cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Filled Radar Charts Should not be Used to Compare Social Indicators

The use of “radar charts” is an increasingly popular way to present spatial data in a visually interesting format. Some authors recommend using “filled radar charts” to compare the performance of observational units. Filled radar charts are not appropriate for such comparisons because the size of the area within the polygon is not invariant to the placement of the measures on the axes. As a result, altering the placement of the measures on the axes can result in reversing the order of observations or reversing the order of the same observation over time.
Breakup Model for Annular Liquid Sheets

The instability and breakup of annular liquid sheet is encountered in liquid atomization process used in numerous applications including liquid fuel injection in combustion engines and spray drying of foods. A nonlinear breakup model for annular liquid sheet exposed to both inner and outer air streams by a perturbation expansion technique with the initial amplitude of the disturbance as the perturbation parameter has been developed. The liquid sheet moves at a uniform axial velocity and subjects to axially moving inner and outer gas streams. The temporal evolution of the dimensionless surface deformation at the inner and outer liquid-gas interface has been evaluated until the point of breakup. The breakup length predictions show good agreement with the available experimental data.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Full-field swept-source phase microscopy

We present a full-field phase microscopy technique, motivated by swept-source Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography, for quantitative nanoscale two-dimensional profiling of sample surfaces and internal structures. The optical configuration consisted of a common path interferometer, illuminating the sample with a collimated beam and detecting the back-scattered light on a 2D CCD camera. A tunable fiber Fabry Perot filter was used to sweep a narrow band (0.07nm) through the 47nm FWHM bandwidth of a superluminescent diode source. The full field of view was recorded for each discrete wavelength step, generating a spectrally indexed interferometric data cube mapping each pixel to a point on the sample. A three dimensional volume was generated by performing the discrete Fourier transform along the spectral axis. Sub-coherence length variation across a depth slice was obtained by examining the phase of the Fourier transformed data set at the selected depth. The phase stability of the system was measured to be 1.3nm for high SNR surface features. The nanoscale imaging potential of this system was demonstrated by measuring the height of patterned chrome on a USAF resolution target, the location of receptor sites on a DNA assay biochip, and the surface topography of erythrocytes in a blood smear.
The square of a chordal graph

Abstract We introduce the closed-neighborhood intersection multigraph as a useful multigraph version of the square of a graph. We characterize those multigraphs which are squares of chordal graphs and include an algorithm to go from the squared chordal graph back to its (unique!) square root. This becomes particularly simple in the case of k -trees, with the case of trees evoking a 1960 paper by Harary and Ross (1960) titled ‘The Square of a Tree’.
The synthesis of 4-bar linkage coupler curves using derivatives of the radius of curvature—II. Circular path procedure

Abstract The procedure presented in Part I is extended to the case where a 4-bar linkage may by synthesized such that a point on the coupler will trace an approximately circular portion of its coupler curve. The radius and center of this circular coupler curve is prescribed by the definition of a 4-bar linkage in which one of the revolutes will reflect this characteristic. Through the approximation of the behavior of the zeroes of the derivatives of the radius of curvature of the coupler point paths, a family of 4-bar linkages is identified; each member of the family will have approximately the same coupler motion.
Normative pressures on fertility planning

Using a sample of urban American women under 33 years old and their husbands, this paper examines the relationship between normative pressures and fertility planning. In general, normative pressures, both expected and experienced, are related to parity as one would expect. Pronatal pressures decrease and antinatal pressures increase with increasing parity. However, for parity two and above, there is no evidence of a normative consensus to which persons may respond in their individual behavior.
Fat Embolism Syndrome

Corresponding author: Mahmoud Fenire MD Contact Information: Mahmoud.fenire@ttuhsc.edu DOI: 10.12746/swrccc 2014.0205.057 A 59-year-old man with Down’s syndrome sustained bilateral femoral neck fractures after a fall and underwent bilateral hemiarthroplasties within six hours from his injury. He developed respiratory distress and decreased level of consciousness while in the post-anesthesia care unit and had to be reintubated within an hour after his extubation. Over the next 24 hours, he developed skin rash shown in Figure 1. Despite supportive care, he remained unresponsive, developed multiorgan failure, and eventually died.
Structure of the Products of the Cyclooligomerization of Sulfur Dioxide with Diethyl Diallylmalonate

The AIBN-initiated cooligomerization of sulfur dioxide with diethyl diallylmalonate in the presence of bromotrichloromethane or thiophenol was investigated. ES/MS and NMR studies show that 1:1 cooligomers of cis-linked 5-membered rings are formed. Electrospray mass spectrometry demonstrates that, in the case of CCl3Br, the end group is −CH2Br, and 13C NMR demonstrates that the other end group is −Cl2CCl3. The thiophenol reaction leads to end groups of either −CH3 or −CH2SO2H with PhSCH2 at the other end. The molecular weight of oligomers was inversely proportional to the concentration of the chain-transfer agent. The polymerization chain transfer constants for bromotrichloromethane and thiophenol are 4.63 × 10-4 and 8.10 × 10-4, respectively, at 81 °C.
Chimeric NDP-MSH and MTII melanocortin peptides with agouti-related protein (AGRP) Arg-Phe-Phe amino acids possess agonist melanocortin receptor activity

