cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of surgical trauma on regional blood flow in rat sciatic nerve.

The factors affecting peripheral nerve blood flow (NBF) are not well defined. We used [14C]butanol distribution to quantitate NBF in rat sciatic nerve following either (1) simple surgical exposure (EXP) or (2) EXP plus nerve mobilization and isolation (ISOL). Undisturbed contralateral nerves were controls. The epineurial contribution to NBF after EXP was also assessed. Results (units: ml·min-1·100 g-1): Within 1 to 6 h after EXP (N = 7), NBF was 22.1 ± 2.7 vs 11.9 ± 1.5 control (P < 0.01). Seven to 24 h after EXP (N = 6), NBF was unchanged from control. Two hours following EXP, both endoneurial NBF and total (epineurial plus endoneurial) NBF were elevated (P < 0.05, P < 0.02, respectively). Within 48 h after ISOL (N = 6) NBF was 30.3 ± 3.9 vs 13.2 ± 2.1 control (P < 0.005). Three to seven days after ISOL (N = 8), NBF was unchanged from control. Conclusion: Surgical trauma induces a brisk flow response in peripheral nerve that is proportionate in duration to the trauma severity. Measurements of NBF after EXP or ISOL are therefore potentially misleading if the changes in NBF due to the trauma are not accounted for.
Propofol bolus facilitates reduction of luxed temporomandibular joints

Abstract Abstract\“Locked” or dislocated temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a common problem in emergency medicine. Like many other joint dislocations, the repositioning of the joint can be facilitated by conscious sedation and muscular relaxation. Propofol is a useful agent for use in the emergency department because of its extremely short half-life, its antiemetic properties, and its safety record. We report two cases of locked TMJ that were repositioned under sedation with propofol. We review methods for repositioning the locked TMJ and review appropriate agents for sedation and muscular relaxation.
Thermal Effect Characterization of Laser-Ablated Silicon-Through Interconnect

As to the wafer through holes formation, methods such as reactive ion beam (RIE) and inductive coupled plasma (ICP) were used usually. In this paper, we use UV laser to study hole formation in silicon wafer. Siemens Dematic Microbeam 3205 laser machine with a 355nm wavelength was used in this study. Laser drilling is a non-contact manufacture method, it can apply high energy to a small spot (15?m focused beam diameter ) to ablate and remove the material. The advantage of a UV laser process compared to lithography by masks is its capability of local alignment. While a mask has to be aligned to the whole panel, the laser can use local fiducial marks, allowing a higher accuracy and yield by laser drilling. We choose laser drilling process to make the efficient through holes in this paper. Hole drilling in silicon wafer by short pulse laser. Thermal and mechanical effects on silicon wafer induced by laser drilling were analyzed was characterized under Optical Microscopy (OM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS).
Minimum-detectable activity of beta-particle emitters by spectrum analysis

Isotopic analysis of samples of unknown composition for gamma-ray-emitting radionuclides can usually be conducted without difficulty provided that the gammaray abundance is sufficient and the gamma-ray photopeaks can be resolved by a scintillation or solid-state system. However, the analysis of complex mixtures of beta-particle-emitting radionuclides generally involves chemical separations to isolate all isotopes of a given element present in a sample followed by analyses of each fraction of the sample for total beta-particle activity.
A TEXT COMPREHENSION MODEL OF HYPERTEXT: A THEORY BASED APPROACH TO DESIGN AND EVALUATION

Hypertext presents a way to present text to readers that differs greatly from linear text. When text is presented linearly, there is a single order to read the text. However, in hypertext, information is represented in more of a semantic network and a reader may choose a path through the text that will be most relevant to his or her interests. While this permits added flexibility, it is not clear whether this flexibility is always an advantage to the reader. There have been strong claims of the superiority of hypertext over linear text, but research has often shown advantages for linear text over hypertext. Thus, it is not clear how, and with what features, a hypertext may be properly written.
Evidence of non-Arrhenius behaviour from laboratory aging and 24-year field aging of polychloroprene rubber materials

Abstract High-temperature oven aging exposures from 110 °C to 80 °C have been conducted on a commercial chloroprene rubber cable jacketing material where the time-dependent degradation at each temperature is monitored by following the ultimate tensile elongation. By time–temperature superposing the results at the lowest experimental temperature (80 °C), empirical shift factors are first derived and then analysed using the conventional Arrhenius approach and finally extrapolated using the derived activation energy E a of 96 kJ/mol in order to make predictions at 25 °C. To test the constant E a assumption underlying the Arrhenius extrapolation, we conducted oxygen consumption measurements at six temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 95 °C and found evidence for a slow drop in E a from ∼96 kJ/mol above 80 °C to an average value of ∼82 kJ/mol below 80 °C. This curvature predicts a 50% reduction in room temperature lifetime and suggests that certain higher E a degradation processes become less important as room temperature is approached. Analyses of the production rates for CO 2 show that CO 2 becomes less important relative to the oxygen consumed as the temperature is lowered, evidence in accord with the above suggestion. Further evidence for a similar drop in E a (from 89 kJ/mol above 70 °C to 71 kJ/mol below 70 °C) comes from comparisons of accelerated aging elongation data taken ∼25 years ago on another chloroprene rubber cable jacketing material with recent elongation results taken on samples that have aged for ∼24 years at ∼24 °C.
Glial-neuronal interactions in the mammalian brain.

