cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Federally Qualified Health Centers Can Expand Rural Access to Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder in Arizona.

Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) is recommended, but not always accessible to those who desire treatment. This study assessed the impact of expanding access to buprenorphine through federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Arizona. We calculated mean drive-times to Arizona opioid treatment (OTP) locations, office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) locations, and FQHCs clinics using January 2020 location data. FQHCs were designated as OBOT or non-OBOT clinics to explore opportunities to expand treatment access to non-OBOT clinics (potential OBOTs) to further reduce drive-times for rural and underserved populations. We found that OTPs had the largest mean drive times (16.4 minutes), followed by OBOTs (7.1 minutes) and potential OBOTs (6.1 minutes). Drive times were shortest in urban block groups for all treatment types and the largest differences existed between OTPs and OBOTs (50.6 minutes) in small rural and in isolated rural areas. OBOTs are essential points of care for opioid use disorder treatment. They reduce drive times by over 50% across all urban and rural areas. Expanding buprenorphine through rural potential OBOT sites may further reduce drive times to treatment and address a critical need among underserved populations.
Low Radioactivity Cryostat System for a 20mK Particle Detector

A system for cooling detectors used in particle astrophysics is described. The volume accommodating particle detectors is 30 cm diameter by 30 cm high and attained a temperature of 8.5 +/- 0.5 mK. The need for low radioactive backgrounds has driven design, selection of materials and assembly techniques. Unusual features include a detector package cooled by conduction by tubes ~1m in length connected to the port of a commercial side access dilution refrigerator, swinging support system for detectors and heat shields, fabrication using electron beam welding, assembly techniques for thermally conducting bolted joints, flexible thermal conduction paths, and copper flange on copper gasket vacuum seals at LHe temperature. A first cool down of the system resulted in temperature distributions and thermal loads consistent with thermal modeling.
Article IX: The Promise and Limits of Home Rule

Article IX of New York State’s constitution establishes the basic constitutional framework for addressing questions of local power, local government organization, and state-local and interlocal relations in the Empire State. Premised on a commitment to “[e]ffective local self-government,” the “home rule amendment” added to the state constitution in 1963 and unamended since then, has bolstered local control over local government organization and personnel and has provided a firmer foundation for local law-making in New York. But it has not succeeded in enabling New York’s local units - its counties, cities, towns and villages - to function as efficient, effective, locally accountable governments. Article IX has done little to protect local governments from state interference, and has done nothing to provide local governments with financial autonomy. It also leaves in place an extremely complex and fragmented local government structure, with multiple levels of overlapping governments, without any assurance that these local governments have the jurisdiction or resources needed to address the needs of their residents. This Chapter - part of an edited volume examining the New York State constitution to be published by SUNY Press - examines how Article IX both promotes and constrains local self-government. Some limits on local autonomy are written into the text of the constitution while others grow out of judicial decisions that have tended to bolster state power over local matters. It also analyzes the constitution’s treatment of the financial position of local governments and questions of interlocal relations. It concludes by considering measures by which the gap between the constitution’s promise of local autonomy and the reality of limited local power can be addressed.
Incidence and clinical significance of arterial injury in varicocele repair

OBJECTIVE • This study was performed to histologically determine the rate of arterial injury in varicocele ligation surgery and to determine the clinical significance of these arterial injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS • 41 men who underwent varicocele ligation surgery, and had segments of each ligated vessel examined histologically. • The patients were followed prospectively to determine the effect of arterial injury on surgical results and clinical complications. RESULTS • Arterial ligation was identified in 6 of 41 patients (12%), and in 7 of 132 specimens (5%), which is higher than previous reports. • Arterial injury was not associated with testicular atrophy and there was no apparent effect of arterial injury on surgical outcome. CONCLUSION • The rate of arterial injury during varicocele repair is higher than previously reported, but the clinical significance of these injuries appears to be limited.
Ab initio potential curves for the X2Σu+, A2Πu and B2Σg+ states of Ca2+

Abstract We report ab initio calculations of the X 2 Σ u + , A 2 Π u and B 2 Σ g + states of the Ca 2 + dimer. All electron CAS + MRCI calculations are performed for the X 2 Σ u + and B 2 Σ g + states, while valence CAS + MRCI calculations using an effective core potential are used to describe the A 2 Π u state. A double well is found in the B 2 Σ g + state. Spectroscopic constants, vibrational levels, transition moments and radiative lifetimes are calculated for the most abundant isotope of calcium ( 40 Ca ). The static dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities, and the leading order van der Waals coefficients are also calculated for all three states.
Assessment of risk factors for infantile cataracts using a case-control study: National Birth Defects Prevention Study, 2000-2004.

