cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Valence of Media Coverage About Electronic Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products From 2014 to 2017: Evidence From Automated Content Analysis.

INTRODUCTION As media exposure can influence people's opinions and perceptions about vaping and smoking, analyzing the valence of media content about tobacco products (ie, overall attitude toward tobacco, cigars, electronic cigarettes, etc.) is an important issue. This study advances the field by analyzing a large amount of media content about multiple tobacco products across six different media sources. AIMS AND METHODS From May 2014 to December 2017, we collected all English-language media items about tobacco products that U.S. young people might see from mass media and websites (long-form) and social media (Twitter and YouTube). We used supervised machine learning to develop validated algorithms to label the valence of these media items. Using the labeled results, we examined the impact of product type (e-cigarettes vs. other tobacco products), source (long-form vs. social media), and time (by month) on the valence of coverage. RESULTS We obtained 152 886 long-form media texts (20% with more than a passing mention), nearly 86 million tweets, and 12 262 YouTube videos about tobacco products. Most long-form media content opposed, while most social media coverage supported, the use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. Over time, within-source valence proportions were stable, though in aggregate, the amount of media coverage against the use of tobacco products decreased. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the U.S. public communication environment about vaping and smoking for young people and offers a novel big data approach to analyzing media content. Results suggest that content has gradually become less negative toward the use of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. IMPLICATIONS This study is the first to examine how the valence of media coverage differs for e-cigarettes versus other tobacco products, across several media sources, and over time using a large corpus of media items. Unlike prior studies, these data allow us to draw conclusions about relative support and opposition for these two categories of products in a variety of media coverage because the same coding scheme was used across products and media sources.
Prospects and Pitfalls for Spectroscopic Remote Sensing of Biodiversity at the Global Scale

Imaging spectroscopy is a powerful new approach for observing aspects of the biological diversity of the Earth, conveying information about plant functional traits, habitat, and plant diversity itself. For decades, spectroscopic data suitable for this application have mainly been collected by aircraft. But in the next decade, global coverage from space by high-quality spectroscopic data will become available, preceded by instruments providing “global access”—not wall-to-wall coverage but data from almost anywhere in the world. For decades, scientists have experimented with and discussed optimal strategies for collecting spectroscopic data, but the next set of missions is now sufficiently well-defined that ecologists should consider how best to use the data that can now be expected. The anticipated flood of data will provide a new window on diversity, characterizing it in new ways that comprehensively sample space and change over time. Spectroscopic data will be peta-scale or larger, perhaps as much as 10 TB per day, and the data themselves will be high dimensional, requiring and allowing advanced big data techniques to be fully exploited. These data raise specific challenges such as how to characterize aggregate ecosystem characteristics, since the traits observed will change with phenology. Pixels will be fixed at ~30 m, 10–106 times larger than the plants they sample; other instrument objectives are likely in the range of 10 nm spectral sampling, coverage from 400 to 2500 nm with signal to noise in the range of 250–400. Imaging spectroscopy from space represents a huge opportunity for global ecology, but many conceptual, algorithmic, and theoretical issues will challenge the users.
The relationship between misfolding avoidance hypothesis and protein evolutionary rates in the light of empirical evidence

For more than a decade the misfolding avoidance hypothesis (MAH) and related theories have dominated evolutionary discussions aimed at explaining the variance of molecular clock across cellular proteins. In this study we use various experimental data to further investigate the consistency of the MAH predictions with empirical evidence. We also critically discuss experimental results that motivated the MAH development and that are often viewed as evidence of its major contribution to constraining protein evolution. We demonstrate, in Escherichia coli and Homo sapiens, the lack of a substantial negative correlation between protein evolutionary rates and Gibbs free energies of unfolding, a direct measure of protein stability. We then analyze multiple new genome-scale datasets describing protein aggregation and interaction propensities, which are likely optimized in evolution to alleviate deleterious effects associated with toxic protein misfolding and misinteractions. Our results demonstrate that the propensity of proteins to aggregate, the fraction of charged amino acids, and protein stickiness do correlate with protein abundances. Nevertheless, across multiple organisms and datasets we do not observe substantial correlations between proteins aggregation- and stability-related properties and evolutionary rates. Therefore, diverse empirical data support the conclusion that the MAH and similar hypotheses are unlikely to play a major role in mediating a strong negative correlation between protein expression and molecular clock, and thus in explaining the variability of evolutionary rates across cellular proteins.
Growth series for graphs

Given a graph Γ, one can associate a right-angled Coxeter group W and a cube complex Σ on which W acts. By identifying W with the vertex set of Σ, one obtains a growth series for W defined as W(t)= ∑w∈Wtl(w), where l(w) denotes the minimum length of an edge path in Σ from the vertex 1 to the vertex w. The series W(t) is known to be a rational function. We compute some examples and investigate the poles and zeros of this function.
Sampling Effect on Radiation Characteristics of Automotive 5G Antenna in Spherical-Near-Field Test Range

