cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transient Wind Loads on Circular Concave Cable Roofs

Experimentally-determined transient wind pressures on a rigid model of a circular concave roof are presented. The loadings are then used in an analytical investigation of the dynamic response of a cable network. Most of the energy of the turbulent pressure fluctuations appears to be concentrated at low frequencies and is somewhat dependent on the height to diameter ratio of the structure; however, no dominant periodicity in the pressure fluctuations is apparent. Correlation coefficients for pressures are approximately equal over the entire roof, indicating that the eddy size is fairly uniform throughout the separation bubble. Using a discrete element formulation, the lower natural frequencies of a concave cable network are found to be dependent only on the sag and diameter and are independent of the mass and stiffness of the system. The results of the dynamic statistical analysis indicate that the mean transverse displacements are relatively small compared with static values incurred under time-averaged pressures.
Sexual Dysfunction Due to Clomipramine And Sertraline: Nonpharmacological Resolution

The author reports on anorgasmia and lack of ejaculation induced by clomipramine and sertraline that were successfully resolved in two different individuals without pharmacological interventions. In the first case this was accomplished by delaying the intake of clomipramine until after the sexual encounter and in the second case by intercourse immediately after the intake of sertraline.
Three-dimensional through-wafer fan-out optical interconnects

As processor speeds rapidly approach the Gigahertz regime, the disparity between process time and memory access time plays an increasing roll in the overall limitation of processor performance. In addition, limitations in interconnect density and bandwidth serve to exacerbate current bottlenecks, particularly as computer architectures continue to reduce in size. To address these issues, we propose a 3D architecture based on through-wafer vertical optical interconnects. To facilitate integration into the current manufacturing infrastructure, our system is monolithically fabricate din the silicon substrate and preserves scale of integration by using meso-scopic diffractive optical elements (DOEs) for beam fan-out. We believe that this architecture can alleviate the disparity between processor speeds and memory access times while increasing interconnect density by at least an order of magnitude. We are current working to demonstrate a prototype system that consists of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, diffractive optical elements, photodetectors, and memory units integrate don a single silicon substrate. To this end, we are currently refining our fabrication and analysis methods for the realization of meso-scopic DOEs. In this paper, we present our progress to date and demonstrate through-silicon optical data transmission using DOEs that were designed, fabricated, and characterized at the University of Delaware. We present the validation of our theoretical models for the design of such DOEs with experimental data and discuss applications for our proposed architecture including instruction level parallel processors and field programmable gate arrays.
Within-host competitive interactions as a mechanism for the maintenance of parasite diversity

Variation among parasite strains can affect the progression of disease or the effectiveness of treatment. What maintains parasite diversity? Here I argue that competition among parasites within the host is a major cause of variation among parasites. The competitive environment within the host can vary depending on the parasite genotypes present. For example, parasite strategies that target specific competitors, such as bacteriocins, are dependent on the presence and susceptibility of those competitors for success. Accordingly, which parasite traits are favoured by within-host selection can vary from host to host. Given the fluctuating fitness landscape across hosts, genotype by genotype (G×G) interactions among parasites should be prevalent. Moreover, selection should vary in a frequency-dependent manner, as attacking genotypes select for resistance and genotypes producing public goods select for cheaters. I review competitive coexistence theory with regard to parasites and highlight a few key examples where within-host competition promotes diversity. Finally, I discuss how within-host competition affects host health and our ability to successfully treat infectious diseases.
Indirect Competition: Resource Diversion

This note describes and discusses three major ways of competing through resource diversion in multiple products and multiple markets: the thrust, the feint, and the gambit.
Using Survival Analysis to Understand Graduation of Students With Disabilities

This study examined when students with disabilities graduated high school and how graduation patterns differed for students based on selected demographic and educational factors. Utilizing statewide data on students with disabilities from Massachusetts from 2005 through 2012, the author conducted discrete-time survival analysis to estimate the conditional probability of high school graduation in a given year after high school entry by disability category and placement in the general education setting. Results suggest that, across all disability categories, the peak conditional probability for graduation occurs 4 years after high school entry. In addition, students with disabilities who are fully included have higher graduation probability profiles than students with disabilities who are educated in substantially-separate settings.
Recent Results on Quantum Materials with an X-ray Free Electron Laser

We describe recent results in quantum materials through the use of a new tool: the x-ray free electron laser. We briefly describe the instrument and x-ray source capabilities and then discuss how this tool can bring new insights into materials with strong-electron correlations by ultrafast x-ray scattering from electronic structure.
Neighborhood disorder, spiritual well-being, and parenting stress in African American women.

