cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative analysis of localized sources identified by focal impulse and rotor modulation mapping in atrial fibrillation.

Background— New approaches to ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) include focal impulse and rotor modulation (FIRM) mapping, and initial results reported with this technique have been favorable. We sought to independently evaluate the approach by analyzing quantitative characteristics of atrial electrograms used to identify rotors and describe acute procedural outcomes of FIRM-guided ablation. Methods and Results— All FIRM-guided ablation procedures (n=24; 50% paroxysmal) at University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center were included for analysis. During AF, unipolar atrial electrograms collected from a 64-pole basket catheter were used to construct phase maps and identify putative AF sources. These sites were targeted for ablation, in conjunction with pulmonary vein isolation in most patients (n=19; 79%). All patients had rotors identified (mean, 2.3±0.9 per patient; 72% in left atrium). Prespecified acute procedural end point was achieved in 12 of 24 (50%) patients: AF termination (n=1), organization (n=3), or >10% slowing of AF cycle length (n=8). Basket electrodes were within 1 cm of 54% of left atrial surface area, and a mean of 31 electrodes per patient showed interpretable atrial electrograms. Offline analysis revealed no differences between rotor and distant sites in dominant frequency or Shannon entropy. Electroanatomic mapping showed no rotational activation at FIRM-identified rotor sites in 23 of 24 patients (96%). Conclusions— FIRM-identified rotor sites did not exhibit quantitative atrial electrogram characteristics expected from rotors and did not differ quantitatively from surrounding tissue. Catheter ablation at these sites, in conjunction with pulmonary vein isolation, resulted in AF termination or organization in a minority of patients (4/24; 17%). Further validation of this approach is necessary.
The case test-negative design for studies of the effectiveness of influenza vaccine.

Abstract Background A modification to the case–control study design has become popular to assess vaccine effectiveness (VE) against viral infections. Subjects with symptomatic illness seeking medical care are tested by a highly specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the detection of the infection of interest. Cases are subjects testing positive for the virus; those testing negative represent the comparison group. Influenza and rotavirus VE studies using this design are often termed “test-negative case-control” studies, but this design has not been formally described or evaluated. We explicitly state several assumptions of the design and examine the conditions under which VE estimates derived with it are valid and unbiased. Methods We derived mathematical expressions for VE estimators obtained using this design and examined their statistical properties. We used simulation methods to test the validity of the estimators and illustrate their performance using an influenza VE study as an example. Results Because the marginal ratio of cases to non-cases is unknown during enrollment, this design is not a traditional case-control study; we suggest the name “case test-negative” design. Under sets of increasingly general assumptions, we found that the case test-negative design can provide unbiased VE estimates. However, differences in health care-seeking behavior among cases and non-cases by vaccine status, strong viral interference, or modification of the probability of symptomatic illness by vaccine status can bias VE estimates. Conclusions Vaccine effectiveness estimates derived from case test-negative studies are valid and unbiased under a wide range of assumptions. However, if vaccinated cases are less severely ill and seek care less frequently than unvaccinated cases, then an appropriate adjustment for illness severity is required to avoid bias in effectiveness estimates. Viral interference will lead to a non-trivial bias in the vaccine effectiveness estimate from case test-negative studies only when incidence of influenza is extremely high and duration of transient non-specific immunity is long.
How Botryllus chooses to fuse

In Botryllus schlosseri, a highly polymorphic allorecognition system limits the potential for vascular fusion by genetically dissimilar, adjacent colonies. In this issue, Nyholm et al. (2006) uncover the nature of the receptor that recognizes the products of the histocompatibility genes.
Heat recovery investigation from dryer–thermal oxidizer system in corn-ethanol plants

Abstract In recent years, annual corn ethanol production in the U.S. has exceeded 13,298,000,000 gallons. However, net energy balance for this sector became a subject of controversy in many discussions. The aim of the presented research is an investigation of thermal improvement opportunities in a corn ethanol plant. For this purpose, a complex mathematical model was developed for a dryer–thermal oxidizer system. Three variants were subjected thermodynamic analyses: one state of the art system and two proposed system modifications. The properties of humid gas, a mixture of combustion products and moisture evaporated from distiller's grain, were updated based on the steam properties according to the formulation proposed by the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam. All calculations were performed by uniquely-developed C++ code. The results indicate major potential for improvement in the following areas: (i) water recovery from humid gas; (ii) heat recovery from moisture condensation – max. 44% of total primary energy usage (TPEU); and (iii) fuel savings by reduction of humid gas flow through a thermal oxidizer – max. 1.4% of TPEU. Also the presented analysis can be a starting point for further modifications in real corn ethanol manufacturing applications, leading towards pilot system implementation.
The Late Stage of Serpiginous (Geographic) Choroiditis