Since integrated antennas are strongly coupled with the vehicle body structures, antenna measurements on vehicle level are necessary to accurately characterize the antenna performance. Due to large Fraunhofer regions of typical vehicles, especially at higher frequencies for mobile communications, near field measurement ranges are in many cases implemented. This contribution addresses a sampling requirement issue during the spherical near field measurement of automobile integrated antennas. The measurement results demonstrate a significant deviation on measured radiation patterns and total radiated power (TRP) value of an integrated automobile antenna by using 1° and 10° sampling step in spherical near field measurements. Therefore, a sufficiently fine sampling step is necessary to guarantee a correct measurement results of radiation characteristics in spherical near field test range. In this paper a 5G antenna integrated on vehicle roof is taken as an example, but note that the phenomenon mentioned here is not limited to a specific antenna type.
Effect of Water Vapor on Lifetime of 625 and 120 Foils During Oxidation Between 650 and 800 °C

The oxidation behavior of alloy 625 and 120 foils was studied at 650, 700 and 800 $$^\circ$$ C in dry air and flowing air + 10% H $$_2$$ O up to 10,000 h (alloy 625) or 30,000 h (alloy 120). The effect of water vapor on Cr loss was investigated. Manganese and iron in the 120 foil induced faster Cr depletion in the foil and breakdown of the Cr $$_2$$ O $$_3$$ scale into Fe and Cr-rich oxide compared to the alloy 625 foil. In the latter case, the presence of Nb led to the formation of Nb and Cr-rich oxide after breakdown of the Cr $$_2$$ O $$_3$$ scale. Simultaneous Cr loss due to oxidation and volatilization of the Cr $$_2$$ O $$_3$$ oxide scale was predicted and compared to experimental Cr loss measurements for exposures up to 30,000 h.
An unusual cause of cardioembolic stroke

A 30 year-old female presented with acute left sided weakness. Brain magnetic resonance angiography revealed acute stroke involving the right middle cerebral artery. TEE was performed to look for cardiac sources of embolism. 2D and 3D assessment of the mitral valve disclosed a globular echo dense mass (1.7 9 0.6 cm) encasing the posterior leaflet (Fig. 1a, b, arrows). Infectious workup revealed negative blood cultures. Anticardiolipin antibody titers were elevated and lupus anticoagulant test was positive with negative serological workup for other autoimmune diseases. Patient underwent mechanical valve replacement given large embolic event. Gross and microscopic pathology specimens of the mitral valve revealed red tan vegetation (Fig. 1c) rich in fibrin and platelets (Fig. 1d), consistent with non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis secondary to antiphospholipid syndrome. Warfarin anticoagulation was commenced life-long and patient was discharged home. Antiphospholipid associated cardiac valve lesion is a rare entity with significant embolic potential [1]. Surgical intervention along with long-term anticoagulation is needed with large thromboembolic events and evidence of leaflet structural damage [2].
Perpetual poverty: child health and the underclass.

Poverty is a predominant social precursor to poor health.1-9 The disadvantaged health status among the poor is associated with reduced life expectancy and a high risk of death from preventable illnesses.2,10-12 Child health is affected particularly, as exemplified by excessive rates of low birth weight, prematurity, and neonatal, infant, and postneonatal mortalities. Specifically postneonatal deaths among poor children are often due to preventable or treatable illnesses such as diarrhea, pneumonia, influenza, and accidents. (New York Times. July 17, 1990: A10; New York Times. August 6, 1990:A1).2,3,11,16-18 In addition rates of teenage pregnancy, drug dependence, and death due to intentional and unintentional injuries are excessively high among poor, urban adolescents (New York Times. July 17, 1990:A10; New York Times. August 6, 1990:A1).7,17-18 UNDERCLASS STATUS AS A RISK FACTOR Related risk factors that adversely affect pregnancy or neonatal outcome include, single parent status, adolescent age, minority status, limited education, unemployment, and alcohol and illicit drug use. However, between 80% to 90% of poor women with these factors have healthy infants. It has become apparent that all poor women are not equally at risk or even equally financially disadvantaged despite having in common the traditional poverty-associated risk factors (Newsweek. May 28, 1990:78).7,15,19 The subpopulation of poor people which has the highest risk for infant mortality and other health complications, includes the most disadvantaged people, known collectively as the underclass. Although use of this term has been considered controversial and may have negative implications, the idea that there is a group of the most disadvantaged citizens has been accepted for some time (Newsweek.
Detection of Digital Amplitude-Phase Modulated Signals in Symmetric Alpha-Stable Noise

In this paper, we propose a scheme for the detection of digital amplitude-phase modulated signals in flat fading channels with non-Gaussian noise. The additive noise is modeled by a symmetric alpha-stable distribution, a well-known model of man-made and natural noise that appears in various environments. A major challenge in the design of signal detection schemes is that detectors typically operate without knowledge of the transmitted data, channel state, and noise statistics. The design becomes especially difficult for the considered noise model since conventional signal processing approaches are not applicable. For this reason, we propose a five-stage signal detection scheme that is based on the use of a matched myriad filter. An important contribution of this paper is the development of new algorithms for the estimation of noise distribution parameters in the presence of an unknown signal. Results are presented which show that the proposed detector outperforms a zero-memory non-linearity-based scheme.
Role of Pyridine Nucleotides in the Control of Respiration in Ultraviolet-Irradiated Escherichia coli B/r Cells

