cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dolichol metabolism in cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with “neuronal” ceroid lipofuscinosis (Batten's disease)

Dolichol metabolism was investigated in skin fibroblast cultures from normal individuals and patients with Batten's disease. Incorporation of [3H]mevalonolactone and [14C]acetate into the dolichol fraction of total lipid extracts was similar in cells from normal individuals and patients with Batten's disease. [14C]Acetate incorporation into dolichol in non-saponifiable lipid extracts was compared with incorporation into dolichol in total lipid extracts, and no difference in the proportion of dolichol esterified to fatty acids was found in Batten's cells as compared to normal cells. The rate of loss of radioactivity from the dolichol pool after prelabelling with [14C]acetate was also similar in cells from Batten's and normal individuals. Thus, in the fibroblast system used, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that Batten's disease is due to a defect in dolichol metabolism.
Protein Modification by Deamidation Indicates Variations in Joint Extracellular Matrix Turnover

As extracellular proteins age, they undergo and accumulate nonenzymatic post-translational modifications that cannot be repaired. We hypothesized that these could be used to systemically monitor loss of extracellular matrix due to chronic arthritic diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). To test this, we predicted sites of deamidation in cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and confirmed, by mass spectroscopy, the presence of deamidated (Asp64) and native (Asn64) COMP epitopes (mean 0.95% deamidated COMP (D-COMP) relative to native COMP) in cartilage. An Asp64, D-COMP-specific ELISA was developed using a newly created monoclonal antibody 6-1A12. In a joint replacement study, serum D-COMP (p = 0.017), but not total COMP (p = 0.5), declined significantly after replacement demonstrating a joint tissue source for D-COMP. In analyses of 450 participants from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project controlled for age, gender, and race, D-COMP was associated with radiographic hip (p
Commentary: Liposomes or Lipid Science?

AbstractThe Journal of Liposome Research is a misleading name. It implies that our chief concern should be liposomes, which most people understand to be single or multilamellar vesicles. Such a single-minded focus would not only be boring, it would fail to describe the breadth of the field or the preoccupations of most of the practitioners. A more accurate title for what most readers expect from this journal might be Journal of Lipid-Based Delivery Systems, which would also cover, for example, lipid systems for delivering DNA into cells, polymer-lipid delivery vehicles, lipid-based emulsion systems, etc. Although this title might be more accurate, I, for one, would find it disappointing because it implies that our sole concern is how lipids could be used as delivery systems in the pharmaceutical industry. My preferred title–though I doubt that the Editor would stand for it– would be the Journal of Lipid-Based Delivery Systems and All the Other Research Related to Lipids That Any Scientist with a Healthy C...
The Lorel Query Language for Semistructured Data

language, designed for querying semistructured data. Semistructured data is becoming more and more prevalent, e.g., in structured documents such as HTML and when performing simple integration of data from multiple sources. Traditional data models and query languages are inappropriate, since semistructured data often is irregular: some data is missing, similar concepts are represented using different types, heterogeneous sets are present, or object structure is not fully known. Lorel is a user-friendly language in the SQL/OQL style for querying such data effectively. For wide applicability, the simple object model underlying Lorel can be viewed as an extension of the ODMG data model and the Lorel language as an extension of OQL. The main novelties of the Lorel language are: (i) the extensive use of coercion to relieve the user from the strict typing of OQL, which is inappropriate for semistructured data; and (ii) powerful path expressions, which permit a flexible form of declarative navigational access and are particularly suitable when the details of the structure are not known to the user. Lorel also includes a declarative update language. Lorel is implemented as the query language of the Lore prototype database management system at Stanford. Information about Lore can be found at http://www-db.stanford.edu/lore. In addition to presenting the Lorel language in full, this paper briefly describes the Lore system and query processor. We also briefly discuss a second implementation of Lorel on top of a conventional object-oriented database management system, the O2 system.
Improvements in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Overweight and Obese Employees Participating in a University Worksite Wellness Program

Objective. To determine immediate changes in weight and cardiometabolic risk of participants in a university worksite wellness program (WWP). It was hypothesized that there would be significant imp...
Supplementary feeding compensates for testosterone-induced costs of aggression in male mountain spiny lizards, Sceloporus jarrovi

Alternative hypotheses for the costs of aggression in male mountain spiny lizards, Sceloporus jarrovi, were examined using testosterone manipulations and food supplementation. In the first experiment, feeding testosterone-implanted males increased both their energy stores and survivorship relative to those of males given empty implants. This evidence supports the hypothesis that lower survivorship of testosterone-implanted males is a result of the energetic costs of increased territorial aggression. This result, by itself, does not eliminate the hypothesis that testosterone-implanted males have lower survivorship as a result of increased conspicuousness to predators, because feeding may have altered conspicuousness. Contrary to this possibility, it was further demonstrated that giving supplementary food to testosterone-implanted males results in a slight increase in conspicuousness. These fed testosterone-implanted males displayed a slight increase in activity after male-male encounters compared with testosterone-implanted males that were not given supplementary food, but the two groups did not differ with respect to daily activity period, territorial displays or escalation of aggressive encounters. Therefore, because fed testosterone-implanted males were slightly more conspicuous, but still survived better, the data from these two experiments strongly support the hypothesis that energetic costs, rather than costs related to increased conspicuousness to predators, constrain levels of aggression in male S. jarrovi during the summer non-breeding season.
Design and Validation of Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Wireless Sensors for pH and Corrosion Monitoring

