cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes-induced alterations in the properties of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in rat vas deferens

Abstract Muscarinic cholinergic receptors were identified and characterized by radioligand receptor binding assay using [ 3 H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) in rat vas deferens membrane particulates of three experimental groups: 1) 8-week diabetic, 2) 8-week diabetic insulin-treated and 3) age-matched control. Diabetes was induced by the intravenous injection of 65 mg./kg. streptozotocin (STZ). The density of muscarinic receptors (B max values), as determined by saturation experiments with [ 3 H]QNB, was demonstrated to be higher in the vas deferens of diabetic rats than in the vas deferens of control and diabetic insulin-treated rats. The equilibrium dissociation constants (K D values), however, were similar in all three groups. Muscarinic cholinergic antagonists competed with [ 3 H]QNB binding sites in the vas deferens membrane particulates with the following rank order of K i values: atropine i values for vas deferens, bladder dome and heart, but this rank order was significantly different in cerebral cortex and prostate. This is consistent with the predominance of the M 2 muscarinic cholinergic receptor subtype in the rat vas deferens. It is concluded that STZ-induced diabetes causes an upregulation of muscarinic cholinergic receptor density in the rat vas deferens that can be prevented by the administration of insulin.
Estimating Recent Global Sea Level Changes

An empirical model for sea level trends over several decades is set up such that it is consistent with the global pattern of Local Sea Level (LSL) trends observed by the global network of tide gauges. The forcing factors taken into account are steric sea level variations, present-day ice load changes, and post-glacial rebound. Model parameters are determined in a least squares fit of the model to the LSL trends. The model allows the determination of the contribution of each factor to the global average LSL trend.
A Highly Linear Doherty Power Amplifier with Multigated Transistors Supporting 80MSymbol/s 256-QAM

This paper presents a highly linear and power backoff (PBO) efficiency enhanced Doherty power amplifier (PA). Our PA uses multigated transistors (MGTR) in the main PA and second harmonic control circuits at the outputs of the main and auxiliary PAs for PA linearization. The proposed topology significantly improves the linearity of the PA by suppressing its third-order intermodulation distortion (IMD3). The 5.8GHz Doherty PA was implemented in a 55nm bulk CMOS process. The measurement results show a 1.8% EVM with 17dBm average $\mathbf{P}_{\mathbf{o}\mathbf{ut}}$ and a 5.3% average PAE using 80MSymbol/s 256-QAM modulation signal without any digital pre-distortions (DPD).
Enrollment in high-deductible health plans and access to care, out-of-pocket spending, and hospital emergency department use among cancer survivors.

6582Background: Little is known about the associations between enrollment in high-deductible health plans (HDHP) and access to care, spending, and health care utilization among working age cancer s...
Reconnecting with nature: Developing urban spaces in the age of climate change

Climate change is occurring around us and impacting on our daily lives, meaning that we have to deal with our cities in a different way. There is also increasing awareness of the need for daily contact with green spaces and the natural environment in order to live a happy, productive and meaningful life. This reflective essay tells the narrative of how urbanisation has been disconnecting humans from nature. Non-sustainable, non-resilient patterns of urbanisation, along with the neglect of inner-city areas, have resulted in fragmentation and urban decline, led to a loss of biodiversity, and caused the deterioration of ecosystems and their services. Urban regeneration projects allow us to ‘repair’ and restore some of this damage whilst enhancing urban resilience. Connecting existing and enhanced ecosystems, and re-establishing ecosystems both within cities and at the peri-urban fringe is vital for strengthening ecosystem resilience and building adaptive capacity for coping with the effects of climate change. Cities worldwide need to look for suitable solutions to increase the resilience of their urban spaces in the face of climate change. This essay explores how this can be achieved through the integration of nature-based solutions, the re-greening of neighbourhoods and by correctly attributing value to natural capital. Transforming existing cities and neighbourhoods in this way will enable ecosystems to contribute their services towards healthier and more liveable cities.
Microstructural evolution and failure mechanism of an extrusion welded aluminum alloy tube during hydroforming processing

Abstract During hydroforming of Al alloys, cracking often limits the production of specific frames for next-generation transportation vehicles. In this study, microstructural evolution and cracking behavior of an extrusion welded aluminum alloy blank tube were characterized to uncover the failure mechanisms during hydroforming process. Electron back-scattered diffraction, transmission electron microscope, and scanning electron microscope were employed to characterize the grains, textures, and local micro-crack sites. Experimental results demonstrated that grains in the welds region were significantly larger than those in the neighboring regions. Along the weld region, large grains typically with high-misorientation with respect to neighboring grains were identified as the preferred crack nucleation sites. Plastic incompatibility due to preferential yielding in the larger (softer) grains as compared to the surrounding finer (harder) grains is postulated as the origin for local strain localization that leads to cracking in the weld regions during hydroforming.
Women physicians and professional ethos in nineteenth-century America

During the Obama administration, women staff members used a targeted approach to ensure their voices were heard. While in staff meetings where interruptions were rampant, women “repeated each other...
Intraocular Pressure-dependent Corneal Elasticity Measurement Using High-frequency Ultrasound.