Escherichia coli B/r cells grown on glycerol-containing medium and irradiated with ultraviolet light to about 1% survival respire for about 1 hr and then cease completely for several hours. The results of studies on cell-free respiration and analyses of pyridine nucleotide levels at various times after ultraviolet irradiation show that the cessation of respiration is associated with two changes-loss of glycerol kinase activity and complete disappearance of pyridine nucleotides. Under other cultural conditions in which respiratory inhibition is less complete and more transitory, the losses of pyridine nucleotides are smaller and the rises which follow are correlated with increases in respiratory activity.
Nucleotide Labeling and Reconstitution of the Recombinant 58-kDa Subunit of the Vacuolar Proton-translocating ATPase

Evidence suggests that ATP hydrolysis catalyzed by the clathrin-coated vesicle proton-translocating ATPase requires at least four polypeptides of molecular masses of 70, 58, 40, and 33 kDa (Xie, X.-S., and Stone, D. K.(1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 9859-9867). To further investigate the subunit requirements for ATP hydrolysis, histidine-tagged, 58-kDa polypeptide was expressed in insect Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda) cells. After purification by Ni2+-nitrolotriacetic acid chromatography, the 58-kDa protein was found to lack significant ATPase activity. However, the subunit was photoaffinity labeled with [α-32P]ATP, [14C]ADP, or 35S-labeled ADP and UV irradiation in a divalent cation-dependent manner. The labeling was saturable with an apparent Kd of 4 μM for both ATP and ADP. ATP and ADP competition labeling experiments indicate that the two nucleotides share the same binding site. When reconstituted with recombinant 70-kDa subunit and a biochemically prepared catalytic sector (Vc) depleted of the 70- and 58-kDa subunits, the 58-kDa component restores Ca2+-activated ATP hydrolysis to a specific activity of 0.19 μmol Pi× mg protein−1× min−1, thus demonstrating that ATP hydrolysis in vacuolar type proton pumps is dependent upon the 58-kDa subunit as well as multi-subunit interactions.
An adaptable investigative graduate laboratory course for teaching protein purification

This adaptable graduate laboratory course on protein purification offers students the opportunity to explore a wide range of techniques while allowing the instructor the freedom to incorporate their own personal research interests. The course design involves two sequential purification schemes performed in a single semester. The first part comprises the expression and purification of a recombinant GFP-binding protein from E. coli. The student-purified GFP-binding protein is then used in the second part of the course to immunoprecipitate GFP-tagged proteins, and their potential interacting partners, from cell or tissue extracts. As an example, we describe the immunoprecipitation of GFP-tagged proteins from Drosophila melanogaster larval extracts that are homologous to proteins implicated in human diseases, followed by western blotting to examine student experimental outcomes. However, the widespread availability of GFP-fusion proteins in diverse organisms enables researchers to tailor the second part of the course to their specific research programs while maintaining the flexibility to engage students in active learning. Student evaluations indicate a genuine excitement for research and in depth knowledge of both the techniques performed and the theory behind them. © 2014 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 42(6):486–494, 2014.
Mechanism of chain initiation by dextransucrase: Absence of terminal ‘sucrose’ linkage in newly synthesized dextran chains

Dextran was synthesized using dextransucrase from Streptococus sanguis 10558 and (F)-[14C]sucrose as substrate to test the possibility that sucrose may be the initial acceptor for glucose. If sucrose is the initial acceptor, then dextran chains should have [14C] fructose in a terminal ‘sucrose’ linkage which can be cleaved under mild conditions. Although incorporation of [14C]fructose into dextran was observed, the label was not released by mild hydrolysis, indicating that sucrose is not the initiator for dextran synthesis. Incorporation of [14C]fructose into dextran might represent its ability to act as an acceptor, as suggested by the isolation of leucrose as a by-product in the reaction.
Multi-modal EEG online visualization and neuro-feedback

Brain computer interface (BCI) is a communication pathway between brain and peripheral devices, which is promising in the field of rehabilitation and helps to improve the life quality of physically challenged people Analysis of EEG signal is essential in non-invasive BCI system However, because of EEG signal's low signal-to-noise ratio and huge amount of data, signal analysis function in current BCI systems is rarely available online, which is inconvenient for system adaptation and calibration, as well as comprehension of data's characteristics To address the problem, this paper presents two features that are suitable for online visualization Rhythm power indicates active brain region, and filtered ERSP (Event related spectrum power) is a substitute for original ERSP which provides information in signal's frequency domain Moreover, visualization of CSP (Common Spatial Pattern) feature is also realized which serves as an indicator of epochs' quality.
Correlations induced in a packet stream by background traffic in a multiplexed environment

