cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alcohol and Drug Use in Rural Colonias and Adjacent Urban Areas of the Texas Border

CONTEXT: Little is known about substance use and treatment utilization in rural communities of the United States/Mexico border. PURPOSE: To compare substance use and need and desire for treatment in rural colonias and urban areas of the border. METHODS: Interviews were conducted in 2002-2003 with a random sample of adults living in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, adjacent to the Mexican border. The present analysis compares responses from 400 residents of rural colonias to those of 395 residents of cities and towns in the same geographic region. FINDINGS: While the prevalence of drug use and drug-related problems was similar in both areas, binge drinking and alcohol dependence were higher in rural colonias than in urban areas and remained so after taking demographic and neighborhood variables into account. An increase in illicit drug use and substance-related problems in rural but not urban areas was seen when comparing results from this study with those of a previous survey conducted in 1996. The percentage of adults in potential need of treatment and the percentage motivated to seek it were similar in both urban and rural areas. However, colonia residents were more likely than their urban counterparts to be recent immigrants and to have lower incomes and educational attainment, factors that can increase the barriers they face in getting needed services. CONCLUSIONS: Rural areas are"catching up"with urban areas in problematic substance use. Given the potential barriers to accessing treatment services in rural areas, efforts should be focused on reaching those residents. Language: en
Dramatic increases in number of cerebellar granule-cell-Purkinje-cell synapses across several mammals

The classical comparative literature on mammalian brain evolution has mainly focused on brain mass measurements because larger brains are more likely to have more neurons to process information. The phylogenetic expansion in the mass of the cerebellum is as significant as that of the cerebral cortex. The synapse, however, has recently been recognized as the basic unit of neuronal information processing, including neuroplasticity. Here we hypothesize significant absolute and relative increases in the functionally important granule-cell-Purkinje-cell (gcPc) synapses as a salient feature of the evolving cerebellum. To probe evolutionary constraints, we define the gcPc circuitry with ten degrees of freedom, including number of granule cells, Purkinje cells, lengths of the granule cell axonal segments, linear densities of synapses along them, and physical dimensions of Purkinje as well as granule cell dendritic structures. We show that although only two of the ten parameters are not constrained and therefore can exhibit independent, comparative changes, there is a dramatic increase in the number of gcPc synapses from the rodent to the human cerebellum. By assigning a value of unity for the mouse, the ratio of the number of gcPc synapses from mouse, rat, cat, non-human primate, and human is 1:5.5:236:620:20,000, which greatly exceeds the ratio of increase in cerebellar mass (1:6:48:180:3000). Dramatic changes in the number of gcPc synapses can therefore occur despite evolutionary constraints and only modest changes in parameters of the neuronal circuitry. Increases in the number of gcPc synapses have important functional consequences as these synapses enhance the capacity of the cerebellum to code and process information, which directly impact memory and learning in both motor and non-motor tasks.
Multifunctional ligands in transition metal catalysis

Sophisticated ligands are now being designed that do far more than just fulfil their traditional spectator roles by binding to the metal and providing a sterically-defined binding pocket for the substrate in homogeneous transition metal catalysis. This Focus review emphasizes selected cases in which ligands carry additional functional groups that change the properties of the ligand as a result of an external stimulus or undergo catalytically-relevant ligand-based reactivity. These include proton responsive ligands capable of gaining or losing one or more protons, ligands having a hydrogen bonding function, electroresponsive ligands capable of gaining or losing one or more electrons, and photoresponsive ligands capable of undergoing a useful change of properties upon irradiation. Molecular recognition ligands and proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) are briefly discussed.
The Greenwell Springs LL4 Chondrite: A New Fall from Louisiana, USA

— A 664 gm stone fell into suburban Baton Rouge in November 1987. The stone has a nearly complete fusion crust and was undamaged upon impact. The ordinary chondrite contains equilibrated olivine, Fa28, and largely equilibrated bronzite, Fs23. Some bronzite is still compositionally zoned and polysynthetically twinned, thus requiring petrologic classification of the meteorite as a type 4. A major element analysis of the meteorite falls exclusively into the field for the LL compositional group.
Retrovirus-Like Particles in Salivary Glands, Prostate and Testes of Aids Patients:

AbstractAIDS associated retrovirus-like particles were identified in the salivary gland, prostate and/or testicle of two AIDS patients. These findings further suggest that saliva and semen may transmit the infection to susceptible individuals.
Application of the Two-fluid Model of Turbulence to Tundish Problems

A two-fluid model of turbulence is presented and applied to flow in tundishes. The fluids are defined as turbulent and non-turbulent. Transport equations are solved for the variables of each fluid, and empirical relations, established in prior work, are used to express interchange of mass and momentum at the interface. Gradient-diffusion flux is considered an intra-fluid source of turbulence. A critical comparison is made between the results based on the application of this model and the conventional k-e model. Such results include velocity vectors, effective viscosity and tracer dispersion. In addition, the two-fluid model predicts spatial distribution of the intermittency factor, which provides a measure of the extent of turbulence in the tundish.
GEC1 Interacts with the κ Opioid Receptor and Enhances Expression of the Receptor

