cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An environmental decision model for dynamic planning

Abstract In the complex, rapidly changing environment facing the modern business enterprise, it has become increasingly difficult to make meaningful predictions concerning future activities. As such, it is especially important for the decision maker to seek means of gathering and evaluating information. Due to the immense amounts of subjective data, the need arises for the development of valid techniques for identifying and quantifying relevant information. Writers in the area of organization theory have emphasized the importance of the relationship between and organization and processes occurring within its environment to the extent that these environmental processes and their impact are considered vital to the ultimate survival of the firm. The Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) is an analytical process upon which simulation models can be developed to examine the effect of more sophisticated information processing. The GERT technique serves as an input to decision making and for purposes of analysis will be studied under conditions of the disturbed reactive environment. The essential method upon which this study is based is the development of a model designed to capture the characteristics of the environment. The model in turn is tested under various conditions and changing sets of information to arrive at some idea of the possible implications for decision making under a situation affected by more and different information usage.
Control of Thermal Deformations of Spherical Mirror Segment

Control of thermal deformations of a thin hexagonal spherical mirror segment using discrete and distributed actuators is presented. To determine the effectiveness of the actuators in controlling the thermal deformations of the mirror segment, a comparative study is conducted using two different models of the mirror‐ actuator system: 1) the mirror mounted on kinematic supports and controlled by piezoelectric strips bonded to the rear surface of themirrorand 2 )themirrormounted on force actuators, which are used to supportthemirroraswell as to control the surface deformations of the mirror. The performance of evenly distributed strips and that of strips placed at near-optimal locations obtained using heuristic integer programming are also compared. Both the force actuators and the piezoelectric strips are found to be equally effective in controlling the surface deformations of the mirror. A major drawback of the force actuators is the increase in the overall weight of the system, which is undesirable for space applications. On the other hand, the piezoelectric strips are very lightweight, and hence a large number of such strips can be used to control the surface distortions of the mirror, without imposing a weight penalty. The piezoelectric strips appear to be promising candidates for static shape control of e exible structures in space. Nomenclature b = side of graphite/epoxy plate, m d33 = piezoelectric strain constant, m/V E = root mean square error of the mirror surface distortions f j = control inputs (force applied to the force actuators or the voltage applied to the piezoelectric strips ) h = thickness of graphite/epoxy plate, m m = number of nodes of the e nite element model n = number of force actuators or piezoelectric strips u = correction to the transverse displacement W = middee ection of graphite/epoxy plate, m a ij = ine uence coefe cients w = deformed shape (transverse displacement) of the mirror
Identifying situational predictors of police shootings using multivariate analysis

Prior research on the police decision to use deadly force has tended to neglect multivariate relationships, particularly at the situational level. This paper makes use of data describing deadly force incidents in Philadelphia during two time periods (1970‐1978 and 1987‐1992) and employs multivariate analyses to identify situational predictors of police shootings involving gun‐assaultive suspects. Findings from the multivariate analyses are then used in a pilot effort to develop predictive risk classifications of deadly force incidents. Identification of predictors of deadly force is helpful not only in assessing the relative contributions of situational variables but also in shaping our understanding of the behavior of line officers who are forced, by the nature of their work, to make split‐second decisions involving life and liberty with minimal guidance and support from the police department.
Binds and bounds of communion: effects of interpersonal values on assumed similarity of self and others.

Assumed similarity refers to ascribing similar attributes to the self and others. Because self–other similarity facilitates communion, people who value communion should be prone to assume self–other similarity; but because self–other similarity also evokes obligation, they may be prone to assume similarity only with others with whom they are or would feel comfortable being interconnected. We tested these hypotheses in 5 studies (total N 1,709). In Study 1, students indicated their political preferences and estimated other students’ preferences. In Studies 2–5, students described their personality and the personalities of the following targets: actual or imagined romantic partners in Study 2; ingroup members (students from the respondents’ university) and outgroup members (students from a foreign university) in Studies 3–4; and specific liked and disliked others in Study 5. As hypothesized, people with stronger communal values were more likely to assume self–other similarity with liked others, romantic partners, and ingroup members, but not with disliked others and outgroup members. These effects replicated across different cultures (India, Korea, and the United States) and remained significant when controlling for self-esteem, national identification, and attribute desirability. Although people who valued communion tended to depict themselves and liked and ingroup others in relatively normative (typical) ways, which partially explained assumptions of similarity and indicated that those assumptions were to some extent accurate, communal values continued to predict distinctive self–other similarity or “false consensus” even after controlling for the normative prevalence of attributes.
A Time-Slicing Ring Oscillator for Capturing Instantaneous Delay Degradation and Power Supply Voltage Drop

A time-slicing ring oscillator (TSRO) which captures dynamic delay degradation due to instantaneous voltage drop on a power supply network is proposed. Voltage drop impact on delay is directly measured and time-domain effective voltage drop waveforms is also obtained. The TSRO consists of standard logic cells only hence fits almost anywhere in logic circuits for in-situ measurements. Measurement results of a test chip using 90-nm process successfully proved its concept.
Regulation of the development of the hepatic B cell compartment during Schistosoma mansoni infection.