Corrosion damage in civil, aeronautical, and mechanical systems poses significant risks to users and occupants while simultaneously burdening owners with costly repairs and maintenance. Although many different sensing technologies are available to monitor corrosion processes, many cannot be easily implemented in field environments due to requiring expensive data acquisition systems and their destructive and intrusive measurement strategies. In this study, a novel layer-by-layer assembled carbon nanotube and poly(aniline)-based nanocomposite pH sensor is developed for monitoring corrosion of metallic and reinforced concrete structures. First, the electrochemical response of the proposed nanocomposite pH sensor is characterized using time-domain two-point resistance probing measurements to validate its resistance change to different pH buffer solutions (1 to 13). Frequency-domain electrical impedance spectroscopic studies and equivalent circuit analyses confirm changes in film resistance to pH. Upon sensor characterization, these nanocomposites are directly deposited onto printed circuit board coil antennas to realize a miniature passive wireless sensor capable of being embedded within structural materials. Preliminary wireless pH sensing results are presented to demonstrate that the wireless sensor’s bandwidth decreases at 3.9 kHz-pH−1 with increasing pH.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Simultaneous subordinate microthreading (SSMT)

Current work in Simultaneous Multithreading provides little benefit to programs that aren't partitioned into threads. We propose Simultaneous Subordinate Microthreading (SSMT) to correct this by spawning subordinate threads that perform optimizations on behalf of the single primary thread. These threads, written in microcode, are issued and executed concurrently with the primary thread. They directly manipulate the microarchitecture to improve the primary thread's branch prediction accuracy, cache hit rate, and prefetch effectiveness. All contribute to the performance of the primary thread. This paper introduces SSMT and discusses its potential to increase performance. We illustrate its usefulness with an SSMT machine that executes subordinate microthreads to improve the branch prediction of the primary thread. We show simulation results for the SPECint95 benchmarks.
Identification of acoustic objects in motion from the fourth-order cumulant spectrum

Develops an analytical method to extract information from received pressure signals using the fourth-order cumulant spectrum based on a far field solution of the wave equation for a monopole acoustic object in motion. The acoustic object is modeled as the transfer function between the transmitted linear frequency modulated waveform and the received pressure signal. The objective is to extract the transfer function of the acoustic object. But due to the motion of the acoustic object the extracted transfer function is modified by the Doppler component. For reference, three motionless spherical acoustic objects differing in material composition and elasticity are presented to demonstrate their unique transfer functions. Based on the results of the paper these transfer functions would be modified by the motion of the acoustic spherical objects. >
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Glycoprotein M and the Membrane-Associated Protein UL11 Are Required for Virus-Induced Cell Fusion and Efficient Virus Entry

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) facilitates virus entry into cells and cell-to-cell spread by mediating fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes and fusion of adjacent cellular membranes. Although virus strains isolated from herpetic lesions cause limited cell fusion in cell culture, clinical herpetic lesions typically contain large syncytia, underscoring the importance of cell-to-cell fusion in virus spread in infected tissues. Certain mutations in glycoprotein B (gB), gK, UL20, and other viral genes drastically enhance virus-induced cell fusion in vitro and in vivo. Recent work has suggested that gB is the sole fusogenic glycoprotein, regulated by interactions with the viral glycoproteins gD, gH/gL, and gK, membrane protein UL20, and cellular receptors. Recombinant viruses were constructed to abolish either gM or UL11 expression in the presence of strong syncytial mutations in either gB or gK. Virus-induced cell fusion caused by deletion of the carboxyl-terminal 28 amino acids of gB or the dominant syncytial mutation in gK (Ala to Val at amino acid 40) was drastically reduced in the absence of gM. Similarly, syncytial mutations in either gB or gK did not cause cell fusion in the absence of UL11. Neither the gM nor UL11 gene deletion substantially affected gB, gC, gD, gE, and gH glycoprotein synthesis and expression on infected cell surfaces. Two-way immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the membrane protein UL20, which is found as a protein complex with gK, interacted with gM while gM did not interact with other viral glycoproteins. Viruses produced in the absence of gM or UL11 entered into cells more slowly than their parental wild-type virus strain. Collectively, these results indicate that gM and UL11 are required for efficient membrane fusion events during virus entry and virus spread.
The double/direct RLS lattice