Measurement of corneal biomechanical properties can aid in predicting corneal responses to diseases and surgeries. For delineation of spatially resolved distribution of corneal elasticity, high-resolution elastography system is required. In this study, we demonstrate a high-resolution elastography system using high-frequency ultrasound for ex-vivo measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP)-dependent corneal wave speed. Tone bursts of 500 Hz vibrations were generated on the corneal surface using an electromagnetic shaker. A 35-MHz single-element transducer was used to track the resulting anti-symmetrical Lamb wave in the cornea. We acquired spatially resolved wave speed images of the cornea at IOPs of 7, 11, 15, 18, 22, and 29 mmHg. The IOP dependence of corneal wave speed is apparent from these images. Statistical analysis of measured wave speed as a function of IOP revealed a linear relation between wave speed and IOP cs = 0.37 + 0.22 × IOP, with the coefficient of determination R2 = 0.86. We also observed depth-dependent variations of wave speed in the cornea, decreasing from anterior toward posterior. This depth dependence is more pronounced at higher IOP values. This study demonstrates the potential of high-frequency ultrasound elastography in the characterization of spatially resolved corneal biomechanical properties.
Clinical Approaches to Monitoring and Evaluation of the Chronic Disease Client

Monitoring and evaluation is the final step of the Nutrition Care Process and presents an opportunity for the clinician to evaluate the outcomes of previous interventions. The clinician assesses and/or reassesses multiple subjective and objective data points and gains feedback about the effectiveness of food, nutrient, and/or physical activity interventions. The Nutrition Assessment and Monitoring and Evaluation Terminology lists provided by the Academy of Nutrition can be used to identify relevant data: food/nutrition-related history, biochemical data, medical tests and procedures, anthropometric data, and nutrition-focused physical exam findings. Functional medicine assessment tools, such as NIBLETS, also can be used to collect data on nutrition, inflammation, biochemical individuality, lifestyle, energy and metabolism, toxic load, and stress. During monitoring and evaluation, the clinician asks the patient specific questions to assess their understanding of previous intervention(s), ability to implement the intervention(s), barriers to change, and positive or negative outcomes. This information can be used to either reinforce the previous plan or to use new intervention approaches to meet the patient’s specific health goals. A monitoring and evaluation visit allows the clinician to deepen the relationship with the client, learn more about their past medical and social history, and examine motivations for health behavior change. Critical thinking is used to identify optimal comparative standards including the dietary reference intakes, prescriptive diets (Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory, elimination, low FODMAP, etc.), and normative lab values when designing and implementing a nutrition care plan. It is essential that the clinician understand both the benefits and limitations of those standards. Documentation in the medical chart of expected outcomes and professional goals in SMART (specific, measurable, accountable, realistic, and timely) format helps provide a template for evaluation of future success of interventions.
The Impact of the CFTR Gene Discovery on Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis, Counseling, and Preventive Therapy

Discovery of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene was the long-awaited scientific advance that dramatically improved the diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). The combination of a first-tier biomarker, immunoreactive trypsinogen (IRT), and, if high, DNA analysis for CF-causing variants, has enabled regions where CF is prevalent to screen neonates and achieve diagnoses within 1-2 weeks of birth when most patients are asymptomatic. In addition, IRT/DNA (CFTR) screening protocols simultaneously contribute important genetic data to determine genotype, prognosticate, and plan preventive therapies such as CFTR modulator selection. As the genomics era proceeds with affordable biotechnologies, the potential added value of whole genome sequencing will probably enhance personalized, precision care that can begin during infancy. Issues remain, however, about the optimal size of CFTR panels in genetically diverse regions and how best to deal with incidental findings. Because prospects for a primary DNA screening test are on the horizon, the debate about detecting heterozygote carriers will likely intensify, especially as we learn more about this relatively common genotype. Perhaps, at that time, concerns about CF heterozygote carrier detection will subside, and it will become recognized as beneficial. We share new perspectives on that issue in this article.
People of Puerto Rican Heritage

At present, Puerto Ricans remain among the largest Hispanic cultural groups living in the United States. Consequently, healthcare providers should have a working knowledge of the unique demographics, heritage, and culture of this group. Delivering culturally competent care requires considering the underlying health issues impacting the population as well as general views of the population on health, health promotion, and disease prevention. With these issues in mind, this chapter on people of Puerto Rico aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the culture using the 12 domains of the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence. The topics included in this chapter offer a thorough evaluation of critical issues impacting the health of this group and the issues that healthcare providers should consider when delivering care. By integrating this information into practice, healthcare providers should be better prepared to meet the unique needs of Puerto Rican patients seeking care.
Instrumente zur Messung des Bewusstseins