During infection with the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni, Ab regulates hepatic inflammation, and local production of Ig in the liver appears to play a role in this process. Exploring the development of the B cell response during infection, we found that parasite-specific IgG1-secreting plasma cells appeared first in the hepatic and mesenteric lymph nodes (LNs) and then at later times in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. The LN B cell population peaked between weeks 10 and 12 of infection, and then contracted at a time that coincided with the expansion of the hepatic IgG1+ B cell compartment, suggesting that B cells migrate from LNs to liver. CXCL9 and -16 expression in the liver increased during the time frame of B cell recruitment. Expression of the CXCL16 receptor CXCR6 was increased on B cells within the hepatic LNs, but not the mesenteric LNs. CXCR3, the receptor for CXCL9, was broadly expressed on IgG1+ B cells in LNs and liver during infection. Increased hepatic expression of CXCL9 and -16 failed to occur if the IL-10R was blocked in vivo, an intervention associated with decreased liver B cell infiltration and the development of severe disease. Hepatic LN IgG1+ cells migrated toward CXCL9 and -16 in vitro and to the liver in a pertussis toxin–sensitive fashion. Our data suggest that the coordinated expression of CXCL9 and -16 in the liver and of CXCR6 and CXCR3 on responding B cells within the hepatic LNs underpins establishment of the hepatic B cell infiltrate during chronic schistosomiasis.
Why Do People Like Natural? Instrumental and Ideational Bases for the Naturalness Preference

Naturalness preference refers to the tendency to prefer natural things to otherwise equivalent unnatural alternatives. Previous research suggests that the naturalness preference is largely due to ideational reasons (moral or aesthetic appeals), rather than instrumental reasons (inferred functional superiority), because the natural and unnatural alternatives were specified as identical. The current studies showed that people do not always believe that natural and unnatural alternatives can be identical. Responses that in previous studies would have been interpreted as ideational-based naturalness preference were correlated with beliefs in instrumental advantages of natural products. We propose that instrumental and ideational reasons are closely connected, and instrumental beliefs may contribute to the “natural is better” heuristic. The financial consequence of naturalness preference was also demonstrated.
Opposing Activities Protect Against Age-Onset Proteotoxicity

Aberrant protein aggregation is a common feature of late-onset neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer9s disease, which is associated with the misassembly of the Aβ1-42 peptide. Aggregation-mediated Aβ1-42 toxicity was reduced in Caenorhabiditis elegans when aging was slowed by decreased insulin/insulin growth factor–1–like signaling (IIS). The downstream transcription factors, heat shock factor 1, and DAF-16 regulate opposing disaggregation and aggregation activities to promote cellular survival in response to constitutive toxic protein aggregation. Because the IIS pathway is central to the regulation of longevity and youthfulness in worms, flies, and mammals, these results suggest a mechanistic link between the aging process and aggregation-mediated proteotoxicity.
PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS: Comment on Sanders and Arluke's “If Lions Could Speak”

Ces deux articles exposent une controverse entre les AA. a propos de la communication entre l'homme et les animaux. Les questions soulevees concernent l'interpretation des comportements animaux en tant que « langage » . Quel est le plus grand anthropocentrisme : l'attitude qui consiste a denier aux animaux la possibilite d'un « langage » ou bien celle qui leur attribue ce langage selon des criteres qui ramenent inevitablement a l'humain ? Est-ce-que tout releve d'une manifestation de communication chez l'animal ? Le debat s'elargissant par moments a la communication en general, un audacieux parallele entre anthropocentrisme et androcentrisme est meme discute ! Ces interrogations soulevent en fait la question de l'interpretation et de l'attitude scientifique a adopter a l'egard de la communication avec les animaux
Polarized migration of lymphatic endothelial cells is critically dependent on podoplanin regulation of Cdc42

We have shown previously that T1α/podoplanin is required for capillary tube formation by human lung microvascular lymphatic endothelial cells (HMVEC-LLy) and that cells with decreased podoplanin expression fail to properly activate the small GTPase RhoA shortly after the beginning of the lymphangiogenic process. The objective of this study was to determine whether podoplanin regulates HMVEC-LLy migration and whether this regulation is via modulation of small GTPase activation. In analysis of scratch wound assays, we found that small interfering RNA (siRNA) depletion of podoplanin expression in HMVEC-LLy inhibits VEGF-induced microtubule-organizing center (MTOC) and Golgi polarization and causes a dramatic reduction in directional migration compared with control siRNA-transfected cells. In addition, a striking redistribution of cortical actin to fiber networks across the cell body is observed in these cells, and, remarkably, it returns to control levels if the cells are cotransfected with a dominant-negative mutant of Cdc42. Moreover, cotransfection of a dominant-negative construct of Cdc42 into podoplanin knockdown HMVEC-LLy completely abrogated the effect of podoplanin deficiency, rescuing MTOC and Golgi polarization and cell migration to control level. Importantly, expression of constitutively active Cdc42 construct, like podoplanin knockdown, decreased RhoA-GTP level in HMVEC-LLy, demonstrating cross talk between both GTPases. Taken together, the results indicate that polarized migration of lymphatic endothelial cells in response to VEGF is mediated via a pathway of podoplanin regulation of small GTPase activities, in particular Cdc42.
Angiotensin II–dependent TGF-β signaling contributes to Loeys-Dietz syndrome vascular pathogenesis