Agouti-related protein (AGRP) is one of only two known endogenous antagonists of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Specifically, AGRP antagonizes the brain melanocortin-3 and -4 receptors involved in energy homeostasis, regulation of feeding behavior, and obesity. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) is one of the known endogenous agonists for these receptors. It has been hypothesized that the Arg-Phe-Phe (111-113) human AGRP amino acids may be mimicking the melanocortin agonist Phe-Arg-Trp (7-9) residue interactions with the melanocortin receptors that are important for both receptor molecular recognition and stimulation. To test this hypothesis, we generated thirteen chimeric peptide ligands based upon the melanocortin agonist peptides NDP-MSH (Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle4-Glu-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2) and MTII (Ac-Nle-c[Asp-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2). In these chimeric ligands, the agonist DPhe-Arg-Trp amino acids were replaced by the AGRP Arg-Phe-Phe residues, and resulted in agonist activity at the mouse melanocortin receptors (mMC1R and mMC3-5Rs), supporting the hypothesis that the AGRP antagonist ligand Arg-Phe-Phe residues mimic the agonist Phe-Arg-Trp amino acids. Interestingly, the Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle4-Glu-His-Arg-DPhe-Phe-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2 peptide possessed 7 nM mMC1R agonist potency, and is 850-fold selective for the mMC1R versus the mMC3R, 2300-fold selective for the mMC1R versus the mMC4R, and 60-fold selective for the MC1R versus the mMC5R, resulting in the discovery of a new peptide template for the design of melanocortin receptor selective ligands.
A Review of T.R. Reid's The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care

The Healing of America, by T.R. Reid, is a deceptively simple, readable, and even entertaining book that contains within it vast and complex truths about global health policy.
Climate change, tourism and outdoor recreation in Europe

Climate change is now firmly recognized by the majority of the world's scientists and governments as an issue of extreme concern for the global population. Outdoor recreation and tourism are likely to be impacted directly and indirectly by such change, as both the climate, and the natural environment associated with it, continue to alter. At the same time, however, tourism activity is itself a contributor to the problem of climate change due to its dependency on fossil fuel consumption. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the reader to the relationships between climate change, and outdoor recreation and tourism, in Europe through a review of the relatively limited empirical evidence on this subject to date. Topics discussed include the potential impacts of projected climate change on human health and comfort, possible shifts in preferred destinations, and potential alterations in current patterns of seasonality. Various avenues of future research are also proposed.
Mining novel connections from online biomedical text databases using semantic query expansion and semantic-relationship pruning

This paper proposes a semantic-based approach for mining novel connections from biomedical literature. The method takes advantage of the biomedical ontologies, MeSH and UMLS, as the source of semantic knowledge. A prototype system, Biomedical Semantic-based Knowledge Discovery System (Bio-SbKDS), is designed to uncover novel hypotheses/connections hidden in biomedical literature through semantic query expansion and semantic-relationship pruning. Bio-SbKDS can automatically generate relevant search terms to retrieve the semantic-relevant articles from the online biomedical text databases. Using the semantic types and semantic relations of the biomedical concepts, Bio-SbKDS can identify the relevant concepts collected from Medline and generate the novel hypothesis between these concepts. Bio-SbKDS successfully replicates Dr. Swanson's two famous discoveries: Raynaud disease/fish oil and migraine/magnesium. Compared with previous approaches, our methods search much less articles, generate much less but more relevant novel hypotheses and require much less human intervention in the discovery procedure.
Vasopressin and norepinephrine stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation in rat hepatocytes are modified differently by protein kinase C and protein kinase A