Wenn Sie mir erzahlen „Ich erinnere mich lebhaft daran, wo ich war, als ich die brennenden und zusammensturzenden Twin Towers zum ersten Mal im Fernsehen sah“, dann zweifele ich nicht daran, dass Sie bei Bewusstsein sind. Sprache ist der Goldstandard, wenn es darum geht, bei anderen Menschen auf Bewusstsein ruckzuschlie.en. Das funktioniert jedoch nicht bei Menschen, die unfahig sind zu sprechen. Wie kann ein Ausenstehender wissen, ob sie bei Bewusstsein sind oder nicht? Diese Frage stellt sich in der Klinik jeden Tag.
Getting the food out: A content analysis of the online communication of Seattle food banks during the initial response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened food availability, accessibility, and acceptability. Food banks are experiencing increased demand at the same time as operational challenges due to COVID-19. The objective of this study was to assess if and how food banks have utilized web and social media platforms to communicate dynamic information relevant to food security to a growing clientele amid a widespread emergency. We conducted a content analysis of web and social media communications made by 25 Seattle food banks in April and May 2020, which corresponded with the two full months of Washington Governor Inslee’s initial stay-at-home order (March 25–May 31, 2020). We developed and applied a codebook to assess if communications contained information related to food availability, accessibility, and acceptability in the context of COVID-19, as well as other descriptive information, such as changes to food bank operations. Our findings show that food banks in Seattle communicated the most on web and social media platforms about food avail­ability and accessibility, while they communicated less commonly about food acceptability. Past disasters have exposed the need to include food acceptability in disaster planning to ensure that emergency food can be equitably distributed and consumed by diverse populations. Our results suggest that food banks may wish to periodically assess the main themes of their online communi­cations and the reach of their different platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic as one strategy to facilitate community food security.
Acid-sensing ion channels modulate bladder nociception.

Our study indicates that protons and their cognate acid-sensing ion channel receptors are part of a mechanism that operates at bladder afferent terminals to control their function and that the loss...
Empirical Evaluation of GPS Clock Accuracy for Isochronous Droop-based Inverters

Grid-forming inverters rely upon an internal reference to regulate the grid ’s voltage and frequency. Without a reliable reference, issues such as loss of synchronism, frequency instability, and unequal power sharing can occur. One proposed internal phase reference for grid-forming inverters is generated by the controller’s clock, but this is affected by nonidealities in the crystal oscillator leading to time drift in the phase reference. To improve the controller’s clock accuracy, the Global Positioning System (GPS) can be used to calibrate the internal clock. Previously, GPS-based clock calibration was explored theoretically and various methods were developed for mitigating frequency/phase drift at the power system level. This paper experimentally validates the direct performance of GPS time-calibration at the controller level and justifies its use in maintaining an accurate phase reference for droop-based grid-forming inverters.
Case 56: A Severe Case of Bronchospasm

You have just anesthetized a 17-year-old boy (American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I [ASA 1], weight 70 kg, height 5′11′′) for a knee arthroscopy. Mask ventilation was easy. You placed a #7 endotracheal tube (ETT) (high volume low pressure tube) atraumatically in his trachea and inflated the cuff with 5 ml of air. To your dismay, when you attempted to manually ventilate you discover there was severe bronchospasm bilaterally. The peak pressures are over 50 cm H2O.
Evaporation, Steam Properties, and Psychrometrics

This chapter focuses on solving simultaneous equations in the design of multiple-effect evaporators and delves into the properties of saturated and superheated steam and the psychrometric properties of air. The design and analysis of multiple-effect evaporators involve conducting heat and energy balances around each effect. This type of analysis generates a number of simultaneous equations that must be solved to obtain information on flow rates of steam, vapors, product, and feed. Steam is used as a heating medium in many food-processing operations, such as distillation, evaporation, and heat exchangers. It may be in saturated or superheated state. Knowledge of psychrometric properties of air is an important parameter in numerous food-processing applications, such as in drying, storage, and water activity measurements. Hence, a worksheet is used that allows calculations of some of the common properties of air–water vapor mixtures. The chapter also describes the process of adiabatic saturation of air using psychrometrics. A worksheet is created using psychrometric properties, and the amount of moisture that is removed up by air, as it moves through a thick bed of food material, is calculated.
The Theory of Composites: Bounds on the properties of composites

