cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative safety of infliximab and etanercept on the risk of serious infections: does the association vary by patient characteristics?

Purpose Infliximab, a chimeric monoclonal anti-TNFα antibody, has been found to increase the risk of serious infections compared with the TNF receptor fusion protein etanercept in some studies. It is unclear whether the risk varies by patient characteristics. We conducted a study to address this question. Methods We identified members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who initiated infliximab (n = 793) or etanercept (n = 2692) in 1997–2007. Using a Cox model, we estimated the propensity-score-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of serious infections requiring hospitalization or opportunistic infections comparing infliximab initiators to etanercept initiators. We tested whether the adjusted HR differed by age, sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, and smoking status. Results The crude incidence rate of serious infections per 100 person-years was 5.4 (95%CI: 3.8, 7.5) in patients <65 years and 16.0 (95%CI: 10.4, 23.4) in patients ≥65 years during the first 3 months following treatment initiation. Compared with etanercept, the adjusted HR during this period was elevated for infliximab in patients <65 years (HR: 3.01; 95%CI: 1.49, 6.07), but not in those ≥65 years (HR 0.94; 95%CI: 0.41, 2.13). Findings did not suggest that the HR varied by the other patient characteristics examined. Conclusions An increased risk of serious infections associated with infliximab relative to etanercept did not appear to be modified by patients' sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index, or smoking status. There was an indication that the increased risk might be limited to patients <65 years. Additional studies are warranted to verify or refute this finding. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The "reverse Segond" fracture: association with a tear of the posterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus.

OBJECTIVE. We describe three patients who presented with radiographic findings of a fragment on the medial side of the tibial plateau of the knee that represented an avulsion of the deep portion of the medial collateral ligament. These findings were all associated with disruption of the posterior cruciate ligament and a peripheral medial meniscal tear—the so-called reverse Segond fracture.CONCLUSION. Avulsion fracture at the tibial insertion of the deep component of the medial collateral ligament is a rare finding. When this type of injury is diagnosed, the radiologist should consider posterior cruciate ligament injury and peripheral medial meniscal tears as possible associated findings.
Improved confinement in inertial electrostatic confinement for fusion space power reactors

Multiple improvements to the inertial-electrostatic-confinement (IEC) fusion concept are presented. Prior efforts have consisted of considerable theoretical effort and numerous ground experiments resulting in the fusion of D-D, D-T, and D- 3 He at rates on the order of 10 1 0 reactions per second. Theory developed in the paper shows that prior experiments, which observed a linear relationship between reaction rate and background pressure, were "confinement" limited. With improved ion confinement, the reaction rate and the pressure should decouple at high pressure where the beam-beam reactions are not yet dominant. Highly efficient beam-beam reaction rates are found to dominate the total reaction rate as ion lifetime is increased. The ion lifetime is limited mainly by collisions with background particles and by defocusing. The naturally low background pressure available in the space environment effectively eliminates background pressure as a constraint on ion lifetime, leaving defocusing as the main ion lifetime limiter. To improve ion confinement, multiple grids are introduced to produce focusing channels for ions. The other main loss mechanism is electrons streaming from the core region to the anode. An additional grid is placed within the cathode, providing a central trap for core electrons. Theory predicts that improvements in confinement should be verifiable using existing relatively high-pressure ground systems and the proposed experiment design is presented. The buildup of space charge in the focusing lenses is used to estimate improvements in confinement from < 10 passes to the order of 1000 passes, boosting the performance of IEC reactors by two orders of magnitude, yielding in the near term, a fast neutron source suitable for medical, security, research, and industrial applications. Further increases of confinement will enable net power production in reactors ideally suited for spacecraft power production as a result of low system mass in comparison to magnetic confinement fusion.
Real‐time imaging with a new ultrasonic camera: Part II, preliminary studies in normal adults

A new transmission ultrasound camera system has provided focused images in real time through the abdomen of adult volunteers at average incident sound intensity levels of less than 1 mW/cm-2. The camera uses a unique acousto-mechanical lens/deflection system and a linear array of piezoelectric transducers to detect the ultrasound image. BONY STRUCTURES AND COSTAL CARTILAGES WERE CLEARLY SEEN. The colon was regularly seen and the kidney could be outlined in several subjects. The stomach and duodenal bulb were demonstrated and peristalsis was observed using a barium contrast material. The camera has the potential of extending the use of ultrasound in clinical medicine by providing an ultrasound soft tissue imaging system analogous to an x-ray fluoroscope. The need for further clinical evaluation and research to improve the images is emphasized.
Glacier change (1958-1998) in the North Cascades National Park Complex, Washington, USA

