipose dysregulation, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance are hallmarks of HIV-related lipodystrophy. The precise mechanisms behind these disturbances are unknown. In HIV-infected patients, we previously demonstrated a strong relationship between lipodystrophy and levels of adiponectin, an adipose peptide implicated in regulation of glucose and lipid metabolisms. In this study we investigated the effect of HIV on adipocytes, to determine whether HIV can directly infect adipocytes and/or alter the regulation and secretion of the adipocyte-derived hormone adiponectin. Methods Human subcutaneous preadipocytes and adipocytes were exposed to HIV-1 under various conditions. Adiponectin was measured in supernatants and cell lysates. Results Although adipocytes expressed CD4, the major HIV receptor, they could not be infected in vitro. However, exposure to HIV dramatically increased the secretion of adiponectin from human adipocytes, in the absence of infection. This was exacerbated with sustained exposure to HIV in a transwell assay. Further, human peripheral mononuclear cells also produced adiponectin, but this was largely dependent upon T-cell activation. Conclusions We propose that the stimulation of adiponectin production by HIV can perturb adiponectin regulation, leading to substantially decreased levels upon viral suppression by antiretroviral therapy. These data suggest a potential molecular mechanism of adiponectin regulation in HIV-infected patients.
Topological free entropy dimension in unital C∗-algebras

Abstract The notion of topological free entropy dimension of n -tuple of elements in a unital C ∗ algebra was introduced by Voiculescu. In the paper, we compute topological free entropy dimension of one self-adjoint element and topological free orbit dimension of one self-adjoint element in a unital C ∗ algebra. We also calculate the values of topological free entropy dimensions of any families of self-adjoint generators of some unital C ∗ algebras, including irrational rotation C ∗ algebra, UHF algebra, and minimal tensor product of two reduced C ∗ algebras of free groups.
Antimalarial drug combinations in vastly different settings.

Today The Lancet features two randomised trials of different anti malarial drug combinations. Issaka Zongo and colleagues compared artemether-lumefantrine with amodiaquine-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in patients presenting with Plasmodium falciparum malaria to an outpatient department in Bobo-Dioulasso Burkina Faso. The catchment area here has high-intensity transmission (ento mological inoculation rate over 100). Alison Ratcliff and colleagues compared artemether-lumefantrine with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine in outpatients presenting with either P falciparum or Plasmodium vivax malaria or both in Papua Indonesia from a low-to-mid level transmission area (entomological inoculation rate under 10). Each study has unique aspects. Zongo and colleagues found that amodiaquine-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine was just as effective as artemether-lumefantrine in treating uncomplicated P falciparum infection and contested the notion that all antimalarial combinations should contain an artemisinin-based drug. Besides an equivalent effectiveness in clearing P falciparum infection the three-drug combination is much less expensive is much more readily available at least for the foreseeable future and in West Africa resistance to both amodiaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine is relatively uncommon. Monotherapy for malaria is no longer acceptable and it is important to continue to consider effective combination antimalarials that may be alternatives to artemisinin-containing combinations. (excerpt)
Working with Other Disciplines

In this paper the term "discipline" simply refers to a specialized field of knowledge. Each discipline thus defined usually has a professional association and at least one journal. Equating a discipline to a profession is not completely satisfactory for all purposes but it is consistent with common usage and convenient for the task at hand. Within a university context, a discipline corresponds approximately to an academic department, and disciplines develop when both faculty and administration come to recognize reasonably distinct areas of inquiry.
STEP: Self-Tuning Energy-safe Predictors

Data access prediction has been proposed as a mechanism to overcome latency lag, and more recently as a means of conserving energy in mobile systems. We present a fully adaptive predictor, that can optimize itself for any arbitrary workload, while simultaneously offering simple adjustment of goals between energy conservation and latency reduction. Our algorithm. STEP, achieves power savings on mobile computers by eliminating more data fetches, which would otherwise have caused excess energy to be consumed in accessing local storage devices or using the wireless interface to fetch remote data. We have demonstrated our algorithm to perform as well as some of the best access predictors, while incurring almost none of the associated increase in I/O workloads typical of their use. Our algorithm reduced average response times by approximately 50% compared to an LRU cache, while requiring less than half the I/O operations that traditional predictors would require to achieve the same performance, thereby incurring no energy penalty.
NC1 domain of type VII collagen binds to the β3 chain of laminin 5 via a unique subdomain within the fibronectin-like repeats

