cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the estimation of pulmonary blood flow from CO 2 production time series

Abstract It may be possible to estimate a nominal pulmonary blood flow ( Q ) during an exercise stress test via the algorithm used to estimate breath-by-breath alveolar CO2 production. Recently it has been demonstrated that by relating breath-to-breath fluctuations in alveolar CO2 production to breath-to-breath fluctuations in end-tidal CO2, an optimizing parameter related to Q can be determined that can be used to process the CO2 production fluctuations and minimize their variation. However, the reported values of Q using this procedure appear to be biased low. Using a computer simulation of gas exchange, we demonstrate that the estimate of Q is biased low when the nominal lung volume used in the alveolar gas exchange algorithm is too large. Furthermore, alveolar CO2 transport is determined by an integral of alveolar CO2 over the breath time and, thus, is a path-dependent quantity. The use of end-tidal CO2 fluctuations to approximate fluctuations in this integral contributes to an error in the estimation of Q which yields estimates that are biased low. Alternatively, the use of mean alveolar CO2 fluctuations yield more appropriate Q estimates. These results suggest practical implications for estimating effective pulmonary blood flow during an exercise stress test by using breath-to-breath estimates of mear alveolar CO2.
Efficient carrier transport in halide perovskites: theoretical perspectives

Halide perovskites have recently been shown to exhibit excellent carrier transport properties. Density functional calculations are performed to study the electronic structure, dielectric properties, and defect properties of β-CH3NH3PbI3. The results show that Pb chemistry plays an important role in a wide range of material properties, i.e., small effective masses, enhanced Born effective charges and lattice polarization, and the suppression of the formation of deep defect levels, all of which contribute to the exceptionally good carrier transport properties observed in CH3NH3PbI3. Defect calculations show that, among native point defects (including vacancies, interstitials, and antisites), only iodine vacancy is a low-energy deep trap and non-radiative recombination centre. Alloying iodide with chloride reduces the lattice constant of the iodide and significantly increases the formation energy of interstitial defects, which explains the observed substantial increase in carrier diffusion length in mixed halide CH3NH3PbI2Cl compared to that in CH3NH3PbI3.
Difference in diet between a general population national representative sample and individuals with alcohol use disorders, but not individuals with depressive or anxiety disorders

AbstractBackground: Mental disorders influence diet and food consumption, but there is a lack of consistent findings. Aims: To investigate food consumption, nutrient intakes and serum metabolic biomarkers in depressive, anxiety and alcohol use disorders in comparison with the remaining from a population-based nationwide sample. Methods: The study was based on the Health 2000 Survey data of which 5504 subjects aged 30 and over (3009 women and 2495 men) were used for the analysis. Depressive disorder, anxiety disorders and alcohol use disorders were diagnosed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). The consumption of food and beverage items, and nutrient intakes were measured with a validated food frequency questionnaire, and the concentrations of biomarkers were determined in blood samples. Results: Overall, no similar differences with both genders were found in the intakes of energy, dietary fibre or macronutrients or in biomarkers in depressive or anxiety disorders. Women sufferi...
On the failure of hyperbolicity in elasticity

The failure of hyperbolicity leading to the instability as an ill-posedness of the Cauchy problem is investigated for elasticity. The criteria for that instability are derived in terms of the potential energy as a function of the strain invariants. The theory is illustrated by examples.
GABAergic neurons in rat nuclei of solitary tracts receive inhibitory‐type synapses from amygdaloid efferents lacking detectable GABA‐immunoreactivity

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a prominent inhibitory transmitter in both the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce) and the medial nuclei of the solitary tracts (mNTS). These regions are reciprocally connected by anatomical pathways mediating the coordinated visceral responses to emotional stress. To further determine whether GABA is present in the amygdaloid efferents or their targets in the mNTS, we combined peroxidase labeling of Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) or biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) anterogradely transported from the Ce with immunogold-silver detection of antibodies against GABA in the rat mNTS. By light microscopy, peroxidase labeling for either PHA-L or BDA was seen in varicose processes, whereas immunogold-silver labeling for GABA was detected in perikarya and processes throughout the rostrocaudal mNTS. The intermediate mNTS at the level of the area postrema, a region receiving mainly cardiorespiratory and gastric visceral afferents, were examined by electron microscopy. In this region, anterograde labeling was observed exclusively in unmyelinated axons and axon terminals. These terminals lacked detectable GABA-immunoreactivity, but formed symmetric synapses that are associated with inhibition. The targets of the anterogradely labeled terminals were medium-sized dendrites both with and without GABA-labeling. These dendrites often also received convergent input from terminals that were intensely GABA-immunoreactive. We conclude that visceral activation accompanying emotional response to stress is likely to involve inhibition of GABAergic neurons in the mNTS by non-GABA-containing amygdaloid efferents. Furthermore, our results indicate that the inhibition of these GABAergic neurons may be further augmented by release of GABA from other converging terminals in the mNTS.
Predictors of Clinical Improvement, Angiographic Recanalization, and Intracranial Hemorrhage After Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose—We sought to evaluate predictors of clinical outcome, angiographic success, and adverse effects after intra-arterial administration of urokinase for acute ischemic stroke. Me...
REDUCED NITRIC OXIDE BIOAVAILABILITY CONTRIBUTES TO SKELETAL MUSCLE MICROVESSEL RAREFACTION IN THE METABOLIC SYNDROME

