cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural flexibility for heat integrated distillation columns—II. Synthesis

Abstract This paper considers the synthesis of systems of heat integrated distillation columns. The goal is to choose the configuration which has the maximum structural flexibility, a concept introduced in Part I of this series. In this work we consider only the simpler structures where columns are “stacked” one upon the other and where none of the tasks is multieffected. Two representations allow us to enumerate all the possible dominant constraint sets for such processes. Searching over dominant constraint sets is a much smaller search than searching over all alternative stackings. Under certain useful assumptions, these insights yield a particularly fast search algorithm for finding the better stackings by hand. The paper also shows how to write a more complete mixed integer linear programming model for this problem. This model includes column temperatures explicitly and thus allows constraints that limit the temperature ranges within which each of the columns must operate. It also permits the heat duty for each column to be a linear function of temperature. Examples illustrate each of the ideas.
Solubility of Ferrate(VI) in NaOH-KOH Mixtures at Different Temperatures

The solubility of potassium ferrate(VI) (K2FeO4) was measured in a mixture solution containing various molar ratios of KOH and NaOH at a total concentration of 14 M from (10 to 60) °C. The solubility of K2FeO4 decreased necause of the presence of K+ in the solution mixture. The solubility (S*) was expressed as log S* = 5.830 − 2019/T − 5.845XK+0.5 + 1.595XK+ + 724XK+0.5/T (σ = 0.024), where XK+ is the mole fraction of K+ in the solution mixture and T is in Kelvin. A comparison of the values of S* in different alkali metal hydroxide solutions showed that the solubility of K2FeO4 was diminished in KOH and CsOH and similarly in LiOH and NaOH solutions. The solubility product constant (Ksp*), calculated from the solubility measurements, was given as log Ksp* = 18.10 − 6055/T − 17.535XK+0.5 + 4.785XK+ + 2171XK+0.5/T (σ = 0.061). The heat of dissolution (ΔHdiss) decreased linearly with an increase in the mole fraction of K+ ions. The significance of the solubility results is briefly discussed.
Assessment of penile vibratory stimulation as a management strategy in men with secondary retarded orgasm.

Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of penile vibratory stimulation for the management of retarded orgasm. Retarded orgasm, a condition characterized by difficulty achieving orgasm and ejaculation, is one of the most recalcitrant of the male sexual dysfunctions. Currently, no evidence-based treatments have been proven to ameliorate this condition. Methods Men who had a complete inability to achieve an orgasm during sexual relations in the previous 3 months were instructed in the use of penile vibratory stimulation. The men's responses were measured by self-report of orgasm function and using the orgasm and satisfaction domains of the International Index of Erectile Function. The responses were assessed at baseline (admission into the study) and at 3 and 6 months. Results A total of 36 men met the inclusion criteria, and 72% reported the restoration of orgasm. These responders reported that orgasm during sexual relations occurred 62% of the time. A statistically and clinically significant increase occurred in the orgasm and satisfaction domains of the International Index of Erectile Function between the baseline visit and the 3-month follow-up visit. These gains were sustained at 6 months. Conclusions Penile vibratory stimulation is an effective treatment for retarded orgasm. Penile vibratory stimulation should be integrated into current cognitive-behavioral sex therapy techniques to achieve maximal effectiveness and satisfaction.
Antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects of exercise in a rat model of epilepsy and depression comorbidity

The bidirectional comorbidity between epilepsy and depression is associated with severe challenges for treatment efficacy and safety, often resulting in poor prognosis and outcome for the patient. We showed previously that rats selectively bred for depression-like behaviors (SwLo rats) also have increased limbic seizure susceptibility compared with their depression-resistant counterparts (SwHi rats). In this study, we examined the therapeutic efficacy of voluntary exercise in our animal model of epilepsy and depression comorbidity. We found that chronic wheel running significantly increased both struggling duration in the forced swim test and latency to pilocarpine-induced limbic motor seizure in SwLo rats but not in SwHi rats. The antidepressant and anticonvulsant effects of exercise were associated with an increase in galanin mRNA specifically in the locus coeruleus of SwLo rats. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of exercise in a rodent model of epilepsy and depression comorbidity and suggest a potential role for galanin.
THRIFTNET: An economical software package for interprocessor communications

THRIFTNET is a collection of programs created in response to the need to share computer resources across computer systems on the campus of the University of Mississippi. Using THRIFTNET, files may be transferred between machines so that devices and programs available on only selected systems may be used to process information collected on any machine. File transfer is accomplished in small blocks of 128 data bytes embedded in a modified bisynch protocol that checks for transmission errors. The direction of transfer is dictated by the user, so files on small machines may be sent to large machines and files on large machines may be received by small machines.
Solvation of ammonium ion. A molecular dynamics simulation with nonadditive potentials

Abstract Detailed solvation properties of an ammonium ion in polarizable water as a function of the number of water molecules are studied. Extensive molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to compute successive binding enthalpies of the ionic clusters, solvation enthalpies, and structural properties of aqueous ionic solutions. The results of these simulations indicate that water molecules in the first hydration shell are tetrahedrally coordinated to the ammonium ion. The distribution of the static orientation of water dipole moments is calculated and found to be rather broad when compared to corresponding results obtained for simulations that used spherical cations.
The enamel protein amelogenin binds to the N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-mimicking peptide motif of cytokeratins.

