cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Current Methods Used to Estimate N2O and N2 Emissions from Field Soils

Collection and interpretation of data to unambiguously quantify gaseous losses of N produced by denitrification under field conditions has been a long-standing problem in soil N research. Until recently the amount of N lost through denitrification has been assessed indirectly from N balance studies (Hauk, 1981). In this paper we will describe methods currently used to estimate denitrification N losses in the field. These techniques assume that N2 and N2O are the only gaseous N products of quantitative significance in arable soils.
The Proof is in the Pudding: Gender Specific Stereotypes in Television Advertisements

In this chapter, the author uses content analysis to examine the relationship between television commercial advertising and the messages that they send regarding gender stereotypes. Using a content analysis of over 300 commercials, she found that the messages and scenes depicted by commercials are consistent with the common stereotypes in society regarding gender and gender roles.
NATIONAL GOALS FOR COMPUTER LITERACY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the national goals for computer literacy. It focuses on a few definite goals. It is a mix of the education establishment, the school districts, counties, states, national associations, universities, the colleges, and the federal government, with its congressional committees and National Science Foundation, Department of Education, and Department of Defense that have great concerns in this area. The chapter highlights some achievable goals for education in computer know-how. These are not federal government goals; they are appropriated for the concerted action of all the players who should be in the game.
USE OF GENOME SCANS TO IDENTIFY SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES

Heredity has long been regarded as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Familial aggregation of type 2 diabetes is consistently observed across populations worldwide. The concordance rates for diabetes in monozygotic twins are 50% or higher, whereas those for dizygotic twins are substantially lower, at 10 to 17% (1, 2, 3). It is estimated that siblings of diabetic individuals are 1.2 to 3 times more likely to have diabetes compared to the population, depending on the background prevalence of diabetes in the population (4, 5, 6, 7).
Maturation of functional cardiac tissue patches

Abstract: Our knowledge regarding native heart development is relatively comprehensive; however, we remain largely dependent on empiricism in our approaches to recapitulate cardiomyogenesis in vitro. Toward clinical translation, it is critical that we understand how different biochemical, biophysical and biomaterial parameters of tissue culture govern the maturation and functional output of engineered myocardium, particularly when using pluripotent stem cell-based approaches. Here we review the processes of native myocardial maturation, compare them with those observed during the culture of engineered cardiac tissues, and discuss potential approaches toward promoting functional cardiomyogenesis in vitro. We conclude by offering our impressions on the important next steps.
Loop trees: a new theme in structured programming and discrete structures

Loop trees, which were very recently discovered, provide us with a new way of looking at structured programming. Using loop trees, there is a sense in which there is no such thing as spaghetti code; all code is structured. In order to understand this, however, students have to know about strongly connected components, which are not treated in every discrete structures book. We give here a sample presentation to students of strongly connected components, together with exercises and answers. We also show the basic idea of loop trees and cite a Web site where students can practice with them, if they have studied any one of five specific assembly languages.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in acute massive pulmonary embolism: a case series and review of the literature.

Background:Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to stabilize patients with massive pulmonary embolism though few reports describe this approach. We describe the presentation, ma...
A New Method to Prevent Unintentional Child Poisoning

Unintentional child poisoning represents an increasingly important health issue in the United States and worldwide, partially due to increased use of drugs and food supplements. Biometric authentication is complex for pill bottles, but we propose a new method of user identification using touch capacitance during bottle-opening attempts. A smart pill bottle could generate an immediate warning to deter a child from opening the bottle and send an alert to parents/guardians. In this paper, we present principle of operation and implementation of a prototype “safe bottle We present the results of pilot testing with 5 adults and 3 children using support vector machine (SVM) and neural network (NN). From 232 bottle-opening events, our optimized NN generated no false detections of children as adults and four false detections of adults as children. Preliminary results indicate that smart pill bottles can be used to reliably detect children trying to open pill bottles and reduce risk of child-poisoning events.
David Oliver: Is Matt Hancock really prioritising prevention over cure?

Last week Matt Hancock, health and social care secretary for England, gave a speech launching a new government document, Prevention is Better than Cure: Our Vision to Help You Live Well for Longer .12 After much advance publicity I was curious to see its contents. I’m enthused by the focus and I don’t doubt his sincerity but, without cogent detail of meaningful investment, policy levers, and implementation plans, visions don’t come true. There’s a framing preamble, the restatement of established expert consensus on prevention and public health, and key facts and figures. There’s a series of ambitions. But the paper offers little tangible new policy, funding, or even a hint at workforce planning to deliver them. It …
Do Unpaid Caregivers Save Less for Retirement

Unpaid caregiving has always been widespread in the U.S. and is a growing phenomenon, especially in response to an aging population. Unpaid caregivers can experience adverse labor market outcomes such as less pay, fewer hours at work, and greater job instability. These negative labor market outcomes could translate into lower retirement savings. Our analysis of the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances indicates that unpaid caregivers have lower retirement savings because they are less likely to participate in retirement plans at work and have lower contributions relative to pay. Single women, in particular, see declines in retirement security associated with unpaid caregiving. That is, caregiving further exacerbates an already existing retirement income security gap by gender. The data thus lend support to efforts to increase access to retirement savings plans for people with less job stability and fewer hours and to give more people paid sick leave at their job.
The aryl hydrocarbon receptor: an environmental sensor integrating immune responses in health and disease.