Recognition of the importance of glial cells in nervous system functioning is increasing, specifically regarding the modulation of neural activity. This brief review focuses on some of the morphological and functional interactions that take place between astroglia and neurons. Astrocyte-neuron interactions are of special interest because this glia cell type has intimate and dynamic associations with all parts of neurons, i.e., somata, dendrites, axons, and terminals. Activation of certain receptors on astrocytes produces morphological changes that result in new contacts between neurons, along with physiological and functional changes brought about by the new contacts. In response to activation of other receptors or changes in the extracellular microenvironment, astrocytes release neuroactive substances that directly excite or inhibit nearby neurons and may modulate synaptic transmission. Although some of these glial-neuronal interactions have been known for many years, others have been quite recently revealed, but together they are forming a compelling story of how these two major cell types in the brain carry out the complex tasks that mammalian nervous systems perform.
GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition of rat substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons by pars reticulata projection neurons

Evidence from electrophysiological studies has suggested an inhibitory interaction between GABAergic neurons in substantia nigra pars reticulata and dopaminergic neurons in pars compacta. However, that this inhibitory interaction is due to a projection from pars reticulata to pars compacta has never been demonstrated directly, nor has the GABAergic neuron that mediates the interaction been identified either electrophysiologically or anatomically. To more closely examine interactions between substantia nigra pars reticulata GABA neurons and dopaminergic neurons, single unit extracellular recordings were obtained from antidromically identified nigrostriatal neurons and their response to antidromic activation of nigral GABAergic projection neurons observed. Stimulation of superior colliculus or thalamus produced a short latency inhibition of dopaminergic neurons. This inhibition was blocked by local application of bicuculline but not 2-hydroxysaclofen. Bicuculline caused most dopaminergic neurons to fire in a bursty mode, whereas saclofen caused most dopaminergic neurons to fire in a pacemaker-like mode. The thalamicevoked inhibition was not affected by kainate lesions of the globus pallidus, but these lesions produced effects on firing pattern identical to those produced by saclofen. These data demonstrate a short latency inhibition of nigral dopaminergic neurons mediated by GABA, receptors that arises from the axon collaterals of pars reticulata projection neurons. We propose a model in which the firing pattern of nigral dopaminergic neurons in viva is modulated differentially by disinhibition of GABA, inputs arising from pars reticulata projection neuron axon collaterals and disinhibition of pallidonigral GABAergic inputs mediated by GABA, receptors.
A critical role of the cAMP sensor Epac in switching protein kinase signalling in prostaglandin E2‐induced potentiation of P2X3 receptor currents in inflamed rats

Sensitization of purinergic P2X receptors is one of the mechanisms responsible for exaggerated pain responses to inflammatory injuries. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), produced by inflamed tissues, is known to contribute to abnormal pain states. In a previous study, we showed that PGE2 increases fast inactivating ATP currents that are mediated by homomeric P2X3 receptors in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons isolated from normal rats. Protein kinase A (PKA) is the signalling pathway used by PGE2. Little is known about the action of PGE2 on ATP currents after inflammation, although the information is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying inflammation-induced sensitization of P2X receptors. We therefore studied the effects of PGE2 on P2X3 receptor-mediated ATP currents in DRG neurons dissociated from complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflamed rats. We found that PGE2 produces a large increase in ATP currents. PKCɛ, in addition to PKA, becomes involved in the modulatory action of PGE2. Thus, PGE2 signalling switches from a solely PKA-dependent pathway under normal conditions to both PKA- and PKC-dependent pathways after inflammation. Studying the mechanisms underlying the switch, we demonstrated that cAMP-responsive guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (Epac1) is up-regulated after inflammation. The Epac agonist CPT-OMe mimics the potentiating effect of PGE2 and occludes the PKC-mediated PGE2 action on ATP currents. These results suggest that Epac plays a critical role in P2X3 sensitization by activation of de novo PKC-dependent signalling of PGE2 after inflammation and would be a useful therapeutic target for pain therapies.
Nonlinear proximal point algorithms using Bregman functions, with applications to convex programming