This study tested the hypothesis that chronically elevated oxidant stress contributes to impaired active hyperemia in skeletal muscle of obese Zucker rats (OZR) vs. lean Zucker rats (LZR) through p...
A master regulator for biofilm formation by Bacillus subtilis

Wild strains of Bacillus subtilis are capable of forming architecturally complex communities of cells known as biofilms. Critical to biofilm formation is the eps operon, which is believed to be responsible for the biosynthesis of an exopolysaccharide that binds chains of cells together in bundles. We report that transcription of eps is under the negative regulation of SinR, a repressor that was found to bind to multiple sites in the regulatory region of the operon. Mutations in sinR bypassed the requirement in biofilm formation of two genes of unknown function, ylbF and ymcA, and sinI, which is known to encode an antagonist of SinR. We propose that these genes are members of a pathway that is responsible for counteracting SinR-mediated repression. We further propose that SinR is a master regulator that governs the transition between a planktonic state in which the bacteria swim as single cells in liquid or swarm in small groups over surfaces, and a sessile state in which the bacteria adhere to each other to form bundled chains and assemble into multicellular communities.
An assessment of U.S. legislation on cybersecurity

Cybercrime continues to be on the rise and cybercriminals are launching increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks aimed at disrupting businesses through denial of service attacks and stealing personal information all with serious economic consequences. Law and policy makers are under increasing pressure to develop timely legislations to address cybercrime issues and provide effective measures to prosecute cybercriminals. We present a comprehensive review of the various laws that are currently available in the Unites States to control cybercrime and support cybersecurity. We also discuss proposed bills in light of how they address cybersecurity challenges in current legislations. Finally, we briefly present recent regulations and proposed bills related to cybersecurity in a few other countries which have set up various government initiatives in this area.
Predictors of tobacco quit attempts among recovering alcoholics

Reported here are findings from a randomized community intervention trial that followed 90 recovering alcoholic smokers for 6 months. Because the brief (10-min) study intervention had no effect on tobacco use, intervention and control participants were pooled to identify predictors of attempts to quit smoking that may inform clinical practice. During the first 6 months after discharge from residential alcohol treatment, 31% of all participants reported having quit smoking for 48 hrs or longer. Demographic and drug use history variables did not predict quit attempt, but two baseline tobacco use variables did, specifically the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence and stage of readiness to quit smoking, p < .01. Participants with high or very high nicotine dependence scores were significantly less likely than those with moderate or low scores to attempt smoking cessation. Compared to those in precontemplation at baseline, those in the preparation stage of readiness to change were about 12 times more likely to make a serious quit attempt.
Individual Differences in Auditory Electric Responses: Comparisons of Between-Subject and Within-Subject Variability. V. Amplitude-variability Comparisons in Early, Middle, and Late Responses

In this series of reports to date (Lauter & Loomis, 1986, 1988; Lauter & Karzon, 1990 a & b) we have described patterns of relative variability observed in latency and amplitude of auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) collected in a repeated-measures within-subjects design testing two groups of neurologically normal adults. Each of the two groups of subjects was additionally tested for one other type of auditory evoked potential, according to the same schedule of eight weekly sessions: middle-latency responses (MLRs: 10 to 50 ms post-stimulus) were collected from Group II (four females and four males), and late responses (50 to 300 ms post-stimulus) from Group I (four females and three males). This paper presents data comparing and contrasting the patterns of relative variability of waveform-peak latency observed in middle-latency, late responses, and the ABR data previously reported. Results document a trimodal distribution of response latency variability, with ABR peak V in one category, characterized by high within-subject stability and low between-subject stability, ABR peaks II, III, and IV, together with MLR peak No in a second category, of intermediate within-subject stability, and a third category consisting of ABR peak I together with all auditory-evoked-potential (AEP) peaks subsequent to MLR peak No, in which consistency of peak latency calculated within subjects approaches the low level of consistency calculated across subjects.
Continuous Time Level Crossing Sampling ADC for Bio-Potential Recording Systems