The environment, diet, microbiota and body’s metabolism shape complex biological processes in health and disease. However, our understanding of the molecular pathways involved in these processes is still limited. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that integrates environmental, dietary, microbial and metabolic cues to control complex transcriptional programmes in a ligand-specific, cell-type-specific and context-specific manner. In this Review, we summarize our current knowledge of AHR and the transcriptional programmes it controls in the immune system. Finally, we discuss the role of AHR in autoimmune and neoplastic diseases of the central nervous system, with a special focus on the gut immune system, the gut–brain axis and the therapeutic potential of targeting AHR in neurological disorders. By sensing environmental, dietary, microbial and metabolic cues, the ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor controls complex transcriptional programmes that are relevant to autoimmune, neoplastic, metabolic and degenerative diseases.
Behavioral Science and Adult Illiteracy: Becoming Part of the Solution

The adult illiteracy problem in the United States has deep historical, social, economic, political and psychological roots. The level of illiteracy in The United States is a serious problem for the society as a whole and is connected with issues such as delinquency, poverty and unemployment. Illiterate adults have multiple significant problems associated with their inability to read. Behavioral scientists and professionals, along with the remainder of United States society, have largely ignored the problem of adult illiteracy. A number of steps for behavioral scientists to take to help remedy this situation are presented. These include introducing literacy programs within mental health settings, augmenting existing literacy programs with empowerment modules, enabling current programs to be more accessible to the illiterate, facilitating employment of the illiterate by identifying and measuring their job-relevant competencies, and developing college courses which involve tutoring illiterate adults. Additional activities and areas of research to which behavioral science expertise could contribute are also suggested.
Measuring Charged-Current Muon Neutrino Interactions in MiniBooNE

MiniBooNE seeks to confirm or refute the LSND muon-antineutrino to electron-antineutrino oscillation signal with high statistical significance and different systematics. MiniBooNE has accumulated the world's largest GeV neutrino data set. MiniBooNE employs a cosmic muon calibration system to study the reconstruction of the energies and directions of muons in the detector. Progress of measurements of the muon neutrino charged-current quasi-elastic and single pion production cross sections are presented.
Traffic and Ratings of Driver Workload: The Effect of the Number of Vehicles and Their Distance Headways:

This experiment examined how variations in traffic affected driver workload. Some 24 subjects, 12 younger, 12 older, drove a driving simulator. There were eight scenarios that involved a lead vehic...
Associations of maternal diet and placenta leptin methylation.

Abstract Background Maternal diet is an important factor in prenatal development that also has implications for disease risk later in life. The adipokine leptin is a key regulator of energy homeostasis and may be involved in the association between maternal nutrition, maternal obesity, and infant outcomes. DNA methylation of placenta genes may occur in response to exposures and may program subsequent infant development. This study examined maternal diet, placenta leptin gene DNA methylation, and neonatal growth in a sample of healthy neonates and their mothers. Methods Mothers and their healthy neonates (N = 135) were recruited within 1–2 days following delivery at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, RI. A structured interview was conducted to assess maternal dietary intake. Maternal pre-pregnancy weight, weight gain during pregnancy, maternal health, medications, and vitamin use were obtained from medical records. Bisulfite pyrosequencing was used to measure methylation of CpG sites in the promoter region of the placenta leptin gene and determine genotype of the leptin single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2167270, which is known to influence leptin methylation. Bivariate analyses and linear regression models were used to evaluate associations of demographics, diet, and mean leptin methylation. Results Genotype was a significant predictor of placenta leptin DNA methylation (p .05) or fat (p > .05). Conclusion These findings underline the importance of intake of carbohydrate consumption for methylation of the placenta leptin gene. Because methylation reduces gene transcription, lower methylation may indicate a placenta response to high caloric intake and carbohydrate food that would result in higher levels of this hormone during fetal development. Further investigation of the developmental ramifications of epigenetic changes to placenta leptin methylation should be pursued.
Preparation of novel seaweed nanocomposite film from brown seaweeds Laminaria japonica and Sargassum natans