Abstract Rat hepatocytes were maintained in primary monolayer culture for 24 h in the presence of serum. Treatment of hepatocytes with 1 μM 4β-phorbol 12β-myristate 13α-acetate (PMA) for 5–15 min increased membrane-associated protein kinase C activity and concomitantly decreased soluble activity. Membrane protein kinase C activity returned to basal values within 1 h then decreased by more than 50% within 2 h. Prolonged (2–18 h) incubation with PMA did not further decrease protein kinase C activity. Pretreatment of hepatocytes with PMA for 5–15 min had little effect on the subsequent actions of 100 nM vasopressin but abolished the stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation by 3 nM vasopressin and 20 μM norepinephrine. Long-term exposure (2–18 h) of hepatocytes to 1 μM PMA actually enhanced the effects of vasopressin and 20 μM norepinephrine. The stimulation by norepinephrine (20 μM) of inositol phosphate accumulation was abolished by the α1-adrenergic antagonist prazosin (1 μM), whereas the β-adrenergic antagonist propranolol (30 μM) had little effect. Addition of 8Br-cAMP (100 μM) or glucagon (10 nM) for 5 min or 8 h had no significant effect alone, but enhanced the subsequent vasopressin stimulation of inositol phosphate accumulation. There was no effect of 8Br-cAMP or glucagon on norepinephrine stimulation of phosphoinositide breakdown. These data indicate that the stimulation of phospholipase C activity in rat hepatocytes by 3 nM vasopressin is enhanced by cyclic AMP-dependent kinase but inhibited by protein kinase C. In contrast, down regulation of protein kinase C markedly enhanced the maximal phosphoinositide response due to both vasopressin and norepinephrine.
AMPK-Dependent Phosphorylation of ULK1 Induces Autophagy

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a highly conserved cellular energy sensor that plays a central role in metabolic homeostasis. A recent study in Science (Egan et al., 2011) identifies ULK1 as a substrate for AMPK phosphorylation, a modification required for selective autophagy of mitochondria and cell survival during starvation.
Right Ventricular Function Following Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

The effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) on right ventricular (RV) function has not been well described. The purpose of this study was to use tissue Doppler imaging to assess changes in RV function after CRT. Thirty-five patients with heart failure (age 65 ± 10 years; 26 men) who underwent color tissue Doppler imaging of the right ventricle both immediately before CRT and >3 months (mean 6 ± 3) after were studied. Myocardial systolic velocity was measured at the tricuspid annulus and basal and midventricular segments of the right ventricle free wall and averaged to obtain a measure of global RV function (RV S m ). Left ventricular ejection fraction was also measured using biplane Simpson’s method before and after CRT. RV S m significantly improved after CRT (5.4 ± 1.9 to 7.1 ± 2.6 cm/s; p m ≥1 cm/s, with an increase ≥2 cm/s in 13 of those patients (37%). Improvement was seen in both ischemic and nonischemic patients and was independent of improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction and baseline left ventricular dyssynchrony. In conclusion, CRT resulted in improved RV function measured as RV S m . CRT had beneficial effects on RV function independent of improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction.
Strong nondeterministic polynomial-time reducibilities

Abstract Building on the work of Adleman and Manders [1], we define a new class of reducibilities, the strong nondeterministic polynomial-time reducibilities. We show that several reducibilities in this class differ over the recursive sets and assuming NP ≠ coNP, that they each determine different classes of NP-hard sets. Comparisons in strength are also made between the strong nondeterministic polynomial-time reducibilities and the classes of deterministic and non-deterministic polynomial-time reducibilities in Ladner, Lynch and Selman [6].
Sound-induced priming of the chinchilla auditory system

Exposure of the auditory system to either continuous or interrupted nontraumatic noises, often collectively referred to as priming exposures, has been shown, in a number of experimental paradigms, to reduce the susceptibility of the auditory system to noise-induced hearing and sensory cell loss from a subsequent traumatic exposure. Using auditory evoked potentials to obtain pure-tone thresholds and cochleograms to quantify sensory cell losses, the issue of priming-induced protective effects was examined in the chinchilla. Priming was accomplished with either a continuous noise or with a continuous noise followed by an interrupted noise. Trauma was induced by exposure to high-level impacts over a 5-day period that resulted in an asymptotic threshold shift. A comparison of the two groups of primed subjects with an unprimed control group showed that there were some statistically significant reductions in the asymptotic response of the primed groups to the traumatic exposure but no differences in permanent changes in thresholds among the three groups 30 days following the traumatic exposure. There were, however, some statistically significant, frequency-specific, reductions in outer hair cell loss in the primed groups. When conditioning was followed by the interrupted exposure that produced a threshold shift toughening effect, the conditioning protocol had no effect on the response of subjects to the interrupted exposure. There were also no differences in thresholds or sensory cell loss between the two primed groups 30 days post-trauma. Priming protocols may have different effects on the development of noise-induced trauma that are dependent on the nature of the traumatic stimulus, that is, long-term high-level impact noise exposure versus acute continuous noise exposure.
Public Administration Research and Practice: A Methodological Manifesto

Public administration research has fallen notably behind research in related fields in terms of methodological sophistication. This hinders the development of empirical investigations into substantive questions of interest to practitioners and academics. The widespread practice of importing methodological tools from closely related but theoretically divergent fields leads to poor research designs for questions of measurement and estimation unique to public administration. We argue that the discipline needs to invest heavily in developing its own methodological path and recommend the use of time series, likelihood, Bayesian, SWAT, and GLM approaches. In addition, authors of public administration scholarship need to avoid the deeply flawed and clearly damaging social science paradigm for theory confirmation: the null hypothesis significance test. We also note that public administration as a distinct discipline needs to pay considerably more attention to developing its own inventory of data sets.
Installing cables did not affect annual radial increment in co-dominant stems of red oaks