Why are bounds useful? Very efficient numerical algorithms are currently available for calculating the effective tensors of quite complicated two-dimensional microgeometries. The numerical evaluation of effective tensors for three-dimensional microgeometries is also progressing rapidly. In light of these advances one might ask: Why is there a need for developing bounds on effective tensors? One reason is that they often provide quick and simple estimates for the effective tensors. Another reason for favoring bounds is that in most experimental situations we do not have a complete knowledge of the composite geometry. Even when an accurate determination of the three-dimensional composite microgeometry is possible, obtaining this information and numerically parameterizing it (which may involve the triangulation of boundaries between phases) can be a very time-consuming process. Cross-sectional photographs give only limited information. For example, in a two-phase microgeometry it can be difficult to judge whether a phase is connected if a cross-sectional photograph shows only islands of that phase surrounded by the second phase. In the three-dimensional microgeometry, does the first phase consist of connected wire-like filaments, or does it consist of isolated elongated inclusions? The answer could have a large influence on one's estimates for, say, the effective conductivity when both phases have widely different conductivities. The problem of reconstructing the three-dimensional microstructure from a cross-sectional photograph is the subject of active research; see Yeong and Torquato (1998) and references therein.
Olfactory cortex degeneration in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment.

Background Olfactory deficits are prevalent in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). These symptoms precede clinical onset of cognitive and memory deficits and coincide with AD pathology preferentially in the central olfactory structures, suggesting a potential biomarker for AD early detection and progression. Objective Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that structural degeneration of the primary olfactory cortex (POC) could be detected in AD as well as in MCI patients and would be correlated with olfactory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) alterations, reflecting loss of olfactory cortex activity. Methods Total structural volumes and fMRI activation volumes of the POC and hippocampus were measured along with olfactory and cognitive behavioral tests in 27 cognitively normal (CN), 21 MCI, and 15 AD subjects. Results Prominent atrophy in the POC and hippocampus was found in both AD and MCI subjects and correlated with behavioral measurements. While behavioral and volumetric measurements showed a gradual decline from CN to MCI to AD, olfactory activation volume in the POC and hippocampus showed a steeper decline in the MCI group compared to corresponding tissue volume, resembling the AD group. Conclusions Decline in olfactory activity was correlated with the AD structural degeneration in the POC. A more prominent olfactory activity deficit than that of behavioral and tissue volume measurements was shown in the MCI stage. Olfactory fMRI may thus provide an earlier and more sensitive measure of functional neurodegeneration in AD and MCI patients.
THE NECESSITY OF TOMORROW'S SEA BATTLE

In chapter 9 of De Interpretatione, Aristotle offers a defense of free will against the threat of fatalism. According to the traditional interpretation, Aristotle concedes the validity of the fatalist's arguments and then proceeds to reject the Principle of Bivalence in order to avoid the fatalist's conclusion. Assuming that the traditional interpretation is right on this point, it remains to be seen why Aristotle felt compelled to reject such an intuitive semantic principle rather than challenge the fatalist's inference from truth to necessity. The answer, I contend, lies in Aristotle's theory of truth and truthmakers.
The Role of Molecular Weight and Temperature on the Elastic and Viscoelastic Properties of a Glassy Thermoplastic Polyimide

Mechanical testing of the elastic and viscoelastic response of an advanced thermoplastic polyimide (LaRC-SI) with known variations in molecular weight was performed over a range of temperatures below the glass transition temperature. The notched tensile strength was shown to be a strong function of both molecular weight and temperature, whereas stiffness was only a strong function of temperature. A critical molecular weight was observed to occur at a weight-average molecular weight of approximately 22,000 g/mol below which, the notched tensile strength decreases rapidly. This critical molecular weight transition is temperature-independent. Low molecular weight materials tended to fail in a brittle manner, whereas high molecular weight materials exhibited ductile failure. Furthermore, low molecular weight materials have increased creep compliance and creep compliance rate, and are more sensitive to temperature than the high molecular weight materials. At long timescales (greater than 1100 hours) physical ageing serves to significantly decrease the creep compliance and creep rate of all the materials tested. Low molecular weight materials are less influenced by the effects of physical ageing.
Estimation of Complex-Valued Stiffness Using Acoustic Waves Measured with Magnetic Resonance

Tissue stiffness can be a useful indicator of diseased tissue. Noninvasive quantitation of the mechanical properties of tissue could improve early detection of such pathology. A method for detecting displacement from propagating shear waves using a phase-contrast MRI technique has been developed previously. In this chapter the principles behind the measurement technique are reviewed, and the mechanical properties that can be determined from the displacement data are investigated for isotropic materials. An algebraic inversion approach useful for piecewise homogeneous materials is described in detail for the general isotropic case, which is then specialized to incompressible materials as a model for tissue. Results of the inversion approach are presented for an experimental phantom and in-vivo breast tumor. These results show that the technique can be used to obtain shearwave speed and attenuation in regions where there is sufficient signal-to-noise ratio in the displacement and its second spatial derivatives. The sensitivity to noise is higher in the attenuation estimates than in the shear-wave speed estimates.
Study of an isopropyl alcohol plasma for deposition