This study tests a risk-protective model in which spiritual well-being, a protective factor, is examined as a moderator of the relation between neighborhood disorder, a risk factor, and parenting stress in a high risk sample of low socioeconomic status (SES) African American women. The study is important for African American families because they are more often low SES and live in poor and risky neighborhoods, and these socioeconomic factors contribute to high levels of parenting stress (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2010). Poor neighborhoods are riskier due to higher crime rates and less access to supportive resources. Given these risk factors, studies of African American families have tended to approach parenting from a deficit perspective. Thus, our focus on spirituality as a protective factor in the face of risky environments is valuable, especially as theory and empirical work are turning to factors that support positive development for minority children (Cabrera & The SRCD Ethnic and Racial Issues Committee, 2013).
Lack of association between schizophrenia and a CAG repeat polymorphism of the hSKCa3 gene in a north eastern US sample.

Lack of association between schizophrenia and a CAG repeat polymorphism of the hSKCa3 gene in a North Eastern US sample
Blood Cell Versus Vascular Endothelial Cell Contributions to Nitrite Homeostasis and Blood Pressure Regulation

Mice genetically deficient in constitutive nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) are hypertensive compared to normal C57Bl6 (wild type) mice, indicating the importance of constitutively produced nitric oxide (NO•) to blood pressure regulation and vascular homeostasis. The objective of this study was to use molecular methodologies to determine the contribution of eNOS in circulating blood cells to the intravascular pool of nitrite, a metabolite and storage form of nitric oxide (NO•) with powerful vasorelaxant activity, and to the regulation of blood pressure under physiological conditions. We used bone marrow transplant to create chimeric mice genetically deficient in eNOS in either circulating blood cells (−/+) or vascular endothelium (+/−), confirmed by flow cytometry, western blot, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Nitrite concentrations in whole blood and plasma of chimeras were quantified using ozone-based reductive chemiluminescence. Mean arterial and diastolic blood pressures of chimeras were assessed in the absence/presence of NOS stimulation with oral L-Arginine or NOS inhibition with oral L-Name. A highly significant inverse correlation between plasma nitrite concentrations and blood pressures was noted across all groups of chimeric mice. Importantly, in agreement with higher blood pressures in −/+ chimeras compared to eNOS positive controls (+/+ chimeras globally competent for eNOS), significantly reduced whole blood and plasma nitrite concentrations were also measured. Blood pressure responses to NOS inhibition or stimulation were intact in all chimera groups except eNOS negative controls (−/− chimeras globally deficient for eNOS) and, importantly, blunted in −/+ chimeras compared to eNOS positive controls. These findings indicate a functional blood cell eNOS that is a major contributor to circulating nitrite concentrations and plays a critical role in vascular homeostasis.
A quad 1–10Gb/s serial transceiver in 90nm CMOS

A quad 1-10 Gb/s serial transceiver in 90 nm digital CMOS technology is presented in this paper. A combination of transmitter pre-emphasis and receiver equalization is used. It can be used for different data rates and short-reach/long-reach applications with low overhead in area and power consumption. It is able to run across a 60-inch FR4 PCB trace with BER<10-12 at 3.125 Gb/s while consuming 70 mW/channel. At 10 Gb/s, it consumes 98 mW/channel to run across a 10-inch FR4 PCB trace and 90mW/channcl to run across a 4-inch FR4 PCB trace. Its die area is 1.6 mm2.
Ultrasound Contrast Agents: Development of the Field and Current Status

Design, preparation and application of microbubbles as ultrasound contrast agents are discussed. Modern generation of ultrasound contrast materials can be prepared as aqueous dispersions of micron-size bubbles of water-insoluble gas (e.g., perfluorocarbon) coated with a thin shell made of protein, lipid or polymer. Such microbubbles can be injected intravenously for imaging blood flow and tissue and organ delineation and perfusion. Microbubbles can be outfitted with targeting ligands for selective contrasting of the areas of disease. Microbubbles can be selectively destroyed in the ultrasound field. So, if a drug or plasmid DNA is attached to a microbubble, selective release into the insonified areas of the body can be achieved for drug delivery or gene therapy. Several ultrasound contrast agents have received approval for clinical use so far. Their widespread application will allow rapid and inexpensive diagnostics of tissue perfusion abnormalities and location of tumor metastases.
Analytic Thinking Reduces Anti-Atheist Bias in Voting Intentions

Research has demonstrated that priming analytic thinking reduces adherence to religious ideas. The current studies examined whether analytic thinking primes can also increase acceptance of secular ...
No Evidence of Site Fidelity in Atlantic Croakers or Spot in the Shore Zone of Lower Delaware Bay

AbstractWe conducted a mark–recapture study over a 98-d period from June 20 through September 26, 2013, in lower Delaware Bay, USA, to examine movement and site fidelity of the Atlantic Croaker Micropogonias undulatus and Spot Leiostomus xanthurus. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of visible implant elastomer (VIE) tagging for these species. Fish were tagged at five shore-zone sites along approximately 5 km of gradually sloping sandy beach and at a site along 300 m of riprap-hardened shoreline. Additional tagging occurred in an adjacent area (~36 ha) of nearshore habitat. Atlantic Croakers and Spot (15 individuals per species) were also tagged and held in the laboratory for 2 months to examine tag retention and fish survival. In total, 133 Atlantic Croakers and 253 Spot were tagged and released. The VIE tagging was shown to be a highly effective technique for studying the movement of these species; tag retention rates were 100% and 98% in Atlantic Croakers and Spot, respectively, an...
Divine forgiveness II: Reconciliation and debt‐cancellation theories