Abstract Arborists install cables to support co-dominant stems. The adaptive growth hypothesis predicts that doing so will alter radial increments in the stems because their motion will have been restricted. To facilitate the wind-induced motion of cabled stems, cables made of more extensible material have been suggested as an alternative to systems made of steel. Cables made of steel and polypropylene were installed in red oaks (Quercus rubra L.). Trees were harvested after five years and annual radial increment was measured for the previous sixteen years in four directions (incident with and perpendicular to the direction of the cable) on five discs removed from two co-dominant stems that were cabled in each tree. Annual radial increment did not change in response to the installation of cables with one exception: in the three years following installation, it was greater incident with the cable on two discs immediately proximal and distal to the eyebolt in each co-dominant stem to which steel cables were attached. The exception appears to be due to the formation of wound wood. The results contradict the adaptive growth hypothesis, but this was likely due to cables not restricting wind-induced motion to the extent achieved in previous studies.
REALISM, SPECULATION, AND THE GOLD STANDARD IN HARRIET MARTINEAU'S ILLUSTRATIONS OF POLITICAL ECONOMY

AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE in part one of Harriet Martineau's Berkeley the Banker, the fourteenth novel in her Illustrations of Political Economy series, there is a run on a country bank. The run is precipitated by a casual exchange in a local shop during which Mrs. Millar, the confectioner, is given a five-pound note to change. Her reply “Oh, I cant change that note [sic]” is misunderstood by others in the shop to mean that she is refusing to honor a particular bank's note while, in fact, she is simply not able to make change (169). The panic that ensues ruins Mr. Berkeley, the country bank's proprietor, and serves the novel's aim of demonstrating the precariousness of paper currency unbacked by the gold standard. In describing this incident, as well as through various characters' periodic lectures, the novel argues that only a gold standard could have prevented a calamity such as the bank run. Under a gold standard, citizens of the town of Haleham never could have misinterpreted Mrs. Millar's remarks–they would have known that the note must be honored and that, therefore, the confectioner merely lacked the correct change. Under a gold standard, in other words, the meaning of paper currency is not open to misinterpretation; its value is fully known and stable. Martineau may be convinced of the gold standard's ability to scuttle the dangers of textual ambiguity, but this moment also exposes the challenge of regulating the circulation and proliferation of meaning. The meaning of a speech act and the value of a banknote are both revealed as unstable and difficult, perhaps impossible, to regulate or manage.
Emendation and transfer of Eisenackia (Pyrrhophyta) from the Microdiniaceae to the Gonyaulacaceae

Abstract Microdinium Cookson & Eisenack, 1960 (type genus), and Eisenackia Deflandre & Cookson, 1955, have both been included in the cyst family Microdiniaceae. However, new information on the tabulation shows them to represent fundamentally different lineages. Microdinium displays a tabulation formula which was previously unknown among fossils and which resembles and suggests the affinities of Microdinium with representatives of the modern family Cladopyxidae (Kofoid 1907) Balech, 1964. Eisenackia displays a Gonyaulax-type tabulation and is transferred from the Microdiniaceae to the Gonyaulacaceae.
The DER Revolution and Right Sizing of Energy Resources

Small, distributed resources provide benefits to both utilities and end users, and installation of these resources continues to grow in number. Small generators located at or near the loads they serve have the technical and economic advantage over large remote plants when siting, construction time, reliability, and operational flexibility are considered. Among these advantages include avoidance of significant grid construction and maintenance costs and improvements to utility grid performance. This presentation starts with a historical look at the evolution of steam turbine power stations from local, neighborhood-scale generators into huge, remote power plants in the 1960s. It also discusses the technical and economic impacts of DER on the existing grid infrastructure
Closed-Range Composition Operators on Weighted Bergman Spaces

For analytic self-maps φ of the unit disk, we show that recently given conditions that are both necessary and sufficient for the composition operator C φ to be closed-range on the classical Bergman space $${\mathbb{A}^2}$$ are actually necessary and sufficient in the general setting of the weighted Bergman spaces $${\mathbb{A}^p_{\alpha}}$$ , for 1 ≤ p < ∞ and weights of the form $${(1 - |z|^2)^{\alpha}}$$ ; where α > −1. Along the way, we show how work done in a paper of J. Akeroyd, P. Ghatage and M. Tjani can be used to improve upon the most definitive of these conditions, and we give applications.
Neuroimaging of Psychopathy and Antisocial Behavior: A Targeted Review

The goal of this article is to provide a selective and targeted review of the neuroimaging literature on psychopathic tendencies and antisocial behavior and to explore the extent to which this literature supports recent cognitive neuroscientific models of psychopathy and antisocial behavior. The literature reveals that individuals who present with an increased risk for reactive, but not instrumental, aggression show increased amygdala responses to emotionally evocative stimuli. This is consistent with suggestions that such individuals are primed to respond strongly to an inappropriate extent to threatening or frustrating events. In contrast, individuals with psychopathic tendencies show decreased amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex responses to emotionally provocative stimuli or during emotional learning paradigms. This is consistent with suggestions that such individuals face difficulties with basic forms of emotional learning and decision making.
Evidence for altered catecholamine metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome.