The spatial characteristics for all glaciers in the North Cascades National Park Complex, USA, were estimated in 1958 and again in 1998. The total glacier area in 1958 was 117.3 � 1.1 km 2 ; by 1998 the glacier area had decreased to 109.1 � 1.1 km 2 , a reduction of 8.2 � 0.1 km 2 (7%). Estimated volume loss during the 40 year period was 0.8 � 0.1 km 3 of ice. This volume loss contributes up to 6% of the August-September stream-flow and equals 16% of the August-September precipitation. No significant correlations were found between magnitude of glacier shrinkage and topographic characteristics of elevation, aspect or slope. However, the smaller glaciers lost proportionally more area than the larger glaciers and had a greater variability in fractional change than larger glaciers. Most of the well-studied alpine glaciers are much larger than the population median, so global estimates of glacier shrinkage, based on these well-studied glaciers, probably underestimate the true magnitude of regional glacier change.
Hot-electron emission from semiconductors

This paper describes the emission of high-energy electrons from p-n junctions in silicon and silicon carbide. The distribution of emitting areas was studied by means of a fluorescent screen. It was proved that in silicon the emission pattern is closely related to the microplasma pattern in the junction and that electrons are emitted across the thin n-type surface layer. In silicon carbide this layer was too thick and only peripheral emission was observed. The relative merits of very shallow (100 A) silicon junctions and of silicon carbide junctions are discussed.
Implementing multidestination worms in switch-based parallel systems: architectural alternatives and their impact

Multidestination message passing has been proposed as an attractive mechanism for efficiently implementing multicast and other collective operations on direct networks. However, applying this mechanism to switch-based parallel systems is nontrivial. In this paper, we propose alternative switch architectures with differing buffer organizations to implement multidestination worms on switch-based parallel systems. First, we discuss issues related to such implementation (deadlock-freedom, replication mechanisms, header encoding, and routing). Next, we demonstrate how an existing central-buffer-based switch architecture supporting unicast message passing can be enhanced to accommodate multidestination message passing. Similarly, implementing multidestination worms on an input-buffer-based switch architecture is discussed, and two architectural alternatives are presented that reduce the wiring complexity in a practical switch implementation. The central-buffer-based and input-buffer-based implementations are evaluated against each other, as well as against the corresponding software-based schemes. Simulation experiments under a range of traffic (multiple multicast, bimodal, varying degree of multicast, and message length) and system size are used for evaluation. The study demonstrates the superiority of the central-buffer-based switch architecture. It also indicates that under bimodal traffic the central-buffer-based hardware multicast implementation affects background unicast traffic less adversely compared to a software-based multicast implementation. These results show that multidestination message passing can be applied easily and effectively to switch-based parallel systems to deliver good multicast and collective communication performance.
On dust acoustic instability in a negative ion plasma

Recently, there has been interest in the properties of dust acoustic waves (DAWs) in dusty negative ion plasmas. Here, the behavior of the dust-acoustic instability as a function of negative ion density is considered using kinetic theory. The negative ion density is small enough so the dust is negatively charged, but the dust charge decreases as the negative ion density increases. Parameters that may be representative of laboratory collisional dusty plasmas are considered, with ions drifting relative to dust at speeds less than or comparable with their respective thermal speeds. For the parameters considered, a DAW instability leads to waves propagating in the direction of the positive ion drift when no negative ions are present. The growth rate decreases as the negative ion density increases initially. As the negative ion density increases further, DAWs propagating in the direction of the negative ion drift can be excited with substantial growth rates. For large enough negative ion density, wave growth is quenched. Observing these behaviors in the laboratory may help identify ion current as an origin of DAW excitation.
RETARDATION OF DROPLET MOTION BY SURFACTANT. PART 1. THEORETICAL DEVELOPMENT AND ASYMPTOTIC SOLUTIONS

Abstract The equations describing the retardation by surfactant of an essentially spherical droplet in creeping flow through an unbounded Newtonian liquid are developed in a general way. The concentration distribution is determined by convection and the coupled mass transfer processes of liquid-phase diffusion, adsorption kinetics, and surface diffusion. Assuming that mass transfer occurs rapidly, an asymptotic solution is obtained showing uniform retardation, treating both phases and all mass transfer mechanisms simultaneously. For slow mass transfer, an asymptotic solution is obtained for stagnant cap behavior.
Evaluation of molecular techniques for identification and enumeration of Raoultella terrigena ATCC 33257 in water purifier efficacy testing