Serpiginous and geographic choroiditis, one and the same disease, is characterized by episodic involvement of the pigment epithelium and choroid. Each new lesion passes through an acute phase into an atrophic and scarring one. We observed 20 patients, some with long-term follow-up; some had eventual widespread involvement of both posterior poles. There was no basis for the disease, and treatment did not affect its course. In the patients with long-term disease there was widespread atrophy of the choroid and pigment epithelium and variable amounts of pigment clumping and subretinal fibrous tissue deposition. In nine patients discrete peripheral patches of atrophy were also found. In some eyes the atrophy at the posterior pole had become so confluent that the condition could have been mistaken superficially for a primary choroidal dystrophy. The uninvolved areas appeared to be normal. The electroretinogram and electrooculogram were only affected when extensive disease was present.
Compositional analysis of CdS/SnO2 films after heat treatments and CdCl2 pretreatments

We used Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to perform a systematic study of CdS thin films grown from solution on SnO 2 -coated glass. The effects of heat treatments and CdCl 2 pretreatments on the stoichiometry of the CdS and the diffusivity of the CdS/SnO 2 interface have been investigated. The results show that CdS thin films not treated in CdCl 2 become sulphur-deficient with leat treatment above 350 o C, wher CdS thin films treated in CdCl 2 must be heated above 350 o C to be smooth and stoichiometric
Ligand engineering in hybrid polymer:nanocrystal solar cells

Blends of semiconducting polymers and inorganic semiconductor nanocrystals are receiving renewed interest as a type of inexpensive, solution-processed third generation solar cell. In these hybrid bulk heterojunctions (BHJs), the interface between the disparate organic and inorganic phases is a dominating factor in the overall performance of the resulting devices. Paramount to this interface is the ligand landscape on the nanocrystal surface, which as a result of the inherently large surface area to volume ratio of the nanocrystals, has a significant spatial and electronic influence on the boundary between the donor polymer and acceptor nanocrystal. We have investigated the importance of this three-part polymer/ligand/nanocrystal interface by studying the ligand effects in hybrid BHJ solar cells. In this article, we highlight the major research advances and the state-of-the-art in hybrid BHJ solar cells with respect to ligand engineering, as well as outline future research avenues deemed necessary for continued technological advancement.
Migraine With Transient Unilateral Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

CLINICAL HISTORY A 25-year-old man presented with a 1.5-year history of headaches occurring about once every 1-2 weeks. He described a severe back of the head throbbing which would then move to the top of the head associated with nausea, light, and noise sensitivity but no aura lasting up to 24 hours. He was not aware of any triggers. BC Powder and naproxen sodium were of no benefit. With the last 3 headaches in the prior one month, with the last ending that morning, at the onset of the headache, he developed a constant low pitched buzz associated with greatly decreased hearing in the right ear lasting for the duration of the headache (1224 hours) and then returning to normal.There was no oscillation of sound during the attack. Past medical history was negative. Neurological examination was normal. He was seen by an ENT physician that same day with a normal exam. An audiogram was normal except for 4000-Hertz sensorineural hearing loss, left more than right. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain and internal auditory canals was normal. Questions.—What is your diagnosis? What could be the pathophysiology? Might a triptan be helpful or contraindicated? If the episodes continue on a frequent basis, would migraine preventive medication be of benefit? Can permanent hearing loss be associated with migraine?
Synthesis of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu oxide/silver superconducting microcomposites by oxidation of metallic precursors

Abstract Metallic alloy ribbons with nominal composition Bi 1.4 Pb 0.6 Sr 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 Ag 11 and Bi 1.4 Pb 0.6 Sr 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 Ag 5 were made by vacuum induction melting followed by melt-spinning. These ribbons were then subjected to controlled-atmosphere oxidation and annealing. Superconducting oxides with zero resistance at 100 to 104 K and a critical current density of 500 A/cm 2 at 77K in zero field were produced in this way with excellent reproducibility. The addition of Ag aided in the process of alloy melting and in the formation of the metallic ribbons. The resulting superconducting phases were observed and analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. The effects of oxidation and annealing treatments on the superconducting propeties are discussed.
Displacement and deformation associated with a lateral thrust termination, southern Golden Gate Range, southern Nevada, U.S.A.