It has been hypothesized by Yen et al. that there is decreased dopaminergic control of luteinizing hormone secretion in polycystic ovary syndrome. Levels of urinary homovanillic acid, dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid, and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol were measured in seven women with polycystic ovary syndrome and in six matched control subjects to reflect, in part, central dopamine and norepinephrine metabolism. In addition, gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation tests were carried out in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and in control subjects. In patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, serum gonadotropin levels were determined before and after gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation, before and after treatment with 500 mg of l-dopa for 1 week, and again before and after treatment with 400 mg of l-dopa and 100 mg of carbidopa for 1 week the following month. Urinary homovanillic acid and dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid levels were significantly lower and the level of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol was significantly higher in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (p max serum luteinizing hormone was elevated in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome but decreased to control levels after treatment with l-dopa. No changes occurred in baseline levels of serum luteinizing hormone or follicle-stimulating hormone. After treatment with l-dopa-carbidopa, baseline levels of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were unchanged as were responses after gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation. These data suggest that there may be altered catecholamine metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome. Viewed together with previous findings by Yen et al., our data support the hypothesis that there is decreased dopaminergic control of luteinizing hormone in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Driver sitting comfort and discomfort (part I): Use of subjective ratings in discriminating car seats and correspondence among ratings

Abstract Several subjective rating schemes were investigated to determine which might be the most effective for use in designing and evaluating car seats, and what relationships exist among these schemes. Participants ( n =27) completed short-term driving sessions, in six combinations of seats (from vehicles ranked high and low on overall comfort), vehicle class (sedan and SUV), and driving venue (lab-based and field). Overall ratings were obtained, as well as separate measures of comfort and discomfort of the whole body and local body parts. No association was found between subjective ratings and a publicly available overall vehicle comfort score (J.D. Power and Associates’ Comfort Score), implying that other factors besides sitting comfort/discomfort (and car seats) account for overall vehicle comfort. Other major results were that contemporary car seats appear to best accommodate those of middle stature, that packages/seats of sedans were preferred over those of SUVs, that separate processes appeared to be involved in determining whole body comfort and discomfort, and that ratings of comfort were most effective at differentiating among the car seats. Finally, a scheme for the use of subjective ratings was suggested: discomfort ratings for ensuring basic seat requirements (pain prevention-oriented) and comfort ratings for promoting advanced seat requirements (pleasure promotion-oriented). Relevance to industry Evidence regarding the advantages and disadvantages of different subjective rating schemes can facilitate future design and evaluation of automotive seats.
Ultrafast Dynamics in DNA: “Fraying” at the End of the Helix

The dynamics of the electric fields in the interior of DNA are measured by using oligonucleotides in which a native base pair is replaced by a dye molecule (coumarin 102) whose emission spectrum is sensitive to the local electric field. Time-resolved measurements of the emission spectrum have been extended to a six decade time range (40 fs to 40 ns) by combining results from time-correlated photon counting, fluorescence up-conversion, and transient absorption. Recent results showed that when the reporter is placed in the center of the oligonucleotide, the dynamics are very broadly distributed over this entire time range and do not show specific time constants associated with individual processes (Andreatta, D.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 7270). This paper examines an oligonucleotide with the reporter near its end. The broadly distributed relaxation seen before remains with little attenuation. In addition, a new relaxation with a well-defined relaxation time of 5 ps appears. This process is assign...
Arginine Metabolism by the Corn Stunt Spiroplasma

When corn stunt spiroplasma (CSS) was grown in spiroplasma medium A (SMA) containing 5% horse serum, 16% sucrose, 1.5% PPLO broth, and 0.002% phenol red indicator, color and pH of the medium changed from red (pH 7.5) to yellow (pH 5.8) by 4 days after inoculation with CSS. In spiroplasma medium B (SMB), identical to SMA except for supplementation with 47 mM arginine-HCl, color and pH changed within 4 days but reverted to red (pH 7.5) 6 days later, suggesting that arginine was metabolized. Growth of CSS in both SMA and SMB was a characteristic sigmoid pattern; maximum titers were reached the fifth day after inoculation and were 2.3 × 108 cells/ml in SMA and 4.5×108 cells/ml in SMB. Helicity and motility of CSS were lost after 8 days in SMA, while in SMB some cells were still helical and motile up to 15 days. Daily analyses of CSS cultures by photometric methods showed that arginine was depleted from SMB and production of ammonia and ornithine was higher in SMB than in SMA; citrulline was detected in SMB but urea was not found in either medium. Results from additional tests using an amino acid analyzer and thin-layer chromatography further substantiated arginine metabolism and indicated that an arginine deiminase pathway was operative in CSS.
SU-FF-T-20: Near Source Dosimetry of HDR Base of Tongue Treatments Using BrachyVision TPS & GrafChromic HD-810 Film