In this paper we present a fixed window level crossing sampling analog to digital convertor for bio-potential recording sensors. This is the first proposed and fully implemented fixed window level crossing ADC without local DACs and clocks. The circuit is designed to reduce data size, power, and silicon area in future wireless neurophysiological sensor systems. We built a testing system to measure bio-potential signals and used it to evaluate the performance of the circuit. The bio-potential amplifier offers a gain of 53 dB within a bandwidth of 200 Hz-20 kHz. The input-referred rms noise is 2.8 μV. In the asynchronous level crossing ADC, the minimum delta resolution is 4 mV. The input signal frequency of the ADC is up to 5 kHz. The system was fabricated using the AMI 0.5 μm CMOS process. The chip size is 1.5 mm by 1.5 mm. The power consumption of the 4-channel system from a 3.3 V supply is 118.8 μW in the static state and 501.6 μW with a 240 kS/s sampling rate. The conversion efficiency is 1.6 nJ/conversion.
Modulation of selectivity in a fluorocarbene cyclopropanation reaction: a catalytic role for bromide ion

Phenylfluorocarbene is diverted to phenylfluorobromomethide carbanion (PhCFBr−) by adding bromide ion. The carbanion adds to acrylonitrile leading, after expulsion of bromide, to 1-fluoro-1-phenyl-2-cyanocyclopropane.
Teaching Introductory Economics With a Collaborative Learning Lab Component

(1998). Teaching Introductory Economics With a Collaborative Learning Lab Component. The Journal of Economic Education: Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 321-329.
Cystic hygroma of the neck

The literature of cystic hygroma of the neck has been presented. The important aspects of the embryology, clinical picture and treatment have been discussed. Because of the very low incidence of this tumor, most surgeons are unable to gain much personal experience with this intriguing lesion. Consideration of the reports of others and a retrospective review of his own cases has led the author to establish and suggest certain guidelines in dealing with this tumor.
Iris recognition using the Ridge Energy Direction (RED) algorithm

The authors present a new algorithm for iris recognition. Segmentation is based on local statistics, and after segmentation, the image is subjected to contrast-limited, adaptive histogram equalization. Feature extraction is then conducted using two directional filters (vertically and horizontally oriented). The presence (or absence) of ridges and their dominant directions are determined, based on maximum directional filter response. Templates are compared using fractional Hamming distance as a metric for a match/non match determination. This ridge-energy-direction (RED) algorithm reduces the effects of illumination, since only direction is used. Results are presented that utilize four iris databases, and some comparison of recognition performance against a Daugman-based algorithm is provided.
Plasma-etching profile model for SiO/sub 2/ contact holes

A theoretical plasma-etching model for contact holes (vias) is presented. The significant feature of this model is that the etch and deposition rates are given by analytical equations. The etch-profile simulations for the contact holes are computed from the trajectory equations of the surface-evolution equation by using a computer package of MATLAB. The ion and neutral etch rates are proportional to the energy and particle fluxes, respectively. A new approximate analytic expression for the ion-energy flux is reported for contact holes; the neutral flux expressions were found previously. The scanning-electron microscopy micrographs of SiO/sub 2/ contact holes etched in a gas mixture of CF/sub 4//CHF/sub 3//Ar in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching reactor are fitted well using the developed model.
Reliability of field methods for estimating body fat

When health professionals measure the fitness levels of clients, body composition is usually estimated. In practice, the reliability of the measurement may be more important than the actual validity, as reliability determines how much change is needed to be considered meaningful. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of two bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices (in athlete and non-athlete mode) and compare that to 3-site skinfold (SKF) readings. Twenty-one college students attended the laboratory on two occasions and had their measurements taken in the following order: body mass, height, SKF, Tanita body fat-350 (BF-350) and Omron HBF-306C. There were no significant pairwise differences between Visit 1 and Visit 2 for any of the estimates (P>0.05). The Pearson product correlations ranged from r = 0.933 for HBF-350 in the athlete mode (A) to r = 0.994 for SKF. The ICC's ranged from 0.93 for HBF-350(A) to 0.992 for SKF, and the MD's ranged from 1.8% for SKF to 5.1% for BF-350(A). The current study found that SKF and HBF-306C(A) were the most reliable (<2%) methods of estimating BF%, with the other methods (BF-350, BF-350(A), HBF-306C) producing minimal differences greater than 2%. In conclusion, the SKF method presented with the best reliability because of its low minimal difference, suggesting this method may be the best field method to track changes over time if you have an experienced tester. However, if technical error is a concern, the practitioner may use the HBF-306C(A) because it had a minimal difference value comparable to SKF.
Effects of Rheology and Ice Thickness Distribution in a Dynamic-Thermodynamic Sea Ice Model