We identified a truncated form (38-117) of GEC1 that interacts with the C-tail of the human kappa opioid receptor (hKOR) by yeast two-hybrid screening. GEC1-(38-117) did not interact with the C-tail of the mu or delta opioid receptors. GEC1, a 117-amino acid protein (Pellerin, I., Vuillermoz, C., Jouvenot, M., Ordener, C., Royez, M., and Adessi, G. L. (1993) Mol. Cell Endocrinol. 90, R17-R21), is highly homologous to GABARAP, GATE-16, and Apg8/aut7, all members of the microtubule associated protein (MAP) family. In pull-down assays, GST-GEC1 interacted directly with the hKOR C-tail, full-length hKOR, and tubulin. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, GEC1 co-immunoprecipitated with FLAG-hKOR. Expression of GEC1 greatly increased total and cell-surface KOR but not mu or delta opioid receptors. GEC1 expression slightly reduced U50,488H-promoted down-regulation, without affecting ligand binding affinity, receptor-G protein coupling, or U50,488H-induced desensitization and internalization. HA-GEC1 expressed in CHO cells was localized in the Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum (ER). When cells were pulsed with [35S]Met/Cys, GEC1 expression enhanced the level of the mature form (55-kDa band) of FLAG-hKOR at 4, 8, and 22 h after pulse without affecting the precursors (39- and 45-kDa bands), indicating that GEC1 facilitates trafficking of FLAG-hKOR from the ER/Golgi to plasma membranes. GEC1 interacted with N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) in pull-down assays and co-immunoprecipitated with NSF in rat brain extracts. The interaction with NSF may contribute to GEC1 effects. This is the first report on biological functions of GEC1 and the first demonstration that a GPCR interacts with a protein of the MAP family. The interaction is important for trafficking of the receptor in the biosynthesis pathway.
Evaluation of Isoprinosine in Experimental Human Rhinovirus Infection

The prophylactic efficacy of isoprinosine was evaluated in a double-blind fashion in volunteers challenged with two types of rhinovirus. In the rhinovirus 44 and 32 trials, each of 9 men received a placebo, and eight and 11 men received the drug, respectively. Oral isoprinosine, 6 g a day, was given for 2 days prior to intranasal challenge with 100 mean tissue culture infective doses of the virus and for 7 postchallenge days. In both trials the occurrence and severity of colds were greater in the placebo group, but the difference between the two groups was not significant. Higher antibody titers for both viruses and a greater number of rhinovirus 32 isolations were demonstrated in the drug group but without statistically significant differences. The prophylactic isoprinosine treatment may suppress the cold syndrome, but its effect was not convincingly apparent.
Mist/Steam Cooling in a Heated Horizontal Tube—Part 1: Experimental System

To improve the airfoil cooling significantly for the future generation of advanced turbine systems (ATS), a fundamental experimental program has been developed to study the heat transfer mechanisms of mist/steam cooling under highly superheated wall temperatures. The mist/steam mixture was obtained by blending fine water droplets (3 {approximately} 15 {micro}m in diameter) with the saturated steam at 1.5 bars. Two mist generation systems were tested by using the pressure atomizer and the steam-assisted pneumatic atomizer, respectively. The test section, heated directly by a DC power supply, consisted of a thin-walled ({approximately} 0.9 mm), circular stainless steel tube with an ID of 20 mm and a length of 203 mm. Droplet size and distribution were measured by a phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA) system through view ports grafted at the inlet and the outlet of the test section. Mist transportation and droplet dynamics were studied in addition to the heat transfer measurements. The experiment was conducted with steam Reynolds numbers ranging from 10,000 to 35,000, wall superheat up to 300 C, and droplet mass ratios ranging from 1 {approximately} 6%.
The role of the marketplace metaphor in creating gender inequities

This case study of the micro‐economic practices within a medium‐sized, four‐year undergraduate college illustrates how the marketplace metaphor has multiple referents within and across different levels and subcultures in the organization. The symbolic construction of a mysterious field of disembodied economic forces beyond the control of internal decision‐makers functioned within the discourse to first obscure and then sustain deeply embedded inequities. The analysis highlights the interplay between organizational structure and symbolic actions, illustrating the ways in which gender is used as an organizational resources at multiple levels within the organization.
Kinetics of the oxidative coupling of methane over 1 wt% Sr/La2O3

Abstract The reaction network has been determined for the oxidative coupling of methane over 1 wt% Sr La 2 O 3 by varying the residence time at a fixed feed composition of 0.46 atm CH4, 0.045 atm O2, and 0.50 atm argon. Ethane and CO are the primary products of methane reaction. Ethylene is formed from ethane, while CO2 appears to form from CO. The preexponential factors and apparent activation energies, obtained in the interval from 700 to 750 °C, are ACH4 = 4.7 × 108 (moles CH4 consumed/g hr), ECH4 = 39.4 (kcal/mole); AC2H6 = 8.5 × 107 (moles C2H6 produced/g hr), EC2H6 = 36.8 (kcal/mole); and ACOx = 13,600 (moles CO + CO2 produced/g hr), ECOx = 23.9 (kcal/mole). Substantial amounts of hydrogen are produced during the oxidative coupling of methane. The distribution of CO, CO2, H2, and H2O in the product is controlled by the water gas shift equilibrium.
From Diversion Experiment to Policy Movement: A Case Study of Prosecutorial Innovation

