cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage examined through the preparation of D2 (v = 2, j = 0) and D2 (v = 2, j = 2, m = 0).

We study the conditions that must be met for successful preparation of a large ensemble in a specific target quantum state using Stark-induced adiabatic Raman passage (SARP). In particular, we show that the threshold condition depends on the relative magnitudes of the Raman polarizability (r0v) and the difference of the optical polarizabilities (Δα00→vj) of the initial (v = 0, j = 0) and the target (v, j) rovibrational levels. Here, v and j are the vibrational and rotational quantum numbers, respectively. To illustrate how the operation of SARP is controlled by these two parameters, we experimentally prepared D2 (v = 2, j = 0) and D2 (v = 2, j = 2, m = 0) in a beam of D2 (v = 0, j = 0) molecules using a sequence of partially overlapping pump and Stokes laser pulses. By comparing theory and experiment, we were able to determine the Raman polarizability r02 ≈ 0.3 × 10−41 Cm/(V/m) and the difference polarizabilities Δα00→20 ≈ 1.4 × 10−41 Cm/(V/m) and Δα00→22 ≈ 3.4 × 10−41 Cm/(V/m) for the two Raman transitions. Our experimental data and theoretical calculations show that because the ratio r/Δα is larger for the (0,0) → (2,0) transition than the (0,0) → (2,2) transition, much less optical power is required to transfer a large population to the (v = 2, j = 0) level. Nonetheless, our experiment demonstrates that substantial population transfer to both the D2 (v = 2, j = 0) and D2 (v = 2, j = 2, m = 0) is achieved using appropriate laser fluences. Our derived threshold condition demonstrates that with increasing vibrational quantum number, it becomes more difficult to achieve large amounts of population transfer.
Industrial Steam Systems Optimization under Uncertainty Using Data-Driven Adaptive Robust Optimization

Steam system, which is an important component of utility system of the industrial process, provides power and heat to the process. Operational optimization methods can improve the efficiency of the steam system and increase the economic benefits for industrial plants. Because of the uncertainty in device efficiency, traditional deterministic optimization methods could lead to suboptimal or even infeasible optimization decisions of steam systems. This paper proposes a data-driven adaptive robust optimization approach to deal with the operational optimization under uncertainty for industrial steam systems. Uncertain parameters of the steam system model are derived from the historical process data based on steam turbine models. A robust kernel density estimation method is employed to construct the uncertainty sets. The data-driven uncertainty sets are incorporated into a two-stage adaptive robust mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) framework for steam systems operational optimization to minimize the total operating cost. By applying the affine decision rule, the proposed multilevel optimization model is transformed into a single-level MILP problem. An industrial case study of the steam system from an ethylene plant is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Dual-modality fluorescence lifetime and intravascular ultrasound for label-free intravascular coronary imaging

Atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries accounts for nearly 50% of cardiovascular disease-related deaths. To characterize an atherosclerotic disease, imaging modalities that measure both the biochemical and structural properties of the lesions in the coronary arteries are necessary. To accomplish this, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (TRFS) can be used to determine biochemical composition while adding diagnostic value to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), which identifies structural features of the arterial wall. Healthy and diseased human arteries have distinct autofluorescent properties that allow specific biochemical features of atherosclerosis to be characterized with ultraviolet light excitation.
Opioid Use Fueling HIV Transmission in an Urban Setting: An Outbreak of HIV Infection Among People Who Inject Drugs—Massachusetts, 2015–2018

Objectives. To describe and control an outbreak of HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID).Methods. The investigation included people diagnosed with HIV infection during 2015 to 2018 lin...
The comparative toxicity of Isocoma species in calves.

Abstract Isocoma pluriflora and Isocoma acradenia are toxic plants that contain the putative toxin tremetone. It is common for I. pluriflora to poison livestock in the southwestern United States. I. acradenia has been suspected of poisoning livestock but its toxicity has not been confirmed by association with clinical poisonings or experimental studies. Jersey calves dosed with I. pluriflora and I. acradenia for nine days developed “trembles” characterized by skeletal muscle degeneration and necrosis and large increases in serum creatine kinase activity. This is the first report of I. acradenia toxicity in an animal model. This study also demonstrates that I. pluriflora remains toxic even though tremetone concentrations in the plant were low due to storage of the plant for over five years. Thus, supporting recent research which indicates that another toxin in the plant may be responsible for, or at least contributes to causing “trembles” in livestock.
Contribution of Germline Predisposition Gene Mutations to Breast Cancer Risk in African American Women.

