cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The development and commissioning of a respiratory-gated treatment system for proton therapy

Proton therapy offers excellent dose conformality and reduction in integral dose. The superior dose distribution is, however, much more sensitive to changes in radiological depths along the beam path than for photon fields. Respiratory motion can cause such changes for treatments sites like lung, liver, and mediastinum structures, and thus affect the proton dose distribution significantly. We have developed and commissioned a respiratory-gated beam control system for our range-modulated treatment beam. A Real-time Position Management (RPM, Varian Inc, Palo Alto, CA) system was used to monitor the patient’s breathing cycle and to provide the gating signal, which is combined with the range modulation signal to generate the required gating control of the cyclotron beam current. The gating circuit has been designed to ensure the full modulation cycle is completed so that for any beam-on segment, the delivered dose has the exact planned SOBP distribution. This inevitably introduces a delay of the beam on/off up to the length of the modulation cycle of 100 ms. Using a motion phantom and time resolved measurement, we have measured the response delay of the cyclotron beam control relative to the RPM gating signal, as well as the delay of the RPM system itself relative to the actual mechanical motion of the phantom. It was found that while the cyclotron beam current response delay is less than 5 ms (the lower limit of the our measurement capability), the RPM system poses a delay of 60–90ms with an average of 75 ms. The total gating delay of the beam is thus in the range of 65 to 195 ms. Film test using a motion phantom was conducted to verify the overall gating results.
Significance of transient electrocardiographic Q waves in coronary artery disease.

Transient Q waves in the absence of myocardial infarction mayoccur in a variety of circumstances in patients with coronary artery disease. Barring an intraventricular conduction disorder, transient Q waves usually reflect intense but reversible myocardial ischemia, requiring aggressive therapy to salvage myocardium in jeopardy. Q waves may also disappear months or years after a Q-wave myocardial infarction but rarely in the acute or subacute phase. Transient Q waves have assumed greater importance because of the current therapy of myocardial infarction and ischemia with thrombolytic agents, angioplasty, and coronary bypass surgery.
A rare case of cyclophosphamide induced Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). (P4.320)

Objective: We report a rare case of cyclophosphamide induced Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Background: PRES is a multifactorial reversible clinical and radiological syndrome of different causes with similar findings on neuroimaging. Clinically it presents with headache, altered mental status, seizures with reversible mainly posterior leucoencephalopathy. Auto regulatory failure leading to cerebral hyperperfusion or hypoperfusion is thought to be causative. The exact incidence is unknown, though it is being increasingly recognized and reported. Uncontrolled hypertension, chemotherapeutic agents, eclampsia, hypomagnesemia are thought to be causative. Cyclosporine is the best reported though tacrolimus has also been reported. We report a case of PRES due to cyclophosphamide. Design/Methods: 29 year old African America woman, initially presented to to the Emergency Department with complains of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, was found to have Acute Kidney Injury due to Necrotizing glomerulonephritis (IgG, p ANCA, anti GBM positive). She was treated with Intravenous solumedrol, Intravenous Immunoglobulin and cyclophosphamide. She developed multiple symptomatic seizures 2 days after cyclophosphamide therapy, requiring intubation with sedation alongside antiepileptic drugs. She developed 1 more seizure during hospitalization before being discharged home. Results: MRI revealed areas of cortical and subcortical white matter T2 hyperintensities in bilateral occipito-patietal and right frontal region. Repeat MRI 6 days later showed resolution of previously seen T2 while matter hyperintensities except for a residual area of cortical diffusion bright signal in the right posterior frontal lobe with a weak ADC correlate. Findings were most consistent with PRES. MR Angiogram showed normal caliber of the intracranial arterial circulation. EEG showed slowing. Conclusions: We reported a case of cyclophosphamide induced PRES. It’s difficult to distinguish PRES from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, cerebral vasculitis in its acute setting. MRI with MR Angiogram is helpful in making the diagnosis in acute setting and to rule out other causes. Disclosure: Dr. Nisar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alchaki has nothing to disclose. Dr. Feinstein has nothing to disclose.
338-OR: Leveraging the Project ECHO Model for Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) in California and Florida: Democratizing Knowledge in Underserved T1D Communities

