cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decoupled Active and Reactive Power Predictive Control for PV Applications Using a Grid-Tied Quasi-Z-Source Inverter

This paper proposes a predictive power control algorithm that decouples active and reactive power for grid integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems using a quasi-Z-source inverter. This is important to meet the emerging smart inverter requirements for grid interconnection. The proposed controller uses model predictive control framework to ensure that the maximum available power is harvested from the PV array and that the active and reactive power injected into the grid is controlled to compensate reactive power required by local loads and as need to ensure stable operation of the grid at the point of common coupling. Thus, a power electronics interface is proposed to integrate the PV array to the grid and to work as a reactive power compensator simultaneously. A robust technique is proposed to regulate the impedance network voltage and current according to the maximum operating point of PV panels and grid voltage/current requirements. The proposed controller features a simple structure suitable for practical implementation, fast-dynamic response under changing sky condition, and negligible tracking error in steady state for decoupled active and reactive power control in a typical distributed generation systems. The performance of the proposed controller is verified experimentally; the grid-side power quality analysis is provided and evaluated according to IEEE-519 standard.
Changes in cardiac resident fibroblast physiology and phenotype in aging

The cardiac fibroblast plays a central role in tissue homeostasis and in repair after injury. With aging, dysregulated cardiac fibroblasts have a reduced capacity to activate a canonical transforming growth factor-β-Smad pathway and differentiate poorly into contractile myofibroblasts. That results in the formation of an insufficient scar after myocardial infarction. In contrast, in the uninjured aged heart, fibroblasts are activated and acquire a profibrotic phenotype that leads to interstitial fibrosis, ventricular stiffness, and diastolic dysfunction, all conditions that may lead to heart failure. There is an apparent paradox in aging, wherein reparative fibrosis is impaired but interstitial, adverse fibrosis is augmented. This could be explained by analyzing the effectiveness of signaling pathways in resident fibroblasts from young versus aged hearts. Whereas defective signaling by transforming growth factor-β leads to insufficient scar formation by myofibroblasts, enhanced activation of the ERK1/2 pathway may be responsible for interstitial fibrosis mediated by activated fibroblasts. Listen to this article's corresponding podcast at https://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/fibroblast-phenotypic-changes-in-the-aging-heart/ .
Enzymatic Characteristics and Possible Role of Synaptosomal Ecto-Adenosine Triphosphatase from Mammalian Brain

In 1957 Engelhardt described a very active ATPase enzyme on the outer surface of avian (nucleated) red blood cells. He stated that the action of this enzyme is strictly oriented in space towards the surrounding medium: it splits rapidly any ATP that reaches the outside of the cell and leaves the ATP on the inside of the cell unaffected. He clearly distinguished this specific cell surface “ecto-enzyme” from “exo-enzymes” which are secreted into the extracellular space and also from the normal “endo-enzymes” which act within the cell. Prior to the observations of Engelhardt, a fairly active cell surface ATPase had already been reported by Acs et al. (1954) in ascites tumour cells. A detailed analysis of the Ehrlich ascites tumour cell surface ecto-ATPase was later carried out by Ronquist and Agren (1975).
The Evolution of Alarm Pheromones

It is generally agreed that most signals evolved from aspects of the signal emitter not originally used for signalling. Discussants of ritualization, for example, often state that visual displays have been built up from or enhanced by locomotory, preening or other movements previously devoid of iconic value. Some authors portray receivers as playing a passive role in signal installment. The assertion by Dawkins and Krebs (1978) that “the actor is selected to manipulate the behaviour of the reactor” epitomizes such a portrayal because it is implied that receivers already have perceptual-behavioral tendencies which the emitters exploit.
Transitions To and From At-Risk Alcohol Use in Adults in the United States.

Introduction: The objective of this research is to study transitions to and from at-risk alcohol use.Methods: Logistic regression analyses (done 2015–2016) assessed transitions to and from past-yea...
Sándor, Klára. 2017. A székely írás reneszánsza ['The Renaissance of the Székely Script']. Budapest: Typotext. 311 pp.

Sandor, Klara. 2017. A szekely iras reneszansza ['The Renaissance of the Szekely Script']. Budapest: Typotext. 311 pp.
Small volume method for drug release screening using ultrasonic agitation