Abstract Amelogenins bind to GlcNAc of the dentine-enamel matrix proteins (Ravindranath, R. M. H., Moradian-Oldak, J., Fincham, A. G. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 2464–2471). The hypothesis that amelogenins may interact with the peptides that mimic GlcNAc is tested. GlcNAc-mimicking peptide (SFGSGFGGGY) but not its variants with single amino acid substitution at serine, tyrosine, or phenylalanine residues inhibited hemagglutination of amelogenins and the terminal tyrosine-rich amelogenin polypeptide (TRAP). The binding affinity of SFGSGFGGGY to amelogenins was confirmed by dosimetric binding of amelogenins or TRAP with [3H]peptide, specific binding in varying concentrations of the peptide, Scatchard plot analysis, and competitive inhibition with the unlabeled peptide. The ability of the peptide or GlcNAc to stoichiometrically inhibit TRAP binding of [14C]GlcNAc or [3H]peptide indicated that both the peptide and GlcNAc compete for a single binding site. Using different fragments of amelogenins, we have identified the peptide-binding motif in amelogenin to be the same as the GlcNAc-binding “amelogenin trityrosyl motif peptide.” The GlcNAc-mimicking peptide failed to bind to the amelogenin trityrosyl motif peptide when the tyrosyl residues were substituted with phenylalanine or when the third proline was replaced with threonine, as in some cases of human X-linked amelogenesis imperfecta. This study documents that molecular mimicry may play a role in stability and organization of amelogenin during amelogenesis.
Imaging of infectious arthritis

In general, infectious arthritis can be subclassified into two types 31 : pyogenic (septic) and nonpyogenic. Pyogenic arthritis is most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus , Neisseria gonorrhoeae , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Candida albicans , and Serratia marcescens . 33 Among the nonpyogenic arthritides are tuberculous arthritis 29,36 and infections caused by fungi, including actinomycosis, cryptococcosis, coccidioidomycosis, 2,38 histoplasmosis, and sporotrichosis. 33 Nonpyogenic arthritis can also be caused by viruses, such as smallpox, and by spirochetes, such as those responsible for syphilis and yaws. 33 In young children (less than 5 years), Haemophilus influenzae is a frequent cause of septic arthritis. 32 Infectious agents may enter the joint by directly invading the synovial membrane, either by a penetrating wound or after surgery for joint replacement. Entry to the joint can also be secondary to an infection of the adjacent soft tissues or to a blood-borne infection. 18,32 Finally, a focus of osteomyelitis in adjacent bone can also lead to infectious arthritis. A number of imaging techniques are available for diagnosis and evaluation of infectious processes that affect the joints. Although the introduction of MR imaging constituted a revolutionary change in the evaluation of musculoskeletal infections, 6 it did not diminish the role of such conventional techniques as radiography and scintigraphy. 20 Conventional radiography is still a basic diagnostic tool and should always be available when other imaging studies are analyzed. 7,14,31 The ability to diagnose infectious processes has been greatly enhanced by new approaches to radionuclide bone scanning, particularly the use of new radiopharmaceutical agents such as indium 111–labeled autologous white blood cells, 10,21 technetium 99m hexamethylpropylene-amino-oxime, 13 radiolabeled human polyclonal IgG 9 indium 111– or technetium 99m–labeled chemotactic peptide analogues, 12 or immunoscintigraphy with technetium 99m–labeled antigranulocyte monoclonal antibodies. 16 Also of value are other more effective modalities, which are discussed later. It must be stressed, however, that when there is a clinical suspicion of infectious arthritis, particularly septic arthritis, the most rapid approach to final diagnosis, and to avoid irreversible osseous and articular sequelae, is to perform a joint aspiration. 26,37
Secrets of the Secretory Pathway in Dendrite Growth

Dendrites and axons exhibit different morphologies and patterns of growth. This difference in neuronal structure is controlled by evolutionarily conserved directed trafficking through the secretory pathway.
The relationship between immune-mediated Type 1 diabetes mellitus and ethnicity.

Abstract Objective: To determine the proportion of adults with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes that had immune-mediated disease (IMD). Subjects and Methods: Two hundred fifteen patients with hyperglycemia and symptoms of insulin deficiency were screened for antibodies [islet cell antibodies (ICA), insulin autoantibodies (IAA), and glutamatic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADA 65 )] and HLA DR/DQ markers of IMD. Results: The mean age was 34 years and the mean BMI was 30.0 kg/m 2 ; 21.8% were non-Hispanic white (NHW), 27% were Latin American (LA), 47.9% were African American (AA), and 3.3% of other (OT) ethnic origins. Sixty individuals (28%) had one or more autoantibodies [Ab(+)]: 62% of NHW, 19% of AA, and 19% of LA. BMI was significantly lower ( P Conclusions: These results suggest that islet cell autoantibodies and HLA markers of susceptibility for IMD are frequent in individuals of varying ethnic backgrounds, older age at onset, and higher body weight. Since early insulin therapy could delay what may otherwise be rapid progression to complete insulinopenia in patients with IMD, screening of adult diabetic patients for IMD at diagnosis may be of benefit to long-term management.
Conducting experiments with Experiment Manager