Many people believe that God has forgiven them for the wrong things they have done. What is the nature of God's forgiveness? In this essay, the second in a two-part series, I explore two further approaches to this question. I conclude by noting a few issues that, in my estimation, should be addressed in future philosophical discussions of the nature of divine forgiveness.
The Griffith Empathy Measure Does Not Validly Distinguish between Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Children

To evaluate the construct validity of the Griffith Empathy Measure (GEM), specifically the validity of its separate “cognitive” and “affective” empathy scales. If these scales do distinguishably me...
Abstract 12745: Interleukin-4 Promotes Procollagen Type-I Alpha 1 Gene Expression via Activator Protein 1 Activation in Cardiac Fibroblasts

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) activates the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 signaling pathway, resulting in the upregulation of procollagen genes and promotion of collagen production in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs). In addition, transcription factors may participate in the transcriptional activation of collagen genes. We hypothesize that IL-4 activates activator protein 1 (AP-1) via c-Jun phosphorylation, promoting transcriptional activation of the procollagen type-I alpha 1 (Col1α1) gene and collagen type-I expression in CFs. Primary mouse CFs were used. Western blot analyses revealed that IL-4 (10 ng/ml) increased phosphorylation of c-Jun, a subunit of AP-1. Additionally, our experiments utilizing electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed a significant increase in DNA binding activity for AP-1 in IL-4-treated CFs compared to control cells (1.00±0.07 to 2.14±0.38 fold change versus control, p p p p >0.05) and the collagen type-I (0.95±0.05 to 1.01±0.10, p >0.05) in c-Jun shRNA-transfected cells. Our data demonstrate that IL-4-activated AP-1, an ubiquitous transcription factor containing phosphorylated c-Jun, enhanced Col1α1 gene expression and collagen type-I expression in CFs. Data generated from this study provides a novel molecular basis for potential treatment of cardiac fibrosis by targeting IL-4-induced signaling in CFs.
Prospects and Challenges of Volatile Organic Compound Sensors in Human Healthcare.

The chemical signatures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in humans can be utilized for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis. Apart from toxic exposure studies, VOCs generated in humans can provide insights into one’s healthy and diseased metabolic states, acting as a biomarker for identifying numerous diseases noninvasively. VOC sensors and the technology of e-nose have received significant attention for continuous and selective monitoring of various physiological and pathophysiological conditions of an individual. Noninvasive detection of VOCs is achieved from biomatrices of breath, sweat and saliva. Among these, detection from sweat and saliva can be continuous in real-time. The sensing approaches include optical, chemiresistive and electrochemical techniques. This article provides an overview of such techniques. These, however, have limitations of reliability, precision, selectivity, and stability in continuous monitoring. Such limitations are due to lack of sensor stability and complexity of samples in a...
Examining Urban Environment Correlates of Childhood Physical Activity and Walkability Perception with GIS and Remote Sensing

Emerging research suggests that the built environment has potential to influence physical activity which, in turn, can have a protective effect against obesity and a positive impact on public health (Berrigan and Troiano, 2002; Atkinson et al., 2005). As a result, research on the association between the built environment and health is receiving increased attention in a variety of disciplines. Most research on the associations between the built environment and physical activity to date has focused on adults, but the potential links in children are largely unexplored. The present study examines how GIS and remote sensing can be used to enhance understanding of the relationships between physical activity and the built environ ment for a cohort of children from low-income urban neighborhoods in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mass Conflict: Participants’ Attitudes

The historical record indicates that views of warfare have varied greatly over time and provides evidence for both the functional bases for methods of warfare, as well as the role of norms about conflict and the out-group. Stouffer’s World War II research and the later work of Shalit provide insight into the views of the military. Although international protocols governing conflict have been developed over the past 150 years, the degree to which restraints in war are supported by the public has only been investigated recently. Psychological biases that influence individual views of the in-group and out-group are discussed as are suggestions for future avenues of research.
Low Rates of Linkage and Retention Into Care Among Patients With Chronic HBV Infection

Successful linkage and retention of newly diagnosed hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients is critical for disease monitoring. Existing studies have demonstrated significant gaps in the HBV care continuum among U.S. veterans1 and have mostly focused on adherence to laboratory testing or initial linkage. However, retention is especially important, given that decisions to start antiviral therapies are often not made until subsequent evaluation, and studies report high rates of becoming treatment-eligible among patients who were not eligible at initial evaluation.2 Given the existing system and socioeconomic barriers in access to care, understanding contributors to gaps and delays in HBV linkage and retention among safety-net populations is critical. We aim to evaluate prevalence and predictors of linkage and retention among HBV patients at an urban safety-net hospital.
Development of machine learning algorithms for prediction of prolonged opioid prescription after surgery for lumbar disc herniation

