cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Real Wages and Unemployment in Local Labor Markets: Pennsylvania MSAs, 1975-86

This paper specifies an unemployment rate model with relatively long lags on the manufacturing real wage and the level of real GNP as the independent variables. Estimates of the model for 12 MSAs in Pennsylvania over the period from 1975:2 to 1986:4 generally indicate a fairly strong positive unemployment response to lagged real wages. This is consistent with theoretical models of the labor market that hypothesize strong real wage effects during periods of aggregate supply shocks. The unique characteristics of the time period under study and the disaggregation to local labor markets might account for the fact that, in contrast to many previous empirical studies, we are able to uncover evidence of a positive real wage-unemployment relationship in U.S. time series data.
Purkinje cell reduction in the reeler mutant mouse: A quantitative immunohistochemical study

We have used the immunohistochemical detection of the Purkinje cell marker cGMP-dependent protein kinase to identify Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum of the reeler mutant mouse. Our quantitative analysis of Purkinje cell number based on this marker indicates that reeler mice possess approximately 82,000 Purkinje cells, slightly less than half the number found in normal mice. Our analysis also shows that 5% of the Purkinje cells in reeler are located in a normal position (between molecular and granular layers), 10% are found in the granular layer, and the remainder form the deep cellular masses characteristic of the reeler cerebellum. The finding of a major Purkinje cell deficit in reeler was surprising in that most investigators consider this mutation to effect cell migration as opposed to cell number. Although we cannot determine whether the Purkinje cell loss in reeler is a primary or secondary gene effect, the possibility that the reeler gene has its effect on migration through a primary effect on neurogenesis or cell survival should be considered.
Design considerations for solar collectors with cylindrical glass honeycombs

A properly designed cell structure placed between the solar absorber and outer cover glass can substantially reduce natural convection and infrared reradiation heat losses. Glass has merit for such a cellular structure or honeycomb because it is an inexpensive, abundant and stable material with low thermal conductivity and outstanding optical characteristics. To optimize the design of a honeycomb structure, i.e. to minimize the cost of the solar energy collected Z, requires the determination of the honeycomb solar transmission as a function of incidence angles of the sun, infrared effective emittance, cell Nusselt number, and cell wall conductance as well as an estimate of appropriate costs. For an array of circular tubes, the design parameters are wall thickness b, cell diameter di, and cell length L. It is difficult to make b less than about 0.2 mm. Typically, di must be no larger than 1.6 cm. Increasing Ldi decreases reradiation and conduction losses, but also decreases solar energy transmission. For di = 9.53 mm and b = 0.198 mm, optimum Ldi values ranged from 3 to 12 for collector temperatures (above ambient air temperature) between 22°C and 100°C. Since the Z vs Ldi curves have fairly broad minimums, Ldi values less than 9 can be used with less than a 3 per cent penalty in cost at the higher temperatures. A comparison of collector effiency characteristics indicated that cylindrical glass honeycomb collectors with nonselective-black absorbers were markedly superior to single-glazed selective-black and double-glazed nonselective-black collectors, especially at higher collector temperatures. Cost effectiveness studies also indicated honeycomb collector superiority at temperature differences between the working fluid and ambient air greater than about 35°C.
Influence of integrated services on postpartum family planning use: a cross-sectional survey from urban Senegal

Although the majority of postpartum women indicate a desire to delay a next birth, family planning (FP) methods are often not offered to, or taken up by, women in the first year postpartum. This study uses data from urban Senegal to examine exposure to FP information and services at the time of delivery and at child immunization appointments and to determine if these points of integration are associated with greater use of postpartum FP. A representative, household sample of women, ages 15–49, was surveyed from six cities in Senegal in 2011. This study focuses on women who were within two years postpartum (n = 1879). We also include women who were surveyed through exit interviews after a visit to a high volume health facility in the same six cities; clients included were visiting the health facility for delivery, post-abortion care, postnatal care, and child immunization services (n = 794). Descriptive analyses are presented to examine exposure to FP services among postpartum women and women visiting the health facility. Logistic regression models are used to estimate the effect of integrated services on postpartum FP use in the household sample of women. Analyses were conducted using Stata version 12. Among exit interview clients, knowledge of integrated services is high but only a few reported receiving FP services. A majority of the women who did not receive FP services indicated an interest in receiving such information and services. Among the household sample of women up to two-years postpartum, those who received FP information at the time of delivery are more likely to be using modern FP postpartum than their counterparts who also delivered in a facility but did not receive such information. Exposure to FP services at an immunization visit was not significantly related to postpartum FP use. Another key finding is that women with greater self-efficacy are more likely to use a modern FP method. This study’s findings lend strong support for the need to improve integration of FP services into maternal, newborn, and child health services with the goal of increasing postpartum women’s use of FP methods in urban Senegal.
Interplay of tumor microenvironment cell types with parenchymal cells in pancreatic cancer development and therapeutic implications.