Background The risks of breast cancer in African American (AA) women associated with inherited mutations in breast cancer predisposition genes are not well defined. Thus, whether multigene germline hereditary cancer testing panels are applicable to this population is unknown. We assessed associations between mutations in panel-based genes and breast cancer risk in 5054 AA women with breast cancer and 4993 unaffected AA women drawn from 10 epidemiologic studies. Methods Germline DNA samples were sequenced for mutations in 23 cancer predisposition genes using a QIAseq multiplex amplicon panel. Prevalence of mutations and odds ratios (ORs) for associations with breast cancer risk were estimated with adjustment for study design, age, and family history of breast cancer. Results Pathogenic mutations were identified in 10.3% of women with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, 5.2% of women with ER-positive breast cancer, and 2.3% of unaffected women. Mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2 were associated with high risks of breast cancer (OR = 47.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 10.43 to >100; OR = 7.25, 95% CI = 4.07 to 14.12; OR = 8.54, 95% CI = 3.67 to 24.95, respectively). RAD51D mutations were associated with high risk of ER-negative disease (OR = 7.82, 95% CI = 1.61 to 57.42). Moderate risks were observed for CHEK2, ATM, ERCC3, and FANCC mutations with ER-positive cancer, and RECQL mutations with all breast cancer. Conclusions The study identifies genes that predispose to breast cancer in the AA population, demonstrates the validity of current breast cancer testing panels for use in AA women, and provides a basis for increased referral of AA patients for cancer genetic testing.
Strategic Planning in Practice: The Case of Utah’s Statewide Strategic Plan on Homelessness

Much has been written theoretically about the concept and process of strategic planning. However, less is written in the scholarship about the nuts and bolts of strategic planning such as experiences in the practice of community engaged research to develop plans that achieve strategic change. In this study, we reflect on a recent partnership with a public agency to draft a statewide strategic plan on homelessness and we outline in detail the process that we undertook to build the partnership and engage in community-focused and driven research. After engaging in a reflective exercise, we construct a three-phase process of strategic planning that was informed by both the existing literature and the nature of the community engaged partnership with the public agency.
Emerging Meningioma Therapies II: Immunotherapies, Novel Radiotherapy Techniques, and Other Experimental Approaches

The success of checkpoint inhibitors has expanded the treatment regimens significantly for patients with solid tumors. As such, emerging data suggests that immunotherapy may play a role in the treatment of recurrent and high-grade meningiomas. There are several immunotherapy agents currently under active investigation in clinical trials. In addition to immunotherapy, novel radiotherapy techniques, including carbon ion therapy, brachytherapy, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, and radiosensitizers may support improvements in clinical outcomes for meningioma patients. The efficacy of many of these techniques is being investigated in clinical trials. In this chapter, we will discuss these novel therapeutic approaches, as well as other novel experimental avenues, such as tumor treatment fields, and ideas for additional clinical trials that warrant investigation.
The Impact of Lustration on Democratization in Post-Communist Countries

Assumptions about the democracy promoting qualities of transitional justice measures abound. However the relatively few cross-national impact assessments thus far have yielded mixed results. This paper takes up this empirical question with respect to post-communist transitions. I construct an original lustration typology to differentiate the quality and scope of the reforms across twelve countries in the post-communist space. The paper then explores whether and how much lustration policies have affected democratization. First, this paper demonstrates a robust democracy boost from lustration policies. In particular, programs with a compulsory and slightly punitive employment change component have larger positive effects on democratization than programs relying on symbolic, moral cleansing changes alone. Second, the magnitude of the effect is substantial; extensive lustration provides a democracy boost of approximately 30%, even controlling for macroeconomic and political factors at the country level. While all types of lustration support democracy, the quality and scope of lustration significantly enhances overall levels of democratization.
Affect and subjective cognitive functioning by depression symptom levels during naturalistic cigarette smoking in premenopausal females who smoke daily.

Objective: High negative affect, low positive affect, and low cognitive functioning are depression-related states that may be particularly relevant to females who smoke cigarettes and may be more prominent following overnight tobacco abstinence. This study aimed to assess relations between depression symptom levels and negative affect, positive affect, and subjective cognitive functioning in premenopausal females who smoke. Methods: Premenopausal females who smoke daily with low (n = 66) or elevated (n = 33) baseline depression symptoms completed subjective ratings of negative affect, positive affect, and cognitive functioning pre-first cigarette (i.e., after overnight tobacco abstinence) and at random prompts throughout the day via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) for 35 days. Results: Participants with elevated depression symptoms reported overall higher negative affect (p = .01). Positive affect was significantly lower prior to the first cigarette of the day (p < .001), but did not significantly differ between depression symptom groups. Subjective cognitive functioning was significantly lower pre-first cigarette of the day (p < .001). There was a significant Depression Symptom × Prompt Type interaction for subjective cognitive functioning (p = .01). Subjective cognitive functioning did not significantly differ by depression symptom group pre-first cigarette of the day but was significantly different at random prompts throughout the day. Conclusions: As participants smoked as usual, findings identify naturalistic factors which may influence smoking behavior among premenopausal females who smoke with elevated depression symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Immigration History and Cognitive Function in Elderly US Hispanics

