cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Overwintering Abundance of the Asian Citrus Psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae) in Florida Citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) Orchards

Abstract The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is the vector of the pathogen presumably responsible for causing huanglongbing, a devastating disease affecting citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae). It is well established that D. citri populations decrease significantly during winter because of the diminution of young emerging leaves, which are the only site of egg laying and nymphal development. Therefore, this period could be a weak link in the phenology of D. citri, and populations appear to be more sensitive to responsive actions such as insecticide sprays. However, little is known about the distribution of D. citri adults within citrus orchards during winter. We surveyed populations of D. citri in commercial citrus groves in central Florida over the course of 2 yr. In 4 groves, we sampled the citrus canopy at 3 heights and at the 4 cardinal directions. We also investigated the potential for alternative habitats for D. citri and sampled non-crop vegetation and potential alt...
Motivating Undergraduate Students to Excel in Marketing Courses1

How can instructors upgrade college undergraduates’ intrinsic interest in Marketing? What techniques in the classroom are likely to increase motivation and ultimately, the students’ grasp of the "Marketing Concept?" One effective technique has been to have students examine the many promotional tools in actual use by today’s major national corporations and then share their observations in the classroom.
Draft Genome Sequences of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovars Typhimurium and Nottingham Isolated from Food Products

ABSTRACT A quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) designed to detect Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis, targeting the sdf gene, generated positive results for S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (CFSAN033950) and S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Nottingham (CFSAN006803) isolated from food samples. Both strains show pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns distinct from those of S. Enteritidis. Here, we report the genome sequences of these two strains.
Affordable Care Act Qualified Health Plan Enrollment for AIDS Drug Assistance Program Clients: Virginia's Experience and Best Practices.

Abstract With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2014, many safety net resources, including state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs), incorporated ACA Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) into their healthcare delivery model. This article highlights the benefits of the ACA for persons living with HIV. It also describes the range of strategies employed by state ADAPs to enroll patients in QHPs. The Virginia ADAP ACA implementation experience is described to illustrate one ADAP's shift to purchasing QHPs in addition to providing direct medications. Virginia ADAP is in a Medicaid nonexpansion state and funds the full costs of the QHP premiums, deductibles, and medication copayments. Virginia's experience is applicable to other Medicaid nonexpansion states and to state ADAPs in Medicaid expansion states, who are looking for options for their Medicaid ineligible clients. This article provides practical details of Virginia ADAP's ACA implementation as well as insights and best practices at both ...
Neologisms in the Septuagint of Ezekiel

A neologism in the Septuagint book of Ezekiel is a newly coined word that is attested for the first time in Ezekiel and is not found in the vocabulary known before the second century BC. The number of neologisms in the Septuagint text of Ezekiel is quite small. They all exhibit features of Greek word-formation, mainly pointing to known realities; they are mostly a logical result of Greek word-formation. In most of the cases the translator was not aware of creating a new word - except for those words referring to a characteristic of the Hebrew Bible or world - and the word was hardly felt as new. The translator was not prompted by the Hebrew Vorlage to create neologisms, but probably took them from the vocabulary in use - not necessarily attested in the written material. Therefore the Greek itself is the first source to consider in deciding the meaning of the word, not the Hebrew.
A 128-channel digital pipeline chip for silicon strip detector read-out

A digital VLSI device for silicon-strip detector read-out has been developed which supports 128 channels as well as providing amplifier calibration signals. This device provides buffering for 256 machine cycles of the hit-pattern of the strips as sensed by multi-channel amplifier/discriminator chips. A second-level buffer is provided. Testability, and alignment features are also provided. The device has been manufactured in a radiation hardened CMOS process. The power demand is 0.21 mW per channel at normal operating conditions. Maximum operating frequency is above 60 MHz. Layout takes into consideration detector geometry, so that mosaic placement of chips can be used to provide electronics pitch no larger than detector strip pitch, down to 45 microns. Serial control and read-out is implemented, to allow optical fiber communication with the controller. Use of dual-ported RAM for the pipeline implementation provides zero-dead-time acquisition. Signal levels to and from the chip are minimized for low noise operation. >
On-demand curing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using the photothermal effect of gold nanoparticles

The photothermal effect of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) produces extremely localized heat that can be harnessed to drive large scale chemical reactions by simultaneously generating many individual reactions on the nanoscale. We use the photothermal effect to enhance the curing rate of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by a factor of 4.9 × 109. Photothermal curing occurs via crosslinking reactions between vinyl and Si-H groups of the pre-polymer, and the course of the reaction was followed by monitoring the disappearance of infrared bands associated with these functional groups. Using mass spectroscopy, we verify that the major polymer m/z peaks are identical for both traditionally and photothermally cured polymers, indicating that the photothermal effect of AuNPs is an effective way in which to supply on-demand curing of PDMS.
The spirit of liberty and professional responsibility