Drug release testing plays a major role along all parts of the dosage form development and manufacturing process. However, official methods to perform this type of testing are often resource intensive and require highly specialized facilities. Affordable and accessible methods for studying drug release behavior are currently lacking. This work presents a small volume approach to solid dissolution and drug release testing of solid dosage forms using ultrasonic agitation. Cavitation and acoustic streaming were generated by a microprobe horn delivering a 40 kHz acoustic signal into a 50 mL test vessel. These two phenomena resulted in breakdown of and release of drug from tablet samples. Prednisone Performance Verification Tablets were used as model tablets to study the effect of system parameters on the drug release process. The effects of these parameters on the acousto-hydrodynamic environment were studied using streak photography and hydrophone measurements. Drug release behavior showed a slow/fast threshold transition separated by a highly variable regime as a function of the system parameters. Observations from drug release experiments and results from acoust-hydrodynamic characterization experiments suggested that this transition is dominated by acoustic streaming. This method represents a screening method to probe relative differences in dosage form composition and acts as a complimentary approach to official testing methods. The small volume format of this test has potential applications in the study of drug release properties from low-dose and novel solid dosage forms as well as reduced cost and increased accessibility of release testing for post-manufacturing tablet quality screening, a current need in low- and middle-income countries.
Activation of spinal nociceptin receptors induces cardiovascular depression and antinociception in an independent manner in mice

Purpose The nociceptin receptor (NOP) was discovered in 1994 and was designated opioid-like receptor; activation of NOP leads to reduced neuronal excitability. Although suggested by the anatomical localization of NOP in brain or spinal cord, the cardiovascular or nociceptive effects of its endogenous ligand, nociceptin, are equivocal. Taking advantage from intrathecal application of nociceptin to simultaneously activate NOP on sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the intermediolateral column (IML) and superficial laminae of dorsal horn, we investigated whether the nociceptin-induced cardiovascular effects engage the participation of baroreflex, and whether the concurrently elicited changes in blood pressure and pain responses are interrelated. Methods NOPs in the thoracic spinal cord of ICR or C57BL/6 mice were identified with immunofluorescence staining and were activated through intrathecal administration of nocicetpin. The elicited changes in cardiovascular parameters and tail-flick nociceptive responses were measured. Results Positive immunoreactivity against NOP colocalized with neurons in the IML and superficial dorsal horn layers of thoracic spinal cord. Intrathecal administration of nociceptin (1, 2, or 5 nmol) elicited a significant and dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure or heart rate that was paralleled by reduced baroreflex-mediated sympathetic vasomotor tone and mirrored by augmented cardiac vagal baroreflex, alongside prolonged tail-flick latency with an efficacy of hypotension <<< antinociception. Coadministration of the specific NOP antagonist, UFP101 (10 nmol), blunted all nociceptin-elicited responses. However, restoring blood pressure to baseline level failed to affect the antinociceptive actions of nociceptin. Conclusion Activation of thoracic spinal NOP in ICR and C57BL/6 mice induces blood pressure and heart rate by decreasing the sympathetic outflow of both arms of the baroreflex arc to the blood vessels and the heart, and the antinociceptive responses to nociceptin are independent of and disproportional to its cardiovascular actions.
The Impact of Distance Education on University Retention Rates

This study uses new measures of distance education to assess the impact on retention rates at 4-year public and private non-profit universities in the U.S. We present evidence that the percent of undergraduates enrolled exclusively in distance education courses reduces a university’s freshmen retention rate, particularly for institutions with a relatively low median SAT score. We find no clear evidence of lower retention rates when undergraduates are enrolled in a combination of on-campus and distance education courses. These findings suggest increased enrollment through distance education can come at the expense of lower retention.
Just-in-Time but Not Too Much: Determining Treatment Timing in Mobile Health

There is a growing scientific interest in the use and development of just-in-time adaptive interventions in mobile health. These mobile interventions typically involve treatments, such as reminders, activity suggestions and motivational messages, delivered via notifications on a smartphone or a wearable to help users make healthy decisions in the moment. To be effective in influencing health, the combination of the right treatment and right delivery time is likely critical. A variety of prediction/detection algorithms have been developed with the goal of pinpointing the best delivery times. The best delivery times might be times of greatest risk and/or times at which the user might be most receptive to the treatment notifications. In addition, to avoid over burdening users, there is of ten a constraint on the number of treatments that should be provided per time interval (e.g., day or week). Yet there may be many more times at which the user is predicted or detected to be at risk and/or receptive. The goal then is to spread treatment uniformly across all of these times. In this paper, we introduce a method that spreads the treatment uniformly across the delivery times. This method can also be used to provide data for learning whether the treatments are effective at the delivery times. This work is motivated by our work on two mobile health studies, a smoking cessation study and a physical activity study.
Hierarchical contributions of linguistic knowledge to talker identification: Phonological versus lexical familiarity

