cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy and Mild Cognitive Impairment Worsen Quality of Life in Elderly Patients With Cirrhosis.

Background & Aims Patients with cirrhosis are growing older. The overlap between minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) and predementia mild cognitive impairment (MCI) could affect quality of life (QOL). We investigated the performance of elderly patients with cirrhosis on tests for MHE and MCI and their effects on QOL. Methods We recruited outpatients with cirrhosis (n = 109) and without cirrhosis (controls, n = 100), 65 years or older, at 4 centers (derivation cohort). All study participants were assessed for psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES), EncephalApp score, and QOL. MCI was tested in patients with cirrhosis using the repeatable battery for assessment of neuropsychological status and assigned to the following groups: unimpaired, MCI only, MHE only, and MCI+MHE. We created adjusted norms to detect MHE using PHES and EncephalApp scores from the controls. Findings were validated using data from a separate cohort of 77 patients with cirrhosis (mean age, 69.49 ± 4.36 y; 72% men) at the same study sites. Results Controls were older but were more educated, performed better cognitively, and had better QOL. Among patients with cirrhosis, age, education, model for end-stage liver disease score, EncephalApp score, and QOL were similar, but PHES and repeatable battery for assessment of neuropsychological status differed among sites. In the derivation cohort, the presence of MHE, with or without MCI, was associated with poor QOL, which was lowest in the MCI+MHE group. When we adjusted for age, sex, and education, 49% of patients with cirrhosis had MHE based on the EncephalApp and 8% had MHE based on the PHES. A similar pattern (49% MHE based on EncephalApp and 6% MHE based on PHES) was found in a validation cohort. Conclusions In a multicenter study of patients with cirrhosis (>65 y) and controls, the presence of MHE, regardless of MCI, was associated with poor cognition and QOL. We created adjusted norms that defined the high sensitivity of EncephalApp for the detection of MHE in older individuals and validated it in a separate cohort.
Clinical Outcome of Adult Spinal Muscular Atrophy Patients Treated with Nusinersen: A Case Series Review.

Introduction Nusinersen is an antisense oligonucleotide drug that was developed for treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Its effectiveness for adults is limited; therefore, more clinical data are needed to guide adult SMA patients who are considering this treatment. Methods Through case series review, we retrospectively reviewed charts of Kaiser Permanente Southern California members who were already receiving nusinersen treatment, which has been available since August 2017. Patients were evaluated by physical therapy using the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (out of highest possible score of 40). Results We identified 4 adult patients who met our study criteria as of February 1, 2020. All patients were mobility device dependent. Patient age ranged from 23 to 56 years. A generalized linear model was used to assess trendlines for repeated measures within subjects. In this small sample, there appears to a significant increase in scores on repeated measures (p = 0.0027). Conclusion Based on this small study, some adult SMA patients may benefit from treatment with nusinersen.
Towards a General Modular Systems Theory and its Application to Inter-Firm Product Modularity

Many systems migrate towards increasing or decreasing modularity, yet no explicit causal models exist to explain this process. This paper builds a general theory of modular systems, drawing on systems research from many disciplines. This general theory is then used to derive a model of inter-firm product modularity, including testable research propositions. The latter model provides a valuable tool for predicting technological trajectories, and demonstrates how the general theory may be applied to specific systems.
Analysis of InGaN-Delta-InN Quantum Wells on InGaN Substrates for Red Light Emitting Diodes and Lasers

Modern multi-color RGB micro-light emitting diode (μLED) displays and digital micro-mirror laser projectors often require the use of both III-V and III-Nitride material systems for different pixel/laser colors. This is due primarily to the conventionally low efficiencies of red emitters based on the InGaN materials system, which is used to create green and blue emitters for RGB displays. The main challenges for InGaN red emitters are the quantum confined stark effect (QCSE) and the difficulty of incorporating high In-content into the active region. In this work, InGaN/InGaN/delta-InN quantum wells (QWs) on InGaN substrates are proposed and demonstrated to show significant enhancement in electron-hole wavefunction overlap ( Γe_hh ) and spontaneous emission radiative recombination rate (Rsp) in the red emission regime. Analysis of InGaN/InGaN/delta-InN QWs with InGaN barriers emitting at 630 nm was performed using a self-consistent six-band $k \cdot p$ formalism. The Γe_hh was shown to increase by more than 230% compared to an InGaN/InGaN QW emitting at 630 nm, leading to significant increases in Rsp and internal quantum efficiency ( ηIQE ). With growth of InN monolayers on InGaN now readily achievable, this novel active region design could pave the way for high-efficiency, native red-emitting InGaN LEDs and lasers.
The Impact of Diabetes Control on Outcomes in Patients with Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Purpose Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure. The effect of pre-implant diabetes control on left ventricular device (LVAD) outcomes and specific types of infection is unclear. Prior studies have found that diabetes is associated with an increased rate of all-cause mortality and major adverse events during LVAD support, while others have shown that diabetes is not associated with major adverse events, including infections. The purpose of our study was to understand the relationship of pre-LVAD hemoglobin A1c on post implant infection. Methods We analyzed 2054 patients from the INTERMACs registry who were implanted with an LVAD and had a hemoglobin A1c level checked between Jan 2016-Dec 2017. The association between pre-implantation hemoglobin A1c and post-implant infection within 90 days was assessed using a cox proportional hazards model. Results Pre-implant hemoglobin A1c levels had no significant association with post-LVAD infections within 90 days of follow-up (HR 1.02 [95% CI 0.96-1.09], p 0.544). Furthermore, this lack of association did not vary within subgroups of infection type (driveline, bloodstream, pulmonary, or urinary tract). (Figure 1) Conclusion Based on this large database, pre-LVAD hemoglobin A1c is not a predictor of early post-LVAD infection. Further studies are needed to better understand the relationship of hemoglobin A1c as it relates to clinical outcomes after LVAD implantation.
Application of the Hough Transform for Automated Analysis of Kolsky Bar Data