Raoultella terrigena ATCC 33257, a representative of the coliform group, is commonly used as a challenge organism in water purifier efficacy testing. In addition to being time consuming, traditional culturing techniques and metabolic identification systems (including automated systems) also fail to accurately differentiate this organism from its closely related neighbors belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae group. Molecular-based techniques, such as real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR fingerprinting, are preferred methods of detection because of their accuracy, reproducibility, specificity, and sensitivity, along with shorter turnaround time. ERIC-PCR performed with the 1R primer set demonstrated stable unique banding patterns (~800, ~300 bp) for R. terrigena ATCC 33257 different from patterns observed for R. planticola and R. ornithinolytica. The primer pair developed from gyraseA (gyrA) sequence of R. terrigena for the SYBR Green qPCR assay using the AlleleID® 7.0 primer probe design software was highly specific and sensitive for the target organism. The sensitivity of the assay was 101 colony forming units (CFU)/ml for whole cells and 4.7 fg with genomic DNA. The primer pair was successful in determining the concentration (5.5 ± 0.3 × 106 CFU/ml) of R. terrigena from water samples spiked with equal concentration of Escherichia coli and R. terrigena. Based on these results from the ERIC-PCR and the SYBR Green qPCR assay, these molecular techniques can be efficiently used for rapid identification and quantification of R. terrigena during water purifier testing.
A Methodological Model for Rapid Assessment, Response, and Evaluation: The RARE Program in Public Health:

Rapid assessment projects are expanding in the arenas of public health policy, planning, and program development in both developing and developed nations. This article reviews the methodological advances that have changed rapid assessment from a primarily “quick and dirty” approach for data collection into a public health tool for time-sensitive development of changes in intervention strategies, community-based organizational structure, program evaluation, and policy decisions. The methodological design of the Rapid Assessment, Response, and Evaluation Project, adopted by the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) in 1999, is presented as a model for using revised rapid assessment approaches within the context of public health policy development.
Study-Test and Anticipation Methods in Paired-Associate Learning of Similar and Non-Similar Lists

Sun2nzary.-The purposes of the present study were to compare the studytest and anticiparion procedures and to investigate the effect of high inrralisc similarity upon learning by each method. Forty Ss, 24 females and 16 males, learned one list by each method. The results indicate that the srudy-test method leads to better performance, as measured by number of trials to criterion. The detrimental ef€ect of high intralist similariry was significant only for the studytest method. This finding is contrary to the results reported by other investigators. Studies of paired-associate learning have usually employed an anticipation procedure. Recently, Battlg and Brackect ( 1961 ) and Waugh ( 1963) compared learning by the anticiparion and study-test, or free recall, methods. Battig and Bracketc ( 1961 ) , using a paired-associate task in which the items were nonsense shapes and double n~mbers, found that the free recall method resulted in more efficient learning char the anticipation method. The authors suggesthd that one reason for the s~iperiority of [he study-test method is that it separates the two behavioral processes of learning a new response and forming a stimulusresponse connection. In the anticipation method both processes must be accomplished simultaneo~isly, which might lead to m~icual interference and a reduction in performance. Evidence for two phases of learning has been presented by Hovland and Kurtz ( 1952 ) and Underwood, Runquist, and Schulz ( 1959). Underwood, et nl. divide paired-associate learning into two phases, the "response recall phase" and the "associative phase." Investigacing the response phase as a function of intralist similarity, they found that response similarity facilitates response learning. It was suggested that the deuimental effect of intralist similarity upon overall learning (Feldman & Underwood, 1957) occurred in the associative phase. Waugh ( 1963), using a serial learning cask in which the items were English monosyllables, found that the anticipation procedure is superior to the free recall, or study-test, method. She points out that the presence of stimulus-producing ales in the anticipation method which are absenc in the free recall procedure may account for her results.
Multiple mechanisms for initiation of ColE1 DNA replication: DNA synthesis in the presence and absence of ribonuclease H

A transcript (RNA II) of plasmid ColE1 that hybridizes with the template DNA is cleaved by RNAase H and used as a primer by DNA polymerase I. However, the plasmid can replicate in bacteria lacking both enzymes, apparently using a different mechanism of initiation of replication. Here we report in vivo and in vitro studies on initiation of DNA replication in the presence or absence of either or both enzymes. Hybridization of RNA II with the template DNA is always required for initiation. Hybridized RNA II is cleaved by RNAase H to form a primer or used as a primer without cleavage by RNAase H. Hybridization also creates a single-stranded region on the nontranscribed strand that can serve as a template for synthesis of the lagging strand in a reaction that does not require DNA polymerase I. Lagging strand synthesis terminates 17 nucleotides upstream of the normal replication origin, forcing unidirectional replication.
A recognition marker required for uptake of a lysosomal enzyme by cultured fibroblasts.