T1D care for many patients in both the pediatric and adult populations in the U.S. falls on primary care providers (PCPs). Persistently suboptimal outcomes for people with T1D and a lack of access to subspecialty care mandates the development of innovative healthcare delivery models. Using the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) model, Stanford University and the University of Florida partnered to develop and pilot a “ECHO T1D” teleECHOTM clinic. The goal of the pilot was to demonstrate the feasibility of an ECHO model for T1D and improve the ability of PCPs to manage patients with T1D. Utilizing a “Hub-and-Spoke” model, we recruited and partnered with PCPs at non-specialty diabetes practices across Florida and California and held weekly hour teleECHO sessions consisting of didactic presentations and case reviews. Precision recruitment methods to target clinics in remote and medically underserved regions included: (1) geocoding to identify high-need areas, (2) claims data to identify PCPs treating T1D, (3) survey data from PCPs. The 18-month pilot program is ongoing and enrollment demonstrated extremely high interest amongst PCPs as the pilot program filled beyond capacity. In California, 11 Spoke sites enrolled with 37 clinics serving roughly 900 adult and pediatric patients with T1D who do not receive specialty T1D care. In Florida, 12 Spoke sites enrolled with 67 clinics who serve roughly 1,300 patients with T1D. PCPs and their clinic staff have become local experts in T1D, providing a more informed level of care for the many patients who lack access to endocrinologists. Project ECHO T1D is an innovative healthcare delivery model which appears capable of building capacity for diabetes management education in the medically underserved. Having demonstrated proof-of-concept for ECHO T1D, future efforts will focus on replicating the model and on designing studies to demonstrate improvements in patient level outcomes. Disclosure N. Cuttriss: None. C. Anez-Zabala: None. L.G. Baer: None. A. Bernier: None. M. Basina: None. S.L. Filipp: None. K.K. Hood: Consultant; Self; Lilly Diabetes. Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute. M.J. Gurka: None. R. Lal: Consultant; Self; Abbott. M.J. Haller: Advisory Panel; Self; Pancreum, SAB Biotherapeutics. D.M. Maahs: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc. Consultant; Self; Abbott, Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care. H. Hu: None. M. Town: None. E. Sheehan: None. C. Wang: None. K. Yabut: None. A.F. Walker: None. Funding The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
A scenario optimization approach to reliability-based design

Abstract This article introduces a scenario optimization framework for reliability-based design given a set of observations of uncertain parameters. In contrast to traditional methods, scenario optimization makes direct use of the available data thereby eliminating the need for creating a probabilistic model of the uncertainty in the parameters. This feature makes the resulting design exempt from the subjectivity caused by prescribing an uncertainty model from insufficient data. Furthermore, scenario theory enables rigorously bounding the probability of the resulting design satisfying the reliability requirements imposed upon it with respect to additional, unseen observations drawn from the same data-generating-mechanism. This bound, which is non-asymptotic and distribution-free, requires calculating the set of support constraints corresponding to the optimal design. In this paper we propose a framework for seeking such a design and a computationally tractable algorithm for calculating such a set. This information allows determining the degree of stringency that each individual requirement imposes on the optimal design. Furthermore, we propose a chance-constrained optimization technique to eliminate the effect of outliers in the resulting optimal design. The ideas proposed are illustrated by a set of easily reproducible case studies having algebraic limit state functions.
Memory Decoding Algorithm for FSO Transmission

Due to the limitation of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum, it is increasingly more difficult to support billions of wireless devices in the age of Internet-of-Things. Consequently, many recent wireless indoor communication systems have been developed using free space optical (FSO) communication technologies that exploit the extremely large light spectrum to transmit data. However, FSO technologies, especially when using On-Off Keying(OOK) modulation, the Light-Emitting-Diode (LED) transmitters produce an inherent non-linear distortion in the output. Effectively, the LED acts as a band-limited channel between the inputs and outputs. In this paper, we utilize a mathematical model to capture the distortion of the output for a given input. Based on the mathematical model, we developed a technique called Memory Decoding Algorithm (MDA) used at a receiver and effectively reduces the bit error rates via maximum likelihood decoding principle when On-Off Keying(OOK) modulation is used. Both theoretical analyses and simulation results show that the proposed technique outperforms the conventional methods such as linear equalization.
Submucosal Tunneling Endoscopic Resection.

Minimally invasive endoscopic resection procedures continue to evolve, with submucosal tunneling endoscopic resection (STER) being a durable option for en bloc resection of submucosal tumors. Whether STER can be effectively used for larger (>3.5 cm) lesions remains to be seen. STER-ET is a novel approach for removal of extraluminal tumors, but data are currently limited to support its use.
Expression dynamics of dehydration tolerance in the tropical plant Marchantia inflexa

Tolerance to prolonged water deficit occurs along a continuum in plants, with dehydration tolerance (DhT) and desiccation tolerance (DT) representing some of the most extreme adaptations to water scarcity. Although DhT and DT presumably vary among individuals of a single species, this variability remains largely unstudied. Here, we characterized expression dynamics throughout a dehydration-rehydration time-course in six diverse genotypes of the dioecious liverwort Marchantia inflexa. We identified classical signatures of stress response in M. inflexa, including major changes in transcripts related to metabolism, expression of LEA and ELIP genes, and evidence of cell wall remodeling. However, we detected very little temporal synchronization of these responses across different genotypes of M. inflexa, which may be related to genotypic variation among samples, constitutive expression of dehydration-associated transcripts, the sequestration of mRNAs in ribonucleoprotein partials prior to drying, or the lower tolerance of M. inflexa relative to most bryophytes studied to date. Our characterization of intraspecific variation in expression dynamics suggests that differences in the timing of transcriptional adjustments contribute to variation among genotypes, and that developmental differences impact the relative tolerance of meristematic and differentiated tissues. This work highlights the complexity and variability of water stress tolerance, and underscores the need for comparative studies that seek to characterize variation in DT and DhT.
Evaluation and application of machine learning-based retention time prediction for suspect screening of pesticides and pesticide transformation products in LC-HRMS.