A Bregman function is a strictly convex, differentiable function that induces a well-behaved distance measure or D-function on Euclidean space. This paper shows that, for every Bregman function, there exists a "nonlinear" version of the proximal point algorithm, and presents an accompanying convergence theory. Applying this generalization of the proximal point algorithm to convex programming, one obtains the D-function proximal minimization algorithm of Censor and Zenios, and a wide variety of new multiplier methods. These multiplier methods are different from those studied by Kort and Bertsekas, and include nonquadratic variations on the proximal method of multipliers.
Automated actin filament segmentation, tracking and tip elongation measurements based on open active contour models

This paper presents an automated method for actin filament segmentation and tracking for measuring tip elongation rates in Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) images. The main contributions of the paper are: (i) we use a novel open active contour model for filament segmentation and tracking, which is fast and robust against noise; and (ii) different strategies are proposed to solve the filament intersection problem, which is shown to be the main difficulty in filament tracking. Application to experimental results demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of this method.
Design of a Computer-Based Control System using Labview for the Nemesys Electromagnetic Launcher Facility

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has assembled a facility to develop and test materials for the study of barrel lifetime in electromagnetic launchers (EML) for surface-fire support and other missions1. The pulsed power system utilizes 12 500-kJ modules that can be individually triggered to shape the output current pulse2. Each bank module consists of four 130 kJ/can 11-kV capacitors from General Atomics Electronics Systems. The switching thyristors and crowbar diodes are from ABB. A series inductor of approximately 80 μH is used to limit the peak current to 100 kA, isolate modules from each other, and ensure the current is delivered to the test system. LabVIEW from National Instruments (NI) was selected as the control software for the EML system. All facility operations are handled through LabVIEW and controlled by a single operator. The software controls the safety systems; programs and monitors the three CCS High Voltage Power Supplies from General Atomics Electronic Systems; and triggers the capacitor banks. Projectile position status inside the barrel is also monitored in 25-ns steps using the PXI-7811R FPGA module. An overview of the EML facility with respect to control issues is presented. In addition to the software code, circuit diagrams of conditioning hardware will also be discussed. Results from test shots will be shown and discussed.
Predicting winds and air quality within the Las Vegas Valley

A finite element model that employs local mesh adaptation is used to calculate wind fields and pollutant transport within the Las Vegas Valley. Meteorological data collected from various country, city, and government agencies are used to generate diagnostic flow fields, which subsequently provide initial conditions for the prognostic solution of the time-dependent equations of motion and species transport. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An investigation of the Ir-Ga-As system

The Ir-Ga-As solid-state equilibrium phase diagram was determined at 600 °C with the use of X-ray powder diffraction, electron probe microanalysis, and scanning electron microscopy. No ternary Ir-Ga-As phases were found and very limited solid solubility was measured in GaAs and the constituent binary Ir-Ga and Ir-As compounds. GaAs, Ir3Ga5, and IrAs2 were found to form a three-phase region which dominates the GaAs side of the phase diagram. The existence of this three-phase region confirms previous observations that Ir3Ga3 and IrAs2 are the stable phases when Ir thin-films are completely reacted on GaAs.
The meaning of melanin, carotenoid, and pterin pigments in the bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei

Male bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei) exhibit extensive color variation in their fins, but the utility of this variation has not yet been determined. We collected males from multiple populations and spectrophotometrically determined the pigment types responsible for fin coloration. We determined that the orange coloration in the caudal fin is caused by carotenoid pigmentation. In contrast, color in the anal fin is either pterin based (yellow and red) or structural (blue) with a melanic fin border. As these colors have different developmental origins, the potential for complex signaling is high. Therefore, we sought to determine whether behavior, reproductive success, or health correlated with pigmentation. Males with more melanin on the anal fin were more dominant and had higher spawning success. Male–male aggression was greater between males with similar-sized melanic borders, indicating that melanic markings function as badges of status between males. Caudal carotenoid pigmentation did not correlate with dominance, but this highly labile ornament was correlated with body condition, parasite infection, and spawning success, suggesting a role in intersexual selection by signaling health to potential mates. Similar results were found for caudal fin coloration using digital photography. Pterin pigmentation in the anal fin was not related to dominance but was related to overall spawning levels and parasite infection, suggesting that pterin pigmentation may also signal immune status. Thus, the coloration of male bluefin killifish provides multiple messages to multiple receivers through these 3 pigments (melanin, pterin, and carotenoid) that have distinct developmental origins.
A NOVEL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN A CHRONIC SUBDURAL HEMATOMA AND A FIBRINOLYTIC PATHWAY DEFECT: CASE REPORT