The process of “induction,” namely, the formation of a tissue by the functional interaction between the epithelial layer and the stroma, is key for the development of many organs, in particular to the pancreas. In diseases like pancreatic cancer, most studies performed to date, in the area of pancreatic cancer, have focused on studying epithelial cells and their contribution to this disease. Strikingly, until recently, the stroma that surrounds cancer cells in pancreatic tumors (desmoplastic reaction–tumor microenvironment) has remained an underrepresented area of research. However, several laboratories are increasingly posing questions as what is the role of this tumor microenvironment in the development and progression of this fatal disease. Therefore, in the current article, we define and describe the components of this desmoplastic reaction and the pancreatic tumor microenvironment and briefly review advances being made. More importantly, we highlight the urgent need of research in this field. We anticipate that, because of the paucity of knowledge on this subject, studies on the pancreatic tumor microenvironment will bring new concepts which will ultimately impact in designing new diagnosis and treatment for this disease.
Relationship between plasma IGF-I levels, in vitro correlates of immunity, and human senescence.

Abstract Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is a polypeptide mitogen which is regulated by growth hormone (GH). IGF-I mediates many of the biological functions of GH, including the maintenance of lymphoid mass and functions. Since GH secretion declines with age, we asked whether changes in the availability of IGF-I might contribute to age-associated alterations in immune functions. As a first step, we examined relationships between plasma levels of IGF-I andin vitrocorrelates of immunity in young and elderly subjects. Heparinized plasma and lymphocytes were collected from the peripheral blood of 34 healthy young (aged 27 ± 0.9 years, mean ± SEM) and 41 elderly (79 ± 1.3 years) volunteers (31 males and 44 females in total). Plasma levels of IGF-I, measured by radioimmunoassay after the removal of IGF-I-binding proteins, were reduced among elders compared to young controls (138 ± 8.7 ng/mL vs 80.2 ± 4.7 ng/mL,P
Escherichia coli K99 binds to N-glycolylsialoparagloboside and N-glycolyl-GM3 found in piglet small intestine

Escherichia coli K12, which possess the K99 plasmid and synthesize K99 fimbriae (E. coli K99), cause severe neonatal diarrhea in piglets, calves, and lambs but not in humans. The organism binds specifically and with high affinity to only two glycolipids in piglet intestinal mucosa as demonstrated by overlaying glycolipid chromatograms with 125I-labeled bacteria. These glycolipids, which are N-glycolyl-GM3 (NeuGc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer) and N-glycolylsialoparagloboside (NeuGc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer), occur at about 13 and 0.3 micrograms per gram wet weight of mucosa, respectively. E. coli K99 grown at 18 degrees C, a temperature at which the K99 fimbriae are not expressed, do not bind to these glycolipids. Of the standard glycolipids tested in solid phase binding assays, E. coli K99 binds with highest affinity to N-glycolylsialoparagloboside, with less affinity to N-glycolyl-GM3, and with very low affinity to N-acetylsialoparagloboside. The bacteria do not bind to GM3 (NeuAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer), GM2 (GalNAc beta 1-4[Neu-Ac alpha 2-3]Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer), GM1 (Gal beta 1-3GalNAc beta 1-4[NeuAc alpha 2-3]Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer), or several other N-acetylsialic acid-containing gangliosides and neutral glycolipids at the levels tested. N-Glycolylsialyl residues are found in the glycoproteins and glycolipids of piglets, calves, and lambs but not in the glycoproteins and glycolipids of humans. Possibly this distribution of sialyl derivatives explains the host range of infection by the organism.
Bird Orientation: A Method of Study

A psychophysical technique has been applied to the study of bird orientation. The technique enables precise determinations of the accuracy with which a bird can orient itself. Data indicate that a pigeon can detect angular displacement as little as 3.4 degrees.
Cenozoic Sedimentation in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

The method of paleodepth backtracking consists of assigning depths of deposition to dated sediments for which the age of underlying basement is known. Paleobathymetric facies distributions in the equatorial Pacific suggest minor fluctuations of the calcite compensation depth (CCD) in post-Eocene time, but a relatively shallow CCD during the Eocene period. Fluctuations in the Atlantic show an entirely different pattern. It is speculated that CCD fluctuations in different ocean basins may be in part parallel and in part opposed in response to such factors as varying global carbonate supply, amount of carbonate deposited in shelf seas, latitudinal productivity variation, and deep-sea circulation patterns.
A comparison of resistance to satiation and resistance to extinction