The authors present an analytic model that shows that the service requirements at a server for background classes of traffic can have a significant effect on a tagged class, impacting not only the variance, but more importantly, introducing slowly decaying correlations in the tagged stream. The model is general in that it incorporates first- and second-order statistics for all processes involved and focuses on the correlations introduced by multiplexing. The results show that correlations present in background classes, combined with differing service requirements for the different classes, have enormous impact on the departure stream of all classes involved.
Electromagnetic Theorems and Principles

This chapter contains sections titled: Uniqueness Theorem Image Theory Reciprocity Theorems Equivalence Principles Duality Principle Aperture Radiation and Scattering References Problems
Mechanisms of neurulation: traditional viewpoint and recent advances

In this review article, the traditional viewpoint of how neurulation occurs is evaluated in light of recent advances. This has led to the formulation of the following fundamentals: (1) neurulation, specifically neural plate shaping and bending, is a multifactorial process resulting from forces both intrinsic and extrinsic to the neural plate; (2) neurulation is driven by both changes in neuroepithelial cell shape and other form-shaping events; and (3) forces for cell shape changes are generated by both the cytoskeleton and other factors. Several cell behaviors within the neural plate have been elucidated. Future challenges include identifying cell behaviors within non-neuroepithelial tissues, determining how intrinsic and extrinsic cell behaviors are orchestrated into coordinated morphogenetic movements and elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying such behaviors.
Thread criticality predictors for dynamic performance, power, and resource management in chip multiprocessors

With the shift towards chip multiprocessors (CMPs), exploiting and managing parallelism has become a central problem in computing systems. Many issues of parallelism management boil down to discerning which running threads or processes are critical, or slowest, versus which are non-critical. If one can accurately predict critical threads in a parallel program, then one can respond in a variety of ways. Possibilities include running the critical thread at a faster clock rate, performing load balancing techniques to offload work onto currently non-critical threads, or giving the critical thread more on-chip resources to execute faster.This paper proposes and evaluates simple but effective thread criticality predictors for parallel applications. We show that accurate predictors can be built using counters that are typically already available on-chip. Our predictor, based on memory hierarchy statistics, identifies thread criticality with an average accuracy of 93% across a range of architectures.We also demonstrate two applications of our predictor. First, we show how Intel's Threading Building Blocks (TBB) parallel runtime system can benefit from task stealing techniques that use our criticality predictor to reduce load imbalance. Using criticality prediction to guide TBB's task-stealing decisions improves performance by 13-32% for TBB-based PARSEC benchmarks running on a 32-core CMP. As a second application, criticality prediction guides dynamic energy optimizations in barrier-based applications. By running the predicted critical thread at the full clock rate and frequency-scaling non-critical threads, this approach achieves average energy savings of 15% while negligibly degrading performance for SPLASH-2 and PARSEC benchmarks.
Non-isothermal liquid flow and heat transfer in sintered metallic porous media

Abstract This paper presents an experimental and analytical study of non-isothermal liquid flow in sintered fiber metallic porous media. The purpose of the paper is to present a self-consistent procedure for determining heat-transfer characteristics of porous metals. The analysis uses the volume averaged conservation equations. Darcy's law is assumed to hold and local thermal equilibrium is assumed to exist between the solid and liquid phases. The coupled conservation equations are solved for one and two dimensional temperature distributions using finite difference schemes. Different flow and thermal boundary conditions are used. The experiments involve the measurement of temperature distributions and effective thermal conductivities of water saturated copper and nickel sintered fiber metal wicks. The effective thermal conductivities are measured using the steady-state method of comparison and the resulting values are used in the volume averaged energy equation. The measured temperature distributions and those predicted by the analysis show good agreement. Thus the procedure presented in this paper for predicting heat transfer seems to be valid.
The UKPDS and its global impact

Aim To review the world-wide impact of the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) on diabetes health care since publication of the main study results in 1998. Methods The major papers published by the UKPDS were reviewed, e-mails and faxes were sent to diabetes associations in various regions of the world seeking information on trends in HbA1c over the past decade and similar information was obtained from a major USA laboratory. Results The UKPDS extended to type 2 diabetes and brought to completion the case for linking the microvascular vascular complications of diabetes to control of blood glucose initially demonstrated by the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). This helped set the standard of care for diabetes to seek an HbA1c goal of at least < 7.0% with intensive glycemic treatment and formed a fundamental part of continuing medical education. This also helped stimulate new hypoglycemic drug development and the preferential use of metformin as first line therapy was supported by UKPDS results. In many areas of the world, including the United Kingdom and the USA, a national trend to lower HbA1c levels has been seen. Economic analyses have shown UKPDS intensive treatment to be cost-effective at 6028 Ibs. per quality life year gained, imposing a reasonable burden on the British National health care budget. Conclusions The UKPDS was a landmark study in the treatment of type 2 diabetes from the time of diagnosis that has influenced standards of care and treatment guidelines throughout the world.
IC CARD: VISUAL SPECIFICATION FOR RAPID PROTOTYPING OF TIME-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS

