cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface forces and protein adsorption on dextran- and polyethylene glycol-modified polydimethylsiloxane

Dextran and polyethylene glycol (PEG) are often covalently bound to the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the purpose of modifying its hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. In this work, the effects of the dextran and PEG on the morphology, wetting, and surface charge of the resulting surfaces were quantified and correlated with changes in the amount of fibrinogen and albumin adsorbed from aqueous solution. PDMS films were functionalized in a microwave oxygen plasma to create surface hydroxyl groups that were subsequently aminated by incubation in a (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTES) solution. Oxidized dextran and PEG-aldehyde were linked to the surface amines via reductive amination. This process resulted in low surface coverage of immobilized PEG in the end-on conformation and a more uniform and dense distribution of side-on immobilized dextran. The immobilized dextran reduced the contact angle of the PDMS film from 109° to 80° and neutralized the zeta potential over the pH range from 3 to 11. An atomic force microscope was used to measure the interaction force between the modified PDMS and a model hydrophobic surface (polystyrene latex) and a model hydrophilic surface (silica) in aqueous solution to show that van der Waals and hydrophobic attractive forces are the dominant forces for protein adsorption in this system. The PEG- and dextran-modified PDMS were exposed to BSA and fibrinogen to test their resistance to protein adsorption. The coatings were ineffective at reducing the adsorption of either molecule, and the dextran-modification of the PDMS caused more BSA to adsorb than in the case of the unmodified PDMS.
The ethics of interrogation and the American Psychological Association: A critique of policy and process

The Psychological Ethics and National Security (PENS) task force was assembled by the American Psychological Association (APA) to guide policy on the role of psychologists in interrogations at foreign detention centers for the purpose of U.S. national security. The task force met briefly in 2005, and its report was quickly accepted by the APA Board of Directors and deemed consistent with the APA Ethics Code by the APA Ethics Committee. This rapid acceptance was unusual for a number of reasons but primarily because of the APA's long-standing tradition of taking great care in developing ethical policies that protected anyone who might be impacted by the work of psychologists. Many psychological and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as reputable journalists, believed the risk of harm associated with psychologist participation in interrogations at these detention centers was not adequately addressed by the report. The present critique analyzes the assumptions of the PENS report and its interpretations of the APA Ethics Code. We demonstrate that it presents only one (and not particularly representative) side of a complex set of ethical issues. We conclude with a discussion of more appropriate psychological contributions to national security and world peace that better respect and preserve human rights.
Deregulated TGF-beta signaling in leukemogenesis.

Cellular homeostasis is tightly controlled by the various pathways that regulate cell proliferation and cell death. Breaking this balance is often associated with cancer development. The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) pathway plays an important role in cellular homeostasis by regulating cell growth inhibition, cellular senescence, differentiation and apoptosis. Deregulated TGF-β signaling is known to be involved in a variety of human cancers, including those of the colon, pancreas, breast and prostate. While TGF-β is a potent negative regulator of hematopoiesis, the role of aberrant TGF-β signaling in leukemogenesis remains largely unknown. Recently, evidence demonstrating deregulated TGF-β signaling in leukemogenesis, particularly in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), has started to emerge. In this review, we summarize the current progress towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which aberrant TGF-β signaling may participate in leukemogenesis.
Stress generation mechanisms in carbon thin films grown by ion-beam deposition

A three-dimensional molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is performed to study the stress generation mechanisms in carbon thin films grown by ion-beam deposition. The relationship between the kinetic energy of incident ions and the steady-state film stress is established. Examination of the atomic stress and film microstructures reveals that the grown films contain a significant fraction of vacancies, contradicting the presumption of the subplantation model. By taking into account both interstitials and vacancies, an analytical model is developed, in which the formation of the compressive stress is attributed to competing mechanisms between generation and recovery of the defects. This model can satisfactorily explain the numerical observation in which compressive stress prevails in films in the presence of vacancies. The present study provides useful insights into tailoring residual stress to control thin film curvature in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) by ion-beam machining.
P3.081 Time to Sexually Transmitted Infections After Negative STI Testing Among Young Adults