Abstract The Golden Gate thrust offers an excellent opportunity to study displacement and deformation at a lateral thrust tip. Slip across this E-vergent thrust is uniformly about 2.4 km for the southern 2 km of exposed strike length and dies out to zero in the northern 5 km. Constant displacement and uniform hangingwall structure along the southern one-third of exposed strike length suggest that along-strike displacement variation and consequent deformation are localized near the lateral tip. Structures located at and north of the lateral tip are consistent with transpression and later uplift as slip accumulated on the thrust. Fold and fault orientations and calcite twinning strain record possible transpression north of the lateral tip. E-W-striking normal faults at the thrust tip record extension that is interpreted to be the result of the uplift and translation of a structurally continuous, rigid block located north of the normal faults. This block is connected to and was uplifted with the crest of the hangingwall anticline, and was separated by the normal faults from thrust-related folding to the south. The main hangingwall structure is an anticline that in southern exposures trends N-S parallel to the thrust but bends westward and opens into a box fold to the north. The hangingwall anticline superficially resembles a classic fault-propagation fold formed by a migrating ductile bead. However, we are forced to reject the ductile bead hypothesis for the fold because: (1) the geometry of the hangingwall anticline far from the thrust tip cannot have evolved from the geometry at the thrust tip; and (2) twinned calcite strain data from along the thrust suggest that strain was homogeneous and coaxial rather than inhomogeneous and progressively non-coaxial as predicted for a migrating ductile bead. The three-dimensional structural and kinematic relations at the lateral tip of the Golden Gate thrust appear to be the result of deformation around a pinned tip, although the reason that the tip was pinned at its present location is unclear. We interpret the thrust to have propagated relatively quickly to its ultimate extent with little initial displacement, indicating that it was easier to fault the rocks than to fold them.
Survey burden for family members surveyed about end-of-life care in the intensive care unit.

Abstract Context Family surveys are an important source of information about quality of end-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU). The burden associated with completing such surveys is not well studied. Objectives 1) To assess the predictors of burden that families report with completing surveys for patients who died in the ICU and 2) to examine associations between quality-of-care ratings and survey burden. Methods Data were collected from 14 hospitals as part of a cluster randomized trial to integrate palliative care into the ICU. Survey questions included demographics, quality of dying, satisfaction with care, and overall level of burden associated with survey completion. Patient characteristics were identified from chart abstraction and death certificates. Multivariable linear regression with robust SEs was used to examine associations between survey burden, subject characteristics, and family ratings of quality of care. Results Of the families surveyed, 62% rated the survey to be no or low burden. Family members of older patients reported less survey burden ( P =0.016), and those who lived with the patient reported higher survey burden ( P =0.043). Family members reporting lower ratings of satisfaction with care and quality of dying reported higher survey burden ( P Conclusion Most families reported no to low burden. Family members who live with their loved one are particularly vulnerable to survey burden and those of older patients report less burden. The association between low quality-of-care ratings and survey burden suggests that the response bias in this type of research is toward overestimating quality of care.
The use of delayed nuclear track counting for determining bismuth

The predominant use of the nuclear track technique (NTT) in analytical chemistry has been to measure the prompt charged particle emission from neutron induced reactions with stable or fissile nuclides of selected elements. This work describes the use of the NTT for determining bismuth via delayed alpha particle emission from the decay of210P. This technique is sensitive and reliable since alpha track counting is highly efficient and can provide information, on elemental spatial distributions. Bismuth determinations in various materials by this technique appears possible to at least the 1.0 microgram per gram level.
The in vivo development of the hamster periodontium and implications for the chin's evolution

The anthropological problem related to the biology and evolution of the human chin was approached by examining the hypothesis that the body of the mandible consists of two bony moieties: (1) alveolar bone and (2) basal bone. The alveolar bone was assumed to be a component of the dentition, ontogenetically distinct from the basal bone on which it is superposed. Each bone moiety exhibits differences in the amount, direction and timing of growth — factors which are presumed to be partially responsible for the origin and evolution of the chin. To provide additional information on this problem, histologic sections from 45 postnatal hamster mandibles were examined with the light microscope. The results revealed that the hamster alveolar bone tissue develops from a hyalinelike precursor which is ontogenetically distinct from the processes of intramembranous bone formation. The maturation of alveolar bone appears to be associated with and highly correlated to the progressive development of the periodontal ligament and the root, a process which suggests epithelio-mesenchymal interactions analogous to those observed during crown formation. The probable relationships between these observations on alveolar bone development and chin formation are discussed.
Two-hybrid cloning identifies an RNA-binding protein, GRY-RBP, as a component of apobec-1 editosome.