In two experiments, resistance to satiation was compared with resistance to extinction. In Experiment 1, rats given initial trials in a straight-alley runway while satiated failed to show increased resistance to satiation in a later test phase. This negative finding contrasts with the increased resistance to extinction usually found following initial nonrewarded trials in a straight alley. In Experiment 2, rats were extinguished or were run while satiated following deprived acquisition, and then were either shifted to the other condition or maintained under the same condition. A greater response decrement was produced by extinction than by satiation, both when current performance was examined and when the persistent effect of satiation or extinction on later performance was examined. These results show that there are important dissimilarities in the effects of satiation and extinction, dissimilarities that suggest that extinction is more nonrewarding or aversive than satiation. It seems likely that extinction involves processes (such as frustration, arousal of aversive motivation, and conditioned inhibition) not involved in satiation, which account for the greater response decrement in extinction as compared with satiation.
Simulating complex atomistic processes: On-the-fly kinetic Monte Carlo scheme with selective active volumes

An accelerated atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) approach for evolving complex atomistic structures has been developed. The method incorporates on-the-fly calculations of transition states (TSs) with a scheme for defining active volumes (AVs) in an off-lattice (relaxed) system. In contrast to conventional KMC models that require all reactions to be predetermined, this approach is self-evolving and any physically relevant motion or reaction may occur. Application of this self-evolving atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (SEAK-MC) approach is illustrated by predicting the evolution of a complex defect configuration obtained in a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a displacement cascade in Fe. Over much longer times, it was shown that interstitial clusters interacting with other defects may change their structure, e.g., from glissile to sessile configuration. The direct comparison with MD modeling confirms the atomistic fidelity of the approach, while the longer time simulation demonstrates the unique capability of the model.
Tribological Properties of Carbon Nanopearls Synthesized by Nickel-Catalyzed Chemical Vapor Deposition

Carbon nanopearls have a unique layered structure made of nano-sized graphene fragments, which distinguishes them from closed-shell nano-carbons. This unique structure offers beneficial tribological properties which were evaluated in humid and dry environments. The lubricating effect was related to an easy shear of nano-sized graphene flakes from individual nanopearls.
The Sandwich Islands Missionaries Create a Literature

Aside from conversions, the most notable and noble achievements of the Congregational and Presbyterian missionaries, who journeyed to the Sandwich Islands under the auspices of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, were the systematization of the Hawaiian language, the development of an educational system, and the preparation of literature to be used in the churches and schools. Evangelism was the primary function of the mission, but teaching and printing, although auxiliary to the main function, played a large and significant role in the christianizing process. Through the printed word the missionaries gained access to the hearts and minds of their pupils; religious concepts and ideas were incorporated in the reading material; thus teachers converted as they taught.
Modulation of Baroreceptor Activity by Nitric Oxide and S-Nitrosocysteine

The goal of this study was to determine whether nitric oxide (NO) and the NO donor, S-nitrosocysteine (cysNO), modulate the activity of carotid sinus baroreceptors. Baroreceptor activity was recorded from the vascularly isolated carotid sinus in anesthetized rabbits. Baroreceptor activity decreased in a dose-dependent manner after injection of either NO or cysNO as constant pressure was maintained, and activity recovered spontaneously over time, within seconds to minutes. The baroreceptor pressure-activity relation was shifted significantly to the right by cysNO, with a profound suppression of activity at high pressure. Baroreceptor activity at 160 mm Hg averaged 76 +/- 8%, 60 +/- 6%, and 36 +/- 5% of the control maximum during exposure to 10(-4), 2 to 3 x 10(-4), and 10(-3) mol/L cysNO, respectively. The inhibition of activity by the L and D isomers of cysNO was equivalent and was blocked by reduced hemoglobin, suggesting that the effect was mediated by NO. The suppression of baroreceptor activity by cysNO was not related to vascular relaxation as measured by videomicrometer. Inhibition of soluble guanylate cyclase with methylene blue or 6-anilinoquinoline-5,8-quinone (LY83583, 10(-5) mol/L) did not attenuate and dibutyryl cGMP (10(-3) mol/L) did not mimic the suppression of baroreceptor activity by cysNO, suggesting a cGMP-independent mechanism. Activation of endogenous NO formation with thimerosal (10(-5) to 10(-4) mol/L) reduced maximum baroreceptor activity in five of eight experiments to 59 +/- 7% of the control maximum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Bleeding and Thromboembolism During Anticoagulant Therapy:A Population-Based Study in Rochester, Minnesota