Drug control in the United States has historically been based on a penal approach and led by federal legislations and initiatives. This top-down, punitive approach to the drug problem is still prevalent in American drug policy making. The authors present a case study of a bottom-up policy initiative to remedicalize the processing of addicted offenders. Past prosecutorial experiments often failed because of flawed understandings, unrealistic expectations, and lack of sustained public support. This article considers a New York–based, prosecutor-led program that diverts repeat felony drug offenders from prison to residential treatment. Through successful recruitment of political allies, continuous rejuvenation of the program, emphasis on research and evaluation, and maintenance of ideological vagueness, the Drug Treatment Alternative-to-Prison (DTAP) program has yielded positive results, been replicated in other jurisdictions, and prompted Congress to entertain federal DTAP legislation. The history of DTAP i...
Role of CYP3A enzymes in fluticasone biotransformation

Fluticasone propionate (FLU) is a synthetic, trifluorinated glucocorticoid with potent anti-inflammatory action that is commonly used in patients with asthma. After oral or intranasal administration, FLU undergoes rapid hepatic inactivation to a single metabolite, a 17β-carboxylic acid derivative (M1). M1 formation has been attributed largely to cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, however, there are no published data that confirm this assertion. Hence, in vitro studies were conducted to determine the role that human CYPs play in the metabolism of FLU. Consistent with in vivo data, human liver microsomes (HLM) catalyzed the formation of a single metabolite (M1) at low substrate concentrations ( 0.95) with CYP3A4/5 activities in a panel of HLM (n=14) and was markedly impaired by the CYP3A inhibitor, ketoconazole, (>94%), but not by inhibitors of other CYPs (<10%). Studies with a panel of cDNA-expressed enzymes revealed that M1 formation was catalyzed solely by CYP3A enzymes at FLU concentrations <1 μM. M1 formation was catalyzed by CYPs 3A4, 3A5 and 3A7, however CYP3A5 was ~4-fold less active than CYP3A4 or 3A7. These results suggest that at pharmacologically relevant concentrations of FLU, biotransformation of FLU to M1 is mediated predominantly by CYPs 3A4 and 3A7. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P84–P84; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.320
The interaction between X-rays and transposon mobility in Drosophila: Hybrid sterility and chromosomes loss

Abstract Genetic traits associated with P-M hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila melanogaster were synergistically affected by X-rays. The interaction between damages induced by these two mutator systems was evident when sterility and X/Y chromosome loss were used as endpoints. No interaction was detected in partial chromosome loss, monitored by the loss of Bs and y+ markers. The synergism in sterility, measured either as all-or-none or premature sterility (fecundity) was observed when male hybrids derived from different P strain fathers, namely Harwich or π2, were X-irradiated and the effects compared relative to similarly treated non-dysgenic hybrids. Brooding of sperm showed that the effects of ionizing radiation were dependent upon the stage of spermatogenesis during which cells were irradiated. The highly synergistic effect on sterility was found when either spermatids or spermatocytes, but not mature sperm, were irradiated with 550 rad of X-rays. These findings were consistent with the higher radiosensitivity of spermatocytes and spermatids to genetic damage and with the correlation between the incidence of sterility and aging of dysgenic hybrids. The latter observation was particularly evident in the case of Harwich P strain-derived male hybrids whose fertility was greatly reduced due to P element mobility. The synergistic effect of X-rays in these dysgenic hybrids resulted in the virtual abolition of the germ line, increasing the sterility from 50% of the untreated 9–10-day old males, to 85% of the treated males when spermatocytes were irradiated. The synergism observed between transposon mobility and ionizing radiation can best be attributed to an interaction between X-ray-induced and P element-induced chromosome breaks. This interpretation is consistent with the more than additive increase in X or Y chromosome loss in irradiated. Harwich P strain-derived hybrid sons. The induction of these events was 1.164% in dysgenic irradiated males as compared to 0.234% in X-irradiated nondysgenic hybrids and 0.40% in dysgenic untreated males. No synergism was observed in X/Y loss in hybrids derived from π2 P strain fathers where the frequency of the events due to P element mobility alone was only one tenth (0.037%) of that found in Harwich-derived hybrids.
In vivo effects of antithymocyte serum on the homing patterns and graft-versus-host reactivity of murine splenic lymphocytes.