Abstract BACKGROUND CONTEXT Spine surgery has been identified as a risk factor for prolonged postoperative opioid use. Preoperative prediction of opioid use could improve risk stratification, shared decision-making, and patient counseling before surgery. PURPOSE The primary purpose of this study was to develop algorithms for prediction of prolonged opioid prescription after surgery for lumbar disc herniation. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective, case-control study at five medical centers. PATIENT SAMPLE Chart review was conducted for patients undergoing surgery for lumbar disc herniation between January 1, 2000 and March 1, 2018. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome of interest was sustained opioid prescription after surgery to at least 90 to 180 days postoperatively. METHODS Five models (elastic-net penalized logistic regression, random forest, stochastic gradient boosting, neural network, and support vector machine) were developed to predict prolonged opioid prescription. Explanations of predictions were provided globally (averaged across all patients) and locally (for individual patients). RESULTS Overall, 5,413 patients were identified, with sustained postoperative opioid prescription of 416 (7.7%) at 90 to 180 days after surgery. The elastic-net penalized logistic regression model had the best discrimination (c-statistic 0.81) and good calibration and overall performance; the three most important predictors were: instrumentation, duration of preoperative opioid prescription, and comorbidity of depression. The final models were incorporated into an open access web application able to provide predictions as well as patient-specific explanations of the results generated by the algorithms. The application can be found here: https://sorg-apps.shinyapps.io/lumbardiscopioid/ CONCLUSION Preoperative prediction of prolonged postoperative opioid prescription can help identify candidates for increased surveillance after surgery. Patient-centered explanations of predictions can enhance both shared decision-making and quality of care.
Noise and Stochastic Processes

This chapter presents an overview of the noise models that will be used throughout the book. In the area of magnetic hysteresis, most of the research employed Gaussian white noise as noise model, which is mathematically described by independent and identically distributed random variables following a Gaussian distribution. Once the interest in hysteresis was extended beyond the traditional area of magnetism, various noise models appeared naturally in the hysteresis analysis. For example, pink noise is ubiquitous in multi-stable electronic systems, Brown noise is very common in physical and chemical diffusion processes, and even white noise is often encountered in its impulsive form in economics and biological hysteretic systems, so Cauchy or Laplace probability distributions emerge as better model choices in these systems than Gaussian white noise. Various noise models and the numerical methods used in this study to simulate them are discussed in the first part of this chapter. The second part is devoted to introducing the theory of stochastic processes defined on graphs recently developed by Freidlin and Wentzell, which proved to be naturally suited to the stochastic analysis of hysteretic systems. First, several definitions and general properties of stochastic processes are discussed, stressing the link between transition probability of Markov processes and the semigroups of contractions. This relationship provides the characterization tool for the diffusion processes that can be defined on a graph, subject that is elaborated in the final sections of this chapter.
Book Review: Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events

Much of Shiller's new book is about how economic narratives form, spread, and fade. Drawing on medical evidence about the spread of infectious disease, Shiller argues that "economic fluctuations are substantially driven by contagion of oversimplified and easily transmitted variants of economic narratives." But Shiller ignores the powerful role of monetary disorder, whether in forming the narrative or determining the contagion rate, or as a competitor to the narrative. Ignoring or downplaying money's role leaves _Narrative Economics_ a disappointment.
The effects of feeding ferric citrate on ruminal bacteria, methanogenic archaea and methane production in growing beef steers

Methane produced by cattle is one of the contributors of anthropogenic greenhouse gas. Methods to lessen methane emissions from cattle have been met with varying success; thus establishing consistent methods for decreasing methane production are imperative. Ferric iron may possibly act to decrease methane by acting as an alternative electron acceptor. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ferric citrate on the rumen bacterial and archaeal communities and its impact on methane production. In this study, eight steers were used in a repeated Latin square design with 0, 250, 500 or 750 mg Fe/kg DM of ferric iron (as ferric citrate) in four different periods. Each period consisted of a 16 day adaptation period and 5 day sampling period. During each sampling period, methane production was measured, and rumen content was collected for bacterial and archaeal community analyses. Normally distributed data were analysed using a mixed model ANOVA using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS, and non-normally distributed data were analysed in the same manner following ranking. Ferric citrate did not have any effect on bacterial community composition, methanogenic archaea nor methane production (P>0.05). Ferric citrate may not be a viable option to observe a ruminal response for decreases in enteric methane production.
Cohesin: behind dynamic genome topology and gene expression reprogramming