Objective To estimate the incidence of and identify risk factors for hemorrhage and thromboembolism during long-term anticoagulant therapy. Design We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of all residents of Rochester, Minnesota, in whom a course of warfarin therapy intended to last for more than 4 weeks was initiated between Sept. 1, 1987, and Dec. 31, 1989. Methods Medical records were reviewed, and pertinent data were compiled. All bleeding complications were classified as minor or major on the basis of the bleeding severity index, and thromboembolic events were classified as major if they were fatal or life-threatening. Cumulative incidences of adverse events were analyzed statistically. Results During the study period, 261 patients had incident courses of anticoagulation (52% were male, 61% were 65 years of age or older, and 31 % were 75 years of age or older), with 221 patient-years of warfarin exposure. The primary indications for anticoagulation were venous thromboembolism (39%); stroke or transient ischemic attack (21%); atrial fibrillation (11 %); and coronary artery disease, procedures for coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathy (7%). The cumulative incidence of major hemorrhage at 1, 3, 12, and 24 months was 1.6%, 3.3%, 5.3%, and 10.6%, respectively, and of major or minor thromboembolic events was 2.3%, 5.0%, 7.4%, and 13.1%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, (1) a malignant condition was significantly associated with major hemorrhage; (2) malignant disease and history of peptic ulcer were significantly associated with the combined outcome of major or minor hemorrhage; and (3) malignant disease was significantly associated with any thromboembolism. Age, sex, atrial fibrillation, history of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, history of peptic ulcer, alcohol abuse, hypertension, stroke, and the Charlson comorbidity index were not significantly associated with major hemorrhage. Conclusion In this population-based study, including a high proportion of elderly patients, malignant disease at initiation of warfarin anticoagulation was significantly associated with both major hemorrhage and any thromboembolism. Advanced age is not a contraindication to anticoagulant therapy.
JNK suppresses pulmonary fibroblast elastogenesis during alveolar development.

Background The formation of discrete elastin bands at the tips of secondary alveolar septa is important for normal alveolar development, but the mechanisms regulating the lung elastogenic program are incompletely understood. JNK suppress elastin synthesis in the aorta and is important in a host of developmental processes. We sought to determine whether JNK suppresses pulmonary fibroblast elastogenesis during lung development.
Human cardiomyogenesis and the need for systems biology analysis

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the Western world and myocardial infarction is one of the primary facets of this disease. The limited natural self-renewal of cardiac muscle following injury and restricted supply of heart transplants has encouraged researchers to investigate other means to stimulate regeneration of damaged myocardium. The plasticity of stem cells toward multiple lineages offers the potential to repair the heart following injury. Embryonic stem cells have been extensively studied for their ability to differentiate into early cardiomyocytes, however, the pathway has only been partially defined and inadequate efficiency limits their clinical applicability. Some studies have shown cardiomyogenesis from adult mesenchymal stem cells, from both bone marrow and adipose tissue, but their differentiation pathway remains poorly detailed and these results remain controversial. Despite promising results using stem cells in animal models of cardiac injury, the driving mechanisms behind their differentiation down a cardiomyogenic pathway have yet to be determined. Currently, there is a paucity of information regarding cardiomyogenesis on the systemic level. Stem cell differentiation results from multiple signaling parameters operating in a tightly regulated spatiotemporal pattern. Investigating this phenomenon from a systems biology perspective could unveil the abstruse mechanisms controlling cardiomyogenesis that would otherwise require extensive in vitro testing. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2011 3 666–680 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.141 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
On The Filling In Of The Visual Blind Spot: Some Rules Of Thumb

In monocular viewing there is a region in the peripheral visual field that is blind owing to the absence of photoreceptors at the site where the optic nerve exits the eye. This region, like certain other blind spots, nonetheless appears filled in. Several novel demonstrations of filling in at the blind spot have recently been reported. Here the implications of many of these effects are critically reevaluated. Specifically, it is argued that many blind-spot phenomena taken to support early filling in (eg pop out and alteration in apparent motion) are actually consistent with the thesis that the visual blind spot is treated by early perceptual processing as a region of reduced or absent information. In support of this, it is shown that many perceptual effects observed in blind-spot completion are similar in detail to the amodally perceived completion of partly occluded objects viewed somewhat peripherally. The goals were to point out striking similarities between blind-spot completion and the amodal complet...
Voting for Democracy: Campaign Effects in Chile's Democratic Transition

In a global context in which authoritarian regimes often hold elections, defeating dictators at the polls can play a key role in transitions to democracy. When the opposition is allowed to campaign for votes in such elections, there are strong reasons to believe that its efforts will be more persuasive than those of the authoritarian incumbent. This article examines the effect of televised campaign advertising on vote choice in the 1988 plebiscite that inaugurated Chile's transition to democracy. Using matching to analyze postelectoral survey data, it shows that the advertising of the opposition's no campaign made Chileans more likely to vote against dictator Augusto Pinochet, whereas the advertising of the government's yes campaign had no discernible effect. These findings suggest that the no campaign played an important causal role in the change of political regime.
Consideration of bandwidth and the Q factor of vertically folded printed monopoles

In wireless communications where the entire system resides on a small circuit board, the area reserved for an integrated antenna is often much smaller than a wavelength. A fundamental issue that limits antenna size reduction is the impedance bandwidth (or the quality factor Q). In addition to the necessary gain, an antenna should be resonant with sufficient surface for radiation.
Determining the Amount of Help Used by Disabled Elderly Persons at Home: The Role of Coping Resources