Abstract Computational QSAR models have gradually been preferred for retention time prediction in data mining of emerging environmental contaminants using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Generally, the model performance relies on the components such as machine learning algorithms, chemical features, and example data. In this study, we evaluated the performances of four algorithms on three feature sets, using 321 and 77 pesticides as the training and validation sets, respectively. The results were varied with different combinations of algorithms on distinct feature sets. Two strategies including enhancing the complexity of chemical features and enlarging the size of the training set were proved to improve the results. XGBoost, Random Forest, and lightGBM algorithms exhibited the best results when built on a large-scale chemical descriptors, while the Keras algorithm preferred fingerprints. These four models have comparable prediction accuracies that at least 90% of pesticides in validation set can be successfully predicted with ΔRT
$\mathcal{L}_1$ Adaptive Control for Switching Reference Systems: Application to Flight Control

This paper presents a framework for the design and analysis of an $\mathcal{L}_1$ adaptive controller with a switching reference system. The use of a switching reference system allows the desired behavior to be scheduled across the operating envelope, which is often required in aerospace applications. The analysis uses a switched reference system that assumes perfect knowledge of uncertainties and uses a corresponding non-adaptive controller. Provided that this switched reference system is stable, it is shown that the closed-loop system with unknown parameters and disturbances and the $\mathcal{L}_1$ adaptive controller can behave arbitrarily close to this reference system. Simulations of the short period dynamics of a transport class aircraft during the approach phase illustrate the theoretical results.
“The Strength and Vigor of the Soul”: The Broader Meaning of Virtue in Rousseau’s First Discourse

Rousseau insisted that his First Discourse, the Discourse on the Sciences and Arts, was chronically misread. This essay suggests that readers have tended to interpret the Discourse too narrowly. Wh...
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Salt Creek pupfish, Cyprinodon salinus salinus: characterization and identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

The Salt Creek pupfish, Cyprinodon salinus salinus Miller, 1943 is endemic to Death Valley, California, USA, and resides as a single population within one of the most extreme inland aquatic environments capable of supporting fish. Here we report the sequencing of complete 16,499 base pair (bp) mitochondrion genomes from four C. salinus salinus individuals. The mitochondrial genome of C. salinus salinus comprises 13 protein-coding regions, 12S and 16S rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and an 832 bp D-loop region. The first reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified within the mtDNA of C. salinus salinus, with the four mitogenomes exhibiting only 0.0485% nucleotide sequence divergence indicative of low intraspecific variation. These complete mitogenomes will facilitate future genetic analyses of intraspecific diversity between the two described subspecies of C. salinus as well as other Cyprinodon pupfishes in southwestern North America.
Computer Assisted Respiratory Management for the Critically Ill

Current technological advances are causing major improvements in respiratory care for the critically ill. Respiratory monitoring has developed slowly due to the lack of suitable hardware to measure pressure, flow, volume, and gas concentrations. Now increasing numbers of respiratory parameters are becoming easily available. Various techniques and equipment are employed throughout the world as hospitals reach different levels of sophistication. In some institutions ventilation management decisions are made strictly on the basis of blood gas analysis results and clinical observations. In other institutions more complex measurements are recorded and various calculations performed. The complexity of respiratory care for the critically ill patient necessitates a systematic approach to recording and organizing data. The diversity in respiratory care requires a flexibility enabling individual installations to tailor any specific form of respiratory methodology to their own needs.
Damages in Lieu of Performance because of Breach of Contract