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of the BrachyVision HDR treatment planning computer at predicting near source doses in the presence and absence of bone scatter in base of tongue treatments. Materials & Methods: A HDR treatment plan was developed to deliver a uniform planer dose at a depth of 1cm from a custom made planer geometry applicator with 5 catheters separated by 1cm. Plan dwell times were scaled to deliver doses of 10, 20, 50, 75, and 150Gy for a dose calibration curve for GrafChromic HD‐810 film. Dose measurements were performed at distances of 0mm, 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, 5mm, 7mm, & 10mm from the surface of the catheters. Three prescription doses were used for these measurements depending on distance from the catheters; 10Gy (0mm), 15Gy (1mm), & 25Gy (2, 5, 7, 10mm). Measurements were performed in solid water and in solid water directly against and 1mm away from a bone equivalent backscatter (Schedule 80 PVC). Doses were compared using 35 point doses (7 along each of 5 catheters) at 1cm increments. Results: Analysis of the films showed average percent differences of; 24±13%, ∼0±6%, 4±4%, 2±6%, 2±6%, & 4±3% (0, 1, 2, 5, 7, 10mm respectively) for solid water, 31%, 5%, 9%, 11%, 16%, & 14% (0, 1, 2, 5, 7, 10mm respectively) with similar standard deviations to solid water, for directly against the PVC. Conclusions: For this planar geometry are within a standard deviation of predicted doses for a homogeneous media except directly against the catheter. At a plane 5mm from the catheter the presence of high‐z back scatter produced an average increase in dose of 5%.
Interactivity in Society: Locating an Elusive Concept

Interactivity has been identified as a core concept of new media, yet despite nearly three decades of study and analysis, we scarcely know what interactivity is, let alone what it does, and have scant insight into the conditions in which interactive processes are likely to be consequential for members of a social system. This article attempts to address this deficiency by critiquing three self-defeating tendencies and an erroneous assumption of interactivity research, then proposes four basic propositions around which systematic knowledge regarding interactivity in society may be built. In the spirit of bridging mass and interpersonal processes, a model of interactivity is proposed to initiate discussion about the concept as a cross-level and multivalent phenomenon—one with both positive and negative consequences—and to spur more socially relevant research. For interactivity to succeed as a concept, it must have some meaningful social and psychological relevance beyond its technical status as a property o...
Private Sector Investment on Renewable Energy Utilization in Developing Countries

Feasibility potentials in the Middle East and Iran offer many opportunities for private sector investment in renewable energy industry. However, due to the high primary investment costs in this technology, as well as dominate role of fossil fuels in the Middle East, promotion plans cannot be achieved without government incentives and supports. First, this article tries to answer to one of the main questions of private investors related to identification of the most important renewable source for investment in Iran. Then, to success implementation of investment and government plans, different polices and support schemes of the Nordic countries as successful countries in adoption of renewables are reviewed and discussed.
Food and nutrient changes: software designed to enhance data quality

Food and nutrient databases must be continually updated to reflect changes in the food supply and improvements in data values. The Food Databases Management System (FDMS) is a software application designed to manage the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies used for food consumption surveys. Staff of the Food Surveys Research Group use FDMS to accomplish a variety of complex database management tasks. FDMS was created using ObjectPal, the programming language of the commercially available database program Paradox®. With FDMS, users can update the database files with new information such as adding a new food code. Another important feature is the ability to integrate time-related changes into the database files. Better data values, due to improved analytical procedures and sampling methods, can replace older values in the database. When there is a true change to the food product itself, FDMS allows users to specify these time-specific changes with start dates and end dates. Programmed into FDMS is a series of automated quality control checks which monitor processes as they occur. Interfile quality control checks are also in place so that related files can be synchronized and updated. FDMS also contains historical information which staff can use when setting priorities for database updates.
Simplified method for determination of plasma nifedipine by gas chromatography

The gas chromatographic assay for nifedipine was simplified by mixing 1 mL of plasma, 50 microL internal standard, and 950 microL of ethyl ether. After vortexing and centrifugation, the organic layer was transferred and evaporated, then reconstituted with 100 microL of ether. A 10-microL sample was injected into the GC. Several steps as well as the use of special lighting and columns are eliminated in the procedure. This method is determined to be linear, specific, sensitive, precise, and accurate.
Some Thoughts on Traditional Concepts in Teaching Accounting