The purpose of this study is to quantify the effects of coping resources on the amount (hours) of help used by disabled elderly persons in their home. The findings are based on the 1989 National Long-Term Care Survey. The distribution of help-hours is very skewed, mirroring the skewness of limitations in physical and cognitive functioning. Controlling for these limitations, the most important coping resources are the combinations of helpers who join forces, and coresidence with a helper. The effect of helpers' networks is large and consistent across marital status and living arrangements. The networks are more extensive for married than for unmarried persons. In reference to persons who rely only on nonrelatives: (a) a network of a spouse and children enables a married person to have 40 additional weekly hours of help, (b) a network of children and others enables an unmarried person to have 29 additional help-hours per week if he/she coresides with other adults and 10 additional weekly help-hours if he/she does not. The issue of concern for public policy is whether such family networks will be preserved and, if not, how to obtain the funds for the alternative of sufficient paid help in the community. T HE growth in the number of very old Americans can be expected to increase the number of persons who depend on others for long-term assistance with daily activities of personal care and household tasks. At present, most of these individuals are living in the community and are relying mainly on informal help at home. Their ability to do so depends on the community resources available to help cope with disability. This study assesses the effects of economic and social resources that make continued living at home possible. Informal help depends on the availability of family helpers and on sharing living quarters with them. The network of kin relationship upon which elderly people rely is an outcome of life events that usually took place many years earlier and are beyond their control when they are old and disabled. The extent to which children and other relatives are legally obligated to provide helping services is not clear. Bulcroft, Van Leynseele, and Borgatta (1989) surveyed the existing state laws on filial responsibility in 1988 and reported substantial interstate differences in the concept of who is expected to support elderly relatives and to what extent. In fact, as Stone and Kemper (1989) show, fewer than one in four sons and daughters of disabled parents are active caregivers at any point in time. But the amount of help used at home also depends on living arrangements over which an elderly person may have some control. A study by the Congressional Budget Office (1988), describing changes in American living arrangements, suggests that both elderly persons and their children prefer to live apart. Specifically, elderly persons prefer to live with a spouse only or, when the marriage dissolves, to live alone. Between 1960 and 1984, the percentage living alone in
The Prednisone Dosage in the CHOP Chemotherapy Regimen for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL): Is There a Standard?

Purpose. Discrepancies in the quoted prednisone dosages in the regimens reported as the only standard CHOP regimen stimulated our interest in reviewing the medical literature regarding this issue and to assess whether practicing hematologists and oncologists in the U.S. are aware of the different dose schedules of prednisone in the published CHOP programs. Methods. Sixteen textbooks and chemotherapy reference books were reviewed. A MEDLINE search of English-language articles published between January 1970 and December 1998 was performed. An eight-point questionnaire was sent via e-mail with responses obtained from 421 hematology/oncology physicians in the U.S.. Results. Sixteen textbooks and chemotherapy reference books reviewed quoted only one prednisone dosage as part of the standard CHOP regimen; the prednisone dosages quoted as standard varied between publications. More than 4,000 eligible non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients have been treated with the CHOP chemotherapy as part of 43 different clinical trials reviewed. The dosages of prednisone and prednisolone used varied among six different levels. Thirty percent (127/421) of practicing U.S. physicians were not aware of the existence of more than one prednisone dose schedule as part of the CHOP regimen. The three most frequently used dosages are 100 mg/days 1-5 (67%), 100 mg/m 2 /days 1-5 (17%), and 60 mg/m 2 /days 1-5 (13%). Conclusions. Discrepancies in steroid dosages used as part of the reported standard CHOP regimens are common and not well recognized in the medical literature nor by practicing U.S. hematologists/oncologists. Based on this study, a prednisone dose of 100 mg/day for five days should be considered the standard dose. The Oncologist 2000;5:238-249
Nonoxidative modifications of lipoproteins in atherogenesis.

▪ Abstract The key initiating event in atherosclerosis is the retention of plasma lipoproteins in the subendothelial matrix. Subsequently, a series of biological responses to this retained material leads to specific molecular and cellular processes that promote lesion formation. There is considerable evidence that many of these biological responses, notably macrophage cholesteryl ester loading (foam cell formation), require subendothelial modification of the retained lipoproteins. Oxidation of lipoproteins is one such modification that likely occurs in vivo and promotes certain atherogenic events, but oxidation cannot explain all aspects of atherogenesis, including certain elements of macrophage foam cell formation. For this reason, there has been renewed interest in other modifications of lipoproteins that may be important in atherogenesis. This review addresses five such lipoprotein modifications, namely aggregation, glycation, immune complex formation, proteoglycan complex formation, and conversion to ...
Rearrangeable three-stage interconnection networks and their routing properties