Background and Objectives. Few reports have examined the Hispanic Paradox with regard to cognitive function, most of which have led to inconclusive results. This study tested the null hypothesis that foreign-born and US-born Hispanics over age 60 have the same scores on cognitive function tests. Research Design and Methods. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey assessed cognitive functioning in 588 Hispanic participants aged 60 years and older in 2011 - 2014. The Digit Symbol Substitution test (DSST), CERAD Word Learning test and Animal Fluency Test (AFT) were administered. Results. Linear multiple regression analysis showed significantly lower test scores among foreign-born than US-born women for DSST and AFT and men for DSST independent of confounding variables. There was no significant difference in CERAD scores. Conclusion. Foreign-born Hispanic women aged 60 and over had lower scores than the US-born on two of three tests of cognitive function.
An Exploratory Analysis of the Association Between Catechol-O-Methyltransferase and Response to a Randomized Open-Label Placebo Treatment for Cancer-Related Fatigue.

Previous studies have identified the gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), as a primary regulator of sympathetic function. Although the COMT SNP rs4680 and rs4818, are well-studied, little is known about their influence on cancer-related fatigue (CrF) and placebo response. In this study, we examined whether genetic variation in COMT, at the functional SNP rs4680 and rs4818, influenced open-label placebo (OLP) responses found in cancer survivors reporting moderate to severe CrF and whether those responses differed by allele variation. We randomized cancer survivors (N=74) reporting moderate-to-severe CrF to receive OLP or to treatment-as-usual (TAU) and assessed if rs4680 and rs4818 were associated with changes in fatigue severity and fatigue-distressed quality of life. At the end of the initial 21 days, the treatments were crossed over and both groups were re-assessed. Decreases in fatigue symptom severity and fatigue-distressed quality of life across both genotypes (rs4680 and rs4818) were reported by participants when taking placebos. However, across all participants, only those with the high-activity G-allele (rs4680) and those with the rs4818 C/G combination reported significant decreases in fatigue severity and improvements in fatigue-distressed quality of life. Both COMT rs4680 high-activity G-allele and COMT rs4818 C/G were significantly associated with decreases in fatigue severity and improvements fatigue-distressed quality of life.
Molecular characterization of the creatine kinases: and some historical perspectives

Over the last 15 years, molecular characterization of the creatine kinase (CK) gene family has paralleled the molecular revolution of understanding gene structure, function, and regulation. In this review, we present a summary of advances in molecular analysis of the CK gene family with a few vignettes of historical interest. We describe how the muscle CK gene provided an essential model system to examine myogenic regulatory mechanisms, leading to the discovery of the binding site for the MyoD family of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors essential in skeletal myogenesis and the characterization of the MEF2 family of factors with an A/T rich consensus binding site essential in skeletal myogenesis and cardiogenesis. Cloning and characterization of the four mRNAs and nuclear genes encoding the cytosolic CKs, muscle and brain CKs, and the mitochondrial (Mt) CKs, sarcomeric MtCK and ubiquitous MtCK, has allowed intriguing study of tissue-specific and cell-specific expression of the different CKs and analysis of structural, functional, regulatory, and evolutionary relationships among both the four CK proteins and genes. Current and future studies focus on understanding both cellular energetics facilitated by the CK enzymes, especially energy channelling from the site of production, the mitochondrial matrix and inner membrane, to various cytosolic foci of utilization, and regulation of MtCK gene expression at the cell and tissue-specific level as models of regulation of energy producing genes.
Rescattering double ionization of D2 and H2 by intense laser pulses.

We have measured momentum spectra and branching ratios of charged ionic fragments emitted in the double ionization of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ (and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$) molecules by short intense laser pulses. We find high-energy coincident ${\mathrm{D}}^{+}$ (and ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$) ion pairs with kinetic energy releases between 8 and 19 eV which appear for linearly polarized light but are absent for circularly polarized light. The dependence on the polarization, the energy distributions of the ions, and the dependence on laser intensity of yield ratios lead us to interpret these ion pairs as due to a rescattering mechanism for the double ionization. A quantitative model is presented which accounts for the major features of the data.
Tracking Sleep Times to Reduce Tiredness and Improve Sleep in College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that additional sleep health education, as well as recording amounts of nightly sleep had on the amounts of sleep and sense of daytime sleepiness, experienced by participants enrolled in a personal health class at a state university in the Pacific Northwest. Participants were divided into four groups, a control, a group that received sleep education only, a group that kept a sleep log only, and a group that received both interventions. Outcomes were assessed with a three day sleep recall, and using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The students who received both interventions improved their sleep by over 50 minutes per night.
Abstract 5147: Canine spontaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinomas represent their human counterparts at the molecular level