This tutorial demonstrates how to conduct experiments and perform analysis with Experiment Manager, CACI's tool for design and analysis of simulation experiments. Experiment Manager works in conjunction with SIMPROCESS and provides a quick and object oriented approach to designing simulation experiments. The tutorial will describe how to conduct a full factorial experiment with 2 factors and 3 levels each. These experiments will be performed using a model constructed in SIMPROCESS and the results will be analyzed using such features of Experiment Manager as box plots, confidence intervals, and time series plots.
Episodic-like Memory in the Rat

A fundamental question in comparative cognition is whether animals remember unique, personal past experiences. It has long been argued that memories for specific events (referred to as episodic memory) are unique to humans. Recently, considerable evidence has accumulated to show that food-storing birds possess critical behavioral elements of episodic memory, referred to as episodic-like memory in acknowledgment of the fact that behavioral criteria do not assess subjective experiences. Here we show that rats have a detailed representation of remembered events and meet behavioral criteria for episodic-like memory. We provided rats with access to locations baited with distinctive (e.g., grape and raspberry) or nondistinctive (regular chow) flavors. Locations with a distinctive flavor replenished after a long but not a short delay, and locations with the nondistinctive flavor never replenished. One distinctive flavor was devalued after encoding its location by prefeeding that flavor (satiation) or by pairing it with lithium chloride (acquired taste aversion), while the other distinctive flavor was not devalued. The rats selectively decreased revisits to the devalued distinctive flavor but not to the nondevalued distinctive flavor. The present studies demonstrate that rats selectively encode the content of episodic-like memories.
A characterization of a-outerplanar graphs

Chartrand and Harary have shown that if G is a non-outerplanar graph such that, for every edge e, both the deletion G\e and the contraction G/e of e from G are outerplanar, then G is isomorphic to K4 or K2,3. An α-outerplanar graph is a graph which is not outerplanar such that, for some edge α, both G\α and G/α are outerplanar. We describe various results for the class of α-outerplanar graphs and obtain a characterization of the class. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Regulation of the mitochondrial dynamin-like protein Opa1 by proteolytic cleavage

The dynamin-related protein Opa1 is localized to the mitochondrial intermembrane space, where it facilitates fusion between mitochondria. Apoptosis causes Opa1 release into the cytosol and causes mitochondria to fragment. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential also causes mitochondrial fragmentation but not Opa1 release into the cytosol. Both conditions induce the proteolytic cleavage of Opa1, suggesting that mitochondrial fragmentation is triggered by Opa1 inactivation. The opposite effect was observed with knockdown of the mitochondrial intermembrane space protease Yme1. Knockdown of Yme1 prevents the constitutive cleavage of a subset of Opa1 splice variants but does not affect carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone or apoptosis-induced cleavage. Knockdown of Yme1 also increases mitochondrial connectivity, but this effect is independent of Opa1 because it also occurs in Opa1 knockdown cells. We conclude that Yme1 constitutively regulates a subset of Opa1 isoforms and an unknown mitochondrial morphology protein, whereas the loss of membrane potential induces the further proteolysis of Opa1.
Biexponential analysis of diffusion-related signal decay in normal human cortical and deep gray matter

Diffusion imaging with high-b factors, high spatial resolution and cerebrospinal fluid signal suppression was performed in order to characterize the biexponential nature of the diffusion-related signal decay with b-factor in normal cortical gray and deep gray matter (GM). Integration of inversion pulses with a line scan diffusion imaging sequence resulted in 91% cerebrospinal fluid signal suppression, permitting accurate measurement of the fast diffusion coefficient in cortical GM (1.142+/-0.106 microm2/ms) and revealing a marked similarity with that found in frontal white matter (WM) (1.155+/-0.046 microm2/ms). The reversal of contrast between GM and WM at low vs high b-factors is shown to be due to a significantly faster slow diffusion coefficient in cortical GM (0.338+/-0.027 microm2/ms) than in frontal WM (0.125+/-0.014 microm2/ms). The same characteristic diffusion differences between GM and WM are observed in other brain tissue structures. The relative component size showed nonsignificant differences among all tissues investigated. Cellular architecture in GM and WM are fundamentally different and may explain the two- to threefold higher slow diffusion coefficient in GM.
Quench sensitivity to defects and shear banding in nematic polymer film flows