A formulation of the exact recursive least-squares adaptive lattice filter is derived that simultaneously uses both a priori and a posteriori lattice structures. It has two desirable properties. First, it uses direct updating of the reflection coefficients for increased numerical stability and accuracy, and second, it has reduced computational complexity with previous direct updating formulations. >
On surface gravity waves crossing weak current jets

Variations in wave amplitude and steepness across current jets have been described for broad smooth-sided jets. Here, narrow jets are modelled by a top-hat pattern; an approximate solution is found for linear waves, based on conservation of wave action and vertical averaging. The results join remarkably well to those for a broad cosine-shaped jet (cf. McKee 1975). For jet widths less than about a third of a wavelength, there is little change in amplitude ; the enhancement predicted by a WKB analysis is suppressed owing to interference with reflections from the far side of the jet. For directional spectra not too different from cos2 8 , some suppression occurs near the middle of jets of all scales, owing to exclusion of the glancing wave components by reflection from the near side ; this suppression can be significant for jets more than a wavelength wide. For monochromatic waves, maximum amplitudes occur some distance outside the jet owing to interference; the net reflection appears to have a positive phase shift along the near caustic of about 1 cycle.
Gas plasma sterilization : application of space-age technology

Gas plasma sterilization is new to the healthcare field. The first such sterilizer has been manufactured by Advanced Sterilization Products (J&J, Irvine, CA). The system uses hydrogen peroxide as the substrate gas and radio frequency emissions to generate plasma. This system is a low-temperature, quick-acting process with no toxic residues. It appears that this sterilizer system holds promise in the healthcare field and could help to reduce the use of ethylene oxide.
The HMG Domain Protein SSRP1/PREIIBF Is Involved in Activation of the Human Embryonic Beta-Like Globin Gene

The human embryonic beta-like globin (epsilon-globin) gene is expressed in primitive erythroid cells of the yolk sac during the first few weeks of development. We have previously shown that developmental stage-specific expression of the epsilon-globin gene is mediated by multiple positive and negative regulatory elements upstream of the start of transcription. Of particular interest is one positive regulatory element, PRE II, that works together with other elements (PRE I and PRE V) to confer developmental stage- and/or tissue-specific expression on a minimal promoter. An approximately 85- to 90-kDa PRE II binding factor (PREIIBF) was identified in the nuclei of erythroid cells and shown to bind specifically to a novel 19-bp region within PRE II; binding of this protein to PRE II resulted in bending of the target DNA and was required for promoter activation. In this report, we present the cDNA expression cloning of PREIIBF. The cDNA encodes a previously identified member of the HMG domain family of DNA binding proteins termed SSRP1. By a number of biochemical and immunological criteria, recombinant SSRP1 appears to be identical to the PREII binding factor from erythroid nuclei. A hallmark of HMG domain proteins is their ability to bend their target DNAs; therefore, as we speculated previously, DNA bending by SSRP1/PREIIBF may contribute to the mechanism by which PRE II synergizes with other regulatory elements located upstream and downstream. In contrast with reports from other investigators, we demonstrate that SSRP1 binds DNA with clear sequence specificity. Moreover, we show that SSRP1/PREIIBF lacks a classical activation domain but that binding by this protein to PRE II is required for activation of a minimal promoter in stable erythroid cell lines. These studies provide the first evidence that SSRP1 plays a role in transcriptional regulation. SSRP1/PREIIBF may serve an architectural function by helping to coordinate the assembly of a multiprotein complex required for stage-specific regulation of the human epsilon-globin gene.
Cardiac Actions of Glucagon

Glucagon increased heart rate and contractile force in the anesthetized dog and increased isometric tension in the isolated dog papillary muscle. The positive inotropic and chronotropic responses were not abolished or reduced by previous administration of the beta-receptor blocking agent propranolol, in doses of 0.5 mg/kg. Glucagon increased the force and rate of cardiac contraction even when cardiac-depressant doses of propranolol, 2 mg/kg, had been given. Previous treatment with reserpine (1.0 mg/kg on each of 3 consecutive days) failed to diminish the positive inotropic and chronotropic effects of glucagon. However, previous administration of tyramine, 0.05 mg/kg, which resulted in a positive inotropic response in the dog, significantly reduced the glucagon-induced positive inotropic response. Theophylline, 10 mg/kg, likewise prevented the inotropic action of glucagon without preventing the positive inotropic effect of calcium chloride. The increase in isometric tension produced by glucagon in the isolated dog papillary muscle was prevented during simultaneous exposure of the muscles to acetylcholine. The results of these studies are discussed in reference to the known metabolic actions of glucagon and the catecholamines and the possibility that they both share a common mechanism of action mediated through an increase in the intracellular concentration of cyclic 39,59 AMP.
Regioselective hydrosilations. I. The hydrosilation of α,ω-dihydrogen functional oligopolydimethylsiloxanes with 3-vinyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane

The hydrosilation of α,ω-dihydrogen functional oligopolydimethylsiloxanes with epoxy compounds containing vinyl groups has been found to take place regioselectively in such a manner that compounds can be isolated in high yields in which only one SiH group has been reacted. Three different α,ω-dihydrogen functional oligopolydimethysiloxanes with different chain lengths were monohydrosilated and the resulting epoxide monomers characterized. The rate of hydrosilation at the first SiH functional group has been shown to be considerably faster than at the second site and from these kinetic studies, activation energies for each hydrosilation step were calculated. Mechanisms are considered which offer an explantion for these observations. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The Moral Behaviour of Ethicists: Peer Opinion

If philosophical moral reflection tends to improve moral behaviour, one might expect that professional ethicists will, on average, behave morally better than non-ethicists. One potential source of insight into the moral behaviour of ethicists is philosophers’ opinions about ethicists’ behaviour. At the 2007 Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, we used chocolate to entice 277 passers-by to complete anonymous questionnaires without their knowing the topic of those questionnaires in advance. Version I of the questionnaire asked respondents to compare, in general, the moral behaviour of ethicists to that of philosophers not specializing in ethics and to non-academics of similar social background. Version II asked respondents similar questions about the moral behaviour of the ethics specialist in their department whose name comes next in alphabetical order after their own. Both versions asked control questions about specialists in metaphysics and epistemology. The majority of respondents expressed the view that ethicists do not, on average, behave better than non-ethicists. Whereas ethicists tended to avoid saying that ethicists behave worse than non-ethicists, non-ethicists expressed that pessimistic view about as often as they expressed the view that ethicists behave better.
Enhanced Innate Antiviral Gene Expression, IFN-α, and Cytolytic Responses Are Predictive of Mucosal Immune Recovery during Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

The mucosa that lines the respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) tracts is an important portal of entry for pathogens and provides the first line of innate immune defense against infections. Although an abundance of memory CD4 + T cells at mucosal sites render them highly susceptible to HIV infection, the gut and not the lung experiences severe and sustained CD4 + T cell depletion and tissue disruption. We hypothesized that distinct immune responses in the lung and gut during the primary and chronic stages of viral infection contribute to these differences. Using the SIV model of AIDS, we performed a comparative analysis of the molecular and cellular characteristics of host responses in the gut and lung. Our findings showed that both mucosal compartments harbor similar percentages of memory CD4 + T cells and displayed comparable cytokine (IL-2, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) responses to mitogenic stimulations prior to infection. However, despite similar viral replication and CD4 + T cell depletion during primary SIV infection, CD4 + T cell restoration kinetics in the lung and gut diverged during acute viral infection. The CD4 + T cells rebounded or were preserved in the lung mucosa during chronic viral infection, which correlated with heightened induction of type I IFN signaling molecules and innate viral restriction factors. In contrast, the lack of CD4 + T cell restoration in the gut was associated with dampened immune responses and diminished expression of viral restriction factors. Thus, unique immune mechanisms contribute to the differential response and protection of pulmonary versus GI mucosa and can be leveraged to enhance mucosal recovery.
Gallium phosphide solar cells for multi-juntion systems

Gallium Phosphide (GaP) is a good candidate for a high band gap solar cell in a multi-junction solar cell system due to its proper band gap (2.26ev), well developed technology [1–2], and high carrier mobility [3] . High energy gap solar cell plays a very important role in multi-junction systems. In this paper, theoretical simulation work has been done for GaP solar cells by PC-1D software. High quality GaP epitaxial layers have been grown on GaP (100) and (111) substrates via liquid phase epitaxial (LPE) method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to characterize the surface morphology and quality of the growth layer, respectively. I-V measurement has been used to test the performance of GaP solar cells. The open circuit voltage, which is the most important feature of GaP solar cells, is 1.33V under simulated one sun illumination in our lab.
Spatiotemporal Mapping of Temperature and Precipitation for the Development of a Multidecadal Climatic Dataset for Wisconsin