Realistic treatment of sea ice processes in general circulation models is needed to simulate properly global climate and climate change scenarios. As new sea ice treatments become available, it is necessary to evaluate them in terms of their accuracy and computational time. Here, several dynamic ice models are compared using both a 2-category and 28-category ice thickness distribution. Simulations are conducted under normal wind forcing, as well as under increased and decreased wind speeds. It is found that the lack of a shear strength parameterization in the cavitating fluid rheology produces significantly different results in both ice thickness and ice velocity than those produced by an elliptical rheology. Furthermore, use of a 28-category ice thickness distribution amplifies differences in the responses of the various models. While the choice of dynamic model is governed by requirements of accuracy and implementation, it appears that, in terms of both parameterization of physical properties and computational time, the elliptical rheology is well-suited for inclusion in a GCM.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SHOCK WAVES RESULTING FROM THE IMPACT OF HIGH VELOCITY MISSILES ON ANIMAL TISSUES.

The spark shadowgram method of studying shock waves is described. It has been used to investigate the properties of such waves produced by the impact of a high velocity missile on the surface of water. The method can be adapted for study of behavior of shock waves in tissue by placing the tissue on a water surface or immersing it in water. Spark shadowgrams then reveal waves passing from tissue to water or reflected from tissue surfaces. Reflection and transmission of shock waves from muscle, liver, stomach, and intestinal wall are compared with reflection from non-living surfaces such as gelatin gel, steel, plexiglas, cork, and air. Because of its heterogeneous structure, waves transmitted by tissue are dispersed and appear as a series of wavelets. When the accoustical impedance (density x wave velocity) of a medium is less than that in which the wave is moving, reflection will occur with inversion of the wave; i.e., a high pressure wave will become a low pressure wave. This inversion occurs at an air surface and is illustrated by shadowgrams of reflection from stomach wall, from a segment of colon filled with gas, and from air-filled rubber balloons. Bone (human skull and beef ribs) shows good reflection and some transmission of shock waves. When steel is directly hit by a missile, clearly visible elastic waves pass from metal to water, but a similar direct hit on bone does not result in elastic waves strong enough to be detected by a spark shadowgram.
Multiple-laser diode geometry for high-speed compact holographic memories

We discuss methods for the creation of synthesized holograms. Because each hologram in the memory contributes to many end-user data pages, the signal-to-noise ratio of the resulting system drops in a trade-off with the speed gained by using multiple lasers. Also, there is a trade-off between placing more holograms in the memory (needed to gain an adequate number to reconstruct all data pages) and the diminishing diffraction efficiency of each hologram when more are stored.
Bootstrap and empirical likelihood methods in extremes

One of the major interests in extreme-value statistics is to infer the tail properties of the distribution functions in the domain of attraction of an extreme-value distribution and to predict rare events. In recent years, much effort in developing new methodologies has been made by many researchers in this area so as to diminish the impact of the bias in the estimation and achieve some asymptotic optimality in inference problems such as estimating the optimal sample fractions and constructing confidence intervals of various quantities. In particular, bootstrap and empirical likelihood methods, which have been widely used in many areas of statistics, have drawn attention. This paper reviews some novel applications of the bootstrap and the empirical likelihood techniques in extreme-value statistics.
Strato: a retargetable framework for low-level inlined-reference monitors

Low-level Inlined Reference Monitors (IRM) such as control-flow integrity and software-based fault isolation can foil numerous software attacks. Conventionally, those IRMs are implemented through binary rewriting or transformation on equivalent low-level programs that are tightly coupled with a specific Instruction Set Architecture (ISA). Resulting implementations have poor retargetability to different ISAs. This paper introduces an IRM-implementation framework at a compiler intermediate-representation (IR) level. The IR-level framework enables easy retargetability to different ISAs, but raises the challenge of how to preserve security at the low level, as the compiler backend might invalidate the assumptions at the IR level. We propose a constraint language to encode the assumptions and check whether they still hold after the backend transformations and optimizations. Furthermore, an independent verifier is implemented to validate the security of low-level code. We have implemented the framework inside LLVM to enforce the policy of control-flow integrity and data sandboxing for both reads and writes. Experimental results demonstrate that it incurs modest runtime overhead of 19.90% and 25.34% on SPECint2000 programs for ×86- 32 and ×86-64, respectively.
Seismic characterization of an active metamorphic massif, Nanga Parbat, Pakistan Himalaya

Earthquakes recorded by a dense seismic array at Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, provide new insight into synorogenic metamorphism and mass flow during mountain building. Micro- seismicity beneath the massif drops off sharply with depth and defines a shallow transition between brittle failure and ductile flow. The base of seismicity bows upward, mapping a thermal boundary with 3 km of structural relief over a lateral distance of 12 km. Anom- alously low seismic velocities are observed at the core of the massif and extend to depth through the crust. The main locus of seismicity and low velocities correlates with a region of high topography, rapid exhumation, high geothermal gradients, young metamorphic and igneous ages, and crustal fluid flow. We suggest a genetic link between these phenom- ena in which hot rocks, rapidly advected from depth, are pervasively modified at relatively shallow levels in the crust.
Feature extraction using discrete wavelet transform for speech recognition