Abstract A flow-orientation algorithm [S. Heidenreich, S. Hess, M.G. Forest, X. Yang, R. Zhou, Robustness of pulsating jet-like layers in sheared nano-rod dispersions, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech., in press, doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071 ; X. Yang, Z. Cui, M.G. Forest, J. Shen, Q. Wang, Dimensional robustness and instability of sheared, semi-dilute, nano-rod dispersions, SIAM Multiscale Model. Simul. 7 (2008) 622–654] for nematic (liquid crystalline) polymer films is coupled with the homogenized effective conductivity tensor of the rod-matrix composite [H. Zhou, X. Zheng, M.G. Forest, Q. Wang, R. Lipton, Extension-enhanced conductivity of liquid crystalline polymer nano-composites, Macromol. Symp. 28 (2005) 81–85; X. Zheng, M.G. Forest, R. Lipton, R. Zhou, Q. Wang, Exact scaling laws for electrical conductivity properties of nematic polymer nano-composite monodomains, Adv. Funct. Mater. 15 (4) (2005) 627–638; X. Zheng, M.G. Forest, R. Zhou, Q. Wang, R. Lipton, Anisotropy and dynamic ranges in effective properties of sheared nematic polymer nano-composites, Adv. Funct. Mater. 15 (2005) 2029–2035; X. Zheng, M.G. Forest, R. Lipton, R. Zhou, Nematic polymer mechanics: flow-induced anisotropy, Continuum Mech. Thermodyn. 18 (2007) 377–394; X. Zheng, M.G. Forest, R. Vaia, M. Arlen, A strategy for dimensional percolation in sheared nano-rod dispersions, Adv. Mater. 19 (22) (2007) 4038–4043] to simulate a simultaneous thermal quench and arrest of the film flow. The final orientational morphology yields nematic polymer film features that determine film performance: anisotropy and heterogeneity in the thermal conductivity tensor, and residual shear and normal stresses. With this numerical toolkit, we amplify an inherent source of nematic polymer film non-uniformity for identical processing conditions. It is well-known that steady parallel plate driving conditions yield unsteady nematic polymer behavior such as director tumbling and wagging, defects, and shear bands. We show that the timing of initial cooling and arrest of plate motion produces different solid films, even with identical isothermal and quench protocols! Simulations show flow reversal and gradient elasticity bands are created when the quench and plate arrest are applied in phase with isothermal shear bands and defect layers, reminiscent of effects reported for small molar mass liquid crystals [R.S. Akopyan, R.B. Alaverdian, E.A. Santrosian, Y.S. Chilingarian, Thermomechanical effects in the nematic liquid crystals, J. Appl. Phys. 90 (2001) 3371–3376; R.S. Hakobyan, G.L. Yesayan, B.Y. Zeldovich, Thermomechanical oscillations in hybrid nematic liquid crystals, Phys. Rev. E 73 (2006) 061707].
N Galaxies—a new class of X-ray sources

It is shown that in addition to many Seyfert galaxies and quasars, N galaxies are also powerful X-ray sources. X-ray emission has been discovered from all six N galaxies in the 3C radio catalogue with redshifts less than 0.06 and from the N galaxy Pic A. Since many of the N galaxies possess compact radio components, it is suggested that the principle cause of X-ray emission may be the synchrotron self-Compton process. An alternate theory suggests that X-rays may be generated by gas clouds colliding with velocities of the order of the Doppler width of the broad lines.
Modeling of Focused Ultrasound Propagation in Water Towards a Solid Target and Comparisons to Experimental Observations on Ultrasonic Cavitation

A numerical model has been developed for focused ultrasound propagation in water towards a solid target, for which the previous modeling work in the literature has been limited. The model predications are reasonably consistent with experimental observations on the cavitation region size at the target surface in the given ultrasound transducer power range, which has provided a verification of the model. The model calculations show that the ultrasound-induced peak negative pressure is highly spatially non-uniform on the side surface of a studied cylindrical target under the investigated conditions. This implies that to uniformly peen the target with focused ultrasonic cavitation peening, a special process design and/or parameter selection may be needed, for which the developed model may provide a useful guiding tool.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
The mechanism of the plasma cholesterol esterification reaction : Plasma fatty acid transferase.

The mechanism of cholesterol esterification in plasma incubated at 37° has been further studied. The decrease in free cholesterol during incubation is accompanied by an approximately equimolar decrease in lecithin. The initial rate of the cholesterol esterification reaction in vitro in the plasma of normal human subjects is about 110 μmoles/l plasma/h. During incubation a large proportion of the fatty acids which become esterified to cholesterol are unsaturated, resembling in distribution the fatty acids of the C-2 position of the plasma lecithin. Esterification is reversibly inhibited by p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. Taken in conjunction with previous results, the present findings support the hypothesis that cholesterol esters are formed in plasma by the action of a fatty acid transferase, that the majority of the transesterified fatty acids originate from teh C-2 position of the plasma lecithin, and that the reaction may be of considerable importance in vivo.
Fragrance material review on 11-oxahexadecanolide.