Abstract The effects of administration of antithymocyte serum to donor mice on the homing characteristics of chromium-labeled spleen cells in irradiated mice and in the graft-vs-host reactivity of these cells in neonatal F 1 recipients was evaluated at intervals after inoculation of antithymocyte serum. Preliminary studies indicated that thymus-derived cells (T cells) from normal spleens home well to both lymph node and spleen and that the lymph node-seeking cell population is reduced by a greater extent (81%) than the spleen-seeking cells (55%) 2 days after antithymocyte serum administration. The lymph node-seeking cells of spleen recover rapidly and are at normal levels by Day 30 after antithymocyte serum administration. By comparison, graft-vs-host reactivity of spleen cells is suppressed to 17% of normal 2 days after antithymocyte serum administration and recovers to only 64% of normal by Day 30. These results yield additional indications of the heterogeneity of murine T cells and support the view that optimal expression of graft-vs-host reactivity requires the participation of more than one T cell population.
The Craig - Sneyd Analytic Solutions to the Parker Problem

This paper follows up on the conclusion by Craig and Sneyd (2005) that the solutions to a linearized magnetostatic problem are counterexamples to the magnetostatic model of Parker (1972), demonstrating a general absence of continuous equilibrium for a magnetic field with an arbitrarily prescribed topology. The analysis presented here shows that Craig and Sneyd had incorrectly rejected an important subset of those solutions in a misunderstanding of the Parker model. The complete set of solutions when correctly interpreted is, in fact, physically consistent with the Parker model. A general discussion of the Parker theory of spontaneous current sheets is given.
Impacts of supply disruptions and customer differentiation on a partial-backordering inventory system

Abstract In this paper, we study a single-product inventory system which involves a supplier, a retailer, and differentiated customers. The supplier provides products to the retailer which in turn sells products to its customers. The supplier is unreliable and is subject to random disruptions. The retailer adopts a periodic-review inventory policy, under which the retailer reviews its inventory position every a fixed period of time and decides whether a replenishment is needed or not. Partial backordering is applied when a stockout occurs. That is, under the situations of stockouts, customers can choose either to backorder products or to abandon the purchase. Customers are segmented into two classes according to their backordering probabilities. The customer class with high backordering probability is provided with high priority to receive backorders. In this paper we allow more than one outstanding orders to exist, which is not the case in the previous literature. We develop a simulation model for such an inventory system and investigate the impacts of supply disruptions and customer differentiation on this inventory system.
Algebraic models for the hierarchy structure of evolution equations at small x

Abstract We explore several models of QCD evolution equations simplified by considering only the rapidity dependence of dipole scattering amplitudes, while provisionally neglecting their dependence on transverse coordinates. Our main focus is on the equations that include the processes of pomeron splittings. We examine the algebraic structures of the governing equation hierarchies, as well as the asymptotic behavior of their solutions in the large-rapidity limit.
Grooming behavior in the titi monkey (Callicebus torquatus).

Observations on a family group of four free-ranging Callicebus torquatus are reported for 235 hours on 18 complete days. Grooming sessions usually contained more than one grooming bout, and the longest grooming sessions occured on the sleeping bough, prior to dusk. On 12 days continuous observations were made on all grooming activity on the sleeping bough. The total time spent grooming, and the number and length of grooming bouts were recorded. Results suggest that grooming in C. torquatus is both a form of parental investment especially by the monogamous male, and a means of sustaining the male-female pair bond.
The relative involvement of anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex in attentional control depends on nature of conflict.

While numerous studies have implicated both anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortex in attentional control, the nature of their involvement remains a source of debate. Here we determine the extent to which their relative involvement in attentional control depends upon the levels of processing at which the conflict occurs (e.g., response, non-response). Using a combination of blocked and rapid presentation event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques, we compared neural activity during incongruent Stroop trial types that produce conflict at different levels of processing. Our data suggest that the involvement of anterior cingulate and right prefrontal cortex in attentional control is primarily limited to situations of response conflict, while the involvement of left prefrontal cortex extends to the occurrence of conflict at non-response levels.
Criteria map audit of scorpion envenomation in the Negev, Israel.

Abstract A criteria map audit is a medical record audit in which quality of care is evaluated according to algorithmically arranged criteria. Thus, a particular criterion is applied to the patient record only if other criteria have been met. For example, if a stung child's condition is severe but not life threatening and if he has had a positive skin test for antivenom sensitivity then he should receive antivenom only after receiving adrenalin and hydrocortisone. We used a modified criteria map audit to determine both the clinical picture of scorpion envenomation and quality of care process in 94 children. Related outcomes of care measured included mortality, persistent morbidity, allergic reaction to scorpion antivenom and length of stay in hospital. Scorpion stings in the Negev region are usually due to the yellow scorpion, L. quinquestriatus , and usually occur in the summer months on the extremities in exposed male children under 10. The clinical picture is more severe when the scorpion is yellow, when the child is younger and when the sting is on the trunk or head. Symptoms apparently mediated by the central nervous system (2.6 findings/child) were more frequent than parasympathetic symptoms (2.3 findings/child). Treatment with antivenom and specific therapy for complications led to very low persistent morbidity and mortality in symptomatic cases, but was also accompanied by a longer hospital stay (64% equal to or greater than 3 days) than for asymptomatic cases (18% equal to or greater than 3 days). Testing for antivenom sensitivity was omitted in an unacceptably high percentage of cases (69%) and its omission led to an allergic reaction in 4 out of 40 cases (10%). Inadequacy in treatment of 7 secondary clinical problems ranged from 71% for hypertension to 29% for seizures (mean 46%). Persistent morbidity was negligible and mortality was 1.2%. We conclude that criteria map audit can be used to describe the clinical and epidemiological picture of a clinical problem while at the same time providing an audit of the process of care.
Non-Muslims in the Islamic state: Majority rule and minority rights