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a connective tissue disorder that is characterized by a high risk for aneurysm and dissection throughout the arterial tree and phenotypically resembles Marfan syndrome. LDS is caused by heterozygous missense mutations in either TGF-β receptor gene (TGFBR1 or TGFBR2), which are predicted to result in diminished TGF-β signaling; however, aortic surgical samples from patients show evidence of paradoxically increased TGF-β signaling. We generated 2 knockin mouse strains with LDS mutations in either Tgfbr1 or Tgfbr2 and a transgenic mouse overexpressing mutant Tgfbr2. Knockin and transgenic mice, but not haploinsufficient animals, recapitulated the LDS phenotype. While heterozygous mutant cells had diminished signaling in response to exogenous TGF-β in vitro, they maintained normal levels of Smad2 phosphorylation under steady-state culture conditions, suggesting a chronic compensation. Analysis of TGF-β signaling in the aortic wall in vivo revealed progressive upregulation of Smad2 phosphorylation and TGF-β target gene output, which paralleled worsening of aneurysm pathology and coincided with upregulation of TGF-β1 ligand expression. Importantly, suppression of Smad2 phosphorylation and TGF-β1 expression correlated with the therapeutic efficacy of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist losartan. Together, these data suggest that increased TGF-β signaling contributes to postnatal aneurysm progression in LDS.
Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress

Plastic debris litters aquatic habitats globally, the majority of which is microscopic (< 1 mm) and is ingested by a large range of species. Risks associated with such small fragments come from the material itself and from chemical pollutants that sorb to it from surrounding water. Hazards associated with the complex mixture of plastic and accumulated pollutants are largely unknown. Here, we show that fish, exposed to a mixture of polyethylene with chemical pollutants sorbed from the marine environment, bioaccumulate these chemical pollutants and suffer liver toxicity and pathology. Fish fed virgin polyethylene fragments also show signs of stress, although less severe than fish fed marine polyethylene fragments. We provide baseline information regarding the bioaccumulation of chemicals and associated health effects from plastic ingestion in fish and demonstrate that future assessments should consider the complex mixture of the plastic material and their associated chemical pollutants.
Reliability of sleep measures.

Abstract : The reliability of sleep measures was calculated over two nights (and within the nights) for twenty young adult males. Percent time in stages 1, 2, 3, and 4, percent movement time, number of movements, and number of stage changes were significantly correlated between subjects over nights. The percent REM time and REM cycle duration were not significantly correlated over nights. Within subjects, the length of the REM period had a significant negative correlation with the length of the preceding NREM period but not with the following NREM period. These data raise questions as to the use of the standard sleep measures as a reliable human traits in young male adults.
Nocturnal oxytocin secretion is lower in amenorrheic athletes than nonathletes and associated with bone microarchitecture and finite element analysis parameters.

Objective Preclinical data indicate that oxytocin, a hormone produced in the hypothalamus and secreted into the peripheral circulation, is anabolic to bone. Oxytocin knockout mice have severe osteoporosis, and administration of oxytocin improves bone microarchitecture in these mice. Data suggest that exercise may modify oxytocin secretion, but this has not been studied in athletes in relation to bone. We therefore investigated oxytocin secretion and its association with bone microarchitecture and strength in young female athletes.
Feasibility of using ultrasound phased arrays for MRI monitored noninvasive surgery

The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the in vivo feasibility of using phased arrays for MRI guided ultrasound surgery. Two different array concepts were investigated: a spherically curved concentric ring array to move the focus along the central axis and a spherically curved 16 square element array to make the focus larger. Rabbit thigh muscles were exposed in vivo in a 1.5 T MRI scanner to evaluate the array performance. The results showed that both of the arrays performed as expected, and the focus could be moved and enlarged. In addition, adequate power could be delivered from the arrays to necrose in vivo muscle tissue in 10 s. This study was the first implementation of phased arrays for MRI guided ultrasound surgery. The results demonstrate that phased arrays have significant potential for noninvasive tissue coagulation.
Consumption of folate-related nutrients and metabolism of arsenic in Bangladesh