Beyond its originally discovered role tethering replicated sister chromatids, cohesin has emerged as a master regulator of gene expression. Recent advances in chromatin topology resolution and single-cell studies have revealed that cohesin has a pivotal role regulating highly dynamic chromatin interactions linked to transcription control. The dynamic association of cohesin with chromatin and its capacity to perform loop extrusion contribute to the heterogeneity of chromatin contacts. Additionally, different cohesin subcomplexes, with specific properties and regulation, control gene expression across the cell cycle and during developmental cell commitment. Here, we discuss the most recent literature in the field to highlight the role of cohesin in gene expression regulation during transcriptional shifts and its relationship with human diseases.
Active rock glaciers of the contiguous United States: geographic information system inventory and spatial distribution patterns

Abstract. In this study we present the Portland State University Active Rock Glacier Inventory ( n=10 332) for the contiguous United States, derived from the manual classification of remote sensing imagery (Johnson, 2020; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.918585 ). Individually, these active rock glaciers are found across widely disparate montane environments, but their overall distribution unambiguously favors relatively high, arid mountain ranges with sparse vegetation. While at least one active rock glacier is identified in each of the 11 westernmost states, nearly 88 % are found in just five states: Colorado ( n=3889 ), Montana ( n=1813 ), Idaho ( n=1689 ), Wyoming ( n=839 ), and Utah ( n=834 ). Mean active rock glacier area is estimated at 0.10 km 2 , with cumulative active rock glacier area totaling 1004.05 km 2 . Active rock glaciers are assigned to a three-tier classification system based on area thresholds and surface characteristics known to correlate with downslope movement. Class 1 features ( n=7042 , average area = 0.12 km 2 ) appear to be highly active, Class 2 features ( n=2415 , average area = 0.05 km 2 ) appear to be intermediately active, and Class 3 features ( n=875 , average area = 0.04 km 2 ) appear to be minimally active. This geospatial inventory will allow past active rock glacier research findings to be spatially extrapolated, help facilitate further active rock glacier research by identifying field study sites, and serve as a valuable training set for the development of automated rock glacier identification and classification methods applicable to other large regional studies.
Marathon run performance on daylight savings time transition days: results from a natural experiment.

Advancing clock times by 1 h in the spring to daylight savings time and setting clock times back 1 h in the autumn to standard time disrupts circadian timing, sleep and skilled motor behavior such as driving an automobile. It is unknown if endurance performance is impacted by daylight savings transition (DST). The natural experiment described here examined whether exposure to a DST in the 10 h prior to the start of a marathon race was associated with a different mean completion time compared to participants who ran the same course but were unexposed to a recent DST. The primary outcome was the average running time of finishers of United States marathons that were completed on either spring-DST or autumn-DST days in the years 2000-2018. Comparisons were made to results from the same marathon held in a different year that was not run on a DST day. Data were obtained from the public data base marathonguide.com/results. Analysis of the primary outcome used paired samples t-tests weighted by sample size. Spring and autumn data were analyzed separately. Eighteen spring and 29 autumn marathons met the inclusion criteria. Compared to control marathons, the weighted spring-DST performance was worse by 12.3 min (4.1%; P < .001) and equal to a moderate standardized effect size of 0.57 while autumn-DST was trivially worse by 1.4 min (0.5%), which was equivalent to an effect size of 0.13. Ambient temperatures for the DST and control races did not differ for either the spring (10.6 vs. 8.9℃; P = .212) or autumn marathons (7.6 vs. 9.3℃; P = .131). Within the limitations of a natural experiment research design, it is concluded that the findings support worse running performance in marathon races held in the spring on the day of transition to daylight savings time when there is a forced circadian change and sleep loss.
Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Involvement of Amblyomma americanum α-D-galactosidase and α-1,4 Galactosyltransferase enzymes in α-gal metabolism

Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS) is an IgE-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to the oligosaccharide galactose--1,3-galactose (-gal) injected into humans from the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) bite. This study aims at the functional characterization of two tick enzymes, -D-galactosidase (ADGal) and -1,4 galactosyltransferase ({beta}-1,4GalT) in -gal metabolism. The ADGal enzyme cleaves terminal -galactose moieties from glycoproteins and glycolipids, whereas {beta}-1,4GalT transfers -galactose to a {beta}1,4 terminal linkage acceptor sugars: GlcNAc, Glc, and Xyl in various processes of glycoconjugate synthesis. An RNA interference approach was utilized to silence ADGal and {beta}-1,4GalT in Am. americanum to examine their functional role in -gal metabolism and AGS onset. Silencing of ADGal led to the significant down regulation of genes involved in galactose metabolism and transport in Am. americanum. Immunoblot and N-glycan analysis of the Am. americanum salivary glands showed a significant reduction in -gal levels in silenced tissues. However, there was no significant difference in the level of -gal in {beta}-1,4GalT silenced tick salivary glands. A basophil-activation test showed a decrease in the frequency of activated basophil by ADGal silenced salivary glands. These results provide an insight into the role of -D galactosidase & {beta}-1,4GalT in tick biology and the probable involvement in the onset of AGS.
Lipid Mediators in Transplantation Reperfusion Injury, Acute Rejection and Accelerated Transplant Atherosclerosis