Background Recommendations for the frequency of STI screening in high-risk populations are limited by lack of data about when infections occur following a negative screening test. Methods Participants (18–29 years of age; women [N = 192] and men [N = 156]) in a 12-week study of incident STI were recruited from a county STI clinic. Self-collected vaginal samples (women) and urine samples (men) were obtained weekly at participant’s home. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) were used for diagnosis of C. trachomatis , N. gonorrhoeae , and T. vaginalis infections. Infections diagnosed at enrollment were treated immediately. Based on cumulative diary reports of partner-specific sexual behaviours, an exposure variable was created to indicate vaginal exposure with only one partner, or with more than one partner. Time to infection was modelled using Kaplan-Meier curves; group differences were assessed via logrank test. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with infection status at the study completion. Results 146/192 (76%) women and 126/156 (81%) men were uninfected at enrollment. At 4 weeks post-enrollment, 16% of women and 8% of men had at least one STI. At 8 weeks post-enrollment, about 23% of women and 10% of men were infected. Overall, 54/192 (28%) women and 19/156 (12%) men had at least one STI during the 12-week followup. Survival curves differed significantly by gender (p = 0.0003). In a multivariable logistic model, women had significantly higher odds of STI (odds = 3.3, p = 0.004), controlling for infection status at enrollment and monogamy status. Gender remained significant in models including number of partners during the follow-up period. Conclusion In high STI-risk populations, rescreening of initially negative persons identifies high subsequent infection rates, especially among women. Early rescreening (e.g. within 3 months) of any tested person would significantly increase identification of reinfections among initially positive and treated as well as new infections among those previously testing negative.
The Effect of Gender on Awards in Employment Arbitration Cases: The Experience in the Securities Industry

In this article we analyze the outcomes of nearly 3200 awards issued in employment disputes settled by arbitration in the securities industry over the period 1986–2008. The large amount of litigation in the securities industry alleging discrimination by securities firms against the women they employ led us to hypothesize that women would do less well than men in these arbitration cases. Regression analysis reveals that the gender of the complainant and the complainant's attorney (but not the gender of the respondent's attorney or the arbitrator) had significant effects on the size of the awards. Regardless of the definition of the dependent variable, female complainants did less well than male complainants in these employment arbitration cases. In most estimates, the gender of the attorney representing the complainant also affected the size of the award: male attorneys obtained larger awards than female attorneys. We conclude that these gender differentials are more likely to be the consequence of employment conditions in the securities industry rather than biases in the arbitration process.
Low-dose ketamine for analgesia in the ED: a retrospective case series

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the use and effect of low-dose ketamine (LDK) for analgesia in the emergency department (ED). Methods A chart review was performed to identify all adult patients who received LDK for analgesia in our ED. Cases were identified by pharmacy record of ketamine administration. Low-dose ketamine was defined as the administration of 0.1 to 0.6 mg/kg of ketamine for pain control. Use of ketamine during procedural sedation was excluded. Data were analyzed descriptively. Results Thirty-five cases in which patients received LDK in the ED for a 2-year period were identified. Doses ranged from 5 to 35 mg. Administration was intravenous in 30 (86%) of 35 cases and intramuscular in 5 (14%) of 35 cases. Opioids were administered before or coadministered with LDK in 32 (91%) of 35 cases, and in the remaining 3 cases, opioids were used before the patient came to the ED. Improvement in pain was observed in 19 (54%) of 35 cases in which patients received LDK. Pain scores did not improve in 8 (23%) of 35 cases. Insufficient data were available to determine LDK effect for 8 (23%) of 35 cases. No significant adverse events were identified in any of the 35 cases. Conclusions The administration of LDK in the ED may be a safe and effective adjunct for analgesia in some patients. However, prospective randomized controlled trials are needed before widespread use of LDK for analgesia in the ED can be recommended.
Pinhole SPECT: An Approach to In Vivo High Resolution SPECT Imaging in Small Laboratory Animals

UNLABELLED: The performance of pinhole SPECT and the application of this technology to investigate the localization properties of radiopharmaceuticals in vivo in small laboratory animals are presented. METHODS: System sensitivity and spatial resolution measurements of a rotating scintillation camera system are made for a low-energy pinhole collimator equipped with 1.0-, 2.0- and 3.3-mm aperture pinhole inserts. The spatial detail offered by pinhole SPECT for in vivo imaging was investigated in studies of the brain and heart in Fisher 344 rats by administering 201TICI, 99mTc-HMPAO, 99mTc-DTPA and 99mTc-MIBI. Image acquisition is performed using a rotating scintillation camera equipped with a pinhole collimator; projection data are acquired in conventional step-and-shoot mode as the camera is rotated 360 degrees around the subject. Pinhole SPECT images are reconstructed using a modified cone-beam algorithm developed from a two-dimensional fanbeam filtered backprojection algorithm. RESULTS: The reconstructed transaxial resolution of 2.8 mm FWHM and system sensitivity of 0.086 c/s/kBq with the 2.0-mm pinhole collimator aperture provide excellent spatial detail and adequate sensitivity for imaging the regional uptake of the radiopharmaceuticals in tumor, organs and other tissues in small laboratory animals. CONCLUSION: The resolution properties of pinhole SPECT are superior to those which have been achieved thus far with conventional SPECT or PET imaging technologies. Pinhole SPECT provides an important approach for investigating localization properties of radiopharmaceuticals in vivo.
On an alternative sum useful in the analysis of some data structures

In the analysis of some data structures (e.g., digital search trees) one often meets with a binomial recurrence. This recurrence leads to a solution which has a form of an alternative sum, hence not very convenient for numerical computations. Nevertheless, this solution is useful in deriving asymptotic approximation for the sum. In this note we propose a general approach to derive such asymptotics by applying the residue theorem from the complex analysis. We illustrate our technique on some examples taken form the analysis of digital search trees.
Dynamic 3D Urban Scene Modeling Using Multiple Pushbroom Mosaics