ApoB mRNA editing is mediated by an editosome complex with apobec-1 as its catalytic component. By yeast two-hybrid cloning using apobec-1 as bait we identified a 69.6-kDa RNA binding protein, GRY-RBP, that contains 3 RNA-recognition motifs (RRMs) as a novel apobec-1 associating protein. GRY-RBP may be an alternatively spliced species of NASP1, a protein of known function. GRY-RBP was shown to bind to apobec-1, the catalytic component of apoB mRNA editosome, in vivo and in vitro. Immunodepletion using a monospecific rabbit antibody abolished editing in apobec-1 expressing HepG2 S-100 extracts. GRY-RBD interacted with apobec-1 through its C-terminus. It contains three RRM (RNA recognition motifs) domains that are homologous to those found in human ACF (apobec-1 complementation factor). Phylogeny analysis of the RRM domain-containing proteins indicates that GRY-RBP clusters with hnRNP-R, ACF, and ABBP-1 (another apobec-1 binding protein). In addition to its involvement with apobec-1 editosome, the suggested cellular functions of GRY-RBD and its structural homologues include RNA transport and RNA secondary structure stabilization.
The Parents Matter! Program: Practical, Theoretical and Methodological Perspectives

We provide a commentary on the Parents Matter! intervention program. Our commentary is organized around core issues confronting those who design prevention programs, namely (1) making the program practical, feasible and economical, (2) reaching a broad base of target individuals, (3) making the intervention effective in changing the behavior or outcome for those who participate in it, and (4) ensuring that the intervention is sustainable for future generations. Parents Matter! is a thoughtful and impressive program that addresses each of these issues.
Binding stoichiometry and kinetics of the interaction of a human anthrax toxin receptor, CMG2, with protective antigen.

Abstract The protective antigen (PA) moiety of anthrax toxin binds to cellular receptors and mediates entry of the two enzymatic moieties of the toxin into the cytosol. Two PA receptors, anthrax toxin receptor (ATR)/tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CMG2), have been identified. We expressed and purified the von Willebrand A (VWA) domain of CMG2 and examined its interactions with monomeric and heptameric forms of PA. Monomeric PA bound a stoichiometric equivalent of CMG2, whereas the heptameric prepore form bound 7 eq. The Kd of the VWA domain-PA interaction is 170 pm when liganded by Mg2+, reflecting a 1000-fold tighter interaction than most VWA domains with their endogenous ligands. The dissociation rate constant is extremely slow, indicating a 30-h lifetime for the CMG2·PA monomer complex. CMG2 metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) was studied kinetically and thermodynamically. The association rate constant (∼105 m-1 s-1) is virtually identical in the presence or absence of Mg2+ or Ca2+, but the dissociation rate of metal ion liganded complex is up to 4 orders of magnitude slower than metal ion free complex. Residual affinity (Kd ∼ 960 nm) in the absence of divalent metal ions allowed the free energy for the contribution of the metal ion to be calculated as 5 kcal mol-1, demonstrating that the metal ion-dependent adhesion site is directly coordinated by CMG2 and PA in the binding interface. The high affinity of the VWA domain for PA supports its potency in neutralizing anthrax toxin, demonstrating its potential utility as a novel therapeutic for anthrax.
Aneuploidy: Cells Losing Their Balance

A change in chromosome number that is not the exact multiple of the haploid karyotype is known as aneuploidy. This condition interferes with growth and development of an organism and is a common characteristic of solid tumors. Here, we review the history of studies on aneuploidy and summarize some of its major characteristics. We will then discuss the molecular basis for the defects caused by aneuploidy and end with speculations as to whether and how aneuploidy, despite its deleterious effects on organismal and cellular fitness, contributes to tumorigenesis.
Highly Dispersed Pt Catalysts on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Their Role in Methanol Oxidation

Well-dispersed Pt catalysts with very high utilization efficiencies for fuel cell reactions have been prepared by ethylene glycol reduction on polymer-wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). By wrapping the SWCNTs in a polymer such as polystyrene sulfonate, we are able to break up the nanotube bundles to achieve better dispersion. These polymer-wrapped SWCNTs with platinum nanoparticles deposited on them show very high electrochemically active surface areas. The increase in utilization efficiencies for platinum catalysts on these SWCNT supports can be attributed to the increased surface areas and the well-dispersed nature of the carbon support and catalyst. The catalyst dispersion facilitates diffusion of reactant species which in turn results in higher methanol oxidation currents and more positive potentials for oxygen reduction.
Determination of all stabilizing analog and digital PID controllers

In this paper, a unified approach is introduced for finding the stability boundary and the number of unstable poles in the integral derivative (ID) plane for continuous-time or discrete-time PID controllers. The ID plane is particularly important because in this plane it is easier than in the PI or PD planes to determine the entire stability region. These problems can be solved by finding all achievable PID controllers that stabilize the closed-loop polynomial of a single-input single-output (SISO) linear time invariant (LTI) system. This method is used to predict the number of unstable poles of the closed-loop system in any region of the parameter space of a PID controller. The delta operator is used to describe the controllers because it provides not only numerical properties superior to the discrete-time shift operator, but also converges to the continuous-time case as the sampling period approaches zero. A key advantage of this approach is that the stability boundary can be found when only the frequency response and not the parameters of the plant transfer function are known. A unified approach allows us to use the same procedure for finding the continuous-time or discrete-time stability region and the number of unstable poles of the closed-loop system.
A Theory for the Statistical Equilibrium Energy Spectrum and Heat Flux Produced by Transient Baroclinic Waves