Type VII collagen, the major component of anchoring fibrils, consists of a central collagenous triple-helical domain flanked by two noncollagenous, globular domains, NC1 and NC2. Approximately 50% of the molecular mass of the molecule is consumed by the NC1 domain. We previously demonstrated that NC1 binds to various extracellular matrix components including a complex of laminin 5 and laminin 6 (Chen et al. 1997a). In this study, we examined the interaction of NC1 with laminin 5 (a component of anchoring filaments). Both authentic and purified recombinant NC1 bound to human and rat laminin 5 as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and by binding of 125I-radiolabeled NC1 to laminin 5-coated wells, but not to laminin 1 or albumin. NC1 bound predominantly to the β3 chain of laminin 5, but also to the γ2 chain when examined by a protein overlay assay. The binding of 125I-NC1 to laminin 5 was inhibited by a 50-fold excess of unlabeled NC1 or de-glycosylated NC1, as well as a polyclonal antibody to laminin 5 or a monoclonal antibody to the β3 chain. In contrast, the NC1–laminin 5 interaction was not affected by a monoclonal antibody to the α3 chain. Using NC1 deletion mutant recombinant proteins, a 285 AA (residues 760–1045) subdomain of NC1 was identified as the binding site for laminin 5. IgG from an epidermolysis bullosa acquisita serum containing autoantibodies to epitopes within NC1 that colocalized with the laminin 5 binding site inhibited the binding of NC1 to laminin 5. Thus, perturbation of the NC1–laminin 5 interaction may contribute to the pathogenesis of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.
A Fully Enhanced Gas Turbine for Surface Ships

Clearly, the advanced gas turbine has center stage in the world for converting fuel to work. The power and efficiency delivered by the advanced gas turbine have made it the predominant prime mover in the air, and increasingly so on land and sea. This paper explores the full potential offered for marine applications by the advanced gas turbine, a potential that is fully enhanced by use of available engineering options that are external to the gas generator. The enhancement options are: 1) intercooling 2) thermal recuperation 3) steam injection 4) reheat 5) closed loop cooling 6) catalytic partial oxidation 7) water recovary. Of the options studied reheat involves a unique approach. Reheat is postulated to be accomplished with a new simplified technique. An autoignitable hydrogen-rich fuel is injected into the air path through the cooling passages and from the trailing edge of blades and vanes of the law pressure turbine, reheating the air prior to entry into the free power turbine.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Do Parents Benefit? Perspectives of Low- Income Parents Who Received a Free Early Readiness Program for Their Child

The purpose of this study was to discover the interpretations and perspectives of 4 low-income parents who received a free early readiness program for their child. Two interviewees were parents who had a child enrolled the year data was collected, and the other two interviewees were parents whose children had participated previously in the early readiness program. The results of this study show that the early readiness program offered benefits to the parents as well as the child, regardless of enrollment year. The benefits include, but were not limited to, social support for parents, financial assistance, greater understanding of their children, and practical parenting ideas. The findings of this study supported the value of free early readiness programs for low-income parents. The discussion substantiates the findings of this study with previous research and concludes there were several identifiable benefits for the parents.
Implementation intentions and prospective memory among older adults: An investigation of the role of frontal lobe function

ABSTRACT Prospective memory (PM) among older adults has been shown to be influenced by frontal lobe (FL) function. An implementation intention (e.g., ‘if situation X occurs, I will do Y’) is a mnemonic strategy that may be particularly beneficial for individuals with low-FL function, as it has been suggested that implementation intentions produce heightened accessibility to environmental cues, and automatic triggering of previously formed intentions. The present study investigated the effectiveness of implementation intentions among 32 older adults characterized as possessing high- or low-FL function. Participants were placed into one of two conditions: Read-Only or Implementation Intentions, before being tested on a laboratory prospective memory task. Results indicated that older adults with high-FL composite scores demonstrated better PM than those with low-FL scores, and that those who made implementation intentions outperformed those who simply read task instructions. Of particular interest is the fin...
Perceived network externalities and communication technology acceptance

Electronic mail (e-mail) and instant messaging (IM) systems represent two communication technologies that are potentially substitutable. A unique feature of e-mail and IM is that their value to an individual user increases as the number of other people adopting the system grows. This is referred to as a positive network externality. This externality makes it difficult for consumers to switch to other systems because of the potential loss of connectivity with network members. Further, as this externality grows, it has unintended negative consequences in the form of spim and spam. Including these three network externality effects – positive, cross-impact, and negative – the present study investigates the determinants of electronic communication system use based on an extended Technology Acceptance Model. The study findings suggest that user perceptions regarding network externalities have a positive impact on use of electronic communication systems while perceptions of problems associated with unsolicited messages and perceived usefulness of alternative systems do not significantly affect system use. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors that affect use of existing and newer alternative communication technologies.
Invasive fetal therapies: approach and results in treating fetal ovarian cysts.