In this paper, a unified, segmentation-based approach is proposed to deal with both stereo reconstruction and moving objects detection problems using multiple stereo mosaics. Each set of parallel-perspective (pushbroom) stereo mosaics is generated from a video sequence captured by a single video camera. First a color-segmentation approach is used to extract the so-called natural matching primitives from a reference view of a pair of stereo mosaics to facilitate both 3D reconstruction of textureless urban scenes and man-made moving targets (e.g. vehicles). Multiple pairs of stereo mosaics are used to improve the accuracy and robustness in 3D recovery and occlusion handling. Moving targets are detected by inspecting their 3D anomalies, either violating the epipolar geometry of the pushbroom stereo or exhibiting abnormal 3D structure. Experimental results on both simulated and real video sequences are provided to show the effectiveness of our approach.
DEUTERIUM-ISOTOPE EFFECT ON THE FLUORESCENCE YIELDS AND LIFETIMES OF INDOLE DERIVATIVES: INCLUDING TRYPTOPHAN AND TRYPTAMINE.

— The fluorescence yields and lifetimes of indole, five of its alkyl detivatives, tryptophan, and tryptamine have been determined in degassed, heavy and light water at room temperature. All of the compounds have radiative lifetimes nearly identical to the parent compound indole, and a comparison of these results with recently reported data on tryptophyl derivatives disclosed a striking uniformity in radiative lifetimes between indole and many amino acids and peptides which contain the indole group as the fluorescence unit. The fluorescence rate kf in H2O, was found to be 4.5 × 107 sec-1. The nonradiative decay rates were found to vary between 5.1 and 46 × 107 sec-1 and from a study of the deuterium-solvent isotope effect and the deuterium-substituent effect a mechanism for nonradiative deactivation is proposed which includes an isotopically dependent proton transfer and a pathway involving energy loss via the ring carbon hydrogen vibrations. Tryptophan at pH 7 was found to have a unique nonradiative decay scheme not evidenced at a pH 1 or pH 10.
Nifurpirinol (Furanace: P-7138) related lesions on channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)

Abstract. Skin lesions developed on channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, exposed to 0-5 mg/1 Furanace for 4 or 14 days. Lesions developed 3 days after the 4-day exposure and on the eleventh day of the 14-day exposure. The lesions continued to develop after the fish were moved to untreated water. The lesions which began as dull areas of skin, sometimes resulted in erosion of skin and muscle which exposed the vertebrae. Bacteria were not isolated from the lesions except those with severely eroded muscle. The gills possessed lesions characteristic of a response to a toxic chemical agent.
RPI-Pred: predicting ncRNA-protein interaction using sequence and structural information

RNA-protein complexes are essential in mediating important fundamental cellular processes, such as transport and localization. In particular, ncRNAprotein interactions play an important role in posttranscriptional gene regulation like mRNA localization, mRNA stabilization, poly-adenylation, splicing and translation. The experimental methods to solve RNA-protein interaction prediction problem remain expensive and time-consuming. Here, we present the RPI-Pred (RNA-protein interaction predictor), a new support-vector machine-based method, to predict protein-RNA interaction pairs, based on both the sequences and structures. The results show that RPI-Pred can correctly predict RNA-protein interaction pairs with ∼94% prediction accuracy when using sequence and experimentally determined protein and RNA structures, and with ∼83% when using sequences and predicted protein and RNA structures. Further, our proposed method RPI-Pred was superior to other existing ones by predicting more experimentally validated ncRNA-protein interaction pairs from different organisms. Motivated by the improved performance of RPI-Pred, we further applied our method for reliable construction of ncRNA-protein interaction networks. The RPI-Pred is publicly available at: http://ctsb.is.wfubmc.edu/projects/rpi-pred.
Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian American women

Background: The role of diet as a cause of breast cancer in Asian Americans has not been adequately studied. Objective: We investigated the association between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in Asian Americans. Design: This population-based case-control study in Los Angeles County compared dietary patterns between 1248 Asian American women with incident breast cancer and 1148 age-, ethnicity-, and neighborhood-matched controls. The relation between dietary patterns and serum concentrations of estrogens, androgens, and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) was investigated in 2172 postmenopausal control women. Results: We used a scoring method proposed by Trichopoulou et al (1) and found that adherence to a Mediterranean diet was inversely associated with risk; the odds ratio (OR) was 0.65 (95% CI: 0.44, 0.95) in women with the highest scores (� 8; most adherent) compared with those with the lowest scores (0–3; P for trend ¼ 0.009), after adjustment for key covariates. We also used factor analysis and identified 3 dietary patterns (Western-meat/starch, ethnic-meat/ starch, and vegetables/soy). In a combined index of the 3 patterns, women who were high consumers of Western and ethnic meat/ starch and low consumers of the vegetables/soy diets showed the highest risk (OR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.40, 3.42; P for trend ¼ 0.0005). SHBG concentrations were 23% lower in women with a high intake of the meat/starch pattern and a low intake of the vegetables/soy pattern than in those with a low intake of the meat/starch pattern and a high intake of the vegetables/soy pattern (P for trend ¼ 0.069). Conclusion: Our results suggest that a diet characterized by a low intake of meat/starches and a high intake of legumes is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in Asian Americans. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:1145–54.
Differential effects of endoparasitism on the expression of carotenoid- and melanin-based ornamental coloration