Abstract Obtaining a physically based understanding of the variations with spatial scale of the amplitude and dispersive properties of midlatitude transient baroclinic waves and the heat flux associated with these waves is a central goal of dynamic meteorology and climate studies. Recently, stochastic forcing of highly nonnormal dynamical systems, such as arise from analysis of the equations governing perturbations to the midlatitude westerly jet, has been shown to induce large transfers of energy from the mean to the perturbation scale. In the case of a baroclinic atmospheric jet, this energy transfer to the synoptic scale produces dispersive properties, distributions of wave energy with wavenumber, and heat fluxes that are intrinsically associated with the nonnormal dynamics underlying baroclinic wave development. In this work a method for calculating the spectrum and heat flux arising from stochastic forcing is described and predictions of this theory for a model atmosphere are compared with observatio...
Why some of us get fat and what we can do about it

There is a widespread obesity epidemic in the developed world which is having an adverse impact on the health of affected individuals. Many of the afflicted have a genetic predisposition to become obese. These individuals become obese when they over consume highly palatable, calorically dense foods which are readily available at low cost. Once obesity occurs, fewer than 10% of affected individuals can sustain significant weight loss permanently. The hypothesis of this review is that some obesity-prone individuals have an inborn reduction in their ability to sense and respond to inhibitory signals from adipose stores and other organs which should limit their intake of energy when it exceeds their metabolic needs. Furthermore, the physiological processes which drive all of us to seek and ingest food and limit energy expenditure during periods of negative energy balance provide an irresistible drive to regain lost adipose stores in weight-reduced obese individuals. For this reason, prevention of obesity and the identification factors which promote the development of neural pathways which enhance the negative feedback signals from the periphery should be a major focus of ongoing research in this field.
Energies and latent heats of water in plant tissue interfaces for analysis of freeze stress

Water transitions that stress freezing plants, and literature regarding intermolecular bonding of the liquid, have led to the development of a concept that distinguished forms of freeze stress energy. Parameters that characterize equilibrium and nonequilibrium freezing are calculated. The derivation, used previously to identify adhesion as a form of freeze stress, is extended for quantitative biophysical analysis of specific forms of the freeze stresses that alter genetic expression and elicit protective plant responses.
Sympathetic nerves exert a chronic influence on the intact vasculature that is age related

The hypothesis of this study is that the chronic presence of intact sympathetic innervation influences the structure, and thereby function, of the rabbit ear vascular bed, and that this influence may be age related. Therefore we examined the effect of chronic sympathetic denervation on vascular resistance of the rabbit ear nine to ten weeks after unilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy. Two age groups were studied: growing juvenile rabbits denervated at 4 weeks of age and adult rabbits denervated at 16 weeks. We assessed the flow-pressure (resistance) curves of the chronically denervated and contralateral innervated isolated rabbit ears during maximum dilation. The flow-pressure curve was significantly shifted downward in the denervated compared to the contralateral innervated ears of juvenile rabbits operated on at 4 weeks (p less than 0.001) but was not different in adult rabbits operated on at 16 weeks. These results support the concept that the sympathetic nerves chronically influence blood vessel properties in growing animals, apart from their acute effect on vasomotor tone.
Using neural networks and GIS to forecast land use changes: a Land Transformation Model

The Land Transformation Model (LTM), which couples geographic information systems (GIS) with artificial neural networks (ANNs) to forecast land use changes, is presented here. A variety of social, political, and environmental factors contribute to the model’s predictor variables of land use change. This paper presents a version of the LTMparameterized for Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay Watershed and explores how factors such as roads, highways, residential streets, rivers, Great Lakes coastlines, recreational facilities, inland lakes, agricultural density, and quality of views can influence urbanization patterns in this coastal watershed. ANNs are used to learn the patterns of development in the region and test the predictive capacity of the model, while GIS is used to develop the spatial, predictor drivers and perform spatial analysis on the results. The predictive ability of the model improved at larger scales when assessed using a moving scalable window metric. Finally, the individual contribution of each predictor variable was examined and shown to vary across spatial scales. At the smallest scales, quality views were the strongest predictor variable. We interpreted the multi-scale influences of land use change, illustrating the relative influences of site (e.g. quality of views, residential streets) and situation (e.g. highways and county roads) variables at different scales. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Searching for the needle in the haystack: taxonomies, tags and targets