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Spontaneous canine head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents an excellent model of human HNSCC but is greatly understudied. To better utilize this valuable resource, we performed its first genome-wide characterization by investigating 12 canine HNSCC cases, of which 9 are oral, via high density array comparative genomic hybridization and RNA-seq. The analyses reveal that these canine cancers faithfully recapitulate many key molecular features of human HNSCC. These include similar genomic copy number abnormality landscapes, analogous sequence mutation patterns, and recurrent alteration of known HNSCC genes (e.g., MYC, CDKN2A) and pathways (e.g., cell cycle, mitogenic signaling, TGFβ signaling). Amplification or overexpression of protein kinase genes, matrix metalloproteinase genes, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition genes TWIST1 and SNAI are also prominent in these canine tumors. The strong dog-human molecular homology fundamentally justifies the use of our novel dog-human comparison strategy for driver-passenger discrimination for HNSCC. This cross-species comparison will significantly advance beyond the current findings with the massive genomic data of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA), as exemplified by our pilot study on human 8q, a recurrently amplified site in human HNSCC. HNSCC represents the sixth leading cancer by incidence in humans; thus developing effective therapeutic interventions is important. While our understanding of the biology of HNSCC has been greatly advanced over past decades, translating these findings into clinical success has been frustratingly slow. A significant obstacle is the lack of translational model that can bridge the gap between preclinical research and human clinical trials. Our study indicates that spontaneous canine HSCC can effectively bridge this gap, significantly accelerating anti-HNSCC drug discovery. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Deli Liu, Huan Xiong, Angela E. Ellis, Nicole C. Northrup, Dong M. Shin, Shaying Zhao. Canine spontaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinomas represent their human counterparts at the molecular level. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5147. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5147
Epidermal growth factor enhances secretion of the ovarian tumor-associated cancer antigen CA125 from the human amnion WISH cell line

OBJECTIVE : We studied the relation between epidermal growth factor (EGF)/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and CA125 production in WISH cells.METHODS:We investigated quantitatively and immun...
Managing the Unknowable: The Effectiveness of Early-stage Investor Gut Feel in Entrepreneurial Investment Decisions

Using an inductive theory-development study, a field experiment, and a longitudinal field test, we examine early-stage entrepreneurial investment decision making under conditions of extreme uncertainty. Building on existing literature on decision making and risk in organizations, intuition, and theories of entrepreneurial financing, we test the effectiveness of angel investors’ criteria for making investment decisions. We found that angel investors’ decisions have several characteristics that have not been adequately captured in existing theory: angel investors have clear objectives—risking small stakes to find extraordinarily profitable investments, fully expecting to lose their entire investment in most cases—and they rely on a combination of expertise-based intuition and formal analysis in which intuition trumps analysis, contrary to reports in other investment contexts. We also found that their reported emphasis on assessments of the entrepreneur accurately predicts extraordinarily profitable venture ...
Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems

This paper focuses on the effective schools and schooling literature as a basis for promoting student success and preventing classroom misbehavior and discipline problems. By facilitating such success, it is suggested that many discipline problems can be avoided and that school staffs will be able to focus even more of their attention to quality, effective education and instruction. System-wide, school building, classroom, teacher, and student-specific practices are all discussed as they relate to effective schools and schooling and to the prevention of student discipline problems. The conclusion notes that successful prevention programs save time, money, and effort, but that they must be systematically planned to meet the needs of the students, school district, and community alike.
Myocardial infarction in women

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in the United States regardless of gender. Women infrequently present with myocardial infarction as the initial presentation of coronary heart disease and have unrecognized infarctions more frequently than men. Myocardial infarction in women has a similar clinical presentation as in men, with the exception of an increased incidence of non-Q wave myocardial infarctions. Complications of acute infarction in women are probably similar although the majority of data has been drawn from studies involving predominantly men. Women do however experience more strokes and have less postinfarction pericarditis than their male counterparts. Left ventricular function remains the key prognostic determinant in both sexes. Recurrent infarction is increased in women with resultant elevated mortality rates. However, complex ventricular ectopy following myocardial infarction is not predictive of cardiovascular mortality in women. Early and late survival is decreased in women, an effect probably related to the increase in mean age of women as compared with men. Overall, gender distinctions are not usually made in the majority of studies involving myocardial infarction. As epidemiologic, pathophysiologic and clinical factors may be different regarding heart disease in women, further research in this important area is warranted.
Long-Term Effects of Biosolids Applications on Heavy Metal Bioavailability in Agricultural Soils