Objective To identify risk factors for infantile cataracts of unknown etiology. Design Case-control study. Participants Case infants (n = 152) and control infants (n = 4205) enrolled in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study for birth years 2000–2004. Methods Multivariate analysis was performed exploring associations for risk factors for bilateral and unilateral infantile cataracts of unknown etiology. Main Outcome Measures Infantile cataracts of unknown etiology. Results Maternal interviews were completed for 43 case infants with bilateral and 109 with unilateral infantile cataracts of unknown etiology. Very low birth weight ( Conclusions Very low birth weight is associated with both bilateral and unilateral cataracts, whereas low birth weight is associated with bilateral cataracts and primigravidity with unilateral cataracts. Other associations, although not statistically significant, suggest risk factors that merit further research. Financial Disclosure(s) The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article.
Skin Development in Free Rise, Flexible Polyurethane Foam

The behavior of top skin layer in reacting flexible polyurethane foam was studied to interpret its role in determining the properties of the foam. Temperature profile near the top skin rises much slower than that at the center of the foam bun. Parallel plate rheometer and infrared spectroscopy showed that the material near the top skin is still liquid after the onset of cell opening at the center of the bun, due to the slow temperature increase. The cells near the top skin are supposed to still be closed at visual blow-off. The visual blow-off time changed with different silicone surfactant structure used in the formulations, although the onset of cell opening time did not change. This indicates that surfactants are playing some role to prevent CO 2 gas from coming out by breaking the top skin and cell layers under it. Cell opening was shown to be continuously occurring between onset of cell opening and visual blow-off time. Delaying the visual blow-off was efficient to get higher foam bun height and could affect air flow rate. However, the visual blow-off time alone cannot account for the difference in the air flow of final foam products.
Physical and human dimensions of deforestation in Amazonia

In the Brazilian Amazon, regional trends are influenced by large scale external forces but mediated by local conditions. Tropical deforestation has a large influence on global hydrology, climate and biogeochemical cycles, but understanding is inadequate because of a lack of accurate measurements of rate, geographic extent and spatial patterns and lack of insight into its causes including interrelated social, economic and environmental factors. This article proposes an interdisciplinary approach for analyzing tropical deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The first part shows how deforestation can be measured from satellite remote sensing and sociodemographic and economic data. The second part proposes an explanatory model, considering the relationship among deforestation and large scale social, economic, and institutional factors. 43 refs., 8 figs.
Development of integrated models for material flow Design and control – a tool perspective

Abstract Modern computer and communication technologies can improve the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of decision-making, and can also provide better design tools for material flows in manufacturing systems. In this article, a tool perspective is applied to study models of material flows. Two integrated tools are introduced: facility description language (FDL) and concurrent flexible specification (CFS). The two tools represent the newer perspectives which are not considered in traditional facility modeling approaches. FDL is implemented in a 3-D emulation environment, which provides an integrated modeling tool for distributed engineers working on various aspects of manufacturing system design. In the models of CFS, the designers can develop the physical layout, functional model, information model, and control signals in an integrated modeling environment. Based on our study, it is anticipated that integrated modeling approaches with a tool perspective will continue to evolve. Interesting challenges include the development of learning mechanisms and computer-supported collaborative modeling tools.
A Coupled Model of LV Growth and Mechanics Applied to Pressure Overload Hypertrophy

Hypertension currently affects approximately one third the population in the United States, and represents a major economic burden on the health care system with an estimated annual direct and indirect cost of $50.6 billion [1]. In the case of systemic hypertension, the left ventricle (LV) must work against increased pressure load to pump blood to the body. Over time, this excessive work causes hypertrophy of the myocardium (thickening of the myofibers). While initially a compensatory mechanism, hypertrophy can eventually lead to heart failure (HF) [2]. Predictive modeling of the hypertrophic growth will lead to a better understanding of the disease mechanisms, which in turn has the potential to lead to better treatment strategies.© 2013 ASME
Ventilatory effects of prolonged systemic (CNS) hypoxia in awake goats

Abstract Hypoxia isolated to the carotid body (CB) can induce time-dependent progressive hyperventilation (ventilatory acclimatization) in the absence of brain hypoxia. The studies reported in this paper were designed to determine if CNS hypoxia in the absence of CB hypoxia would affect ventilation over a 4 h period. In addition, the effect of 4 h of CNS hypoxia on the ventilatory responses to central chemoreceptor stimulation and to isolated CB stimulation were also determined. The studies were carried out in awake goats with CB blood gases controlled by an extracorporeal circuit while systemic (CNS) blood gases were determined independently by the level of inhaled gases. Systemic arterial P o 2 was reduced to 40 Torr while the CB was maintained normoxic and normocapnic. Systemic arterial P co 2 was kept isocapnic. The data obtained indicate that 4 h of CNS hypoxia produced mild hyperventilation that reached a peak after 30 min of hypoxia and was sustained for the entire period of hypoxia. There was no evidence of a time-dependent progressive hyperventilation, i.e. no acclimatization. In contrast to studies in which whole body hypoxia is induced, CNS hypoxia did not result in any changes in the ventilatory responses to either central or peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation after return to normoxic conditions. These findings suggest no significant role for CNS mechanisms induced by hypoxia in ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia in goats.
Electrokinetic response of granulocytes to concanavalin A and succinyl-concanavalin A

Electrophoretic light scattering has been used to study the effects of concavalin A (Con A) and succinyl-Con A on the electrophoretic mobility distribution of resident guinea-pig peritoneal eosinophils and human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes. In both cell types, incubation with Con A (a tetrameric lectin) decreases slightly the mean mobility and increases substantially the width of the electrophoretic mobility distribution. These effects can be abolished by α-methyl-D-mannoside, a hapten sugar of Con A. Succinyl Con A, a dimeric derivative, was found to have no effect on the mobility distribution. These results are strikingly similar to our previous report of the response of the resident guinea-pig macrophage (19), suggesting possible parallels in the endocytic mechanisms of these cell types.
Teaching a Foreign Language in the Adult Education Classroom.