The events of September 11, 2001, profoundly affected our world. The outpouring of patriotism that followed these events was both admirable and rife with risks to the spirit of liberty. This essay, based on the President's Address at the annual meeting of the Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, examines these risks and the responsibility of those who study and work in the criminal justice system to uphold liberty and law in the face of "new circumstances" of the 21st century.
Mechanistic and clinical insights at the scleroderma-cancer interface

Emerging data suggest tantalizing links between cancer and systemic inflammatory rheumatic syndromes. In scleroderma, patients may have an increased risk of cancer, secondary to chronic inflammatio...
Good Mothering in China: Effects of Migration, Low Fertility, and Birth Constraints

We often assume that lower fertility is linked to greater power and status for women; the link might be explained causally, in both directions: when women have fewer children, they have more space in their lives for education and careers. Or when women spend more time in school or focusing on their careers, they are less likely to have many children. But when we look at societies with low fertility, we do not see that women are necessarily more equal to men than in other societies. Lower fertility regimes just as often become a new phase of a long-standing pattern of gender inequality. This chapter uses China as an example of a society with low fertility (and, here, government-promoted increase in women’s labor force participation) that allows us to see how low fertility can exist without much change in patterns of gender inequality.
Single-cell RNA sequencing for the study of development, physiology and disease

An ongoing technological revolution is continually improving our ability to carry out very high-resolution studies of gene expression patterns. Current technology enables the global gene expression profiles of single cells to be defined, facilitating dissection of heterogeneity in cell populations that was previously hidden. In contrast to gene expression studies that use bulk RNA samples and provide only a virtual average of the diverse constituent cells, single-cell studies enable the molecular distinction of all cell types within a complex population mix, such as a tumour or developing organ. For instance, single-cell gene expression profiling has contributed to improved understanding of how histologically identical, adjacent cells make different differentiation decisions during development. Beyond development, single-cell gene expression studies have enabled the characteristics of previously known cell types to be more fully defined and facilitated the identification of novel categories of cells, contributing to improvements in our understanding of both normal and disease-related physiological processes and leading to the identification of new treatment approaches. Although limitations remain to be overcome, technology for the analysis of single-cell gene expression patterns is improving rapidly and beginning to provide a detailed atlas of the gene expression patterns of all cell types in the human body.
Ethical Decision Making in Marketing: A Synthesis and Evaluation of Scales Measuring the Various Components of Decision Making in Ethical Situations

The authors present a comprehensive synthesis and evaluation of the published scales measuring the components of the decision making process in ethical situations using the Hunt-Vitell (1993) theory of ethics as a framework to guide the research. Suggestions for future scale development are also provided.
Capital Raising in the U.S.: The Significance of Unregistered Offerings Using the Regulation D Exemption

In this report we present an analysis of the information extracted from Form D filings received by the Commission since the beginning of 2009. The results are intended to inform the Commission on the amount and nature of capital raised through unregistered offerings claiming a Regulation D exemption, and to provide some preliminary perspective on the state of competition and regulatory burden in capital markets. In particular, we compare the amount of capital raised using the Regulation D exemption to capital raised from other unregistered and registered offering methods. This information may be particularly useful in assessing the merit of current or potential future rulemaking activity. This analysis is not intended to inform the Commission on compliance with or enforcement of federal securities laws.One of the original purposes of Regulation D, first adopted in 1982 and amended on three subsequent occasions, was to collect and analyze data on issuers seeking a 1933 Act registration exemption to address the capital formation needs of smaller companies. However, until 2008, issuers filed Form D on paper forms, making the extraction of information for large-scale statistical analysis problematic. In February 2008, the SEC adopted amendments to Form D that require issuers to submit their Form D filings electronically and in a structured data format. As a result of the new requirements, which were phased in from September 2008 through March of 2009, Form D filings are now machine-readable. Using basic text parsing tools, the Division of Risk, Strategy and Financial Innovation staff was able to extract the reported elements and place them in a database enabling the large-scale statistical analysis reported here.
Temperature Dependence of Calcite Dissolution Kinetics in Seawater

