cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting infant temperament from neonatal reactivity for AGA/SGA twin pairs.

The predictive relation between neonatal reactivity and 12-, 18-, and 24-month temperament was assessed for 22 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA)/small-for-gestational -age (SGA) twin pairs. Neonatal reactivity included ratings of visual and auditory orienting responses to a bull's-eye, rattle, bell, voice, and face plus voice combined, as well as alertness. Infant temperament ratings were made of emotional tone, activity, attentiveness, and social orientation to staff during age appropriate activities in the laboratory. There were no group differences in the neonatal or infant ratings. For AGA twins, a pattern of predictive correlations was obtained between neonatal reactivity and temperament at each age. A similar predictive pattern was not observed for the SGA twins. Group differences in rates of maturation related to stresses associated with intrauterine growth retardation influenced the significance of the neonatal variables for later temperament development.
Activation parameters and the catalytic effects of poly(3-alkyl-1-vinylimidazolium) salts on the hydrolysis of neutral phenyl esters

Alkaline hydrolyses of p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA) and p-nitrophenyl laurate (PNPL) were studied in the presence of poly(3-methyl-1-vinylimidazolium iodide) (PVII-C1), poly(3-n-hexadecyl-1-vinylimidazolium iodide) (PVIII-C16) and their monomeric analogs. The polysoap (PVII-C16) was a completely quaternized polyion, in contrast to other polysoap systems that have been studied. The hydrolysis of PNPA was not affected by these polyions. The hydrolysis of PNPL was instead enhanced by the addition of these cationic polyions. The magnitudes of the enhancement were in the order of PVII-C16 > PVII-C1, which is explained in terms of the hydrophobicity of these polyions. Values of k2, the rate constant of the polymer substrate complex, indicated that the esters bound to the polymer were more reactive than the free esters. Binding or association constants (K) obtained also increased in the order PVII-C16 > PVII-C1. Inhibitory results were observed for the hydrolysis of PNPL in presence of 3-n-hexadecyl-1-vinylimidazolium iodide (VII-C16). The activation parameters for these reactions were also investigated.
Brain development, gender and IQ in children A volumetric imaging study

Summary Normal brain development during childhood is a complex and dynamic process for which detailed scientific information is lacking. MRI techniques, combined with methods for advanced image analysis, offer the potential to begin to construct a quantitative map of normal paediatric brain development in vivo. In this study we utilize volumetric analysis of high resolution brain images obtained from MRI to describe cerebral development and morphology in 85 normal children and adolescents ranging in age from 5 to 17 years. The results show that total cerebral volume is 10% larger in boys compared with girls. However, both boys and girls show little change in total cerebral volume after the age of 5 years. Increased cortical grey matter is the primary contributor to larger brain volume in boys, thus supporting the hypothesis that gender associated differences in brain size are related to differences in cortical neuronal density. Prominent, age-related changes in grey matter, white matter and CSF volumes are evident during childhood and appear to reflect ongoing maturation and remodelling of the CNS. Both boys and girls show a similar pattern of cerebral asymmetry; a rightward prominence of cortical and subcortical grey matter and a leftward prominence of CSF is observed. IQ is positively correlated with total cerebral volume in children, in particular, with the volume of cortical grey matter in the prefrontal region of the brain. Subcortical grey matter also contributes to the variance in IQ, although to a lesser extent than cortical grey volume. Quantitative knowledge of the developing human brain will play an increasingly greater role in improving sensitivity and specificity in the interpretation of brain abnormalities in patients within the clinical environment, as well as in groups of children with suspected brain dysfunction in the research setting.
Renal Failure: Implications of Chronic Kidney Disease in the Management of the Diabetic Foot

Foot complications are common in patients with diabetes, however, chronic kidney disease has emerged as an independent risk factor for development of foot lesions in the diabetic population. Apart from peripheral arterial disease, infection, and neuropathy, which are classic factors contributing to development of foot lesions, skin disorders specific to renal failure, impaired wound healing from uremia, and psychosocial issues offer further compounded risk. Consequently, there are high ulceration and amputation rates that are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In recent studies, foot-care programs with a multidisciplinary approach within dialysis units have demonstrated improved outcomes.
Embedded Jitter Measurement of High-speed I/O Signals

In this paper, an embedded jitter measurement system is presented. The system uses the Vernier delay method to achieve high resolution. The jitter test circuit is implemented using current-mode logic, so it is fast enough for testing today's high-speed I/O signals such as PCI Express. And the differential structure also makes the circuit immune to common-mode noise. Other advanced jitter measurement functions can be added to the time interval analyzer, (TIA) system presented here. Simulation results show that the TIA system can be used with low-cost ATEs to meet jitter measurement requirements
H∞ Optimal Training Algorithms and their Relation to Backpropagation