We propose a new feature vector consisting of mel-frequency discrete wavelet coefficients (MFDWC). The MFDWC are obtained by applying the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to the mel-scaled log filterbank energies of a speech frame. The purpose of using the DWT is to benefit from its localization property in the time and frequency domains. MFDWC are similar to subband-based (SUB) features and multi-resolution (MULT) features in that both attempt to achieve good time and frequency localization. However, MFDWC have better time/frequency localization than SUB features and MULT features. We evaluated the performance of new features for clean speech and noisy speech and compared the performance of MFDWC with mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC), SUB features and MULT features. Experimental results on a phoneme recognition task showed that a MFDWC-based recognizer gave better results than recognizers based on MFCC, SUB features, and MULT features for white Gaussian noise, band-limited white Gaussian noise and clean speech cases.
Multiple-family groups and psychoeducation in the treatment of schizophrenia

Recent studies suggest that the multiple-family group is a preferable vehicle for assisting families and treating and rehabilitating persons with schizophrenia within a psychoeducational clinical framework. This approach is probably the most cost-effective treatment for schizophrenia developed since antipsychotic medication.
Central Nervous System Histoplasmosis Mimicking a Brain Tumor: Difficulties in Diagnosis and Treatment

Neurologic involvement occurs in 10% to 20% of patients with disseminated histoplasmosis. We describe a 20-year-old woman who had headache and diplopia but no evidence of systemic infection. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an enhancing mass in the thalamomesencephalic and third ventricular region. After subtotal resection of what was presumed to be a glioma, the patient had symptoms and signs of meningitis. Subsequent pathological review demonstrated noncaseating granulomas, and serologie tests and cultures confirmed the diagnosis of histoplasmosis. Initiation of antifungal therapy and removal of an infected shunt system resulted in clinical improvement. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion in patients who are from any area endemic for histoplasmosis.
Linear Curve Fitting Using Least Deviations

Abstract A method is developed for finding a straight line of best fit to a set of two dimensional points such that the sum of the absolute values of the vertical deviations of the points from the line is a minimum. This is first done with the restriction that the line pass through any designated point. In this case one application of a numerical procedure leads to the solution, which may be an unique line, or a sheaf of lines. When the restriction is removed, iteration of the procedure is necessary to find the line or lines of least deviations.
Stratification of surgical site infection by operative factors and comparison of infection rates after hernia repair.

The most commonly reported healthcare-associated infection in the United States is surgical site infection (SSI).1 Despite improvements in infection control practices, SSIs remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and result in increased hospital stay and excess healthcare costs.1;2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the largest healthcare-associated infection reporting system in the United States.3 NHSN has a list of operative procedures for SSI surveillance based on International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) and Current Procedural Terminology, 4th edition (CPT-4) procedure codes.4 Although NHSN groups laparoscopic and open surgical approaches for incisional/ventral, umbilical, and inguinal/femoral hernia sites together, the literature suggests that there are differences in SSI rates by site and approach. Studies examining a single anatomic surgical site have reported higher SSI rates for open versus laparoscopic surgery.5–10 There is wide variation in SSI incidence depending on the anatomic location of the surgical incision,5–12 but it is difficult to directly compare SSI incidence by hernia site in the literature because most results are reported from only single anatomic sites and there are differences in the population studied, length of follow up, and surveillance methods. Another potentially important operative risk factor for hernia SSI is the presence of bowel obstruction or necrosis, as these operations are more likely to be performed emergently and are considered “contaminated” rather than “clean” surgeries. Increased risk of SSI has also been reported for incarcerated/strangulated versus reducible ventral/incisional hernia repair.13 The goal of our study was to determine the risk of SSI after hernia repair by anatomic site, surgical approach, and presence of bowel obstruction and necrosis in a large, geographically diverse population.
Time-varying failure rates in the availability and reliability analysis of repairable systems

This paper combines time varying failure rates and Markov chain analysis to obtain a hybrid reliability and availability analysis. However, combining these techniques can, depending on the size of the system, result in solutions of the Markov chain differential matrix equations that are intractable. This paper identifies solutions that are tractable, These form the analytical baseline for the reliability and availability analysis of systems with time varying failure rates. Tractable solutions were found for the 1-component 2-state and the 2-component 4-state configurations. Time varying failure rates were characterized by a general polynomial expression. Constant, linear, and Weibull failure rate functions are special cases of this polynomial. The general polynomial failure rate provides flexibility in modeling the time varying failure rates that occur in practice. >
Trimeric Autotransporters Require Trimerization of the Passenger Domain for Stability and Adhesive Activity