Knowledge of calcite dissolution kinetics in seawater is a critical component of our understanding of the changing global carbon budget. Towards this goal, we provide the first measurements of the temperature dependence of calcite dissolution kinetics in seawater. We measured the dissolution rates of ^(13)C-labeled calcite in seawater at 5, 12, 21, and 37°C across the full range of saturation states (0 < Ω = Ca^(2+)[CO_3^(2-)/Ksp'< 1). We show that the dissolution rate is non-linearly dependent on Ω and that the degree of non-linearity both increases with temperature, and changes abruptly at “critical” saturation states (Ω_(crit_). The traditional exponential rate law most often utilized in the oceanographic community, R=k(1-Ω)^n, requires different fits to k and n depending upon the degree of undersaturation. Though we calculate a similar activation energy to other studies far from equilibrium (25±2 kJ/mol), the exponential rate law could not be used to mechanistically explain our near equilibrium results. We turn to an alternative framework, derived from crystal nucleation theory, and find that our results are consistent with calcite dissolution kinetics in seawater being set by the retreat of pre-existing edges/steps from Ω=1-0.9, defect-assisted etch pit formation from Ω=0.9-0.75, and finally homogenous etch pit formation from Ω=0.75-0. The Ω_(crit) s for each mechanism are shifted significantly closer to equilibrium than they occur in dilute solutions, such that ocean acidification may cause marine carbonates to enter faster dissolution regimes more readily than would be expected from previous studies. We use the observed temperature dependence for each dissolution mechanism to calculate step kinetic coefficients (β, cm/s), densities of active nucleation sites (n_s, sites/m^2), and step edge free energies (α, mJ/m^2). Homogenous dissolution is well explained within the surface nucleation framework, but defect-assisted dissolution is not. Dissolution is initiated via step-propagation at all temperatures, but the defect-assisted mechanism is skipped over at 5°C, potentially due to a lack of nucleation sites. The surface nucleation framework enhances our understanding of calcite dissolution in seawater, but our results suggest that a complete theory will also need to incorporate the role of solution/surface speciation and complexation.
Risk of Hospitalized Infection and Initiation of Abatacept Versus Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study

Objective We aimed to evaluate the comparative risk of hospitalized infection among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated abatacept versus a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi). Methods Using claims data from Truven MarketScan database (2006-2015), we identified patients with RA ages ≥18 years with ≥2 RA diagnoses who initiated treatment with abatacept or a TNFi. The primary outcome was a composite end point of any hospitalized infection. Secondary outcomes included bacterial infection, herpes zoster, and infections affecting different organ systems. We performed 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching between the groups in order to control for baseline confounders. We estimated incidence rates (IRs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for hospitalized infection. Results We identified 11,248 PS-matched pairs of patients who initiated treatment with abatacept and TNFi with a median age of 56 years (83% were women). The IR per 1,000 person-years for any hospitalized infection was 37 among patients who initiated treatment with abatacept and 47 in those who initiated treatment with TNFi. The HR for the risk of any hospitalized infection associated with abatacept versus TNFi was 0.78 (95% CI 0.64-0.95) and remained lower when compared to infliximab (HR 0.63 [95% CI 0.47-0.85]), while no significant difference was seen when compared to adalimumab and etanercept. The risk of secondary outcomes was lower for abatacept for pulmonary infections, and similar to TNFi for the remaining outcomes. Conclusion In this large cohort of patients with RA who initiated treatment with abatacept or TNFi as a first- or second-line biologic agent, we found a lower risk of hospitalized infection after initiating abatacept versus TNFi, which was driven mostly by infliximab.
Congress of Neurological Surgeons Systematic Review and Evidence-Based Guidelines on the Role of Chemotherapy in the Management of Adults With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Brain Tumors.

Question 1 Should patients with brain metastases receive chemotherapy in addition to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) for the treatment of their brain metastases? Target population This recommendation applies to adult patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases amenable to both chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Recommendations Level 1: Routine use of chemotherapy following WBRT for brain metastases is not recommended. Level 3: Routine use of WBRT plus temozolomide is recommended as a treatment for patients with triple negative breast cancer. Question 2 Should patients with brain metastases receive chemotherapy in addition to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the treatment of their brain metastases? Recommendations Level 1: Routine use of chemotherapy following SRS is not recommended. Level 2: SRS is recommended in combination with chemotherapy to improve overall survival and progression free survival in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Question 3 Should patients with brain metastases receive chemotherapy alone? Recommendation Level 1: Routine use of cytotoxic chemotherapy alone for brain metastases is not recommended as it has not been shown to increase overall survival.Please see the full-text version of this guideline (https://www.cns.org/guidelines/guidelines-treatment-adults-metastatic-brain-tumors/chapter_5) for the target population of each recommendation.
Isolation and Identification of Female Sex Pheromone and Development of a Sex Attractant for Lacanobia subjuncta

Extracts of terminal abdominal segments of female Lacanobia subjuncta contained (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate, (Z)-11-hexadecenal, and (Z)-11-hexadecenol at a ratio of 1:0.2:0.02. (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate and (Z)-11-hexadecenal were most effective as a lure for trapping males when loaded in rubber septa at ratios near 3:1, respectively. The complete three-component blend was most effective as a lure for trapping males when loaded in rubber septa at a ratio of 3:1:0.08 for the acetate, aldehyde, and alcohol, respectively. In a comparison of doses of this three-component blend, greatest numbers of males were captured with 6.1 mg per rubber septum. These components, when loaded with an optimum ratio of components and suitable dose, should provide a useful lure for trapping Lacanobia subjuncta in agroeco-systems, permitting monitoring of distribution, emergence, and flight periods.
Field-induced ferrohastatic phase in cubic non-Kramers doublet systems