Concerns exist over the long-term availability of trace metals in biosolids-amended soils. The objective of this study was to quantify extractable forms of trace metals in biosolids-amended, continuously cultivated soils after cessation of sewage sludge applications and to determine their bioavailability to romaine lettuce (Lactuca saliva L.). Trace metals in surface soils from two biosolids-amended sites were speciated into increasingly stable chemical fractions using a series of sequential extractions that were operationally defined as exchangeable (Exch), specifically adsorbed (SA), Fe-Mn oxide and acid replaceable (Ox/AR), residual organic (R-Org), and residual inorganic (R-In). Romaine lettuce was grown on the soils to determine heavy metal bioavailability. In control and biosolids-amended soils, 60 to 75% of Cd was found in the more easily extracted Exch and SA forms, but the percentage was significantly greater in the biosolids-amended soils. Biosolids applications also increased the percentages of Ni and Zn in the Exch and SA fractions. Biosolids applications had little effect on the Exch and SA fractions of Cr and Pb. Greater than 75% of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were found in the relatively stable Ox/AR, R-Org, and R-In fractions of control and biosolids-amended soils. Concentrations of Cd, Ni, and Zn in aboveground lettuce tissue, and to a lesser extent, Cu and Cr, were significantly increased by biosolids applications, but Pb uptake was not affected. Cadmium, Cr, and Cu concentrations in lettuce were highly correlated (P > Zn ≥ Ni > Cu >> Cr > Pb.
Isolation and properties of high molecular weight heparin

Abstract A heparin fraction comprising the highest molecular weight components of beef-lung heparin preparations was isolated by chromatography on Biogel P-100. This fraction, all of which is highly active in accelerating the inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin III, includes material with considerably greater activities than previously reported. All of the high-molecular weight fraction binds to antithrombin-Sepharose. The fraction has a molecular weight of 3.5 × 104 and binds to antithrombin III in a 1:1 molar ratio. The dissociation constant of the complex is 1.38 × 10−8 M ± 0.26 × 10−8.
Characters Are Key: The Effect of Synapomorphies on Cladogram Comprehension

Cladograms, phylogenetic trees that depict evolutionary relationships among a set of taxa, are one of the most powerful predictive tools in modern biology. They are usually depicted in one of two formats—tree or ladder. Previous research (Novick and Catley 2007) has found that college students have much greater difficulty understanding a cladogram’s hierarchical structure when it is depicted in the ladder format. Such understanding would seem to be a prerequisite for successful tree thinking. The present research examined the effect of a theoretically guided manipulation—adding a synapomorphy on each branch that supports two or more taxa—on students’ understanding of the hierarchical structure of ladder cladograms. Synapomorphies are characters shared by a group of taxa due to inheritance from a common ancestor. Thus, their depiction on a cladogram may facilitate the understanding of evolutionary relationships. Students’ comprehension was assessed in terms of success at translating relationships depicted in the ladder format to the tree format. The results indicated that adding synapomorphies provided powerful conceptual scaffolding that improved comprehension for students with both weaker and stronger backgrounds in biology. For stronger background students, the benefit of adding synapomorphies to the ladders was comparable to that of approximately two hours of instruction in phylogenetics that emphasized the ladder format.
Theoretical analysis of immunoelectrophoresis

An analysis is made of the processes that lead to the formation of the initial zone of precipitation between antigen and antibody during immunoelectrophoresis. With the aid of certain simplifying assumptions, equations are developed which describe: (1) the concentration distribution of electrophoretically heterogeneous antigen after electrophoresis, (2) the concentrations of antigen and antibody at any point, at any time in the immunoelectrophoresis plate, and (3) the amounts of antigen and antibody which accumulate in the region where the zone of precipitation forms.
The replication of a necrogenic cucumber mosaic virus satellite is temperature-sensitive in tomato

Lethal necrosis development in tomato plants infected with cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) strain D containing the necrogenic satellite D-CARNA 5 and held at 32 °C is shown to be impaired. CARNA 5 accumulation in tomato at 32 °C is reduced about 100-fold compared to accumulation in plants held at 24 °C, while viral RNA accumulation is reduced about 5-fold. CMV-infected tomato held for 3 days at 24 °C prior to shift to 32 °C do not develop lethal necrosis. Longer incubations at 24 °C prior to shift to 32 °C allow necrosis to develop. CMV-infected plants held for up to 4 weeks at 32 °C required an additional 8–10 days at 24 °C to develop necrosis. Necrogenic CMV-infected plants held at 24 °C and analyzed 3 days p.i. contained detectable amounts of ss- and ds-CARNA 5; upon shift to 32 °C, such CARNA 5 declined to undetectable levels and lethal necrosis did not occur. There appear to be temperature-sensitive factors that are required for efficient satellite replication which are not required for efficient viral RNA replication. Whether these factor(s) are of host or satellite origin is uncertain.
A therapeutic approach to venous ulcers

Recent progress in the understanding of the pathogenesis of venous ulcers and in the biology of healing allows us to formulate a therapeutic strategy for patients with venous ulcerations. Systemic evaluation and local considerations of the ulcerated areas are important in the management of these patients. Occlusive therapy, made easier by new and more effective dressings, relieves pain, leads to better and faster healing in a moist environment, and facilitates treatment in the ambulatory setting. Fibrinolytic therapy, aimed at reducing pericapillary fibrin and restoring proper physiologic exchanges between blood and tissues, may benefit some patients with extensive and nonhealing ulcers.
The nucleation of water vapor in the absence of particulate matter and ions