Grammar with Exercises. Moscow: Progress, n.d. Pulkina, I. Ucebnik russkogojazyka dlja studentov-inostrancev [A Russian Language Textbook for Foreign Students]. Moscow: Vyssaja skola, 1968. Rozental', D., Telenkova, M. Prakticeskaja stilistika russkogojazyka [Practical Stylistics of the Russian Language]. Moscow: Progress, 1972. Rudy, P., Youhn, X., Nebel, H. Russian: A Complete Eleson, A., Molinsky, S. A Russian Course. Cambridge: entary Course. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1970. Stilman, G., Harkins, W. Introductory Russian Grammar. Waltham: Xerox College Publishing, 2nd ed., 1972. Stilman, L. Russian Verbs of Motion. New York: Columbia University Press, 1963. Struve, G., editor. A Century of Russian Prose and Verse: From Pushkin to Nabokov. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1967. Thompson, L., editor. Ballada o soldate [The Ballad of a Soldier]. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1966. Townsend, C. Continuing with Russian. Hightstown: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1970. Townsend, C. Russian Word Formation. Hightstown: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1968. Vasys, A. et al. Russian Area Reader. New York: Pitman Publishing Corp., 1962. Walker, C., editor. Domik na bolote [Little House on the Swamp]. Baltimore: Friends' School, 1970. Yakobson, H. Conversational Russian: An Intermediate Course. Lexington: D. C. Heath and Co., 1965. Yakobson, H., editor. Russian Readings: Past and Present. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1967. ar Course. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1970. a , G., Harkins, W. Introductory Russian Grammar. a : Xerox College Publishing, 2nd ed., 1972. a , L. Rus ian Verbs of Motion. New York: Columbia sity Pres , 1963. e, ., editor. A Century of Russian Prose and Vers :
Single-sided thermal diffusivity imaging in composites with a shuttered thermographic inspection system

A measurement configuration is discussed where shutters are placed in front of the imager and the flash lamps. Proper timing for the opening and closing of the shutters eliminates a direct interaction between the imager and flash lamps for a single sided measurement, enabling accurate measurement of the thermal response of a specimen. The time dependence of the thermal response is analyzed to produce an image of the effective diffusivity of the specimen.
Views of the Self and others at Different Ages: Utility of Repertory Grid Technique in Detecting the Positivity Effect in Aging:

Socioemotional selectivity theory (Carstensen, 1995) posits a "positivity effect" in older adults, describing an increasing tendency to attend to, process, interpret, and remember events and others in life in a positive fashion as one ages. Drawing on personal construct theory, Viney (1993) observes increasing integration of constructions of self with others across the lifespan. The current study extends assessment of the positivity effect, integrating it with personal construct theory, by use of Repertory Grid (RepGrid) analysis. Consistent with the positivity effect, older adults (ages 54-86) described others more positively on RepGrid measures in comparison to younger adults (ages 18-25). Older adults also described the self as more similar to others and tended to describe the self more positively. The age groups did not differ in measures of psychological distress or well being with the exception of older adults describing more autonomy.
USING SHORT-TERM DEDICATION FOR SCHEDULING MULTIPLE PRODUCTS ON PARALLEL MACHINES

In a multiproduct, parallel machine environment, it may be beneficial to dedicate one or more of the machines to a single product for consecutive time periods. However, previous lot-sizing and scheduling models usually do not allow for such short-term dedication. This paper presents a mixed-integer programming model that allows for short-term dedication in scheduling parallel machines serving multiple products with dynamic demands. It also describes a Lagrangian-based algorithm for solving such scheduling problems. An experiment verifies the effectiveness of the algorithm and demonstrates the importance of allowing for short-term dedication. Capacity utilization, one of six factors investigated, greatly affects the use of dedication. A strong interaction effect between the number of machines and the number of products is also seen with respect to the usefulness of short-term dedication. A measure of estimated production frequency incorporates these two factors along with magnitudes of periodic demands. This measure has a strong relationship with the amount of short-term dedication used in solutions. Operations managers employing parallel machines could use the experimental results in deciding whether to use short-term dedication to reduce costs.
Building a platform for pervasive personalization in a ubiquitous computing world