The Penn State Taxonomic Tags group, with representatives from Information Technology, Business Administration, and the Penn State Libraries, was formed to examine whether a taxonomic set of tags, systematically applied across the university's Web pages, could (a) make finding specific pages easier from among the University's greater than 500,000 Web pages, (b) simplify Web content management tasks and (c) prove useful over time as search engines continue to evolve and despite whether open source or commercial (and often, proprietary) search algorithms are employed. The University has had broad experience with several search engines, and currently holds a University-wide license for the Google Appliance. The Tags Group has developed recommendations that it believes will address issues found in the current environment and yet remain useful during and after what it expects will be the increasing adoption of Content Management Systems across Penn State University.
Targets for cystic fibrosis therapy: proteomic analysis and correction of mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator

Proteomic analysis has proved to be an important tool for understanding the complex nature of genetic disorders, such as cystic fibrosis (CF), by defining the cellular protein environment (proteome) associated with wild-type and mutant proteins. Proteomic screens identified the proteome of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), and provided fundamental information to studies designed for understanding the crucial components of physiological CFTR function. Simultaneously, high-throughput screens for small-molecular correctors of CFTR mutants provided promising candidates for therapy. The majority of CF cases are caused by nucleotide deletions (ΔF508 CFTR; >75%), resulting in CFTR misfolding, or insertion of premature termination codons (∼10%), leading to unstable mRNA and reduced levels of truncated dysfunctional CFTR. In this article, we review recent results of proteomic screens, developments in identifying correctors for the most frequent CFTR mutants, and comment on how integration of the knowl...
Measurement and modeling of noise and interference in aircraft system

The rapidly growing field of multi-antenna communication contains a great deal of promise for satisfying the future demands of high-speed data transfer across wireless networks. Interference from external sources as well as adjacent users reduces the capacity of the system and must be taken into account. This is particularly true in applications where users are tightly packed (in airplanes, buses, buildings, and crowds), where external noise is significant (in aircraft, near other broadcast centers, in industrial plants, etc), where communication is particularly sensitive or critical (hospitals, military applications). Various interference models have been developed for multi-antenna systems for indoor as well as outdoor applications [7]-[9]. Although these interference models provide approximations to the level of interference present at the receiver, they do not include the effects of the RF front end or antenna type/pattern/etc. at the transmitter and receiver that have also been shown [5] to simultaneously affect the system performance. This paper provides a detailed interference analysis extending the detailed transmission equation model [5] and studies the effect of each individual interference parameter on the estimated capacity. Noise is modeled as either additive white Gaussian noise(AWGN) or a non-Gaussian distribution α-stable distribution [6][2]. This paper evaluates the accuracy with which the performance of a multi-antenna system can be predicted in aircraft in the presence of interference and noise using a site-specific 3D ray tracing algorithm as well as with a more generalized detailed signal model (DSM) [1]. The results obtained from these models are compared with the measurements in a Beech Baron BE 58P [1], which is a small commercial aircraft with a nose to tail dimension of 29.8 feet and a metal body and Rockwell T-39 Sabreliner is a mid-size aircraft with a nose to tail dimension of 50 feet and a composite body.
40 Phytoplankton biomass and community dynamics in the lake pont‐chartrain estuary of southeast louisiana, usa: effects of light and nutrients upon seasonal and spatial patterns

A yearlong study (2002–2003) was conducted in the Lake Pontchartrain Estuary (LPE) of Southeast Louisiana in order to examine the temporal and spatial variability of phytoplankton biomass and community dynamics in relation to nutrients, light climate and other abiotic parameters. Variability was assessed through a north-south transect across the estuary and at five of the major tributaries of the LPE at bi-weekly intervals. Phytoplankton pigmentation was analyzed by HPLC and used to calculate biomass (as chlorophyll a) and to determine the relative abundances of phylogenetic groups and taxa (via CHEMTAX). Microscopic analyses of select samples were used to verify the efficacy of the CHEMTAX method in the waters of the LPE. Water-column up-/down-welling irradiance (PAR) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) measurements were used to characterize the light climate. Results indicate that LPE phytoplankton biomass and community composition are: 1) highly variable at the spatial and temporal scales of this study, 2) can significantly impact the light field of the LPE, and 3) are influenced by macro-nutrient ratios.
Melatonin pharmacokinetics following two different oral surge-sustained release doses in older adults.