In recent years, structural studies have identified a number of bacterial, viral, and eukaryotic adhesive proteins that have a trimeric architecture. The prototype examples in bacteria are the Haemophilus influenzae Hia adhesin and the Yersinia enterocolitica YadA adhesin. Both Hia and YadA are members of the trimeric-autotransporter subfamily and are characterized by an internal passenger domain that harbors adhesive activity and a short C-terminal translocator domain that inserts into the outer membrane and facilitates delivery of the passenger domain to the bacterial surface. In this study, we examined the relationship between trimerization of the Hia and YadA passenger domains and the capacity for adhesive activity. We found that subunit-subunit interactions and stable trimerization are essential for native folding and stability and ultimately for full-level adhesive activity. These results raise the possibility that disruption of the trimeric architecture of trimeric autotransporters, and possibly other trimeric adhesins, may be an effective strategy to eliminate adhesive activity.
A Critical Review of Drag Reduction in Channel Flows and Numerical Study of Forced Convective Transport in a Channel With Conducting-Lubricating (CO-LUB) Surfaces

Addressing the traditionally contradictory problem of obtaining considerable drag reduction without negatively impacting heat transfer as much is an arduous scientific challenge. In this paper, prior efforts on frictional drag reduction and the associated issues are discussed in relevant detail, and the effectiveness of Conducting-Lubricating (CO-LUB) surfaces as one of the potential options to address this challenge for single phase forced convection of liquids is numerically pursued. CO-LUB surfaces have exceptionally high wetting characteristics, and when saturated with a liquid microlayer, provide remarkable lubrication to bulk liquid flow and simultaneously facilitate heat transfer by conduction through the microlayer. In the simulations, the side walls of a high aspect ratio rectangular channel were assumed as CO-LUB surfaces and flow and heat transfer of bulk liquid flow were modeled using ANSYS FLUENT 14.5. Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method was used to model the two phases with a free surface interface, with water as the microlayer liquid and oil as the bulk liquid, in a narrow channel of 5 mm width and 50 mm length under laminar flow, constant wall heat flux conditions. The results were compared with a regular channel of the same dimensions (without CO-LUB surfaces) and it was found that pressure drop decreased remarkably by ∼23 times for some cases but without any heat transfer attenuation (actually, improved heat transfer performance was observed) leading to highly energy-efficient convective transport.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Nerve regeneration in vascularized composite allotransplantation: current strategies and future directions

Vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA) has emerged as a viable treatment option for limb and face reconstruction of severe tissue defects. Functional recovery after VCA requires not only effective immunosuppression, but also consideration of peripheral nerve regeneration to facilitate motor and sensory reinnervation of donor tissue. At the time of transplantation, the donor and recipient nerves are typically coapted in an end-to-end fashion. Following transplantation, there are no therapies available to enhance nerve regeneration and graft reinnervation, and functional outcomes are dependent on the recipients' innate regenerative capacities. Functional outcomes to date have been promising, but there is still much room for improvement, studies have demonstrated reliable return of protective sensation (pain, thermal, gross tactile), while discriminative sensation and motor function show more inconsistent results. In order to maximize the benefit afforded to the by VCA, we must develop consistent and reliable procedures and therapies to ensure effective nerve regeneration and functional outcomes. New technologies, such as nerve guidance conduits and fibrin glues, and the use of stem cells to facilitate nerve regeneration remain untested in VCA but are proving worthwhile in the context of peripheral nerve repair. VCA presents a unique set of challenges with regards to surgical techniques, postoperative regimen, and health of donor tissue. In this review, we discuss current challenges underlying achievement of nerve regeneration in VCA and discuss novel technologies and approaches to translate nerve regeneration into functional restoration.
The Direct Kinematics of Objects Suspended From Cables

This work addresses the problem for determining the position and orientation of an object with regular polygon suspended from n cables with the same length when the n robots form a regular polygon on the horizontal plane. First, an analytic algorithm based on resultant elimination is presented to determine all possible equilibrium configurations of the planar 4-bar linkage. As the nonlinear system can be reduced to a polynomial equation in one unknown with a degree 8, this algorithm is more efficient than numerical search algorithms. Then, considering that the motion of the 3D cable system in its vertical planes of symmetry can be regarded as the motion of an equivalent planar 4-bar linkage, the proposed algorithm is used to solve the direct kinematic problem of objects suspended from multiple cables. Then, case studies with three to six cables are conducted for demonstration. Finally, experiments are conducted for validation.© 2010 ASME
Market Measurement and Planning With a Simultaneous-Equation Model

Demand and market share response functions are estimated from empirical data for airlines in one two-city market. These structures are then utilized in a normative model of marketing decision making. The results show profit-maximizing levels for number of flights and dollars of advertising.
Present Situation and Its Major Problems for AC Electric Energy Meter Verification Procedure