We describe IC card, which is a visual specification scheme for the rapid prototyping of time-critical applications. The software developer can use IC cards to describe the entities of an applicati...
Familial ring (19) chromosome mosaicism: Case report and review

Ring (19) chromosomal mosaicism has been identified in a 14-month-old girl referred for cytogenetic evaluation due to microcephaly and developmental delay with autistic-like mannerisms. An analysis of her peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a 46,XX,r(19) cell line in 119/121 of cells examined. Of the two remaining cells, one had a normal female chromosome complement and the other showed loss of one of the chromosome 19 homologs. Further analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization using an all human telomere probe showed the presence of a single hybridization signal on the r(19) chromosome. Subsequent cytogenetic characterization of cells derived from the patient's phenotypically normal mother also demonstrated the presence of a ring 19 chromosome in 4/100 cells. The remaining cells had a normal female chromosome complement. These findings represent the first reported case of familial ring 19 mosaicism. The cytogenetic and clinical findings in these two individuals are discussed in relation to six previously reported cases of de novo ring chromosome 19 mosaicism.
Mn- and Cr-Doped InN: A Promising Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Material

Cr- and Mn-doped InN films were successfully grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on c-plane sapphire substrates. Low temperature GaN buffer layers grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy were used to accommodate the large lattice mismatch between InN and sapphire. A high n-type carrier concentration of 1.5×1020 cm−3 was measured in InN films with 3% Cr-doping. Films of this type exhibit a well-defined in-plane magnetic hysteresis loop and remanence for temperatures varying from 5 to 300K. The Mn-doped films, however, turned out to exhibit less clear magnetic properties. Thus, ferromagnetism in Cr-doped InN can be concluded from our measurements.
Negative refractive index in ferromagnetic semiconductors: experimental verification

In this work, we show that natural crystals, or magnetic semiconductor, Cr-doped indium oxide, has a negative refractive index at ~ 27.8 micron wavelength. The effect was predicted by two of us a few years ago (A.G. Kussow and A. Akyurtlu, Phys. Rev. B, 78, 205202 (2008)). Our result seriously undermines wide-spread opinion that only composite artificial metamaterials can demonstrate negative refractive index. Thin ferromagnetic films of ICO were fabricated by original post-annealing sputtering method. FTIR R and T measurements were processed to extract refractive index within the range of interest. The extracted from combined transmittance and reflectance FTIR data negative refractive index band parameters are found to be close to expected one.
Moxonidine Acting Centrally Inhibits Airway Reflex Responsesa

We examined the role of I1-imidazoline (I1-IR) receptors in control of airway function, by testing the effects of systemic administration of the I1-IR agonist moxonidine on reflex responses of tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) tone to either lung deflation or mechanical stimulation of intrapulmonary rapidly adapting receptors. Experiments were performed in either alpha-chloralose anesthetized or decorticate, paralyzed, and mechanically ventilated beagle dogs. Moxonidine (10-100 micrograms/kg) administered via three different routes (femoral vein, muscular branch of superior thyroid artery, and vertebral artery) attenuated TSM responses to stimulation of airway sensory nerve fibers by two different ways and caused a decrease in arterial pressure and heart rate. These effects were dose dependent and were significantly reversed by efaroxan (an I1-IR and alpha 2-adrenergic blocker) administered via the vertebral artery. Intravertebral efaroxan abolished the hemodynamic effects of moxonidine. Intravenous moxonidine (10-100 micrograms/kg) did not alter airway smooth muscle responses to electrical stimulation of the peripheral vagus nerve. In addition, in vitro moxonidine (1-100 micrograms/ml) had no effect on contractile responses to increasing doses of acetylcholine. These findings indicate that moxonidine may act at a central site to suppress reflex airway constriction, even when given into the systemic circulation. Given the presence of I1-IR sites and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors in brain regions participating in airway reflexes, these receptor classes may be involved in brainstem control of the cholinergic outflow to the airways.
Arithmetic properties of polynomial specializations over finite fields

We present applications of some recent results that establish a partial finite field analogue of Schinzel’s Hypothesis H. For example, we prove that the distribution of gaps between degree n prime polynomials over Fp is close to Poisson for p large compared to n. We also estimate the number of polynomial substitutions without prime factors of large degree (“smooth” polynomial substitutions); this confirms a finite field analogue of a conjecture of Martin in certain ranges of the parameters. Other topics considered include an analogue of Brun’s constant for polynomials and “smooth” values of neighboring polynomials.
Mucosal adjuvants to improve wildlife rabies vaccination.