Objective. To show the validity of prenatal invasive surgical intervention when a fetal ovarian cyst is diagnosed, compared to a wait and see attitude, in order to avoid possible prenatal and postnatal complications.Patients. Fourteen cases of intra-abdominal cysts monitored in our center between April 2005 and November 2010. All cases were first diagnosed in the third trimester, and were monitored for the remainder of the pregnancy and after delivery (2 months–3 years postnatally).Surgical intervention. Upon maternal and fetal cutaneous anesthesia performed trans-amniotically, the cystic fluid (mean contents 43.85 cc, DS 46.27) was extracted for cytological, biochemical, and hormonal examination.Results. Thirteen cases of intra-abdominal cysts (92.8%) were fetal ovarian cysts. Ninety-two percent of pregnancies bearing such a condition were successfully concluded (n = 12). Sixty-nine percent concluded in vaginal delivery (n = 9). None experienced maternal and/or fetal complications. Every drained cyst had...
Postischemic renal dysfunction: The limited role of xanthine oxidase-generated oxygen free radicals☆

Abstract Oxygen free radicals (OFRs) generated during reperfusion are putative mediators of postischemic renal dysfunction. To address this issue, the renal response to ischemia and reperfusion was compared to the response to OFR generation without ischemia. Isolated rat kidneys were perfused at 37°C and 90–100 mm Hg with an asanguinous modified Krebs' buffer. Kidneys were subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by reperfusion or to OFRs generated by combining 25 μmole hypoxanthine with 1 unit xanthine oxidase. Both insults caused a 50% increase in vascular resistance. This was accompanied by a 30% reduction in perfusate flow rate and an 80% reduction in glomerular filtration and urine flow rates. The OFR scavengers, superoxide dismutase (SOD, 250 units/ml) and catalase (CAT, 500 units/ml), prevented these alterations after OFR generation but not after 30 min of ischemia and reperfusion. SOD and CAT also afforded no protection against the less severe dysfunction observed after 10 or 20 min of ischemia and reperfusion. OFRs do not appear to be prominent mediators of postischemic renal dysfunction; other factors, probably associated with ischemia must be primarily responsible.
Chemotaxis, chemokine receptors and human disease

Cell migration is involved in diverse physiological processes including embryogenesis, immunity, and diseases such as cancer and chronic inflammatory disease. The movement of many cell types is directed by extracellular gradients of diffusible chemicals. This phenomenon, referred to as "chemotaxis", was first described in 1888 by Leber who observed the movement of leukocytes toward sites of inflammation. We now know that a large family of small proteins, chemokines, serves as the extracellular signals and a family of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), chemokine receptors, detects gradients of chemokines and guides cell movement in vivo. Currently, we still know little about the molecular machineries that control chemokine gradient sensing and migration of immune cells. Fortunately, the molecular mechanisms that control these fundamental aspects of chemotaxis appear to be evolutionarily conserved, and studies in lower eukaryotic model systems have allowed us to form concepts, uncover molecular components, develop new techniques, and test models of chemotaxis. These studies have helped our current understanding of this complicated cell behavior. In this review, we wish to mention landmark discoveries in the chemotaxis research field that shaped our current understanding of this fundamental cell behavior and lay out key questions that remain to be addressed in the future.
Improvement of postischemic myocardial function and metabolism induced by administration of deferoxamine at the time of reflow: the role of iron in the pathogenesis of reperfusion injury.