Listeners identify talkers more accurately when listening to their native language compared to an unfamiliar, foreign language. This language-familiarity effect in talker identification has been shown to arise from familiarity with both the sound patterns (phonetics and phonology) and the linguistic content (words) of one's native language. However, it has been unknown whether these two sources of information contribute independently to talker identification abilities, particularly whether hearing familiar words can facilitate talker identification in the absence of familiar phonetics. To isolate the contribution of lexical familiarity, we conducted three experiments that tested listeners' ability to identify talkers saying familiar words, but with unfamiliar phonetics. In two experiments, listeners identified talkers from recordings of their native language (English), an unfamiliar foreign language (Mandarin Chinese), or "hybrid" speech stimuli (sentences spoken in Mandarin, but which can be convincingly coerced to sound like English when presented with subtitles that prime plausible English-language lexical interpretations based on the Mandarin phonetics). In a third experiment, we explored natural variation in lexical-phonetic congruence as listeners identified talkers with varying degrees of a Mandarin accent. Priming listeners to hear English speech did not improve their ability to identify talkers speaking Mandarin, even after additional training, and talker identification accuracy decreased as talkers' phonetics became increasingly dissimilar to American English. Together, these experiments indicate that unfamiliar sound patterns preclude talker identification benefits otherwise afforded by familiar words. These results suggest that linguistic representations contribute hierarchically to talker identification; the facilitatory effect of familiar words requires the availability of familiar phonological forms.
Reducing Surgical Site Infections During Otolaryngology Surgical Missions

Objectives To determine what measures an otolaryngology-head and neck surgery team might adopt to decrease the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) on a short-term surgical mission. Despite concerns about safety and efficacy, short-term surgical missions remain the predominant structure for humanitarian surgical care in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Hospitals in high-income countries strive to improve surgical outcomes through implementation of World Health Organization (WHO) safe surgery guidelines. Reduction of SSI risk is a key part of this effort. Methods Literature review and practical experience. Results WHO recommendations for reducing SSI are based largely on research done in the North America and Europe. LMIC populations are younger; comorbidities are fewer; infectious disease and trauma are prevalent; and delays in access to care are common. SSI are much more frequent in resource-limited settings. Recommendations regarding preoperative assessment, operating room environment, instrument sterilization, surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, surgical site preparation, gloving, draping, and postsurgical care are reviewed in the context of a surgical mission at a typical LMIC government hospital. Conclusion Many of the WHO guidelines on reduction of SSI are logical and applicable to the short-term surgical missions; others may need to be modified. Careful prospective data collection and clinical trials are needed to learn which interventions are valid and which should be changed. Level of evidence 5 Laryngoscope, 130:1388-1395, 2020.
The Remedy for the "Bottleneck Monopoly" in Telecom: Isolate It, Share It, or Ignore It?

Despite more than one hundred years of United States antitrust policy, there is very little evidence that antitrust has produced tangible consumer benefits.' As a result, proponents of antitrust often cite government victories in major cases as evidence that antitrust is "working" in some sense even if there is no careful empirical assessment of the effects of these victories on prices or output.2 An important exception is United States v AT&T,' a 1982 Sherman Act case that resulted in the breakup of AT&T in order to isolate the local "monopoly bottleneck"-the array of wires and electronics that connects telephone subscribers to the nation's telecommunications network.4 It is widely assumed that the significant and measurable decline in long distance telephone rates that followed was due to the AT&T breakup. In this Essay, I show that even in this case, the antitrust decree may have been sufficient to generate competition in long distance services, but it was not necessary. The AT& T case was brought as the result of a regulatory failure, not a market failure, and the very large costs of breaking up AT&T could have been avoided. In Part I.A, I show that the development of long distance competition in the United States after the AT&T divestiture was partly the result of a distorted regulated price structure and the regulation of the
Novel Use of Stimulating Fence-Post Technique for Functional Mapping of Subcortical White Matter During Tumor Resection: A Technical Case Series.

Background Maximal safe resection remains a key principle in infiltrating glioma management. Stimulation mapping is a key adjunct for minimizing functional morbidity while "fence-post" procedures use catheters or dye to mark the tumor border at the start of the procedure prior to brain shift. Objective To report a novel technique using stereotactically placed electrodes to guide tumor resection near critical descending subcortical fibers. Methods Navigated electrodes were placed prior to tumor resection along the deep margin bordering presumed eloquent tracts. Stimulation was administered through these depth electrodes for subcortical motor and language mapping. Results Twelve patients were included in this preliminary technical report. Seven patients (7/12, 58%) were in asleep cases, while the other 5 cases (5/12, 42%) were performed awake. Mapping of motor fibers was performed in 8 cases, and language mapping was done in 1 case. In 3 cases, both motor and language mapping were performed using the same depth electrode spanning corticospinal tract and the arcuate fasciculus. Conclusion Stereotactic depth electrode placement coupled with stimulation mapping of white matter tracts can be used concomitantly to demarcate the border between deep tumor margins and eloquent brain, thus helping to maximize extent of resection while minimizing functional morbidity.
Chapter 6 – Static Water in Soil

This chapter describes how water interacts with the solid system of the soil. This chapter explains surface tension, or more specifically, the surface tension coefficient. Laplace's surface tension theory is presented. An equation is given and proved for the rise of a liquid in a capillary tube. The proof requires the use of the surface tension coefficient. The importance of surface tension is illustrated by giving examples of it in nature. Rise and fall of water in soil pores is examined using knowledge of water in a capillary tube. Hysteresis, which results from differential amounts of water being held in soil if the water is rising in the soil from a water table or if the water is falling from the surface through the soil, is explained, and the explanation is based on rise and fall of water in capillary tubes. A biography of Laplace is given in the appendix.
Relationale Query-Sprachen