OBJECTIVE: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) is a common form of intracranial hemorrhage that is known to recur in up to one- fifth of treated patients. We present a patient with recurrent CSDH who was found to have a defect in the fibrinolytic pathway, which may be a novel explanation for recurrent CSDH. This defect, deficiency of plasminogen activator inhibitor type I (PAI-1), should be recognized as a possible cause of CSDH. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 49- year- old man presented with a CSDH, which recurred each time after 2 initially-effective craniotomies. INTERVENTION: A deficiency of PAI-1 was diagnosed after the second recurrence. We hypothesize that this defect in the fibrinolytic system contributed to the recurrent hematoma. Treatment with aminocaproic acid led to resolution of the CSDH. CONCLUSION: PAI-1 deficiency should be considered in patients with recurrent CSDH that lack another compelling explanation, particularly in patients with a family history of bleeding diatheses. PAI-1 deficiency can be identified by measuring plasma levels and can be treated with an oral course of aminocaproic acid.
Family Security or Social Security? The Family and the Elderly in New York State During the 1920s:

The debate on old-age pensions in New York during the 1920s raised questions about traditional poor-law concepts concerning family responsibilityfor the aged and about the impact of industrialization and immigration on family security. The article examines these questions by analyzing a sample of families which included persons 65 years or older, in New York in 1925. The evidence consists of information on households collected from a state-wide sample of 1815 persons from the New York manuscript census of 1925. Low income among the employed may have forced the creation ofcro wded households among the new immigrants living in cities. But cultural expectations also contributed to different types of household structure. A west- European marriage pattern meant that American- and west-European-born elderly had fewer children to rely upon in old age, regardless of economic status. The immigrants from eastern and southern Europe stressed the value of children as insurance in old age. Family norms varied between ...
Unwritten Rules of Talking to Doctors About Depression: Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods

PURPOSE We wanted to understand concordance and discordance between physicians and patients about depression status by assessing older patient’s views of interactions with their physicians. METHODS We used an integrated mixed methods design that is both hypothesis testing and hypothesis generating. Patients aged 65 years and older, who identified themselves as being depressed, were recruited from the offices of primary care physicians and interviewed in their homes using a semistructured interview format. We compared patients whose physicians rated them as depressed with those whose physicians who did not according to personal characteristics (hypothesis testing). Themes regarding patient perceptions of their encounters with physicians were then used to generate further hypotheses. RESULTS Patients whose physician rated them as depressed were younger than those whose physician did not. Standard measures, such as depressive symptoms and functional status, did not differentiate between patients. Four themes emerged in interviews with patients regarding how they interacted with their physicians; namely, “My doctor just picked it up,” “I’m a good patient,” “They just check out your heart and things,” and “They’ll just send you to a psychiatrist.” All patients who thought the physician would “just pick up” depression and those who thought bringing up emotional content would result in a referral to a psychiatrist were rated as depressed by the physician. Few of the patients who discussed being a “good patient” were rated as depressed by the physician. CONCLUSIONS Physicians may signal to patients, wittingly or unwittingly, how emotional problems will be addressed, influencing how patients perceive their interactions with physicians regarding emotional problems.
Determination of the stable conformation of GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor bivalent ligands by low temperature NMR and X-ray analysis

Abstract The stable conformations of GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor bivalent ligands 2 and 3 were determined by low temperature NMR spectroscopy and confirmed by single crystal X-ray analysis. The linear conformation was important for these dimers to access the binding site and exhibit potent in vitro affinity as illustrated for α5 subtype selective ligand 2 (15 nM). Bivalent ligand 3 with the 5 atom linker folded back upon itself both in solution and in the solid state, moreover, it did not bind to Bz receptors.
Pyroxene-selective impact smelting in ureilites

Abstract A characteristic feature of ureilite meteorites is reduction of FeO. But the reduction is usually confined to the rims of olivine. In the LAR 04315, LAP 03587 and Almahata Sitta ureilites, pyroxene was extensively reduced by impact smelting. In LAR 04315, the impact caused nearly all of the original pigeonite to melt or otherwise become sufficiently structurally compromised to allow smelting, and yet a minor proportion of the pyroxene escaped smelting and survived with its original composition (En 74.1 Wo 10.2 ). Olivine mosaicism confirms that LAR 04315 experienced a major shock event. The smelted pyroxenes also show a distinctive patchiness in their interference colors (although each grain’s basic optical continuity, often including twinning, is still discernible). They also have reduced compositions, are ubiquitously porous (∼15%), and contain sprinklings of Fe-metal and felsic glass. For the most part the olivine underwent only very slight reduction. Much of the (small) pyroxene component of LAP 03587 shows the same oddly porous texture. LAR 04315 also contains large traces of silica and felsic glass (with a typical composition of, in wt%, 61 SiO 2 , 23 Al 2 O 3 , 11 CaO, 3.7 Na 2 O) glass; these two phases together form selvages that line the walls of many of the largest voids in the rock. Silica is a by-product of pyroxene smelting. The felsic glass probably derives largely from interstitial basaltic melt that predated the impact. However, the comparatively stiff surrounding/included silica may have promoted unusually high melt retention within LAR 04315 through the smelting episode (one aspect of which was a major stream-out, through the same large voids, of CO x gas). The impact-smelted pyroxene of LAP 03587 is enigmatic because this ureilite also features little-shocked euhedral graphite laths and no olivine mosaicism. The fine-grained ureilitic component of Almahata Sitta appears to have likewise formed by impact smelting, but with more extensive melting of pyroxene (especially a Ca-rich pyroxene component), more pulverization and melting of olivine, and more displacement of both. However, in places the original coarse-equant ureilite texture is still discernible in relict form. Ordinarily, an impact shock melts olivine before, or at least no later than, pyroxene. But in the case of LAR 04315 and LAP 03587, the great shock event evidently occurred when the material was already anatectic or very nearly so; and thus the difference in melting temperature between pyroxene and olivine, ∼300 degrees lower for pyroxene, was decisive. If literature inferences of extremely fast cooling rates, implying shallow burial depths, are accurate, the proportion of CO x gas generated by ureilite smelting exceeded by a very large factor (of order 10 3 but possibly much greater) the volume represented as porosity in the final ureilites. The outflow of so much gas may have, by near-surface explosive expansion and jetting, enhanced the thoroughness of the impact-triggered catastrophic impact disruption of the parent asteroid.
Flexible Linear Algebra Development and Scheduling with Cholesky Factorization