We propose a platform with the goal of helping developers when they need to apply personalization to ubiquitous computing applications, ranging from simple mobile apps to rich multimodal systems. The platform's core is a general personalization model, which provides the orientation and required tools to simplify and accelerate the creation of personalized applications. It also includes a context-aware clustering module fed by user data and context data in order to obtain users profiles for each personalization.
Transparent pricing: theory, tests, and implications for marketing practice

In today’s retail markets, products display opaque pricing, i.e., a single number that provides no information about the allocation of the retail proceeds among agents who bring the product to market. We study transparent pricing, which is an alternative strategy in which allocation information is revealed. We differentiate transparent pricing from related marketing practices such as social marketing, cause-related marketing, and pay-what-you-want. Using controlled experiments in multiple product categories with diverse sampling frames, we find that transparent prices systematically alter consumer utility functions and stated choice behavior. Our results support explanations drawn from both neoclassical and behavioral economic theory, including inequity aversion, procedural justice, and altruism. Classical theory predicts that price transparency should have little effect on consumer behavior. However, results from behavioral economics suggest that consumers may relax “self-interest” in the face of transparent prices, leading to counter-intuitive preferences. For example, in one set of studies we observe a significant proportion of consumers selecting the more expensive of two replicates of the same product. In another study, a subset of motorists willingly pays higher gasoline taxes for the same gallon of gas, increasing the overall price per gallon. We explain this behavior via parameterized utility functions that contain both self-interested and other-interested components moderated by characteristics of the decision-maker and characteristics of the choice context.
Therapeutic Efficacy of Chloroquine for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum in Haiti After Many Decades of Its Use

Chloroquine (CQ) has been used for malaria treatment in Haiti for several decades, but reports of CQ resistance are scarce. The efficacy of CQ in patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum undergoing treatment in Haiti was evaluated. Malaria patients were enrolled, treated with CQ, and monitored over a 42-day period. The treatment outcomes were evaluated on day 28 by microscopy. The P. falciparum slide-confirmed rate was 9.5% (121 of 1,277). Malaria infection was seasonal, with peak observations between October and January; 88% (107 of 121) of patients consented to participate. Sixty patients successfully completed the 42-day follow-up, whereas 47 patients withdrew consent or were lost to follow-up. The mean parasite density declined rapidly within the first few days after treatment. Seven patients did not clear their malaria infections and were clinically asymptomatic; therefore, they were considered late parasitological failures. About 90% (95% confidence interval = 84.20-97.90) of patients had no detectable parasitemia by day 28 and remained malaria-free to day 42. Testing for recrudescence, reinfection, and CQ serum levels was not done in the seven patients, and therefore, their CQ resistance status is unresolved. CQ resistance surveillance by patient follow-up, in vitro drug sensitivity studies, and molecular markers is urgently needed in Haiti.
Empyema of Preexisting Subdural Hemorrhage Caused by a Rare Salmonella Species after Exposure to Bearded Dragons in a Foster Home

An infant had a subdural empyema caused by the rare Salmonella species enterica subspecies houtenae (IV) serotype 44:z4,z23:- after only indirect exposure to exotic reptiles in her foster home. Infants recovering from preexisting subdural hematoma are at risk for development of empyema.
Release of norepinephrine from the rat's hypothalamus perfused with alcohol: Relation to body temperature

Abstract The activity of norepinephrine (NE), within the thermosensitive region of the anterior hypothalamic, pre-optic area (AH/POA) of the rat was examined in relation to changes in core temperature produced by ethyl alcohol. Following stereotaxic implantation of push-pull guide tubes, a specific site in the AH/POA, reactive or non-reactive to NE, was labeled with 1.0 μl of [ 3 H]-NE. Alcohol in a concentration of 2.75% or 5.5% was then perfused locally at the same site by push-pull cannulae or administered peripherally in a dose of 2.0 g/kg. In control experiments, artificial CSF was perfused alone. The perfusion of alcohol enhanced or delayed the release of [ 3 H]-NE in AH/POA or failed to alter the efflux of the catecholamine, with the specific response dependent principally on the: (1) anatomical site of hypothalamic perfusion, (2) concentration of alcohol, and (3) interval of perfusion itself. During the perfusion of alcohol within a very circumscribed region in the AH/POA, vasodilatation, as reflected by an increase in skin temperature, and a hypothermia of short latency, occurred. The change in core temperature was usually accompanied by a delay in the efflux of [ 3 H]-NE. After the peripheral administration of 2.0 g/kg alcohol, an alteration in NE efflux from the AH/POA was also induced during the course of a hypothermic response accompanied by vasodilatation. These results suggest that alcohol exerts a direct central effect on nerve cells comprising the thermoregulatory mechanism located within the hypothalamus. Further, the well-known thermolytic effect of alcohol could be mediated in part by noradrenergic synapses within AH/POA, by means of their phasic release of NE.
Effect of postmortem storage on activity of μ- and m-calpain in five bovine muscles