Summary form only given, as follows. We have used an inductively coupled discharge to produce a plasma with the feed gas being a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and argon. The intended ion has atomic mass 45 (CH/sub 3/CH/sup +/OH), which is thought to have favorable properties for film deposition. This ion is generated from the alcohol via electron dissociation ionization. However in addition to this, an isopropyl ion (CH/sub 3/CH/sup +/CH/sub 3/) with atomic mass 43 is also produced, most likely by an ion molecule protonation/dehydrogenation reaction. This isopropyl ion has undesirable properties for film deposition if the goal is to deposit films with a C-O-C bond character. One goal of the experiment is to control the kinetic branching ratio between the different ion production channels, hence ultimately controlling the film deposition chemistry. Using Langmuir probe and in-situ spectrometry mass measurements, the production of the two main ions, as well as other plasma properties, is studied as a function of discharge parameters. Finally, we use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to interrogate the distribution of oxidation states of the carbon atoms deposited in the film, and we correlate these findings to the plasma ion impingement flux. We have also looked into the steady state theory of such a multicomponent plasma, with a variety of reaction chains. Despite the complexity, it turns out that typically in a low pressure plasma, all continuity equations are governed by a single boundary condition, that is, specifying a boundary condition for each continuity equation would over specify the problem. In addition, at least for relatively simple geometry, there are analytic solutions for the relative densities. We use this theory to compare with the experimental results.
Some Science for Today's Electorate

Physics for Future Presidents . The Science Behind the Headlines. By Richard A. Muller . Norton, New York, 2008. 380 pp. $26.95, C$29.50, £15.99, €21. ISBN 9780393066272. The author provides a nontechnical primer on the science that must be taken into account when considering some key issues that presidents (and the electorate) must deal with: terrorism; energy; nuclear weapons, power, and wastes; space; and global warming.
Mycobacteriosis in an American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Avian mycobacteriosis is an important disease in companion, captive, exotic, and wild birds worldwide. Mycobacterium avium is the most widely distributed and pathogenic organism causing tuberculous lesions in birds. Multiple factors including age, stress, immune status, and preexisting disease determine the pathogenicity of M. avium, and the disease can manifest itself in a variety of forms. Mycobacteriosis can cause severe losses in zoo aviaries, including the loss of rare and endangered bird species. We report a case of systemic avian mycobacteriosis in an adult, free-living male American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that presented to the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health in November 2003.
Correction of mucopolysaccharidosis type I fibroblasts by retroviral-mediated transfer of the human α-L-iduronidase gene

ABSTRACT Three retroviral constructs containing a full-length human α-l-iduronidase (IDUA) cDNA were made. The first, pLIdSN, is designed so that expression of the IDUA cDNA is from the 5′ viral long terminal repeat (LTR). The second, pLNCId, is designed to express the IDUA cDNA from the cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early promoter, while in the third, pLNTId, the CMV promoter is replaced by a promoter fragment of the mouse CD45 (T200) gene. All vectors transduce resistance to G418 (neomycin). High-titer virus-producing cell lines for these constructs were made by infection of the amphotropic packaging cell line PA317 after transient expression in, and virus rescue from, the ecotropic packaging cell line ψCRE. The high-titer virus-producing cell lines were assayed for absence of helper virus, synthesis of human IDUA, and for integrity of proviral structure. Suitable lines were used as a source of virus to infect two different mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) skin fibroblast cultures. All three of th...
High resolution electrochemical STM : New structural results for underpotentially deposited Cu on Au(111) in acid sulfate solution

Abstract Adsorption of sulfate assists Cu monolayer underpotential deposition (upd) on Au(1 1 1) in a unique way, rendering two distinct structural stages: (i) formation of a low-density Cu phase at coverage of 2/3 ML known as the 3 × 3 R 30 ° or honeycomb phase; (ii) formation of a complete monolayer, i.e., Cu-(1 × 1) phase pseudomorphic with respect to underlying Au(1 1 1) substrate. In this paper we present new structural in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) results for this system. We show and discuss the STM imaging of the copper honeycomb superstructure probed underneath the co-adsorbed 3 × 3 R 30 ° sulfate adlayer in the low-density phase. High resolution imaging during the phase transition from the low to high density copper phase unambiguously shows the existence of an ordered sulfate structure p(2 × 2) on the pseudomorphic Cu-(1 × 1) layer. The new structure is seen during the co-existence of two copper phases as well as upon completion of the Cu-(1 × 1) monolayer. While supported by earlier chronocoulometric measurements in the same system, the new structural results raise questions that need to be addressed in a future work.
Bioassay of ciguatera toxin.