We derive global H∞ optimal training algorithms for neural networks. These algorithms guarantee the smallest possible prediction error energy over all possible disturbances of fixed energy, and are therefore robust with respect to model uncertainties and lack of statistical information on the exogenous signals. The ensuing estimators are infinite-dimensional, in the sense that updating the weight vector estimate requires knowledge of all previous weight esimates. A certain finite-dimensional approximation to these estimators is the backpropagation algorithm. This explains the local H∞ optimality of backpropagation that has been previously demonstrated.
Extra-adrenal pheochromoctoma causingrenal artery stenosis and implications of magnetic resonance imaging as diagnostic tool

Abstract Extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma causing renal artery stenosis is very uncommon.We describe a patient who had hypertension from this entity. Surgical excision of the mass corrected the renal artery stenosis without the need for bypass grafting; and the patient has remained normotensive Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an extremely bright lesion on T 2 weighted image, which is virtually pathognomonic. MRI is the most sensitive modality for the detection of an extra-adrenal or unsuspected multiple pheochromocytoma. This should obviate the need for routine abdominal exploration in the evaluation and treatment of pheochromocytoma. Therefore we strongly recommend magnetic resonance imaging in the management of adrenal masses in general and pheochromocytomas in particular.
Automatic stability checking for large linear analog integrated circuits

Stability analysis is one of the key challenges in the design of large linear analog circuits with complex multi-loop structures. In this paper, we present an efficient loop finder algorithm to identify potentially unstable loops in such circuits. At the heart of our automated stability checker lie two newly developed computationally efficient algorithms --- the first to detect all poles within a given region of interest and the second to extract second order approximations of node impedance transfer functions given these pole locations. It is shown that the proposed technique outperforms existing stability methods by more than one order of magnitude for medium sized circuits and enables stability analysis of large extracted industrial designs which was previously infeasible.
Expansion of CTG18.1 trinucleotide repeat in TCF4 is a potent driver of fuchs’ corneal dystrophy

Fuchs' corneal dystrophy (FCD; Mendelian Inheritance in Man [MIM] 136800) is characterized by a progressive decrease in visual acuity due to dysfunctional corneal endothelium.1 The occurrence of FCD has been estimated at 4% of the population above the age of 40.2 Pathological changes include thickening of Descemet membrane and formation of collagenous excrescences known as guttae.3,4 Fuchs' corneal dystrophy accounts for a significant fraction of corneal transplantation and endothelial keratoplasty (EK) performed in the United States.5 Fuchs' corneal dystrophy is genetically heterogeneous and is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait with variable penetrance and expressivity. Linkage in large, multigenerational families has mapped four FCD loci (FCD1–4, on chromosomes 13, 18, 5, and 9, respectively).6–9 Moreover, a combination of candidate gene studies and positional cloning has implicated mutations in SLC4A11, TCF8, LOXHD1, and AGBL1 in the pathogenesis of the disease.6,10–14 Baratz and colleagues15 performed a genome-wide association scan and identified a TCF4 (chromosome 18) intronic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs613872, that was associated significantly with late-onset FCD; this association has been replicated in multiple cohorts.16–18 Recently, Wieben and colleagues19 reported that expansion of trinucleotide CTG repeat within TCF4, in linkage disequilibrium to rs613872, showed a significant association with late-onset FCD. Mootha and colleagues20 likewise replicated this association in multiple ethnic populations. Here, we have analyzed the CTG trinucleotide repeat expansion in TCF4 within our large cohort of both familial and sporadic cases of late-onset FCD to confirm the association and delineate the threshold of expansion for causality. We have utilized this large data set to perform regression analysis of age versus severity stratified by genotypes (no expansion, a monoallelic, or a biallelic expansion). These analyses helped predict FCD in two individuals who were previously unaffected, thereby suggesting a biallelic expansion as a possible genomic marker for FCD.
Midgestation fetal pulmonary annulus size is predictive of outcome in tetralogy of fallot.