Background Inorganic arsenic (InAs) is metabolized to monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and this methylation facilitates urinary arsenic excretion. Previous studies suggest that persons with more complete methylation, characterized as greater proportions of DMA and lesser proportions of MMA and InAs in urine, have a lower risk of adverse arsenic-related health outcomes. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether the capacity to methylate arsenic differs by nutrient intake. Design Participants were 1016 Bangladeshi adults exposed to arsenic in drinking water. Nutrient intake was assessed with a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Multivariate regression analyses were used to examine associations of nutrients with urinary arsenic metabolite profiles. Results In multivariate analyses, higher intakes of cysteine, methionine, calcium, protein, and vitamin B-12 were associated with lower percentages of InAs and higher ratios of MMA to InAs in urine. Higher intakes of niacin (beta=0.22, P=0.02) and choline (beta=0.10, P=0.02) were associated with higher DMA-to-MMA ratios, after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, total urinary arsenic, and total energy intake. Conclusions Findings from the current study show the influence of multiple nutrients on arsenic methylation. In particular, this study highlights the potential importance of dietary intakes of cysteine, methionine, niacin, vitamin B-12, and choline on health effects of arsenic by modulating its metabolism.
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen relationships in forest litter as affected by nitrogen deposition.

Abstract Dissolved forms of carbon and nitrogen have become recognized for their importance in forest nutrient cycling. The role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as an energy source for microbial metabolism is of particular interest. A laboratory decomposition experiment was conducted to examine the relationship between potential increased N inputs (via acid deposition) and DOC production in the forest litter layer and subsequent effects on DOC availability in the forest floor. Air-dried leaf litter (seven species) was treated with nitrogen (nitrate or ammonium) or deionized (DI) water at weekly intervals throughout 15 weeks and leached with DI water at 1 or 2 week intervals. Leachate was analyzed for DOC, inorganic nitrogen (NO 3 − -N and NH 4 + -N) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON). Litter was analyzed for percent C, percent N, weight loss and percent cellulose and lignin. Nitrogen treatments did not greatly affect DOC concentrations in litter leachate. Differences in DOC concentrations were primarily due to a wide range of initial litter chemistries, where species with high extractives and low lignin had the highest DOC leachate concentrations. Nitrogen treated samples showed greater weight loss than controls although nitrate and ammonium treatments were not significantly different. Between 6 and 39% of total carbon loss was leached as DOC. These findings suggest that different forest types could vary greatly in the quantity of carbon consumed or released and that nitrogen inputs appear to affect this overall cycle by increasing respiration (as measured by weight loss), rather than increasing DOC release into the soil solution. Further examination of the fate of DOC as it moves down in the soil profile and measurements of CO 2 evolution during laboratory decomposition, are necessary to better understand these processes.
Heterogeneous limb vascular responsiveness to shear stimuli during dynamic exercise in humans

Arm and leg vascular responsiveness to comparable shear stimuli during isolated dynamic exercise has not been assessed in humans. Consequently, six young cyclists performed incremental, intermitten...
Childhood tuberculosis in the Bronx, New York

The resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) in New York City in the period 1978-92 has been closely linked to the AIDS epidemic but the increase of active TB in areas of urban poverty also implies increased community exposure. We have examined the ecological relation between community rates of AIDS and residential crowding and cases of active TB in Bronx children under age 5. Residential crowding was defined as the percent of households with more than 1 person per room. All childhood TB cases reported between 1986 and 1992 for the Bronx (n = 75) were included. Cumulative AIDS mortality rates for adult females through 1990 represented community HIV burden. All data were coded by the 64 health areas of the borough. We examined trends in these data and used Poisson regression to model the effect of HIV burden and residential crowding on TB risk. For the Bronx as a whole the two variables of TB and residential crowding showed a clear temporal correspondence for the period 1970-90. Residential crowding was associated with poverty and greater dependence on public assistance, large household size, Hispanic ethnicity, and a higher proportion of young children. The overall TB case rate increased with the proportion of crowded households, with a rise from 1.47 to over 8 cases per 10,000 children as the proportion of crowded households increased. At both the lowest and highest levels of AIDS mortality in these areas, the childhood TB risk increased as crowding increased. Children living in areas of the Bronx in which over 12 percent of homes are severely overcrowded were 5.6-fold more likely to develop active TB, even after holding constant the presumed HIV burden in each local community. While HIV infection, the newest risk factor for TB, appears to play a critical role in the resurgent epidemic, our findings show that the earliest known TB risk factors, poverty and household crowding, are still potent forces.
Power M-Mode Transcranial Doppler Examination of the Ophthalmic Artery in Pregnancy Standard Operating Procedure and Review of the Literature

Our aim was to describe the standard operating procedure for transcranial Doppler investigation of the ophthalmic artery in pregnancy, determine the interobserver and intraobserver variability using power M-mode technology, and review the existing literature. Accordingly, 27 healthy pregnant or immediately postpartum women were enrolled and underwent transcranial Doppler investigation of the ophthalmic artery using power M-mode technology. Good interobserver and intraobserver variability was observed for both, especially with respect to the clinically important indices. Transcranial Doppler power M-mode examination of the ophthalmic artery is easy and reproducible and holds a great deal of potential for investigation in pregnancy.
Performance Comparison between MIPv6 and SEMO6