In contract disputes between transnational contracting parties, damages are often awarded to compensate a claimant for loss, injury or detriment resulting from a respondent's failure to perform the agreement. In fact, damages may be the principal means of substituting for performance or they may complement other remedies, such as recision or specific performance. Damages for breach of contract typically serve to protect one of three interests of a claimant: (1) performance interest (also known as expectation interest); (2) reliance interest; or (3) restitution interest. The primary goal of damages in most jurisdictions is to fulfill a claimant's performance interest by giving the claimant the substitute remedy of the benefit of the bargain monetarily. This typically includes compensation for actual loss incurred as a result of the breach and for net gains, including lost profits, that the claimant was precluded from because of the respondent's actions. All legal systems place limitations on damage awards. The most common limitations are causation, foreseeability, certainty, fault, and avoidability. In order to obtain damages, there must be a causal connection between the respondent's breach and the claimant's loss. In addition, the claimant must show that the loss was foreseeable or not too remote. Further, the claimant is required to show with reasonable certainty the amount of the damage. Many civil law countries also require, as a prerequisite to an award of damages for breach of contract, that the respondent be at fault in breaching the agreement. Damages may also be limited by the doctrine of avoidability, which provides that damages which could have been avoided without undue risk, burden, or humiliation are not recoverable. The rules concerning damages for breach of contract are complex and vary greatly from country to country. Furthermore, in some federal countries, such as the United States and Canada, the applicable rules differ among states and provinces. This chapter, which is part of a comprehensive study of the awarding of damages in private international law, focuses on the general rules concerning damages awarded in lieu of performance because of a breach of contract (performance damages). It begins with an overview of the purposes served by awarding damages. It then examines performance damages for breach of contract in common law and civil law countries. The study subsequently analyzes the awarding of damages under the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG), general principles of law, and principles of equity and fairness.
Do States Have a Moral Obligation to Obey International Law

In 1960 Israeli agents kidnapped Adolf Eichmann from Argentine territory. This violation of international law sparked protests from all quarters. Israel, having accomplished its goal, apologized to Argentina, which had no great desire to draw attention to its colony of former Nazis and accepted the apology.1 The world turned its eyes to Eichmann's trial, and the incident was forgotten. Should Israel have refrained from kidnapping Eichmann because this act was a violation of international law? There are two ways to answer this question. The first assumes that the only reason to comply with international law is to avoid retaliation from other nations or to avoid their distrust. Kidnapping Eichmann would have been wrong if other states had retaliated against Israel or had concluded from its actions that Israel could not be trusted to comply with the treaties that it has signed. If these are the only costs of violating international law, then criticizing Israel for kidnapping Eichmann amounts to a prudential claim that Israel did not properly calculate the costs and benefits of its behavior. In this argument, there is nothing special about law: Violating the law is morally neutral, like deciding to raise tariffs against Argentine imports in order to protect a domestic industry even though doing so will hurt Argentine industry and invite a punitive response. The second possible answer to the question is that Israel should have refrained from kidnapping Eichmann because it is wrong to violate international law. The wrongfulness of violating the law is distinct from the wrongfulness, if any, of kidnapping Eichmann. One might believe that it would have been morally permissible for Israel to kidnap Eichmann if international law had not forbidden this behavior, just as one might believe that it is morally permissible to build a house on a seashore but would be wrong to
Neutron capture therapy

At the time of the discovery of the neutron by Chadwick, roentgen rays had been in use in medicine as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool since shortly after their discovery some 37 years previously. Many of the biological effects of ionizing radiations, not only of roentgen rays but also of the radiations from radium and other radioactive elements, were therefore known and it was logical to look immediately for uses in medicine of the new particles of matter. However, the difficulty of obtaining neutrons in sufficient abundance to produce cytological effects of therapeutic intensity rendered the applications to medicine a matter of speculation for several years. In 1936 Lawrence and Lawrence; Lawrence, Aebersold and Lawrence; and Zirkle and Aebersold published articles on the biological effects of fast neutrons produced with a cyclotron. Also in 1936 Locher published an excellent summary of the then-known facts about neutrons which were pertinent to the biological effects and therapeutic possibilities of neutrons. In the light of more recent developments it is of interest to note that Locher was evidently the first to suggest in print that elements with high thermal neutron capture cross sections, such as boron, might have therapeutic uses by virtue of this property, (assuming that prompt disintegration follows neutron capture) and that they might be introduced artificially into regions of the body to be irradiated. In 1940 Kruger reported some in vitro experiments on the survival of transplants of mouse sarcoma, mammary carcinoma, and lymphoma following irradiation involving the boron-10 thermal neutron capture reaction, and concluded that, “neoplastic cells can be destroyed in vivo if sufficient boron in some suitable form can be applied to the tumor in vivo.” Later the same year Zahl, Cooper and Dunning concluded that a significant increase in tumor regression followed the irradiation of transplantable mouse sarcomas injected with boron or lithium preparations and exposed to a thermal neutron source. These experiments and other studies reported by Zahl and Cooper (1941 a, b) and later with fission of uranium by Tobias et al., established the possibility of using thermal neutron capture reactions to produce biological effects. Conger and Giles attributed part of the cytogenetic effects of neutron irradiation in plants (tradescantia) to the reaction with the boron normally present. The weak sources of thermal neutrons available before 1950 precluded extension of the applications of thermal neutrons to human beings. The first attempts to use neutrons in the treatment of human disease involved the direct use of fast neutrons, as will be discussed below.
Experimental studies of ongoing conscious experience.