Background. Surgical management of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is increasingly moving toward valve-sparing approaches rather than transannular patch (TAP). We evaluate whether fetal pulmonary valve (PV) size is predictive of postnatal course and surgical approach in TOF. Methods. In this retrospective study, fetal and postnatal demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data on 66 patients diagnosed prenatally with TOF were collected. We compared those with midgestation PV z-score >− 3.5 to those with z-score ≤−3.5. We analyzed fetal and postnatal PV size and growth and outcomes between groups Results. Gestational age at first fetal echo was 23 weeks (range 18–28). PV diameter and z-score on midgestation echo were 3.5 mm (1.3–6.0) and −2.8 (−0.5 to −6.0) respectively. Patients with PV z-score ≤− 3.5 on first fetal echo had smaller PV diameter (4.5 vs. 5.0 mm, P = .047) and PV z-score (−3.8 vs. −2.8, P < .001) in late gestation and at time of surgery (6.0 mm vs. 7.0 mm, P = .01; z-score =− 2.9 vs. −1.7, P = .007). Similarly, those with smaller fetal PV z-score had smaller main and branch pulmonary arteries at time of surgery. PV growth rate over gestation was similar between groups, while after-birth PV growth rate was lower in those with smaller PV (0 mm/month vs. 0.6 mm/ month, P = .002). Those with smaller pulmonary valve were more likely to be cyanotic (P = .05), to undergo surgery at <1 month (P < .01), and to have a TAP repair (P = .01). Among patients undergoing valve-sparing repair, those with smaller PV underwent more reinterventions for residual valvar PS (P < .01). Conclusion. Midgestation fetal PV size is predictive of postnatal PV and PA size in TOF. Midgestation PV size has implications for timing and type of surgical management as well as for need for reintervention in valve-sparing repair patients and is therefore important to consider in prenatal counseling for TOF fetuses.
Compositional characterization and imaging of "wall-bound" acylesters of Populus trichocarpa reveal differential accumulation of acyl molecules in normal and reactive woods.

Acylesterification is one of the common modifications of cell wall non-cellulosic polysaccharides and/or lignin primarily in monocot plants. We analyzed the cell-wall acylesters of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy, and synchrotron infrared (IR) imaging facility. The results revealed that the cell wall of dicotyledonous poplar, as the walls of many monocot grasses, contains a considerable amount of acylesters, primarily acetyl and p-hydroxycinnamoyl molecules. The “wall-bound” acetate and phenolics display a distinct tissue specific-, bending stress responsible- and developmental-accumulation pattern. The “wall-bound” p-coumarate predominantly accumulated in young leaves and decreased in mature leaves, whereas acetate and ferulate mostly amassed in the cell wall of stems. Along the development of stem, the level of the “wall-bound” ferulate gradually increased, while the basal level of p-coumarate further decreased. Induction of tension wood decreased the accumulation of the “wall-bound” phenolics while the level of acetate remained constant. Synchrotron IR-mediated chemical compositional imaging revealed a close spatial distribution of acylesters with cell wall polysaccharides in poplar stem. These results indicate that different “wall-bound” acylesters play distinct roles in poplar cell wall structural construction and/or metabolism of cell wall matrix components.
Joint Routing, Channel Assignment, and Scheduling for Throughput Maximization in General Interference Models

Throughput optimization in wireless networks with multiple channels and multiple radio interfaces per node is a challenging problem. For general traffic models (given a set of source-destination pairs), optimization of throughput entails design of ?efficient? routes between the given source-destination pairs, in conjunction with (1) assignment of channels to interfaces and communication links and (2) scheduling of noninterfering links for simultaneous transmission. Prior work has looked at restricted versions of the above problem. In this paper, we design approximation algorithms for the joint routing, channel assignment, and link scheduling problem in wireless networks with general interference models. The unique contributions of our work include addressing the above joint problem in the context of physical interference model and single-path routing (wherein, traffic between a source-destination pair is restricted to a single path). To the best of our knowledge, ours is the first work to address the throughput maximization problem in such general contexts. For each setting, we design approximation algorithms with provable performance guarantees. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms in general contexts through simulations.
QLg Distribution in the Basin and Range Province of the Western United States

Q values for the direct L g phase ( ) were estimated for event-station Q Lg paths that lie entirely within the western United States, particularly in the southern Great Basin and surrounding areas. The Qo ( at 1 Hz) values were estimated by QLg fitting synthetic spectra to observed Lg spectra using a genetic algorithm technique. We have created a tomographic image of the variations of Qo for a part of the southwestern United States. The image shows that Qo varies between about 234 and 312 at 1 Hz, with an average of 267. The lowest Qo occurs in the northwest part of the Basin and Range Province, where extensional deformation has occurred since the Mesozoic. Qo values start to increase toward the Colorado Plateau to the east and continue to gradually increase northward and decrease southward. We also find rela- tively high frequency dependence to the values, with a 1D mean of g 0.57. QLg
Calcium Supplements and Fracture Prevention