Internet mobility protocols are designed to support handover between different wireless networks. Many of them, such as Mobile IPv6, suffer problems such as high handover latency, high packet overhead, high packet loss during handoff, requirement for infrastructure change, etc. To solve these problems, SEamless MObility using SHIM6 (SEMO6), a multihoming based mobility protocol framework for host mobility, has been proposed. The goal of this paper is to experimentally validate that SEMO6 can perform better than MIPv6. We show that SEMO6 can improve the performance of applications in IP-based mobile networks.
Effects of Aging on Inflammation and Hemostasis through the Continuum of Critical Illness

Older age has long been associated with altered inflammation and hemostasis regulation. Emerging evidence suggests that age-related differences in inflammation and hemostasis abnormalities may play a role in the development of and long-term outcomes after critical illness. A better understanding of underlying mechanisms may provide new possibilities for therapeutic interventions. In this review, we will examine how age-related differences in inflammatory and coagulation responses are affected through the continuum of healthy state, before infection occurs, to severe sepsis and recovery.
Direct estimation of the cost effectiveness of tornado shelters.

This article estimates the cost effectiveness of tornado shelters using the annual probability of a tornado and new data on fatalities per building struck by a tornado. This approach differs from recent estimates of the cost effectiveness of tornado shelters in Reference 1 that use historical casualties. Historical casualties combine both tornado risk and resident action. If residents of tornado-prone states take greater precautions, observed fatalities might not be much higher than in states with lower risk. Estimation using the tornado probability avoids this potential bias. Despite the very different method used, the estimates are $68 million in permanent homes and $6.0 in mobile homes in Oklahoma using a 3% real discount rate, within about 10% of estimates based on historical fatalities. The findings suggest that shelters provide cost-effective protection for mobile homes in the most tornado-prone states but not for permanent homes.
Chronic stress alters dendritic morphology in rat medial prefrontal cortex

Chronic stress produces deficits in cognition accompanied by alterations in neural chemistry and morphology. Medial prefrontal cortex is a target for glucocorticoids involved in the stress response. We have previously demonstrated that 3 weeks of daily corticosterone injections result in dendritic reorganization in pyramidal neurons in layer II-III of medial prefrontal cortex. To determine if similar morphological changes occur in response to chronic stress, we assessed the effects of daily restraint stress on dendritic morphology in medial prefrontal cortex. Male rats were exposed to either 3 h of restraint stress daily for 3 weeks or left unhandled except for weighing during this period. On the last day of restraint, animals were overdosed and brains were stained using a Golgi-Cox procedure. Pyramidal neurons in lamina II-III of medial prefrontal cortex were drawn in three dimensions, and the morphology of apical and basilar arbors was quantified. Sholl analyses demonstrated a significant alteration of apical dendrites in stressed animals: overall, the number and length of apical dendritic branches was reduced by 18 and 32%, respectively. The reduction in apical dendritic arbor was restricted to distal and higher-order branches, and may reflect atrophy of terminal branches: terminal branch number and length were reduced by 19 and 35%. On the other hand, basilar dendrites were not affected. This pattern of dendritic reorganization is similar to that seen after daily corticosterone injections. This reorganization likely reflects functional changes in prefrontal cortex and may contribute to stress-induced changes in cognition.
Giant magnetoresistance and anomalous Hall effect in Co-Ag and Fe-Cu, Ag, Au, Pt granular alloys

Magnetotransport and magnetic properties are studied in Co-Ag and Fe-Cu, Ag, Au, Pt alloys. In every system except Fe-Pt, giant magnetoresistance (GMR) is observed. The GMR effect is characterized as the volume fraction of the magnetic particles and the particle size are varied. Anomalous Hall effects are observed, and other transport parameters obtained in these systems are presented. >
Threats to the Forest Transition in the Midwest United States

South-Central Indiana (Midwest United States) has experienced dramatic land cover change over the last two centuries. In fact, Indiana experienced the most dramatic deforestation of any state in the United States with the exception of Ohio. Forest cover prior to major European-based settlement was 85% (circa 1800) and declined to ∼17% by the start of the twentieth century. Since this period of peak deforestation, south-central Indiana has experienced slow but steady reforestation. Notably, this forest recovery occurred during a period of population increase in many counties and much of this reforestation occurred in gaps between existing forest patches resulting in an overall decrease in forest fragmentation in many areas. Despite the trajectory of reforestation observed during the twentieth century, there are a number of potential driving forces that may move the state from a trajectory of net reforestation to one of deforestation in the near future. In this chapter, we examine these land change processes at multiple spatial scales of analysis to highlight the disparate factors that collectively contribute to the reforestation process and prospects for future land cover changes.
Analysis of the open source industrial network solutions based on Ethernet technology