Als DML fur das Relationenmodell existieren zwei grundlegende Ansatze: Der funktionale mengenorientierte Ansatz der relationalen Algebra,der speziell bei der Query-Optimierung eingesetzt wird. Der deklarative mengenorientierte Ansatz durch eine spezielle Form der Logikprogrammierung, der speziell als Benutzerschnittstelle Eingang in die Praxis gefunden hat. Als Vertreter hiervon wird QBE in diesem Kapitel besprochen, wahrend der weltweite Standard SQL2 ausfuhrlich in Kapitel 5 vorgestellt wird.
Adverse neonatal outcomes associated with maternal severe mental health diagnoses and opioid use.

Determine odds ratios for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions for babies born to women associated with severe mental illness (SMI) and gestational opioid use. A retrospective pharmacoepidemiologic study using Medicaid data included 17,130 mothers with and 170,430 mothers without SMI, and their babies. Odds ratios for NAS and NICU admissions among babies born to mothers associated with SMI diagnoses and associated with varying degrees of gestational opioid use were determined using logistic regression. The adjusted odds ratio for a baby in the methadone or buprenorphine group having NAS was 168.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) 148.78–191.71, P < 0.001] and was 9.64 (95% CI 8.74–10.65, P < 0.001) for NICU admissions compared to babies with no opioid exposure. Chronicity of prescription maternal opioid use was the strongest factor associated with NAS and NICU admissions.
Diagnostic concordance of clinical diagnosis, tissue culture, and histopathology testing for skin and soft tissue infections: A single-center retrospective study.

Abstract Background Tissue culture and histopathology are the conventional diagnostic modalities for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), but few studies have investigated their concordance. Objective Determine concordance between histopathology and tissue culture in the diagnosis of suspected SSTIs. Methods Single-center retrospective study of 355 cases with suspected SSTIs identified from the dermatology inpatient consultation log January 2014-July 2017. Results Overall concordance between histopathology testing and tissue culture results was high (76.1%). Concordance was high for cases defined as no evidence of infection, fungal infection and mycobacterial infection by histopathology (77.8%, 74.2%, and 80.0%) and tissue culture (92.1%, 67.7%, and 83.3%). Concordance was lower for suspected SSTIs with bacterial infection by histopathology (61.9%) and tissue culture (28.4%). Concordance rates were not significantly affected by age, sex, race, antimicrobial agent use, immunologic status, or biopsy size. Limitations Retrospective and single-institution nature of the study. Conclusion This study demonstrated a high concordance between histopathology and tissue culture in SSTIs with no clinical evidence of infection and suspected fungal and mycobacterial SSTIs, though concordance was lower for suspected SSTIs with evidence of bacterial infection. Clinicians should not be deterred from relying on initial histopathological results based on patients’ immunosuppressed status, antimicrobial agent use, age, or biopsy tissue size.
Abstract PO-103: Characterizing epigenetic and genetic mechanisms of glioma drug resistance using simultaneous lineage tracing and single-cell transcriptomic analysis

Therapeutic pressure can result in tumor evolution and adaptation via genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, which may be transient or stable. Knowledge of how these events contribute to intratumoral heterogeneity and dynamic subpopulations will require single cell-resolution experimental approaches that prospectively label, longitudinally track, and functionally characterize adaptive subclonal populations. In glioblastoma, poor efficacy of therapies targeting receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) can be attributed to a variety of mechanisms including intrinsic genetic subclonal diversity and therapy-derived epigenetic transitions. To more fully elucidate the factors contributing to RTK inhibitor resistance in glioblastoma, we designed and employed an experimental approach that combines high diversity cell lineage barcoding with single cell transcriptomic analysis. When a PDGFRA-amplified glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) model was treated with the RTK/PDGFRA inhibitor dasatinib, we observed that a broad spectrum of subclones adopt a temporary, Notch-dependent persister phenotype that presumably sustains cells through the initial drug exposure phase. Continued exposure to dasatinib resulted in the outgrowth of rare subclones with preexisting or acquired genetic changes. Single-cell analyses revealed several different subclones bearing distinct copy number amplifications of the insulin receptor substrate-1 and -2 (IRS1 or IRS2) loci, which activate insulin and AKT signaling programs and have not yet been previously identified as genes involved in glioblastoma drug resistance. Analysis of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that IRS copy number amplifications are evident in a subset of a range of primary tumors and are associated with poor prognosis in glioblastoma subtypes bearing PDGFRA-amplified tumors. Functional characterization confirms that IRS2-amplified subclones lose dependence on the Notch signaling that characterizes the persister phenotype, and instead become dependent on insulin receptor/AKT signaling. Overall, our method for combined lineage-tracing and scRNA-seq revealed interplay between complementary genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of resistance in a heterogeneous glioblastoma tumor model. Moreover, this method permitted identification of previously unappreciated genetic alterations that may underlie the inefficacy of targeted therapies in glioblastoma. Citation Format: Christine E. Eyler, Hironori Matsunaga, Volker Hovestadt, Samantha J. Vantine, Peter van Galen, Bradley E. Bernstein. Characterizing epigenetic and genetic mechanisms of glioma drug resistance using simultaneous lineage tracing and single-cell transcriptomic analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Heterogeneity: From Single Cells to Clinical Impact; 2020 Sep 17-18. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(21 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-103.
A Tidal Disruption Flare in Abell 1689 from an Archival X-ray Survey of Galaxy Clusters