A 62-year-old healthy woman presents for routine care. She has no history of fracture, but she is worried about osteoporosis because her mother had a hip fracture at 72 years of age. She exercises regularly and has taken over-the-counter calcium carbonate at a dose of 1000 mg three times a day since her menopause at 54 years of age. This regimen provides 1200 mg of elemental calcium per day. She eats a healthy diet with multiple servings of fruits and vegetables and consumes one 8-oz serving of low-fat yogurt and one glass of low-fat milk almost every day. She recently heard that calcium supplements could increase her risk of cardiovascular disease and wants your opinion about whether or not she should receive them. What would you advise? T h e C l i nic a l Probl e m Both clinicians and patients are likely to be confused by the inconsistent and sometimes conflicting advice about the amount of calcium intake required to reduce the risk of fracture and, in particular, whether calcium supplements are necessary. Long-term calcium deficiency can clearly confer a predisposition to osteoporosis, 1 but many persons mistakenly believe that postmenopausal and age-related bone loss and the associated increase in susceptibility to fracture can largely be avoided with the use of calcium supplementation. Although some persons remain at risk for calcium deficiency, other persons, particularly those receiving calcium supplements, may receive more than the recommended daily intake. The complex and incompletely understood interaction between calcium and vitamin D intake complicates our understanding of the benefits and risks associated with either one alone. 2,3 For example, a recent randomized trial showed that even high doses of vitamin D 3 (4800 IU per day) had modest beneficial effects on calcium absorption (a 6% increase) among postmenopausal women with low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. 4 Furthermore, a number of clinical trials have studied the combination of calcium plus vitamin D in various doses, but fewer trials have examined the effects of calcium alone on the skeleton. This review summarizes our current understanding of calcium intake as it re lates to fracture risk and discusses concerns about the safety of calcium supplements. Other reviews have addressed the physiology of calcium metabolism and the ongoing controversies about vitamin D. 2,5
Gender differences in cortical representation of rectal distension in healthy humans.

Cerebral cortical processing of information relayed via visceral afferents is poorly understood. We determined and compared cortical activity caused by various levels of rectal distension in health...
Public Inputs in the Transportation Service Decision‐Making Process

This paper presents an empirical investigation of willingness to participate in public meetings to provide consumer inputs for designing public transportation services. The low levels of interest in participation among elderly, low-income consumers and high levels of interest among consumers of specific transportation modes were critically evaluated.
Applying Buddhist Practices to Recovery: What I Learned from Skiing with a Little Buddha Wisdom

The author describes how 5 Buddhist practices—enlightenment, compassion, acceptance, mindfulness/meditation, and the spiritual community—can serve as a foundation for an integrated recovery model that incorporates numerous perspectives from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. An application of the model illustrates how it is applied to real-life recovery.
Recent Developments in High Vacuum Receiving Tubes-Radiotrons, Model UV-199 and Model UV-201-A

The operating characteristics of radiotrons UV-199 and UV-201-A are given, together with the general considerations which determined the design of these tubes. A method of rating receiving tubes (in place of mutual conductance) when appreciable undistorted output is required, as for loud speaker operation, is discussed.
Interactions Increase Forager Availability and Activity in Harvester Ants

Social insect colonies use interactions among workers to regulate collective behavior. Harvester ant foragers interact in a chamber just inside the nest entrance, here called the 'entrance chamber'. Previous studies of the activation of foragers in red harvester ants show that an outgoing forager inside the nest experiences an increase in brief antennal contacts before it leaves the nest to forage. Here we compare the interaction rate experienced by foragers that left the nest and ants that did not. We found that ants in the entrance chamber that leave the nest to forage experienced more interactions than ants that descend to the deeper nest without foraging. Additionally, we found that the availability of foragers in the entrance chamber is associated with the rate of forager return. An increase in the rate of forager return leads to an increase in the rate at which ants descend to the deeper nest, which then stimulates more ants to ascend into the entrance chamber. Thus a higher rate of forager return leads to more available foragers in the entrance chamber. The highest density of interactions occurs near the nest entrance and the entrances of the tunnels from the entrance chamber to the deeper nest. Local interactions with returning foragers regulate both the activation of waiting foragers and the number of foragers available to be activated.
Phenotypic characterization of transgenic Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) that express a red fluorescent protein in hepatocytes.

Transgenic organisms that express fluorescent proteins are used frequently for in vivo visualization of proteins and cells. The phenotype of a transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes) strain that expresses a red fluorescent protein (RFP) in hepatocytes was characterized using light and fluorescence microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Expression of RFP was first detected by confocal fluorescence microscopy in the location of the liver bud of live medaka embryos at 60 hr postfertilization (developmental stage 27). Subsequently, RFP signal was observed exclusively in hepatocytes throughout life using fluorescence microscopy in live fish and immunohistochemistry in formalinfixed, paraffin-embedded liver sections. As the fish aged, prominent intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions immunoreactive for RFP were observed by light microscopy and were correlated with membrane-bound electron dense inclusions on TEM. These results define the onset and location of RFP expression in the Tg(zf.L-fabp:DsRed) medaka and characterize a histologic phenotype that results from RFP expression in hepatocytes.
Practical Organocatalytic Synthesis of Functionalized Non‐C2‐Symmetrical Atropisomeric Biaryls