Abstract Seaweed nanocomposite films were manufactured with brown seaweeds, kombu (Laminaria japonica) and sargassum (Sargassum natans). With the supernatant obtained after the acid-base pretreatment, a film-forming solution was prepared and seaweed biopolymer film formed using a cast-evaporating method. Additionally, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were isolated from the residues of the film formulation process and were applied to seaweed biopolymer film. As a result, seaweed nanocomposite films were developed. Their physicochemical properties were investigated to determine viability as a packaging substrate. Kombu film was visible as a dark brown and sargassum film appeared light brown in color. The addition of CNCs did not affect the color of films. The morphological observation revealed the addition of CNCs could fill the void space including holes and fractures. FTIR spectra indicated hydrogen bonding was increased and XRD results showed higher crystallinity after the addition of the CNCs. The addition of CNCs into the film led to improving not only the physical properties such as thickness, moisture content, and water solubility, but also mechanical properties. Similarly, barrier properties to water, oxygen, and light were reinforced. It was found that CNCs also enhanced thermal properties in TGA and DSC tests. Total phenolic contents, DPPH radical scavenging effect, and reducing power assay indicated that kombu film showed higher antioxidant properties than sargassum film and not related to the CNCs addition. Results from this experiment indicate novel seaweed nanocomposite biopolymer films developed from brown seaweeds could be further developed for packaging applications such as food films used for preservation.
Severe Poverty and Growth in Behavioral Self-Regulation: The Mediating Role of Parenting.

Abstract This study examined how exposure to severe poverty related to behavioral self-regulation growth during early childhood as mediated by parenting practices. Ethnic differences were tested. Data were collected across 4 waves from 359 low-income African American and Latino families. The frequency of exposure to severe poverty was indicated by how many times family income fell below 50% of the federal poverty line across 4 waves. Behavioral self-regulation was assessed when children were 3½, 6, and 7 years old (Wave 2–4), and parenting was observed when children were age 2½ years old (Wave 1). More frequent exposure to severe poverty was associated with slower behavioral self-regulation growth, and the effect was partially mediated through less sensitive and supportive parenting practices for Latino families. The mediation was not observed for African American families. Targeting the promotion of sensitive and supportive parenting practices may be an effective strategy for accelerating self-regulation development.
Toluene Abatement by Simultaneous Adsorption and Oxidation over Mixed-Metal Oxides

Development of integrated processes that can concentrate and oxidize volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from process streams or polluted air in an adsorptive reactor provides a cost-effective altern...
Structural characterization of a peptoid-inspired conformationally constrained oligomer (PICCO) bound to streptavidin

A high affinity Streptavidin ligand was mined from a DNA-encoded library of non-peptidic oligimers and characterized structurally.
Multiphase tin equation of state using density functional theory

We perform density functional theory (DFT) calculations of five solid phases and the liquid phase of tin. The calculations include cold curves of the five solid phases, phonon calculations in the quasiharmonic approximation over a range of volumes for each solid phase, and DFT-based molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) simulations of the liquid phase, including those of the melt curve using the $Z$ method. Using the DFT results, we construct a tabular multiphase sesame equation of state for tin, referred to as sesame 2162. Comparisons to experimental data are made and show a high level of agreement in isobaric data, isothermal data, shock data, and phase boundary measurements, including measurements of the melt curve. The 2162 EOS will be useful for hydrodynamics simulations and has been designed with an eye toward hydrodynamics simulations that incorporate materials strength models and allow for modeling of the kinetics of phase transitions.
Is necessity also the mother of implementation? COVID-19 and the implementation of evidence-based treatments for opioid use disorders

Opioid-related overdoses and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represent two of the deadliest crises in United States' history and together constitute a syndemic. The intersecting risks of this syndemic underscore the urgent need to implement effective opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments that are sustainable amid COVID-19 mitigation strategies. In response to new federal guidance released during the pandemic, opioid treatment programs (OTPs) have quickly innovated to implement new systems of medication delivery. OTPs rapid implementation of new medication delivery models defies conventional wisdom about the pace of research transfer. As part of an ongoing cluster-randomized type 3 hybrid trial evaluating strategies to implement contingency management (CM), select staff of eight OTPs had been trained to deliver CM and were in the midst of receiving ongoing implementation support. As COVID-19 emerged, all eight OTPs mirrored trends in the addiction field and effectively adapted to federal/state demands to implement new methods of medication delivery. However, over the past few months, necessity has arguably been the mother of implementation. We have observed greater variance among these OTPs' success with the additional implementation of adjunctive CM. The speed and variability of innovation raises novel questions about drivers of implementation. We argue that the mother of the next innovation should be a public call for a progressive, thoughtful set of public health policies and other external setting levers to address the needs of those with OUD and the OTPs that serve them.
Reducing the Burden of CKD among Latinx: A Community-Based Approach