Cubic Pr-based compounds with ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{3}$ non-Kramers doublet ground states can realize a novel heavy Fermi liquid with spinorial hybridization (``hastatic'' order) that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Several Pr-``1-2-20'' materials exhibit a suggestive heavy Fermi liquid stabilized in intermediate magnetic fields; these provide key insight into the quadrupolar Kondo lattice. We develop a simple yet realistic microscopic model of ferrohastatic order and elaborate its experimental signatures and behavior in field, where it is a good candidate to explain the observed heavy Fermi liquids at intermediate fields in $\mathrm{Pr}{(\mathrm{Ir},\mathrm{Rh})}_{2}{\mathrm{Zn}}_{20}$. In addition, we develop the Landau theory of ferrohastatic order, which allows us to understand its behavior close to the transition and explore thermodynamic signatures from magnetic susceptibility to thermal expansion.
AC and DC Differential Bridge Structure Suitable for Electrochemical Interfacial Capacitance Biosensing Applications

This paper presents a capacitive differential bridge structure with both AC and DC excitation and balancing capability for low cost electrode-solution interfacial capacitance biosensing applications. The proposed series RC balancing structure offers higher sensitivity, lower susceptibility to common-mode interferences, and drift control. To evaluate the bridge performance in practice, possible effects of initial bridge imbalance due to component mismatches are investigated considering the required resolution of the balancing networks, sensitivity, and linearity. This evaluation is also a guideline to designing the balancing networks, balancing algorithm and the proceeding readout interface circuitry. The proposed series RC bridge structure is implemented along with a custom single frequency real-time amplification/filtering readout board with real-time data acquisition and sine fitting. The main specifications for the implemented structure are 8-bit detection resolution if the total expected fractional capacitance change at the interface is roughly 1%. The characterization and measurement results show the effectiveness of the proposed structure in achieving the design target. The implemented structure successfully achieves distinct detection levels for tiny total capacitance change at the electrode-solution interface, utilizing Microcystin-(Leucine-Arginine) toxin dilutions as a proof of concept.
N1c colon cancer and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy: a current audit of the National Cancer Database.

AIM Colorectal cancer staging has evolved to define N1c as the presence of tumour deposits without concurrent positive lymph nodes. Work to date reports poor prognosis in N1c colon cancer, with Stage III categorization and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) recommended. No study has yet evaluated the prevalence, treatment compliance or treatment-related outcomes on a national scale. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of N1c colon cancer, use, outcomes and factors associated with AC in the USA. METHOD The National Cancer Database was reviewed for N1cM0 colon adenocarcinomas that underwent resection from 2010 to 2016. Cases were stratified into 'AC' or 'no AC' cohorts. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate overall survival (OS) and compare the AC and no AC cohorts using the log-rank test. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with AC. The main outcome measures were the prevalence and factors associated with AC use and its impact in N1c disease. RESULTS Of the 5684 (1.59% of 357 752) colon adenocarcinomas that were N1c, 55% (n = 3071) received AC. AC significantly improved 1-, 3- and 5-year OS compared with no AC (96.2%, 80%, 67.4% and 72.9%, 48.5%, 33.8%, respectively; P < 0.001). Compared with the no AC group, AC patients were younger, had less comorbidity, were of the male gender and received minimally invasive surgery at an academic treatment centre (all P < 0.05). Socioeconomic and procedural factors significantly impacted the use of AC. CONCLUSION In the USA, AC is underutilized in N1c colon cancer despite significantly improved OS. Socioeconomic and procedural factors associated with AC were identified, highlighting disparities in AC use and opportunities to improve oncological outcomes and survival.
Survey of the Direct-to-Hospital (DTH) Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Industry (2014–2018)

The Arizona Telemedicine Program and its Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded telehealth resource center established a Telemedicine/Telehealth Service Provider Directory (SPD) in 2015. This was established in tandem with a national Service Provider Showcase, a direct-to-hospital (DTH) telemedicine service vendor national meeting which helped launch the SPD. The Service Provider Directory (SPD) was designed to provide healthcare system telemedicine service users critical and convenient information about DTH vendors at a single, reliable, web site. The primary aim of this chapter is to analyze the SPD’s database to help characterize the telemedicine/telehealth DTH service industry. As of 2018, 129 DTH companies were listed in the directory (currently 168 companies). Eighty-four percent of companies listed in the SPD as of 2018 indicated they were medical specialty telemedicine service vendors to healthcare systems; 57% were medical specialty telehealth service vendors to non-healthcare systems, such as prisons; and 25% of companies classified themselves as patient education/engagement service providers. The most common telemedicine services, telepsychiatry and tele-mental health, were offered by 44% and 41% of companies, respectively. Remote patient monitoring and mobile health (mHealth) were available from 30% of companies. Targets for marketing of DTH services were rural hospitals (85%), urban/suburban hospitals (75%), and private physician practices, for 65%. Collectively, the 129 DTH telehealth service companies were marketing 70 teleservices and 8 ancillary services in all 50 states. Only 41% of companies said they use an EHR that is ONC certified.
Teaching Undergraduate Econometrics: Some Sensible Shifts to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Usefulness