Results from the generation of a multidecadal gridded climatic dataset for 57 yr (1950‐2006) of daily and monthly precipitation (PTotal), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin) are presented for the important agricultural and forest products state of Wisconsin. A total of 176 climate stations were used in the final gridded dataset that was constructed at 8-km (5.09) latitude‐longitude resolution using an automated inverse distance weighting interpolation. Accuracy statistics for the interpolated data were based on a rigorous validation step using 104 first- and second-order climate observation stations withheld in the production of the gridded dataset. The mean absolute errors (MAE) for daily minimum and maximum temperatures averaged 1.518 and 1.318C, respectively. Daily precipitation errors were also reasonable, ranging from 20.04 to 0.08 mm, on average, across all climate divisions in the state with an overall statewide MAE of 1.37 mm day 21 . Correlation analysis suggested a high degree of explained variation for daily temperature (R 2 $ 0.97) and a moderate degree for daily precipitation (R 2 5 0.66), whereby the realism improved considerably for monthly precipitation accumulation totals (R 2 5 0.87). Precipitation had the best interpolation accuracy during the winter months, related to large-scale, synoptic weather systems, and accuracy was at a minimum in the wetter summer months when more precipitation originates from local-toregional-scale convective forcing. Overall the grids showed coherent spatial patterns in temperature and precipitation that were expected for this region, such as the latitudinal gradient in temperature and longitudinal gradient in precipitation across the state. The grids will prove useful for a variety of regional-scale research and ecosystem modeling studies.
Gas exchange and habitat selection in the aquatic salamanders Necturus maculosus and Cryptobranchus alleganiensis.

The standard metabolic rate (SMR) and critical O2 tension (Pc) of water-breathing mudpuppies and hellbenders were determined at 20° C using open-system respirometry. Both species are metabolic O2 regulators, although the Pc of hellbenders (90 mmHg) is much higher than that of mudpuppies (40 mmHg). The SMR of the two species in water saturated with air was similar (19.5 and 20.0 μl O2/g·h for Cryptobranchus and Necturus, respectively) and not different from that of salamanders in general. Both species were able to survive for at least 5–11 days in severely hypoxic water (9–10 mmHg) by breathing air, indicating that the lungs are functional accessory respiratory structures.
Possible focal mechanism change during reactivation of a previously ruptured subduction zone and stress tensor implications

SUMMARY Body waveform inversion methods usually assume a constant double-couple source, or a combination of such subevents. Previous studies suggest that the source rupture of mature sources in terms of coupling along smooth subduction zones are usually resolved on this assumption. However, for events where the source area overlaps previously ruptured zones, the conventional inversion methods fail to resolve the source process. For such events the subduction coupling may vary between the mature source area and the previously ruptured zone, causing a variation in the focal mechanism too. We study the implications on the stress tensor of the coexistence of two such focal mechanisms using a major aftershock of the 1985 Chilean earthquake (M, = 6.0), the 1978 Kurile (M, = 7.6) and 1980 Santa Cruz Islands (M, = 7.7) earthquakes. For the first event, we use the two different sets of focal parameters obtained by a study which describes a focal mechanism change during the process. The epicentres of the latter two large events are located in the spots which had remained unbroken in the preceding large events, e.g. the 1963 and 1969 Kurile earthquakes and the 1966 Santa Cruz Is. earthquake, respectively. For each event, one of the focal mechanism solutions shows a substantial strike-slip component. The stress tensors are examined under the constraints that the shear stress is parallel to the slip vector and a friction law is satisfied. Two particular families of stress tensors examined are: (1) the tensors that are optimally orientated with respect to the mature source area and (2) the tensors that have a vertical principal stress direction. The first type of tensors can fully account for the observed slip orientation only for the Chile aftershock, but it comes close to the observed one in the case of the Kurile Island event, and would indeed reactivate the decoupled area at a reasonably low stress level. The second type of tensors can be compatible with the two observed slip orientations in all cases. However, for the Santa Cruz Is. and Kurile Is. earthquakes, the friction law which should be satisfied on each plane requires too high a stress deviation.
Analysis of clutter distribution in bistatic high frequency surface wave radar

In high frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR), surface target detection is mainly limited by ocean clutter and ionospheric clutter. In order to investigate further the nature of both clutters and to develop potential strategies to enhance target detection, an experiment was conducted to operate a radar simultaneously in both monostatic (transmitter and receiver are co-located) and bistatic (transmitter and receiver are far from each other) modes. Experimental results from bistatic HFSWR are compared to those from monostatic HFSWR. It is shown that the ionospheric clutter has different distributions for the two modes. This difference may potentially be exploited to enhance the performance of the radar. A comparison between the predicted Bragg frequency and measured Bragg frequencies has been undertaken and it is shown that the Bragg frequency has a curvature along the range due to the side scattering experienced in bistatic operation.
Anselm on the Necessity of the Incarnation

Anselm's Cur Deus Homo argues that only by the Incarnation can God save humanity. This seems to sit ill with the claim that God is omnipotent and absolutely free, for this entails that God could save humanity in other ways. I show that features of Anselm's concept of God and treatment of necessity make the claim that the Incarnation is a necessary means of salvation problematic. I then show that for Anselm, all conditions which make the Incarnation necessary for human salvation stem from God's nature and prior choices. If so, the Incarnation's necessity restricts neither God's freedom nor His power. For that the Incarnation is necessary given God's actual choices does not entail that it would have been necessary had God made other choices, or that God could not have made choices which would have made the Incarnation non-necessary.
KBIS: Using Domain Knowledge to Guide Instance Selection