Reperfusion of ischemic myocardium has been postulated to result in a specific oxygen radical-mediated component of tissue injury. In a previous study we demonstrated improved recovery of ventricular function and metabolism when the superoxide radical scavenger superoxide dismutase was administered at the time of postischemic reflow. Studies in vitro, have suggested that superoxide toxicity might be mediated via the generation of more reactive hydroxyl radicals in an iron-catalyzed reaction. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that myocardial reperfusion injury might be reduced by administration of the iron chelator deferoxamine at the time of reflow, most likely by preventing hydroxyl radical formation. Sixteen isolated Langendorff rabbit hearts, perfused within the bore of a superconducting magnet, were subjected to 30 min of normothermic (37 degrees C) total global ischemia followed by 45 min of reperfusion. At reflow eight treated hearts received a 10 ml bolus containing 50 mumol of deferoxamine followed by an infusion of 11 mumol/min for the first 15 min of reflow. The hearts were then perfused with standard perfusate for an additional 30 min. Eight untreated control hearts received a similar bolus of perfusate followed by 45 min of standard reperfusion. Serial 5 min 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were recorded. Myocardial phosphocreatine (PCr) content fell to 5% to 7% of control during ischemia in both groups of hearts. Deferoxamine-treated hearts recovered 99 +/- 10% of control PCr content, while untreated hearts recovered 60 +/- 16% (p less than .05). Intracellular pH fell to 5.9 during ischemia in both groups, before showing more rapid and complete recovery in treated hearts (p less than .01). Recovery of developed pressure reached 70 +/- 6% of control in treated hearts compared with 35 +/- 10% in untreated hearts (p less than .05). Iron content of the perfusate was 7 microM, and by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy was in the form of Fe3+-EDTA complexes. In the effluent of treated hearts iron was in the form of Fe3+-deferoxamine chelates. In summary, administration of the iron chelator deferoxamine at the time of postischemic reflow results in greater recovery of myocardial function and energy metabolism, which supports the hypothesis that iron plays an important role in the pathogenesis of reperfusion injury.
Interpretive MPI for Parallel Computing

Message Passing Interface (MPI) is a standardized library specification designed for message-passing parallel programming on large-scale distributed systems. A number of MPI libraries have been implemented to allow users to develop portable programs using the scientific programming languages, Fortran, C and C++. Ch is an embeddable C/C++ interpreter that provides an interpretive environment for C/C++ based scripts and programs. Combining Ch with any MPI C/C++ library provides the functionality for rapid development of MPI C/C++ programs without compilation. In this article, the method of interfacing Ch scripts with MPI C implementations is introduced by using the MPICH2 C library as an example. The MPICH2-based Ch MPI package provides users with the ability to interpretively run MPI C program based on the MPICH2 C library. Running MPI programs through the MPICH2-based Ch MPI package across heterogeneous platforms consisting of Linux and Windows machines is illustrated. Comparisons for the bandwidth, latency, and parallel computation speedup between C MPI, Ch MPI, and MPI for Python in an Ethernet-based environment comprising identical Linux machines are presented. A Web-based example is given to demonstrate the use of Ch and MPICH2 in C based CGI scripting to facilitate the development of Web-based applications for parallel computing.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Response of the microbial community to environmental change during seagrass transplantation

Abstract Previous studies have shown that interactions between seagrasses and sediment microbial communities can influence the success of seagrass transplantation. How the microbial community responds to transplantation and how that may influence seagrass survival still remains unclear. We sampled the sediment microbial community during a restoration project of shoalgrass (Halodule wrightii) to determine how the abundance and diversity of dsrB (sulfate reduction) and nirK (denitrification) genes change during transplantation. We related these patterns to the health of the restored seagrass bed. Our results show that transplanted seagrass cores act as microhabitats that retain sediment and microbial characteristics from the donor site for at least two months after transplantation. The diversity of dsrB genes remained significantly different between transplanted seagrass cores and native sediment in the restoration site. There was little difference in the abundance of dsrB and nirK genes between donor site, transplants and native sediment, which suggests that the size of these populations was not influenced by the presence of H. wrightii. After transplantation, abundance of dsrB genes and porewater sulfide concentrations increased over time, corresponding with a decrease in health and survival of the transplanted seagrass cores. Increasing sulfide concentrations likely contributed to the mortality of the transplanted seagrass bed. However, the failure of the restoration project was probably due to a combination of factors, including the lack of water movement and the high amplitude of diurnal cycles of dissolved oxygen in the water column of the restoration site.
Captopril administered every three hours in difficult-to-control hypertension.

The renovascular hypertension of an elderly patient, which was controlled initially with standard-dose therapy with captopril, later responded only to 75 mg given every 3 h without side effects. Changeover to another class of antihypertensives, as is recommmended in recalcitrant cases, was not needed. Convenient maintenance therapy with lisinopril (10 mg twice daily) has kept blood pressure under control for a year. (Chest 1992; 102:303–04)
Self-diffusion in liquid metals

Abstract A survey is made of all published data on self-diffusion in liquid metals and an examination is carried out on the temperature-dependence of D for studies covering a wide range of temperatures. Log D versus 1/T and D versus T represent the best data equally well, while D versus T 1/2 and D versus T 2 do not. The proper functional form is taken to be D=CT experimentally, and a simple free diffusion theory is developed from the standpoint of vibrational atom motion. An equation having no adjustable parameters results (D=k 2 ϑ D T/hk), in which κ is the vibrational force constant. Values calculated for D at the melting point are in good agreement with experimental values for potassium, sodium, copper and silver, but are below the measured values for lead, indium, zinc and tin.
Instabilities in Three-dimensional Simulations of Astrophysical Jets Crossing Tilted Interfaces