N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase secreted by cultured skin fibroblasts from normal individuals, or from patients with mucopolysaccharidoses, is effectively captured by fibroblasts derived from patients with Sandhoff disease. On the other hand, N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase from several other sources (including placenta, urine, and secretions of fibroblasts from patients with mucolipidosis II or III) is taken up to a much lesser extent. The uptake of the normal fibroblast hydrolase can be abolished by periodate oxidation under conditions that do not affect its catalytic activity, stability, or binding to Concanavalin A — Sepharose. These results suggest that uptake into fibroblasts requires a specific marker on the enzyme.
Pyrethroid resistance in Culex pipiens mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes within the Culex pipiens complex are widely distributed and important in the transmission of many human diseases. Insecticides, pyrethroids in particular, remain a mainstay for control of these important vectors. In this paper we review what is known about the levels, mechanisms and fitness costs of pyrethroid resistance in Cx. pipiens. Pyrethroid resistance in Cx. pipiens is a global problem, and resistance ratios of up to 7000-fold have been found in larvae of field collected mosquitoes. However, there is considerable variation between populations, indicating significant geographic heterogeneity of the resistance. The two major mechanisms of resistance to pyrethroids in Culex are mutations in Vssc (target site insensitivity) and overexpression of cytochrome P450(s) (increased detoxification). The most frequently reported Vssc mutation is L1014F (i.e. kdr), which has been found throughout the world. The L1014S mutation has been found in Cx. p. pallens from Japan and China, and in Cx. p. pipiens from China. The L1014C mutation has only been reported for Cx. p. pipens molestus from China and the V1016G mutation has only been reported from Saudi Arabia. Studies on the P450s of Cx. pipiens have identified several that are overexpressed (measured as transcript levels) in pyrethroid resistant strains. CYP9M10 is consistently overexpressed in pyrethroid resistant Cx. pipiens from at least seven countries, suggesting this P450 might be of global importance in resistance. Both CYP9M10-mediated pyrethroid resistance and kdr have fitness costs in the absence of insecticides under certain environmental conditions. Research needs and future directions are discussed.
Microbial and Sensory Quality of Boneless Dry-Cured Hams as Affected by Mechanical Pressing and Potassium Sorbate

The effects of mechanical pressing and a 10% potassium sorbate dip on microbial and organoleptic properties of boneless dry-cured hams were studied. Pressing resulted in higher nitrite levels, higher cooking losses and lower Warner-Bratzler shear values (P 0.05) yields, final microbial counts or sensory characteristics. Potassium sorbate improved visual mold scores (P<0.05) and generally reduced surface aerobic yeast and mold and staphylococci counts, with several reductions being significant at the 0.01 or 0.05 levels. It also reduced saltiness and flavor intensity scores (P <0.01) but had no effect on other sensory attributes or on cooking losses.
Historian as Archivist: History, Archives, and Outreach at Colorado State University

During the past half-century, an increasing number of American academic institutions established archives, and numerous academic archives owe their existence to efforts by dedicated historians to preserve and document their heritage. Although public interest in safeguarding heritage materials continues to grow, recent economic challenges confront twenty-first century academic archivists. The story of the origins of the Colorado State University Archives illustrates the influence of historians on the preservation of archival records and offers examples of archival outreach activities that support the institution's mission while building the repository.
Identification and characterization of Aβ peptide interactors in Alzheimer’s disease by structural approaches

Currently, there are very limited pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to alleviate the amyloid burden implicated in the pathophysiology of the disease. AD is characterized immunohistologically by the accumulation of senile plaques in the brain with afflicted patients progressively losing short-term memory and, ultimately, cognition. Although significant improvements in clinical diagnosis and care for AD patients have been made, effective treatments for this devastating disease remain elusive. A key component of the amyloid burden of AD comes from accumulation of the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide which comes from processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by enzymes termed secretases, leading to production of these toxic Aβ peptides of 40-42 amino acids. New therapeutic approaches for reducing Aβ are warranted after the most logical avenues of inhibiting secretase activity appear less than optimal in ameliorating the progression of AD. Novel therapeutics may be gleaned from proteomics biomarker initiatives to yield detailed molecular interactions of enzymes and their potential substrates. Explicating the APPome by deciphering protein complexes forming in cells is a complementary approach to unveil novel molecular interactions with the amyloidogenic peptide precursor to both understand the biology and develop potential upstream drug targets. Utilizing these strategies we have identified EC3.4.24.15 (EP24.15), a zinc metalloprotease related to neprilysin, with the ability to catabolize Aβ 1-42 by examining first potential in silico docking and then verification by mass spectrometry. In addition, a hormone carrier protein, transthyreitin (TTR), was identified and with its abundance in cerebrospinal fluid, found to clear Aβ by inhibiting formation of oligomeric forms of Aβ peptide. The confluence of complementary strategies may allow new therapeutic avenues as well as biomarkers for AD that will aid in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.
Improving performance and reliability of interactive CAD schemes