The striking diversity of sexual dimorphisms in nature begs the question: Why are there so many signal types? One possibility is that ornamental traits convey different sets of information about the quality of the sender to the receiver. The colourful, pigmented feathers of male birds seem to meet the predictions of this hypothesis. Evidence suggests that carotenoid pigmentation reflects the nutritional condition of males during moult, whereas in many instances melanin pigmentation is a reliable indicator of social status. However, as of yet there have been no experimental tests to determine how these two ornament types respond to the same form of environmental stress. In this study, we tested the effect of endoparasitic infection by intestinal coccidians (Isospora sp.) on the expression of both carotenoid- and melanin-based ornamental coloration in captive male American goldfinches (Carduelis tristis). We found that the carotenoid-based plumage and bill coloration of parasitized males was less saturated than that developed by unparasitized males, but that the brightness and size of melanin-based black caps did not differ between the groups. These findings provide the most robust empirical support to date for the notion that carotenoid and melanin ornaments reveal different information to conspecifics.
Preferential states in soil moisture and climate dynamics.

Summer precipitation in continental midlatitude regions is significantly contributed by local recycling, i.e., by moisture returning to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration from the same region. On the other hand, reduced soil moisture availability may limit evapotranspiration rates with effects on the planetary boundary layer dynamics through the partitioning between sensible and latent heat fluxes. Thus, a dependence may exist between precipitation and antecedent soil moisture conditions. Here we provide theoretical and experimental evidence in support of the hypothesis that in continental regions summer soil moisture anomalies affect the probability of occurrence of subsequent precipitation. Owing to these feedbacks, two preferential states may arise in summer soil moisture dynamics, which thus tend to remain locked either in a “dry” or a “wet” state, whereas intermediate conditions have low probability of occurrence. In this manner, such land–atmosphere interactions would explain the possible persistence of summer droughts sustained by positive feedbacks in response to initial (spring) surface moisture anomalies.
The Entry-Level Engineer: Problems in Transition from Student to Professional

When students enter the workforce, they must make a transition from an academic to a professional role. This study, based on interviews with professional engineers in supervisory roles, suggests that many basic skills required in the workplace, including the ability to work on a team and to communicate with one's peers and supervisors, are missing or insufficiently developed in recent college graduates. Many employers have programs to overcome these deficiencies, but we should also consider what we as educators can do to better prepare students for their future roles, and what students themselves can do to ease the transition.
Patterns of Support Among In-Laws in the United States A Review of Research

Based on a review of research, this article outlines patterns of support associated with in-law relationships in the United States. The analysis is organized in a four-part framework. The first part is devoted to parental aid to married children and indirectly to their spouses. Part two focuses on help patterns directed specifically toward children-in-law. In part three attention shifts to in-law support in later life, and part four addresses the effects of marital dissolution on in-law support. The article concludes with a discussion of how various demographic factors may affect the nature of the in-law support structure.
Atlas of Nuclear Cardiology

V. Dilsizian and J. Narula, Eds. New York, NY: Springer, 2013, 457 pages, $209 Nuclear cardiology imaging is solidly based on many branches of science and engineering, and the strengths of nuclear techniques are related to physiologic, biochemical, and molecular properties. The ability to define
Learning cycle-linear hybrid automata for excitable cells

We show how to automatically learn the class of Hybrid Automata called Cycle-Linear Hybrid Automata (CLHA) in order to model the behavior of excitable cells. Such cells, whose main purpose is to amplify and propagate an electrical signal known as the action potential (AP), serve as the "biologic transistors" of living organisms. The learning algorithm we propose comprises the following three phases: (1) Geometric analysis of the APs in the training set is used to identify, for each AP, the modes and switching logic of the corresponding Linear Hybrid Automata. (2) For each mode, the modified Prony's method is used to learn the coefficients of the associated linear flows. (3) The modified Prony's method is used again to learn the functions that adjust, on a per-cycle basis, the mode dynamics and switching logic of the Linear Hybrid Automata obtained in the first two phases. Our results show that the learned CLHA is able to successfully capture AP morphology and other important excitable-cell properties, such as refractoriness and restitution, up to a prescribed approximation error. Our approach is fully implemented in MATLAB and, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate approximation model for ECs to date.
Conformational analysis via calculations and NMR spectroscopy for isomers of the mono(imino)pyridine ligand, 2-{(2,6-Me2-C6H3)NC(i-Pr)}C5H4N