The paper briefly described the present situation of the inspection standard and verification procedure for electric energy meter, and put forward the major technical problems as well as processing technique that should be considered in revision of verification procedure. The relatively typical actual problems in which were discussed and the suggestions were put forward.
Lack of significant bleeding despite large acute rivaroxaban overdose confirmed with whole blood concentrations

Background: Since intentional overdose with rivaroxaban is expected to lead to significant coagulopathy and bleeding, prophylactic reversal has been suggested. We report a single massive ingestion ...
Canine acute leukaemia: 50 cases (1989–2014)†

Acute leukaemia (AL) is a bone marrow malignancy of hematopoietic progenitors that historically is poorly responsive to treatment. With the widespread adoption of dose-intense chemotherapy, more human patients attain long-term survivals, but whether comparable progress has been made in canine AL is unknown. To investigate this question, medical records from three academic veterinary hospitals were reviewed. Fifty dogs met the criteria for AL, having excess circulating or marrow blasts, a major cytopenia(s), and no substantial lymphadenopathy. Thirty-six dogs received cytotoxic chemotherapy; 23 achieved a complete or partial response for a median of 56 days (range, 9–218). With failure or relapse, 14 dogs were rescued. Median survival with treatment was poor at 55 days (range, 1–300). Untreated (n = 6) and palliatively-treated (n = 8) dogs lived a median of 7.5 days. Most dogs developed chemoresistance within weeks of initiating treatment, and consequently, survival times for AL remain disappointingly short.
Identifying signature genes for short-term estrogen-induced protection against mammary carcinogenesis

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 4408 Women who have undergone a full-term pregnancy early in life have a reduced risk of breast cancer compared to nulliparous women. Rats and mice also exhibit the phenomenon of parity induced protection against mammary carcinogenesis. We have demonstrated that short-term treatments with pregnancy levels of estradiol (E) alone or in combination with progesterone (P) is effective in preventing mammary cancer while P alone is not (Proc. Nat’l Acad. Sci. 96:2520-2525, 1999; 98: 11755-11759, 2001). The protective treatment is non-toxic and is as effective as full term pregnancy, ovariectomy, or long-term tamoxifen treatment with no loss of reproductive function. Earlier using cDNA microarray analysis we have analyzed 14815 genes from Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus which are annotated as mRNA or genes EST in GenBank., and demonstrated that there were distinct differential expression of genes between the hormone protected and unprotected groups. In brief, nine weeks old female Lewis rats were treated with 10 micrograms (unprotected), or 200 microgram (protected) of estradiol in silastic capsules for 3 weeks. Control rats received silastic capsule with no hormone. Rats were terminated 8 weeks after the removal of hormone treatment. Mammary glands were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen for RNA extraction and further microarray analysis. In this study we have validated our microarray data using real time RTPCR technique. Using the real time RTPCR analysis we observed that the differentially expressed genes which were detected by cDNA microarray analysis exhibited similar expression patterns. Both studies show that hormone protected rats have over expression of genes involved in growth inhibition, apoptosis and DNA repair, while they have lower expression of genes involved in growth promotion and angiogenesis compared to the unprotected and control rats. The data indicates that these genes could be used as potential markers for prevention of breast cancer.
A Qualitative Analysis of Career Choice Pathways of College-Oriented Rural Central Appalachian High School Students:

To explore the ways context may shape career choices, we used a qualitative approach to analyze interviews with college-oriented high school students from the rural Central Appalachia region of Vir...
Inside Mathforum.org: Analysis of an Internet-Based Education Community

The internet has dramatically transformed social space and time for many people in many different contexts. This dramatic warping of the social fabric has happened slowly over time as digital technologies have evolved and internet speeds have increased. While we are all aware of these changes, the impact is often little understood. There are few monographs about social groups made possible by the internet, and even fewer about educational communities made possible through digital technologies. Inside Mathforum.org details the ways that digital media are used to enhance the practices that teachers and students of mathematics engage in. The book also shows how different kinds of mathematical conversations and interactions become possible through the digital media. Unlike many other educational uses of digital media, the Math Forum's community has provided online resources and sustained support for teachers and students, and it leads the way in showing the power of digital media for education.
Low Beam Energy X-Ray Microanalysis

The incident beam energy, E0, is the parameter that determines which characteristic X-rays can be excited: the beam energy must exceed the critical excitation energy, Ec, for an atomic shell to initiate ionization and subsequent emission of characteristic X-rays. This dependence is parameterized with the “overvoltage” U0, defined as $$ {U}_0={E}_0/{E}_c $$ U0 must exceed unity for X-ray emission. The intensity, Ich, of characteristic X-ray generation follows an exponential relation: $$ {I}_{ch}={i}_Ba{\left({U}_0-1\right)}^n $$ where iB is the beam current, a and n are constants, with 1.5 ≤ n ≤ 2.
CHRONIC Δ9-THC IN RHESUS MONKEYS: EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AND DOPAMINE D2/D3 RECEPTOR AVAILABILITY