An in situ system involving incubation of 60- to 80-g pieces of muscle at 4 degrees C under different conditions was used to determine the effects of time of postmortem storage, of pH, and of temperature on activities of mu- and m-calpain activity in bovine skeletal muscle. Casein zymograms were used to allow measurement of calpain activity with a minimum of sample preparation and to ensure that the calpains were not exposed to ionic strengths of 100 or greater before assay of their activities. In 4 of the 5 muscles (longissimus dorsi, lumbar; longissimus dorsi, thoracic; psoas major; semimembranosus; and triceps brachii) studied, mu-calpain activity decreased nearly to zero within 48 h postmortem. Activity of m-calpain also decreased in the in situ system used but at a much slower rate. Activities of both mu- and m-calpain decreased more slowly in the triceps brachii muscle than in the other 4 muscles during postmortem storage. Although previous studies have indicated that mu-calpain but not m-calpain is proteolytically active at pH 5.8, these studies have used calpains obtained from muscle at death. Both mu- and m-calpain are proteolytically inactive if their activities are measured at pH 5.8 and after incubating the muscle pieces for 24 h at pH 5.8. Western analysis suggested that neither the large 80-kDa subunit nor the small 28-kDa subunit of m-calpain was autolyzed during postmortem storage of the muscle pieces. As has been reported previously, the 80-kDa subunit of mu-calpain was autolyzed to 78- and then to a 76-kDa polypeptide after 7 d postmortem, but the 28-kDa small subunit was not autolyzed; hence, the autolyzed mu-calpain molecule in postmortem muscle is a 76-/28-kDa molecule and not a 76-/18-kDa molecule as previously assumed. Because both subunits were present in the postmortem calpains, loss of mu-calpain activity during postmortem storage is not due to dissociation of the 2 subunits and inactivation. Although previous studies have shown that the 76-/18-kDa mu-calpain molecule is completely active proteolytically, it is possible that the 76-/28-kDa mu-calpain molecule in postmortem muscle is proteolytically inactive and that this accounts for the loss of mu-calpain activity during postmortem storage. Because neither mu- nor m-calpain is proteolytically active at pH 5.8 after being incubated at pH 5.8 for 24 h, other proteolytic systems such as the caspases may contribute to postmortem proteolysis in addition to the calpains.
Renal duplex sonography : evaluation of clinical utility

Abstract With the exception of conventional angiography, no previously proposed screening test has the necessary sensitivity/specificity to guide further evaluation for correctable renovascular disease. Recently, renal duplex sonography has been suggested as a useful substitute in such screening for renovascular disease. This report analyzes our data collected over the past 10 months in evaluation of renal duplex sonography to examine its diagnostic value. The study population for renal duplex sonography validity analysis consisted of 74 consecutive patients who had 77 comparative renal duplex sonography and standard angiographic studies of the arterial anatomy to 148 kidneys. Renal duplex sonography results from six kidneys (4%) were considered inadequate for interpretation. This study population contained 26 patients (35%) with severe renal insufficiency (mean 3.6 mg/dl) and 67 hypertension (91%). Fourteen patients (19%) had 20 kidneys with multiple renal arteries. Bilateral disease was present in 22 of the 44 patients with significant renovascular disease. Renal duplex sonography correctly identified the presence of renovascular disease in 41 of 44 patients with angiographically proven lesions, and renovascular disease was not identified in any patient free of disease. When single renal arteries were present (122 kidneys), renal duplex sonography provided 93% sensitivity, 98% specificity, 98% positive predictive value, 94% negative predictive value, and an overall accuracy of 96%. These results were adversely affected when kidneys with multiple (polar) renal arteries were examined. Although the end diastolic ratio was inversely correlated with serum creatinine ( r = −0.3073, p = 0.009), low end diastolic ratio in 35 patients submitted to renovascular reconstruction did not preclude beneficial blood pressure or renal function response. We conclude from this analysis that renal duplex sonography can be a valuable screening test in the search for correctable renovascular disease causing global renal ischemia and secondary renal insufficiency (ischemic nephropathy). Renal duplex sonography does not, however, exclude polar vessel renovascular disease causing hypertension alone nor does it predict hypertension or renal function response after correction of renovascular disease. (J VASC SURG 1990;12:227-36.)
Spectroscopic studies of laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO2 using 193, 266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm laser radiation

The wavelength dependence of laser-produced breakdown in air, CO and CO2 has been studied using the four Nd:YAG harmonics (266 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm) and the ArF-excimer laser (193 nm). Breakdown thresholds at these wavelengths are reported for air, CO and CO2. A significant reduction in the breakdown thresholds for both CO and CO2 is apparent when comparing 193 nm with the four Nd:YAG harmonics. This reduction is attributed to the resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization of metastable carbon atoms generated in the laser focus at the ArF-laser wavelength. In addition to reporting breakdown thresholds, the laser-produced plasmas in CO and CO2 are characterized in terms of plasma temperatures and electron densities which are measured by time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Electron densities range from 9 × 1017 cm−3 to 1 × 1017 cm−3. Excitation temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.2 µs to 11 000 K at 2 µs. Ionization temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.1 µs to 16 000 K at 2 µs. Evidence is presented to indicate that, like ArF-laser-produced plasmas, Nd:YAG-laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO2 are in or near a state of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) soon after their formation.
Monitoring stiffness changes in lesions after radiofrequency ablation at different temperatures and durations of ablation