Latinx communities comprise the largest ethnic/racial minority category in the United States, and, as a group, they have a disproportionately high burden of CKD and a faster progression to kidney failure compared with non-Latinx White individuals. These health disparities have been attributed to
Vasopressin and Somatostatin mRNA In Situ Hybridization

In situ hybridization may be especially applicable to studies of neuropeptide mRNA regulation in the brain. Its high level of anatomic resolution is often required to accurately evaluate the activities of anatomically-discrete brain cell populations that may display different neuropeptide mRNA dynamics. The technique can be applied in a way that allows valid relative measurements of mRNA hybridization densities in different brain nuclei, or in individual neurons. Although there may be difficulty in determining the absolute number of particular mRNA molecules located in a particular region of interest, use of standardized autoradiographic techniques can allow accurate and quantitative assessment of the density of hybridization of a radiolabeled probe (See Chapter 17). Such studies can also assess changes in hybridization densities related to physiologic, pharmacologic, and pathologic processes, or even the differential anatomic connectivities of different neurons.
QCA to guide treatment of inter-clip mitral regurgitation between two previously implanted MitraClips

Treatment of recurrent MR after initially successful MitraClip procedure can pose therapeutic challenges. We report a successful case of redo MitraClip to treat recurrent inter-clip MR due to progression of underlying degenerative valvular pathology with prolapsing posterior mitral leaflet between the two prior clips. In this vignette, we describe the novel use of quantitative coronary arteriography (QCA) to select redo MitraClip as the treatment strategy.
CareLink-Corrections Phase 1: A Feasibility Study Inside Prisons to Improve Self-Care Upon Release.

CareLink-Corrections is an evidence-informed self-care management (SCM) program designed to provide nursing and health services students an opportunity to serve a vulnerable justice-involved popula...
Predictors of PCSK9 (Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9) Inhibitor Prescriptions for Secondary Prevention of Clinical Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease

Background: Little is known about patterns of PCSK9i (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor) use among patients with established clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. T...
Defining Competence and the Role of the Board

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery to provide a system of evaluation that translates into competent patient care. Particularly with the maintenance of certification program that strives to provide an environment of lifelong learning and improvement, the implications of board certification are much more comprehensive than in the past. Because of the pivotal role of resident education in the process, the Board must be a substantive participant in all aspects of resident education. Definition of competence, not only technical but behavioral, will be a continual challenge.
Community Collaboration in Virginia Legal Aid Programs: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Investigation

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION IN VIRGINIA LEGAL AID PROGRAMS: A CONSTRUCTIVIST GROUNDED THEORY INVESTIGATION Andrew Charles Schoeneman, PhD, MIIM A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015. Chair: David P. Fauri, PhD Professor School of Social Work Legal aid programs comprise a robust national infrastructure attempting to alleviate and reduce poverty. Since their proliferation as part of the War on Poverty, these organizations have provided individual civil legal assistance and engaged in collective legal and political strategies to advance systemic change. Starting in the 1980s, however, public policies have been enacted to cut funding and restrict the ability of federally funded legal aid programs to engage in collective and systemic advocacy. As a result, the ability of programs to work alongside lowincome communities has been compromised. The histories and core commitments of legal aid and social work are linked. As a profession social work is concerned broadly with efforts to address poverty and specifically with the self-determination and empowerment of those experiencing poverty directly. In this study a constructivist grounded theory design was used to examine the process of collaboration between legal aid attorneys and client community members. The sample for the study included 28 attorneys, client community members, and other stakeholders affiliated with three legal aid programs. Based on 28 interviews and two focus groups with these participants, a conceptual framework entitled Collaborating for Justice in a Legal Aid Context was constructed. Findings suggest that both primary stakeholder groups were motivated to act by the unequal access to advantage in the world around them. Once affiliated with legal aid, they were constrained by scarcity of resources but nonetheless acted creatively to collaborate as well as to enhance collaborative capacity. Collaboration occurred in different timeframes, and this temporal element suggested ways that individuals and organizations can extend and deepen collaboration. Collective activities, informal interaction, and boards and advisory groups all played roles in facilitating collaboration between legal aid programs and their client communities. Through these actions, participants and their affiliated organizations were able to move from circumstances of scarcity to circumstances of generativity and development. Implications for education, practice, and policy are discussed.
Number of Langerhans immune cells in painful and non-painful human skin after shingles.