A research programme designed to find ways of applying a variety of methods in psychological science to studying the seemingly ephemeral phenomena of the human stream of consciousness and its manifestations in daydreams, interior monologues, imagery and related private experiences is described. Approaches include psychometric studies to establish normative information on daydreaming and experimental studies using signal-detection paradigms to capture the ongoing stream of thought. Recent experiments involve thought-sampling methods for identifying the determinants of the content of the stream of thought in adolescents or the ways in which self-beliefs and emotions are manifested in a group of cocaine and heroin abusers. Children's pretend play is studied as a possible forerunner of adult consciousness. It is proposed that the human condition involves a continuing tension between processing information generated from the physical and social milieu and the continuous operation of centrally generated material from long-term memory in the form of reminiscences, wishes, current concerns, expectancies and fantasies. This concept has implications for personality variation, affective arousal and adaptive behaviour. 1993 Experimental and theoretical studies of consciousness. Wiley, Chichester (Ciba Foundation Symposium 174) p 100-122
Tracing Superclusters and Voids with Abell Clusters

The structure within the distribution of rich clusters is described. In particular, the Pisces-Cetus region is shown to contain a dense supercluster, a 300 h 75 −1 Mpc long filament of galaxies and clusters, and a ring of 12 Abell clusters surrounding a ≈ 50 h 75 −1 Mpc diameter void.
Contrast Enhancement Patterns after Irreversible Electroporation: Experimental Study of CT Perfusion Correlated to Histopathology in Normal Porcine Liver

Abstract Purpose To analyze ablated tissue zones after irreversible electroporation (IRE) of porcine liver using computed tomography (CT) perfusion imaging with histopathologic correlation. Materials and Methods Under ultrasound and CT guidance, 10 IRE ablations were performed percutaneously in three Yorkshire pigs using a single bipolar electrode. CT perfusion imaging was performed in all pigs immediately after ablation and on day 2. Pathologic sections were prepared for correlation with histopathology (hematoxylin-eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling stains, 5-mm–thick slices). The short diameter of different enhancing zones on CT was correlated with the gross specimen. Results CT perfusion images showed three differently enhancing zones: zone 1, inner nonenhancing zone; zone 2, middle well-defined progressive internal enhancement zone; and zone 3, outer ill-defined arterial enhancement zone with rapid washout. On histopathology, zone 1 showed a strong correlation with a pale zone, and zone 2 correlated with a red zone, together accounting for the extent of cell death. Zone 3 was outside of the ablation zone and contained inflammatory cells. Each enhancing zone had different perfusion parameters. Conclusions CT perfusion imaging in the acute setting effectively demonstrates histopathologic tissue zones after IRE ablation. Zone 2 is unique to IRE not seen in thermal ablation, characterized by progressive intra-zonal enhancement, and its outer boundary defines the extent of cell death.
The crystal and molecular structure of 2,2′,N,N′-bipyridyl chloro tricyanoethenolate copper(O)

Abstract The crystal and molecular structure of 2,2′,N,N′-bipyridyl chloro tricyanoethenolate copper(O) has been determined by three-dimensional X-ray analysis and refined by least-squares methods to conventional residuals of R = 0.046 and Rw = 0.063. The lattice parameters are = 9.963(3), b = 9.922(4), c = 8.505(3) A ⇌ = 101.58(3), β = 99.73(3), and γ = 67.08(3)°. The space group is P 1 with two molecules per unit cell. A total of 2222 unique data with |Fo| 3σ(F) were used in the structure determination. The copper(II) ion is coordinated with two nitrogen atoms from the bipyridyl ligand, a chloride ion and a nitrogen atoms from the ethenolate anion in a square planar arrangement. A fifth ligand, a chloride ion from a second molecule, is located above the aquare plane at a distance of 2.712 A from the copper atom, while a possible sixth coordinating atom, a nitrogen from a neighbor tricyanoethenolate is located below the square plane at a Cu-N distance of 2.981 A.
Applying the Construction-Integration Framework to Aesthetic Responses to Representational Artworks

Kintsch's (1988) construction-integration (CI) framework was applied to aesthetic responses to artwork. Art novices in 3 studies viewed and rated representational artworks on aesthetic responses including enjoyment, number of experienced thoughts, and achieved understanding. Parameters based on the CI framework, as well as variables assessing surface representation, were computed for each artwork and were entered in multiple regression equations predicting the ratings. In Study 1, the number of activated concepts (a measure of construction) and the average activation level of the concepts (a measure of integration) predicted the aesthetic ratings. In Study 2, the number of concepts predicted the ratings in a brief viewing time condition but not in a long viewing time condition, when construction would have been completed. In that study, the activation level of the concepts predicted the ratings in both brief and long viewing time conditions. In Study 3, the CI framework predicted emotional but not cogniti...
DRCS: A Distributed Routing and Channel Selection scheme for multi-channel wireless sensor networks