RABORAL V-RG®a is a recombi-nant vaccine used in oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs for wildlife in the United States. Vaccination rates for raccoons are substantially lower than vaccination rates for gray foxes and coyotes. Research suggests that the low viscosity of the oral vaccine may preclude animals from receiving an effective dose when biting into the vaccine bait delivery system. We evaluated the possibility of using two benign compounds, chitosan and N,N,N-trimethylated chitosan (TMC), to increase the viscosity of the vaccine and potentially act as adjuvants to improve the immune response in raccoons (Procyon lotor). Forty mildly sedated raccoons were orally vaccinated via needleless syringe with either RABORAL V-RG (n=12), chitosan+RABORAL V-RG (n=12), TMC+ RABORAL V-RG (n=12), or no vaccine (n=4), on day 0 and again on day 90. We collected sera every 2–4 wk for 4 mo and evaluated rabies virus-neutralizing antibodies (rVNA). Raccoons were considered responders if rVNA titers were ≥0.1 IU/mL....
Serratia marcescens (SM) pulmonary infections in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTICU)

BACKGROUND: The CTICU is a 22-bed unit that provides the immediate post operative care of cardiac surgery (CT) patients. In March 2004, a cluster of four patients with serious pneumonias and one patient with bacteremia due to SM were identified in the CTICU. SM has sporadically been the cause of infection in the CTICU, but no clustering of cases had ever occurred. All five patients had CT in late March 2004, two on the same day in the same operating room (OR). All patients were admitted post-op to the CTICU. The cases occurred with increasing severity and an overall mortality rate of 60%. OBJECTIVE: To investigate a cluster of SM infections in a CTICU. METHODS: The investigation centered on environmental inspections of potential sources of SM in both the CTICU and the OR. In the CTICU the investigation focused on respiratory therapy and nursing practices. In the OR investigation centered on the cleaning of equipment, OR rooms, common supplies and OR personnel practices. Environmental cultures were obtained. All patient isolates were sent for molecular typing. RESULTS: Molecular typing revealed identical genetic patterns supporting a common source for the SM. No direct sources were identified in the CTICU although environmental culturing found one culture positive for SM from a handwashing sink. All patients involved in the outbreak were found to have had a trans-esophageal echocardiogram (TEE) as part of their CT procedure. To lubricate the TEE probe, ultrasound gel (UG) was applied directly into the patient's mouth prior to passing the probe down the esophagus. The UG is a reusable nonsterile gel kept on the TEE cart in the OR room. The UG was not to be used internally, as per manufacturer's instruction. All five of the cases involved had the UG used for the TEE. The particular TEE probe used in each case was not identifiable as the probes were not labeled and were stored in a central location after reprocessing. The UG was not available for culturing. Following removal of the gel there have been no additional SM cases. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Common source of the SM may have been the UG used for the TEE procedures. 2) Epidemiologic investigations using molecular typing help to improve current practice in the OR. 3) TEE probes should be labeled and logged to allow for future tracking. 4) Only sterile products should be used to lubricate probes.
Sensory marketing, embodiment, and grounded cognition: A review and introduction

There has been a recent swell of interest in marketing as well as psychology pertaining to the role of sensory experiences in judgment and decision making. Within marketing, the field of sensory marketing has developed which explores the role of the senses in consumer behavior. In psychology, the dominant computer metaphor of information processing has been challenged by researchers demonstrating various manners in which mental activity is grounded in sensory experience. These findings are arduous to explain using the amodal model of the human mind. In this introduction, we first delineate key assumptions of the information processing paradigm and then discuss some of the key conceptual challenges posed by the research generally appearing under the titles of embodiment, grounded cognition, or sensory marketing. We then address the use of bodily feelings as a source of information; next, we turn to the role of context sensitive perception, imagery, and simulation in consumer behavior, and finally discuss the role of metaphors. Through this discourse, we note the contributions to the present special issue as applicable.
The demand for first-class mail: An econometric analysis

This paper focuses on the demand for first-class letters in the U.S. using aggregate quarterly time-series data for the period 1971–1986. The main drivers of the volume of first class mail are found to be GNP, the relative price of a first-class letter, the volume of bulk regular third-class mail, and the number of financial accounts. A principal finding is that the size of the price elasticity varies seasonally, reaching a peak in the fourth quarter.
VAMP-1, VAMP-2, and syntaxin-4 regulate ANP release from cardiac myocytes.

Abstract ANP is a peptide released by cardiac myocytes that regulates blood pressure and natriuresis. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling ANP release from cardiac myocytes are not defined. We now identify three components of the exocytic machinery that regulate ANP release from atrial myocytes. We found that cardiac myocytes express N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor (NSF), soluble NSF attachment protein (α-SNAP), and SNAP receptors (SNAREs). Additionally we found that specific SNARE molecules, VAMP-1 and VAMP-2, both co-sediment and co-localize with ANP. Also, one SNARE molecule, syntaxin-4, partially co-sediments and partially co-localizes with ANP. Furthermore, these three SNAREs, sytntaxin-4 and VAMP-1 and VAMP-2, form a SNARE complex inside cardiac myocytes. Finally, knockdown of VAMP-1, VAMP-2, or syntaxin-4 blocks regulated release of ANP. In contrast, silencing of VAMP-3 did not have an effect on ANP release. Our data suggest that three specific SNAREs regulate cardiac myocyte exocytosis of ANP. Pathways that modify the exocytic machinery may influence natriuresis and blood pressure.
New approach to constrained predictive control with simultaneous model identification