Abstract The nucleation rate of droplets from water vapor in a helium atmosphere was measured with an expansion cloud chamber as a function of temperature, supersaturation, and sensitive time. In addition to homogeneous nucleation, a form of heterogeneous nucleation was observed to occur above the ion limit, presumably upon neutral centers whose concentration is low and seemingly dependent upon the initial partial pressure of water vapor present. The semiphenomenological classical theory was modified to take into account the change in the free energy of formation of the critical cluster brought about by the presence of a single foreign molecule. The temperature dependence of these data closely confirms that found by a number of earlier investigators. The form of heterogeneous nucleation observed here makes the disparity in the temperature dependence of the nucleation rate of previous work understandable. As higher and higher nucleation rates are sampled, the centers upon which heterogeneous nucleation occurs are depleted and homogeneous nucleation becomes dominant. It was definitely established that the nucleation rate of water vapor is higher in an argon atmosphere than in a helium atmosphere. The latter result seems to indicate that the noncondensable gas plays a role in the clustering process and may possibly hydrate under appropriate circumstances.
WKB and Spectral Analysis¶of One-Dimensional Schrödinger Operators¶with Slowly Varying Potentials

Consider a Schrodinger operator on L 2 of the line, or of a half line with appropriate boundary conditions. If the potential tends to zero and is a finite sum of terms, each of which has a derivative of some order in L 1+L p for some exponent p<2, then an essential support of the the absolutely continuous spectrum equals ℝ+. Almost every generalized eigenfunction is bounded, and satisfies certain WKB-type asymptotics at infinity. If moreover these derivatives belong to L p with respect to a weight |x|γ with γ >0, then the Hausdorff dimension of the singular component of the spectral measure is strictly less than one.
Macrophages: Contributors to Allograft Dysfunction, Repair or Innocent Bystanders?

Purpose of this review—Macrophages are members of the innate immune response. However, their role in the adaptive immune response is not known. The purpose of this review is to highlight our current understanding of macrophage structure and function and how they may participate in allograft injury. Recent Findings—Studies in acute kidney injury models identify macrophages as key mediators of inflammatory injury while more recent studies indicate that they may play a reparative role, depending on phenotype—M1 or M2 type macrophages. Mregs, generated in vitro, appear to have immune suppressive abilities and a unique phenotype. In solid organ transplant, the emphasis of studies has been on acute or chronic injury. These data are derived from animal models using depletion of macrophages or antagonizing their activation and inflammatory responses. The relative contribution of macrophage phenotype in transplantation has not been explored. Summary—These studies suggest that macrophages play an injurious role in acute cellular allograft rejection, as well as in chronic injury. Infiltration of an allograft with macrophages is also associated with worse graft function and poor prognosis. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms of macrophage mediated injury, explore their potential reparative role and determine if they or their functional products are biomarkers of poor graft outcomes.
The effects of serious illness and surgical stress on the circulating thyroid hormone.

NOT infrequently it is necessary to evaluate the functional state of the thyroid of critically ill patients. Appraisal on clinical grounds alone may be difficult in patients suffering from associated diseases, and since the basal metabolic rate may be unreliable under these circumstances, appraisal of thyroid function by determination of the serum precipitable iodine (SPI) concentration is frequently employed. Consequently, it is necessary to know with certainty whether or not serious illness, acute or chronic, will influence the level of the circulating thyroid hormone in man. Studies in experimental animals have suggested that environmental stress (such as exposure to cold, violent exercise, injections of formalin) may alter thyroid function by depressing the rate of thyroidal uptake of radioiodine (1, 2, 3) and may also increase the rate of peripheral utilization of thyroid hormone (4). These combined effects should have a tendency to lower the concentration of circulating thyroid hormone. Furthermore,...
TH-A-WAB-06: Joint Segmentation and Sequential Registration Based Approach for Computing Artifact-Free ADC Maps From Multiple DWI-MRI Sequences in Liver