A rearrangeable network is an interconnection network which can achieve all possible permutations of its inputs' connections to its outputs. One class of rearrangeable networks, which have been studied are Clos three-stage networks. Earlier procedures to route such networks rapidly require an excessive amount of hardware, either in the network itself or in the device required to compute the routing. A class of rearrangeable three-stage networks which is both compact and which can be routed quickly is introduced, along with a routing scheme. Switches are added to the network so as to reduce the interdependence between the switch settings, allowing faster routing while only moderately increasing network complexity. A network with O(Nlog/sup 1.5/N) hardware and O(log/sup 1.5/N) depth is derived from O(log/sup 2.5/N) switch setup time. >
Food and Food Additives

Almost everyone has at one time or another had a reaction that they chose to call a food allergy. This near-universal claim needs to be scrutinized more closely. Take the word “food.” Food is actually not only the name of whatever is eaten but all of the materials used to prepare, preserve, and color it, plus residue from packaging or storage materials, and contaminants like pesticides, herbicides, and insect or rodent leavings and remains.
Achieving a restorative mental break for family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease

Background/Aim: This phenomenological exploration of how caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease achieve a mental break defined them as distinct periods of freedom from caregiving concerns and conceptualised them as the essence of respite and as a restorative occupation. Methods: Four in-depth interviews each with 15 family caregivers revealed two categories. Results: Factors associated with achieving a mental break included: social support, traditional respite, relief-enhancing conditions, techniques for momentary stress reduction, and respite impediments. Achieving a mental break included mental break techniques and experiencing a mental break. Conclusions: Restorative mental breaks are often within caregiver control, are achievable independent of formal respite services, and involve both rest and engagement in absorbing activities. Restorative breaks are often pleasurable, support productivity, may be entwined with caregiving activities, and importantly, do not compromise care recipient well-being.
Correlation between Detection Rates of Periodontopathic Bacterial DNA in Coronary Stenotic Artery Plaque and in Dental Plaque Samples.

Utilizing PCR, the 16S rRNA detection rates for Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Bacteroides forsythus, Treponema denticola, and Campylobacter rectus in samples of stenotic coronary artery plaques were determined to be 21.6, 23.3, 5.9, 23.5, and 15.7%, respectively. The detection rates for P. gingivalis and C. rectus correlated with their presence in subgingival plaque.
Ant colony system application to macrocell overlap removal

We present a novel macrocell overlap removal algorithm, based on the ant colony optimization metaheuristic. The procedure generates a feasible placement from a relative placement with overlaps produced by some placement algorithms such as quadratic programming and force-directed. It uses the concept of ant colonies, a set of agents that work together to improve an existing solution. Each ant in the colony will generate a placement based on the relative positions of the cells and feedback information about the best placements generated by previous colonies. The solution of each ant is improved by using a local optimization procedure which reduces the unused space. The worst runtime is O(n/sup 3/), but the average runtime can be reduced to O(n/sup 2/).
High-Fidelity Magnetic Equivalent Circuit Model for an Axisymmetric Electromagnetic Actuator

A computationally inexpensive magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) improves axisymmetric electromagnet design and modeling tools by accurately capturing fringing and leakage effects. Lumped parameter MEC models are typically less accurate for modeling electromagnetic devices than distributed parameter finite-element models (FEMs). However, MEC models require significantly less computational time to solve than FEMs and therefore lend themselves to applications where solution time is critical, such as in optimization routines, dynamic simulation, or preliminary design. This paper describes how fringing permeances in axisymmetric electromagnetic devices can be derived and then included in a MEC model. Including fringing field effects significantly decreases error in the MEC model, creating a more accurate, or high fidelity, magnetic equivalent circuit (HFMEC). Eighty-nine electromagnets with unique geometries, coil currents, and materials were modeled with MEC, HFMEC, and FEM methods. The axisymmetric HFMEC developed in this work had 67% less average force error and 88% less average flux error compared to traditional MEC results while still being computationally inexpensive to solve.
Protein Dimerization: Inside job

In a sophisticated combination of genetic engineering and organic synthesis, a general method for dimerizing recombinant intracellular proteins has been devised; the usefulness of the method should now be testable.
Perceptions of Major Roles by College Students

This study concerns women's and men's perceptions of five roles and role combinations: worker, spouse, parent, worker-spouse, and worker-parent. Undergraduates wrote stories to relevant projective ...
Capacitance–Voltage (C-V) Characterization Of Semiconductors