Building from Angrist and Pischke’s (2017) arguments for how the teaching of undergraduate econometrics could become more effective, I propose a further redesign that would better serve the vast majority of students. The rationale follows from several premises, most notably: (1) few students will become academics, in which they could search for randomness; (2) the conventional methods do not adequately prepare students to recognize biases and to properly interpret significance, insignificance, and p-values; and (3) there is an ethical problem in searching for significance and other matters. Based on these premises, I recommend large shifts in emphasis, new pedagogy, and adding important components (e.g., on interpretations and simple ethical lessons) that are largely ignored in current textbooks.
Environmental impacts of a circular recovery process for hard disk drive rare earth magnets

Abstract Hard disk drives (HDDs) are prioritized by many stakeholders for implementation of circular economy initiatives due to their value and critical material content. Rare earth (RE) magnets are of particular interest for recovery and reuse (R&R), but the business model has not been demonstrated for feasibility at a large scale. This study assessed a pilot-scale R&R process for RE magnet assemblies and compared the environmental impacts with business as usual (BAU) (i.e. shredding whole HDDs at end-of-life), using life cycle assessment (LCA). The process was implemented by two major stakeholders in the HDD value chain – a large HDD user (i.e., data center) and a HDD manufacturer. Primary data on materials, transportation, and electricity inputs were collected from dismantling 6100 end-of-life HDDs in a data center, transporting the retrieved RE magnet assemblies to a HDD manufacturer, and placing them in new HDDs for reuse. LCA results indicated an 86% reduction in global warming potential: 3.70 kg CO2-eq per set of magnet assemblies from one HDD compared to the BAU system. The environmental benefit was predominantly due to foregoing the RE magnet production, which is the most energy and chemically intensive process within the magnet assembly. This pilot also highlighted the benefits of a collocated R&R process with data centers to address (1) data security concerns, (2) transboundary shipments of e-waste (whole HDDs vs. components), and (3) the need for a qualified manufacturing process for disassembly, which is required to reuse components in new HDDs.
Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors: from photon-number resolution to dark-matter detection

Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) have distinguished themselves as a near-optimal choice for a range of quantum information applications, including integrated photonics and quantum key distribution. But the most recent demands from the quantum domain are stretching their capabilities. In particular, photon number resolution has not been readily available in high-performance variants of the devices, and superconducting nanowires were generally thought not to be capable of intrinsic photon number resolution. Recently, significant results in this area have shown that photon number resolution is quite practical with SNSPDs. In addition, wider nanowires have shown good performance, suggesting that the devices can be fabricated using standard photolithography equipment. In this talk, I will review the SNSPD technology, as well as discuss our latest results.
Decomposable modeling in natural language processing

In this paper, we describe a framework for developing probabilistic classifiers in natural language processing. Our focus is on formulating models that capture the most important interdependencies among features, to avoid overfitting the data while also characterizing the data well. The class of probability models and the associated inference techniques described here were developed in mathematical statistics, and are widely used in artificial intelligence and applied statistics. Our goal is to make this model selection framework accessible to researchers in NLP, and provide pointers to available software and important references. In addition, we describe how the quality of the three determinants of classifier performance (the features, the form of the model, and the parameter estimates) can be separately evaluated. We also demonstrate the classification performance of these models in a large-scale experiment involving the disambiguation of 34 words taken from the HECTOR word sense corpus (Hanks 1996). In 10-fold cross-validations, the model search procedure performs significantly better than naive Bayes on 6 of the words without being significantly worse on any of them.
Aircraft Carburettor Icing Studies.

Abstract : A study was made of the effect of gasoline icing inhibitors on aircraft carburettor icing. An engine test was developed and used to evaluate various types of inhibitor. The results obtained showed that aircraft carburettor icing can be prevented by the inclusion of additives in the gasoline. The use of a teflon-coated throttle plate to prevent ice adhesion was studied and found to virtually eliminate any ice formation on the plate. The use of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether at 0.10 - 0.15% by volume in the gasoline and the teflon-coated plate was shown to prevent both carburettor and fuel system icing. (Author)
Hydrogen ion changes of rhodopsin. pK changes and the thermal decay of metarhodopsin II380.