There are many varieties of Ethernet in the industry and beyond it. Thanks to integration in microcontrollers of Ethernet interfaces networking for devices of industrial automation became more and more universal. This paper shows how popular industrial networks such as EtherNet/IP, Ethernet Powerlink, EtherCAT, SERCOS III, utilize the full or modified standard Ethernet for the execution of the tasks in real time and compares the applied solution.
Two-laser mid-infrared and ultraviolet matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization

Abstract Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) was performed using two-pulsed lasers with wavelengths in the infrared and ultraviolet regions. A 2.94 μm pulsed optical parametric oscillator laser system and a 337 nm pulsed nitrogen laser irradiated the same spot on the sample target. Sinapinic acid (SA), 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB), α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CCA), and 4-nitroaniline (NA) were used as matrices, and bovine insulin and cytochrome C were used as analytes. The laser energy was adjusted so that one-laser MALDI and LDI was at a minimum and the matrix and analyte ion signal was enhanced when the two lasers were fired together. Two-laser LDI was observed with SA, DHB, and NA matrices and two-laser MALDI was observed with SA and DHB. Plots of ion signal as a function of delay between the IR and UV lasers show two-laser signal from 0 ns up to a delay of 500 ns when the IR laser is fired before the UV laser. The results are interpreted in terms of IR laser heating of the target that leads to an enhancement in UV LDI and MALDI.
Economic Darwinism Versus Gresham’s Law in the “Development” of Monetary Theory

Economists generally assume that economic Darwinism ensures survival of the fittest economic theories. This assumption may be valid in microeconomic value theory, where limitation of the variables by the ceteris paribus assumption reduces the relevant inferences to the inexorability of mathematical logic. In macroeconomics, which, by contrast, must deal with the ceteris that do not remain paribus, such isolation of variables and simplification of analysis is impossible, In the more realistic, complex, and less manageable world of macroeconomics, Gresham’s Law may prevail over Darwin’s. Bad monetary theories may drive out the good.
Type 2 Immunity and Metabolism

Immunity and metabolism serve two disparate primordial functions; however, millennia of enforced cooperation and coordination have resulted in their mutual integration, with both now indispensable to the function of the other. Immune responses direct metabolic programs at the cellular, tissue, and systemic levels, while metabolic programs not only provision but also influence and even, at times, initiate immune responses. Moreover, this relationship is highly stylized, with type 1 and type 2 immune responses closely linked with glycolytic and oxidative metabolic programs, respectively, across most physiologic contexts. Importantly, recognition of this comingled nature has opened new therapeutic avenues by which both immune and metabolic processes may be influenced by manipulations targeting either program. Indeed, such approaches have already demonstrated encouraging preclinical and early clinical results and promise to improve disease outcomes.
The role and influence of key informants in community-engaged research: A critical perspective:

With the national emphasis on engaged and action research approaches to enhance research with communities and improve research translation, conventional social science and health researchers will b...
Acid-binding capacity of dialyzed mucin fractions from human gastric juice.

Summary and ConclusionsElectrometric titration of dialyzed visible gastric mucus recovered directly from the stomach of a man with a large gastric fistula and an occluded esophagus revealed an acid binding capacity, if calculated per gram of the dry substance, far smaller than that reported for undialyzed human or animal mucus; the acid binding capacity for mucoproteose and mucoprotein dissolved in gastric juice was even smaller than that for visible mucus. This suggests that dialyzable materials including mineral bases are chiefly responsible for the alkalinity of gastric mucus and the buffering of the HCl of the stomach. The total buffering capacity of mucous substances dissolved in gastric juice ranges from 10.3 ± 3.5 to 1.2 ± 0.4% of the free acid present depending upon the rate of acid and mucin secretion prevailing at the time. It is emphasized that this study has concerned dialyzed and refined mucous substances in the gastric juice. These experiments do not bear upon the ability of the visible gast...
Speech Analysis Techniques for Detecting Stress

While attempts to assess the level of stress present in an individual by analyzing his speech have shown some success, current methodology is best described as being capable of determining whether a talker is presently experiencing either minimum or maximum stress. For example, Jones (1990) found that, for those extremes of stress, both the increase in speaking fundamental frequency and the decrease in vocal jitter were statistically significant. Neither measure, however, was capable of distinguishing any intervening levels. Researchers continue searching for acoustic measures that might more precisely indicate ongoing changes in stress to establish a metric capable of more than simply differentiating between the two extremes. The objective is to distinguish among several levels of stress or to furnish a continuous, concurrent estimate of the talker's state. Two main components are considered for improving the estimation of a talker's actual stress level: 1) refinements in the acquisition of signals and t...
Soil Animals Attacking Sugar Cane

A survey of the sugar-cane fields of Louisiana showed the number of soil animals and root injury to be greatest on heavy soils. The most numerous of the injurious species in sugar-cane fields was Hanseniella unguiculata Bagnall, with Onychiurus armatus Tull., Japyx sp., Lepidocyrtus violentus Fols., and Zonitoides arboreus Say following in the order named. After extermination of soil animals normal numbers were reached again in two years.
Immunological relationships of serum alpha-macroglobulins in the human, rat, and rabbit.