An organic acid catalyzed direct arylation of aromatic C(sp(2))-H bonds in phenols and naphthols for the preparation of 1,1'-linked functionalized biaryls was developed. The products are non-C2-symmetrical, atropoisomeric, and represent previously untapped chemical space. Overall this transformation is operationally simple, does not require an external oxidant, is readily scaled up (up to 98 mmol), and the structurally diverse 2,2'-dihydroxy biaryl (i.e., BINOL-type), as well as 2-amino-2'-hydroxy products (i.e., NOBIN-type) are formed with complete regioselectivity. Density-functional calculations suggest that the quinone and imino-quinone monoacetal coupling partners are exclusively arylated at their α-position by an asynchronous [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of a mixed acetal species which is formed in situ under the reaction conditions.
A brighter future? The impact of insurance and socioeconomic status on cancer outcomes in the USA: a review

Uninsured and Medicaid-insured cancer patients have been shown to present with more advanced disease, less often receive cancer-directed therapy and suffer higher rates of mortality than those with private insurance. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in March of 2010 and seeks to increase rates of public and private health insurance. Although several provisions will in particular benefit those with chronic and high-cost medical conditions such as cancer, the extent to which disparities in cancer care will be eliminated is uncertain. Further legislative changes may be needed to ensure equal and adequate cancer care for all patients regardless of insurance or socioeconomic status.
Analysis of Indentation Creep

Increasingly, indentation creep experiments are being used to characterize rate-sensitive deformation in specimens that, due to small size or high hardness, are difficult to characterize by more conventional methods like uniaxial loading.In the present work we use finite element analysis to simulate indentation creep in a collection of materials whose properties vary across a wide range of hardness, strain rate sensitivities, and work hardening exponents. Our studies reveal that the commonly held assumption that the strain rate sensitivity of the hardness equals that of the flow stress is violated except for materials with low hardness/modulus ratios like soft metals. Another commonly held assumption is that the area of the indent increases with the square of depth during constant load creep. This latter assumption is used in an analysis where the experimenter estimates the increase in indent area (decrease in hardness) during creep based on the change in depth. This assumption is also strongly violated. Fortunately, both violations are easily explained by noting that the “constants” of proportionality relating 1) hardness to flow stress and 2) area to (depth)2 are actually functions of the hardness/modulus ratio. Based upon knowledge of these functions it is possible to accurately calculate 1) the strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress from a measurement of the strain rate sensitivity of the hardness and 2) the power law exponent relating area to depth during constant load creep.
Experimental methods to quantify particle positional and displacement uncertainty along the depth direction in digital in-line holography

Digital in-line holography (DIH) is an optical technique for the measurement of threedimensional (3D) particle fields. Although DIH has many potential applications, widespread use of the technique is hindered by relatively high uncertainty in the measured particle depth. Here we present new experimental methods to quantify the depth uncertainty by comparing measured particle trajectories to predicted trajectories for a simple, rotational flow. When using the hybrid method of particle detection, the measured depth uncertainty is similar to previous results from stationary particles with uniform displacement. Here, the addition of relative particle motion provides further insight into experimental sources of depth uncertainty.
Simultaneous Chirality Sensing of Multiple Amines by 19F NMR

The rapid detection and differentiation of chiral compounds is important to synthetic, medicinal, and biological chemistry. Palladium complexes with chiral pincer ligands are demonstrated to have utility in determining the chirality of various amines. The binding of enantiomeric amines induces distinct 19F NMR shifts of the fluorine atoms appended on the ligand that defines a chiral environment around palladium. It is further demonstrated that this method has the ability to evaluate the enantiomeric composition and discriminate between enantiomers with chiral centers several carbons away from the binding site. The wide detection window provided by optimized chiral chemosensors allows the simultaneous identification of as many as 12 chiral amines. The extraordinary discriminating ability of this method is demonstrated by the resolution of chiral aliphatic amines that are difficult to separate using chiral chromatography.
The Investigation of Relationship Between Serum Glucose-6-phosphate Isomerase(GPI) and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective: To investigate the correlation of the serum levels glucose-6-phosphate isomerase(GPI) and rheumatoid arthritis(RA),and explore the diagnostic value for rheumatoid arthritis.Methods: ELISA was used to measure the serum levels of GPI in patients with FA,other Autoimmune diseaSeS(AID),the rheumatoid arthritis and the health physical examination personnel.Results: When the cut off value was set at 0.28ug/ml,the positive rates of GPI of RA group significant higher than the other AID guoup,ghe rheumatoid arthritis and the healthy control guoup.The positive rates were 68.7%,26.5%,2.7%and 2.4% respectively,there are significant difference(P0.01).The positive rates of GPI and RF were 68.7% and 67.2% respectively in RA guoup.Hhe positive rate either in GPI or/and in RF was 93.7%.Conclusions: The serum GPI of RA guoup increased obviously in each control groups.The GPI has relatively high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of RA.The GPI can act as a new index,and the combined detection of GPI and RF can improve the diagnosis rate of RA.
Primary study on beer fermentation by immobilized yeast