Abstract The ionization changes during the photolysis of the visual pigment, cattle rhodopsin, have been measured by simultaneous recording of spectral and pH changes. The thermal intermediates of rhodopsin and pH changes were recorded over a pH range of 4.6–8.9. In the normal sequence of intermediate changes at pH values of 5.4–7.7, the proton uptake of rhodopsin during the metarhodopsin I478 to II380 reaction is followed by a proton release in the thermal decay of metarhodopsin II380 to III465. Below pH 5.4, no proton release is observed during the thermal decay of metarhodopsin II380, and the metarhodopsin II380 appears to thermally decay directly to N-retinylidene-opsin440. Above pH 7.7, the major process appears to be a proton release and the final product is N-retinylidene-opsin365. The ionization state of certain groups in rhodopsin appears to control the metarhodopsin I478 to II380 reaction and control the products in the thermal decay of metarhodopsin II380. The pK changes of certain groups in rhodopsin may be the major factor in determining sequence of thermal intermediates and the values of the kinetic activation parameters. The reversing ionization changes may be important to the transduction process.
Density Current Descending along Continental Slope and the Associated Deep Water Formation: Two-Dimensional Numerical Experiments with a Nonhydrostatic Model

Numerical experiments with a two-dimensional nonhydrostatic ocean model have been carried out to investigate the dynamical process of descending density current on a continental slope. The associated deep water formation has been also examined by tracking labeled particles. The descending flow along the continental slope occurs in the bottom Ekman layer. The net pressure gradient determining the volume transport consists of not only the pressure gradient due to density deviation but also the surface pressure gradient due to the depth-mean alongshore flow. Since these constituents have the opposite signs and strengthen each other, the oscillation with an alternation of intense up- and downslope flows appears around the shelf break. This temporal variation of the flow field causes the effective mixing on the slope between descending shelf and interior waters and forms the deep water as a mixture of them at a ratio of about 1:3. The present result is applied to the slope current around Antarctica, using velocity and density fields calculated by an ocean general circulation model. The Ekman volume transport is estimated at 0.97 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3s−1) in the Weddell Sea, 0.35 Sv in the Ross Sea, and 1.8 Sv in total. About 70% of them is attributed to the depth-mean alongshore flow, such as the East Wind Drift and the Weddell Gyre driven by the wind. This suggests that the pressure gradient due to other factors than density deviation may play an important role in the deep and bottom water formation in the actual oceans.
A 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS 2-GHz VCO in wafer-level package

This letter presents a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) with a high-Q inductor in a wafer-level package for the LC-resonator. The on-chip inductor is implemented using the redistribution metal layer of the wafer-level package (WLP), and therefore it is called a WLP inductor. Using the thick passivation and copper metallization, the WLP inductor has high quality-factor (Q-factor). A 2-nH inductor exhibits a Q-factor of 8 at 2 GHz. The center frequency of the VCO is 2.16 GHz with a tuning range of 385 MHz (18%). The minimum phase noise is measured to be -120.2 dBc/Hz at an offset frequency of 600 kHz. The dc power consumed by the VCO-core is 1.87 mW with a supply voltage of 1.7 V and a current of 1.1 mA. The output power with a 50-/spl Omega/ load is -12.5/spl plusmn/1.3 dBm throughout the whole tuning range. From the best of our knowledge, compared with recently published 2-GHz-band 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS VCOs in the literature, the VCO in this work shows the lowest power consumption and the best figure-of-merit.
Determination of Polymer Compatibility by Viscometric Measurements on Ternary Solutions of the Two Polymers

Results on the intrinsic viscosity [η] are reported for the system solvent(1)/polymer(2)/polymer(3) in which the solvent was benzene, polymer(2) was polystyrene (PS), and polymer(3) was poly(dimethylsiloxane) PDMS. The values of [η] were then used to determine the likely compatibility of polymer blends of PS and PDMS. Initial focus was on the traditional interaction parameter b 23 (1) used by several authors to predict compatibilities, it but depends on the molar mass, weight fractions, and concentrations of each polymer. A new interaction parameter b 23 (2) that is independent of polymer(3) concentration and molar mass was evaluated for determinations of polymer compatibility.
The percentage of beds designated for medicaid in american nursing homes and nurse staffing ratios.

Abstract Previous analyses of the inverse relationship between a nursing home's Medicaid census and its quality of care have been based on samples limited to specific geographic regions, for-profit entities, or only skilled care facilities. The present study uses national-level data from the 1999 National Nursing Home Survey to examine the association between the proportion of beds designated for Medicaid residents and nurse staffing ratios. The results indicate that homes which designate a higher proportion of their beds for Medicaid recipients maintain lower ratios of registered nurses and nurse's aides to residents, even when key facility characteristics are controlled. It was also found that nursing homes with a higher proportion of Medicaid beds offer lower nursing ratios regardless of their profit status or the difference between private pay rates and Medicaid reimbursement rates. Since lower nursing ratios have been previously linked to negative outcomes, these findings suggest that homes which rel...
ATIA: A Link between Inflammation and Hypoxia