The ultimate question in any political system is that concerning the issue of who should govern? And how? The purpose of this article is threefold: (1) to discuss the principles of majority rule and minority rights in an Islamic state and to argue that they are fundamental principles of governing in any political Islamic system; (2) to identify the basic rights that are guaranteed to non-Muslims in an Islamic state; and, (3) to show how non-Muslims were treated, in the past, when Muslims were in power. I will illustrate these points by quoting non-Muslim scholars and experts who cannot be accused of bias or prejudice. I will conclude by arguing that concerning the principles of majority rule and minority rights an Islamic model is ideal for governing multi-religious, multi-cultural, and multi-ideological societies.
Have We Put an End to Social Promotion? Changes in School Progress among Children Aged 6 to 17 from 1972 to 2005

We examine trends over time in the proportion of children below the modal grade for their age (BMG), a proxy for grade retention, and in the effects of its demographic and socioeconomic correlates. We estimate a logistic regression model with partial constraints predicting BMG using the annual October school enrollment supplements of the Current Population Survey. This model identifies systematic variation in the effects of social background across age and time from 1972 to 2005. While the effects of socioeconomic background variables on progress through school have become increasingly powerful as children grow older, that typical pattern has been attenuated across the past three decades by a steady secular decline in the influence of those variables across all ages. A great deal of concern has been expressed about rising levels of economic and social inequality in the United States since the middle 1970s, and about the potential intergenerational effects of such inequality. However, there has been an opposite trend in the effects of social origins on being BMG. A trend is not a law, and there is reason to be concerned about the recent deceleration of the secular decline in effects of social background on being BMG.
Highly aspherical silica nanoshells by templating tubular liposomes

A dual-lipid liposome system consisting of a phospholipid and a skin ceramide extruded though a 100 nm membrane yields novel tubular and helical liposomes. These liposomes were used as templates to generate highly aspherical silica nanocapsules with length to diameter aspect ratios exceeding 10. Many of these nanocapsules have the morphology of a bulbous end attached to a long tip, mimicking microneedles attached to a reservoir. The fidelity of helical liposomes is transcribed to the silicas and the long tips indicate helically entwined left-handed silica structures. The silica coating is expected to protect and stabilize the internal contents of the liposomes, as well as enable surface functionalization for applications in drug or targeted delivery.
Improved stability robustness bounds using state transformation for linear discrete systems

Abstract Sufficient-condition bounds on the linear time-varying perturbations for robust stability of an asymptotically stable linear time-invariant discrete-time system have been reported recently. The development involves both Schwartz and triangular inequalities, and tends to give conservative results. This paper uses state transformation to obtain improvement in these bounds. Both unstructured and structured perturbation bounds are shown to improve using transformations. The proposed analysis is applied to a fourth-order macroeconomic system model.
Perceptual coders and perceptual metrics

We examine perceptual metrics and use them to evaluate the quality of still image coders. We show that mean-squared- error based metrics fail to predict image quality when one compares artifacts generated by different types of image coders. We consider three different types of coders: JPEG, the Safranek-Johnston perceptual subband coder (PIC), and the Said-Pearlman SPIHT algorithm with perceptually weighted subband quantization, based on the Watson et al. visual thresholds. We show that incorporating perceptual weighting in the SPIHT algorithm results in significant improvement in visual quality. The metrics we consider are based on the same image decompositions as the corresponding compression algorithms. Such metrics are computationally efficient and considerably simpler than more elaborate metrics. However, since each of the metrics is used for the optimization of a coder, one expects that they would be biased towards that coder. We use the metrics to evaluate the performance of the compression techniques for a wide range of bit rates. Our experiments indicate that the PIC metric provides the best correlation with subjective evaluations. It predicts that at very low bit rates the SPIHT algorithm and the 8 by 8 PIC coder perform the best, while at high bit rates the 4 by 4 PIC coder is the best. More importantly, we show that the relative algorithm performance depends on image content, with the subband and DCT coders performing best for images with a lot of high frequency content, and the wavelet coders performing best for smoother images.
Synthesis of Titania Powder by Titanium Tetrachloride Oxidation in an Aerosol Flow Reactor

Vapor phase synthesis of titania particles by oxidation of titanium tetrachloride (TiCI4) was studied in an aerosol reactor between 1200 K and 1723 K. The effect of process variables (reactor residence time, temperature, reactant concentration) on powder size and phase characteristics was investigated using the differential mobility particle sizer, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The morphology of the particles remained unchanged under the process conditions investigated; titania particles were primarily anatase though the rutile weight fraction increased with increase in reactor temperature. The geometric number average diameter of the particles was between 0.13 µm and 0.35 [m and the geometric standard deviation of the particle size distribution was about 1.4. The average particle size increased with increasing temperature, TiCI4 concentration and residence time. The observed changes in the particle size distribution were compared with those predicted by solving the aerosol dynamic equation by a sectional method and accounting for coagulation and first order chemical reaction.
Neuropsychological and Eye Movement Abnormalities in First-episode and Chronic Schizophrenia