During injury or inflammation, paracrine sensitization of peripheral sensory neurons by immune cells contributes to the sensation of pain. It is less clear whether this neural sensitization contributes to neuropathic pain after neural injury as well. Shingles (herpes zoster) is a common disease that leaves some patients with prolonged neuropathic pain known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Sensitization of cutaneous neurons has been hypothesized to contribute to PHN. Langerhans cells (LC), the Ia+ macrophages of the skin, contact epidermal neurites and, when activated, synthesize molecules with the ability to sensitize axons. For these reasons, we examined morphological evidence for activation of LC in subjects with established PHN. We also evaluated the relationship between numbers of LC and nociceptive epidermal nerve endings; these are markedly reduced in PHN. We used design-based stereology to estimate the number of CD1a+ LC in biopsies of painful and non-painful skin from ten adults with or without PHN after shingles on the torso. There were no differences in the number of LC in previously shingles-affected and normal-control skin biopsies. The number of LC also remained at normal levels in biopsies with near-loss of innervation from shingles. LC numbers were unrelated to the presence or severity of pain. These data suggest that neuropathic pain in established PHN is not associated with increased numbers of cutaneous macrophages, and that the number of cutaneous macrophages in skin from the human torso is independent of the number of epidermal nerve endings.
Length of Time’s Arrow

An unresolved problem in physics is how the thermodynamic arrow of time arises from an underlying time reversible dynamics. We contribute to this issue by developing a measure of time-symmetry breaking, and by using the work fluctuation relations, we determine the time asymmetry of recent single molecule RNA unfolding experiments. We define time asymmetry as the Jensen-Shannon divergence between trajectory probability distributions of an experiment and its time-reversed conjugate. Among other interesting properties, the length of time's arrow bounds the average dissipation and determines the difficulty of accurately estimating free energy differences in nonequilibrium experiments.
Nonnegative matrix factorization with gradient vertex pursuit

Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF), defined as factorizing a nonnegative matrix into two nonnegative factor matrices, is a particularly important problem in machine learning. Unfortunately, it is also ill-posed and NP-hard. We propose a fast, robust, and provably correct algorithm, namely Gradient Vertex Pursuit (GVP), for solving a well-defined instance of the problem which results in a unique solution: there exists a polytope, whose vertices consist of a few columns of the original matrix, covering the entire set of remaining columns. Our algorithm is greedy: it detects, at each iteration, a correct vertex until the entire polytope is identified. We evaluate the proposed algorithm on both synthetic and real hyperspectral data, and show its superior performance compared with other state-of-the-art greedy pursuit algorithms.
Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics: Tests of the Strong Equivalence Principle

We discuss tests of the Strong Equivalence Principle. We derive the observable consequences of the Nordtvedt effect, a violation of the equality of acceleration of massive, self-gravitating bodies, that occurs in many alternative theories of gravity, although not in general relativity. We discuss the bounds obtained on this effect via lunar laser ranging, and via measurements of pulsar-white dwarf binary systems. We derive a number of observable consequences of preferred-frame effects in binary orbits and in the structure of self-gravitating bodies, and review the bounds that have been placed on the relevant PPN parameters by a wide range of observations.
Modern United Nations Peacekeeping: Towards a Holistic Approach to Addressing Conflict

Modern peacekeeping has evolved from its early years as a tool used by the United Nations (UN) to monitor ceasefires and conduct truce supervision in interstate conflicts, into missions that are more involved in intrastate conflicts and which rebuild national structures and elements of civil society while maintaining the peace and conducting security sector reform (SSR). Indeed, the UN has worked towards a more systematic way of conducting peacekeeping operations, particularly in the context of conflicts within states - balancing the need for immediate response to crises with the provision of security, humanitarian assistance and protection to civilians with longer-term considerations for post-conflict peacebuilding and development.
Total abdominal wall reconstruction.

• A patient had full-thickness loss of abdominal wall from clostridial myonecrosis. Initial care consisted of resuscitation, debridement, and transfer to a hyperbaric chamber facility. After control of sepsis, multiple enteric fistulas were managed by enterotomies, gastric and duodenal defunctionalization with closed-loop gastrojejunostomy, gastrostomy, and end jejunostomy. Good nutritional status was maintained with total parenteral nutrition over a three-month period. Total abdominal wall reconstruction was accomplished by rotation of bilateral tensor fascia lata musculocutaneous flaps. Reconstruction was successful as the patient was able to return to an active life. (Arch Surg1983;118:1446-1448)
A Retraction Method for Planning the Motion of a Disc

Abstract A new approach to certain motion-planning problems in robotics is introduced. This approach is based on the use of a generalized Voronoi diagram, and reduces the search for a collision-free continuous motion to a search for a connected path along the edges of such a diagram. This approach yields an O ( n log n ) algorithm for planning an obstacle-avoiding motion of a single circular disc amid polygonal obstacles. Later papers will show that extensions of the approach can solve other motion-planning problems, including those of moving a straight line segment or several coordinated discs in the plane amid polygonal obstacles.
Endotoxin clearance after intralipid infusion