The Kolsky Bar, also known as the split-Hopkinson pressure bar, has become one of the most commonly used apparatuses when studying the dynamic behavior of materials. Despite its popularity, limited standards exists with respect to the design, data collection, and data analysis approach used. A lack of standardization can lead to lab-to-lab variation in reported dynamic behavior for nominally identical materials. A key step during data reduction is the appropriate selection of the signal windows used in the one-dimensional wave propagation analysis of recorded strain gauge signals. The presented work provides an automated analysis approach for selecting signal windows based on the Hough transform. The approach is agnostic to loading mode (e.g., tension vs. compression), applicable to both pulse-shaped and non-pulse shaped experiments, robust in the presence of naturally occurring signal oscillations and noise, and has rapid computation time. Two cases are selected to demonstrate the viability of applying the Hough transform to recorded Kolsky bar signals. In the first case, the bar wave speeds of maraging steel tension and compression Kolsky bars are determined. The second case demonstrates the application of the Hough transform technique in the study of the dynamic compression behavior of additively manufactured Inconel 718. A stress-strain curve generated using the automated HT-based technique is compared to those determined manually showing the automated approach provides a closely matching result. Window selection automation provides an important step toward improving consistency of results reported, data processing throughput, and traceability of dynamic mechanical property data generation.
Diagnosis of Congenital Bovine Viral Diarrhea Infection in Beef Cow- Calf Herd from Fence-Line Contact

A closed herd of 76 head of Angus and Gelbvieh X commercial cows experienced a series of late gestation abortions, congenital deformities, and weak calves in replacement heifers. History included fence-line contact with a neighboring farm from day 76 to 165 after the beginning of breeding season. The neighbor grazed feeder steers purchased from livestock markets.
Benefits and threats of travel and tourism in a globalized cultural context

When we chose the theme for this special issue: “Benefits and threats of travel and tourism in a globalized context”, no one foresaw how current and appropriate this topic would be. Indeed, due to ...
COBALT: COnstrained Bayesian optimizAtion of computationaLly expensive grey-box models exploiting derivaTive information

Many engineering problems involve the optimization of computationally expensive models for which derivative information is not readily available. The Bayesian optimization (BO) framework is a particularly promising approach for solving these problems, which uses Gaussian process (GP) models and an expected utility function to systematically tradeoff between exploitation and exploration of the design space. BO, however, is fundamentally limited by the black-box model assumption that does not take into account any underlying problem structure. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, COBALT, for constrained grey-box optimization problems that combines multivariate GP models with a novel constrained expected utility function whose structure can be exploited by state-of-the-art nonlinear programming solvers. COBALT is compared to traditional BO on seven test problems including the calibration of a genome-scale bioreactor model to experimental data. Overall, COBALT shows very promising performance on both unconstrained and constrained test problems.
Mixed variational principle and finite element formulation for couple stress elastostatics