Melatonin is increasingly used for the treatment of sleep disorders. Surge-sustained formulations consisting of combined immediate release and controlled release dosing may mimic the endogenous melatonin physiologic profile. However, relatively little is known about the pharmacokinetic properties of low dose ( 2 mg) melatonin in a combined immediate release/controlled release dose, especially in older adults who may also exhibit altered melatonin disposition. To assess this, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of low (0.4 mg) and high (4.0 mg) dose melatonin (25% immediate release+75% controlled release) in 27 older adults with insomnia complaints and low endogenous melatonin levels to determine if melatonin pharmacokinetic properties differ between these two doses. The time to maximum level (1.3 hrs vs 1.5 hrs), elimination half-life (1.8 hrs vs 2.1 hrs), and apparent total clearance (379 l/hr vs 478 l/hr) did not differ significantly between the low and high dose arms, respectively. The maximum concentration was 405±93 pg/ml for the low dose arm and 3999±700 pg/ml for the high dose arm, both of which are substantially higher than physiologic melatonin levels for this age group. In addition, subjects in the high dose arm maintained melatonin levels >50 pg/ml for an average of 10 hours, which could result in elevated melatonin levels beyond the typical sleep period. Renal and liver function parameters remained stable after 6 weeks of treatment. The linear pharmacokinetic behavior of melatonin observed in the elderly can form the basis for future studies exploring a wider range of dosing scenarios to establish exposure-response relationships for melatonin-mediated sleep outcomes.
Transmitter diversity in SDMA based asynchronous multi-user OFDM systems

In this paper, the effect of transmitter diversity on asynchronous co-channel interference suppression and equalization is studied in multi-user multiple input multiple output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. Space division multiple access OFDM may be an appropriate solution to design spectrally efficient and high data-rate communication systems. Moreover, communication systems using transmitter diversity can provide additional spatial diversity gains. However, increasing the number of transmitting antennas may induce another source of co-channel interference in asynchronous multi-user channels. In order to observe the performance of various transmitter diversity techniques under the asynchronous mode of transmission, first, we develop space-time minimum mean squared error (MMSE) receivers for both space-time block coded OFDM and beamforming based MIMO OFDM. The average signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR) resulting from MMSE combining indicates that the bit-error rate (BER) performance of space-time block coded (STBC) multi-user OFDM is highly dependent on the amount of timing offset. Overall, simulation results demonstrate that closed-loop MIMO systems need to be employed to obtain substantial diversity gains in asynchronous multi-user OFDM channels with random timing offset
A mixed finite volume method for elliptic problems

We derive a novel finite volume method for the elliptic equation, using the framework of mixed finite element methods to discretize the pressure and velocities on two different grids (covolumes), triangular (tetrahedral) mesh and control volume mesh. The new discretization is defined for tensor diffusion coefficient and well suited for heterogeneous media. When the control volumes are created by connecting the center of gravity of each triangle to the midpoints of its edges, we show that the discretization is stable and first order accurate for both scalar and vector unknowns. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007
Summer Production of Lettuce, and Microclimate in High Tunnel and Open Field Plots in Kansas

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS.Lactuca sativa,bolting, windspeed, airtemperature,soil temperature, leaf temperature, reference crop evapotranspiration SUMMARY. High tunnels have been shown to be a profitable season-extending production tool for many horticultural crops. Production of cool-season vegetables during the hot summer months represents a challenge to market growers in the midwestern United States. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the microclimate and production of eight leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars in high tunnels and openfields, using unshaded and shaded (39% white shadecloth) tunnels in Summer 2002 and 2003, respectively. Wind speed was consistently lower in high tunnels with the sidewalls and endwalls open. An unshaded high tunnel resulted in an increase of daily maximum and minimum air temperatures by � 0.2 and 0.3 � C, respectively, in comparison with the open field. In contrast, daily maximum air temperature in a shaded high tunnel decreased by 0.4 � C, while the daily minimum air temperature was higher than that in the open field by 0.5 � C. Using high tunnels did not cause a marked change in relative humidity compared with the open field. When using shadecloth, the daily maximum soil temperature was lowered by � 3.4 � C and the leaf surface temperature was reduced by 1.5 to 2.5 � C. The performance of lettuce during summer trials varied significantly among cultivars. Unshaded high tunnels generally led to more rapid bolting and increased bitterness of lettuce compared with the open field. Lettuce grown in high tunnels covered by shadecloth had a lower bolting rate, but decreased yield relative to the open field. Based on our results, summer lettuce production would not be recommended in high tunnels or open fields in northeastern Kansas, although the potential of shaded high tunnels deserves further studies. Reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) was estimated from meteorological data on a daily basis using the FAO-56 method. The ET0 was lowest in the shaded high tunnel and was the highest in the open field. Relatively lower ET0 in high tunnels indicated a likely lower water requirement and therefore improved water use efficiency compared with the open field.
Chapter 4 – Graphs and Functions

This chapter gives an overview of the basic concepts of graphs and functions, focusing on rectangular coordinates, distance between points, midpoints, and straight line equations. Also, the chapter illustrates the vertical line test for a function and the concept of inverse of function.
Increasing fruit and vegetable intake among manufacturing workers