Three-dimensional numerical simulations of light supersonic hydrodynamic jets have been performed to quantify the crucial roles of the interstellar medium (ISM) and intracluster medium (ICM) in defining the gross morphologies of powerful radio galaxies. Such a jet emerges through a power-law atmosphere (ISM) of its host galaxy and then crosses into a hotter, but less dense, ICM. Our eight medium-resolution simulations are followed to lengths of 45 initial jet radii. Simulations with different jet velocities, jet densities, extensions of the ISM (along the jet's axis), and inclination angles of the ISM/ICM interface are compared. The shear layer between the jet and the shock-processed gas is affected by nonlinear hydrodynamical instabilities. Complex patterns of asymmetric vortex rings and superposed streamwise vortex tubes arise in the cocoon, while internal shocks form in the jet. The low-Mach number jets have higher growth rates of instabilities, in comparison with higher Mach number jets, and the Mach disks or "working surfaces" at the heads of the jets break down. The growth of Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities along the contact discontinuity between the shocked ambient plasma and the shocked jet's plasma appears to trigger the entrainment of heavier external gas into the jet. Greater tilts of the interface induce more wiggling and ribboning of the jets, but none of these simulations evinces substantial jet bending.
Inelastic Neutron Scattering: A Tool in Molecular Vibrational Spectroscopy and a Test of ab Initio Methods

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) as discussed in this article is a technique for studies of the atomic vibrations of solids at low temperature. Unique features of this method are the absence of s...
Metabolic activation of cyanamide by liver mitochondria, a requirement for the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes.

The possibility that the cyanamide inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase in vivo may be dependent on the conversion of cyanamide to an active form was assessed. Yeast aldehyde dehydrogenase and cyanamide were incubated in the presence and absence of intact rat liver mitochondria. The yeast enzyme was completely inhibited in systems containing both cyanamide (200 μM) and mitochondria, whereas no significant loss of enzyme activity was observed with up to 10 mM cyanamide without added mitochondria. Similar results were obtained using rabbit skeletal muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. In the presence of mitochondria, the I 50 for the inhibition of the yeast enzyme by cyanamide was 7.8 μM. This inhibition was time-dependent and dependent on the concentration of mitochondrial protein. Heat denatured mitochondria did not activate cyanamide. These results demonstrate that the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase by cyanamide is dependent on its conversion to an active form, and intact rat liver mitochondria can catalyze this metabolic activation.
Size reduction of poplar wood using a lathe for biofuel manufacturing: effects of biomass crystallinity on sugar yield

Poplar wood can be used as a feedstock for manufacturing cellulosic biofuel (ethanol) as an alternative to petroleum-based liquid transportation fuel. Producing biofuel from poplar wood involves re...
NOM Removal by Adsorption and Membrane Filtration Using Heated Aluminum Oxide Particles

Heated aluminum oxide particles (HAOPs) are a newly synthesized adsorbent with attractive properties for use in hybrid adsorption/membrane filtration systems. This study compared removal of natural organic matter (NOM) from water by adsorption onto HAOPs with that by adsorption onto powdered activated carbon (PAC) or coagulation with alum or ferric chloride (FeCl3); explored the overlap between the NOM molecules that preferentially adsorb to HAOPs and those that are removed by the more conventional approaches; and evaluated NOM removal and fouling in hybrid adsorbent/membrane systems. For equivalent molar doses of the trivalent metals, HAOPs remove more NOM, and NOM with higher SUVA254, than alum or FeCl3. Most of the HAOPs-nonadsorbable fraction of the NOM can be adsorbed by PAC; in fact, that fraction appears to be preferentially adsorbed compared to the average NOM in untreated water. Predeposition of the adsorbents on a microfiltration membrane improves system performance. For the water tested, at a flux of 100 L/m2-hr, predeposition of 11 mg/L PAC and 5 mg/L HAOPs (as Al3+) allowed the system to operate 5 times as long before the transmembrane pressure increased by 1 psi and to remove 10-20 times as much NOM as when no adsorbents were added.
The desorption kinetics of flat-lying benzene from palladium (111)

Benzene desorption from palladium (111) is investigated at low coverages (θ ≅ 0.026 and 0.050, where θ is the fractional coverage of benzene molecules to palladium surface atoms). Desorption occurs...
Histologic Subtype and Margin of Resection Predict Pattern of Recurrence and Survival for Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of recurrence and prognostic significance of histologic subtype in a large series of patients with primary retroperitoneal liposarcoma.
The Process and Prospects for Professionalizing Technical Communication.