The batch fermentation in beer production was performed using immobilized yeast cells by sodium alginate and calcium chloride.The immobilization and fermentation conditions were studied.The results indicated that when 2% sodium alginate and 4% calcium chloride were used for immobilization,the optimal conditions of fermentation were as follows:inoculation at 8℃～10℃,primary fermentation at 13℃～ 14℃,pH 4.3,and filling fraction of 0.45 g/ml.Under the conditions,the speed of fermentation was improved,while the concentration of diacetyl was reduced,which was helpful for the production of light beer with nice flavor.
Rapid screening for drugs of abuse in biological fluids by ultra high performance liquid chromatography/Orbitrap mass spectrometry

Abstract We present a UPLC®-High Resolution Mass Spectrometric method to simultaneously screen for nineteen benzodiazepines, twelve opiates, cocaine and three metabolites, and three “Z-drug” hypnotic sedatives in both blood and urine specimens. Sample processing consists of a high-speed, high-temperature enzymatic hydrolysis for urine samples followed by a rapid supported liquid extraction (SLE). The combination of ultra-high resolution chromatography with high resolution mass spectrometry allows all 38 analytes to be uniquely detected with a ten minute analytical run. Limits of detection for all target analytes are 3 ng/mL or better, with only 0.3 mL of specimen used for analysis. The combination of low sample volume with fast processing and analysis makes this method a suitable replacement for immunoassay screening of the targeted drug classes, while providing far superior specificity and better limits of detection than can routinely be obtained by immunoassay.
Temperature Model Under the Plate Ultra Fast Cooling Condition

Based on the heat transfer principle and combined with the industrial practice of the plate ultra fast cooling process,one dimensional temperature field model was developed by using the finite element method.In order to satisfy the accuracy and the real-time requirements of the on-line model at the same time,the method of refined layer by layer was used to discrete the thick direction with intensive surface,sparse center during the modeling process. Thereafter,the variable step-size model was used to adjust the time-step dynamically during the solution process. Applying this model to the industrial practice,the temperature history curve and the instantaneous temperature field under the ultra fast cooling condition were calculated.The on-line application of the proposed model indicates that the calculated value of the stop cooling temperature is in agreement with the measured one.The deviation between them is less than ±15℃.Therefore,the proposed model can satisfy the production requirements of the new generation TMCP.
Bedsonia abortion of sheep. I. Aetiological studies.

SUMMARY The epizootic bovine abortion (EBA) agent when inoculated subcutaneously, intravenously, orally or intranasally into fully susceptible ewes, i.e. those with no demonstrable complement fixing (CF) antibody to the Bedsonia group antigen, at approximately 6 weeks of gestation caused abortion or premature birth after a minimum incubation period of 56 days. The syndromes observed following experimental inoculation of the EBA and the enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) agent resembled each other and both resembled the naturally occurring disease EAE. The 50% infective dose of the EBA agent required to cause abortion in fully susceptible ewes is less than 500 chick embryo lethal doses (ELD50). Attempts to demonstrate that perinatal infection of ewe lambs, or infection of non-pregnant ewes, subsequently results in abortion, were unsuccessful. The meaninterval between parenteral inoculation of the EBA or EAE agent and abortion was 73 days, while for ewes receiving the EBA agent orally the interval was 82 days. Evidence is presented that the EBA and EAE agents elaborate a toxin, and an early abortion syndrome believed to be an experimental artefact caused by this toxin is described. The role of toxin in typical Bedsonia abortion was not ascertained, although it is believed to be minor. Abortion was produced in sheep following inoculation of the sheep pneumonia (SP) agent. This abortion differed in several ways from typical EAE.
Slippery-slope objections to legalizing physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia.

nearly every state in the U.S. today, it is a crime for a doctor either to help a terminally ill person in severe pain commit suicide (physician-assisted suicide, or PAS), or to accede to their request for a quick and painless death by administering a lethal injection (voluntary active euthanasia, or VAE). The one exception is Oregon, which permits PAS under certain conditions. Generally speaking, "conservatives" support a ban on both VAE and PAS; liberals who aren't libertarians support legalization, but with eligibility for a quick death limited to the "terminally ill," patients in a "persistent vegetative state"(PVS), and perhaps a few other groups; and libertarian liberals support legalization without such limits, the only requirement for eligibility being that one is a competent adult whose choice is uncoerced. This essay tentatively supports some version of the "nonlibertarian liberal" view, which of course must fend off objections from both conservatives that it goes too far and libertarians that it doesn't go far enough. But rather than undertake the large project of defending that view against both sets of critics, my aim in this paper is more modest. This essay argues, primarily for the benefit of those who like the author are inclined to support some version of the legalization with limits view, that the reply we have to give to what is probably the most important conservative objection to legalization has some unnoticed and many might think unwelcome implications for the kind of reply that we must give to other objections that some conservatives press. One of the conservative objections to legalization is that it would violate the "sanctity of life." This seems to be an absolute side-constraint that forbids the intentional taking of any "innocent" human life, except possibly in self defense, regardless of whether the person to be killed would be much better off dead, and regardless of whether he gives free and informed consent to being killed.1 On the face of it, there is nothing religious about the sanctity-of-life principle so formulated; an atheist could consistently believe it. But it is often claimed that it is impossible to defend in the absence of some religious belief about God and his exclusive dominion over all life. (The same could be said of the judgment
The Double Role of p53 in Cancer and Autoimmunity and Its Potential as Therapeutic Target