Abstract Skew-symmetric couple stress theory may permit the exploration of solids and fluids at the finest scales for which continuum mechanics applies. This theory is founded upon a true continuum representation. As a result, for solids, the rotation equals one half the curl of the displacement field. In addition, the couple-stress tensor reduces to skew-symmetric form and can be written as a polar couple-stress vector, which is energy conjugate to the mean-curvature polar vector field. The resulting theory is fully self-consistent and parsimonious, requiring only a single extra material parameter, a length scale, for the linear elastic isotropic and cubic single crystal cases. Previous finite element formulations for this theory have required either Lagrange multipliers or penalty parameters to enforce rotation-displacement compatibility, while maintaining C0 continuity. Here, we introduce a novel mixed C0 variational principle written in terms of displacement and couple-stress polar vectors that avoids any extraneous contributions to the energy functional. This stationary principle, in turn, provides the basis for a robust finite element method, which is developed in this paper for planar quasistatic size-dependent response of linear elastic isotropic media, and then generalized to consider a cubic single crystal example. The finite element implementation uses standard linear three-node triangles for the displacements and tangential edge elements on the triangles to represent the divergence-free couple-stresses. The formulation, however, is quite comprehensive in nature and thus can be extended to examine a broad range of problems, such as those associated with the dynamic response of non-centrosymmetric anisotropic bodies in three-dimensions.
Design of a Hip Exoskeleton With Actuation in Frontal and Sagittal Planes

One third of older adults and one half of people with a lower limb amputation fall each year. A hip exoskeleton capable of rapidly delivering high torques in frontal and sagittal planes could assist with fall recovery. Here we describe the design and testing of a hip exoskeleton emulator with actuation to adjust foot placement or center-of-mass state. The emulator was designed to be lightweight and comfortable while exceeding the torque and range of motion requirements of the hip joint during walking and fall recovery. We conducted tests to determine step response time, bandwidth, and torque tracking error. The emulator has a peak torque of 75 Nm in frontal and sagittal planes and has a worn mass of 10.9 kg. Benchtop tests demonstrated rise times in frontal and sagittal planes of 44 and 32 ms, respectively, and bandwidths of 14 and 17 Hz, respectively. During walking trials, the emulator demonstrated an average of 1.6 Nm of RMS torque tracking error (7.86% of commanded torque range) across three exoskeleton behaviors. Experiments conducted using this emulator could identify control behaviors and mechanical performance requirements of untethered devices designed for improving mobility and quality of life of populations prone to falling.
Solvent free enantioselective catalysis with chiral cobalt(III) Werner complexes via ball milling

Enantioselective additions of malonate esters to nitroalkenes can be catalyzed by a variety of salts of chiral cobalt(III) trications [Co(1,2-diamine)3]3+ in the presence of nitrogen donor bases in acetone. Catalysts that feature enantiopure 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine are particularly effective, and the base can also be incorporated into one of the counter anions, for example a (substituted) nicotinate. This study shows that such additions can be carried out under solvent free conditions and with reduced reaction times using ball milling, further enhancing the “green” credentials of this large family of earth-abundant-metal catalysts. The effect of various reaction variables are probed (base, counter anions, loading, time, quantity of balls, etc.), and the optimized conditions applied to twelve nitroalkenes, affording products in average yields and ee values of 89% and 74%. The enantioselectivities appear slightly lower than for analogous reactions in solution (0 °C), and possible factors and remedies are discussed.
Militarized Civic Ritual: Pentagon, Police, and US Professional Football

In this article I extend Ingham’s ideas regarding sport as civic ritual and combine it with my own work on the relationship between sport and the increasing militarization of US cities in the post 9/11 era. I suggest that militarized civic rituals have now become an ever-present feature of urban life and represent a troubling new conflation between military and civilian discourses and practices employed through sport, specifically the NFL and the Super Bowl. The term “citizen soldier” is used here to provoke thought about the role of “ordinary” citizens in this context where domestic security telescopes down from the highest levels of the US Department of Defense to the micropersonal. Legally equated with a soldier at war, the NFL fan’s call of duty is received through a mobile phone application, everyday citizens recruited to assist, in the name of patriotism, in terrorism prevention. This blurs legal and operational separations between intelligence-gathering and citizenship and further collapses civilian-military boundaries.
Decoupling of Filtering Equations

The limiting (or steady-state) Kalman filter provides a very effi­cient method for estimating the state vector in a time-invariant linear system in real-time. However, if the state vector is of very high dimension n, and only a few components are of interest, this filter gives an abundance of useless information, an elimination of which should improve the efficiency of the filtering process. A decoupling method is introduced in this chapter for this purpose. It allows us to decompose an n-dimensional limiting Kalman filtering equation into n independent one-dimensional recursive for mulas so that we may drop the ones that are of little interest.
Return to Natural History

Return to Warden9s Grove . Science, Desire, and the Lives of Sparrows. By Christopher Norment . University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA, 2008. 231 pp. $26. ISBN 9781587296338. Iowa Series in Literary Nonfiction. Focusing on the author9s fieldwork in Canada9s Northwest Territories of Canada, this memoir makes a thoughtful case for building holistic understanding of systems through careful and repeated observations at small scales.
Using coherencies to examine network evolution and co-evolution