An interactive computer-aided detection or diagnosis (ICAD) scheme allows observers to query suspicious abnormalities (lesions) depicted on medical images. Once a suspicious region is queried, ICAD segments the abnormal region, computes a set of image features, searches for and identifies the reference regions depicted on the verified lesions that are similar to the queried one. Based on the distribution of the selected similar regions, ICAD generates a detection (or classification) score of the queried region depicting true-positive disease. In this study, we assessed the performance and reliability of an ICAD scheme when using a database including total 1500 positive images depicted verified breast masses and 1500 negative images depicted ICAD-cued false-positive regions as well as the leave-one-out testing method. We conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, we tested the relationship between ICAD performance and the size of reference database by systematically increasing the size of reference database from 200 to 3000 images. In the second experiment, we tested the relationship between ICAD performance and the similarity level between the queried image and the retrieved similar references by applying a set of thresholds to systematically remove the queried images whose similarity level to their most "similar" reference images are lower than threshold. The performance was compared based on the areas under ROC curves (AUC). The results showed that (1) as the increase of reference database, AUC value monotonically increased from 0.636±0.041 to 0.854±0.004 and (2) as the increase of similarity threshold values, AUC value also monotonically increased from 0.854±0.004 to 0.932±0.016. The increase of AUC values and the decrease of their standard deviations indicate the improvement of both CAD performance and reliability. The study suggested that (1) assembling the large and diverse reference databases and (2) assessing and reporting the reliability of ICAD-generated results based on the similarity measurement are important in development and application of the ICAD schemes.
Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries

Abstract Researchers from 13 countries collaborated in constructing a psychometric scale to measure career adaptability. Based on four pilot tests, a research version of the proposed scale consisting of 55 items was field tested in 13 countries. The resulting Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) consists of four scales, each with six items. The four scales measure concern, control, curiosity, and confidence as psychosocial resources for managing occupational transitions, developmental tasks, and work traumas. The CAAS demonstrated metric invariance across all the countries, but did not exhibit residual/strict invariance or scalar invariance. The reliabilities of the CAAS subscales and the combined adaptability scale range from acceptable to excellent when computed with the combined data. As expected, the reliability estimates varied across countries. Nevertheless, the internal consistency estimates for the four subscales of concern, control, curiosity, and confidence were generally acceptable to excellent. The internal consistency estimates for the CAAS total score were excellent across all countries. Separate articles in this special issue report the psychometric characteristics of the CAAS, including initial validity evidence, for each of the 13 countries that collaborated in constructing the Scale.
Surface modes of vibration and optical properties of an ionic crystal slab

A formalism is developed for calculating the normal modes of vibration of an ionic-crystal slab having the NaCl structure. The slab consists of a finite number of (100) planes oriented normal to the $z$ axis and is of infinite extent in the $x$ and $y$ directions. The derivation of the dynamical matrix takes into account the free surfaces of the slab as well as the effect of retardation of the Coulomb interaction. Retardation is easily excluded from the theory by letting the speed of light $c$ become infinite in the Coulomb contributions to the dynamical matrix. The unretarded normal-mode frequencies and eigenvectors are calculated for a seven-layer slab for values of the wave vector chosen along the $x$ axis and ranging from zero out to the boundary of the two-dimensional first Brillouin zone. The properties of the optical surface modes are discussed in detail. If an electromagnetic wave is incident upon the slab, the optical properties of the slab can be found by calculating the total electric field which exists in the regions of space on either side of the slab as a superposition of the incident field and the induced field arising from the ionic motion within the slab. For both $P$ and $S$ polarizations of the incident field, peaks in the infrared absorption are found to occur at frequencies corresponding to certain optical modes of the slab. The calculated results offer a qualitative explanation of the transmittance of a thin LiF film as experimentally observed by Berreman.
ON THE TAPERING FACTOR FOR WIDE-BAND CASCADED AMPLIFIERS

Designing wide-band amplifiers has become one of the important issues in wireless and optical high-performance System-on-Chip applications. In this paper, we present a newly developed analytical tapering factor that determines the optimal size of each stage of the cascaded amplifier. The utilization of our developed tapering factor can lead to a significant improvement in the amplifier bandwidth as compared with the standard cascaded amplifier unity tapering factor.
Transient Elastic Waves in a Transversely Isotropic Plate

The elastodynamic response of thick plate, with the axis of transverse isotropy normal to the plate surface, is calculated by double numerical inverse transforms, a method particularly well-suited for calculations of responses in the near field of layered structures. Applications of these calculations include point-source/point-receiver ultrasonics, quantitative acoustic emission measurements, and seismology. The singularities of the integrand are eliminated by the introduction of a small, but nonzero, imaginary part to the frequency. We discuss issues of numerical efficiency and accuracy in the evaluation of the resulting integrals. The method can be generalized to calculate the responses in materials of more general symmetry, in viscoelastic materials and to include the effects of finite aperture sources and receivers. The calculated responses are compared to those measured in a single crystal specimen of zinc.
Albumin levels as a predictor of mortality in the healthy elderly