SummaryRabbit serum contains two immunologically distinct α-macroglobulins, α1M and α2M, while only an α2M has been described in human serum. Rat serum contains an α2M which, like rabbit α1M, increases in acute inflammation. Antisera to these macroglobulins cross-react with serum proteins in different species. Using such antisera, we have shown: (i) rabbit α1M corresponds to human α2M and to a normal protein in the rat; (ii) the α2M that appears in rat serum in relatively large amounts during acute inflammation is antigenically related, but not identical, to a protein present in normal rats, which is homologous to rabbit α1M and to human α2M; (iii) rabbit α2M is antigenically related to a protein in the rat which does not increase during acute inflammation; (iv) rabbit α2M has no homologue in human serum that has as yet been identified.
Jamming Issues Against PD Radar

The paper at first decribes the principles of the PD radar,then discusses the compress factor needed to accomplish noise jamming against PD radar and gives the jamming signal characteristics needed to deceive PD radar. The obtained results can be used in the jamming signal mode design and the parameter select of the jamming signal of the design of PD radar jammer.
Processing of baculovirus late and very late mRNAs

Baculoviruses encode a DNA-directed RNA polymerase that is evolutionarily divergent from cellular polymerases. This RNA polymerase is a multifunctional complex that has the ability to recognize late promoters, transcribe linked genes, and process transcripts at both the 5′ and 3′ ends. The LEF-4 subunit of the viral RNA polymerase is the mRNA capping enzyme, with both RNA triphosphatase and guanylyltransferase activities. Conversion to cap 1 structures is mediated by the viral enzyme MTase1 and another as yet unidentified methyltransferase. Termination is an intrinsic property of the viral RNA polymerase and occurs at oligoU rich sequences. Polyadenylation of the released transcripts is also a function of the viral RNA polymerase. Thus, although viral mRNAs resemble host messages with respect to their 5′ and 3′ end structures, the processing is mediated by viral enzymes and, in the case of the 3′ ends, by mechanisms that differ from the host cell.
Active Listening in the Medical Interview

The active listening technique is useful in problem areas of medical interviewing. Several examples of physician-patient exchanges are given, with comments.
Early Efforts By Medicare Accountable Care Organizations Have Limited Effect On Mental Illness Care And Management.

People with mental illness use more health care and have worse outcomes than those without such illnesses. In response to incentives to reduce spending, accountable care organizations (ACOs) may therefore attempt to improve their management of mental illness. We examined changes in mental health spending, utilization, and quality measures associated with ACO contracts in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and Pioneer model for beneficiaries with mental illness, using Medicare claims for the period 2008–13 and difference-in-differences comparisons with local non-ACO providers. Pioneer contracts were associated with lower spending on mental health admissions in the first year of the contract, an effect that was attenuated in the second year. Otherwise, ACO contracts were associated with no changes in mental health spending or readmissions, outpatient follow-up after mental health admissions, rates of depression diagnosis, or mental health status. These results suggest that ACOs have not yet focused on ment...
Drug-induced cognitive impairment: Effect of cardiovascular agents.

Abstract Introduction: Cardiovascular agents can be associated with a negative effect on cognition, especially in older adults, critically ill people, and those with baseline cognitive impairment. Negative effect on cognition is commonly reported as uncomplicated acute confusion and delirium and, less commonly, chronic cognitive changes due to drug-induced depression and/or dementia. Methods: A literature review of case reports, case series, prospective cohort studies, clinical trials, and literature reviews were included in this study. Articles were located using online databases PubMed and Medline using the following keywords: antiarrhythmic agents, anticholinergic burden, antihypertensive agents, beta-blockers, cardiovascular agents, cognitive impairment, delirium, cognition, dementia, depression, digoxin, diuretics, and drug-induced cognitive impairment. Results: In general, use of all antihypertensives, especially in the case of polypharmacy or inappropriate dosing, can lead to hypotension and/or bra...
Community Setting‐Specific and Service‐Seeking Stigma toward Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Their Families

This study investigates the stigma associated with mental health service seeking and community settings among children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and their parents living in rural areas. Parents (n = 185) rated stigma toward children with EBD and their families in school contexts significantly higher than the other community settings, and they rated stigma related to the context of church significantly lower than the others, with neighborhood and workplace falling in between. Stigma in each of these settings was a significant predictor of perceived service-seeking stigma. These findings suggest the need for further examination of stigma toward children with EBD and their families in community settings and for additional research investigating service-seeking stigma and its relationship to service-seeking behavior and use.
A Longitudinal Model and Graphic for Benefit-risk Analysis, with Case Study:

A novel method for simultaneously visualizing beneft and risk over time is presented. The underlying model represents a subject’s beneft-risk state at a given time as one of fve discrete clinical states, one being premature study withdrawal. The new graphic uses colors to represent each subject’s changing state over the course of the clinical trial. The user can quickly grasp how a treatment affects subjects in aggregate, then further examine how individuals are affected. It is possible to tell whether the benefcial and harmful outcomes are correlated. The method is particularly appropriate for treatments that provide only symptomatic relief. An approved drug for chronic pain is presented as a worked example.
The Theatrical Movement of the Arabs

In the immense corpus of pre-19th-century Arabic literature, the only dramatic works extant are three shadow plays by Shams ad-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Dāniyāl (1248–1311), an oculist turned both popular and court entertainer. To explain this paucity, conjectures have been offered ranging from the contention that Islam (whose very name implies the total submission of man to the will of Cod) leaves no room for tragic conflict to the argument that Arabs remained attached to a literary ideal born in nomadism, whereas the theater can arise only in a settled community.
Crystal structure and spectroscopic characterization of a cobalt(II) tetraazamacrocycle: completing a series of first-row transition-metal complexes.

The tetraazamacrocyclic ligand 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetra-decane (TMC) has been used to bind a variety of first-row transition metals but to date the crystal structure of the cobalt(II) complex has been missing from this series. The missing cobalt complex chlorido(1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-κ^4N)cobalt(II) chloride dihydrate, [CoCl(C_(14)H_(32)N_4)]Cl·2H_2O or [Co^(II)Cl(TMC)]Cl·2H_2O, crystallizes as a purple crystal. This species adopts a distorted square-pyramidal geometry in which the TMC ligand assumes the trans-I configuration and the chloride ion binds in the syn-methyl pocket of the ligand. The Co^(II) ion adopts an S = 3/2 spin state, as measured by the Evans NMR method, and UV–visible spectroscopic studies indicate that the title hydrated salt is stable in solution. Density functional theory (DFT) studies reveal that the geometric parameters of [Co^(II)Cl(TMC)]Cl·2H_2O are sensitive to the cobalt spin state and correctly predict a change in spin state upon a minor perturbation to the ligand environment.
The impact of lidar detection sensitivity on assessing aerosol direct radiative effects

Spaceborne lidar observations have great potential to provide accurate global estimates of the aerosol direct radiative effect (DRE) in both clear and cloudy conditions. However, comparisons between observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite (CALIPSO) and multiple years of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program’s ground-based Raman lidars (RL) show that CALIPSO does not detect all radiatively significant aerosol, i.e. aerosol that directly modifies the Earth’s radiation budget. We estimated that using CALIPSO observations results in an underestimate of the magnitude of the global mean aerosol DRE by up to 54%. The ARM RL datasets along with NASA Langley airborne high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) data from multiple field campaigns are used to compute the detection sensitivity required to accurately resolve the aerosol DRE. This shows that a lidar with a backscatter coefficient detection sensitivity of about 1−2x10(exp -4)km(exp -1)sr(exp -1) at 532nm would resolve all the aerosol needed to derive the DRE to within 1%.
Reduced Mortality Risk in the Recent Era in Early-Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Treated With Radiation Therapy With or Without Chemotherapy.

Purpose To determine the effect of treatment changes over time on all-cause mortality risk in patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) after radiation therapy. The long-term survivorship of those with HL necessitates quantification of the late risk of mortality from HL and other causes. Methods and Materials An institutional review board–approved retrospective study was conducted using a multi-institutional database of 1541 stage I and II HL patients treated from 1968 to 2007 with radiation therapy alone or combined-modality treatment. The analytic methods included cumulative incidence function, Kaplan-Meier estimates and log-rank tests for overall survival (OS) differences, and Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results The median age at diagnosis was 27 years. At a median follow-up of 15.2 years (35% of patients with >20 years of follow-up), 395 patients had died of all causes, including 85 HL, 168 second malignancy (25 hematologic and 143 nonhematologic), 70 cardiovascular, and 21 pulmonary deaths. The cumulative incidence of non-HL mortality had surpassed HL mortality at 8.3 years. For patients treated from 1968 to 1982, 1983 to 1992, and 1993 to 2007, the 15-year OS rates were 78%, 85%, and 88%, respectively (P=.0016). On Cox proportional hazards analysis, age, B symptoms, and number of disease sites were significantly associated with all-cause mortality in the first decade of follow-up, with a trend toward significance for radiation field extent. Conclusions The all-cause mortality risk was significantly lower for patients treated in the most recent era during the first decade of follow-up, likely due to improved HL therapy resulting in a higher cure rate and lower treatment-related toxicity from smaller radiation fields. Current efforts toward radiation treatment reduction might further reduce the long-term mortality risk for these patients.