THE tropical fish poisoning known as ‘ciguatera’, which is clearly different from the well-documented tetraodon poisoning, has long been known in the Pacific. Its narrow regional appearance and its variability within a given species of marine fish have been puzzling phenomena. The symptoms associated with ciguatera have been well described, but fundamental knowledge of the toxin is virtually non-existent. The present state of this problem has recently been reviewed by Randall1.
In vitro effects of psychoactive and non-psychoactive cannabinoids on immature rat sertoli cell function

We have examined the effects of psychoactive and non-psychoactive cannabinoids on isolated immature rat Sertoli cells cultured in either serum-free or serum-containing media. Lactate accumulation by Sertoli cells in serum-free control cultures was 10 fold greater than the values obtained in control cultures exposed to serum. Under either culture condition, 3.1 micrograms/ml of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabinol (CBN) stimulated lactate secretion above control levels. Cannabidiol (CBD) stimulated lactate secretion in serum-containing but not in serum-free media. Using serum-free culture conditions, we next studied the in vitro effects of combinations of THC and either epinephrine or FSH on lactate and transferrin secretion by immature rat Sertoli cells. Co-incubation of 0.1 microM epinephrine with 0.8 or 3.1 microgram/ml THC significantly stimulated lactate secretion when compared to epinephrine or THC alone, while only the high THC dose increased transferrin secretion. Moreover, co-incubation of FSH (1 micrograms/ml) with THC (0.8 or 3.1 micrograms/ml), significantly stimulated both lactate and transferrin production by immature rat Sertoli cells. These results add to the growing evidence that cannabinoids can exert direct effects on Sertoli cell function and modulate their responses to physiological stimuli.
Comparison of two methods for computing abduction moment arms of the rotator cuff

Biomechanical models of the shoulder mechanism require estimates of muscle moment arm magnitude. Some shoulder models have estimated muscle moment arms by assuming an idealized minimum distance path from the origin to insertion that passes around the bony geometry. Alternatively, the principle of virtual work can be used to estimate moment arms from tendon excursion and joint-angle data. The purpose of this study was to determine if these two methods give different estimates of abduction moment arms for the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and subscapularis muscles. Muscle moment arms were estimated for these muscles on ten fresh frozen cadaver specimens. The results showed a significant difference between the two estimation methods. Average differences were 3.1 mm (10.6%), 3.9 mm (43.9%), and 7.2 mm (70.3%) for the supraspinatus, subscapularis, and infraspinatus muscles, respectively. These results suggest that shoulder models based on the origin-insertion method may give higher rotator cuff muscle force estimates than methods using the slope of the tendon excursion vs joint angle relationship.
The electrodiagnostic examination with myopathies.

SummaryThe values and limitations of the electrodiagnostic examination in assessing patients with possible myopathies are discussed. Limitations include: (1) no findings are specific for muscle disease; (2) the particular changes may be quite diverse; (3) myopathies of different etiologies may have
Comparison of polylactide/nano-sized calcium carbonate and polylactide/montmorillonite composites: Reinforcing effects and toughening mechanisms

Abstract Semicrystalline polylactide (PLA) exhibits high tensile strength and modulus but very low strain-at-break and toughness. In this study, PLA nanocomposites with nano-sized precipitated calcium carbonate (NPCC) and organically modified montmorillonite (MMT) clay were prepared by melt extrusion. Morphologies, tensile mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical and rheological properties, polymer–nanoparticle interactions, and toughening mechanisms of the PLA/NPCC and PLA/MMT nanocomposites were compared. MMT and NPCC showed significantly different effects on the strength, modulus and elongation of the PLA nanocomposites. Different toughening mechanisms were first elucidated for the two types of nanocomposites based on the evidence from both macroscopic and microscopic observations. Under uniaxial tension, large quantities of microvoids were created in both PLA nanocomposites. The microvoids in PLA/NPCC caused massive crazing, while in PLA/MMT they resulted in shear yielding, particularly in the nanocomposite with 2.5 wt% MMT. The MMT stacks and platelets were found to be located between the microvoids in the extended specimens and prevented them from collapsing and coalescing.
Training Marriage and Family Therapists in Formal Assessment: Contributions to Students’ Familiarity, Attitude, and Confidence

Studies suggest that few practicing marriage and family therapists use formal assessments and even fewer use systemic assessments. Given the potential value of formal assessment to both clinicians and clients, we surveyed current marriage and family therapy students (N = 91) about their familiarity, attitude, and confidence in training with assessment. Experience using assessments predicted familiarity. Having a supervisor that valued assessments predicted familiarity and confidence in training. The number of courses taken in assessment was not predictive of familiarity, attitude, or confidence. Implications for training and future research are discussed.
Compliance Control of a Robot Manipulator Based on Joint Torque Servo

The application of a robot manipulator to the task of assem bling manufacturing products requires compliance control, which means the control and monitoring of both forces and positions of the robot. To increase the operation speed of compliance control, a fast, reliable force servo system based on a proper sensing technique is imperatively needed. In this paper, current existing force-sensing techniques are analyzed, and the results suggest that a joint torque-sensing technique will give the best performance in a force servo system. A prototype joint torque sensor system is designed for our ex periment. As a result, a new, simple, high-gain, wide-band width torque servo system based on a joint torque sensor system is developed and the system's performance is verified by a single joint manipulator. To provide compliance, a method of selecting the force servo joints for a robot is also provided.
What Will the Neighbors Think? The Effect of Moral Communities on Cohabitation