In this issue of Molecular Cell,Choksi et al. (2011) report the identification of an NF-κB-independent ATIA (anti-TNFα-induced apoptosis)-Thioredoxin 2 axis that inhibits TNFα- and hypoxia-induced apoptosis through elimination of excessive reactive oxygen species directly.
The systemic inflammatory response in heart failure

Abstract The physiologic diagnosis of heart failure has changed very little over the past several decades: heart failure is the inability of the cardiac output to meet the metabolic demands of the organism. The clinical definition of heart failure (also relatively unchanged) describes it as ventricular dysfunction that is accompanied by reduced exercise tolerance. Our understanding of the true pathophysiologic processes involved in heart failure have, however, changed. We have moved from thinking of heart failure as primarily a circulatory phenomenon to seeing it as a pathophysiologic state under the control of multiple complex systems. Over the past several years the dramatic explosion of research in the fields of immunology and immunopathology have added an additional piece to the puzzle that defines heart failure and have lead to an understanding of heart failure, at least in some part, as an ‘inflammatory disease’. In this review we will examine several of the key inflammatory mediators as they relate to heart failure while at the same time attempting to define the source(s) of these mediators. We will examine key elements of the inflammatory cascade as they relate to heart failure such as: cytokines, ‘proximal mediators’ (e.g. NF-κB), and distal mediators (e.g. nitric oxide). We will end with a discussion of the potential therapeutic role of anti-inflammatory strategies in the future treatment of heart failure. Also, throughout the review we will examine the potential pitfalls encountered in applying bench discoveries to the bedside as have been learned in the field of septic shock research.
Influence of age, sex and osteogenesis imperfecta on count, protein content, and monoamine oxidase activity of human thrombocytes

Abstract We determined the effect of count, age (2 to 24 year), sex, and osteogenesis imperfecta (01) on the protein content and monoamine oxidase activity in human platelets. The reaction rate in presence of paramethoxybenzylamine was assessed in a sensitive and continuously recording spectrophotometric system. Platelets harvested from control subjects and 01 patients displayed significant inverse linear correlations between count and protein content; there was near-constancy of the products of the two variables. The effects of age, sex, and osteogenesis imperfecta on protein content, count, and MAO activity were assessed by multivariate analysis of variance. It was found that, with increasing age, the count increased linearly and the protein content decreased. In patients with 01 the protein content was depressed and monoamine oxidase activity elevated regardless of whether the latter was calculated on the basis of pellet protein or of count. The data suggest that, in osteogenesis imperfecta, thrombocytic monoamine and protein metabolism deviate from that of controls.
Chemical synthesis of biologically active oligoribonucleotides using beta-cyanoethyl protected ribonucleoside phosphoramidites.

Abstract The preparation of fully protected diisopropylamino-beta-cyanoethyl ribonucleoside phosphoramidites with regioisomeric purity greater than 99.95% is described. It is demonstrated that the combination of standard DNA protecting groups, 5'-O-DMT, N-Bz (Ade and Cyt), N-iBu (Gua), beta-cyanoethyl for phosphate, in conjunction with TBDMS for 2'-hydroxyl protection, constitutes a reliable method for the preparation of fully active RNA. Average stepwise coupling yields in excess of 99% were achieved with these synthons on standard DNA synthesizers. Two steps completely deprotect the oligoribonucleotide and workup is reduced to a fifteen minute procedure. Further, it is shown that the deprotected oligoribonucleotides are free from 5'-2' linkages. This methodology was applied to the chemical synthesis of a 24-mer microhelix, a 35-mer minihelix and two halves of a catalytic 'Hammerhead Ribozyme'. These oligoribonucleotides were directly compared in two distinct biochemical assays with enzymatically (T7 RNA polymerase) prepared oligoribonucleotides and shown to possess equal or better activity.
Teratogenicity of vitamin B6 deficiency: omphalocele, skeletal and neural defects, and splenic hypoplasia.

Vitamin B6 deficiency was induced in pregnant rats with a deficient diet and with 4-deoxypyridoxine, a B6 antagonist. Treated animals developed typical skin changes of B6 deficiency. Fetuses were small and appeared anemic. Major fetal malformations were omphalocele, exencephaly, cleft palate, micrognathia, digital defects, and splenic hypoplasia. This teratologic system was developed as a model for human syndromes that exhibit combined immunologic and neurologic or skeletal defects.
Survival of entomogenous nematodes in soil infested with the nematode-parasitic fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes)