The function of the transplanted organ is influenced by three events, namely reperfusion injury, acute rejection and transplant vascular disease. The latter was previously called chronic rejection, and is now frequently referred to as transplant atherosclerosis (1).
Cardiac hypertrophy is associated with upregulation of alpha myosin heavy chain in Hfe-deficient mice (907.6)

Cardiac hypertrophy is associated with up-regulation of alpha myosin heavy chain in Hfe-deficient mice Abitha Sukumaran, JuOae Chang, Ban-An Khaw and Jonghan Kim Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Massachusetts, United States of America. Cardiac damage induced by iron overload is the common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). Mutations in HFE are the major cause of hemochromatosis in humans. However, the precise molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of iron-induced cardiotoxicity are largely unexplored. Here we investigated the effect of HFE and iron on cardiac damage using Hfe-deficient (Hfe-/-) mice, a model of human HH. At the age of 5-month, Hfe-/- mice displayed elevated iron levels in the heart (p=0.0352). This was associated with increased mRNA expression of divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) that lacks iron-response element (p=0.0124), which likely promotes non-transferrin-bound iron uptake. In addition, heart...
Multiobjective controller design using Laguerre series

A technique for designing multiobjective controllers for distributed parameter systems based on Laguerre series expansions and the coprime factorization method is presented. The method is applied to the design of a controller that is to simultaneously track low frequency inputs and reject noise in the vicinity of 60 Hz.
Reinforcement of Nickel with some High-Strength Filaments

Composites of nickel containing 35 volume percent tungsten filaments and 11 volume percent alpha-Al 2O3 whiskers have been fabricated by the electroforming technique. Their (.2%) yield and ultimate tensile strengths after annealing (650° in H2 for 1/2 hour) have been found to be a linear function of the volume percent of the filament. The feasibility of producing nickel com posite reinforced with boron and E-glass filaments and SiC whiskers by this technique has also been demonstrated.
The effect of pregnancy upon pulmonary function in normal women.

The literature on pulmonary function during pregnancy is reviewed. Pulmonary function studies were performed on 8 healthy women between the thirty-eighth and fortieth weeks of pregnancy and 7 to 14 weeks post partum. 1. 1. The mean vital capacity was significantly lower (294 c.c.) (P > .02 < .05) during late pregnancy than when the patients were not pregnant. 2. 2. The reduction in vital capacity was due to a decrease in expiratory reserve. Inspiratory capacity did not change. 3. 3. Maximal air flow rates, timed vital capacity, and maximal breathing capacity did not change significantly during pregnancy. 4. 4. “Alveolar” pressure-air flow curves revealed a significantly higher air flow during pregnancy (P < .01), indicating a lowered pulmonary resistance to air flow in the pregnant state. It is suggested that the higher air flow during pregnancy may be due to relaxation of the smooth muscle of the tracheobronchial tree. This would permit an increase in the lumen of the airways and hence less resistance to the flow of air. This greater ease of air flow would tend to offset any increased effort of breathing brought about by the physical handicaps of late pregnancy, and be particularly useful when increased exertion is required. It is suggested that during pregnancy there may be a general pattern of smooth-muscle relaxation which affects the tracheobronchial musculature in addition to producing is also suggested that relaxin or the adrenal cortical hormones may be a major the well-known changes in the urinary, biliary, and gastrointestinal tracts. It factor in these alterations.
Post-Transplant Lymphoceles: A Critical Look into the Risk Factors, Pathophysiology and Management

AbstractTo define better the prevalence and pathophysiology of lymphoceles following renal transplantation, we prospectively evaluated 118 consecutive renal transplants performed in 115 patients (96 cadaveric, 22 living-related, 7 secondary and 111 primary). Ultrasonography was performed postoperatively and during rehospitalizations or whenever complications occurred. Perirenal fluid collections were identified in 43 patients (36%). Lymphoceles with a diameter of 5cm. or greater were identified in 26 of 118 cases (22%). Eight patients (6.8%) had symptomatic lymphoceles requiring therapy. The interval for development of symptomatic lymphoceles was 1 week to 3.7 years (median 10 months). Risk factors for the development of lymphoceles were examined by univariate and multivariate analysis, and included patient age, sex, source of transplants (cadaver versus living-related donor), retransplantation, tissue match (HLA-B/DR), type of preservation, arterial anastomosis, occurrence of acute tubular necrosis-delay...
The use of ultrasound in the prediction of fetal pulmonary maturity