Sterically hindered (imino)pyridine 2-{(2,6-Me2-C6H3)NC(i-Pr)}C5H4N (1) was synthesized via addition of isolated imidoyl chloride to an in situ lithiated pyridine. Room temperature 1-D and 2-D NMR spectroscopy reveals two rapidly equilibrating isomers in solution. Interconversion of these two isomers was verified by 2D-EXSY NMR spectroscopy. Calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 levels of theory reveal four relevant isomers, with two atropisomers of E geometry (1-EA and 1-EB) and two atropisomers of Z geometry (1-ZA and 1-ZB). A simple carbon–carbon bond rotation to alter the orientation of the isopropyl group provides a fifth, related conformer, 1-ZB′, that is the most stable species at the MP2 level. The transition states for E/Z isomerization and the isomerization pathways between atropisomers have been characterized. Comparison of experimental and ab initio NMR chemical shifts in combination with NOE analysis suggests that isomers 1-EB and 1-ZB/1-ZB′ are the dominant species in our solution phase NMR studies. Our understanding of the isomerization behavior of 1 will help inform the future design of readily complexed, sterically hindered mono(imine) and bis(imine) ligands.
Calcification of multipotent prostate tumor endothelium.

SUMMARY Solid tumors require new blood vessels for growth and metastasis, yet the biology of tumor-specific endothelial cells is poorly understood. We have isolated tumor endothelial cells from mice that spontaneously develop prostate tumors. Clonal populations of tumor endothelial cells expressed hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell markers and differentiated to form cartilage- and bone-like tissues. Chondrogenic differentiation was accompanied by an upregulation of cartilage-specific col2a1 and sox9, whereas osteocalcin and the metastasis marker osteopontin were upregulated during osteogenic differentiation. In human and mouse prostate tumors, ectopic vascular calcification was predominately luminal and colocalized with the endothelial marker CD31. Thus, prostate tumor endothelial cells are atypically multipotent and can undergo a mesenchymal-like transition.
A statistical survey of rideshares (and attack of the CubeSats, part deux)

In last year's conference, we presented a statistical look at the 316 rideshare missions launched from 1990–2010, examining issues of mass, nations of origin and launch and mission type. Examinations of the data indicated that the broad range of mission types, sizes and participating nations could be classified in several useful ways. For example, we were able to forecast a bifurcation of rideshares into the CubeSat-scale and ESPA-scale categories. In this paper, we will expand on last year's results in three meaningful ways. First, we will extend the analysis back to the first rideshare in 1960 and up through 2011. In doing so, we will be able to confirm what were anecdotal conjectures from the previous paper: that the changes in the numbers and demographics of rideshares can be tied to the availability of specific launch vehicles/systems (namely the Ariane, Dnepr, Shuttle and P-POD); and that the avalanche of CubeSat flights represents a significant change in the nature of rideshares. The second extension of previous work will be the further subclassification of rideshares into military, civil, commercial and educational categories. Identifying the nature of the rideshare operator will help us better correlate the launches available to different missions. For example, we will show that the large number of U.S. rideshare missions is actually a large number of DoD rideshare missions, with a handful of U.S. civil, commercial and educational flights (most of them in the last 5 years). With this new data, we will further refine our forecasts of the launches available for various mission categories in the next few years.
Coupling efficiency effects of launching a fringe pattern into a single-mode optical fiber

We discuss the effects on coupling efficiency of launching an optical fringe pattern into a single-mode optical fiber. We show that under some circumstances, coupling efficiencies of ∼90% can be obtained by the launching of the central fringe of a two-beam interference pattern into the fiber. Theoretical calculations based on mode overlapping integrals show that, compared with commonly used coupling schemes, it is possible to improve greatly the coupling efficiency into an optical fiber. By using a He-Ne laser operating at 633 nm and an optical fiber with a mode field diameter of 3.3 μm and N.A. of 0.16, we have obtained a coupling efficiency of ∼91% at an interfering half-angle of ∼60 mrad, in good agreement with our theoretical predictions.
Potential water quality changes due to corn expansion in the Upper Mississippi River Basin