Despite claims for at least the past quarter century of mature professional status for the field of technical communication, studies in the history and sociology of the professions provide criteria that suggest we are not yet truly a profession. This article reviews economic, sociopolitical, and ideological factors that characterize the modern professions and argues that the technical communication field, at best, only partially meets the criteria. The prospects for professional status of technical communication might be improved by developing a critical consciousness of the processes of professionalization and concertedly acting in ways that facilitate those processes.
The impact of marriage on bladder cancer mortality.

Abstract Objectives Marital status has been found to influence survival in a number of malignancies. We examined data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer survival database to see if married patients with bladder cancer had a survival advantage vs. nonmarried patients. Methods The SEER database contains data on 127,015 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer between 1973 and 2002. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses, we examined the impact of marital status (single, married, separated, divorced, or widowed) on survival after diagnosis with bladder cancer. Age, race, AJCC stage, radiation and chemotherapy, and cystectomy were other variables analyzed. Results Marital status did not appear to have a significant survival effect for women. However, men who were widowed had a risk of death of 1.74 relative to married men (95% CI 1.15, 2.26, P = 0.008). For widowed men over 70, this effect was even more pronounced, with a risk of death of 2.1 (95% CI 1.33, 3.31, P = 0.001). Conclusions While we did not see any definite survival advantage to being married vs. not being married for patients who are diagnosed with bladder cancer, there is a significant risk to widowed men, particularly older widowed men. This risk is independent of age, race, stage, and may reflect the patient's willingness to seek medical treatment in addition to psychoneuroimmune factors.
The Relationship between Changes in Weight Status and Insulin Resistance in Youth

This study examined changes in insulin resistance (IR) in 120 youth over two years. IR was quantified via homeostatic model (HOMA-IR), and weight status changes were quantified via body mass index (BMI). When all participants were considered, the mean HOMA-IR and BMI increased 13.4% and 1.65 units, respectively. Change in BMI z-score and percent change in HOMA-IR were moderately associated ( ). Follow-up analyses were performed for the following weight groups: NN (normal at baseline and two years later), NO (normal to overweight), ON (overweight to normal), and OO (overweight at both points). The NO group had a greater change in HOMA-IR (+50%) compared to other groups: ON ( 8%), NN (+2%), and OO ( 0.1%) ( ). The association between changes in BMI z-score and HOMA-IR was when only the NO and ON groups were included. These results reinforce the importance of preventing youth from becoming overweight to control IR.
Double and single electron capture and loss in 0.5–2.5 MeV/uOq+ −Ne (q=5, 7, 8) collisions

Cross sections for single and double electron capture and loss in 8–40 MeVOq+ −Ne (q=5, 7, 8) collisions have been measured. The results are compared with theoretical calculations.
Open Surgical Simulation in Residency Training: A Review of Its Status and a Case for Its Incorporation

Background With the increase in minimally invasive approaches to surgical disease and nonoperative management for solid organ injury, the open operative experience of current surgical residents has decreased significantly. This deficit poses a potentially adverse impact on both surgical training and surgical care. Simulation technology, with the potential to foster the development of technical skills in a safe, nonclinical environment, could be used to remedy this problem. In this study, we systematically review the current status of simulation technology in the training of open surgical skills with the aim of clarifying its role and promise in the education of surgical residents. Methods A systematic search of the PubMed database was performed with keywords: “surgical simulation,” “skill,” “simulat,” “surgery,” “surgery training,” “validity,” “surgical trainer,” “technical skill,” “surgery teach,” “skill assessment,” and “operative skill.” The retrieved studies were screened, and additional studies identified by a manual search of the reference lists of included studies. Results Thirty-one studies were identified. Most studies used low fidelity bench models designed to train junior residents in more basic surgical skills. Six studies used complex open models to train senior residents in more advanced surgical techniques. “Boot camp” and workshops have been used by some authors for short periods of intense training in a specialized area, with good results. Conclusions Despite the increasing use of simulation in the technical training of surgical residents, few studies have focused on the use of simulation in the training of open surgical skills. This is particularly true with regard to skills required to competently perform technically challenging open maneuvers under urgent, life-threatening circumstances. In an era marked by a decline in open operative experience, there is a need for simulation-based studies that not only promote and evaluate the acquisition of such less commonly performed techniques but also determine the efficacy with which they can be transferred from a simulated environment to a patient in an operating room.
Composition Gradients in Electrolyzed LiCl ‐ KCl Eutectic Melts