Purpose – Blue-collar manufacturing workers are more likely to have lifestyle risk factors, including a lower intake of fruit and vegetables, for the development of chronic diseases. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of worksite health-promotion interventions on fruit and vegetable intake among manufacturing workers. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions and makes recommendations on best practices. Types of interventions and theoretical frameworks used in the workplace are reviewed, and findings are presented through research examples. Research for this paper was conducted using PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and PsycINFO. Findings – Positive results were found for the effectiveness of interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. Multiple levels of intervention, an emphasis on employee participation in planning, higher self-efficacy, and social support were found to be effective...
Index Sets for Finite Normal Predicate Logic Programs with Function Symbols

We study the recognition problem in the metaprogramming of finite normal predicate logic programs. That is, let \(\mathcal {L}\) be a computable first order predicate language with infinitely many constant symbols and infinitely many n-ary predicate symbols and n-ary function symbols for all \(n \ge 1\). Then we can effectively list all the finite normal predicate logic programs \(Q_0,Q_1,\ldots \) over \(\mathcal L\). Given some property \(\mathcal{P}\) of finite normal predicate logic programs over \(\mathcal L\), we define the index set \(I_\mathcal{P}\) to be the set of indices e such that \(Q_e\) has property \(\mathcal P\). Then we shall classify the complexity of the index set \(I_\mathcal{P}\) within the arithmetic hierarchy for various natural properties of finite predicate logic programs.
Hardening due to Interfacial He Bubbles in Nanolayered Composites

A series of helium (He) implantations with varying energies and doses were used to introduce bubbles into interfaces in Cu/Mo, Cu/V and Cu/Nb nanolayered composites. Micro-pillar compression testing revealed that the interfacial He bubbles give rise to modest hardening as compared to those in grain interiors. The flow stress enhancement is proportional to the strength of the un-implanted sample. We discuss the influence of the structure of the interfacial dislocation network, the shear resistance of the interfaces, and atomic-level interface steps on hardening. Interfaces with higher density of misfit dislocation intersections and lower shear resistance tend to provide greater hardening.
Interrater Agreement on the Visual Analysis of Individual Tiers and Functional Relations in Multiple Baseline Designs.

Previous research on visual analysis has reported low levels of interrater agreement. However, many of these studies have methodological limitations (e.g., use of AB designs, undefined judgment tas...
Enhancing Community Detection By Affinity-based Edge Weighting Scheme

Community detection refers to an important graph analytics problem of finding a set of densely-connected subgraphs in a graph and has gained a great deal of interest recently. The performance of current community detection algorithms is limited by an inherent constraint of unweighted graphs that offer very little information on their internal community structures. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to address this issue that weights the edges in a given graph based on recently proposed vertex affinity. The vertex affinity quantifies the proximity between two vertices in terms of their clustering strength, and therefore, it is ideal for graph analytics applications such as community detection. We also demonstrate that the affinity-based edge weighting scheme can improve the performance of community detection algorithms significantly.
Investing in Schools: Capital Spending, Facility Conditions, and Student Achievement (Revised and Edited)

Public investments in repairs, modernization, and construction of schools cost billions. However, little is known about the nature of school facility investments, whether such investments actually change the physical condition of public schools, and the subsequent causal impacts on student achievement. We study the achievement effects of nearly 1,400 capital campaigns initiated and financed by local school districts, comparing districts where school capital bonds were either narrowly approved or narrowly defeated by district voters. Overall, we find little evidence that school capital campaigns improve student achievement. Our event-study analyses focusing on students that attend targeted schools and therefore are exposed to major campus renovations also generate very precise zero estimates of achievement effects. Thus, locally financed school capital campaigns — the predominant method through which facility investments are made — may represent a limited tool for realizing substantial gains in student achievement or closing achievement gaps.
Modeling of Superconductivity for EM Boundary Value Problems

High-temperature superconductivity has spawned a wide search for electronics applications. Various experiments on microwave circuits, including resonators, filters, phase shifters, and small antennas have been performed with promising results. The design of these components will necessarily involve numerical simulation, which requires the solution of superconductive EM boundary value problems. In this paper, several approaches to this solution are presented. In the first approach, superconductors are treated as negative dielectric materials. Secondly, the superconductor surface impedance condition is used at the boundaries. Finally, the problem is solved using perfectly conducting boundaries, and perturbation is used to approximate the desired parameters. The above methods are used to solve the scattering by a superconducting cylinder, propagation in a superconducting parallel-plate waveguide, and radiation by a superconducting short dipole. Very good agreement is found between the negative dielectric model and the surface impedance method. The perfect conductor approximation also gives very good estimates of the fields, but fails to predict some important effects, such as the change in resonant frequency of the dipole with temperature.