While biofuels may yield renewable fuel benefits, there could be downsides in terms of water quality and other environmental stressors, particularly if corn is relied upon exclusively as the feedstock. The consequences of increased corn production will depend importantly on where (and how) the additional corn is grown, which, in turn, depends on the characteristics of land and its associated profitability. Previous work has relied on rules of thumb for allocating land to increased acreage based on historical land use or other heuristics. Here, we advance our understanding of these phenomena by describing a modeling system that links an economics-driven land use model with a watershed-based water quality model for the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). This modeling system is used to assess the water quality changes due to increased corn acreage, which is associated with higher relative corn prices. We focus on six scenarios based on six realistic pairs of corn and soybean prices which correspond to a scale of decreasing soybean to corn price ratio. These price-driven land use changes provide estimates of the water quality effects that current biofuel policies may have in the UMRB. Our analysis can help evaluate the costs and environmental consequences associated with implementation strategies for the biofuel mandates of the new energy bill. The amounts of total N and P delivered to the outlet of the UMRB (located at Grafton, Illinois, USA) rise as corn production becomes more intensive in the region. Our results indicate that a 14.4% in corn acreage in the watershed due to corn intensification in the most economically profitable locations would result in a 5.4% increase in total nitrogen loads and in a 4.1% increase in total phosphorus loads at Grafton. Our most aggressive scenario, driven by high but not out of reach crop prices, results in about a 57% increase in corn acreage with a corresponding 18.5% increase in N and 12% increase in P. These are somewhat conservative increases in nutrients, compared to those of previous studies, likely due to our focus on cultivated cropland which is already heavily fertilized.
Concentration dependence of the transition temperature in dilute superconducting alloys.

Abstract A semi-empirical formalism is developed to account for the detailed dependence of the superconducting transition temperature of dilute alloys on solute concentration. A mismatch of solute and solvent ion sizes causes small strain fields in the regions surrounding the solute ions. The precise change in transition temperature, ΔT c , for a particular solute concentration, N ϵ , is derived by averaging the strain over the entire sample and reducing the strain field by a factor exp{ α − ξr −1 eff }, where α is a constant of order unity, ξ is the coherence distance, and r eff is the total length of the strained region within ξ. The length, r eff , is proportional to N 1 3 8 . It is found that the strain is proportional to Δ R , the difference in ionic radii. Previously reported data on the effects produced by various solutes in tin, indium, and aluminum are explained in terms of this model.
Printed Organic Chemical Sensors and Sensor Systems

Printed and organic electronics has tremendous potential for the realization of new classes of very low-cost, ubiquitously deployable chemical sensors. The ability to cheaply integrate diverse materials through printing of appropriately formulated inks offers the possibility to realize highly integrated electronic nose sensors for such diverse applications as product quality checking, environmental monitoring, and other consumer-focused sensing applications. We review the state of the art in printed organic electronic sensors, discuss the major issues to be resolved, and identify potential pathways to success for this dynamic and rapidly emerging field.
Fault Lines of International Legitimacy: From Berlin to Bonn to Baghdad: A Space for Infinite Justice

This Article examines how legitimacy is sought in contemporary approaches to international engagement through proposed legal and normative distinctions between military offensives and humanitarian intervention. Production of legitimacy through the concept of humanitarian intervention is often contrasted with the imperial interventions. Thus, concepts such as "humanitarian intervention," "cosmopolitan humanitarianism," and "the responsibility to protect" are championed by liberal internationalists, who seek ethical and legal foundations for military force addressing humanitarian concerns in contrast to imperial, military objectives. However, this article shows that humanitarianism functions not only in opposition, but also as a complement to militarism. It looks at how efforts to fortify the ramparts of humanitarianism against the grasp of imperial interventionists may prove futile. Indeed, looking back on the rise of humanitarian militarism over the last decade, important questions arise about humanitarians' own complicity in enabling the linkage between humanitarian and militarist arguments in some contexts, even as that linkage is resisted in others.
The Effect of Autologous Hamstring Graft Diameter on the Likelihood for Revision of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Background:Hamstring autografts for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) have become popular in the past 2 decades; however, it is difficult to predict the diameter of the harvested tendons before surgery. Previous biomechanical studies have suggested that a smaller graft diameter leads to a lower load to failure, but clinical studies looking at various predictors for failure, including graft size, have been inconclusive.Purpose:To evaluate the relationship of hamstring graft diameter to ACL revision within a large cohort of patients, while controlling for sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and femoral and tibial fixation type.Study Design:Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A case-control study using patients registered in an ACLR registry was conducted. Revision was used as a marker for graft failure. A case was defined as a patient who underwent primary ACLR with a hamstring autograft that was revised during the study period (April 2006 to September 2012). Three controls, d...
A Framework for Interactions of Fluids and Rigid Bodies with Arbitrary Motions

This paper presents a framework to study the interaction of a viscous uid and rigid bodies experiencing arbitrary motions. The rigid body motions can be either prescribed or determined by equations of motion. The ow eld is described by solving the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on overlapping grids. Arbitrary motions are conveniently represented by a series of composed transformation matrices. A moving overlapping grid method is used to handle the body motion, and the velocity and acceleration of a moving grid point can be computed using the transformation matrices. The framework is applied to study 2D and 3D moving body problems.
A Comprehensive Modeling of Piezoresistive Microcantilever Sensors Used in Piezoactive Materials Characterization