We propose a joint channel selection and quality aware routing scheme for multi-channel wireless sensor networks to improve the network lifetime. A data collection traffic pattern is assumed, where all sensor nodes perform periodic sensing and forward data to a centralized base station (sink). The proposed scheme achieves improvement of the battery lifetime by reducing the energy consumed from overhearing and also by dynamically balancing the battery lifetimes of nodes. Performance evaluations are presented from experimental studies as well as from extensive simulation studies to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
β-Oxidation Enzymes in Microbodies from Tubers of Helianthus Tuberosus

Summary Linear gradients of 60-30% sucrose were used to obtain workable separations of mitochondria and microbodies from Jerusalem artichokes. When the various fractions were assayed for β-oxidation enzymes, only those fractions associated with microbodies had high activity. Mitochondrial β-oxidation activity could be explained as contaminated by microbodies.
“What-if” analysis in computer simulation models: A comparative survey with some extensions

The simulation models are often subject to errors caused by the estimated parameter(s) of underlying input distribution function. ''What-if'' analysis is needed to establish confidence with respect to small changes in the parameters of the input distributions. However traditional ''what-if'' analysis requires a separate simulation run for each input value. Four different methods for estimating performance function for several scenarios using extrapolation/interpolation are presented. By simulating a simple reliability model a comparative experimental study on the efficiency of the these methods is provided.
Study of the piezoelectric properties of Ba2Ge2TiO8 glass-ceramic and single crystals

Glass-ceramics of composition Ba2Ge2TiO8 with oriented crystallites were prepared by crystallizing the glasses in a temperature gradient. The degree of preferred orientation of the crystallites as a function of depth was studied. Piezoelectric resonance properties of both the glass-ceramics and the single crystals were studied. The piezoelectricd33 coefficient, the frequency constants and the electromechanical coupling coefficients of the glass-ceramic were comparable to the single-crystal values.
Do graduated university incubator firms benefit from their relationship with university incubators

Business incubators have become a popular policy option and economic development intervention tool. However, recent research shows that incubated firms may not benefit significantly from their incubator relationships, and may even be more vulnerable to failure post departure (graduation) from an incubator. These findings suggest that the impact of business incubation on new venture viability may be contingent on the type of support offered by an incubator and attributes of business environments within which incubation services are provided. Incubation services that protect and isolate ventures from key resource dependencies may hinder venture development and increase subsequent vulnerability to environmental demands. Alternatively, incubation services that help ventures connect and align with key resource dependencies are likely to promote firm survival. We propose that incubators vary in the services and resources they offer, and that university incubators typically provide greater connectivity and legitimacy with respect to important contingencies associated with key industry and community stakeholders. This leads us to propose that university affiliation is an important contingency that affects the relationship between firms’ participation in incubators and their subsequent performance. The purpose of this study is to evaluate this contingency by examining whether firms graduating from university incubators attain higher levels of post-incubation performance than firms participating in non-university affiliated incubators. We test this by evaluating the performance of a sample of graduated firms associated with the population of university-based incubators in the US contrasted against the performance of a matched cohort of non-incubated firms. The analysis uses an enhanced dataset that tracks the number of employees, sales, and the entry and graduation (departure) points of incubated firms from a university incubation program, so as to delineate the scope of influence of the incubator.
ASF: a practical simulation-based methodology for the synthesis of custom analog circuits

This paper describes ASF, a novel cell-level analog synthesis framework that can size and bias a given circuit topology subject to a set of performance objectives and a manufacturing process. To manage complexity and time-to-market, SoC designs require a high level of automation and reuse. Digital methodologies are inapplicable to analog IP, which relies on tight control of low-level device and circuit properties that vary widely across manufacturing processes. This analog synthesis solution automates these tedious, technology specific aspects of analog design. Unlike previously proposed approaches, ASF extends the prevalent "schematic and SPICE" methodology used to design analog and mixed-signal circuits. ASF is topology and technology independent and can be easily integrated into a commercial schematic capture design environment. Furthermore, ASF employs a novel numerical optimization formulation that incorporates classical downhill techniques into stochastic search. ASF consistently produces results comparable to expert manual design with 10/spl times/ fewer candidate solution evaluations than previously published approaches that rely on traditional stochastic optimization methods.
Photochemical reactions of dibromothymoquinone: structure and inhibitory properties of the photoproduct

Abstract— The chemical structure of the major product that resulted from illumination of ethanolic solutions of dibromothymoquinone was deduced using 13C-and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The photoproduct is 2,5-dibromo-3-allyl-6-methyl-p-dihydrobenzoquinone. The inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport by the photoreduced compound was found to be roughly equivalent to inhibition by nonirradiated dibromothymoquinone.
Elevated temperature compressive slow strain rate properties of several directionally solidified NiAl–(Nb,Mo) alloys