This paper explores the use of spectral or frequency domain analysis to examine network evolution and co-evolution. Given a sufficient number of measurements of a valued network over-time, a matrix (Κ) may be created, where κij is the squared coherency between nodes i and j. Since Κ is a matrix of relations, it may be analyzed like any other network to determine which nodes co-evolve, and which change independently. To illustrate this approach, cross-spectral analyses were conducted among 250 pairs of nation-states based on terrorism news coverage (2000–2012) to create matrix Κ. Then, a network analysis was conducted. The results indicate that the United States was the most central country, and that the nations co-evolved in two large groups (the Middle East and East Asia), and numerous smaller ones. The proposed method is extended to include exogenous variables (terrorist events and oil prices) and to two or more networks to examine network co-evolution. The method’s application to network co-evolution is demonstrated with additional data on networks of co-association in terrorism news coverage (2011–2013) and a comparable data set on the coverage of the Arab Spring (2011–2013).
Association between Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy and Measures of Sleep Apnea Burden.

ObjectiveTo test the following associations: (1) complete obstruction on drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) and polysomnographic and subjective measures of obstructive sleep apnea; (2) tongue base...
A low cost microburst early warning and detection radar

The microburst prediction radar is a new low cost airport weather surveillance radar. Intended for on-airport siting, the X-band radar features small size and low radiated power. The system provides 2-4 minutes warning and continuous detection of hazardous microburst wind shear within a 10 km radius. System cost is $500-700K, including installation.
Determinants of motorization and road provision

The authors survey past trends in vehicle ownership and road network expansion to analyze determinants of their growth at the national and urban level. Surprisingly, they find that: Nationally, income is a major determinant of both vehicle ownership and road length. Nationally, paved road length and vehicle ownership has been increasing about as fast as income, while total road length is increasing less rapidly than income. In urban areas vehicle ownership increases as fast as income, while total road length increases very slowly with income. Because national paved road networks are expanding about as fast as national motor vehicle fleets, national congestion is unlikely to be worsening. But because urban road length is growing more slowly than the number of urban motor vehicles, urban congestion is rising with income over time. Increased urban congestion is stimulating decentralized urban growth. Income elasticities are greater than price elasticities in absolute terms, for both vehicle ownership and use-an important finding because prices are often used as an instrument to control motor vehicle ownership and use. If price elasticities are half as large as income elasticities, pries would have to grow twice as fast as incomes to stabilize vehicle ownership. Breaking the link between income growth, rising congestion, and urban decentralization will be difficult: Restraining auto ownership in urban areas requires high tax rates, and increasing the supply of urban roads is costly. Elasticity estimates vary, but a good point estimate for the income elasticity of fleet growth is 1. This means country motor vehicle fleets grow in proportion to country incomes. More than half the world's annual increase in motor vehicles is likely to occur in high-income countries until 2025 (assuming GNP growth of 3 percent in high-income countries, 5 percent in low- and middle-income countries). The motor vehicle fleet is in low- and middle-income countries is not projected to exceed that in high-income countries until after 2050. Carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be distributed similarly.
Setting a place at the table: ending insurgencies through the political process

This article argues that, under certain conditions, allowing insurgents into the political process – through elections or government posts – can be a useful tool in the peace process and can help end insurgencies. However, bringing insurgents into the political process is unlikely to end insurgencies on its own, particularly if insurgents, the government, or the population believes that force is still a viable means of defeating the opponent and changing the status quo. The article begins with a brief overview of the causes of insurgency and on conflict resolution for internal wars. The article then considers two examples of insurgents that have entered the political process – the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland and Hezbollah in Lebanon – and the differing degrees of success in transforming these insurgents to non-violent participants in the political process. It concludes by suggesting how insurgents can be brought into the political process as part of conflict resolution and the implicat...
Moving-target detection and automatic target recognition via signal subspace fusion of images

This paper addresses the problem of fusing the information content of two uncalibrated sensors. This problem arises in registering images of a scene when it is viewed via two different sensory systems, or detecting change in a scene when it is viewed at two different time points by a sensory system, or via two different sensory systems or observation channels. We are concerned with sensory systems which have not only a relative shift, scaling and rotational calibration error, but also an unknown point spread function (that is time-varying for a single sensor, or different for two sensors). By modeling one image in terms of an unknown linear combination of the other image, its powers and their spatially-transformed (shift, rotation and scaling) versions, a signal subspace processing is developed for fusing uncalibrated sensors. The proposed method is shown to be applicable in Moving Target Detection using monopulse Synthetic Aperture Radar with uncalibrated radars, and registration of SAR images of a target obtained via two different radars or at different coordinates by the same radar for Automatic Target Recognition. Results with realistic FOPEN SAR data will be provided.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Regulation of porcine adipose tissue lipolytic activity by adrenergic agonists and antagonists