Purpose: To develop an automatic method for motion correction and alignment of multiple DWI‐MRI image sequences in the liver for computing repeatable, artifact‐free ADC maps. Methods: We developed an automatic method that computes artifact‐free, repeatable ADC maps by registering multiple b‐valued DWI‐MRI images of liver. First, various structures of interest are segmented on an arbitrary reference image starting from user drawn lines on those structures. Next, the remaining images are sequentially aligned to the reference by propagating the segmentations from the reference to these images using a mean shift tracking procedure. Sequential alignment registers the closest image to the current reference using B‐spline deformable registration. The closest image is the one that minimizes the centroid distance of the individual structures from itself to those in the reference. Following alignment, the closest image is made the new reference and the process repeated until all images are aligned. The ADC map is computed for the aligned images using least squares fitting. Results: We tested our approach on DWI‐MRI image sequences of the liver for different patients by aligning and computing ADC maps. Each scan contained 5 different DWI sequences (b=0,50,250,350,500). Regardless of the chosen reference, we found that the motion corrected ADC maps removed artifacts particularly on the boundary of tumors in comparison to conventionally computed ADC maps. Furthermore, we also found that the mean ADC values for the tumors computed using motion correction exhibited significantly less variation compared to the mean ADC values of the same tumors computed without motion correction. Finally, our approach also automatically segments the relevant tumors. Conclusion: Our joint segmentation and motion correction based approach generates artifact‐free ADC maps as well as repeatable ADC maps for structures of interest such as tumors located in liver.
‘I don't feel like a copy’: posthuman legal personhood and Caprica

What embodiment secures is not the distinction between male and female or between humans who can think and machines which cannot. Rather, embodiment makes clear that thought is a much broader cognitive function depending for its specificities on the embodied form enacting it.N. Katherine HaylesSynopsisFailed science fiction series Caprica (2009–2010) presents its audience with a skilfully articulated vision of a future civilisation grappling with redefining the human in the face of exponential technological advancement. The series serves as a robust text around which legal scholars can explore the jurisprudential problems inherent in authorising the posthuman: The contested existence of a free-thinking, independent avatar (Zoe Graystone) challenges humanist conceptions of personhood and encourages rearticulation of a posthuman legal personhood. This article places Caprica in conversation with posthumanism and the law and proposes that Zoe Graystone's avatar exposes the problems inherent in contemporary co...
Ca2+ current activation rate correlates with alpha 1 subunit density

We report here that L-type Ca2+ channels activate rapidly in myotubes expressing current at high density and slowly in myotubes expressing current at low density. Partial block of the current in individual cells does not slow activation, indicating that Ca2+ influx does not link activation rate to current density. Activation rate is positively correlated with the density of gating charge (Qmax) associated with the L-type Ca2+ channels. The range of values for Qmax, and the relationship between activation rate and Qmax, are similar for myotubes expressing native or recombinant L-type Ca2+ channels, whereas peak Ca2+ current density is approximately 3-fold higher for native channels. Taken together, these results suggest that Ca2+ channel density can govern activation kinetics. Our findings have important important implications for studies of ion channel function because they suggest that biophysical properties can be significantly influenced by channel density, both in heterologous expression systems and in native tissues.
Role of rat organic anion transporter 3 (Oat3) in the renal basolateral transport of glutathione

The tripeptide GSH is important in maintenance of renal redox status and defense against reactive electrophiles and oxidants. Previous studies showed that GSH is transported across the basolateral plasma membrane (BLM) into the renal proximal tubule by both sodium-coupled and sodium-independent pathways. Substrate specificity and inhibitor studies suggested the function of several carriers, including organic anion transporter 3 (Oat3). To test the hypothesis that rat Oat3 can function in renal GSH transport, the cDNA for rat Oat3 was expressed as a His6-tagged protein in E. coli, purified from inclusion bodies and by Ni2+-affinity chromatography, and reconstituted into proteoliposomes. cDNA-expressed and reconstituted Oat3 transported both GSH and p-aminohippurate (PAH) in exchange for 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) and 2-OG and PAH in exchange for GSH, and PAH uptake was inhibited by both probenecid and furosemide, consistent with function of Oat3. mRNA expression of Oat3 and several other potential carriers was detected by RT-PCR in rat kidney cortex but was absent from NRK-52E cells, a rat proximal tubular cell line. Basolateral uptake of GSH in NRK-52E cells showed little PAH- or 2-OG-stimulated uptake. We conclude that Oat3 can function in GSH uptake and that NRK-52E cells possess a low background rate of GSH uptake, making these cells a good model for overexpression of specific, putative GSH carriers.
The role of gender and acculturation on determining the consumption of alcoholic beverages among Mexican-Americans and Central Americans in the United States

This study analyzed the responses of 391 Mexican-Americans (44.9% males) and 531 Central Americans (40.2% males) who were between 21 and 65 years of age and resided in San Francisco, California. In general, Mexican-Americans were found to have a lower proportion of abstainers (56.8%) than Central Americans (64.4%). Mexican-Americans reported drinking more often and in greater quantities than Central Americans, and the proportion of "high" drinkers was higher among Mexican-American men and women than among the Central American respondents. Despite this diversity in the topography of alcoholic beverage consumption between Mexican-Americans and Central Americans, the role of gender and acculturation on shaping those variables was fairly consistent across groups. The acculturation level of the respondents was found to significantly affect the proportion of abstainers in both groups. Furthermore, gender was an important determinant of frequency, total number of drinks, and volume of drinking for Mexican-Americans and for Central Americans.
Generating monoclonal antibodies against excised gel bands to correlate immunocytochemical and biochemical data