Abstract Three NiAl-based alloys containing 3Nb–10Mo, 5Nb–10Mo or 13.6Nb–18Mo (at%) were directionally solidified to develop three dimensional Mo-based dendrite networks. Examination of the alloys indicated that the desired chemistry was achieved for the 3Nb–10Mo and 5Nb–10Mo versions but the composition of the highly alloyed ingot was NiAl–14.6Nb–13.2Mo. The as-grown structure for all three materials consisted of three major phases: essentially unalloyed B2 crystal structure NiAl, Laves NiAlNb phase alloyed with ∼8.5 Mo, and a bcc metallic Mo solid solution containing 27Nb–7Ni–7Al. Compressive properties were measured between 1200 to 1400 K in air under constant velocity and constant load creep conditions with strain rates ranging from ∼10−4 to ∼10−8 s−1. The flow strengths of the two alloys with 10Mo were nearly identical and much weaker than those for NiAl–14.6Nb–13.2Mo under all conditions. Comparison the properties of this latter alloy with other directionally solidified NiAl-based eutectics revealed that it was the strongest material under lower temperature/fast deformation conditions, but this advantage was lost at higher temperatures and/or slower strain rates.
Immunological identification of the protein-producing masculine differentiation of the Wolffian duct in the fetal mouse: western blot analysis and determination of the biological activity.

Recently, we identified a protein in the developing male reproductive tract of the fetal mouse which induced Wolffian duct differentiation in vitro in the absence of testis or testosterone. In this paper, we further evaluated the masculinizing role of this protein using an immunological approach. Thus, we purified a 72K protein from the 18-day-old male fetal reproductive tracts, prepared an antibody against the protein, and determined the role of this protein in producing masculine differentiation of the Wolffian duct using the polyclonal antibody against the protein. We demonstrate that the antibody reacted with the purified 72K protein, producing only one immunoreactive band around the 72K region in Western blot analysis. However, it reacted with 72K and 63K proteins present in the 18-day-old male reproductive tract. Both of these immunoreactive bands disappeared when the antibody was pretreated with the purified antigen. Nonimmune immunoglobulin G (IgG) produced no reactive bands with the extract of th...
Rho GEF Lsc is required for normal polarization, migration, and adhesion of formyl-peptide–stimulated neutrophils

Neutrophil migration requires continuous reorganization of the cytoskeleton and cellular adhesion apparatus. Chemoattractants initiate intracellular signals that direct this reorganization. The signaling pathways that link chemoattractant receptors to the cytoskeleton and cellular adhesion apparatus are now being defined. Formyl-peptide chemoattractants released from bacteria stimulate G-protein–linked receptors on the surface of neutrophils and regulate the neutrophil cytoskeleton and adhesion apparatus through RhoA-dependent pathways. Lsc is a RhoA guanine nucleotide exchange factor that binds the heterotrimeric G-protein α-subunits, Gα12 and Gα13. We have disrupted the Lsc gene and demonstrated that formyl-peptide–stimulated Lsc knock-out (KO) neutrophils are unable to generate and sustain a single-dominant pseudopod and migrate with increased speed and reduced directionality. Unexpectedly, we also found that Lsc is required for normal β2- and β1-integrin–dependent neutrophil adhesion. Lsc-deficient mice have a peripheral leukocytosis and extramedullary hematopoiesis, demonstrating that Lsc is required for leukocyte homeostasis. Lsc-deficient neutrophils are recruited normally to sites of bacterial peritonitis and chemical dermatitis, indicating that other signaling pathways compensate for the Lsc deficiency in some forms of inflammation. These results demonstrate that Lsc links formyl-peptide receptors to RhoA signaling pathways that regulate polarization, migration, and adhesion in neutrophils and that Lsc is required for leukocyte homeostasis.
Simultaneous overdesign and optimization of chemical processes

Abstract This paper presents the results of simultaneous overdesign and optimization of the contact sulfuric acid process. A stochastic optimization procedure is developed as described. Significant improvements in the economics of the process are achieved by optimization, and these improvements clearly justify the cost of such studies.
Structural studies of sparsely substituted synthetic chlorins and phorbines establish benchmarks for changes in the ligand core and framework of chlorophyll macrocycles