In this study, we analyze the relationship between county-level religious adherence rates and county-level cohabitation rates in the year 2000. Based on the concept of moral communities, we test hypotheses that higher rates of affiliation with certain religious traditions and lower levels of religious heterogeneity will correlate with lower rates of cohabitation. The analysis consists of data from two sources: the 2000 U.S. Census and the 2000 Religious Congregations and Membership Study. In well-controlled models, spatial regression analysis indicates significant negative relationships between evangelical adherence rates and percent cohabiting. Our results also show that, although rates of adherence and heterogeneity also matter outside the South, the effects are consistently stronger in the South and among Christian denominations. This study advances research on cohabitation by conducting a county-level examination of the impact of religion and moral communities on the increasingly high levels of cohabitation that we are seeing in the United States.
Rapid design space exploration using legacy design data and technology scaling trend

Rapid and effective design space exploration at all stages of a design process enables faster design convergence and shorter time-to-market. This is particularly important during the early stage of a design where design decisions can have a significant impact on design convergence. This paper describes a methodology for design space exploration using design target prediction models. These models are driven by legacy design data, technology scaling trends and, an in situ model-fitting process. Experiments on ISCAS benchmark circuits validate the feasibility of the proposed approach and yielded power centric designs that improved power by 7-32% for a corresponding 0-9% performance impact; or performance centric designs with improved performance of 10.31-17% for a corresponding 2-3.85% power penalty. Evolutionary algorithm based Pareto analysis on an industrial 65nm design uncovered design tradeoffs which are not obvious to designers and optimize both power and performance. The high performance design option of the industrial design improved the straight-ported design's performance by 29% with a 2.5% power penalty, whereas the low power design option reduced the straight-ported design's power consumption by 40% for a 9% performance penalty.
Restructuring, Competition and Regulatory Reform in the U.S. Electricity Sector

Economical and reliable supplies of electricity make possible many of the services that we associate with modern life. From electric lights and microwave ovens, to television, telephones, and computers, electricity is a critical input supporting a wide range of consumption, transportation and production activities. The electricity sector is also a major manufacturing sector, accounting for about $210 billion of annual sales, about $40 billion in annual investment and 35 percent of U.S. primary energy use.
Membrane association and destabilization by Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin requires changes in secondary structures

Summary Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a common inhabitant of the upper aerodigestive tract of humans and non-human primates and is associated with disseminated infections, including lung and brain abscesses, pediatric infective endocarditis, and localized aggressive periodontitis. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans secretes a repeats-in-toxin protein, leukotoxin, which exclusively kills lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1-bearing cells. The toxin's pathological mechanism is not fully understood; however, experimental evidence indicates that it involves the association with and subsequent destabilization of the target cell's plasma membrane. We have long hypothesized that leukotoxin secondary structure is strongly correlated with membrane association and destabilization. In this study, we tested this hypothesis by analysing lipid-induced changes in leukotoxin conformation. Upon incubation of leukotoxin with lipids that favor leukotoxin-membrane association, we observed an increase in leukotoxin α-helical content that was not observed with lipids that favor membrane destabilization. The change in leukotoxin conformation after incubation with these lipids suggests that membrane binding and membrane destabilization have distinct secondary structural requirements, suggesting that they are independent events. These studies provide insight into the mechanism of cell damage that leads to disease progression by A. actinomycetemcomitans.
BOND DISSOCIATION ENERGIES AND HEATS OF FORMATION FOR FLUORINATED ETHERS :E143A (CH3OCF3), E134 (CHF2OCHF2), AND E125 (CF3OCHF2)

Using G2 and G2(MP2) ab initio methodology, we have investigated the thermodynamics of the fluorinated ethers CH3OCF3 (E143a), CHF2OCHF2 (E134), and CF3OCHF2 (E125) and their corresponding ether ra...
Coupled Nuclear Spin Relaxation and Internal Rotations in Magnesium Fluosilicate Hexahydrate

Both proton and fluorine nuclear spin-lattice relaxations have been studied by the 180- to 90-deg pulse method in magnesium fluosilicate hexahydrate at 25 and 13 MHz over the temperature range from 170 to 350 K. Observed nonexponential behavior of the nuclear magnetic relaxation is explained by internal rotations of the doubly charged negative fluosilicate ions and doubly charged positive magnesium hexahydrate ions.
Case identification for category validation: The challenge of disorder-specific assessment