Abstract Two MAbs against fixed leech CNS which bind the nociceptive neurons, either the complete set or the lateral subset, yield bands on immunoblots of SDS acrylamide gels. When one of these bands is excised from a gel and used as immunogen, MAbs showing histological and biochemical properties similar to the original mAbs are obtained.
A visualization study of the flow dynamics of a single round jet impinging on porous media

The use of high surface area foamed metals in heat sink design is desirable to improve thermal performance and there have been a number of studies which investigated the heat transfer aspects of jet impingement on foamed metals. However, an understanding of the fluid dynamics is also crucial to optimize the convective flow and heat transfer performance. In this experimental study, smoke-wire flow visualization is employed to investigate the behavior of a single round jet of 21 mm and 41 mm diameter issuing from a straight tube and impinging on a foamed aluminum heat sink. The permeability of the foamed aluminum is varied and the effect on the flow dynamics of the impinging jet is examined. The effects of jet-to-surface spacing and Reynolds number are identified. Recirculation regions and flow deflection patterns are identified. Flow deflection is found to be more significant for low jet exit-surface spacing and for low permeability foams. Thus, an increase in jet-exit-to-surface spacing allows more of the flow to evenly penetrate the heat sink. It is also found that an increase in Reynolds number from a laminar to a turbulent jet allows the flow to penetrate the porous media more evenly and reduces the recirculation region at the exit of the foam.
Parallel multivariate slice sampling

Slice sampling provides an easily implemented method for constructing a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm. However, slice sampling has two major drawbacks: (i) it requires repeated evaluation of likelihoods for each update, which can make it impractical when evaluations are expensive or as the number of evaluations grows (geometrically) with the dimension of the slice sampler, and (ii) since it can be challenging to construct multivariate updates, the updates are typically univariate, which often results in slow mixing samplers. We propose an approach to multivariate slice sampling that naturally lends itself to a parallel implementation. Our approach takes advantage of recent advances in computer architectures, for instance, the newest generation of graphics cards can execute roughly 30,000 threads simultaneously. We demonstrate that it is possible to construct a multivariate slice sampler that has good mixing properties and is efficient in terms of computing time. The contributions of this article are therefore twofold. We study approaches for constructing a multivariate slice sampler, and we show how parallel computing can be useful for making MCMC algorithms computationally efficient. We study various implementations of our algorithm in the context of real and simulated data.
Fiber laser driven dual photonic crystal fiber femtosecond mid-infrared source tunable in the range of 4.2 to 9 μm

We report a fiber based approach to broadly tunable femtosecond mid-IR source based on difference frequency mixing of the outputs from dual photonic crystal fibers (PCF) pumped by a femtosecond fiber laser, which is a custom-built Yb-doped fiber chirped pulse amplifier (CPA) delivering 1.35 W, 300 fs, 40 MHz pulses centered at 1035 nm. The CPA output is split into two arms to pump two different types of PCFs for generation of the spectrally separated pulses. The shorter wavelength pulses are generated in one PCF with its single zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW) at 1040 nm. Low normal dispersion around the pumping wavelength enables spectral broadening dominated by self-phase modulation (SPM), which extends from 970 to 1092 nm with up to 340 mW of average power. The longer wavelength pulses are generated in a second PCF which has two closely spaced ZDWs around the laser wavelength. Facilitated by its special dispersion profile, the laser wavelength is converted to the normal dispersion region of the fiber, leading to the generation of the narrow-band intense Stokes pulses with 1 to 1.25 nJ of pulse energy at a conversion efficiency of ~30% from the laser pulses. By difference mixing the outputs from both PCFs in a type-II AgGaS 2 crystal, mid-IR pulses tunable from 4.2 to 9 μm are readily generated with its average power ranging from 135 – 640 μW, corresponding to 3 – 16 pJ of pulse energy which is comparable to the reported fiber based mid-IR sources enabled by the solitons self-frequency shift (for example, 3 – 10 μm with 10 pJ of maximum pulse energy in [10]). The reported approach provides a power-scalable route to the generation of broadly tunable femtosecond mid-IR pulses, which we believe to be a promising solution for developing compact, economic and high performance mid-IR sources.
Evaluation of Kanamycin as an aid in the isolation of Bacteroides melaninogenicus from dental plaque

Abstract Dental plaque known to harbour Bacteroides melaninogenicus was removed from the gingival half of selected buccal tooth surfaces. The plaque was dispersed, diluted and cultured on medium containing 0 per cent, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 per cent Kanamycin. When the medium contained 0.05 per cent Kanamycin, only B. melaninogenicus were found and the number recovered was about 20 per cent of the B. melaninogenicus colonies isolated on the antibiotic free medium. Apparently certain strains of B. melaninogenicus are resistant to this level of Kanamycin and the addition of this antibiotic to a culture medium would facilitate the primary isolation of this organism from source material.