Cannabis-related impairments to cognitive function may represent novel therapeutic targets for cannabis-use disorder, although the nature, persistence, and reversibility of such deficits remain unclear. Adult male rhesus monkeys (N = 6) responded in the morning on tasks designed to assess different cognitive domains using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) touchscreens followed by responding maintained under a fixed-ratio (FR) 10 schedule of food presentation in different operant chambers. First, the acute effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 0.01–0.56 mg/kg, i.v.) on cognitive performance, FR responding, and body temperature were determined. Next, THC (1.0–2.0 mg/kg, s.c.) was administered daily after FR 10 sessions for 12 weeks, during which the residual effects of THC (i.e., 22 hours after administration) on cognition were examined and the acute effects of THC were redetermined. In a subgroup of monkeys, dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability was assessed after 4 weeks of chronic THC exposure and compared with drug-naive controls using positron emission tomography and [11C]-raclopride (N = 4/group). Acute THC pretreatments dose-dependently decreased FR responding and body temperature, and impairment to cognitive performance was task specific. During chronic treatment, THC produced persistent residual impairment only to working memory; tolerance differentially developed to acute cognitive impairments. There was recovery from residual cognitive impairments to working memory within 2 weeks of abstinence. Compared with controls, D2/D3 receptor availability was not altered during chronic THC treatment. In conclusion, THC-induced disruptions in cognition were task-specific, as was tolerance development, and not related to changes in D2/D3 receptor availability. Intervention strategies for cannabis-use disorder that enhance working memory performance may facilitate positive treatment outcomes.
On the Fluid Dependence of Seismic Anisotropy: Beyond Biot-Gassmann

This work addresses the question of the fluid dependence of the non-dimensional parameters of seismic anisotropy. It extends the classic theory of the fluid-dependence of elasticity, and applies the approximation of weak seismic anisotropy. The analysis shows that reliance upon the classic theory leads to oversimplified conclusions. Extending the classic theory introduces new parameters (which must be experimentally determined) into the conclusions, making their application in the field context highly problematic.
Dietary Restriction and Toxicological Endpoints: An Historical Overview

The United States and other developed countries are increasingly having to adapt to a population that has a significant percentage of individuals who are 75 years old or older (Figure 4.1). Diseases such as heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer are lcnown to increase significantly after the age of 60 (Fig. 4.2). As the population of senior citizens increases, with a concomitant increase in age-associated disease, it can be anticipated that there will be an added burden on health care systems in the USA and other developed countries. Recently, there has been much attention paid to the modulation of the onset of disease, particularly heart disease and cancer, through diet.
The Role of Proteolytic Eenzymes in Autoimmune Demyelinating Diseases: An Update

Twenty-three years ago a review by this author (MES) summarized the evidence for the participation of proteolytic enzymes in myelin destruction in experimental allergic (autoimmune) encephalomyelitis (EAE). Because EAE was, as now, considered to be an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS), the review described investigations up to that time, pointing to the involvement of proteolytic enzymes in EAE lesions and by analogy, in MS plaques. Since then, due to intensive investigations of proteolytic enzymes in these demyelinating conditions, it has become even more apparent that tissue destruction in EAE and MS, as well as in other degenerative diseases is dependent on proteolytic enzymes. These enzymes are contained in inflammatory cells such as macrophages, neutrophils, and lymphocytes that utilize proteases for their invasive mechanisms, as well as for tissue destruction. At the turn of a new century it is instructive to compare our former ideas with those of the present state of knowledge attained by the contributions of many investigators. One problem in comparing our present understanding of enzymic mechanisms with those of the past is that the nomenclature of the proteases has changed, with further purification and investigation of their properties. Thus, the calcium-activated neutral protease, originally described by Guroff 2 is now recognized as “calpain”, which exists in several forms. New proteinase families have been discovered, including the caspases, and the matrix-metalloproteinases, which encompass some of the proteases formerly known as collagenase, elastase, and gelatinase. Although the lesion of the EAE animal was described in detail by both light and electronmicroscopy in the 1960s, the use of immuno-methods and markers has allowed a much better delineation of the kinds of cells present, the timing of their invasion, their state of activation, as well as some insight into their function. In addition to the lymphocytes and small monocytes formerly mentioned, several classes of lymphocytes and activated macrophages have been identified, and microglia have been recognized as resident macrophages in the central nervous system. Microglia and macrophages are notable for their content of proteases, and their capability as secretors of proteases, including