It is well known that neurobehavioral deficits are associated with schizophrenia. Little is known, however, about whether these disturbances become more severe over the course of the illness. In the present study, 101 patients with schizophrenia, of whom 45 were firstepisode cases, performed pursuit eye tracking tasks. A subset of 60 of these patients, including 27 firstepisode cases, were administered a battery of neuropsycholo gical tests. Patients with a history of prior psychotic episodes demonstrated more severe pursuit eye movement dysfunction than first-episode patients and more severe disturbances on neuropsychological tests sensitive to prefrontal and left temporal cortical dysfunction. Longitudinal studies of patients ascertained close to the point of illness onset are needed to determine whether these findings reflect a progressive deterioration In neurobehavioral functioning over the course of schizophrenia . The classic Kraepelinian notion of dementia praecox (Kraepelin 1896) proposed that a progressive deterioration in brain function was an integral part of the illness. This notion is compatible with clinical studies demonstrating that some patients show serious deterioration in role functioning over the course of schizophrenia
An information theoretic method of microarray probe design for genome classification

In recent years, oligo microarrays, or more commonly-known DNA chips, have had a major impact in disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and gene identification. Microarrays contain Nmer DNA fragments, or oligos, in a series of “wells” placed across the chip, where each well contains thousands of the same fragments and acts as a probe that detects the amount of a specific fragment. A recent use for microarrays is for identification of genomes, such as pathogens. In current techniques, probes that detect unique gene regions of particular species are selected to be placed on the microarray, using the assumption that if one gene unique to a pathogen species can be detected, then the pathogen can be classified. This approach is useful, but the technology relies on finding the gene sequences that are divergent enough to be used as a genomic identifier and robust to cross-hybridization. In our work, we present a method to choose the most unique probes between two organisms. We accomplish this by choosing the oligo probes that maximize the level of divergence between the genomes, calculated by three different information-theoretic measures. We show the results for a 12-mer and 25-mer oligo pathogen probe set and that our method chooses probes less likely to cross-hybridize.
Automatic Calculation of the Arterial Input Function for Cerebral Perfusion Imaging with MR Imaging

An automated method for determination of arterial input function (AIF) for rapid determination of cerebral perfusion with dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was derived. In 100 patients, the automated method was used to create images of relative blood flow, relative cerebral blood volume, and mean transit time. In 20 patients, the voxel chosen with the automated AIF correlated with a large cerebral artery and exhibited less partial-volume averaging when compared with an AIF chosen manually. It is possible to reliably determine the AIF at dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging and eliminate the need for operator input and lengthy postprocessing.
Evigan: a hidden variable model for integrating gene evidence for eukaryotic gene prediction

MOTIVATION The increasing diversity and variable quality of evidence relevant to gene annotation argues for a probabilistic framework that automatically integrates such evidence to yield candidate gene models. RESULTS Evigan is an automated gene annotation program for eukaryotic genomes, employing probabilistic inference to integrate multiple sources of gene evidence. The probabilistic model is a dynamic Bayes network whose parameters are adjusted to maximize the probability of observed evidence. Consensus gene predictions are then derived by maximum likelihood decoding, yielding n-best models (with probabilities for each). Evigan is capable of accommodating a variety of evidence types, including (but not limited to) gene models computed by diverse gene finders, BLAST hits, EST matches, and splice site predictions; learned parameters encode the relative quality of evidence sources. Since separate training data are not required (apart from the training sets used by individual gene finders), Evigan is particularly attractive for newly sequenced genomes where little or no reliable manually curated annotation is available. The ability to produce a ranked list of alternative gene models may facilitate identification of alternatively spliced transcripts. Experimental application to ENCODE regions of the human genome, and the genomes of Plasmodium vivax and Arabidopsis thaliana show that Evigan achieves better performance than any of the individual data sources used as evidence. AVAILABILITY The source code is available at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~strctlrn/evigan/evigan.html.
Effect of Processing on the High Temperature Mechanical Properties of MoSi2

Polycrystalline MoSi 2 has been processed via spex milling and the notched fracture behavior has been determined at 800 -1400°C. Elemental Mo and Si powders were mechanically alloyed to produce MoSi 2 and were subsequently vacuum hot pressed to fully dense MoSi 2 compacts. Microstructures were analyzed and both hardness and notched fracture tests were conducted at high temperatures. The material toughness was constant at 4.5 MPa m ½ between 800 and 1000 °C, with significant plasticity exhibited at 1200°C. The results will be compared to recent work on the effects of C on high temperature properties of MoSi 2 .
Evaluating the usefulness of patient education materials on surgical site infection: A systematic assessment