A new framework to closed-loop process identification is proposed. It relies on simultaneous constrained model predictive control (MPC) and identification (MPCI). MPCI obtains sufficient model information on a process under constrained MPC, while minimally disturbing that process. To select a process input at each time step, MPCI solves a constrained optimization problem on-line with respect to process input values over a finite moving horizon. These process inputs should satisfy all conventional MPC constraints, as well as additional constraints that assure persistent excitation of the process by these inputs. The persistent excitation constraints can be enabled or disabled, according to process identification needs of the closed loop. An iterative scheme is proposed for the numerical solution of the on-line optimization problem. At each iteration, that iterative scheme finds a suboptimal feasible solution of the on-line optimization problem by solving a semidefinite programming problem whose global convergence is guaranteed. The effectiveness of the proposed new methodology is illustrated through simulations on a linear time-varying process.
A Brief History of Physical Chemistry in the American Chemical Society

This article traces the histories of The Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Division of Physical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. As we celebrate the centennial of The Journal of Physical Chemistry, physical chemistry is enjoying a period of intense progress on a broad scientific front spanning science and engineering and involving major fundamental and applied advances. The Journal of Physical Chemistry and the symposia arranged by Division of Physical Chemistry are among the most important forums for many of these developments.
The Discriminant Validity of Gifted Children's Divergent Thinking Test Scores

Previous research suggests that the indices drawn from divergent thinking tests (i.e., ideational fluency, originality, and flexibility) lack discriminant validity. This is a serious problem because of the popularity of these tests, and because divergent thinking is probably our most useful model of creative thinking. Still, the research demonstrating a lack of discriminant validity was conducted primarily with nongifted subjects, and the findings may not apply to gifted individuals. The present project evaluated the discriminant validity of gifted children's (N = 97) divergent thinking test scores with multitrait-multimethod and factor analytic procedures. Results indicated that the indices drawn from the divergent thinking tests did lack discriminant validity in this gifted sample.
Effect of caloric restriction on hepatic nuclear DNA damage in male Fischer 344 rats treated with aflatoxin B1.

Caloric restriction is known to reduce chemically-induced tumor incidence in laboratory animals. The effect is believed to be mediated in part by modification of hepatic drug metabolism, including both phase I and phase II enzymes. Using aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) as a model carcinogen, we studied the effect of caloric restriction on the modification of rat liver nuclear DNA by AFB1 and DNA damage due to the formation of apurinic sites from the AFB1-DNA adduct removal process. Caloric restriction reduced the metabolic activation of AFB1 which resulted in a decrease of AFB1-DNA binding by more than 50%. The results of the study of the effect of caloric restriction on the AFB1-induced DNA strand breakage assayed by the alkaline unwinding technique showed that caloric restriction protected the formation of apurinic sites from the AFB1-DNA adducts and reduced the double strand DNA breakages by 1.3– 2.5-fold. Thus, the lower initial AFB1-DNA binding and less DNA damage, presumably by the less apurinic sites formed during the depurination process of AFB1-DNA adducts, contributed to the protective effect of caloric restriction.
Process-induced microstructural characteristics of laser consolidated IN-738 superalloy

Abstract Laser consolidation (LC) is a laser cladding based material additive process that could fabricate a “net-shape” functional metallic part through a “layer-upon-layer” deposition directly from a CAD model. The LC process can produce nickel-base IN-738 superalloy with metallurgical soundness. Nevertheless, due to process-induced rapid directional solidification, the LC IN-738 alloy demonstrates certain unique microstructural characteristics, such as, the presence of non-uniform coarse columnar grains (a majority of the grains is in the range of about 56–158 μm in diameter; but their lengths could vary from several hundred μm to the height of the wall being built up) in combination with exceptionally fine directionally solidified dendrites inside (the secondary dendritic arm spacing is about 1.7 μm). Moreover, the “as-consolidated” LC IN-738 alloy, in nature, is a supersaturated γ solid solution, and any precipitation of γ′ particles from the γ matrix is effectively suppressed. Post heat treatment, thus, is essential to achieve the required operational microstructure. On the other hand, the nature and role of conventional “solution plus aging” treatment to the LC IN-738 alloy seem to be different as compared to “as-cast” or wrought IN-738 alloy. In this paper, process-induced microstructural characteristics of the LC IN-738 alloy and its development brought by post heat treatment were fully investigated. The implication on high-temperature mechanical performance of the LC alloy was discussed as well.
DISTRIBUTION OF HEPARAN SULFATE PROTEOGLYCANS IN EMBRYONIC CHICKEN NEURAL RETINA AND ISOLATED INNER LIMITING MEMBRANE