Modern high performance computing environments are composed of networks of compute nodes that often contain a variety of heterogeneous compute resources, such as multicore CPUs and GPUs. One challenge faced by domain scientists ishow to efficiently use all these distributed, heterogeneous resources. Inorder to use the GPUs effectively, the workload parallelism needs to be muchgreater than the parallelism for a multicore-CPU. Additionally, effectivelyusing distributed memory nodes brings out another level of complexity where theworkload must be carefully partitioned over the nodes. In this work we areusing a lightweight runtime environment to handle many of the complexities insuch distributed, heterogeneous systems. The runtime environment usestask-superscalar concepts to enable the developer to write serial code whileproviding parallel execution. The task-programming model allows the developerto write resource-specialization code, so that each resource gets theappropriate sized workload-grain. Our task-programming abstraction enables thedeveloper to write a single algorithm that will execute efficiently across thedistributed heterogeneous machine. We demonstrate the effectiveness of ourapproach with performance results for dense linear algebra applications, specifically the Cholesky factorization.
Vasopressin signal transduction in rat type II pneumocytes.

Previous studies demonstrate that in cultured type II pneumocytes, [Arg8]-vasopressin (AVP) stimulates surfactant secretion independent of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP). In the current study AVP stimulated a 50% loss of radioactive phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) within 15 s. Consistent with AVP-induced PIP2 hydrolysis was an increased appearance of the two breakdown products 1,2-diacylglycerol (1,2-DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Also, AVP stimulated the appearance of radiolabel in phosphatidic acid (PA) suggesting that the conversion of 1,2-DAG to PA could be used for PIP2 resynthesis. The effects of AVP on PIP2 and IP3 were mimicked by the bioactive AVP fragment and inhibited by the specific AVP1 antagonist. The EC50 for AVP on IP3 production was 6 nM. AVP stimulated protein kinase C (PK-C) activity twofold over the basal activity of 0.74 +/- 0.07 nmol P.min-1.mg protein-1 but did not activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. The AVP1 antagonist inhibited AVP activation of PK-C. Therefore, activation of the AVP1 receptor resulted in PIP2 hydrolysis for signal transduction, PK-C activation, and surfactant secretion.
Reason Worship, a Review of Edward Lazarus, 'Closed Chambers: The First Eyewitness Account of the Epic Struggles Inside the Supreme Court'

Edward Lazarus’ main point and complaint in his book Closed Chambers (1998), reviewed in this short essay, is that the justices have allowed politics to enter the temple, improperly destroying the 'natural bounds' between law and politics. Almost all the justices over the last several decades are implicated, although his harshest criticism is reserved for the conservatives who now dominate the Court (whose politics and decisions I also generally oppose). Focusing mainly on abortion, the death penalty, and race, he collects the sins of erroneous or false reasoning: 'Stare decisis is passionately invoked in one case, blithely discarded in the next. Avowed originalists conveniently forsake originalism; textualists forsake text.' Reasoning is used selectively rather than consistently, and 'subjective, value-laden, inescapably political judgments' abound, even by those who purport most strongly to be driven by reason and law. The central problem for Lazarus and this book - and for this dominant mode of legal scholarship - is to document the norm, compared to which the injection of politics can be described as a deviation.
A Self-Folding Hydrogel In Vitro Model for Ductal Carcinoma