Abstract Survival of the entomogenous nematodes Steinernema carpocapsae , S. glaseri , and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora was lower in nonsterilized soil than in sterilized soil. The nematode-parasitic fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis was the dominant antagonist in the soil. In the nonsterilized soil, more S. glaseni than S. carpocapsae or H. bacteriophora were parasitized by H. rhossiliensis ; consequently, survival of S. glaseri was lower than that of the other two nematode species. Differential survival of the three nematode species in the presence of H. rhossiliensis may be due to differences in their retention of the second-stage (J2) cuticle, susceptibility to fungal adhesion, and motility. When H. bacteriophora with and without its protective J2 cuticle was placed in H. rhossiliensis -infested soil, only 22% of the nematodes without the cuticle survived after 4 days compared with 100% survival of those possessing the cuticle. The nematode species were not equally susceptible to adhesion of H. rhossiliensis conidia. When individual nematodes contacted five conidia, fewer conidia adhered to the J3 cuticle of S. carpocapsae than to the J3 cuticle of S. glaseri or H. bacteriophora . Highly motile nematodes will encounter more H. rhossiliensis conidia than will less motile nematodes. The relative motility of the nematode species in soil was S. glaseri > H. bacteriophora > S. carpocapsae . Entomogenous nematodes that retain their J2 cuticle, exhibit low motility, and are refractory to fungal adhesion may be suitable for controlling insects in habitats with abundant parasitic fungi such as H. rhossiliensis .
WE-E-E-611-03: What Should We Be Doing?

Purpose: To discuss what contents should be included in a Physics Class for the Diagnostic Radiology Resident as part of Continuing Education Symposium “Teaching of Physics to Radiology Residents” Method and Materials: The presentation will concentrate on what is needed in teaching physics to meet the needs of today's radiology residents. Emphasis will be given to the need for teaching clinical physics. The physicsmaterial should be presented with only the necessary equations and mathematics. Diagnostic residents are visual people. As such the physics taught should explain what they are viewing. It should be based on lots of images and examples. An emphasis should be made on general rules that they can use in their daily practice: i.e. inverse square law, 15% rule, and the number 4 rule. The physicsmaterial should address primarily what a radiologist is looking at and what they can modify to change the image appearance. It should address the concept of risk vs. benefit. The AAPM MPEP committee has created two syllabi for the resident's physics curriculum. The curricula will be discussed. Questions will be asked such as: Are they complete? What should we do with them etc? Who should use them? How do they relate to the ABR physics written exam? Results: The results of this talk should give the audience an idea of what should be included in a physics class for the diagnostic radiology residents. Conclusion: The breadth of physics technology in diagnostic radiology has grown tremendously in recent years. It is the challenge of the instructor to explain this technology to the resident in a meaningful matter. Shortened physics time and distracted students have increased the challenges of the physics instructor.
Analysis of optical fiber failures under bending and high power

The failure of tightly bent optical fiber under high optical power is observed dynamically with fine time resolution and explained in terms of the behavior of the polymer coating and underlying glass. An abrupt rise in coating temperature stimulates the viscoelastic deformation of the glass. The abrupt bending of the glass is explained by the ability of highly quenched silica to deform at low temperatures. There is no evidence of thermal runaway of the glass core. Coating decomposition is self limiting with no visible flame.
Video and image clustering using relative entropy

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present an approach to clustering video sequences and images for efficient retrieval using relativeentropy as our cost criterion. In addition, our experiments indicate that relative entropy is a good similarity measurefor content-based retrieval. In our clustering work, we treat images and video as probability density functions over the extracted features. This leads us to formulate a general algorithm for clustering densities. In this context, it can be seen that an euclideandistance between features and the Kullback-Liebler (KL) divergence give equivalent clustering. In addition, theasymmtery of the KL divergence leads to another clustering. Our experiments indicate that this clustering is morerobust to noise and distortions compared with the one resulting from euclidean norm.Keywords: Content-based retrieval, density estimation, Kuliback-Liebler divergence, distribution clustering 1. INTRODUCTION Digital imagery have become the medium of choice for describing, storing and exchanging information in a variety
Anterior versus posterior provisional fixation in the unstable pelvis. A biomechanical comparison.

Abstract Pelvic ring injuries with associated hemorrhage often require provisional fixation to achieve tamponade. Biomechanics information regarding these provisional fixators is unknown. Six fresh-frozen cadaveric pelvic specimens were physiologically loaded, first intact and then after each of the following modifications: disrupted--unilateral superior and inferior rami osteotomies, ipsilateral anterior and posterior sacroiliac joint, and sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligament disruption; disrupted and with placement of a Ganz pelvic resuscitation clamp; and disrupted and with placement of a simple anterior 2-bar external fixator. This injury resulted in significant motion at the disrupted rami and the injured sacroiliac joint, compared with the intact pelvic specimen. Motions at the superior ramus and injured sacroiliac joints were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than the intact specimen, with both the external fixator and the Ganz clamp. Motions at the superior ramus and injured sacroiliac joints were not significantly (p < 0.05) different when comparing the Ganz clamp to the external fixator. However, the anterior external fixator decreased motion to a greater degree at the disrupted rami, whereas the Ganz clamp decreased motion to a greater degree at the disrupted sacroiliac joint.