Patient education is important for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). The usefulness of available patient education materials is unclear. Using a validated evaluation tool, the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool, we systematically assessed patient education materials for SSI. We found that available materials performed poorly, and further research is needed in this area.
Two-step secretion of the Serratia marcescens extracellular nuclease

The extracellular nuclease of Serratia marcescens is one of a wide variety of enzymes secreted into the growth medium. Its appearance occurs late in the growth of a culture, and its gene, nucA, is transcriptionally regulated in a complex fashion by growth phase and other factors. Pulse-labeling studies reveal that extracellular secretion of nuclease occurs as a two-step process. In the first step, nuclease is rapidly translocated across the cytoplasmic membrane into the periplasm, where it accumulates as a mature active nuclease. A precursor protein, nuclease still carrying its signal sequence, was detected in the presence of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone or sodium azide, suggesting that this initial translocation and signal processing step involves an energy-dependent and Sec-dependent pathway in S. marcescens. The second step of secretion across the outer membrane is a slow process requiring between 30 to 120 min, depending on growth conditions.
Rigid molecule docking: FPGA reconfiguration for alternative force laws

Molecular docking is one of the primary computational methods used by pharmaceutical companies to try to reduce the cost of drug discovery. A common docking technique, used for low-resolution screening or as an intermediate step, performs a three-dimensional correlation between two molecules to test for favorable interactions between them. We extend our previous work on FPGA-based docking accelerators, using reconfigurability for customization of the physical laws and geometric models that describe molecule interaction. Our approach, based on direct summation, allows straightforward combination of multiple forces and enables nonlinear force models; the latter, in particular, are incompatible with the transform-based techniques typically used. Our approach has the further advantage of supporting spatially oriented values in molecule models, as well as the detection of multiple positions representing favorable interactions. We report performance measurements on several different models of chemical behavior and show speedups of from 130× to 1100× over a PC.
Car Seat or Car Bed for Very Low Birth Weight Infants at Discharge Home

Objective To compare the incidence of apnea, bradycardia, or desaturation in a car seat with that in a car bed for preterm very low birth weight (≤1500 g) infants. Study design Infants were studied for 120 minutes in a car seat and in a car bed. Apnea (>20 seconds), bradycardia (heart rate 5 seconds), desaturation (Spo 2 10 seconds), and absent nasal flow were monitored. Results We assessed 151 infants (median birth weight, 1120 g [range, 437 to 3105)]; median birth gestational age, 29 weeks [24 to 34]) in both devices. Twenty-three infants (15%) had ≥1 event in the car seat compared with 29 (19%) in the car bed ( P = .4). Time to first event was similar in the car seat and car bed (mean, 54 to 55 minutes). In logistic regression analyses, bronchopulmonary dysplasia was a significant predictor for a car seat event and a lower gestational age at birth was a risk factor for a car bed event. Conclusions We found no evidence that an event is less likely in a car bed than in a car seat. Whichever device is used, very low birth weight infants require observation during travel.
The software performance of authenticated-encryption modes

We study software performance of authenticated-encryption modes CCM, GCM, and OCB. Across a variety of platforms, we find OCB to be substantially faster than either alternative. For example, on an Intel i5 ("Clarkdale") processor, good implementations of CCM, GCM, and OCB encrypt at around 4.2 cpb, 3.7 cpb, and 1.5 cpb, while CTR mode requires about 1.3 cpb. Still we find room for algorithmic improvements to OCB, showing how to trim one blockcipher call (most of the time, assuming a counter-based nonce) and reduce latency. Our findings contrast with those of McGrew and Viega (2004), who claimed similar performance for GCM and OCB.
Integrating ethics into the freshman year experience

Various attempts are described in an effort to integrate ethics into the freshman year engineering classes. The attempts include formal lectures on moral reasoning theories, ethics focused videos/DVDs, environmentally focused design projects, design projects that force students to consider societal and global issues. A somewhat different type of design project, compassion practicum, is also described. The compassion practicum requires students to use an engineering design methodology to identify, design a solution an implement that solution with the charge to the student stated as "do something compassionate for some being other than you".
Spectroscopic Study of the Interactions of Ruthenium-Ketoconazole Complexes of Known Antiparasitic Activity with Human Serum Albumin and Apotransferrin

The pharmacological properties of any drug are related to its ability to interact with macromolecular blood components. The interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) and apotransfer- rin (ATf) with six Ru II complexes containing ketoconazole (KTZ), which we have previously reported to be active against Leishmania major and Trypanosoma cruzi, has been investigated by monitor- ing the tryptophan fluorescence intensity of each protein upon in- cremental addition of the complexes. All the Ru-KTZ derivatives, namely cis-fac-(Ru II Cl2(DMSO)3(KTZ)) (1), cis-(Ru II Cl2(bipy)(D MSO)(KTZ)) (2), (Ru II (η 6 -p-cymene)Cl2(KTZ)) (3), (Ru II (η 6 -p- cymene)(en)(KTZ))(BF4)2 (4), (Ru II (η 6 -p-cymene)(bipy)(KTZ))(BF4) 2 (5), and (Ru II (η 6 -p-cymene)(acac)(KTZ))(BF 4) (6) are able to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA and ATf at 27 oC. Analysis of the spectroscopic data using Stern-Volmer plots indicates that in both cases the quenching takes place principally through a static mecha- nism involving the formation of Ru complex-protein adducts; further analysis of the fluorescence data allowed the estimation of apparent association constants and the number of binding sites for each protein and each compound. The results indicate that both HSA and ATf are possible effective transporters for Ru-KTZ antiparasitic drugs.
Dual Marching Cubes