Prior to mining data for knowledge, selecting a potentially useful set of target data is necessary. Mining with missing attribute values increases uncertainty and decreases discovery accuracy. We present an instance selection method that determines the mining usability of an instance based on knowledge about which attributes are missing and the relative significance of the various attributes as defined by a domain expert. Knowledge-based instance selection (KbIS) is an instance utility metric that incorporates domain knowledge into a multi-criteria decision-making technique for instance selection.
Unmarked: The Politics of Performance

Unmarked: The Politics of Performance, Peggy Phelan. London: Routtedge, 1993. xi + 207 pp., figures, notes, bibliography, index.
Outcomes of extremely low birth weight (<1 kg) and extremely low gestational age (<28 weeks) infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: effects of practice changes in 2000 to 2003.

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to evaluate whether changes in neonatal intensive care have improved outcomes for children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (oxygen dependence at corrected age of 36 weeks). METHODS. We compared outcomes of extremely low birth weight (<1 kg) and extremely low gestational age (<28 weeks) infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia between 2 periods (period I, 1996-1999: extremely low birth weight, n = 122; extremely low gestational age, n = 118; period II, 2000-2003: extremely low birth weight, n = 109; extremely low gestational age, n = 107). RESULTS. For both groups, significant practice changes between period I and period II included increased prenatal and decreased postnatal steroid therapy and increased surfactant therapy, indomethacin therapy, and patent ductus arteriosus ligation. Significant morbidity changes included decreased rates of severe cranial ultrasound abnormalities and increased rates of ventilator dependence. Rates of bronchopulmonary dysplasia did not change (52% vs 53%). Follow-up evaluation revealed significantly lower rates of neurosensory abnormalities during period II (extremely low birth weight: 29% vs 16%; extremely low gestational age: 31% vs 16%). There were no changes in rates of Mental Developmental Index scores of <70 (extremely low birth weight: 42% vs 42%; extremely low gestational age: 37% vs 45%) or overall developmental impairment (extremely low birth weight: 51% vs 49%; extremely low gestational age: 50% vs 51%). For the extremely low gestational age group, predictors of neurosensory abnormalities were severe cranial ultrasound abnormality and postnatal steroid therapy. Predictors of overall impairment included severe cranial ultrasound abnormalities, ventilator dependence, postnatal steroid therapy, and patent ductus arteriosus ligation. For the extremely low birth weight group, the only predictor of neurosensory abnormalities was severe cranial ultrasound abnormality. Predictors of overall impairment included multiple birth, ventilator dependence, and severe cranial ultrasound abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS. Neurosensory outcomes of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia improved during 2000 to 2003 but overall neurodevelopmental outcomes did not change.
High Energy Accelerating Structures for High Gradient Proton Linac Applications

The high-energy part of a proton linac, following a drift tube section, accelerates protons and H- ions of energies above 150 MeV. High efficiency and high gradients in the accelerating structure considered for this part of a proton linac are the objectives of this study. Several known and improved structures working at 1350 MHz were optimized for maximum shunt impedance. The study was performed with the extensive use of a computer code -- SUPERFISH. The theoretical results of this study are presented.
Winter curing of Prunus dulcis cv ‘Butte,’ P. webbii and their interspecific hybrid in response to Xylella fastidiosa infections

Clonal replicates of Prunus dulcis cv ‘Butte,’ P. webbii and their interspecific hybrid P 63-61 were inoculated with Xylella fastidiosa strain M23 and evaluated for almond leaf scorch disease and subsequent winter curing of infections during three growing seasons. Initial inoculations established greater than 90% infection in each of the accessions, based on PCR diagnoses from petiole tissues sampled near the inoculation site. Classic leaf scorch symptoms were evident in each population during the first growing season in a controlled greenhouse environment. Trees were removed from the greenhouse during the winters to accumulate chill hours and to provide the possibility of winter curing X. fastidiosa infections. Both PCR diagnostics and in vitro cultivation were used during the second and third growing seasons to determine the persistence of X. fastidiosa in clones among the three populations. Tree survival and the degree of winter cured infections differed among the three populations, with P. webbii and P 63-61 demonstrating enhanced levels of survivorship over ‘Butte.’ After two cycles of ambient winter temperatures and subsequent growth, ‘Butte’ averaged 21.2% winter cured trees with 73.1% mean survival. Tree survival and winter cured infections were nearly 100% for both P. webbii and P 63-61, demonstrating the utility of P. webbii in almond breeding efforts aimed at reducing tree vulnerability to X. fastidiosa infections.
The Role of Social Contacts in the Successful Job Search.