Theory suggests that a star making a close passage by a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy can under most circumstances be expected to emit a giant flare of radiation as it is disrupted and a portion of the resulting stream of shock-heated stellar debris falls back onto the black hole itself. We examine the first results of an ongoing archival survey of galaxy clusters using Chandra and XMM-selected data, and report a likely tidal disruption flare from SDSS J131122.15-012345.6 in Abell 1689. The flare is observed to vary by a factor of >30 over at least 2 years, to have maximum L_X(0.3-3.0 keV)> 5 x 10^{42} erg s^{-1} and to emit as a blackbody with kT~0.12 keV. From the galaxy population as determined by existing studies of the cluster, we estimate a tidal disruption rate of 1.2 x 10^{-4} galaxy^{-1} year^{-1} if we assume a contribution to the observable rate from galaxies whose range of luminosities corresponds to a central black hole mass (M_bh) between 10^6 and 10^8 M_sun.
Effect of weakly ionized plasma on osmotic pressure on cell membranes in a saline

In this paper, attention is drawn to the importance of accounting for osmotic pressure when analyzing physiological effects on cellular structures in plasma medicine. Interaction of a weakly ionized plasma jet with a saline solution leads to detectable changes in the saline's ion-molecular composition and hence changes in the osmotic pressure. This, in turn, leads to a stretching or compression of the membrane, depending on the difference of total external and internal pressures. The selective effect of plasma on cells, observed in experiments, is associated with the change in the mechanical properties of membranes (and thereby, a weakening of their protective properties). Corresponding estimates are given in the article.
Treatment Goals and Alcohol Use Outcomes in Veterans With Comorbid Alcohol Dependence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Background and objectives Previous research demonstrates the utility of goals in attaining improved drinking outcomes. Considerably less is known about the association between substance use goals and outcomes among persons with comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This secondary analysis examined the association between alcohol use outcomes and participants' treatment entry substance use goals to either abstain or reduce substance use in the context of treatment for comorbid SUD/PTSD. Methods Participants (N = 39) were treatment-seeking veterans with current alcohol dependence and PTSD. Participants completed self-report and clinician-rated measures of substance use and PTSD as part of a larger randomized controlled trial. Results Participants in both goal groups (abstain; reduce) achieved significant reductions in the likelihood of drinking and the likelihood of exceeding low-risk drinking levels. The primary analysis did not identify significant differences in outcome between goal groups; however, the exploratory analysis revealed that participants with reduced use goals were more likely to drink and more likely to exceed low-risk drinking levels. Conclusion and scientific significance The findings suggest a moderately strong association between substance use goal and drinking outcome in the current study. Although the findings did not unequivocally support abstinence as a superior treatment goal, they offer a preliminary indication that abstinence may be an overall lower-risk option. These findings expand consideration of the utility of substance use goals and suggest that clinicians should invite consideration of abstinence but may need not limit integrated treatment for SUD/PTSD based on strict adherence to abstinence, particularly if low-risk use goals are targeted. (Am J Addict 2021;30:131-137).
Assistant Teachers, Workplace Satisfaction, and the Creation of a Culturally Competent Workforce Pipeline in Head Start:

Early care and education programs like Head Start provide a critical foundation for later achievement for children from vulnerable communities. Notably, recruiting and retaining bilingual teachers ...
Evaluating N-acetylcysteine for early and end-of-treatment abstinence in adult cigarette smokers.