Analysis of transport in a mixed electrolyte has previously predicted significant composition gradients in the LiCl-KCl electrolyte of high temperature Li/S batteries. Composition gradients in quenched electrolyzed LiCl-KCl eutectic contained in yttria felt are measured with high distance resolution by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The reported results include composition profiles of LiCl-KCl contained in porous Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and electrolyzed in three cells, two with solid Li-Al electrodes and one with a porous Li-Al anode.
A three-dimensional air flow model for soil venting: Superposition of analytical functions

Abstract A three-dimensional computer model was developed for the simulation of the soil-air pressure distribution at steady state and specific discharge vectors during soil venting with multiple wells in unsaturated soil. The Kirchhoff transformation of dependent variables and coordinate trans- forms allowed the adoption of the superposition of analytical functions to satisfy the differential equations and boundary conditions. A venting well was represented with a line source of a finite length in a infinite homogeneous medium. The boundary conditions at the soil surface and the water table were approximated by the superposition of a large number of mirror image wells on the opposite sides of boundaries. The numerical accuracy of the model was checked by the evaluation of one of the boundary conditions and the comparison of a simulation result with an available analytical solution from the literature. Simulations of various layouts of operating systems with multiple wells required minimal computational expenses. The model was very flexible and easy to use, and its numerical results proved to be sufficiently accurate.
Disparity between β-Core Levels in Pregnancy Urine and Serum: Implications for the Origin of Urinary β-Core

We used a highly purified preparation of the naturally occurring core fragment of hCGβ (β-core) and a new RIA for β-core to investigate the concentrations and behavior of β-core in serum and urine. We collected serum and 24-h urine specimens from healthy pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy. The concentrations of β-core in serum were determined by analysis of fractions eluted from Sephadex G-100. Serum concentrations of β-core immunoreactivity were very low (0.13–1.25 μg/L), while large amounts of β-core were excreted in urine during pregnancy (as much as 4–5 mg/day). Interference with measurement by serum factors did not account for the low levels of β-core immunoreactivity in pregnancy serum. Based on the known urinary clearance rate of β-core in healthy nonpregnant subjects, we calculated that urinary clearance of serum β-core accounts for only about 1% of the β-core in pregnancy urine. We conclude that during pregnancy, the concentrations of β-core in plasma are measurable, but extre...
High-efficiency large area ion-implanted n-type front junction Si solar cells with screen-printed contacts and SiO 2 passivated boron emitters

This paper presents high-efficiency ion-implanted n-type front junction Si solar cells with SiO 2 passivated boron emitter and screen-printed contacts on 239 cm2 Cz substrate. Starting with the baseline cell, we improved (a) emitter saturation current density (J oe ) via controlled etching of implanted boron emitter, (b) front contact by optimized firing, (c) bulk lifetime via optimized anneal conditions, (d) back passivation and escape reflectance via planarization with optimized back surface field profile, (e) back metallization formed by laser opening and physical vapor deposition, and (f) front metallization via enhanced aspect ratio of screen-printed grid, and optimized screen design. The combined effect of these technical improvements increased the cell efficiency from 19.1% to 20.7% for large area fully ion-implanted n-type front junction Si solar cells.
Electron energy relaxation in low-dimensional systems

Abstract The physics and technology of low-dimensional structures has experienced considerable advancement over the last decade. While the electronic and optical phonon properties of these systems have attracted much attention, investigations of the acoustic phonon properties are less extensive. In this paper the characteristics of acoustic phonons in small metal structures, and their influence on electronic properties will be addressed. Electron transport measurements that have been used to investigate acoustic phonon confinement and electron energy relaxation in metal wires and films are presented.
Revolving doors: from academia to industry and back again.

Is it possible to return from the industrial sector back to academia? Although academic scientists have traditionally perceived this to be akin to winning the Nobel prize, the personal experience of Ross Kedl suggests that the reality is something quite different altogether.
The relative rates of secondary and normal grain growth

Abstract It is shown that, if uniform grain boundary energy is the only factor affecting boundary motion, an abnormally large grain in a matrix of normal grains does not grow at a higher relative rate than its neighbors.
Exploring the universality of personality judgments: Evidence from the great transformation (1000 BCE–200 BCE)

We examined whether personality judgments were present in texts of the diverse religious and philosophical traditions that emerged during the Great Transformation, an era spanning roughly 1000 BCE ...
Policy considerations based on a cost analysis of alternative test formats in large scale science assessments