This study examined the impact of social contacts (“It's who you know, not what you know”) on job getting. Workers were interviewed to discover the source of information about their most recent job. Results show that social contacts were the most frequently used resources during the job-getting process and that these personal contacts were used more often in some occupational environments than in others.
Compounds based on Group 14 elements: building blocks for advanced insulator dielectrics design

Being in the group with the most diverse set of properties among all in the periodic table, the Group 14 elements (C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) are particularly interesting candidates for structure–property investigation. Motivated by the need to create new insulators for energy storage and electronics applications, we study a few compounds based on Group 14 elements in this work, namely the dihydrides, dichlorides, and difluorides. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we establish patterns in their properties, including favored coordination chemistry, stability, electronic structure, and dielectric behavior. While a coordination number (CN) of 4 is commonly associated with Group 14 elements, there is a significant deviation from it down the group, with CNs as high as 7 and 8 common in Pb. Further, there is an increase in the relative stability of the +2 oxidation state as opposed to +4 when we go from C to Pb, a direct consequence of which is the existence of the di-compounds of C and Si as polymers, whereas the compounds of Ge, Sn, and Pb are strictly 3D crystalline solids. The coordination chemistries are further linked with the band gaps and dielectric constants (divided into two components: the electronic part and the ionic part) of these compounds. We also see that the more stable difluorides and dichlorides have large band gaps and small electronic dielectric constants, and most of the Ge and Sn compounds have remarkably large ionic dielectric constants by virtue of having polar and more flexible bonds. The staggering variation in properties displayed by these parent compounds offers opportunities for designing derivative materials with a desired combination of properties.
Judge Specific Dierences in Chapter 11 and Firm Outcomes

This paper uses case information on Chapter 11 filings for almost 5000 private companies across five district courts in the US between 1989 and 2004. We first establish that within districts cases are assigned randomly to judges, which allows us to estimate judge specific fixed eects in their Chapter 11 rulings. We find very strong and economically significant dierences across judges in the propensity to grant or deny specific motions. Specifically some judges appear to rule persistently more favorably towards creditors or debtors. Based on the judge fixed eects we created an aggregate index to measure the pro-debtor (pro-creditor) friendliness of each judge. We show that a pro-debtor bias leads to increased rates of re-filing and firm shutdown as well as lower post-bankruptcy credit ratings and lower annual sales growth up to five years after the original bankruptcy filing. Finally we use the estimated judge fixed eects to instrument for the exogenous variation in the propensity to grant specific motion.
Über die Hervorrufung der Membranbildung beim Seeigelei mit artfremdem Blute, insbesondere dem Blute von Säugetieren

Ich habe mich vielfach bemuht, aus dem Samen einen Stoff zu isolieren, welcher die Membranbildung beim Seeigelei hervorrufen konnte. Das ist mir nun bis jetzt nicht gelungen, wohl aber ist es mir gelungen, zu zeigen, das ein solcher Stoff im Blute und in den Korperflussigkeiten vieler Tiere vorhanden ist, welche im naturlichen System weit vom Seeigel getrennt sind.1)
Future Directions for Translational Informatics

In order to realize the great promise of knowledge-driven healthcare, we must capitalize upon the advances in translational informatics made to date. While some of the necessary technological infrastructure is now in place or actively being implemented, and while the drive to leverage that infrastructure is strong in many sectors of society, there remain many challenges to realizing the vision of translational informatics and thereby substantial improvements in healthcare and biomedicine. In addition to improving the design and optimizing the use of health information technologies, myriad organizational, cultural and regulatory changes are needed to fully realize this vision. Only by so doing, will we as a society finally be able to create and leverage information ecosystems that are efficient and effective at simultaneously advancing not only the practice of evidence-based medicine, but the systematic generation of evidence at every point in the healthcare and biomedical research lifecycle. Indeed, such changes are essential to creating a true “learning health system” that drives not only more effective care while accelerating scientific advances, but does so in a manner that is both affordable today and sustainable for the benefit of the entire population well into the future.
Thermal analysis of hybrid single-phase, two-phase and heat pump thermal control system (TCS) for future spacecraft

Abstract An urgent need presently exists to develop a new class of versatile spacecraft capable of conducting different types of missions and enduring varying gravitational and temperature environments, including Lunar, Martian and Near Earth Object (NEOs). This study concerns the spacecraft's Thermal Control System (TCS), which tackles heat acquisition, especially from crew and avionics, heat transport, and ultimate heat rejection by radiation. The primary goal of the study is to explore the design and thermal performance of a Hybrid Thermal Control System (H-TCS) that would satisfy the diverse thermal requirements of the different space missions. The H-TCS must endure both ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ environments, reduce weight and size, and enhance thermodynamic performance. Four different operational modes are considered: single-phase, two-phase, basic heat pump and heat pump with liquid-side, suction-side heat exchanger. A thermodynamic trade study is conducted for six different working fluids to assess important performance parameters including mass flow rate of the working fluid, maximum pressure, radiator area, compressor/pump work, and coefficient of performance (COP). R134a is determined to be most suitable based on its ability to provide a balanced compromise between reducing flow rate and maintaining low system pressure, and a moderate coefficient of performance (COP); this fluid is also both nontoxic and nonflammable, and features zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and low global warming potential (GWP). It is shown how specific mission stages dictate which mode of operation is most suitable, and this information is used to size the radiator for the H-TCS.
Coastal residents' literacy about seawater desalination and its impacts on marine ecosystems in California