A significant challenge in oncology is the need to develop in vitro models that accurately mimic the complex microenvironment within and around normal and diseased tissues. Here, we describe a self-folding approach to create curved hydrogel microstructures that more accurately mimic the geometry of ducts and acini within the mammary glands, as compared to existing three-dimensional block-like models or flat dishes. The microstructures are composed of photopatterned bilayers of poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), a hydrogel widely used in tissue engineering. The PEGDA bilayers of dissimilar molecular weights spontaneously curve when released from the underlying substrate due to differential swelling ratios. The photopatterns can be altered via AutoCAD-designed photomasks so that a variety of ductal and acinar mimetic structures can be mass-produced. In addition, by co-polymerizing methacrylated gelatin (methagel) with PEGDA, microstructures with increased cell adherence are synthesized. Biocompatibility and versatility of our approach is highlighted by culturing either SUM159 cells, which were seeded postfabrication, or MDA-MB-231 cells, which were encapsulated in hydrogels; cell viability is verified over 9 and 15 days, respectively. We believe that self-folding processes and associated tubular, curved, and folded constructs like the ones demonstrated here can facilitate the design of more accurate in vitro models for investigating ductal carcinoma.
Redundancy Reliability

Programmable redundant row and column elements are presently being used as a yield enhancement tool on the more advanced high density memory devices. This paper summarizes a comprehensive reliability study which was conducted to insure acceptable reliability standards on products using redundancy. Data on fuse programming are presented which indicate acceptable fuse reliability. Also, data are presented which show that the potential problem of contamination entering through the fuse holes has been eliminated with guardrings and circuit layout. Other potential reliability problems with the redundancy concept such as the effects of process defects interacting with adjacent cells and defect clustering were evaluated. The results indicate that standard screening techniques used in previous NMOS technologies are adequate to achieve acceptable reliability. Product data are presented which indicate devices using redundancy are as reliable as previous generation memory devices.
Subjective Physical Attractiveness and Self-other Orientations

The relationship between three facets of self-other orientations and self-perceived physical attractiveness is examined for college students, 98 males and 129 females. The results indicate only partial support for the effects of socialization on physical attractiveness and the implications of these findings for filtering processes in socialization regarding physical attractiveness are discussed.
MANY-SIDED FACTORS OF FUZZY COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION ON THE RISK OF THE PETROLEUM PROJECT INVESTMENT

The project investment of the petroleum construction is influenced by many risk factors including the external risks of resources, market, finance, society, nature, economy and policy, and the internal risks of completing a project, administration, technical and human: founding the system of comprehensive evaluation targets and weigh of the petroleum project investment, reasonably using the many factors model of the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, going on the quantity analysis and comprehensive evaluation about the risk factors, and calculating them which contract with large-scale petroleum project realizes scientifically evaluation and decision of the risks of the petroleum project investment.
Extraction and Modification of Nobiletin from Tangerine Peel

The aim of this research is to extract, purify and modify nobiletin from dried orange peel. The extraction process was carried out by means of infiltration. The extract was further extracted with chloroform to obtain a fraction rich in polymethoxylated flavonoids and the target compounds were separated on a silica gel column with a mobile phase consisting of a mixture of ethyl acetate and petroleum ether. Pure nobiletin was obtained as indicated by reversed phase HPLC and GC-MS and through comparison with reference standards. The conversion conditions from nobiletin to 5-demethylnobiletin was optimized and it was found that 5-demethylnobiletin with a purity higher than 97% was produced when the reaction was performed for 24 h under heat refluxing condition with a volume ratio of 1:9 between concentrated hydrochloric acid and absolute ethanol.
Paradoxical Effects of d-Trp6-Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Immature Female Rats *

The effect of administration of a superactive and long-acting analog of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH), D-Trp6-LH-RH, in doses of 0.05 or 1 microgram/day for 10 days on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis was studied in immature female rats. Treatment with a 0.05-microgram dose of analog produced few changes as compared with the control group. Treatment with 1 microgram of D-Trp6-LH-RH did not affect the body weight or the pituitary weight, but increased ovarian weight and decreased uterine weight; elevated serum gonadotropin levels; and lowered the pituitary LH content. This depletion of pituitary LH content was associated with a low pituitary responsiveness to LH-RH. Serum estradiol levels were not modified, suggesting that decreased uterine weight reflects a direct and extrapituitary effect of this analog. The hypothalamic LH-RH content was higher, indicating a possible inhibition of the release of endogenous LH-RH. A delay in vaginal opening was also observed. This indicates that large doses of D-Trp6-LH-RH may interfere with the process of puberty in rats. These findings extend other reports about the paradoxical antifertility effects of large doses of stimulatory analogs of LH-RH.
A case of late onset group B streptococcus meningitis with transient oculomotor nerve palsy

Abstract I report here a case of late onset Group B Streptococcus (GBS) meningitis with transient oculomotor nerve palsy. The boy was admitted to our hospital at 25 days of age. On the 5th hospital day, he was found to be unable to open the left eye. Although light reflex of both the eyes was intact, the left eye was deviated to the left lateral side. We administered intravenously steroid hormone and antibiotics. His eye movements were normalized on the 30th hospital day. Oculomotor nerve palsy in this case may have been caused by vasculitis of the middle cerebral artery. This case shows that steroid hormone is effective for vascular edema complicating neonatal meningitis.
Lymphocyte receptors for concanavalin A in Hodgkin disease