This article compares the costs of four assessment formats: multiple choice, open ended, laboratory station, and full investigation. The amount of time spent preparing the devices, developing scoring consistency for the devices, and scoring the devices was tracked as the devices were developed. These times are presented by individual item and by complete device. Times are also compared as if 1,000 students completed each assessment. Finally, the times are converted into cost estimates by assuming a potential hourly w age. The data show that a multiple choice item costs the least and that it is approximately 80 times as much for an open ended item. 300 times as much for a content station, and 500 times as much for a full investigation item. The very large discrepancies in costs are used as a basis to raise several policy issues related to the inclusion of alternative assessment formats in large scale science achievement testing.
The aqueous medium-dimethylsulfoxide conundrum in biological studies

A series of straight and branched chain pyrogallol[4]arenes was studied and found to be essentially nontoxic to two strains of E. coli. An apparent enhancement of potency observed for kanamycin against E. coli was found to be due to the presence of DMSO in the growth media. Quantitative studies are presented that assay the effect of DMSO concentration on the apparent potency of kanamycin against E. coli.
Hierarchical analysis of process variation for mixed-signal systems

Increasing process variability necessitates reliable analysis of its effects on circuit performance not only at the top level but also at intermediate levels. Mixed-signal circuits with multiple hierarchical layers, multiple parameters, and complex functional relations are especially susceptible to such variations. In this paper, we present a hierarchical method for process variation analysis. The ability to compute the variance of parameters at each hierarchical layer makes the method particularly suited for helping designers through design iterations. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method achieves high computational efficiency with up to 2% compromise in accuracy even for highly non-linear functional relations.
An algebraic theory for primal and dual substructuring methods by constraints

FETI and BDD are two widely used substructuring methods for the solution of large sparse systems of linear algebraic equations arising from discretization of elliptic boundary value problems. The two most advanced variants of these methods are the FETI-DP and the BDDC methods, whose formulation does not require any information beyond the algebraic system of equations in a substructure form. We formulate the FETI-DP and the BDDC methods in a common framework as methods based on general constraints between the substructures, and provide a simplified algebraic convergence theory. The basic implementation blocks including transfer operators are common to both methods. It is shown that commonly used properties of the transfer operators in fact determine the operators uniquely. Identical algebraic condition number bounds for both methods are given in terms of a single inequality, and, under natural additional assumptions, it is proved that the eigenvalues of the preconditioned problems are the same. The algebraic bounds imply the usual polylogarithmic bounds for finite elements, independent of coefficient jumps between substructures. Computational experiments confirm the theory.
Structural model of an mRNA in complex with the bacterial chaperone Hfq

The Sm-like protein Hfq (host factor Q-beta phage) facilitates regulation by bacterial small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) in response to stress and other environmental signals. Here, we present a low-resolution model of Escherichia coli Hfq bound to the rpoS mRNA, a bacterial stress response gene that is targeted by three different sRNAs. Selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation and primer extension, small-angle X-ray scattering, and Monte Carlo molecular dynamics simulations show that the distal face and lateral rim of Hfq interact with three sites in the rpoS leader, folding the RNA into a compact tertiary structure. These interactions are needed for sRNA regulation of rpoS translation and position the sRNA target adjacent to an sRNA binding region on the proximal face of Hfq. Our results show how Hfq specifically distorts the structure of the rpoS mRNA to enable sRNA base pairing and translational control.
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Performance in Acutely III Patients with Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease

Among 28 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with increasing dyspnea, the resting mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure was elevated (>12 mm Hg) in 4 and became abnormal with exercise in 3 other subjects. Stroke volume index was reduced ( 144 msec) in 17 patients (65 percent), while the left ventricular (LV) ejection time index was reduced (
Stimulation of mitotic activity and the initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis in populations of rat thymic lymphocytes by magnesium.

The progression of rat thynocytes (maintained in vitro) into mitosis is profoundly affected by the level of magnesium in the medium. Increasing the extracellular MgC12 concentration from 0 to 1.0 mM does not affect mitotic activity, but a further increase to 1.2 and 2.5 mM rapidly and strongly stimulates the flow of cells into mitosis. The level of extracellular magnesium also governs the mitogenic effectiveness of calcium ions. The mitogenic action of magnesium stems from an ability to stimulate the initiation of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis.
NMR Methods for the Investigation of Structure and Transport

E.H. Hardy New York, NY: Springer, 2011, 228 pages, $129 The discoveries of nuclear MR (NMR) by I. Rabi, F. Bloch, and E. Purcell during World War II and of MR imaging by P. Lauterbur and P. Mansfield in the 1970s were major advancements in science, engineering, and medicine. Many NMR and MR