Micro-Cantilever Sensors (MCS) have caught a widespread attention during past couple of years for offering label free biodetection. Amongst many current MCS-based measurement platforms, piezoresistive MCS offer a great advantage over other types of MCS especially when compared with optical measurements where sample preparation and laser alignment and adjustment are serious limitations. In order to address the uncertainties and nonlinearities inherent in nanoscale, a comprehensive modeling of the system is required. In almost all of the studies targeting piezoresistive MCS, the system is modeled as a simple lumped-parameters system which does not describe all phenomena and dynamics of the system. In the first part of this study, a comprehensive distributed-parameters modeling is proposed for the piezoresistive MCS. A new method of excitation is developed and modeled through cantilever tip instead of the commonly used techniques such as base excitation or excitation through piezo-layers deposited over cantilever surface. In the second part of this study, a comprehensive distributed-parameters modeling is proposed for the piezoresistive MCS-based force microscopy in contact with a piezoelectric sample. The output voltage of the piezoresistive layer is determined and utilized as a function of cantilever deflection through a piezoresistive modeling framework. Extensive numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the modeling framework presented here.© 2011 ASME
Reopening of a Remote Tidal Inlet Increases Recruitment of Estuarine-Dependent Nekton

Cedar Bayou, a natural tidal inlet, was recently dredged to allow for direct water exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and Mesquite Bay, TX, USA. We quantified changes in densities of juvenile nekton (fish, shrimps, and crabs) and community structure in Mesquite Bay after Cedar Bayou was reopened by collecting samples at both control and impact sites using an epibenthic sled 1 year before (October 2013–April 2014) and after (October 2014–April 2015) opening. Significantly higher densities of total nekton were observed at the impact sites after opening using a before-after control-impact design. Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), Atlantic Croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), post-larval penaeid shrimps (Farfantepenaeus aztecus, F. duorarum, and Litopenaeus setiferus), and Blue Crabs (Callinectes sapidus) were significantly more abundant at impact sites after Cedar Bayou was opened. Multivariate analysis showed a significant change in impact site communities after opening and was driven by an increased presence of estuarine-dependent species. Overall, this study demonstrates that opening tidal inlets, such as Cedar Bayou, and reconnecting Mesquite Bay to the Gulf of Mexico increased the presence of numerous estuarine-dependent species, many of which were not present or occurred at very low densities prior to reopening. Thus, reestablishing the historical connectivity between a productive estuary and the open Gulf of Mexico via Cedar Bayou should reinstitute natural nekton recruitment processes important to the Aransas, Mesquite, and San Antonio Bay regions.
A segregated explicit algebraic structure-based model for wall-bounded turbulent flows

Abstract The Algebraic Structure-based Model (ASBM) is an engineering model of turbulence that incorporates information about the morphology of turbulent structures, and thus characterizes additional turbulence information beyond what is provided solely by the Reynolds stresses. In this work, a new formulation of the ASBM is developed that exhibits three defining characteristics. The first is a near-wall correction segregated from the homogeneous component of the model, which allows for a new paradigm for model development and comparison. The second characteristic is a set of fully-explicit equations that replace the original implicit formulation and make evident the highly nonlinear nature of the model. Finally, the last defining characteristic is based on the coupling of the ASBM with turbulent transport equations that provide the required turbulent scales. Using arguments of consistency, stability, and accuracy we arrive at a model that uses transport equations for k and ϵ. The resulting model is simpler to implement, more robust, and amenable to further development. The analysis of the new ASBM formulation is carried out by computing fully-developed channel, pipe and squared duct flows.
The Problem of Personality in the Social World

Of the translation of the Bible he commissioned, King James said that “it was loved in its doing, beautifully done, to be cherished forever.” This translation of two manuscripts of Alfred Schutz’s “The Problem of Personality in the Social World” was certainly “loved in its doing.” Whether it is “beautifully done,” or whether it will be “cherished forever,” are not questions to be decided by the translators. Translations, of course, are never fi nished. They are always ongoing for each generation of readers which has its own “doing”. It is appropriate, then, that the translators of the present work remain anonymous, leaving room for other generations, other “doings.” Alfred Schutz wrote the two manuscripts in the Summers of 1936 and 1937. The translation is made from the manuscripts as edited and published in Alfred Schutz, Werkausgabe, Volume V.I, Theorie der Lebenswelt, edited by Martin Endress and Ilja Srubar, Konstanz: UVK Verlagsgesellschaft, 2003. 1 It has not been the purpose of the translators, however, to provide in English a variorum or critical edition of the German original of Schutz, which was the task of the German editors. Instead it was the task of the translators to provide a complete reading, and readable text in English of Schutz’s 1936 and 1937 manuscripts. The Problem of Personality in the Social World
Nutritional support in the injured patient.