Hillibrand and Gold first described the use of capacitance-voltage (C-V) methods to determine the majority carrier concentration in semiconductors. C-V measurements are capable of yielding quantitative information about the diffusion potential and doping concentration in semiconductor materials. The technique employs pn junctions, metal-semiconductor (MS) junctions (Schottky barriers), electrolyte-semiconductor junctions, metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors, and MIS field effect transistors (MISFETSs). The discussions here emphasize pn junctions and Schottky barrier techniques. C-V measurements yield accurate information about doping concentrations of majority carriers as a function of distance (depth) from the junction. The major competing technique to C-V measurements is the Hall effect which, while yielding added information about the carrier mobility, requires difficult, time-consuming procedures to determine carrier-depth profiles. In fact, C-V profiling and Hall measurements can be considered complementary techniques. In concert with deep-level transient spectroscopy, C-V measurements can quantitatively describe the free carrier concentrations together with information about traps. Defects appearing as traps at energies deep within the forbidden gap of a semiconductor can add or remove free carriers. The same Schottky diode can be used for both C-V measurements and DLTS measurements. The C-V apparatus and the DLTS apparatus are often a “bundled” setup. C-V profiling to determine the doping profile of the mobile majority carriers in a semiconductor is a powerful quantitative technique. Some precautions must be taken, especially in dealing with multiple layered structures such as high-to-low doping levels, quantum wells, and the presence of traps. Major considerations and precautions to be taken in dealing with C-V profiling data acquisition and reduction are also covered in the ASTM standard. The cost of assembling a C-V profiling apparatus will range between six thousand dollars for a simple, single temperature, manual apparatus to sixty thousand dollars for a fully automated apparatus. C-V profiling used in concert with deep-level transient spectroscopy to identify traps, as well as with Hall effect, to address transport mechanisms, provides a powerful set of tools at reasonable cost. Keywords: capacitance-voltage (C-V) methods; principles; semiconductors; practical aspects; C-V profiling equipment; data analysis; sample preparation; C-V profiling; problems; instrument limitations; traps
Van Rensselaer Potter: A Memoriam

I first met Van Potter nearly 40 years ago when I was 17 and entering the University of Wisconsin as a new freshman. During the summer of 1963, Van was a participant in a series of evening seminars designed to familiarize premed students to the community at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. I was immediately struck by Van's unique ability to cut straight to the core of virtually any issue having to do with biomedicine. As with many of his students, I quickly found myself in a father-son relationship of both our making. Van has been a source of inspiration and guidance to me ever since.
A semi-analytical approach to un-deformed chip boundary theory and cutting force prediction in face-hobbing of bevel gears

Rule-of-thumb based design for cutting tools and machining settings in face-hobbing of bevel gears result in cutting tool failures and quality issues. Lack of a virtual machining environment, to efficiently obtain the instantaneous un-deformed chip geometry and predict cutting forces in face-hobbing, causes undesirable production costs in industries. In the present paper, semi-analytical representation of the projection of the un-deformed chip on the rake face of the cutting blades is presented. The proposed approach is drastically fast and more accurate in comparison with numerical methods and can be implemented in a virtual gear machining environment. The cutting system intricate geometry, multi-axis machine tool kinematic chains and the variant cutting velocity along the cutting edge are taken into consideration to obtain the chip geometry efficiently. Then, cutting forces are predicted during face-hobbing by implementing oblique cutting theory using the derived chip geometry and converting face-hobbing into oblique cutting. The proposed methods are applied on two case studies of face-hobbing of bevel gears, and the chip geometry is derived and the cutting forces are predicted. Semi-analytical representation of the chip geometry in face-hobbing is presented.The method is computationally efficient and more accurate than numerical methods.Cutting forces in face-hobbing are predicted.Regions where are more prone to be worn out along the cutting edge are predicted.
Appraising the appraisal process Manager and patrol officer perspectives

While research shows that performance appraisals are important both as management tools and for their ability to shape organisational commitment and performance, researchers have also noted a ‘perv...
Cardiopoietic Stem Cells for Heart Failure Therapy

Heart failure underlies a growing epidemic of patient populations whose poor outcomes expose the shortcomings of current standards of care. In the context of progressive organ deterioration, left ventricular assist devices and cardiac transplantation remain applicable only in a select number of qualifying patients. Consequently, recurrent hospitalizations and costly life-extending measures have imposed an increased burden on healthcare systems. Patient unmet needs have in turn fueled an emergent focus on the development of “cardioregenerative therapies,” aimed at achieving structural and functional tissue restitution. A case in point is the deployment of stem cell-based therapies that leverage recent breakthroughs in developmental biology and use established methods for cell delivery. While in principle feasible and safe, such interventions have largely yielded inhomogeneous benefit in clinical trials. Absence in homogeneity in cellular processing and handling along with divergence in cell phenotypes has been associated with a dichotomy in patient response. Molecular analyses in fact demonstrate that adult-derived cells rarely harbor an innate regenerative potency, in particular in the elderly. Thus, beyond patient stratification, zooming on most adequate timing as well as mode of cell administration, increased emphasis has been placed on decoding intimate stem cell features that predict best clinical outcomes. Accordingly, the latest iteration of cell therapies incorporates targeted optimization strategies, exemplified by cardiopoietic preconditioning, to ensure generalizable benefit in heart failure cohorts and averse or delay the need for cardiac replacement therapy.
The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine continues to show modest protection against malaria in African infants and children