We present the definition and computational algorithms for a new class of surfaces which are dual to the isosurface produced by the widely used marching cubes (MC) algorithm. These new isosurfaces have the same separating properties as the MC surfaces but they are comprised of quad patches that tend to eliminate the common negative aspect of poorly shaped triangles of the MC isosurfaces. Based upon the concept of this new dual operator, we describe a simple, but rather effective iterative scheme for producing smooth separating surfaces for binary, enumerated volumes which are often produced by segmentation algorithms. Both the dual surface algorithm and the iterative smoothing scheme are easily implemented.
Near-ML multiuser detection with linear filters and reliability-based processing

The prohibitive - exponential in the number of users - computational complexity of the maximum-likelihood multiuser detector for direct-sequence code-division multiple-access communications has fueled an extensive research effort for the development of low-complexity multiuser detection alternatives. We show that we can efficiently and effectively approach the error rate performance of the optimum multiuser detector as follows. We utilize a multiuser zero-forcing or minimum mean-square error (MMSE) linear filter as a preprocessor and we establish that the output magnitudes, when properly scaled, provide a reliability measure for each user bit decision. Then, we prepare an ordered, reliability-based error search sequence of length linear in the number of users; it returns the most likely user bit vector among all visited options. Numerical and simulation studies for moderately loaded systems that permit exact implementation of the optimum detector indicate that the error rate performance of the optimum and the proposed detector are nearly indistinguishable over the whole predetection. signal-to-noise ratio range of practical interest. Similar studies for higher user loads (that prohibit comparisons with the optimum detector) demonstrate error rate performance gains of orders of magnitude in comparison with straight decorrelating or MMSE multiuser detection.
Isocitrate lyase from Pseudomonas indigofera. IV. Specificity and inhibition.

Abstract The catalytic properties of highly purified isocitrate lyase from Pseudomonas indigofera were examined. The Arrhenius activation energy for isocitrate cleavage was 12.9 kcal mole −1 . Other activation parameters, ΔF‡, ΔH‡ and ΔS‡ were 10.8 kcal mole −1 , 12.3 kcal mole −1 , and 5.0 entropy units, respectively, at 30 °C. Detailed studies of the back reaction revealed a high degree of specificity for both condensing partners, glyoxylate and succinate. The effects upon isocitrate lyase of various inhibitors of the cleavage reaction were also investigated. Of a wide variety of plausible feedback inhibitors such as amino acids, nucleoside phosphates, and organophosphates, only phosphoenolpyruvate, phosphoglyceric acid, and fructose-1,6-diphosphate inhibited at approximately physiological concentrations. Other studies revealed that glycolate, malonate, and oxalate were competitive inhibitors with K EI 's at 30 °C of 1.5 × 10 −3 , 2.2 × 10 −3 , and 1.3 × 10 −5 M , respectively, and that glycolaldehyde and glyoxal were noninhibitory. Considerable inhibition by certain succinate analogues such as malate, thiomalte, itaconate, maleate, succinaldehyde, and succindialdehyde were observed at 5 m M or less but succinamate, succindiamide, dimethylsuccinate, citramalate, dl -methylsuccinic acid, butyrate, and glutarate had little or no effect. Itaconate and maleate were primarily uncompetitive and non-competitive inhibitors, respectively, with K esi 'S at 30 °C of 1.3 × 10 −5 and 8.4 × 10 −4 M . The binding of glyoxylate and succinate is discussed in light of these results.
Interpersonelle Aufgaben bei der Positionsübernahme

Eine schlechte Beziehung zum Vorgesetzten oder zu zwei und mehr Mitarbeitern war das auffalligste Einzelmerkmal fehlgeschlagener Positionsubernahmen. In diesem Kapitel mochte ich mich ausdrucklich mit dem Aufbau gut funktionierender zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen zu Schlusselpersonen befassen; die Betonung liegt in diesem Fall auf den Beziehungen zwischen den einzelnen Personen und nicht auf dem Gruppenzusammenhalt, der im letzten Kapitel beschrieben wurde.Dieses Kapitel basiert vor allem auf den Interviews mit neuen Managern und ihren Mitarbeitern wahrend der drei ersten Jahre nach Positionsantritt.1
Stanford Health Partners: Rationale and Early Experiences in Establishing Physician Group Visits and Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshops

Chronic disease is a major public health problem. The day-to-day management of a chronic illness requires accurate patient reporting and timely medical response. Patient group visits with the primary care physician and lay-led patient education workshops improve the provider-physician relationship,