Abstract The variations in the stiffness or stiffness contrast of lesions resulting from radiofrequency (RF) ablation of canine liver tissue at different temperatures and for different ablation durations at a specified temperature are analyzed. Tissue stiffness, in general, increases with temperature; however, an anomaly exists around 80 ° C, where the stiffness of the lesion is lower than that of the lesion ablated at 70 °C. On the other hand, the stiffness increases monotonically with the duration of ablation. Plots illustrating the ratio of mean strains in normal canine liver tissue to mean strains in ablated thermal lesions demonstrate the variation in the stiffness contrast of the thermal lesions. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNRe) of the lesions, which serves as an indicator of the detectability of the lesions under the different experimental imaging conditions described above, is also presented. The results presented in this paper show that the elastographic depiction of stiffer thermal lesions is better, in terms of the CNRe parameter. An important criterion in the elastographic depiction of RF-ablated regions of tissue is the trade-off between ablation temperature and duration of ablation. Tissue necrosis can occur either by ablating tissue to high temperatures for short durations or to lower temperatures for longer durations. In this paper, we attempt to characterize the elastographic depiction of thermal lesions under these different experimental conditions. This paper provides results that may be utilized by practitioners of RF ablation to decide the ablation temperature and duration, on the basis of the strain images of normal liver tissue and ablated thermal lesions discussed in this paper. (E-mail: tvarghese@wisc.edu )
Unitary Colligations, Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces, and Nevanlinna–Pick Interpolation in Several Variables

Abstract Recently J. Agler studied the class S d of scalar-valued, analytic functions of d complex variables f for which f ( T 1 , …, T d ) has norm at most 1 for any collection of d commuting contractions ( T 1 , …, T d ) on a Hilbert space H. Among other results he obtained a characterization of such functions in terms of a positivity property and in terms of a representation as the transfer function of a certain type of d-variable linear system, as well as a Nevanlinna–Pick interpolation theorem for this class of functions. In this note we examine the system theory aspects and uniqueness of the transfer function representation, and give a simpler proof of the Nevanlinna–Pick interpolation theorem for the class S d and obtain a d -variable version of the Toeplitz corona theorem. By using ideas of Arov and Grossman introduced for 1-variable problems, as a bonus we obtain a collection of linear fractional maps which parametrize the set of all S d solutions of an interpolation problem.
Biased edge failure in scale-free networks based on natural connectivity

The natural connectivity is recently reported as a novel spectral measure of robustness in complex networks. It has a clear physical meaning and a simple mathematical formulation. In this article, based on the natural connectivity, we study the robustness and fragility of scale-free networks under topologically biased failure (degree-dependent percolation). The probability p ij that an edge between nodes i and j remains intact is assumed to depend on the degrees k i and k j through p ij ∝ (k i k j )−α. We show that a clear division between robust regime and fragile regime can be extracted based on natural connectivity by tuning the bias exponent α. The theory is found in good accordance with simulations.
Maintaining rotational equilibrium during object manipulation: linear behavior of a highly non-linear system

We address issues of simultaneous control of the grasping force and the total moment of forces applied to a handheld object during its manipulation. Six young healthy male subjects grasped an instrumented handle and performed its cyclic motion in the vertical direction. The handle allowed for setting different clockwise (negative) or counterclockwise torques. Three movement frequencies: 1, 1.5 and 2 Hz, and five different torques: –1/3, –1/6, 0, 1/6 and 1/3 Nm, were used. The rotational equilibrium was maintained by two means: (1) Concerted changes of the moments produced by the normal and tangential forces, specifically anti-phase changes of the moments during the tasks with zero external torque and in-phase changes during the non-zero-torque tasks, and (2) Redistribution of the normal forces among individual fingers such that the agonist fingers—the fingers that resist external torque—increased the force in phase with the acceleration, while the forces of the antagonist fingers—those that assist the external torque—especially, the fingers with the large moment arms, the index and little fingers, stayed unchanged. The observed effects agree with the principle of superposition—according to which some complex actions, for example, prehension, can be decomposed into elemental actions controlled independently—and the mechanical advantage hypothesis according to which in moment production the fingers are activated in proportion to their moment arms with respect to the axis of rotation. We would like to emphasize the linearity of the observed relations, which was not prescribed by the task mechanics and seems to be produced by specific neural control mechanisms.
Pharmacokinetics and Dynamics of d-Tubocurarine during Hypothermia in Humans

To determine the influence of hypothermia on the pharmacokinetics and dynamics ofd-tubocurarine (dTc), 17 patients were studied during halothane 0.5-0.7 per cent end-tidal and 60 per cent nitrous oxide anesthesia with controlled hyperventilation (PaCO2 ˜ 25 torr) during craniotomy. Ten patients were
Onion and garlic oils inhibit tumor promotion