Quantitative distribution of proteoglycans was studied in retinal neural epithelium and its basement membrane (inner limiting membrane). Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) were primarily associated with both inner and outer plexiform (synaptic) layers, and inner limiting membrane (ILM), as determined by autoradiographs of lyase-digested cryosections. Based on distribution of 35S-sulfate-labeled proteoglycans, the isolated ILM contained on average approximately three fourths of its proteoglycans as HSPGs and one fourth as chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate proteoglycans (CS/DSPGs), whereas the remaining retina contained approximately equal amounts of the two proteoglycans (PGs). Immunohistochemical staining indicates that the core proteins of the HSPGs in the ILM are distinct from those of the plexiform layers. The photoreceptor layer, which other studies have shown to contain much of the extracellular CS/DSPGs, was not examined. Enrichment of distinct HSPGs in the ILM and plexiform layers support the conclusion that the HSPGs may be intimately involved in the different developmental events characterizing the two regions: development and extension of ganglion cell axons in the former, synaptogenesis and neuronal function in the latter.
Network Evaluation Tool to Improve Real and Perceived Bicycle Safety

Bicycles offer a promising transportation alternative to private motor vehicles, especially in areas with congestion, poor air quality, and high fuel prices. The study on which this paper is based sought rational methods for determining the most efficient use of the available funds to improve bicycle transportation. A bicycle network analysis tool was developed to assess the networkwide level of service offered to bicyclists in a study area. The tool uses route length and measures of perceived safety to quantify the bicycle friendliness of a street network. The tool can be used to compare networks and assist with the selection of locations for bicycle facility improvements.
Prospects for benefits to astronomical adaptive optics from U.S. military programs

This paper outlines potential benefits to the development of astronomical adaptive optics by the transfer of technology from US military laboratories. Areas described include wavefront correctors, focal planes for wavefront sensing and tracking, rugate coatings, lasers for generating sodium guide stars in the mesosphere, the potential of using femtosecond lasers to generate bright, white-light beacons at high altitude.
NASA-Langley Web-Based Operational Real-time Cloud Retrieval Products from Geostationary Satellites

At NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC), radiances from multiple satellites are analyzed in near real-time to produce cloud products over many regions on the globe. These data are valuable for many applications such as diagnosing aircraft icing conditions and model validation and assimilation. This paper presents an overview of the multiple products available, summarizes the content of the online database, and details web-based satellite browsers and tools to access satellite imagery and products.
Television Will Be the End of War: Staging Broadcasting History

the two media are. Not only are the precursors of and desire for television imminent in the nature of the theatrical form (cf. Philip Auslander’s Liveness, 1999), but, for quite some time, theatre was the force shaping the nascent programming day. The word “teleplay” was just what it implied, a performance from far away. The early days of television were broadcast live; indeed, that was one of its biggest novelties. Unlike film, events were taking place as you watched. It was instantaneous transmission of news, days before the newsreel at the movie house. It was much more akin to the theatre, with bodies that were vulnerable, in the moment, and evanescent. Even in its execution, the early TV studio was something like a condensed stage, with set pieces moving off and on stage and unbearably bright lights beating down on the actors, who were caked in makeup. William S. Paley, the president of the infant CBS, even posited that television would merely be in the service of theatre rather than its own autonomous, privatized medium. There are two openings in Rinne Groff ’s The Ruby Sunrise ; the first is a snowstorm, raging outside an Indiana barn. The year is 1927. The young Ruby meticulously, anxiously sets about constructing some sort of generator. She greases a part with some kerosene impatiently, annoyed at the means to the end. The excitement is palpable, something big is in the works. The wind howls outside. The second opening is another snowstorm of sorts. This is a storm that rages without television, or to be more precise, without a signal. Before waves were sent through the air from antennas to receivers, before lines could be interpreted into pictures, before visual communication was made reality, there was only fuzz, visual noise—snow. This storm swirled about in the air, undetectable, until people realized that the storm could be influenced, the black and white noise could be controlled into pictures—moving pictures at that.
Treatment of hairy cell leukemia with 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA): long-term follow-up of the Northwestern University experience

2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA), a purine analog, has become universally accepted as the agent of choice in treating hairy cell leukemia (HCL). However, few studies have reported long-term outcomes after 2-CdA treatment. Between January 1990 and June 2003, 86 consecutive patients with HCL were treated with a single 7-day course of 2-CdA by continuous infusion at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg per day. Of the 86 patients (mean age: 49 years), 67 patients (79%) achieved a complete remission (CR); 18 patients (21%) achieved a partial remission (PR); and 1 patient's response was unable to be assessed. The progression-free survival (PFS) for initial relapse after 12 years was 54%. At a median follow-up of 9.7 years (range, 0.3-13.8 years), 31 (36%) of 85 patients relapsed. There were 23 relapsed patients treated with a second cycle of 2-CdA; 2 patients were treated with alternative agents; and 6 patients were observed. Of the 23 relapsed patients retreated with 2-CdA, 12 (52%) achieved a CR and 7 (30%) patients achieved a PR (overall response rate: 83%). The overall survival (OS) rate after 12 years was 87%. There were 15 patients (17%) who developed other malignancies. Long-term follow-up of up to 14 years (median: 9.7 years) showed an excellent PFS and OS for HCL patients after 2-CdA treatment.