Abstract Background There is robust preclinical literature and preliminary clinical findings supporting the use of N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) to treat substance use disorders, including tobacco use disorder (TUD). However, randomized controlled trials have yielded mixed results and NAC’s efficacy for TUD has not been established. The goals of this study were to assess the efficacy of NAC in promoting early and end-of-treatment abstinence and preventing relapse among adult smokers. Methods This randomized, double-blinded clinical trial enrolled adult, daily smokers (N = 114; ages 23–64; 51 % female; 65 % White; 29 % Black/African American; 7% Hispanic/Latinx), who were randomized 1:1 to receive NAC (n = 59) or placebo (n = 55) (1200 mg b.i.d.) for eight weeks. Participants received brief cessation counseling and incentives for abstinence during the first three days of the quit attempt. Primary outcomes: (i) carbon monoxide (CO)-confirmed abstinence during the first three days of the quit attempt. Secondary outcomes: (ii) time to relapse; (iii) biologically confirmed abstinence at Week 8. Results No differences were found between NAC and placebo groups on measures of early abstinence (3-day quit attempt; 11 % for NAC vs. 15 % for placebo; all p > 0.11), time to relapse (p = 0.19), and end-of-treatment abstinence (7% for NAC vs. 11 % for placebo; all p > 0.40]. Conclusions Results indicate that NAC is a well-tolerated pharmacotherapy but is unlikely to be efficacious as a monotherapy for TUD in adults. Considered in the collective context of other research, NAC may potentially be more useful in a younger population, as a combination pharmacotherapy, or in the presence of more intensive psychosocial treatment.
The eIF2 kinase GCN2 directs keratinocyte collective cell migration during wound healing via coordination of reactive oxygen species and amino acids.

Healing of cutaneous wounds requires the collective migration of epithelial keratinocytes to seal the wound bed from the environment. However, the signaling events that coordinate this collective migration are unclear. In this report, we address the role of phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) and attendant gene expression during wound healing. Wounding of human keratinocyte monolayers in vitro led to the rapid activation of the eIF2 kinase GCN2. We determined that deletion or pharmacological inhibition of GCN2 significantly delayed collective cell migration and wound closure. Global transcriptomic, biochemical, and cellular analyses indicated that GCN2 is necessary for maintenance of intracellular free amino acids, particularly cysteine, as well as coordination of RAC1-GTP-driven reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, lamellipodia formation, and focal adhesion dynamics following keratinocyte wounding. In vivo experiments using mice deficient for GCN2 validated the role of the eIF2 kinase during wound healing in intact skin. These results indicate that GCN2 is critical for appropriate induction of collective cell migration and plays a critical role in coordinating the re-epithelialization of cutaneous wounds.
RECENT RESULTS FROM SPEAR

I will discuss primarily new e+e− colliding beam results from the SPEAR Magnetic Detector1,2 since the Lepton-Photon Symposium last August3,4,5 Due to time limitations, I will not cover certain areas where there are essentially no new results, such as the anomalous μ-e events.6 The topics I will discuss are: I. Total cross section in the 4 GeV region II. Exclusive multipion channels III. ψ’ decays IV. Upper limits on high mass resonances TThis talk is not meant to be a complete review of the experimental situation. For such a review, see References 3, 4, and 5.
EVALUATING DAM RE-OPERATION FOR FRESHWATER CONSERVATION IN THE SUSTAINABLE RIVERS PROJECT

Sustainable management of global water resources requires changing of dam operations to maintain river, floodplain and estuary ecosystems. Re-operating dams for ecological objectives must be evaluated rigorously because of the complexity of ecological responses to streamflow, uncertainty in the long-term and large-scale conservation impacts on freshwater ecosystems and the foregone environmental or social benefits from other uses of water. Prescribed releases at five demonstration sites in the Sustainable Rivers Project, a partnership between the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and The Nature Conservancy to plan and implement environmental flow prescriptions at Corps dams nationwide, have been evaluated in terms of their immediate and direct ecological outcomes. Advancing dam re-operation as a freshwater conservation strategy at these and other sites will require additional evidence about longer-term and broader impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems. A pragmatic framework for monitoring and evaluating dam re-operation as a conservation strategy includes a balanced assessment of direct responses and long-term effects, institutional partnerships that can implement monitoring and evaluation at an ecosystem scale and improved reporting of scientific investigations to facilitate long-term monitoring and cross-site learning. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Document analysis system for automating workflows

When a user places a document in a capture device—copier, multi-functional printer [MFP], or scanner—the user expects good output to be produced regardless of the document type. There are a variety of means to achieve improved output, in which the settings on the copying device are tuned to the content characteristics of the document. These settings can be automated across the range of scanned context extremes from photo (blurring, no snapping) to fully-text (sharpening, aggressive snapping) documents. This procedure is “document auto typing”, and relies on a fast and accurate assessment of the content of the captured image. We herein describe the development of seven distinct systems for document analysis, and through the comparison of these systems arrive at an efficient and accurate document analysis system for automating the copying settings. We discuss the applicability of this method to other automated workflows in document capture.
A Review of “Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine”: by Marion Nestle (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2008).