Abstract A toxicologic and dermatologic review of 11-oxahexadecanolide when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented. 11-Oxahexadecanolide is a member of the fragrance structural group macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives. The fragrance ingredient described herein is one of 12 structurally diverse C14, C15, and C16 compounds that include (7) saturated mono- and (2) saturated di-ester lactones and (3) unsaturated lactones. For the latter, the double bond is not adjacent to (in conjugation with) the ester group. This review contains a detailed summary of all available toxicology and dermatology papers that are related to 11-oxahexadecanolide and is not intended as a stand-alone document. Available data were evaluated, then summarized, and includes: physical properties; acute toxicity; skin irritation; mucous membrane (eye) irritation; skin sensitization; phototoxicity; photoallergy; and genotoxicity data. A safety assessment of the entire macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives will be published simultaneously with this document. Please refer to Belsito et al. (2011) for an overall assessment of the safe use of this material and all macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives in fragrances. Belsito, D., Bickers, D., Bruze, M., Calow, P., Dagli, M., Fryer, A.D., Greim, H., Hanifin, J.H., Miyachi, Y., Saurat, J.H., Sipes, I.G., 2011. A toxicologic and dermatologic assessment of macrocylic lactones and lactide derivatives when used as fragrance ingredients.
A Cross-Validation Study of the Trauma Symptom Checklist: The Role of Mediating Variables

The study examines the responses to the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC) of college women (n = 654) sexually abused as children, sexually assaulted as adults, sexually assaulted as children and adults, and nonabused. Also investigated was the role of mediating variables: parental support, attributional style, and coping. Subjects completed a series of self-report measures in small groups. Sexual abuse was associated with more symptoms and more recent assaults, and revictimized women reported the most symptoms. The hypothesized mediating variables were predictive of scores on the Dissociation, Anxiety, Depression, Sexual Abuse Trauma Index, and Sexual Problems subscales. The interaction of low levels of parental support and a nonexpressive coping style was predictive of Anxiety and Depression scores. The results support the validity of the TSC as a measure of sexual abuse trauma and point to family patterns associated with prolonged symptomatology.
Sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias during the early postinfarction period: Electrophysiologic findings and prognosis for survival

Forty patients with sustained tachycardia occurring 3 to 65 days after myocardial infarction underwent programmed ventricular stimulation within 3 months of the infarction. Patients were characterized clinically by a complicated initial 48 hours of hospitalization for their acute infarction (85% of study group). The development of bundle branch block in association with infarction occurred with an unusually high frequency (32%). Ventricular tachycardia similar in configuration to spontaneous arrhythmia was induced with programmed ventricular stimulation in 33 (83%) of the 40 patients. In 15 (45%) of these 33 patients, additional morphologically distinct ventricular tachycardia not seen clinically was initiated. The induction of ventricular tachycardia was not significantly related to the time after myocardial infarction at which spontaneous ventricular tachycardia was initially observed. Only 20 of the 40 patients are alive after a mean follow-up period of 20 ± 15 months. Twelve of the 20 deaths were sudden cardiac deaths. Sixteen of the 33 patients with inducible ventricular tachycardia died; 8 of the 16 deaths were sudden. By comparison, four of the seven patients with no inducible ventricular tachycardia died (probability [p] = not significant), all suddenly. The mode of therapy did not influence subsequent survival. It appears that in patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia occurring more than 48 hours after a recent myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia similar to that clinically observed can usually be induced by programmed stimulation. In addition, multiple morphologically distinct ventricular tachycardias, some of which have not been previously observed, are frequently induced. Finally, the prognosis for survival is poor, regardless of inducibility or mode of therapy, and may in part be related to a changing arrhythmia substrate.
Fermentation characterization and flux analysis of recombinant strains of Clostridium acetobutylicum with an inactivated solR gene

The effect of solR inactivation on the metabolism of Clostridium acetobutylicum was examined using fermentation characterization and metabolic flux analysis. The solR-inactivated strain (SolRH) of this study had a higher rate of glucose utilization and produced higher solvent concentrations (by 25%, 14%, and 81%, respectively, for butanol, acetone, and ethanol) compared to the wild type. Strain SolRH(pTAAD), carrying a plasmid-encoded copy of the bifunctional alcohol/aldehyde dehydrogenase gene (aad) used in butanol production, produced even higher concentrations of solvents (by 21%, 45%, and 62%, respectively, for butanol, acetone, and ethanol) than strain SolRH. Clarithromycin used for strain SolRH maintenance during SolRH(pTAAD) fermentations did not alter product formation; however, tetracycline used for pTAAD maintenance resulted in 90% lower solvent production.
Tensor polarizability of the ground-state hyperfine structure of thallium

The atomic-beam magnetic-resonance technique has been used to measure the hyperfine-structure tensor polarizability (quadratic Stark effect) in the ${6}^{2}{P}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ ground state of atomic thallium. Electric fields of up to 460 kV/cm were used to lift the degeneracy between the ${m}_{F}=0$ and the ${m}_{F}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1$ substates in the absence of an external magnetic field, and focusing transitions between these Stark-separated states were observed. Measurements were also made between Zeeman-separated substates. The results are ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{T}=\ensuremath{-}(3.74\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ Hz/${(\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m})}^{2}$, or $k=\ensuremath{-}(5.62\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.14)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ Hz/${(\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m})}^{2}$, where $\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\nu}=k{E}^{2}$ is the Stark shift of the $({m}_{F}=0)\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}({m}_{F}=\ensuremath{-}1)$ "flop-in" transition.
β-Cell rejuvenation with thiazolidinediones