1. Several beta-adrenergic agonists yielded quantiatively and qualitatively different lipolytic potencies and efficacies when incubated with porcine adipose tissue slices in the presence and absence of theophylline in vitro. Some agonists were inactive without theophylline but were active with theophylline. 2. However, activity in vitro measured with theophylline was no more closely related to acute observations in vivo than activity measured in vitro without theophylline. 3. Classification of receptor subtypes or agonists and antagonists as specific for receptor subtypes could be totally different in the presence and absence of theophylline, depending on the specific agonists or antagonists selected for such studies in vitro.
Integrating global and local procurement for superior supplier working relations

Abstract Globalization is forcing global organizations to focus on processes that will enable them to more effectively and efficiently integrate and coordinate their activities throughout their worldwide organization. As such, global sourcing is becoming a standard practice in many global organizations. Using a dataset of 1455 observations from the suppliers of a North American-based global manufacturer of high technology products, this research evaluates how a global company can utilize a globally integrated procurement organization to achieve global and local sourcing responsiveness and superior supplier working relations. The study found that if a global procurement organization aspires to achieve exceptional supplier working relations, it should be highly integrated across its geographic regions with knowledgeable global and local procurement personnel who effectively communicate with the firm's suppliers, while working closely together in a coordinated manner to achieve a globally responsive supply chain.
The Psychological Impact of Aging on Sexuality and Relationships

Aging has a powerful impact on the quality of relationships and sexual functioning. The psychological impact of aging after midlife is a particularly timely topic given improved medical and psychological understanding of sexuality in both women and men, as well as more effective treatment for age-related sexual dysfunctions. It is time to dispel the stereotype of the midlife relationship as the continuation of a traditional heterosexual marriage with grown or almost grown children in order to more effectively address emotional and sexual issues arising in relationships. Regardless of the length or nature of the relationship, however, its quality is enhanced by emotional intimacy, autonomy without too much distance, an ability to manage stress and distractions by external factors, and achieving a satisfying sexual equilibrium. Perception of the quality of the primary relationship and sexuality is influenced by the other factors in a person's life. Thus, the relationship must be examined and issues must be addressed taking these external factors into consideration. Among the most powerful external factors is one's occupation or avocation, as it tends to strongly influence one's sense of identity, self-esteem, and self-worth in all areas of life. To understand and treat effects of aging on sexuality, it is important to address the three components of sexual desire: drive, beliefs/values, and motivation, as well as the sexual equilibrium within the primary relationship. It is also essential to understand how the physiological changes in male and female sexual functioning affect desire and equilibrium. Other health-related changes that occur with aging must be recognized and addressed, including the fact that the oldest of old women will outlive their corresponding male cohort. Treatment implications for these issues are discussed.
A HYBRID EDDINGTON-SINGLE SCATTERING RADIATIVE TRANSFER MODEL FOR COMPUTING RADIANCES FROM THERMALLY EMITTING ATMOSPHERES

Abstract A novel radiative transfer model for a scattering layer in a plane-parallel thermally emitting atmosphere is described. The model is designed for computing radiances in iterative remote-sensing methods where computational efficiency is of utmost importance. The model combines a single-scatter method with the standard Eddington’s second approximation technique, which is required for higher-order scattering. The single-scattering model uses tabulated scattering properties. The accuracy of the hybrid model, relative to an exact doubling-adding model, is compared with three other approximate methods (nonscattering, single-scattering, and Eddington). Brightness temperature errors for simulated ice and water clouds are shown for various particle size distributions in both microwave (1–50 cm-1) and infrared (300–3000 cm-1) parts of the spectrum. As indicated by a root-mean-square measure of brightness temperature error over outgoing directions, the hybrid model is a significant improvement over the standard Eddington model in the regions of the infrared where scattering is important. Computer source code (written in FORTRAN) for implementing the hybrid scattering model is available from the authors.
Chronic GM1 gangliosidosis presenting as dystonia: I. Clinical and pathological features

Clinical and pathological studies are reported from investigation of a 27-year-old man with GM1 gangliosidosis who experienced a slowly progressive dystonia that began about age 4, primarily affected the face and limbs, and eventually became almost totally incapacitating. There was only mild intellectual deterioration; myoclonus, seizures, and macular cherry-red spots were never observed. Postmortem examination revealed intraneuronal storage, localized predominantly to the basal ganglia, in which neurons contained round, multilamellated inclusions. Golgi studies revealed meganeurites arising from medium spiny neurons. Other areas of the central nervous system appeared relatively unaffected, although small basilar dilatations were observed in scattered cortical pyramidal neurons and Purkinje cell dendrites showed focal swellings. Vacuolated cells of the reticuloendothelial system were observed, including Kupffer cells and histiocytes in the spleen, marrow, and intestinal tract. Biochemical analysis revealed a generalized beta-galactosidase deficiency with specific accumulation of GM1 ganglioside in the basal ganglia.
Induced voltage of piezoelectric unimorph cantilevers of different nonpiezoelectric/piezoelectric length ratios