Serum albumin levels probably predict subsequent mortality in the elderly, but it is not clear whether this is independent of disease. A 3 year prospective study of 2342 healthy non-institutionalized men and women aged 50-89 years old, residing in Rancho Bernardo, California, confirmed the following findings. Serum albumin levels decreased with increasing age in both men and women, and this association was independent of health status. In addition, for every standard deviation decrease in albumin, the relative odds of dying was 1.24 (p = 0.04), after adjusting for age, sex and lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercise and alcohol consumption. Separating the study sample into those who did and did not report disease at baseline did not appreciably alter these findings. Most of the albumin levels of the older adults (70-89) fall within the normal and narrow range of the younger adults (50-69), nevertheless, albumin levels predict outcome independent of known disease. The albumin-early mortality association suggests that serum albumin levels are a predictor for subclinical disease in the healthy elderly.
Increasing the solar photovoltaic energy capture on sunny and cloudy days

Abstract This report analyzes an extensive set of measurements of the solar irradiance made using four identical solar arrays and associated solar sensors (collectively referred to as solar collectors) with different tilt angles relative to the earth’s surface, and thus the position of the sun, in order to determine an optimal tracking algorithm for capturing solar radiation. The study included a variety of ambient conditions including different seasons and both cloudy and cloud-free conditions. One set of solar collectors was always approximately pointed directly toward the sun (DTS) for a period around solar noon. These solar collectors thus captured the direct beam component of the solar radiation that predominates on sunny days. We found that on sunny days, solar collectors with a DTS configuration captured more solar energy in accordance with the well-known cosine dependence for the response of a flat-surfaced solar collector to the angle of incidence with direct beam radiation. In particular, a DTS orientation was found to capture up to twice as much solar energy as a horizontal (H) orientation in which the array is tilted toward the zenith. Another set of solar collectors always had an H orientation, and this best captured the diffuse component of the solar radiation that predominates on cloudy days. The dependence of the H/DTS ratio on the solar-collector tilt angle was in approximate agreement with the Isotropic Diffuse Model derived for heavily overcast conditions. During cloudy periods, we found that an H configuration increased the solar energy capture by nearly 40% compared to a DTS configuration during the same period, and we estimate the solar energy increase of an H configuration over a system that tracks the obscured solar disk could reach 50% over a whole heavily-overcast day. On an annual basis the increase is predicted to be much less, typically only about 1%, because the contribution of cloudy days to the total annual solar energy captured by a photovoltaic system is small. These results are consistent with the solar tracking algorithm optimized for cloudy conditions that we proposed in an earlier report and that was based on a much smaller data set. Improving the harvesting of solar energy on cloudy days deserves wider attention due to increasing efforts to utilize renewable solar energy. In particular, increasing the output of distributed solar power systems on cloudy days is important to developing solar-powered home fueling and charging systems for hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric and battery-powered vehicles, respectively, because it reduces the system size and cost for solar power systems that are designed to have sufficient energy output on the worst (cloudy) days.
Rapid elevation of plasminogen activator activity in rat tissues by prolactin

Abstract Administration of ovine porlactin resulted in a rapid and significant induction of plasminogen activator activity within two hours in the rat adrenal gland, heart, aorta and liver. Prolactin exposure reduced baseline proteolytic activity in lung and skeletal muscle at 6–8 hours following hormonal challenge. This was coincident with a return toward baseline levels in enzyme activity demonstrated in other tissues. Pretreatment with actinomycin D or cycloheximide ameliorated the enzymic induction in the liver and adrenal and partially inhibited the aortic response. These data suggest that prolactin exposure leads to increased proteolytic activity through de novo biosynthesis in a variety of solid organs. In addition, pro-enzyme activation may also occur in vascular tissue.
Honoring children, mending the circle: cultural adaptation of trauma‐focused cognitive‐behavioral therapy for American Indian and Alaska Native children

American Indians and Alaska Natives are vulnerable populations with significant levels of trauma exposure. The Indian Country Child Trauma Center developed an American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adaptation of the evidence-based child trauma treatment, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. Honoring Children, Mending the Circle (HC-MC) guides the therapeutic process through a blending of AI/AN traditional teachings with cognitive-behavioral methods. The authors introduced the HC-MC treatment and illustrated its therapeutic tools by way of a case illustration.
Classification training in two- and three-year-old children.