Commentary on: RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership. Efficacy and safety of RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine with or without a booster dose in infants and children in Africa: final results of a phase 3, individually randomised, controlled trial. Lancet 2015;386:31–45.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Malaria remains one of the greatest infectious burdens in the world.1 The RTS,S vaccine results from decades of research showing that human responses to the Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein can protect against malaria.2 Vaccine developments benefitted from adjuvant optimisation, with AS01 chosen for recent trials. RTS,S has been extensively studied in African children recently, with vaccine efficacy approximately 25–50% against both symptomatic and severe malaria, but efficacy lower in infants than in children and waning over time after immunisation.3–5 This report provides final follow-up data for a large phase III trial conducted at 11 sites in sub-Saharan Africa. It offers new insights into the long-term efficacy of … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DLancet%26rft.volume%253D386%26rft.spage%253D31%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252FS0140-6736%252815%252960721-8%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25913272%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60721-8&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=25913272&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F20%2F5%2F179.atom
Upconverting Nanoparticle Relays for Resonance Energy Transfer Networks

Networks of fluorophores arranged at the nanoscale can perform basic computation using resonance energy transfer (RET) to transport and manipulate information in the form of excitons. As excitons travel through RET circuits, they are red-shifted due to vibrational energy loss at each transfer event. This loss prohibits RET circuits from being cascaded to form larger, more computationally complex systems. To address this issue, a nanoassembly capable of converting three or more low energy excitons into a single high energy exciton is designed and fabricated. Deemed the RET relay, this device uses upconverting nanoparticles to achieve anti-Stokes energy transfer from near-infrared excited fluorophores to visibly excited fluorophores. In this work, the relay is explored by first breaking it into its halves. Each fluorophore's ability to donate energy to or from the nanoparticle is characterized by a series of photoluminescence experiments. The adsorption of these fluorophores to the particle is modeled as a Langmuir process, revealing the fractional occupancy of each dye that optimizes energy transfer. A fully functional relay is then demonstrated by exciting the near-infrared dye and extracting the visible dye's fluorescence. Lastly, the performance of the entire construct is optimized over a small sampling of assembly reaction coordinates.
Neuropeptide regulation of interleukin-1 activities. Capacity of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone to inhibit interleukin-1-inducible responses in vivo and in vitro exhibits target cell selectivity.

α-Melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), a 13 amino acid neuropeptide produced by the pituitary gland, was found to markedly inhibit the capacity of exogenously administered interleukin-1 (IL-1) to stimulate the enhanced synthesis of acute-phase proteins and induce neutrophilia in vivo. The administration of ACTH or glucocorticosteroids lacked most of these direct IL-1 inhibitory properties. Therefore, in addition to the previously reported antipyretic action of α-MSH, this hormone can also inhibit two other known IL-1-sensitive cellular targets in vivo. Further, α-MSH was incapable of modifying the comitogenic influence of IL-1 on murine thymocytes or on an IL-1 responsive T-cell line. These findings suggest a target cell specificity to the IL-1 inhibitory activities of α-MSH and fail to support the hypothesis that α-MSH functions through competitive inhibition of specific cellular receptors for IL-1.
FLUCTUATING SELECTION AND RESPONSE IN A POPULATION OF FRESHWATER COPEPODS.

The timing of springtime production of diapausing eggs by a population of the freshwater copepod, Diaptomus sanguineus, has been shown previously to be consistent with avoidance of seasonally intense fish predation. Natural selection acting on the timing of diapause fluctuates between years depending upon the population density of fish. Here we show that, in the field, the mean timing of diapause shifts between years in response to fluctuations in selection. Diapause is earlier in years following high predator density, and is later in years following low predator density. Although selection intensity in individual years may be large, the mean intensity over the decade of fluctuating selection investigated here is close to zero. Photoperiod sensitivity of the diapausetiming trait is heritable in the laboratory. The combination of fluctuating selection and multi-generation storage of genotypes as diapausing eggs in lake sediments may contribute to the maintenance of the genetic variation that permits the rapid selection response seen in the field.
Oxidation Resistance of Copper Alloy Thin Films Formed by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Co-deposition of copper-palladium alloy films was demonstrated using low-pressure CVD from individual precursors - (hexafluoroacetylacetonato)copper(I)(vinyltrimethylsilane) [(hfac)Cu(I)vtms] and palladium(II)bis(hexafluoroacetylacetonate) [Pd(hfac)2], for Cu and Pd respectively. High-purity alloy films with controlled composition, microstructure and morphology were prepared and their oxidation behavior was examined at different temperatures and compared with that of pure copper CVD films with similar morphology. As-deposited copper-palladium alloy films showed improved resistance to oxidation up to 300°C in air. Enhanced oxidation resistance compared to Cu CVD films was observed at concentrations of palladium as low as 0.5 at. %.