p53 is a sequence-specific short-lived transcription factor expressed at low concentrations in various tissues while it is upregulated in damaged, tumoral or inflamed tissue. In normally proliferating cells, p53 protein levels and function are tightly controlled by main regulators, i.e., MDM2 (mouse double minute 2) and MDM4 proteins. p53 plays an important role due to its ability to mediate tumor suppression. In addition to its importance as a tumor suppressor, p53 coordinates diverse cellular responses to stress and damage and plays an emerging role in various physiological processes, including fertility, cell metabolism, mitochondrial respiration, autophagy, cell adhesion, stem cell maintenance and development. Interestingly, it has been recently implicated in the suppression of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in both mice and humans. In this review based on current knowledge on the functional properties of p53 and its regulatory pathways, we discuss the potential utility of p53 reactivation from a therapeutic perspective in oncology and chronic inflammatory disorders leading to autoimmunity.
An evaluation and comparison of two psychoacoustic loudness models used in low-noise ventilation fan testing

Abstract The usage of loudness in standards and rating programs promoted by ASHRAE, HVI, and Energy Star is supported by the fact that occupants in buildings are exposed to noise from ventilating fans that are in close operational proximity to people. The current loudness calculation procedure, which is based on ANSI S3.4-1980 following a model by Stevens, is widely considered to be outdated because of its limited accuracy on equal-loudness contours, loudness-level-to-loudness conversions, and tonal components. Therefore, the study presented herein utilizes an extensive database consisting of 394 fan testing results to perform a detailed comparative analysis of this conventional Stevens loudness model and a revised loudness model developed by Moore et al. Although loudness results from each model were close to each other, a majority of fans under 2 sone show an overall larger loudness when the revised model is used for the noise calculation while there was no clear trend of noise differences for fans over 3 sone. These loudness differences between the two models are significant and would result in more fans failing certification if a revised loudness model is integrated into ventilation rating and certification programs. This effect on certification is more easily understood if one notes that less than a 0.5 sone difference in the certification limit would result in the same number of certified ventilating products presently conforming to Energy Star V4.0, at least for the large database evaluated in this study.
Risk assessment for metalworking fluids and cancer outcomes

Background Metalworking fluids (MWF) are complex mixtures with dermal and inhalation exposure. Published reports reveal excess cancer risk. Methods Using published findings exposure response was derived for each attributable cancer site. Aggregate excess lifetime risk was estimated by applying a lifetable calculation. Results Cancer sites contributing the most attributable cases were larynx, esophagus, brain, female breast, and uterine cervix. With constant workplace MWF exposure of 0.1 mg/m3 over a 45 years working life, the risk of attributable cancer was 3.7% or, excluding the less certain female cancers, 3.1%. Conclusion Substantial cancer risks occurred at 0.1 mg/m3 MWF, one fourth of the current NIOSH recommended exposure limit for MWF total particulate. Because ingredients in current MWF remain from earlier formulations, it is likely that some MWF carcinogenicity persists today. Although important changes have occurred, newer agents are being continually introduced with little or no knowledge of chronic health risks.
What’s the EU? Achieving Learning Outcomes and Preparing US Students for EuroSim

Global learning and high-impact practices often come together in simulations. However, preparing US students for effective and beneficial participation in a simulation of the European Union presents an interesting challenge. Most US students are unfamiliar with the European Union at best and completely unaware of its existence at worst. How does one go about not only introducing the EU but helping students arrive at a point where they are effective and engaged policy-makers within the EU simulation? When carefully crafted, simulations, whether in-class, cocurricular, or extracurricular, provide a high-impact learning experience for students. Most importantly, perhaps, and not covered in the definitions of high-impact practices or affective learning, most of the students who participate in EuroSim find that, while difficult and requiring a great deal of work, learning about such a seemingly distant topic and entity as the EU can be enjoyable. This chapter explores the challenges inherent in preparing US students for EuroSim, the extracurricular benefits for students that come from participation in such a simulation, and the improved achievement of learning goals through the inclusion of a simulation into the curriculum as a high-impact practice.
Scavenging of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with nanomaterials