The tumor yield and incidence of phorbol-myristate-acetate promotion were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner over the range of 10-10 000 micrograms onion oil, applied three times per week. Garlic oil was also inhibitory but was less effective.
Earthquake forewarning — A multidisciplinary challenge from the ground up to space

Most destructive earthquakes nucleate at between 5–7 km and about 35–40 km depth. Before earthquakes, rocks are subjected to increasing stress. Not every stress increase leads to rupture. To understand pre-earthquake phenomena we note that igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks contain defects which, upon stressing, release defect electrons in the oxygen anion sublattice, known as positive holes. These charge carriers are highly mobile, able to flow out of stressed rocks into surrounding unstressed rocks. They form electric currents, which emit electromagnetic radiation, sometimes in pulses, sometimes sustained. The arrival of positive holes at the ground-air interface can lead to air ionization, often exclusively positive. Ionized air rising upward can lead to cloud condensation. The upward flow of positive ions can lead to instabilities in the mesosphere, to mesospheric lightning, to changes in the Total Electron Content (TEC) at the lower edge of the ionosphere, and electric field turbulences. Advances in deciphering the earthquake process can only be achieved in a broadly multidisciplinary spirit.
Transcriptional patterns of growth factors and proto-oncogenes in human glioblastomas and normal glial cells

Abstract To document over-expression of protooncogenes in tumors, it is necessary to determine the level of expression in the progenitor normal tissue. These studies compare the levels of nuclear transcription of a series of growth-factor related genes and protooncogenes in human glioblastoma cell lines with those in three normal glial cell populations. The unusual finding was that levels in the three normal glial cell populations varied considerably for several genes and thus overexpression of a specific gene in a tumor cell when compared to just one normal glial cell population would not necessarily represent overexpression. In this study, we compared the level of 17 genes in 7 tumors to the highest level of each gene found in any of three normal glial cell populations. Over-expression of PDGF-B in 4 7 glioblastoma cell lines, EGFR in 1 7 , neu in 1 7 IGF-2 in 1 7 and ros in 2 7 was observed. The variation observed in the normal glial cell populations emphasizes the possibility that the normal glial cell populations represent different glial cell lineages and/or stages of differentiation and that the tumors could have arisen from different normal glial cells. Matching lineages of normal and tumor cells, probably by monoclonal antibody reactions, may be required to accurately define over-expression.
Object-based cloud and cloud shadow detection in Landsat imagery

A new method called Fmask (Function of mask) for cloud and cloud shadow detection in Landsat imagery is provided. Landsat Top of Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance and Brightness Temperature (BT) are used as inputs. Fmask first uses rules based on cloud physical properties to separate Potential Cloud Pixels (PCPs) and clear-sky pixels. Next, a normalized temperature probability, spectral variability probability, and brightness probability are combined to produce a probability mask for clouds over land and water separately. Then, the PCPs and the cloud probability mask are used together to derive the potential cloud layer. The darkening effect of the cloud shadows in the Near Infrared (NIR) Band is used to generate a potential shadow layer by applying the flood-fill transformation. Subsequently, 3D cloud objects are determined via segmentation of the potential cloud layer and assumption of a constant temperature lapse rate within each cloud object. The view angle of the satellite sensor and the illuminating angle are used to predict possible cloud shadow locations and select the one that has the maximum similarity with the potential cloud shadow mask. If the scene has snow, a snow mask is also produced. For a globally distributed set of reference data, the average Fmask overall cloud accuracy is as high as 96.4%. The goal is development of a cloud and cloud shadow detection algorithm suitable for routine usage with Landsat images.
Risk Area Residents’ Perceptions and Adoption of Seismic Hazard Adjustments1

Residents of 2 geographical regions—one with a high seismic hazard and the other with a moderate seismic hazard—rated 16 hazard adjustments on 7 attributes and reported their adoption intention and actual adoption of those adjustments. There were only small and generally nonsignificant differences between the 2 locations in adjustments’ attribute ratings, adoption intention, and actual adjustment, but there were significant differences among adjustments on all of these measures. Perceptions of hazard-related adjustment attributes were correlated significantly with adoption intention and actual adjustment, but perceptions of resource-related attributes were not.
Pollinators exert natural selection on flower size and floral display in Penstemon digitalis

• A major gap in our understanding of floral evolution, especially micro-evolutionary processes, is the role of pollinators in generating patterns of natural selection on floral traits. Here we explicitly tested the role of pollinators in selecting floral traits in a herbaceous perennial, Penstemon digitalis. • We manipulated the effect of pollinators on fitness through hand pollinations and compared phenotypic selection in open- and hand-pollinated plants. • Despite the lack of pollen limitation in our population, pollinators mediated selection on floral size and floral display. Hand pollinations removed directional selection for larger flowers and stabilizing selection on flower number, suggesting that pollinators were the agents of selection on both of these traits. • We reviewed studies that measured natural selection on floral traits by biotic agents and generally found stronger signatures of selection imposed by pollinators than by herbivores and co-flowering plant species.
Estimation of the refractive-index temperature structure parameter over the ocean.