After injury, the stress reaction causes hypermetabolism and consequent depletion of the body’s tissues. Nutritional support should be begun early and should be given by the enteral route if possible. New developments may allow the modulation of the stress and immune responses by nutrient therapy.
Royal religious beneficence in pre-modern India: social and political implications

The aim of the paper is to understand the role of royal charitable gifts or dāna in the background of Hindu religious ideology of dharma, temple urbanism and political power in pre-modern South India. It examines the phenomena of large royal charities between the 14th and 16th centuries ACE under the Vijayanagar kings in the capital city of Vijayanagar (modern Hampi). The temple cities in the capital city owed their wealth largely to royal benefaction which was a continuation of Hindu religious tradition from ancient times. Drawing on iconographical, inscriptional and literary sources the paper explores the symbolic and religious values of benevolence which can shed light on temple patronage and Vijayanagar kingship. With the help of artistic and historical evidences, it provides a glimpse into the workings of mahādānas (large gifts) and relationship between the palace, bazaar and the temple. Through the mechanism of ritual gifting as an intrinsic aspect of ‘dharmic’ kingship, the Vijayanagar kings were able to maintain a complex set of interrelationships and networks of power. The institutionalization of traditional system of gifting, represented in official architecture and visual imagery reflects the dyanamism of a complex system of royal gifting that played an important role in the maintenance of religious and political power.
Region-specific role for Pten in maintenance of epithelial phenotype and integrity.

Previous studies have demonstrated resistance to naphthalene-induced injury in proximal airways of mice with lung epithelial-specific deletion of the tumor-suppressor gene Pten, attributed to incre...
REFRACTIVE INDEX AND EQUATION OF STATE OF A SHOCK-COMPRESSED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ZINC CHLORIDE

Velocity interferometer measurements have yielded refractive index and Hugoniot equation-of-state data for a 9.1-molar aqueous solution of zinc chloride which was shock-compressed to initial stresses ranging from 2.2 to 24.1 GPa in a series of plate-impact experiments. The Hugoniot data are accurately described by a linear variation of shock velocity with particle velocity. The optical data verify sustained solution transparency over the investigated range of shock stresses, and provide a calibration of the correction which must be applied to interferometer measurements to account for the stress-induced change in refractive index of the material. Refractive index data derived from the measured particle velocity corrections exhibit a departure from predictions based on the Gladstone-Dale relation.
Aspirin's Benefits Were Previously Underestimated and Are Primarily Accrued in the Acute Setting.

Urgent management of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke within 24 hours of symptom onset can reduce the 3-month risk of stroke by ≤80%.1,2 This risk had been previously estimated at 10% to 12% or more based on data from the 1990s and early 2000s,3,4 but more recent data suggest that this risk may now be <3%.1,2,5 Guidelines recommend urgent assessment and treatment, including risk factor control, carotid endarterectomy or stenting, and immediate oral anticoagulation for documented atrial fibrillation or aspirin therapy for most other cases.6–9 Because the risk of recurrent stroke is highest in the first few days,3,4 urgent TIA clinics, such as those reported in the SOS-TIA (SOS-Transient Ischemic Attack) or EXPRESS studies (Early Use of Existing Preventive Strategies for Stroke),1,2 have used dual antiplatelet therapy in the acute setting based on meta-analyses of previous trials. In SOS-TIA,1 the referring physician was instructed by telephone to immediately initiate a 300 mg loading dose of aspirin even before the initial evaluation or hospital admission and before any brain imaging. Whether this immediate empirical antiplatelet regimen partly explains the low recurrence rates observed in the SOS-TIA and EXPRESS studies is not clear because no randomized trial has yet validated this approach for TIA and minor ischemic stroke. In a recent issue of The Lancet , Rothwell et al10 report the results of a new meta-analysis of 12 randomized controlled trials of aspirin versus control for TIA or minor stroke that was focused on the time course of benefit from aspirin therapy. While the overall benefits of aspirin for secondary stroke prevention are well-established, …
Performance of a Small Spark-Ignited Internal Combustion Engine on Producer Gas from Rice Hulls

The performance of a small single cylinder spark ignited internal combustion engine is detailed for operation on producer gas generated from a static bed rice hull gasifier. The development of batch and alternating-batch reactor systems employing moving reaction fronts in stationary fuel beds has provided a means of generating a fuel gas of reasonably stable quality influenced only slightly by the position of the reaction front in the bed and by the speed of the engine and the concomitant change in air flowrate resulting from the varying displacement rate of the engine. Performance of stock (unmodified) L-head engines of 206 cc displacement and 6.2 compression ratio has been tested extensively on both gasoline and producer gas fuels at speeds up to 3600 rpm. Derating is substantial but adequately modeled by charge energy derating and derating of mechanical efficiency based on correlations of friction power with engine speed. Maximum brake power at optimal spark advance when fueled with producer gas is 40 to 45% that of the engine fueled with gasoline, and of the same order as the relative air capacity of the engine. Indicated thermal efficiency of the engine is nearly the same for both fuels, if not marginally elevated for producer gas. Preliminary data on the effect of increased compression ratio shows an anticipated elevation in brake power up to 7.3 compression ratio, but a decline in brake power beyond this to 8.2 compression ratio. The cause of the decline beyond 7.3 compression ratio is not yet known, but believed to be related to the shape of the combustion chamber as modified to reduce the clearance volume of the cylinder.