Type 2 diabetes mellitus manifests in an insulin-resistant individual when pancreatic beta-cells are unable to produce sufficient insulin to overcome insulin resistance in the muscles and liver. There is a growing body of evidence that the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of antidiabetic agents rejuvenates beta-cells and improves their function. When combination therapy with a sulfonylurea drug and metformin fails, treatment with a TZD increases C-peptide concentrations, reflecting improvement in beta-cell function. Further evidence of TZD-induced preservation of beta-cell function is documented by the findings of several recent trials in diabetes prevention. This apparent ability of TZDs to rejuvenate beta-cells, in addition to improving insulin resistance and glycemic control, is a compelling reason to use these agents as initial therapy for type 2 diabetes.
The Message Development Tool: A Case for Effective Operationalization of Messaging in Social Marketing Practice

That messages are essential, if not the most critical component of any communicative process, seems like an obvious claim. More so when the communication is about health--one of the most vital and elemental of human experiences (Babrow & Mattson, 2003). Any communication campaign that aims to change a target audience's health behaviors needs to centralize messages. Even though messaging strategies are an essential component of social marketing and are a widely used campaign model, health campaigns based on this framework have not always been able to effectively operationalize this key component, leading to cases where initiating and sustaining prescribed health behavior has been difficult (MacStravic, 2000). Based on an examination of the VERB campaign and an Australian breastfeeding promotion campaign, we propose a message development tool within the ambit of the social marketing framework that aims to extend the framework and ensure that the messaging component of the model is contextualized at the core of planning, implementation, and evaluation efforts.
Spatial and temporal patterns of invertebrate drift in streams draining a Neotropical landscape

SUMMARY 1. Invertebrate drift in streams draining a tropical landscape in Costa Rica was studied to assess differences in assemblage composition above and below a major gradient break in geomorphic landform and to assess temporal patterns of drift in lowland reaches below the gradient break. The gradient break ( 50 m a.s.l.) is the point at which the foothills of the Costa Rican Cordillera Central (piedmont) merge with the Caribbean coastal plain (lowlands). 2. Spatial patterns were assessed along two streams by sampling drift over 24 h once a month for 3 months in both the piedmont (90 m a.s.l.) and lowlands (30 m a.s.l.). Temporal patterns of drift were assessed through monthly diel sampling of three lowland sites over 8‐10 months, encompassing both ‘dry’ (B 400 mm precipitation per month, November to May) and wet (July to October) seasons. 3. Drift composition was insect dominated in piedmont sites and larval shrimp dominated in the lowlands. Percent similarity of assemblages between piedmont and lowland sites was low (range 26‐43%) because of high larval shrimp densities in lowland versus piedmont sites. 4. Drift densities were higher during night than day, with peaks at sunset on all dates and at all sites. Diel patterns in drift agree with previous observations for the study area and support the ‘risk of predation’ hypothesis. 5. Analysis of monthly patterns in lowland sites showed high variability in drift densities; however, all major taxa were found every month. Overall, there was a trend for high invertebrate densities during the ‘dry’ season but these trends were not significant. 6. Observed changes in drift composition support the concept of river zonation, which predicts a change in community composition along the stream continuum due to geomorphic features. Drift at lowland sites below the gradient break was dominated by shrimps, which are linked to marine environments via their migratory behaviour.
An in vitro Flaviviridae replicase system capable of authentic RNA replication

We have established an in vitro replication system for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a surrogate for the closely-related hepatitis C virus. In an in vitro reaction, BVDV replication complexes synthesize vRNA and replicative form (RF) and replicative intermediate (RI) RNAs. Kinetic and heparin trapping experiments demonstrate the recycling of RF and RI products and the initiation of vRNA synthesis in this system. Consistent with this, quantitative hybridization reveals the asymmetric synthesis of positive and negative strand RNA products. These findings support the notion that RF serves as a template and RI as a precursor in the synthesis of vRNA. Furthermore, the antiviral activity of an NS5B inhibitor was similar in BVDV replicase and infectivity assays. Together, these results indicate that the in vitro activity of BVDV replicase complexes recapitulates RNA replication that occurs in infected cells, providing a system in which to study both mechanisms and inhibitors of Flaviviridae replication.
Taste + odor interactions in compound aversion conditioning

In three experiments with rats, taste + odor interactions in compound aversion conditioning were investigated. In Experiment 1, two odors (0.02% almond and 0.02% orange) were compared on singleelement odor aversions, taste (denatonium) potentiated odor aversions, and potentiated odor aversions following taste extinction. Although no odor differences were seen following single-element conditioning, both types of potentiated orange odor aversions were stronger than their almond odor counterparts. These data show that odors of similar conditionability are differentially potentiated by the same taste. To determine whether these differences were due to unique perceptual representations, the effects of elemental extinction or compound extinction on aversions to the compound were investigated in Experiments 2 and 3. In Experiment 2, orange odor extinction weakened responding to the compound significantly more than taste extinction did. In contrast, almond odor extinction and taste extinction produced similar decrements in responding to the compound in Experiment 3. These results suggest that the perceptual representation of these specific taste + odor compounds are different, and they are discussed in regard to configural and within-compound association accounts of potentiation.
Hysteretic control of LLC resonant converter for solar and dc-dc applications