Abstract The baseline diagnostic evaluation for studies to examine the validity of proposed diagnostic entities (case identification for category validation) is an important issue in the 1980s, particularly as the categories of DSM-III come up for review and revision. Observations relevant to such diagnostic categorization from a two-year follow-up study of neurotic disorders are presented. Variables which relate to the accuracy of the baseline diagnostic assessment are discussed. Areas of current concern include: (1) inappropriate use of diagnostic categorization from large-scale community surveys as the baseline diagnostic assessment; (2) errors inherent in a single-visit assessment, particularly for character disorders; (3) pseudocomparability of diagnosis through misuse of standardized assessment instruments such as The Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) or The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS). The need to develop improved assessment techniques for character disorders is emphasized. Also emphasized, when category validation is the goal, is the need to link the baseline diagnostic assessment to existing knowledge and concepts about the category under examination.
The Asset and Liability Sides of Senior Life Settlements

In this article the authors define a reference time called t0, in longevity/value space, as the longevity that drives a life settlement contract to a zero value. They develop the t0 metric to show how the “longevity gap” collapses and expands as actual longevity of the pool of insured deviates from the forecasted longevity upon which the pricing of the life settlement contracts is based. The “longevity gap” or “gap” measures the value of the asset component of a life settlement contract (the death benefits), relative to the value of the liability component (the required premium payments). The longevity gap metric can be used by investors and creditors to measure the solvency of individual life settlement contracts or portfolios of life settlement contracts. Because the value of the asset side of a life settlement contract expands and declines at a different rate than the liability side when longevity changes, t0 becomes a threshold that investors can use to gauge and compare the longevity risk embedded in...
The Vibration of Transmission-Line Conductors

This paper is a continuation of a former one by the writer in May, 1926. Records are given of vibration in actual transmission lines under widely varying conditions and with various conductor materials. These observations indicate the limiting values of wavelength frequency and amplitude of such vibrations encountered in service. Laboratory experiments are described in which the observed conditions were artificially reproduced in a large conductor. The stresses adjacent to a point of support were studied with the aid of a microscope. The wave shape was plotted and the energy required to maintain vibration was recorded. All conductor vibration breaks observed in practise have occurred at supports or badly made joints. The conclusion is reached that if the radius of curvature at the support can be maintained at least equal to that at the center of a loop, no breakage wil occur. Mathematical expressions are given for determining the radius of curvature at the center of a loop, the bending moment at a support, and the necessary additional amount of conductor stiffness at the support to satisfy the desired condition. A simple form of stiffening device is described which even in a more crude form has been found effective in several cases of actual service.
Reconstruction of the (011) surface on α‐quartz: A semiclassical Ab initio molecular dynamics study

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on the (011) surface of α-quartz at room-temperature using density functional theory. Pristine surface was obtained by homolytic fracture of α-quartz crystal, leaving exposed SiO· radicals, following which the surface was allowed to spontaneously reconstruct during the simulation. Reconstruction events occurred at different timings but in most cases produced similar geometries. The most common motif consisted of a fused seven-member ring. Formation of this structure proceeded through reaction of two adjacent O· radicals, followed by linking of one of the reactive O· with a nearby silicon. Other structures, like Si2O2, were also observed. In the newly formed structures some of the silicon atoms had pentacoordinated geometry, usually distorted between pure bipyramidal, trigonal, and square pyramidal. In a few cases oxygen atoms also became tricoordinated. Formation of new bonds was investigated by analyzing the electronic structure of the system along the reaction path, and specifically the localization of unpaired electrons was deduced from the spin-density. Because most reactions involved triplet singlet transitions, a time-dependent density functional theory was used to determine the crossing point of the two potential energy surfaces. Plotted density of states was also used to compare the electronic structures of the initial and reconstructed surfaces. Reconstruction originated new states from O-px and O-pz orbitals. Stability analysis of the reconstructed surface was performed at the PBE level and 7-member rings were found to be more stable than fused rings with pentacoordinated silicon. Hypervalent silicon and oxygen atoms were also found to exist. Nevertheless, specialization of (011) surface appears to be less reactive compared to (001), which suggests a lesser toxicity of rhombohedral form on crystalline silica. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009
Unique amino acid sequences of Bence Jones proteins in the urine of patients with adult Fanconi syndrome

Abstract The amino-terminal amino acid sequences of Bence Jones (BJ) proteins isolated from the urine specimens of two patients (JBL and PSM) with adult Fanconi syndrome were determined. Both BJ proteins JBL and PSM are of the VκI subclass. However, protein JBL contains tyrosine at position 14 whereas protein PSM contains glutamine at position 40. Neither tyrosine 14 nor glutamine 40 has previously been reported for immunoglobulin (Ig) L-chains of any species including humans, the mouse, rabbit, rat, guinea pig, pig, dog, chicken, turkey and shark. In addition, protein JBL contains alanine 22 whereas protein PSM contains arginine 30. Both alanine 22 and arginine 30 have been only rarely found in Ig L-chains.