Piezoelectric cantilevers are widely used in sensing and energy harvesting devices. For both applications, a higher induced voltage from a given mechanical excitation is desirable to increase the sensitivity or energy conversion efficiency of the devices. In this study, we examined the effect of the length ratio of the nonpiezoelectric layer to the piezoelectric layer on the induced voltage of the piezoelectric unimorph cantilever due to a concentrated force applied at the cantilever tip. The cantilever was made of lead zirconate titanate (PZT)–stainless steel (SS) unimorph. The length of the PZT layer was fixed while that of the SS layer was varied. The induced voltage per unit tip displacement was obtained by measuring the induced voltage in the PZT layer and dividing it by the corresponding tip displacement of the cantilever and the induced voltage per unit force was obtained by dividing the induced voltage per unit tip displacement by the effective spring constant of the cantilever. The results showed that the induced voltage per unit force increased with an increasing SS/PZT length ratio, indicating that under constant force conditions, the optimal induced voltage occurs when the SS layer is longer than the PZT layer. In contrast, the induced voltage per unit tip displacement exhibited a maximum when the SS/PZT length ratio is unity, indicating that under constant tip displacement conditions, the optimal induced voltage occurs when the PZT layer and the SS layer have the same length. A theoretical analysis based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory was carried out to correlate the induced voltage of the cantilever to the tip displacement and force. The experimental results were consistent with the prediction of the theoretical analysis.
Chemical-extraction methods to estimate bioavailability of DDT, DDE, and DDD in soil

A study was conducted to find a method to determine the bioavailability to earthworms of DDT, DDE, and DDD in soils. Measurements were made of the uptake by Eisenia foetida of the three compounds in seven soils in which they were freshly added or had persisted in the field for up to 49 yr. The worms assimilated 3.15−66.2% of the compounds in the test samples. Different amounts of the three compounds were sorbed by C18 membrane disks placed in suspensions of these soils, and different amounts also were extracted by solutions of tetrahydrofuran in water. The amounts of the compounds taken up by the C18 membrane disks and extracted by the tetrahydrofuran−water mixture correlated well with uptake by E. foetida from 10 samples of these soils. The correlation coefficients (r) were 0.921 or higher for the C18 membrane disk assay and 0.831−0.948 for the tetrahydrofuran-extraction assay in correlations of the chemical and biological assays. These methods thus offer promise as chemical assays to predict bioavailabi...
Innate immune programing by endotoxin and its pathological consequences.

Monocytes and macrophages play pivotal roles in inflammation and homeostasis. Recent studies suggest that dynamic programing of macrophages and monocytes may give rise to distinct “memory” states. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a classical pattern recognition molecule, dynamically programs innate immune responses. Emerging studies have revealed complex dynamics of cellular responses to LPS, with high doses causing acute, resolving inflammation, while lower doses are associated with low-grade and chronic non-resolving inflammation. These phenomena hint at dynamic complexities of intra-cellular signaling circuits downstream of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). In this review, we examine pathological effects of varying LPS doses with respect to the dynamics of innate immune responses and key molecular regulatory circuits responsible for these effects.
Personality and disease outcome in malignant melanoma.

Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the role of personality in the prediction of recurrence and survival times in early-stage malignant melanoma. Methods Sixty patients with Stage I malignant melanoma were assessed shortly after surgery and followed for 10-year outcome. Survival analyses were conducted (i.e., log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression method), with covariates and personality type as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Results Men were three times more likely to recur and seven times more likely to die from malignant melanoma than were women. Every millimeter of tumor depth also increased the risks of both recurrence and death twofold. In contrast to medical indices, personality type could not be used to determine risk for either outcome. Conclusion In the present study, personality type did not predict recurrence and survival times. Rather, malignant melanoma prognosis was overwhelmingly determined by disease biology.
On the fues potential and its improvement

Abstract The kinetic energy (T)-potential energy (V) partitioning of the total electronic energy (W) of a diatomic molecule is investigated within the Fues type potential. Using the kinetic-energy perturbation theory of Parr and White the validity of the virial and separation theorems is discussed, when applied to the Fues-like truncated-to-second-order energy expansions in terms of the parameters λ = 1 - Re/R, where Re is the equilibrium bond length. It is shown that the kinetic energy exact to second order in λ, Tc(R), differs from that obtained from the virial theorem. A straightforward and effective improvement of the potential is suggested, obtained by the integration of the virial theorem: −Wc(R) − R dWc(R)/dR = Tc(R). The resulting potential W has the form (A): Wc = A + Bβ + Cβ2 + Dβ1nβ, where β = Re/R. Test calculations for typical diatomic molecules show that a remarkable improvement of the quartic (me) and quintic (ne) force constants as well as the ωexe anharmonicity constant, is obtained from the potential (A), in comparison with both the Fues and Morse potentials. It is demonstrated for the X1∑g+ and C1Πu states of H2 that potentials (A) give relatively good representations of the corresponding Koos and Wolniewicz potentials as well as their kinetic and potential parts.
The Application of Flow Control to an Aft-Loaded Low Pressure Turbine Cascade With Unsteady Wakes