The number of lymphocytes with mobile receptors for concanavalin A (Con A) on their surface membrane (forming visible caps after the addition of fluorescein-conjugated Con A) was determined in the peripheral blood of 53 patients with Hodgkin disease. Of 29 individuals studied prior to treatment, the level of capped cells was found to be below the normal range in 9 of 13 in stages I and IIA, 6 of 8 in stage IIIA, and all 8 in stages IIIB and IV. Even among patients in remission 2 yr after successful treatment the level was below the lower normal limit in 9 of 16. The number was also reduced in 7 of 8 individuals with recurrent lymphoma. The level of lymphocytes that cap with Con A may prove to be a more sensitive measure of active Hodgkin disease than the total peripheral lymphocyte count or the level of T cells. This lymphocyte parameter merits further study as a correlate in vitro of cellular immunity.
Detergent-Extracted Models for the Study of Cilia or Flagella

Methods for using non-ionic detergents to produce demembranated and reactivated cilia and flagella are described in detail. Demembranated and reactivated cell models are useful as a research tool for studying motility function in flagella and cilia. When the plasma membrane is removed, the factors regulating motility can be studied under standardized experimental conditions that otherwise would be impossible. Practical insight is provided to understand the important factors in producing stable reactivated models. In addition, several useful variations of the method are presented for different types of mammalian and non-mammalian flagellar and ciliary systems.
Design-based research strategies for studying situated learning in a multi-user virtual environment

This National Science Foundation funded project utilizes graphical multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) as a vehicle to study (1) classroom-based situated learning and (2) the ways in which virtual environments may aid the transfer of learning from classroom contexts into real world settings. In the project's River City curriculum, teams of middle school students are asked to collaboratively solve a simulated 19th century city's problems with illness, through interaction with each others' 'avatars', digital artifacts, tacit clues, and computer-based 'agents' acting as mentors and colleagues in a virtual community of practice. This paper describes the design-based research strategy by which we are currently extending an educational MUVE environment and curriculum developed with prior NSF funding. We are implementing a series of studies to determine if such virtual environments can sufficiently replicate authentic contexts and multi-leveled communities of practice to provide students with classroom experiences in situated learning.
Cavity coupled photon-enhanced thermionic electron emitter

Here we propose a novel scheme based on recent advances in integrated photonics for highly efficient modulation of the temperature of a thermionic emitter with photons. In the proposed scheme, we evanescently couple thermionic emitters to optical cavities. This method enables efficient coupling between photons in the cavity and thermionic emitter. Specifically, this enables order of magnitude enhancements in absorption as compared to the free space coupling. Furthermore, here, we present device designs and numerical results that demonstrate devices with (i) transient responses in the picosecond time scale, and (ii) steady state devices with ΔT∼1700K utilizing <1mW of input laser power.
Survival outcomes of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma in a national population-based study: SEER versus tertiary cancer center.

e14736 Background: To evaluate long-term survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in large national population-based database and to assess the impact of subspecialized care on similarly matched patients at a tertiary cancer center. Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) registry, patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2008 with advanced unresectable HCC not amendable to radiation therapy or cancer-directed surgery were extracted. Additionally, similar matched patients receiving drug eluting bead transarterial chemoembolizaton (DEB TACE) for unresectable HCC were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, and procedural data were collected. Patients were stratified based on Contract Health Service Delivery Areas (CHSDA) and the rural- urban continuum. The Kaplan Meier method was used for survival analysis, and survival curves were compared using the log rank test in SPSS. Results: 14,369 patients were studied and demographics were as follows: mean...
Needle-Free Jet Lidocaine Administration for Preinjection Anesthesia in Trigger Finger Injection: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy of needle-free jet lidocaine (J-tip) administration for pain reduction in trigger finger corticosteroid injection compared with simultaneous lidocaine injection with corticosteroid. Methods A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed in which patients received either 0.25 mL of 2% lidocaine administered by J-tip just prior to 0.5 mL of corticosteroid injection by needle or 0.5 mL of 1% lidocaine and 0.5 mL of corticosteroid administered simultaneously through a needle for the treatment of trigger finger. Both the expected pain preinjection and the actual pain experienced postinjection were measured with a visual analog scale (VAS). Pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) scores were recorded before injection. Results The use of the J-tip demonstrated a lower mean actual pain, 3.3 VAS, compared with the control group, 4.6 VAS. Both study groups anticipated more pain than they actually experienced. The PCS did not correlate to pre- or post-injection scores. Conclusions Needle-free jet administration of lidocaine reduces the pain associated with trigger finger injection. Patients anticipate more pain than they experience with trigger finger injection. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic I.
Material Bodies in Special Relativity