The growing popularity of LLC resonant converter in half-bridge implementation is due to its high efficiency and ability to achieve high power density. Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) technique minimizes the turn-on loss of the MOSFETs. However, as switching frequency increases, the converter efficiency will suffer due to the increased turn-off loss and gate charge loss. These effects are especially problematic at light load conditions, where the switching frequency has to be further increased in order to regulate the output. A new hysteretic control scheme is proposed in this paper. By fixing the switching frequency equal to the resonant frequency and skipping pulses proportional to the load condition, the switching losses are reduced and the light load efficiency is improved. Moreover, the switching frequency range is limited and therefore wider line and load range can be achieved.
Efficient Vocational Skills Training for People with Cognitive Disabilities: An Exploratory Study Comparing Computer‐Assisted Instruction to One‐on‐One Tutoring

Background This study compared the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction to that of one-on-one tutoring for teaching people with mild and moderate cognitive disabilities when both training methods are designed to take account of the specific mental deficits most commonly found in cognitive disability populations. Method Fifteen participants (age 22–71) received either computer-assisted instruction or one-on-one tutoring in three content domains that were of functional and daily relevance to them: behavioural limits, rights and responsibilities (two modules) and alphabetical sorting. Learning was assessed by means of a series of pretests and four learning cycle post-tests. Both instructional conditions maintained time-on-task and teaching material equivalence, and both incorporated a set of best-practices and empirically supported teaching techniques designed to address attentional deficits, stimulus processing inefficiencies and cognitive load limitations. Results Strong evidence of learning was found in both instructional method conditions. Moreover, in all content domains the two methods yielded approximately equivalent rates of learning and learning attainment. Conclusions These findings offer tentative evidence that a repetitive, computer-assisted training program can produce learning outcomes in people with mild and moderate cognitive disabilities that are comparable to those achieved by high-quality one-on-one tutoring.
Fabrication of the pinhole aperture for AdaptiSPECT.

AdaptiSPECT is a pre-clinical pinhole SPECT imaging system under final construction at the Center for Gamma- Ray Imaging. The system is designed to be able to autonomously change its imaging configuration. The system comprises 16 detectors mounted on translational stages to move radially away and towards the center of the field- of-view. The system also possesses an adaptive pinhole aperture with multiple collimator diameters and pinhole sizes, as well as the possibility to switch between multiplexed and non-multiplexed imaging configurations. In this paper, we describe the fabrication of the AdaptiSPECT pinhole aperture and its controllers.
Sharp bounds of the Zagreb indices of k-trees

For a graph G, the first Zagreb index M 1 is equal to the sum of squares of the vertex degrees, and the second Zagreb index M 2 is equal to the sum of the products of degrees of pairs of adjacent vertices. The Zagreb indices have been the focus of considerable research in computational chemistry dating back to Gutman and Trinajstic in 1972. In 2004, Das and Gutman determined sharp upper and lower bounds for M 1 and M 2 values for trees along with the unique trees that obtain the minimum and maximum M 1 and M 2 values respectively. In this paper, we generalize the results of Das and Gutman to the generalized tree, the k-tree, where the results of Das and Gutman are for k=1. Also by showing that maximal outerplanar graphs are 2-trees, we also extend a result of Hou, Li, Song, and Wei who determined sharp upper and lower bounds for M 1 and M 2 values for maximal outerplanar graphs.
Ionic Current Correlations Underlie the Global Tuning of Large Numbers of Neuronal Activity Attributes

Ionic conductances in identified neurons are highly variable. This poses the crucial question of how such neurons can produce stable activity. Coexpression of ionic currents has been observed in an increasing number of neurons in different systems, suggesting that the coregulation of ionic channel expression, by thus linking their variability, may enable neurons to maintain relatively constant neuronal activity as suggested by a number of recent theoretical studies. We examine this hypothesis experimentally using the voltage- and dynamic-clamp techniques to first measure and then modify the ionic conductance levels of three currents in identified neurons of the crab pyloric network. We quantify activity by measuring 10 different attributes (oscillation period, spiking frequency, etc.), and find linear, positive and negative relationships between conductance pairs and triplets that can enable pyloric neurons to maintain activity attributes invariant. Consistent with experimental observations, some of the features most tightly regulated appear to be phase relationships of bursting activity. We conclude that covariation (and probably a tightly controlled coregulation) of ionic conductances can help neurons maintain certain attributes of neuronal activity invariant while at the same time allowing conductances to change over wide ranges in response to internal or environmental inputs and perturbations. Our results also show that neurons can tune neuronal activity globally via coordinate expression of ion currents.
Cutsets and anti-chains in linear lattices