Abstract This article examines coastal residents' awareness and knowledge about impacts of seawater desalination on marine ecosystems Carlsbad, California. The paper explores to what extent sociodemographics, motivational factors, and information use shape public awareness and self-assessed and factual knowledge. Data was collected using a mail survey (n=330) from a random sample of residents in Carlsbad. Both self-assessed and factual knowledge about the desalination plant and its impacts on marine ecosystem were low, with only two of 11 factual questions answered correctly by more than 50% of respondents. Gender, frequency of ocean use, and use of distinct information sources correlated positively with greater factual knowledge. Education, age, time of residency in local community, membership in an NGO, and place attachment to marine areas did not increase factual knowledge. Findings also demonstrate that knowledge shaped attitudes towards the seawater desalination plant as greater knowledge about marine impacts reduced support.
The Integration of Interlayer Dielectric Deposition and Chemical Mechanical Polishing

This paper addresses an important process issue in tie integration of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) with interlayer dielectric (ILD) deposition for advanced back end processing. Gap fill between metal lines is achieved by using a dep-etch-dep technique for the tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) ILD deposition. The ILD layer is then planarized by CMP. Vias are etched through the ILD and filled with tungsten plugs in a blanket tungsten deposition and tungsten CMP sequence. Delamination has been observed at the interface between the TEOS layers following the blanket tungsten deposition and before or during tungsten CMP. The weak interface between the TEOS layers was found to be the result of residual carbon and fluorine from the tetraflouromethane (CF4) doped etch process. The interface between the TEOS layers was examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Experiments were carried out to determine if the residue and subsequent delamination could be eliminated by modifying the dep-etch-dep process. An improved process was identified and has been implemented on a 0.5μm CMOS and mixed-mode BiCMOS production line with no subsequent occurrence of interfacial delamination.
Effectiveness of nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system for treatment of hypertension: results of the MATH Trial

Nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS), a controlled-release delivery system given once a day, was evaluated in a multisite study of mild-to-moderate hypertensive subjects, seated diastolic pressure between 95 and 110 mm Hg, on placebo. Of 1,666 subjects enrolled, 69% were eligible to begin treatment. Therapy with nifedipine GITS was started at 30 mg daily and increased by 30 mg/day each week until there was a response (seated diastolic pressure or = 10 mm Hg) or until a maximum dose of 180 mg/day was reached. After titration, responders were kept on active treatment for 12 more weeks. Seventy-six percent of those treated responded, and 88% of the responders completed the 12-week phase. Comparisons were made among relevant subgroups. Elderly patients (age > or = 65 years) had a significantly higher response rate at a lower average daily dose, compared with younger subjects. Response rates were > 70% and relatively similar in (a) white and black patients, (b) diabetic and nondiabetic patients, (c) men and women, and (d) normal-weight, over-weight, and obese patients. Nifedipine GITS had no significant effect on fasting serum glucose or cholesterol fractions. Edema and headache were the most often observed adverse effects during treatment. Incidence of the former was related to dose but occurred without evidence of fluid retention (average body weight fell significantly by 1% during treatment). As antihypertensive monotherapy given once a day, nifedipine GITS is effective and well tolerated for a wide spectrum of hypertensive patients.
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder at the end-of-life: application of the Stepwise Psychosocial Palliative Care model.

Objectives Feldman (2011) has proposed a new approach to the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in individuals at the end-of-life known as Stepwise Psychosocial Palliative Care (SPPC). This approach helps to compensate for the disadvantages of existing PTSD interventions with regard to treating patients with life-limiting and terminal illnesses by employing a palliative care philosophy. The model relies on cognitive and behavioral techniques drawn from evidence-based approaches to PTSD, deploying them in a stage-wise manner designed to allow for interventions to track with patents' needs and prognoses. Because this model is relatively new, we seek to explore issues related to its implementation in the complex settings in which providers encounter patients at the end-of-life. We also seek to provide concrete guidance to providers regarding the management of PTSD at the end-of-life in diverse palliative care settings. Methods We examine three specific cases in which the SPPC model was utilized, highlighting particular treatment challenges and strategies. These case studies provide information regarding the SPPC model's application to patients in two distinct palliative care settings-a palliative care consult team and an inpatient palliative care unit. Results The SPPC model's stage-wise approach allows for its flexible use given a variety of constraints related to setting and patient issues. Significance of results The SPPC model provides an alternative to existing psychosocial treatments for PTSD that may be more appropriate for patients at the end of life.