The synchronous application of flow control in the presence of unsteady wakes was studied on a highly-loaded low pressure turbine blade. The L1A blade has a design Zweifel coefficient of 1.34 and a suction peak at 58% axial chord, making it an aft-loaded pressure distribution. Velocity and pressure data were acquired at Rec = 20,000 with 3% incoming freestream turbulence. Unsteady wakes from an upstream vane row are simulated with a moving row of bars at a flow coefficient of 0.76. At this Reynolds number, the blade exhibits a non-reattaching separation bubble beginning at 57% axial chord under steady flow conditions without upstream wakes. The separation zone is modified substantially by the presence of unsteady wakes, producing a smaller separation zone and reducing the area-averaged wake total pressure loss by more than 50%. The wake disturbance accelerates transition in the separated shear layer but stops short of reattaching the flow. Rather, a new time-averaged equilibrium location is established for the separated shear layer, further downstream than without wakes. The focus of this study was the application of pulsed flow control using two spanwise rows of discrete vortex generator jets (VGJs). The VGJs were located at 59% Cx , approximately the peak cp location, and at 72% Cx . The most effective separation control was achieved at the 59% Cx location. Wake total pressure loss decreased 60% from the wake only level and the cp distribution fully recovered its high Reynolds number (attached flow) performance. The VGJ disturbance dominates the dynamics of the separated shear layer, with the wake disturbance assuming a secondary role only. When the pulsed jet actuation (30% duty cycle) was initiated at the 72% Cx location, synchronization with the wake passing frequency (10.6Hz) was key to producing the most effective separation control. A 25% improvement in effectiveness was obtained by aligning the jet actuation between wake events. Evidence suggests that flow control using VGJs will be effective in the highly unsteady LPT environment of an operating gas turbine, provided the VGJ location and amplitude are adapted for the specific blade profile.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Therapeutic ultrasound to noninvasively create intracardiac communications in an intact animal model.

Objective: To determine if pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy (histotripsy) can accurately and safely generate ventricular septal defects (VSDs) through the intact chest of a neonatal animal, with the eventual goal of developing a noninvasive technique of creating intra-cardiac communications in patients with congenital heart disease. Background: Histotripsy is an innovative ultrasonic technique that generates demarcated, mechanical tissue fractionation utilizing high intensity ultrasound pulses. Previous work has shown that histotripsy can create atrial septal defects in a beating heart in an open-chest canine model. Methods: Nine neonatal pigs were treated with transcutaneous histotripsy targeting the ventricular septum. Ultrasound pulses of 5-μsec duration at a peak negative pressure of 13 MPa and a pulse repetition frequency of 1 kHz were generated by a 1 MHz focused transducer. The procedure was guided by real-time ultrasound imaging. Results: VSDs were created in all pigs with diameters ranging from 2 to 6.5 mm. Six pigs were euthanized within 2 hrs of treatment, while three were recovered and maintained for 2–3 days to evaluate lesion maturation and clinical side effects. There were only transient clinical effects and pathology revealed mild collateral damage around the VSD with no significant damage to other cardiac or extra-cardiac structures. Conclusions: Histotripsy can accurately and safely generate VSDs through the intact chest in a neonatal animal model. These results suggest that with further advances, histotripsy can be a useful, noninvasive technique to create intracardiac communications, which currently require invasive catheter-based or surgical procedures, to clinically stabilize newborn infants with complex congenital heart disease. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Reactions of lipids in corn with ammonia.