Abstract Healthy 6–8-wk-old New Zealand white rabbits were injected with chromium-chloride- or sodium-chromate-labeled E. coli endotoxin after rapid infusion (10 ml/kg in 1 hr) or slow and repeated infusions (40 ml/kg daily for 7 consecutive days) of 10% Intralipid. Endotoxin clearance rates and RES organ uptakes were determined and the results were compared with those of the controls treated with correspondingly equal volumes of 5% DW instead of fat. In the acute experiment, the clearance rates were similar in all animals during the first 15 min following endotoxin injection. After this phase, however, experimental animals had faster endotoxin clearance and eventually higher organ uptakes than the controls. In the chronic experiment, there was no significant difference in endotoxin clearance rates or total and per-gram organ uptakes between experimental and corresponding control animals infused with 5% DW instead of fat. Experimental animals, particularly those having received multiple infusions of fat emulsion, showed deposition of polarizable brown pigment inside and outside the reticuloendothelial cells in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow. None of the controls had these pigments in their organs.
Unintended pregnancy influences racial disparity in tubal sterilization rates.

BACKGROUND Minority women are more likely than white women to choose tubal sterilization as a contraceptive method. Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy may help explain observed racial/ethnic differences in sterilization, but this association has not been investigated.
Immunohistochemical examination of anti-STn monoclonal antibodies LLU9B4, B72.3, and B35.2 for their potential use as tumor markers.

Purpose Several investigators, including ourselves, have demonstrated by immunohistochemistry that in malignancy of colon, the tumor cells or cells adjacent to the tumor become reactive with anti-STn monoclonal antibodies, while in normal individuals the colonic cells do not react with anti-STn monoclonal antibodies. In the present study, an anti-STn monoclonal antibody LLU9B4 was generated in the laboratory by immunization of mice with STn extracted from LS174T, along with commercially available B72.3 and B35.5 anti-STn monoclonal antibodies for their sensitivity in staining colon cancer sections. Result The results showed that 83.3% stained positive with 9B4 and 66.6% with B72.3, and there was no staining with B35.5 monoclonal antibody. The positive staining was mainly in the cells adjacent to colon cancer. It was also observed that the staining with LLU9B4 was much more pronounced than with B72.3. Conclusion Our study indicates that these antibodies may at least be more sensitive and specific for colon cancers than the current standard of care, FOBT.
Monitoring the External Vibrational Control of Excitation-Energy Transfer Using Pump-Probe Polarization Spectroscopy

We have developed a method for controlling electronic-excitation transfer in chromophore dimers using pulse-induced nuclear motion. We further developed the framework needed to simulate various nonlinear optical experiments on such systems.
Using the Apple IIe Computer as an Administrative Tool in an Occupational Therapy Department.

The microcomputer can be an extremely effective tool in an occupational therapy department for accomplishing administrative tasks in a more efficient and accurate manner when compared to traditional methods. This paper is directed to the occupational therapy manager who would like to streamline secretarial and administrative record-keeping. The mystery is removed from the computer terms of data base, spreadsheet, and word processing. Hardware and software requirements are identified. The process of creating patient files, attendance records and monthly reports is described so that the reader can gain an understanding of how occupational therapists can actually use a computer program to carry out these tasks. Additional applications including budgeting, creating home programs, and calculating productivity are also discussed. The reader is encouraged to consider the computer as a useful tool and approach it in an organized fashion, rather than let a lack of experience cause hesitation in initiating a projec...
Two distinct subtypes of hepatitis B virus–related acute liver failure are separable by quantitative serum immunoglobulin M anti-hepatitis B core antibody and hepatitis B virus DNA levels†‡§

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related acute liver failure (HBV-ALF) may occur after acute HBV infection (AHBV-ALF) or during an exacerbation of chronic HBV infection (CHBV-ALF). Clinical differentiation of the two is often difficult if a previous history of HBV is not available. Quantitative measurements of immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti–hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) titers and of HBV viral loads (VLs) might allow the separation of AHBV-ALF from CHBV-ALF. Of 1,602 patients with ALF, 60 met clinical criteria for AHBV-ALF and 27 for CHBV-ALF. Sera were available on 47 and 23 patients, respectively. A quantitative immunoassay was used to determine IgM anti-HBc levels, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) was used to determine HBV VLs. AHBV-ALFs had much higher IgM anti-HBc titers than CHBV-ALFs (signal-to-noise [S/N] ratio median: 88.5; range, 0-1,120 versus 1.3, 0-750; P < 0.001); a cut point for a S/N ratio of 5.0 correctly identified 44 of 46 (96%) AHBV-ALFs and 16 of 23 (70%) CHBV-ALFs; the area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.86 (P < 0.001). AHBV-ALF median admission VL was 3.9 (0-8.1) log10 IU/mL versus 5.2 (2.0-8.7) log10 IU/mL for CHBV-ALF (P < 0.025). Twenty percent (12 of 60) of the AHBV-ALF group had no hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) detectable on admission to study, wheras no CHBV-ALF patients experienced HBsAg clearance. Rates of transplant-free survival were 33% (20 of 60) for AHBV-ALF versus 11% (3 of 27) for CHBV-ALF (P = 0.030). Conclusions: AHBV-ALF and CHBV-ALF differ markedly in IgM anti-HBc titers, in HBV VLs, and in prognosis, suggesting that the two forms are, indeed, different entities that might each have a unique pathogenesis. (HEPATOLOGY 2011)
Trans: a reliable broadcast protocol