As our two book review editors settled into their new positions this year, each found reviewers for Marion Nestle's Pet Food Politics. While we have since established procedures to prevent such dup...
What Is beyond the RTL Horizon for Microprocessor and System Design

The current state of hardware logic design and verification is discussed based on the project flow used for IBM’s Power4 and Power5 projects.
Heuristic Methods for Over-Constrained Constraint Satisfaction Problems

Heuristic repair methods have successfully solved constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) and satisfiability problems (SAT) that are too large to be solved by complete algorithms. In this paper we develop methods for testing the efficiency and quality of solution returned by these methods when applied to overconstrained CSPs and SAT. The key strategy is to test heuristic methods on problems of moderate size with known optimal distances (number of constraint violations), as determined with complete algorithms. This allows us to determine whether heuristic methods find optimal distances and allows us to carry out more incisive analyses of efficiency when different strategies are incorporated into these methods and parameter values are varied. The present work tested the min-conflicts algorithm with CSPs, either alone or in combination with walk, reset or tabu strategies. SAT was tested with GSAT and walk-SAT. The best results for min-conflicts were found with the walk strategy, when the probability of random assignment was set at 0.10 or 0.15. Both GSAT and walk-SAT readily found optimal solutions for 3-SAT, the latter being somewhat faster overall.
Primary cutaneous cribriform carcinoma: report of six cases with clinicopathologic data and immunohistochemical profile

Background Primary cutaneous cribriform carcinoma (PCCC) is a rare and under-recognized variant of sweat gland carcinoma, characterized by anastomosing tubules and solid nests producing a sieve-like appearance. Methods Six cases of PCCC were clinically, histopathologically and immunophenotypically studied. Results All cases showed an unencapsulated, nodular dermal tumor composed of solid and cribriform nests, cords and tubules embedded within a desmoplastic stroma. Some tubules showed micropapillary projections reminiscent of tubular adenoma, and intraluminal thin bridges resembling adenomatoid tumor. One case showed a predominantly solid component. Only two cases showed very focal decapitation secretion. Tumor cells expressed CK7, CK5/6, EMA, CEA, S-100, BerEP4 and c-kit and were negative for cytokeratin 20, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR), androgen receptor and GCDFP-15. Calponin, p63 and smooth muscle actin (SMA) showed absence of a myoepithelial layer. Conclusions Contrary to the original reports, our series shows that PCCC may be predominantly solid with only a minor cribriform component, and expresses c-kit and S-100 which may potentially lead to the misdiagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma. Immunohistochemical stains may aid in distinction from tubular adenoma. Current data suggest a favorable outcome, as metastatic disease has not been reported to date.
Connecting the Physical World with Arduino in SECE

The Internet of Things (IoT) enables the physical world to be connected and controlled over the Internet. This paper presents a smart gateway platform that connects everyday objects such as lights, thermometers, and TVs over the Internet. The proposed hardware architecture is implemented on an Arduino platform with a variety of offthe-shelf home automation technologies such as Zigbee and X10. Using the microcontroller-based platform, the SECE (Sense Everything, Control Everything) system allows users to create various IoT services such as monitoring sensors, controlling actuators, triggering action events, and periodic sensor reporting. We give an overview of the Arduino-based smart gateway architecture and its integration into SECE.
Proper time approach to the quantization of the gravitational field

Abstract An approach to the quantization of the gravitational field and other generally covariant systems is described. The main result is a formal expression for the Feynman propagator of the field as a whole, which replaces the usual expression for the evolution operator in ordinary field theory.
How does cobalamin (vitamin B12) enter and traverse mammalian cells

This overview is intended to present recent information available on the work done in understanding the mode of entry of cobalamin into and out of mammalian cells. I have focused primarily on the uptake of cobalamin bound to 3 proteins: intrinsic factor, transcobalamin II and R-proteins. Even though the nature of these cobalamin binding proteins, and the receptors involved in the internalization of these proteins is known, a total picture on the intracellular trafficking of cobalamin and the binding proteins is far from complete.
Significance of diffuse cardiac activity on In-111 labeled leucocyte scans.

To assess the significance of diffuse cardiac activity (DCA) seen on In-111 labeled leukocyte scans, we reviewed 87 studies performed over the last 4 years. Inflammatory cardiac conditions were seen as frequently in patients with DCA (15%) as those without (7%, P=0.3). There was a higher ratio of RBC:WBC in the final WBC preparation in the false-positive DCA group than the true positive DCA and no DCA groups. False-positive studies showing DCA are most likely due to residual blood pool activity.
Comparison of two different equations of state for application of carbon dioxide sequestration