(1975). Some Thoughts on Traditional Concepts in Teaching Accounting. The Journal of Business Education: Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 35-36.
Observation of fast stochastic ion heating by drift waves

Anomalously fast ion heating has been observed in the Caltech Encore tokamak [Phys. Rev. Lett. 59, 1436 (1987)], with the use of laser-induced fluorescence. This heating was found to be independent of electron temperature, but was well correlated with the presence of large-amplitude drift-Alfven waves. Evidence is presented that suggests that the heating is stochastic and occurs when the ion displacement due to polarization drift becomes comparable to the perpendicular wavelength, i.e., when k[perpendicular] (mik[perpendicular] phi0/qB^2)~1. Stochastic heating may also be the cause of the anomalously high ion temperatures observed in reversed-field pinches.
Morphometric Identification of Wing Polymorphism in Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)

Principal component analysis revealed sexual dimorphism in wing forms of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius); fore- and hindwings of females were larger than those of males. Discriminant function analysis indicated subtle morphological differences within the same sex between the wings of migrators and the wings of those engaging only in trivial flight. These differences suggest that B. tabaci employs dispersal strategies used by other dimorphic Homoptera that occupy heterogeneous habitats. Identification of migrating and trivial flying morphs among B. tabaci will be useful in developing a better understanding of the migrational patterns of these insects.
Optimal control of affine nonlinear discrete-time systems

In this paper, direct neural dynamic programming techniques are utilized to solve the Hamilton Jacobi-Bellman equation in real time for the optimal control of general affine nonlinear discrete-time systems. In the presence of partially unknown dynamics, the optimal regulation control problem is addressed while the optimal tracking control problem is addressed in the presence of known dynamics. Each design entails two portions: an action neural network (NN) that is designed to produce a nearly optimal control signal, and a critic NN which evaluates the performance of the system. Novel weight update laws for the critic and action NN's are derived, and all parameters are tuned online. Lyapunov techniques are used to show that all signals are uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) and that the output of the action NN approaches the optimal control input with small bounded error. Simulation results are also presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Effects of blockade of α4β2 and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behaviour in rats

Exposure to environmental stimuli conditioned to nicotine consumption critically contributes to the high relapse rates of tobacco smoking. Our previous work demonstrated that non-selective blockade of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) reversed the cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking, indicating a role for cholinergic neurotransmission in the mediation of the conditioned incentive properties of nicotine cues. The present study further examined the relative roles of the two major nAChR subtypes, α 4 β 2 and α 7, in the cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were trained to intravenously self-administer nicotine (0.03 mg/kg/infusion, free base) on a fixed-ratio 5 schedule of reinforcement. A nicotine-conditioned cue was established by associating a sensory stimulus with each nicotine infusion. After nicotine-maintained responding was extinguished by withholding the nicotine infusion and its paired cue, reinstatement test sessions were conducted with re-presentation of the cue but without the availability of nicotine. Thirty minutes before the tests, the rats were administered the α 4 β 2-selective antagonist dihydro- β -erythroidine (DH β E) and α 7-selective antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA). Pretreatment with MLA, but not DH β E, significantly reduced the magnitude of the cue-induced reinstatement of responses on the active, previously nicotine-reinforced lever. In different sets of rats, MLA altered neither nicotine self-administration nor cue-induced reinstatement of food seeking. These results demonstrate that activation of α 7 nAChRs participates in the mediation of the conditioned incentive properties of nicotine cues and suggest that α 7 nAChRs may be a promising target for the development of medications for the prevention of cue-induced smoking relapse.
Moving Palliative Care From Research to Practice: Commentary on Uitdehaag et al.

Research that seeks to enhance the practice of palliative cancer care continues to face challenges. The work by Uitdehaag and colleagues is a valuable article in several regards. The authors describe in great detail the challenges they encountered in the design and testing of their nurse-led intervention for upper gastrointestinal cancers. I commend the authors for the careful detail they present surrounding the problems in implementing the intervention and the outcome measures. It is unfortunate that the authors did not present more information on the symptoms experienced by patients in each arm and if nurses were better able to manage symptoms at the end of life. Patients in the nursing arm were more costly, and patients in each arm experienced a roughly equal number of hospital readmissions and primary care contacts. Those in the nurse arm reported a nonsignificant reduction in depression, but this did not extend to their health-related quality of life. Perhaps, nurse home visits are important for support and relieving isolation, but given patients’ nearness to death, the dose of the intervention could
Novel Role for the Regulation of Mitochondrial Fission by Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α in the Control of Smooth Muscle Remodeling and Progression of Pulmonary Hypertension