Abstract Previous studies suggest that ultrasound criteria of biparietal diameter (BPD) and/or placental grade permit elimination of amniocentesis for pregnancy dating. To evaluate the potential risks and benefits of such a modified approach to determining fetal maturity, this prospective study, in which a BPD of ≥9.2 cm or a Grade III placenta was used instead of amniotic fluid analysis, was undertaken. One hundred fifty-three infants were delivered electively between March 1981, and January 1982, on the basis of ultrasound parameters of pulmonary maturity. None of the electively delivered infants developed respiratory distress syndrome. We conclude from these preliminary results that the ultrasonically determined BPD of ≥9.2 cm Grade III placenta is at least as sensitive as the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio in predicting pulmonary maturity in our patient population.
Identification of phosphorylation sites by Edman degradation

Publisher Summary Phosphotyrosine may be identified chromatographically, whereas phosphoserine and phosphothreonine can only be inferred from the levels of breakdown products, unless converted to a more stable derivative, or mass spectrometry can be used to sequence phosphopeptides. This chapter discusses a method that requires only sufficient radioactivity in one peptide, and describes how one have used methods described by others and adapted them to one's instrumentation. Based on normal amino acid sequencing, it is presumed that incomplete extraction is the major cause of the observed lag, and an increase in lag with the length of the run can be explained by the presence of incomplete reactions at each step, increasing the amount of peptide, from which one amino acid has not been cleaved due to an incomplete earlier reaction. Most of the samples analyzed are unsuitable for normal amino acid sequencing, because of the low amounts of peptide and the likelihood of multiple peptides being present. The new protocol proposed, avoids having to test and optimize a third sequencing cycle, which attempts to identify amino acids and collect radioactivity. The chapter explains that this method appears reliable and relatively straightforward to introduce in a protein sequencing laboratory.
Hydraulic modeling of glacial dam‐break floods on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania

This study investigates the potential hydraulic conditions of catastrophic floods in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River (West Branch) during the middle to late Pleistocene period and the influence of these paleofloods on the current river bed form. The current channel bed form is characterized using sonar bathymetry data collection techniques. The paleofloods are hypothesized based on published geological evidence of early Pleistocene glacial Lake Lesley in the West Branch Valley, which was formed by a glacial ice dam that potentially failed during mild climate cycles in the Pleistocene period. A one-dimensional, steady hydraulic model is developed to simulate estimates of paleoflood peak discharges and the modern 100 year return period peak discharge. The computed water-surface profiles, shear stresses, and flood inundation maps could explain the erosional and depositional features identified by other researchers as being formed during the Pleistocene and could explain features revealed by the bathymetry data. Therefore, the hydraulic modeling results support previously inferred hypotheses of the occurrence of glacial dam-break floods on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The differences that are evident between the paleoflood simulations and the simulation of the modern 100 year peak discharge are attributable to valley constrictions that cause substantial backwater effects for the larger paleoflood discharges but not for the lower modern flood discharge volume. The ability to simulate potential paleofloods in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River complements the paleostage indicator work done by other researchers and enables innovative analysis of glaciofluvial processes and their effect on the current river bed form.
A COMPARISON OF FREQUENCY AND QUANTITATIVE DIETARY METHODS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES OF DIET AND DISEASE

Agreement between frequency and quantitative dietary methods was assessed for the ability of frequency intake data to substitute for quantitative intake data in diet-disease investigations. Frequency and quantitative intakes of 342 male subjects participating in an ongoing case-control study in Hawaii during 1981-1982 were obtained using a recall interview method designed to assess usual dietary habits. The extent of agreement between frequency and quantitative intakes of various dietary components (44 food items, 20 food groups, 8 nutrients) was determined at the group and individual subject levels, and with regard to specific study objectives. The results showed that for studies based on aggregate data, frequency and quantitative dietary methods will give reasonably comparable results in analyses involving food items. However, for similar studies involving food groups and nutrients, and for all studies based on individual data, frequency dietary methods cannot be relied on to yield the same diet-disease associations as would corresponding quantitative methods.
Dynamic magnetization observations and reversal mechanisms of sintered and die-upset Nd-Fe-B magnets

Abstract In situ TEM magnetizing experiments combined with Lorentz microscopy in Fresnel and Foucault mode were used to study local features of magnetization reversal in polycrystalline sintered and die-upset Nd–Fe–B magnets. The die-upset (DU) magnets featured well-aligned grain texture along the c -axis, while the sintered (SI) magnets have a much wider distribution of grain orientations. Despite the similarity of the hysteresis curves, we found their nanoscale behavior of the magnetization reversal was quite different. The predominant mechanism controlling reversal in DU-magnets was nucleation of reversed domains, preferentially at misaligned grain interfaces, followed by domain wall pinning at grain boundaries. In contrast, magnetization reversal in SI-magnet progressed first by nucleation and expansion of reversed domain dipoles predominantly in misaligned grains at a high magnetic field, and then by the major irreversible process via nucleation and splitting of magnetic domains near the grain boundaries of well-aligned grains at more negative fields. This process is completed with lateral expansion of newly created domain walls. A simple model for the strong pinning–trapping centers observed in DU-magnets is discussed.
The connectome project: discovering the wiring of the brain