Consider the poset, ordered by inclusion, of subspaces of a four-dimensional vector space over a field with 2 elements. We prove that, for this poset, any cutset (i.e., a collection of elements that intersects every maximal chain) contains a maximal anti-chain of the poset. In analogy with the same result by Duffus, Sands, and Winkler [D. Duffus, B. Sands, P. Winkler, Maximal chains and anti-chains in Boolean lattices, SIAM J. Discrete Math. 3 (2) (1990) 197-205] for the subset lattice, we conjecture that the above statement holds in any dimension and for any finite base field, and we prove some special cases to support the conjecture.
Teaching Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Enthalpies of Hydrogenation of the Rings of C6H5X Predict Relative Reactivities; 13C NMR Shifts Predict Directing Effects of X

The concept of establishing relative stabilities of alkenes by their enthalpies of hydrogenation is extended to the enthalpies of hydrogenation of the ring of substituted benzenes, C6H5X. Enthalpies of hydrogenation of the rings predict the ordering of their reactivities. p-13C NMR chemical shifts predict the directing effect of X, meta or ortho/para, as does the direction of the dipole of the C–X bond. Inclusion of these facts in organic chemistry curricula integrates and reinforces concepts known prior to reaching the topic on electrophilic aromatic substitutions.
Alcohol Use, Partner Type, and Risky Sexual Behavior Among College Students: Findings from an Event-Level Study

Alcohol use is prevalent among college students and may contribute to elevated rates of sexual risk taking. Using event-level data, the hypothesis that partner type would moderate the effect of alcohol consumption on condom use was tested. Sexually active college students (N=330; 67% female) reported on characteristics of their most recent sexual encounter, including partner type, alcohol use, and condom use, along with measures of sex-related alcohol expectancies, sensation seeking, and typical alcohol use. Unprotected vaginal sex (UVS) was reported by 39% of the sample and 32% reported alcohol use prior to sex. For the complete sample, UVS was just as likely for non-drinking events as for events involving alcohol use. However, for sexual encounters involving a non-steady partner, alcohol consumption was associated with an increase in UVS, whereas rates of UVS did not vary by drinking status for encounters involving a steady partner. These effects remained in analyses that controlled for sex-related alcohol expectancies, sensation seeking, and typical alcohol use. Findings confirm that the effects of alcohol vary according to the context in which it is used.
Polycysteine and Other Polyamino Acid Functionalized Microfiltration Membranes for Heavy Metal Capture

Polycysteine and other polyamino acid functionalized microfiltration membrane sorbents work exceptionally well for the removal and recovery of toxic heavy metals from aqueous streams. These are hig...
Adult Recollections of Becoming Creative as a Child: An Empirical-Phenomenological Field Oriented Investigation

In this study, the Giorgi method of phenomenological analysis was used to investigate adult recollections of becoming creative as a child. The research question was designed to focus on the environmental context of becoming creative as interpreted psychologically by the participants who provided the data. The decision to focus the research question on both childhood experience and environmental relations was based upon the literature on creativity, which has pointed to the important pedagogical role of context in becoming creative since Carl Rogers's (1954) groundbreaking work on the topic. A general structural description and an illustrated general structure are provided, each schematizing the qualitative meanings inherent to the unfolding that is becoming creative as a child. The results are then discussed in relation to the ideas presented in the literature review concerning the context of creative experience.
Visual cortical mechanisms responsible for direction selectivity

Abstract We measured the response of some 171 directionally selective (DS) neurons in visual area 17 of the cat. Sequences of long duration (400 msec) stimulus onsets and offsets were employed to analyze the underlying mechanisms. We corroborate the existence of sub-regions of localized, anisotropic inhibition as the basic mechanism of directional tuning. At extremely small and at rather large asynchronies. DS neurons inhibit virtually non-selectively. Optimal directional selectivity occurs when the second response peak of S1 coincides with the first response peak of S2 (usually at an asynchrony of approximately 75 msec). The mechanism appears to involve the linear temporal convolution of impulse response functions.
Distribution of Mast Cells and Their Reactivity to a Histamine Liberator in the Trigeminal Ganglion of the Rat

Mast cell locations were plotted on tracings of photomicrographs of histologic sections of rat trigeminal ganglia. Mast cells were found infrequently in the root and proximal parts of the ganglion, but they were observed in increasing numbers distally. Ganglionic endoneurial mast cells in proximity to the cell bodies of chromatolytic neurons were degranulated by intraperitoneal injections of compound 48/80; this suggests that mast cells play a role in injury responses of the peripheral trigeminal system.
Combining motion segmentation with tracking for activity analysis

We explore a motion feature as the appropriate basis for classifying or describing a number of fine motor human activities. Our approach not only estimates motion directions and magnitudes in different image regions, but also provides accurate segmentation of moving regions. Through a combination of motion segmentation and region tracking techniques, while filtering for temporal consistency, we achieve a balance between accuracy and reliability of motion feature extraction. To identify specific activities, we characterize the dominant directions of relative motions. Experimental results show that this approach to motion feature analysis could be successful in assisting caregivers at a nursing home in assessments of patient's activity levels over time.