In this issue of Circulation Research , Marsboom et al1 describe a novel involvement of a mitochondrial fission regulatory pathway that is likely to be of great importance in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-associated smooth muscle remodeling. Data in the study provide evidence that this process appears to be controlled by activation of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). As illustrated in the model in Figure, the stabilization or activation of HIF-1α in PAH is shown to promote mitochondrial fission by cyclin B1/CDK1-dependent phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein-1 (DRP1) at serine-616. The CDK1-cyclin B-dependent regulation of tubular mitochondria fragmentation by DRP1 was identified in previous studies as a regulator of the even distribution of mitochondria during mitosis in HeLa cells.2 Data in the study of Marsboom et al1 document how this process appears to be essential for the in vitro proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from human hypertensive patients. In addition, evidence is provided for these mechanisms appearing to be a prominent contributing factor to pulmonary arterial remodeling in several different models of PAH. Figure. Model showing how conditions associated with pulmonary hypertension development promote hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α regulation of pulmonary arterial smooth proliferative remodeling that appears to be controlled by a cyclin B1/CDK1-mediated phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein-1 (DRP1), which causes mitochondrial fission needed for their even distribution of during mitosis. The model also highlights approaches described in the text that were used to elucidate mechanisms. Article, see p 1484 As described in the article of Marsboom et al,1 PAH is disorder in which small pulmonary arteries are obstructed, constricted, and inflamed in a manner that increases pulmonary vascular resistance, and this promotes right ventricular hypertrophy and eventually failure. Previous work …
Chronic hepatitis C virus infection and increases in viral load in a prospective cohort of young, HIV-uninfected injection drug users

Background Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection, defined as persistent RNA (viral load) for at least 6 months, accounts for up to 50% of all cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and liver cancer cases. Moreover, elevated HCV viral load is consistently associated with high infectivity and poor therapy response. This study aims to identify modifiable behavioral correlates both chronic HCV infection and increases in viral load over time among injection drug users (IDUs).
Delamination Growth in Composites under Cyclic Loads

A semi-empirical model was developed for estimating the growth of delaminations inside fiber reinforced organic matrix composites subjected to cyclic loads. At any point on the circumference of the delamination mode I, mode II or mixed mode conditions may exist. The form of the proposed delamination growth model follows Elber's expression for the growth of a mode I crack in an aluminum sheet. By employing dimensional analysis, the parameters were established which are to be included in the model. The expression obtained depends on the material properties (transverse tensile ply strength, transverse tensile ply modulus, longitudinal ply shear strength, critical energy release rates) and on the energy release rate at the location under consideration. Tests were conducted with Fiberite T300/976 and IM7/977-2 graphite epoxy composites under mode I, mode II and mixed mode conditions using double cantilever beam, end notched cantilever beam, and mixed mode bending test coupons subjected to both static and cycli...
Electrical activity of single fibers of the atrioventricular node.

The mechanism of atrioventricular delay has been studied in isolated rabbit hearts. Multiple intracellular microelectrodes have been employed to obtain simultaneous records from single fibers of atrium, A-V node and His bundle. An appreciable delay in the transmission of excitation has been found only in the atrial portion of the A-V node. Action potentials recorded from single fibers in this area show a low resting potential, slow diastolic depolarization, slow upstroke and low amplitude. These action potentials frequently show one or more notches or steps on the rising phase. Action potentials recorded from fibers of the His bundle are similar in shape and amplitude to those of peripheral Purkinje fibers. Records obtained at several sites between the atrial portion of the node and the His bundle show a gradual transition in action potential shape. The mechanism of slow transmission across the A-V node is discussed in relation to the electrical activity of fibers at the atrial end of this structure.
Comparative studies on the estimation of linkage by Bayesian method at maximum likelihood method

By adopting the Bayesian approach, this paper proposes an alternative procedure for the estimation of linkage.Through simulation studies, the proposed method was then compared with the classical maximum likelihood method. The numerical results indicate clearly that in most of the cases, the Bayesian method is better than the maximum likelihood method, especially in the repulsion phase.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Experiences of Discrimination in Accessing Health Services Among Transgender People in the United States

ABSTRACTTransgender/gender-nonconforming (GNC) individuals experience discrimination at high rates, including 19% in one study who reported having been refused medical care based on the their transgender/GNC identity. These individuals may also experience a lack of respect from medical personnel, a dearth of culturally competent knowledge and medical information around their medical needs, and concerns with safety when accessing medical care. Additionally, people of color experience higher levels of discrimination in health care than their White counterparts. This study examines the prevalence of discrimination faced by transgender/GNC people and compares by race/ethnicity those rates of discrimination when accessing medical services such as emergency rooms, doctors/hospitals, and ambulances/emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Data indicate that while a significant number of transgender/GNC individuals of all races/ethnicities experience discrimination based on transgender/GNC identity, when accessing m...