Ammonia has recently been employed in experimental tests for the treatment of corn to inactivate aflatoxin, to control molds, and as a preservative during ambient-air drying of freshly harvested high-moisture corn. When these various ammonia treatments are properly applied, no adverse effects have been found on any of the constituents of whole corn. However, in the work being reported when 0.1% or more ammonia was in contact with corn in the presence of air for more than a few days, irreversible changes occurred in the polyunsaturated lipids that were proportionate to the ammonia concentrations. The extent of the changes were dependent upon: (a) air-to-corn ratio, (b) ammonia concentration, (c) temperature, (d) corn moisture, and (e) time. The changes were characterized by a reduction in unsaturation of the lipid, by incorporation of nitrogen into the lipids, and by a consequent increase in lipid polarity. The change in polarity of these altered lipids rendered them unextractable with the usual fat solvents. Air (oxygen) and an initiating mechanism that occurs naturally in corn were required for the lipid-ammonia interaction to occur. This interaction involved only the polyunsaturated fatty acid moieties and formed a class of nitrogenous derivatives. Corn may be treated with ammonia for purposes of detoxification or preservation for long periods with no detectable adverse effects on the lipid composition, as long as headspace air is kept low during ammoniation. This may be accomplished in any of the following ways: (a) by ammonia ting the corn with a very limited headspace, (b) by ammoniating corn in a sealed bin and displacing the air in the headspace with ammonia gas, and (c) by replacing the headspace air with an inexpensive, inert gas such as nitrogen.
Effects of Mn additions on the P embrittlement of the Fe grain boundary

To achieve an electronic level understanding of intergranular embrittlement and its control in steel, the first principles full potential linearized augmented plane wave method and the atomic force approach are used to investigate the effect of Mn additions and P impurities on the energetics and underlying electronic properties of both the Fe grain boundary (GB) and the corresponding intergranular fracture surface (FS). The calculated binding-energy difference is +0.17 eV/adatom for P in the P/Fe binary system, in agreement with its observed embrittlement potency. The Mn is also found to contribute a direct embrittling effect of +0.20 eV/adatom, associated with stronger Mn-Fe chemical bonding in the FS environment. The computed binding-energy difference for P in the (P+Mn)/Fe ternary system is increased to +0.40 eV/adatom, consistent with experimental evidence that Mn facilitates P embrittlement in the grain boundary. The origin of the Mn enhanced P embrittlement is attributed to the strengthened in-plane P-Mn interaction, which makes the P impurity interact more isotropically with the surrounding Mn and Fe atoms in the GB and FS.
Reliability of physical fitness tests administered to young children.

The purpose of this research was to establish the reliability of physical fitness tests for first- to third-grade children. The 26 subjects were randomly selected from a larger sample from urban public schools and tested individually on two days, one week apart. Tests included the Health-related Physical Fitness Test battery of AAHPERD and the modified pull-up of Baumgartner. Reliability estimates ranged from .83 to .99 for the former items so these items seem to be appropriate for assessing fitness of young children. The modified pull-up test was an unreliable item (r = .52). Two possible sources of variation in performance scores should be addressed, children's motivation and testing protocol.
Understanding Neonatal Jaundice: A Perspective on Causation

Neonatal jaundice can be best understood as a balance between the production and elimination of bilirubin, with a multitude of factors and conditions affecting each of these processes. When an imbalance results because of an increase in circulating bilirubin (or the bilirubin load) to significantly high levels (severe hyperbilirubinemia), it may cause permanent neurologic sequelae (kernicterus). In most infants, an increase in bilirubin production (e.g., due to hemolysis) is the primary cause of severe hyperbilirubinemia, and thus reducing bilirubin production is a rational approach for its management. The situation can become critical in infants with an associated impaired bilirubin elimination mechanism as a result of a genetic deficiency and/or polymorphism. Combining information about bilirubin production and genetic information about bilirubin elimination with the tracking of bilirubin levels means that a relative assessment of jaundice risk might be feasible. Information on the level of bilirubin production and its rate of elimination may help to guide the clinical management of neonatal jaundice.
Comparison of artificial and natural sea water as culture media for juvenile lobsters

Abstract Fourth-stage and fifth-stage lobsters were placed in artificial or natural sea water and fed live adult brine shrimp for 90 days. Water quality parameters and temperature were monitored. Carapace length and body weight measurements were made at the end of the experimental periods. In trial one, growth was significantly better ( P
On the nature of immobilized tris(carboxymethyl)ethylenediamine.

Abstract Immobilized tris(carboxymethyl)ethylenediamine (TED) (also known as ethylenediamine-N,N,N′-triacetic acid) serves as a stationary phase for fractionation of proteins and the preparation of metal-free proteins by immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography. The Cu(II) complex of commercially available immobilized TED has been characterized by elemental, electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. There is a large discrepancy between the theoretical capacity determined from the nitrogen content and the experimental capacities determined by atomic-absorption spectroscopy and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV), indicating that a substantial portion of the immobilized ligand is not binding Cu(II). In addition, the titration of immobilized TED with Cu(II), monitored by ASV, suggests that more than one ligand is involved in binding Cu(II). A comparison of the EPR spectrum for immobilized Cu(II)-TED with spectra for various model complexes shows that the major immobilized ligand is ethylenediamine-N,N′-diacetic acid (EDDA) with immobilized TED present only as a minor component. The complexation constant for Cu(II) is close to the value for Cu(II)-EDDA in solution. The formation of EDDA is consistent with the method for synthesizing immobilized TED.