Time dilation and Lorentz-FitzGerald body contraction are two properties of a body required to assure unobservability of the absolute body speed \(v\). We meet the question: is relativistic body contraction as real as time dilation? We discuss the confusion surrounding this question. The path to relativistic coordinate transformation in 3+1 dimension is described. Recapitulation of the historical path to special relativity caps this chapter.
Challenges and Hallmarks of Establishing Alkylacetylphosphonates as Probes of Bacterial 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-Phosphate Synthase

1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate (DXP) synthase catalyzes the thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent formation of DXP from pyruvate and d-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. DXP is at a metabolic branch point in bacteria, feeding into the methylerythritol phosphate pathway to indispensable isoprenoids and acting as a precursor for biosynthesis of essential cofactors in central metabolism, pyridoxal phosphate and ThDP, the latter of which is also required for DXP synthase catalysis. DXP synthase follows a unique random sequential mechanism and possesses an unusually large active site. These features have guided the design of sterically demanding alkylacetylphosphonates (alkylAPs) toward the development of selective DXP synthase inhibitors. alkylAPs studied here display selective, low μM inhibitory activity against DXP synthase. They are weak inhibitors of bacterial growth in standard nutrient rich conditions. However, bacteria are significantly sensitized to most alkylAPs in defined minimal growth medium, with minimal...
Molecular Based Temperature and Strain Rate Dependent Yield Criterion for Anisotropic Elastomeric Thin Films

A molecular formulation of the onset of plasticity is proposed to assess temperature and strain rate effects in anisotropic semi-crystalline rubbery films. The presented plane stress criterion is based on the strain rate-temperature superposition principle and the cooperative theory of yielding, where some parameters are assumed to be material constants, while others are considered to depend on specific modes of deformation. An orthotropic yield function is developed for a linear low density polyethylene thin film. Uniaxial and biaxial inflation experiments were carried out to determine the yield stress of the membrane via a strain recovery method. It is shown that the 3% offset method predicts the uniaxial elastoplastic transition with good accuracy. Both the tensile yield points along the two principal directions of the film and the biaxial yield stresses are found to obey the superposition principle. The proposed yield criterion is compared against experimental measurements, showing excellent agreement over a wide range of deformation rates and temperatures.
Cost-containment protocols for prostate core needle biopsies: hypothetical scenarios to reduce procedural costs

Abstract Background In recent years, anatomic pathology laboratories have been struck by new revenue policies secondary to the Affordable Care Act. In particular, modifications to compensation for processing prostatic core needle biopsies (PCNBs) have led to important reimbursement cuts. Herein, we explore a hypothetical reduction in the costs for the processing of PCNBs using three simple, hypothetical methods while maintaining high-standard patient care. Materials and methods We determined the number of blocks and slides used per case on all PCNBs performed at our institution from August 2013 to September 2014 and calculated the total procedural cost for each case and for the total number of cases processed during the study period based on a published estimated procedural cost. We then estimated the procedural cost of three different proposed hypothetical scenarios that consisted in reducing the number of blocks used per case. A Student t test was used to assess the difference between real and hypothetical costs. Results A total of 4,406 paraffin blocks were used to process 363 PCNBs with a total annual procedural cost of $26,303. By implementing any of the hypothetical scenarios, the annual procedural cost was significantly reduced; the reduction could potentially be as low as $8,978 (P Conclusions This study illustrates three hypothetical alternatives that could dramatically reduce the procedural costs of PCNBs while maintaining high-quality care. Implementation of these scenarios at a global scale could potentially have an impact on health-care cost in the USA of several millions of dollars per year.
Bayesian selection of models of network formation

Models of growing networks have attracted a lot of interest during the past few years. An important question about these models is to decide which model explains an observed network formation most accurately. In this work, we propose a Bayesian model selection scheme which chooses the best model based on predictive distributions. The procedure was investigated on three types of models, including the random model, the preferential attachment model and the hybrid model. With the hybrid model, we leverage results on imperfect Bernoulli trial experiments to obtain the posterior distribution of the weight parameter, which is characterized as a polynomial function on the interval [0,1]. A Beta distribution is used to approximate the posterior in order to reduce the growing computational and representation complexity. Simulations in accordance with the proposed scheme are carried out. They demonstrate validity of the proposed approach.
Elements of an End-to-End QoS Architecture in Wireless/Mobile Networks

This paper presents the requirements and components of an end-to-end quality-of-service(QoS) architecture which are specific to providing integrated wireless and mobile services. This is based on the concept of representing a connection in terms of multiple sub-streams each with their own specified QoS requirement and making network elements (switching and access points), services and protocols (signaling, control, routing) aware of the QoS requirements of such sub-streams. As the resource availability in the wireless and mobile network fluctuates, the network selects and schedules sub-streams in order to present the information content with an acceptable quality at a receiver. This is done while achieving a reasonable utilization efficiency of network resources and sharing them in a fair manner.