Abstract We suggest that different equations of state (EOS) algorithms can and frequently will provide very different predictions of CO 2 migration following injection for sequestration. Rather than carry out an exhaustive examination of all EOS algorithms available, we elected to evaluate this general hypothesis by making detailed comparisons of simulation results of two very common EOS algorithms. We simulated and compared CO 2 migration patterns using two fundamentally different EOS algorithms – Modified Redlich-Kwong EOS (MRKEOS) and Span and Wagner EOS (SWEOS). In general, the predictions of thermophysical properties for both algorithms are close, except for a contrast in the predicted fugacity coefficient of CO 2 , which subsequently propagates to a contrast in predicted solubility in water/brine. Typically, MRKEOS underestimates solubility of CO 2 compared to both SWEOS and experimental solubility data. In simulations of CO 2 migration, dissolution rates of separate-phase CO 2 predicted from the two EOS algorithms were significantly different, even for small contrasts in predicted fluid properties from EOS algorithms, resulting in markedly different migration patterns. We also examined the potential disparities of simulating integrity of caprock using these two common EOS algorithms. To simplify the analysis and to isolate the roles of specific properties, we limited these simulations to one dimension. Simulation results from both EOS algorithms indicate that the distance that separate-phase CO 2 migrates through an unfractured caprock varies linearly with the amount of injected CO 2 , logarithmically with permeability, and inversely with porosity. More general sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate the roles of individual parameters with respect to various properties, including how brine density, viscosity, and CO 2 solubility in brine, affect CO 2 flow and transport. General results suggest that both brine density and CO 2 solubility are critical factors. The combined results of this study suggest that choice of EOS algorithm is critical, because even small differences in predicted density and solubility can lead to dramatic differences in migration patterns and timing of different processes such as gravity segregation and caprock penetration. We only evaluated two EOS algorithms, but the resulting disparities were great enough that we conclude that other EOS algorithms will also produce variable results in predicted migration and related processes.
A parallel multi-p method

Abstract A parallel implementation of the multi-p method is discussed, using the master/slave model and the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) message passing library. In a series of performance tests, significant speed-up was achieved in those typical cases for the p-version where there was sufficient computational granularity to justify use of the parallel method. These tests indicate that the algorithms devised for load distribution and load balancing are sufficiently robust. These tests also indicate that, even though communication overhead in a network environment is relatively high, there is significant potential for scaling the method to larger processor ensembles.
A study of some primary and secondary chemi-ionization reactions in hydrocarbon oxidations

The chemi-ions formed during the reaction of oxygen atoms with several hydrocarbons have been studied. By applying an electric field to reduce the residence time of the ions in the reaction zone it is possible to distinguish between primary chemi-ions and secondary ions formed in ion-molecule reactions. HCO + is the primary chemi-ion when oxygen atoms react with acetylene, methyl acetylene, 1-butyne, ethylene, propylene, and isobutane. Another primary chemi-ion, C 2 H 3 O + , is most important in the oxidation of 2-butyne. Reasonable ion-molecule reactions can be written for many of the observed secondary ions. In the acetylene-rich system the proton transfer reaction, HCO + +C 2 H 2 →C 2 H 3 + +CO is followed by the rapid ionic polymerization of acetylene to form C 2n H 2n+1 + and C 2n H 2n−1 + . The hydrogen deficient ions become more important as the polymers grow. These observed polymer ions probably are the nucleation centers for soot formation in rich flames.
Hydroxyurea: A specific inhibitor of deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis

Abstract : The report is concerned with the effects of hydroxyurea on Escherichia coli C600, a substrain of E. coli K12. The effectiveness of hydroxyurea on various macromolecular syntheses and process was measured by determining the concentration of hydroxyurea required to limit increases of these functions by 50% when compared to untreated control cultures. The data illustrated in Fig. I indicate that hydroxyurea has a bacteriostatic rather than a bactericidal effect. A concentration of 0.032 M hydroxyurea was sufficient to cause 50% reduction in the increase in number of viable bacteria. On the other hand, the increase in turbidity of the culture, which is an index of protein production, required more than 0.2 M hydroxyurea for similar inhibition. This difference in the amounts of hydroxyurea required for equal inhibition of growth and turbidity is clearly indicative of unbalanced growth. This is borne out by the data in Table I which show that the concentration of hydroxyurea required to inhibit DNA synthesis and DNA metabolism by 50% is identical to the concentration of hydroxyurea that is needed to cause a 50% reduction in bacterial multiplication. The inhibition of other processes required much higher levels of hydroxyurea.
Natural Convection Heat Transfer in Moderate Aspect Ratio Enclosures

Local and average heat transfer coefficients for natural convection between parallel plates separated by slats to create enclosures of moderate aspect ratio have been experimentally determined using an interferometric technique. The effects of Rayleigh number, tilt and slat angle, and aspect ratio on the Nusselt number have been determined. The Rayleigh number range tested was up to 7 x 10/sup 4/, and the aspect ratio (ratio of enclosure length to plate spacing) varied between 0.25 and 4. The angles of tilt of the enclosure with respect to the horizontal were 45, 60 and 90 deg. Slat angles of 45, 60 90 and 135 deg were studied. The results obtained in a previous investigation (1) for aspect ratios of 9 to 36 are included to show continuity. The results indicate that the convective heat transfer is a strong function of the aspect ratio for aspect ratios less than 4. For aspect ratios in the range of 0.5 to 4, spacers between the plates increase, rather than decrease, natural convection heat transfer compared to that for long enclosures. Slat angles less than 90 deg (i.e., oriented downward) reduce convective heat transfer.