Abstract Two- and three-year-olds who did not group a set of geometric stimuli according to complete similarity on a pretest were divided into three experimental conditions: (a) a modeling condition in which the subjects observed a model group according to complete similarity while verbalizing his strategy, (b) a reinforcement condition in which the subjects were reinforced for sorting similar stimuli into boxes, and (c) a control condition. After the training sessions the S s were given two posttests—one with stimuli identical to those used during the training session and one with a different set of geometric stimuli. On the posttests significantly more similarity classifications were obtained in the modeling condition than in either the reinforcement or the control conditions, which did not differ. It was concluded (a) that two- and three-year-olds can learn to group according to similarity, and (b) that modeling with verbalization is a very effective method for teaching young children to classify according to similarity.
Agroecology in Mexico: Linking environmental and indigenous struggles

There are few places where the hegemony of industrial agriculture is more complete than in contemporary Mexico. The forces arrayed against sustainable agriculture in such a context are formidable; yet this study chronicles an encouraging agroecology movement in indigenous regions of rural Mexico. Mexico's sustainable agriculture movement is emerging at a surprising nexus, in new linkages between indigenous resistance and modern environmentalism. These alliances center on a shared interest in the preservation and defense of traditional ecological knowledge. The resulting fusion of traditional and scientific knowledge undergirds creative experimentation in agroecology, discussed here as an essential component in a larger, although more difficult, quest for sustainable development.
Exchange between Andean and Western medicine.

Abstract Western medicine has not been functionally incorporated into Andean economic, cultural, and social systems. Evaluation studies show that even though accessibility to Western medicine has increased considerably for rural Andeans, they still rely on traditional medicine. Western medicine has not been able to articulate with Andean ethnomedicine because of different structural relations within each system. Western medicine assumes a mechanistic idealogy, chemical-based cures and technology which function efficiently within an urban-industrial framework; whereas Andean medicine assumes a synchronistic idealogy, natural-based cures and personal skills which function efficiently within a mountainous rural area with structural components of verticality, specialization and reciprocity. Verticality implies that Andeans specialize in extracting resources from a limited number of zones and then exchange their resources for those produced by people on other zones. Andean ethnomedicine follows principles of verticality in that certain communities specialize in various aspects of Andean medicines, according to the resources available to that community. These medical practitioners travel to other communities providing their services in exchange for services or goods. The author illustrates this from his research among the Qollahuaya Andeans. The community of Kaata specializes in curing by divination and ritual. These diviners are important for community health of Andeans. The communities of Curva and Chajaya specialize in herbal curing: these herbalists are important for treating physical causes. However, the diviners and herbalists complement each other in providing for the total health of Andeans. The final section deals with concrete suggestions of how certain features of Western medicine can functionally fit Andean economic and social structure.
The ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of SbS1-xOxI

A Landau Devonshre phenomenological model modified for SbS1-xOxI alloys is presented. The model describes the free energy of the alloy as a weighted sum of the free energies of the constituents and an interaction term that is quadratic in the concentration of the constituents. The model and the experimental results are used to obtain the pressure-concentration-temperature phase surface of SbS1-xOxI and to predict the properties of any alloy of SbS1-xOxI within 0 < x ≤ 0.2. Lastly, the physical meaning of the interaction term is discussed. The piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of SbS1-xOxI alloys have been determined experimentally with measurements taken as a function of temperature and hydrostatic pressure in the concentration range of 0 < x ≤ 0.2. An increase of the Curie temperature to 34.0 ± 0.1°C is reported for SbS0.96O0-04I and the corresponding Curie pressure is 70 ± 2 MPa. The new experimental results were then used to solve the modified Landau-Devonshire model. The accuracy of both the ...
The effects of percentage reinforcement, UCS duration, and experience with procedure on the conditioned eyelid response

Two groups of Ss, one relatively naive (S1) and one which had first served as Es under the same experimental conditions in which they then served as Ss (S2), were run in a factorial design investigating the effects of UCS duration and percentage of reinforcement. With 100% reinforcement short duration UCS produced performance significantly superior to long UCS for both S1 and S2 Ss, supporting drive-reduction theory. Under 50% reinforcement short duration UCS was superior to long UCS only for S1 Ss, supporting Kimble’s hypothesis of an inhibitory attitudinal factor operating with naive Ss under partial reinforcement.
Water deficit development in old and new soybean cultivars.