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are essential for normal physiological processes and play important roles in cell signaling, immunity, and tissue homeostasis. However, excess radical species are implicated in the development and augmented pathogenesis of various diseases. Several antioxidants may restore the chemical balance, but their use is limited by disappointing results of clinical trials. Nanoparticles are an attractive therapeutic alternative because they can change the biodistribution profile of antioxidants, and possess intrinsic ability to scavenge RONS. Herein, we review the types of RONS, how they are implicated in several diseases, and the types of nanoparticles with inherent antioxidant capability, their mechanisms of action, and their biological applications.
Nondestructive Evaluation of Temper Embrittlement in HY80 Steel

The problem of temper embrittlement has accompanied the use of alloy steels for a number of decades and has been thoroughly studied and documented [1,2,3,4]. Temper Embrittlement (used here to include the phenomenon of Stress Relief Embrittlement) is the decrease of impact toughness which occurs in susceptible commercial grade alloy steels when they are heated within or slowly cooled through the embrittling temperature range of approximately 371 to 599 degrees C (700 to 1110 degrees F). It is caused by migration of impurity elements such as sulphur, phosphorus, tin, antimony and arsenic to prior austenite grain boundaries and is primarily encountered during post-fabrication heat treatments such as those used to relieve residual stresses. Studies show that, although these embrittling elements are typically present in bulk weight percentage concentrations of 20 to 200 ppm, grain boundaries of embrittled steel can contain concentrations that are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater due to segregation during heat treatment. This is determined by using Auger electron spectroscopy of fracture surfaces of embrittled test samples broken and analyzed in vacuum. Approximately 500 angstroms of material are typically removed from the fracture surfaces by ion milling before the concentration returns to that of the bulk material.
Some operations research approaches to automobile gear train design

We address the problem of the design of an automobile gear transmission to achieve optimal performance, where the latter is measured by the minimum time required to reach a prescribed final velocity. We apply two Operations Research methodologies, dynamic programming and parametric optimization, to two different vehicle characteristics. The results of the two approaches differ insignificantly between themselves on either automobile, but differ significantly from the existing designs. Furthermore, if performance is the only criterion, then certain commonly-held design “guides” may lead to erroneous conclusions.
On the Need for Paradigmatic Integration in International Human Resource Management

This paper examines three paradigms that influence both management research and management practice today: logical positivism, nonlinear dynamics, and hermeneutics. Their past and present influence on the IHRM subfield of expatriation is delineated.
The Pathophysiology of Exercise Induced Ischemia

There was a time when the epicardial coronary arteries were believed to be passive conduits and any alterations in flow were due to changes in the coronary microcirculation. Maseri (1) and others (2) however, have shown that the larger arteries also are vasoactive and spasm, sometimes with exercise, is active enough to have a significant effect on function.
FIELD THEORY WHERE ALL GAMMA/sub jk//sup i/ INVARIANTS VANSIH.

We investigate whether a nontrivial field theory exists for which all scalars formed fromΓ jk i (whereg ij is used to raise and lower indices) can be zero for all points of space and time. We find some examples for which the invariants are all zero for all points at which the field is finite. We also comment upon the problem of boundary conditions, in general.
Nonlinear Wave Propagation Devices for Ultrafast Electronics

We describe active and nonlinear wave propagation devices for generation and detection of (sub)millimeter-wave and (sub)picosecond signals. Shock-wave nonlinear transmission lines (NLTLs) generate 3–4 V step-functions with less than 0.7 ps falltimes. NLTL-gated sampling circuits for signal measurement have attained over 500 GHz bandwidth. Soliton propagation on NLTLs is used for picosecond impulse generation and broadband millimeter-wave frequency multiplication. Picosecond pulses can also be generated on traveling-wave structures loaded by resonant-tunneling-diodes. Applications include instrumentation for millimeter-wave waveform and network (circuit) measurements both on-wafer and in free space.
Crowdphysics: Planned and Opportunistic Crowdsourcing for Physical Tasks

Research on human computation and crowdsourcing has concentrated on tasks that can be accomplished remotely over the Internet. We introduce a general class of problems we call crowdphysics (CP)---crowdsourcing tasks that require people to collaborate and synchronize both in time and physical space. As an illustrative example, we focus on a crowd-powered delivery service---a specific CP instance where people go about their daily lives, but have the opportunity to carry packages to be delivered to specific locations or individuals. Each package is handed off from person to person based on overlaps in time and space until it is delivered. We formulate CP tasks by reduction to a graph-planning problem, and analyze the performance using a large sample of geotagged tweets as a proxy for people's location. We show that packages can be delivered with remarkable speed and coverage. These results hold for the case when we know people's future locations and also when routing without global knowledge, making only local greedy decisions. To our knowledge, this is the first empirical evidence that dynamic networks of mobile individuals are highly navigable.