The semiempirical equation of Wyngaard, Izumi, and Collins is combined with the bulk aerodynamic formulas to provide equations for the estimation of CT2 (the refractive-index temperature structure parameter) in the atmospheric boundary layer above the sea. The equations relate CT2 to easily measured quantities of average wind speed and air–sea temperature and moisture differences. Comparison with limited CT2 data obtained in the marine boundary layer suggests that the estimation equations are satisfactory.
Sizing up pharmacotherapy for obesity.

Obesity has increased over the last 20 years, from a condition affecting only a small portion of populations in developed countries, into a global pandemic.1 The impact of obesity can be appreciated in the context of the populations at risk, and it is estimated that >1 billion adults worldwide are overweight (BMI >25 kg/m2), 300 million of whom are clinically obese (BMI >30 kg/m2).2 In the United States, 65% of adults are overweight, and 32.2% of them are obese, a prevalence that has doubled over 20 years.3 In industrialized countries, obesity rates have tripled, coinciding with adoption of a Western lifestyle.4 Further, the growing worldwide rates of childhood obesity have reached epidemic values in developed countries.5 This global obesity pandemic reflects genetic susceptibility, availability of high-energy foods, and decreased physical activity. Accelerating rates of obesity have profound health and economic consequences. Obesity is associated with a myriad of co-morbidities, including type II diabetes, coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, cancer, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and liver and biliary disease which collectively increase mortality.6 Indeed, the health care impact of chronic obesity exceeds that of smoking or alcohol abuse.7 National health care costs of obesity are $70–100 billion, and if this trend continues, in 15 years 20% of health care costs in the United States will be attributed to the chronic diseases associated with obesity.8 Collectively, these considerations underscore the health and economic imperative to develop novel therapeutic approaches to combat obesity and its co-morbidities. In that context, overweight and obese individuals who receive assistance from their health care providers to lose weight are three times more likely to attempt weight loss.9 The most common approach to medical weight management is counseling and lifestyle modification. However, while patients enrolled in these programs initially lose weight, they usually regain 30–35% of their lost weight within one year following treatment, and >50% of patients return to their baseline weight by five years.10, 11 At present, only two drugs, orlistat and sibutramine, are approved for the long-term treatment of obesity. However, due to their inherent cardiovascular and gastrointestinal adverse effects, respectively, these drugs are often only utilized as rescue therapy for patients who fail diet and exercise. The scope of the obesity problem and the absence of available long-term solutions highlights the unmet clinical need for safe and effective pharmacotherapeutics to induce and maintain weight loss.
Blood pressure and white matter integrity in geriatric depression.

Background Cerebrovascular disease may increase vulnerability to geriatric depression, a syndrome often accompanied by frontal-subcortical lesions. High blood pressure is a risk factor for cerebrovascular disease and white matter changes. This study examined whether and in which brain regions blood pressure is associated with compromised white matter integrity in elderly depressed patients.
Maximal τ-Critical Linear Hypergraphs

A construction using finite affine geometries is given to show that the maximum number of edges in a τ-critical linear hypergraph is (1−o(1))τ2. This asymptotically answers a question of Roudneff [14], Aharoni and Ziv [1].
Symmetry and Geometry Considerations of Atom Transfer: Deoxygenation of (silox)3WNO and R3PO (R = Me, Ph, tBu) by (silox)3M (M = V, NbL (L = PMe3, 4-Picoline), Ta; silox = tBu3SiO)

Deoxygenations of (silox)3WNO (12) and R3PO (R = Me, Ph, tBu) by M(silox)3 (1-M; M = V, NbL (L = PMe3, 4-picoline), Ta; silox = tBu3SiO) reflect the consequences of electronic effects enforced by a limiting steric environment. 1-Ta rapidly deoxygenated R3PO (23 °C; R = Me (ΔG°rxn(calcd) = −47 kcal/mol), Ph) but not tBu3PO (85°, >2 days), and cyclometalation competed with deoxygenation of 12 to (silox)3WN (11) and (silox)3TaO (3-Ta; ΔG°rxn(calcd) = −100 kcal/mol). 1-V deoxygenated 12 slowly and formed stable adducts (silox)3V-OPR3 (3-OPR3) with OPR3. 1-Nb(4-picoline) (S = 0) and 1-NbPMe3 (S = 1) deoxygenated R3PO (23 °C; R = Me (ΔG°rxn(calcd from 1-Nb) = −47 kcal/mol), Ph) rapidly and 12 slowly (ΔG°rxn(calcd) = −100 kcal/mol), and failed to deoxygenate tBu3PO. Access to a triplet state is critical for substrate (EO) binding, and the S → T barrier of ∼17 kcal/mol (calcd) hinders deoxygenations by 1-Ta, while 1-V (S = 1) and 1-Nb (S → T barrier ∼ 2 kcal/mol) are competent. Once binding occurs, significant mi...