Trans is a novel reliable broadcast protocol for the data-link layer of the ISO protocol hierarchy. The protocol exploits the broadcast nature of the physical communication media typically used in local-area networks. A combination of positive and negative acknowledgment strategies with transitivity of positive acknowledgments provides reliable operation without requiring a separate acknowledgment from every recipient of a message frame. Trans achieves reliable communication despite a noisy communication medium and processor fail-stop, omission and timing faults. Multicast, rather than fully broadcast, communication is readily obtained by operating several subnetworks over the same local-area network or, alternatively, by including a destination address list in the header of each broadcast frame.
Model Parametrization and Adaptation Based on the Invariance of Support Vectors With Applications to Battery State-of-Health Monitoring

Support vector regression (SVR) algorithms have been applied to the identification of many nonlinear dynamic systems due to their excellent approximation and generalization capability. However, the standard SVR algorithm involves an iterative optimization process, which is often computationally expensive and inefficient. For applications such as the battery state-of-health (SOH) monitoring, where the identification algorithm needs to be applied repeatedly for multiple cells because of the variation in model dynamics (due to battery aging and cell-to-cell difference), the computational burden could pose difficulties for real-time or onboard implementation. In this paper, the battery $V{-}Q$ curve identification problem for SOH monitoring is studied. Based on experimental battery aging data, we develop a model parametrization and adaptation framework utilizing the simple structure of SVR representation with determined support vectors (SVs) so that the model parameters can be estimated in real time. Through mathematical analysis and simulations using a mechanistic battery aging model, it is shown that the SVs of the battery models stay invariant, even when the batteries age or vary. The invariance of the SVs is verified using experimental aging data. Consequently, the resulting model for the battery $V{-}Q$ curve can be directly incorporated into the battery management system (BMS) and adapted online for SOH monitoring. Moreover, the general characteristics of the data that could maintain the SVR invariance are identified. The proposed automated model parametrization process (via an optimization algorithm) can be extended to nonlinear dynamic systems with the given properties.
Photoreduction of Chlorophyll a in the Presence of Ascorbic Acid in Pyridine Solutions.

Over the last decade, Russian investigators?among whom Krasnovsky, Evstigneev, and Gavrilova are most prominent?have published many papers describing the photoreduction of chlorophyll in dilute solutions. Since the photoreduction has been reported to be reversible and energy-storing, the reaction is of great interest because it could be related to the primary photochemical process of photosynthesis. This paper describes experiments carried out after initial attempts by the writer failed to reproduce certain of the Russian findings. Krasnovsky and Brin (5) reported that, when an oxygen-free pyridine solution of chlorophyll a (10~5 M) and ascorbic acid was illuminated with red light, the blue-green color characteristic of chlorophyll faded away and a pink solution was formed: the absorption bands of chlorophyll disappeared and a new absorption band with a maximum at 523 ??? appeared. Lynch and French have confirmed this observation. Krasnovsky et al (3, 4, 5) found that, with a moderate concentration of ascorbic acid (0.05 M ) and in the absence of water, the bleaching was reversible?i.e., in the dark following bleaching, chlorophyll was regenerated and a blue-green color was restored. In solutions containing water or more ascorbate (0.10 M), the bleaching was irreversible since pheophytin a rather than chlorophyll was generated in the dark. The Russian workers apparently regarded the formation of pheophytin as an unimportant secondary process unrelated to the photoreduction. The results of preliminary experiments of the writer differed significantly from those of the Russians'. In dry pyridine solutions, no bleaching was detected at all. When a certain amount of water was added to the samples, a rapid bleaching resulted but colorless rather than pink solutions were formed ; moreover, no reversibility could be demonstrated because the bleached chlorophyll was quantitatively converted into pheophytin in the dark following illumination. These findings thus failed to corroborate the existence of a pink photoreduced chlorophyll and failed also to show any reversible reaction at all. Since the Russian studies were not only convincing in their extent, but also important in providing evidence for the only known, reversible, light-sensitized, energy-storing redox reaction of chlorophyll, a thorough reinvestigation was undertaken. Part of the results of this study are reported in this paper.
FT-IR imaging spectroscopy of genetically modified bovine chondrocytes