Abstract Understanding the changes in molecular structure of tetrapyrrole macrocycles upon derivatization of the organic framework is essential for diverse studies ranging from metal complexation to formation of supramolecular assemblies. New, sparsely substituted free base chlorin, 17-oxochlorin, phorbine and 13 1 -oxophorbine macrocycles provide benchmarks for naturally occurring hydroporphyrins and have been examined here by X-ray crystallography, resonance Raman spectroscopy, and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations. The macrocycles contain no substituents other than a geminal-dimethyl group attached to the reduced, pyrroline ring. The X-ray studies indicate that the benchmark compounds exhibit only slight distortion from planarity, which increases along the series porphine β C β bond distance due to sp 3 versus sp 2 hybridization in the pyrroline ring (ring D) of the (oxo)chlorins and (oxo)phorbines (1.52–1.54 A) versus that of porphine (1.35 A) is accompanied by altered bond angles in ring D. Introduction of ring E (exocyclic ring) in a chlorin to give the phorbine or oxophorbine causes alteration of the bond angles at many sites in the framework of the macrocycle; for example, the bond angles of N3 C14 C15 in the (oxo)phorbine are widened by ∼11° compared to those of porphine or the analogous sparsely substituted chlorin. As a result, the shape of the macrocycle core changes along the series of porphine (nearly square), (oxo)chlorin (kite-shaped), and (oxo)phorbine (right-angled trapezoid), and the core size increases in the order porphine C13 1 bond owing to the presence of the oxo-group is quite small, only 0.024 A; thus, the unsymmetrical structure of ring E does not appear to be due to conjugation with the C13 1 O group but may be a characteristic feature of the (oxo)phorbine framework. The X-ray data further indicate that the lengths of the oxochlorin C17 O and oxophorbine C13 1 O groups are essentially identical, a result also predicted by DFT calculations. Regardless, the observed frequencies for the stretching vibrations of the C17 O (1721 cm −1 ) and C13 1 O (1701 cm −1 ) groups are different and suggest that conjugation of the latter group with the π-system of the macrocycle is greater than that of the former group. Collectively, the studies provide new insights into the individual factors that give rise to the overall structural characteristics of various macrocycles.
Motility-Contrast Imaging: Digital Holography of Cellular Motion in 3-D Tissues

We present the first three-dimensional assays of intrinsic cellular motion applied to tissues using motility contrast imaging (MCI), a new digital holographic imaging technique that detects sub-cellular motion as a novel fully-endogenous imaging contrast agent.
Correlation between semen parameters of electroejaculates and achieving pregnancy by intrauterine insemination

Objective: To investigate whether any parameter in the routine semen analysis of electroejaculates is correlated with success in achieving pregnancy by IUI. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: An Assisted Reproductive Program at a tertiary care university center. Patient(s): Twenty-seven anejaculatory men with spinal cord injury (n = 24) or history of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (n = 3), thirteen of whom attempted conception with their wives. Intervention(s): Anejaculatory men underwent rectal probe electroejaculation and electroejaculates were used for IUI. Main Outcome Measure(s): Statistical correlation of semen parameters between electroejaculates that resulted in pregnancy and those that did not. Result(s): Seven pregnancies resulted from 56 IUIs using electroejaculates (pregnancy rate=12.5% per IUI). The total motile sperm count and percentage of normal morphology were significantly higher in the specimens that resulted in pregnancies than those that did not. However, there was no statistically significant difference observed in pH, sperm concentration, or percentage of motility between the two groups. Swim-up techniques used to process electroejaculates significantly improved the motility of the specimens. No pregnancy occurred beyond the fifth IUI attempt. Repeated electroejaculation and duration of spinal cord injury had no effect on the quality of the ejaculates. Conclusion(s): The total motile sperm count and the percentage normal morphology of electroejaculates correlate with success in achieving pregnancy by IUI. Because repeated electroejaculation does not improve quality of ejaculate, the initial semen analysis of electroejaculates is not only useful in counseling couples undergoing such treatment program but should be planned for use as an inseminate.
Short-Term Effect of Temperature Change on the Number of Hospital Visits Secondary to Acute Asthma Exacerbations

S U N D A Y 341 Short-Term Effect of Temperature Change on the Number of Hospital Visits Secondary to Acute Asthma Exacerbations Jennifer Lan, MD, Jay A. Lieberman, MD, Zhao Yang; Department of Allergy and Immunology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN, Department of Preventative Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN. RATIONALE: There are multiple known triggers for asthma exacerbations. Anecdotally, parents often claim temperature changes as the single trigger in their children. There are few studies supporting or refuting this association however. The objective of this study was to examine if temperature change is temporally associated with an increase in asthma exacerbations. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of pediatric (2-17 years) emergency department visits and hospitalizations secondary to asthma exacerbations for the year 2012 at a single pediatric hospital. A quasi-Poisson regression combined with a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was applied to evaluate the association between inter-day temperature change and visit frequency. The analyses adjusted for daily pollutant variables, other weather variables, and temporal factors to control seasonal and long-term patterns. RESULTS: 2728 encounters were examined with an average of 7.5 daily visits. There is a general non-significant trend that greater negative interday temperature change is associated with a greater number of hospital visits, with its effect persisting for 7 days. A one-day 20 degree drop was associated with a relative risk (RR) of 1.24 (95% CI: 0.92 to 1.66). The 7day cumulative RR resulting from a -108F and -208F change are 1.24 (95% CI: 0.74 to 2.10) and 2.80 (95% CI: 0.54 to 14.50), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, there is a strong trend suggesting a drop in temperature leads to increased hospital visits for asthma. Further studies with inclusion of pollen data and data from multiple years may help improve the validity of this association.