Crop productivity depends to some degree on a cultivar's capacity to maintain a high plant water status over a range of soil water conditions. We conducted this 2-yr study to examine whether newer soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars have more favorable leaf turgor potentials than older cultivars during the pod elongation and seed enlargement stages of crop development, and to determine whether the older and newer cultivars differ in leaf water potential components and stomatal resistances when grown under drought stress. Two older (‘Manchu’ and ‘Dunfield’) and two more recent (‘Clark 63’ and ‘Williams 82’) cultivars were field grown under irrigated (I) and nonirrigated (NI) conditions at Urbana, IL. Although large differences in soil water potential were found between the water treatments, afternoon leaf water potentials of the cultivars were decreased only an average of 0.14 MPa and afternoon leaf turgor potentials were not reduced as a result of the NI treatment. In both the NI and I plots, Manchu and Dunfield generally had lower and similar leaf turgor potentials, respectively, as did the modern cultivars during the day. Under NI conditions, greater stomatal closure occurred for the older cultivars than for the newer cultivars, indicating that the older cultivars are more efficient in conserving water under drought stress. Contribution of the Illinois Agnc. Exp. Stn. and USDA-ARS.
Conditioned increase in place preference by access to novel objects: antagonism by MK-801

In three separate place conditioning experiments with rats, repeated access to novel objects in one of two distinct environments conditioned an increase in preference for the novelty-paired environment. A conditioned increase in preference was found whether novel objects were paired with a randomly chosen environment or with the less preferred of two environments (conditioned against a preference). This enhanced preference did not depend on the control group employed. Control groups exposed only to the place conditioning apparatus or to both the apparatus and the novel objects showed no systematic shift in place preference. Intravenous infusions of cocaine also produced an increase in preference using the procedures employed with novel objects. Pretreatment with the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801 (0.03 mg kg−1) blocked acquisition of the enhanced place preference conditioned by access to novel objects without decreasing time spent with objects or inducing a place aversion in controls. Combined, these results show that access to novel objects can serve as an appetitive stimulus like drugs of abuse and that this novelty-induced appetitive process involves NMDA receptors. These place-conditioning procedures may provide a good model for determining the behavioral and neural process underlying the appetitive effects of novelty.
A pomegranate-inspired nanoscale design for large-volume-change lithium battery anodes

Silicon is an attractive material for anodes in energy storage devices1,2,3, because it has ten times the theoretical capacity of its state-of-the-art carbonaceous counterpart. Silicon anodes can be used both in traditional lithium-ion batteries and in more recent Li–O2 and Li–S batteries as a replacement for the dendrite-forming lithium metal anodes. The main challenges associated with silicon anodes are structural degradation and instability of the solid-electrolyte interphase caused by the large volume change (∼300%) during cycling, the occurrence of side reactions with the electrolyte, and the low volumetric capacity when the material size is reduced to a nanometre scale4,5,6,7. Here, we propose a hierarchical structured silicon anode that tackles all three of these problems. Our design is inspired by the structure of a pomegranate, where single silicon nanoparticles are encapsulated by a conductive carbon layer that leaves enough room for expansion and contraction following lithiation and delithiation. An ensemble of these hybrid nanoparticles is then encapsulated by a thicker carbon layer in micrometre-size pouches to act as an electrolyte barrier. As a result of this hierarchical arrangement, the solid-electrolyte interphase remains stable and spatially confined, resulting in superior cyclability (97% capacity retention after 1,000 cycles). In addition, the microstructures lower the electrode–electrolyte contact area, resulting in high Coulombic efficiency (99.87%) and volumetric capacity (1,270 mAh cm−3), and the cycling remains stable even when the areal capacity is increased to the level of commercial lithium-ion batteries (3.7 mAh cm−2). A Si anode with hierarchical morphology can accommodate large volume changes, demonstrates high Coulombic efficiency and cyclability as well as an areal capacity comparable to that of commercial Li-ion batteries.
Shear heating instability in the earth's upper mantle

Abstract We have studied the effects of radiogenic heat sources Qm and heat flux from the deep mantle q∞ on the multivalued relation between shear stress at the base of the lithosphere τ and plate velocity u0. If there are sufficient heat sources in the asthenosphere or if considerable heat flows up from the deep mantle, τ increases with u0; such states are called subcritical. However, if neither of these conditions exist then τ decreases with u0; such states are called supercritical. The uncertainties in both Qm and q∞ preclude any inference about the τ vs. u0 relation for the earth's lithosphere. We have also examined whether shear heating instability, associated with the strong temperature dependence of mantle viscosity, can occur in these asthenospheric shear flows. Based on a linear, one-dimensional analysis with coupled temperature and horizontal velocity perturbations, we find that all flows are stable for a constant surface velocity boundary condition while supercritical flows are unstable if basal shear stress is fixed.
Preventive and protective properties of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) in obesity and diabetes mellitus of metabolic disorders: a brief review

Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis L.) has been used as herbal medicine to treat various chronic diseases worldwide since ancient times. Recent evidence has shown the potential of rosemary for treatment of obesity and diabetes mellitus due to its anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hyperglycaemic effects. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the major active components in rosemary, and the efficacy and underlying mechanism of rosemary and its components against obesity and diabetes.