Abstract Repair of articular cartilage defects remains a challenging problem in orthopaedic surgery. Although novel tissue engineering technologies have facilitated the synthesis of cartilage-like tissue for implantation into defect sites, questions persist as to how to best evaluate the integration of these matrices into cartilage and to assess their capability for regeneration and repair of the tissue. In the current study, Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRI) was utilized to study compositional changes in genetically modified bovine chondrocytes. With this technique, it was possible to evaluate the integration of the newly formed matrix into the articular cartilage substrate, and the content and distribution of the collagen and proteoglycan components in the repair tissue compared to native articular cartilage. Bovine chondrocytes were treated with an adenovirus (Ad) vector encoding bone morphogenetic protein-7 (AdBMP-7), transplanted onto bovine cartilage explants in vitro and the matrix evaluated by FT-IRI after 3 weeks of growth. Data were acquired from a 400×400-μm region of a histological specimen at 7-μm spatial resolution. FT-IR images were created based on collagen and proteoglycan content. It was apparent from these images that the AdBMP-7-treated chondrocyte matrix produced significantly more proteoglycan compared to both naive chondrocyte matrix, and to native bovine articular cartilage. However, the distribution of proteoglycan was very heterogeneous. In contrast, there was significantly less type II collagen in both AdBMP-7 and in naive chondrocyte matrix compared to the articular cartilage substrate. Overall, the new information obtained by FT-IR imaging spectroscopy will facilitate in design of new materials for cartilage regeneration and repair.
Self-broadened and N2 broadened linewidths of N2O☆

Abstract The self and N2-broadened linewidths of N2O have been measured directly in the 1001-0000 and 020-0000 bands of N2O at 297°K with a resolution of 0.03 cm−1. The experimental results are compared with linewidths calculated from Anderson's impact theory as amplified by Tsao and Curnutte. The agreement between experiment and theory is good for both types of broadening. Best-fit values for the quadrupole moments and hard-sphere diameters of N2O and N2 are listed and compared with previous values. The best-fit values were used to calculate the N2O + N2 linewidths at temperatures of 180°K, 220°K, and 260°K.
Configuration and Site of O2 Adsorption on the Pt(111) Electrode Surface

The inhibition of O2 reduction on a Pt(111) electrode surface with Ag adatoms has been studied to gain information on the type of O2 adsorption during the reaction. A pronounced inhibition is obser...
Managing a Cloud for Multi-agent Systems on Ad-Hoc Networks

We present a novel execution environment for multi-agent systems building on concepts from cloud computing and peer-to-peer networks. The novel environment can provide the computing power of a cloud for multi-agent systems in intermittently connected networks. We present the design and implementation of a prototype operating system for managing the environment. The operating system provides the user with a consistent view of a single machine, a single file system, and a unified programming model while providing elasticity and availability.
Argon porosimetry of selected molecular sieves: experiments and examination of the adapted Horvath-Kawazoe model

The calculated micropore size of various molecular sieves has been examined using static argon porosimetry and a simple model for adsorption. The molecular sieves used in this study are NaY, ZSM-5, AlPO4-5, AlPO4-11 and VPI-5. Since zeolites and aluminophosphates have different interactions with argon, a lumped parameter for adsorptive interactions was found to be critical to the evaluation of micropore size using an area-averaged cylindrical pore model. The parameter of choice is the magnetic susceptibility of the adsorbent oxide ion. For NaY and ZSM-5, a magnetic susceptibility of χ=−1.3·10−29cm3 shows good results. With a value of χ=−1.9·10−29cm3, the calculated pore sizes of AlPO4-5 and AlPO4-11 are in good accord with the values from X-ray diffraction studies. For VPI-5, which has a larger pore, the monolayer cylindrical pore model is more adequate, but it requires inclusion of an adjustable factor to compensate for adsorbate-adsorbate interactions.
Adolescent Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana Use: The Influence of Neighborhood Disorder and Hope:

Abstract Purpose. To investigate relationships between adolescents' current alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use; perceptions of neighborhood disorder; and sense of hope. Design. Questionnaires were administered to a nonrandom sample of middle school students during the spring of 1999. Subjects. The ethnically and geographically diverse sample (n = 369), from a range of low socioeconomic status backgrounds, was considered to be at high risk for alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use because of previous enrollment in low socioeconomic status elementary schools. Measures. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use were dichotomized into current and never/no use. Six variables described neighborhood social disorder. Sense of hope was assessed using the Children's Hope Scale. Results. Statistically significant relationships were found between perceived neighborhood disorder and current alcohol (p= .01), tobacco (p = .001), and marijuana (p < .001) use. A statistically significant and independent relationship was found ...