Using neuroimaging, researchers are succesfully mapping neural connectivity and in the process creating vivid "brainbows."
Object- and self-movement detectors in the ventral nerve cord of the dragonfly

1. Descending, movement-sensitive visual interneurons in the ventral nerve cord of the dragonfly,Anax junius, fall into two categories, based upon their responses to a variety of stimulus patterns. One group (object-movement detectors) is sensitive only to movement of small patterns; the other (self-movement detectors) responds maximally to movement of very large patterns or to rotation of the animal in the lighted laboratory. 2. Object-movement-detector responses to repeated identical stimuli habituate very rapidly. The habituation is region specific; pattern movement elsewhere in the receptive field elicits a renewed response (Fig. 3). The habituation is very long lasting and is not subject to dishabituation by mechanical or visual stimulation. Self-movement detectors, in contrast, show little or no habituation (Fig. 3). 3. Increasing the extent of the stimulus pattern in the direction of motion decreases responses of object-movement detectors slightly and greatly increases self-movement-detector responses (Fig. 4). 4. Increasing the length of the advancing edges perpendicular to the line of motion dramatically reduces object-movement-detector responses (Fig. 5). Such increases enhance self-movement-detector responses only slightly, unless they result in the pattern occupying especially sensitive regions of the receptive field (Fig. 7). 5. Over a wide velocity range, self-movement-detector responses are not dependent on pattern wavelength (Fig. 8). 6. These results indicate that the parameter upon which the object/world discrimination is based is different for the two groups of interneurons. The critical parameter for the self-movement detectors is the extent of the pattern in the direction of motion, whereas for the object-movement detectors, the critical parameter is the extent of the pattern perpendicular to the direction of motion.
An interactive, computer-aided ship scheduling system

Abstract This paper is concerned with a fleet scheduling and inventory resupply problem faced by an international chemical operation. The firm uses a fleet of small ocean-going tankers to deliver bulk fluid to warehouses all over the world. The scheduling problem centers around decisions on routes, arrival/departure times, and inventory replenishment quantities. An interactive computer system was developed and implemented at the firm, and was successfully used to address daily scheduling issues as well as longer range planning problems. The purpose of this paper is to first present how the underlying decision problem was analyzed using both a network flow model and a mixed integer programming model, and then to describe the components of the decision support system developed to generate schedules. The use of the system in various decision making applications is also described.
Drug permeation through skin from matrix-type drug delivery systems

Abstract Nitroglycerin permeation through hairless mouse skin from various matrix-type transdermal delivery systems has been explained fairly well on the basis of a two-layer skin model. The diffusivity and solubility of the drug in the stratum corneum and in the viable skin have been calculated. The diffusivity in the stratum corneum was found to be affected by the type of delivery system, while that in the viable skin was hardly influenced by the delivery system. The loading dose, diffusivity and solubility of the drug in the delivery system were found to be the important design parameters for skin-control transdermal drug delivery and, therefore, the transdermal delivery system has to be optimized by controlling these three parameters to achieve a maximum rate of skin permeation with minimum drug loading dose.
Correlational and experimental analyses of the relation between disgust and sexual arousal

Theoretical work has proposed an inhibitory effect of disgust on sexual arousal, but this effect has yet to be examined experimentally. In order to experimentally examine the effect of disgust on sexual arousal, a sample of 306 adults recruited from two southwestern universities was randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Participants in the experimental condition viewed disgust priming images and subsequently viewed sexually explicit images. Participants in the control condition viewed neutral primes and sexually explicit images. In both conditions, participants were asked to provide ratings of sexual arousal, and were timed for the length of time they viewed the sexual images. Participants also completed the Three Domain Disgust Scale and a demographic questionnaire. Two hierarchical linear models—one per each dependent variable—were conducted with image observations nested within individuals. Sexual arousal was lower in the disgust condition compared to the neutral condition, and lower for women compared to men. With additional pairings of disgust and sexual stimuli, the effect of disgust on sexual arousal became larger for women and smaller for men. Data support the inhibitory effect of disgust on sexual arousal.
Digital beamforming with reduced number of phase shifting and time delay elements

A bilinear representation of polynomials is shown to result in an efficient method for digital beamforming in phased arrays, with much reduced number of phase shifting elements. The proposed structure is also shown to extend to arrays with arbitrary complex weights. The number of phase shifting elements used is of the order of the square root of the number of phases used, with no limitations on the achievable patterns. Only phase shifters and combiners are used, with no splitters. The same concept applies to reduction of the number of delay elements in wideband beamforming, and also in reduction of the number of delay elements in continuous-time FIR filters.