cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lorcaserin Is Safe, But Only Modestly Effective for Weight Loss.

Lorcaserin, 10 mg twice daily, helps some patients lose 10% or more of their body weight (number needed to treat [NNT] = 10) and appears to be safe in terms of cardiovascular events.
Screening for Opioid Use Disorder in the Largest Jail in Arkansas: A Brief Report:

Individuals who have experienced incarceration have an increased risk of both fatal and nonfatal overdose. Given the increases in illicit opioid use in Arkansas and across the South, many individua...
Dispositional Humility Of Clinicians In An Interprofessional Primary Care Environment: A Mixed Methods Study.

Objectives Dispositional humility in professionals is a character trait that allows one to monitor self-centered occupational drive and to pay attention to the needs of other professionals. The aim of this study is to test whether or not clinicians working in interprofessional team care environments identify the character trait of humility as an important factor for successful collaborative relationships. This study aimed to revise a concept map of dispositional humility created through literature review. Design An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was composed of the HEXACO personality test and the Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire, followed by summative and directed content analyses of one-on-one interview data in order to identify the element of dispositional humility. Setting In the State of Washington, USA, where physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners (NP) and naturopathic clinicians (ND) serve Medicaid patients in community clinics. Participants 6 MDs, 4 NPs, and 11 NDs. Results Twenty-one primary care clinicians were enrolled. Fifteen clinicians completed the interview. It was observed that the: 1) honesty-humility trait (p<0.01), conscientiousness (p 2) attitudes toward integrative medicine did not differentiate the different clinician types; and 3) qualitative data supported the component of dispositional humility as a desirable trait in professionals with whom they would like to work. Conclusion To maintain high-quality patient care while working as a team, limiting self-interest while focusing on the needs of others may be necessary and in the best interest of patients. An attitude of accepting the principles of integrative medicine has permeated this sample of primary healthcare workers. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that humility was viewed as an important character trait for successful interprofessional collaboration. A revised concept map of dispositional humility to enhance collaborative relationships was created.
Electronically integrated, mass-manufactured, microscopic robots

Fifty years of Moore’s law scaling in microelectronics have brought remarkable opportunities for the rapidly evolving field of microscopic robotics1–5. Electronic, magnetic and optical systems now offer an unprecedented combination of complexity, small size and low cost6,7, and could be readily appropriated for robots that are smaller than the resolution limit of human vision (less than a hundred micrometres)8–11. However, a major roadblock exists: there is no micrometre-scale actuator system that seamlessly integrates with semiconductor processing and responds to standard electronic control signals. Here we overcome this barrier by developing a new class of voltage-controllable electrochemical actuators that operate at low voltages (200 microvolts), low power (10 nanowatts) and are completely compatible with silicon processing. To demonstrate their potential, we develop lithographic fabrication-and-release protocols to prototype sub-hundred-micrometre walking robots. Every step in this process is performed in parallel, allowing us to produce over one million robots per four-inch wafer. These results are an important advance towards mass-manufactured, silicon-based, functional robots that are too small to be resolved by the naked eye. A new class of voltage-controllable electrochemical actuators that are compatible with silicon processing are used to produce over one million sub-hundred-micrometre walking robots on a single four-inch wafer.
Abstract 6030: Role of immature CD44 o-glycosylation in enrichment of cancer stem cell population for aggressive pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive malignancy expected to be the second leading cause of cancer death by 2030. Accumulating reports demonstrate that truncated o-glycans are largely observed in PC and correlates with poor prognosis and reduced patient survival. We have previously shown that loss of C1GALT1 (Core 1 n-acetylgalactose transferase) expression in PC results in the upregulation of genes associated with aggressive PC and metastasis. To study the involvement of immature O-glycophenotype in pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs), we selected the single-transmembrane CD44 glycoprotein based on our unbiased approach using proteomics and RNA-sequence analysis.This highly o-glycosylated protein with diverse cellular activity is essential in cell-cell recognition and is a widely occurring CSC marker identified in several cancers. However, the functional properties of CD44 o-glycan variation in pancreatic CSCs are not well understood. Thus, we hypothesize that truncation of o-glycans on CD44 imparts activation of downstream targets responsible for self-renewal and maintenance of CSC in aggressive PC. Using a proteomics approach of enriched truncated o-glycans, we discovered CD44 as one of the top identified proteins in CRISPR/Cas9 C1GALT1 knockout PC cells. We observed enhanced expression of markers responsible for CSC self-renewal and characteristics as measured by FACS-based side-population analysis and tumor sphere formation as a result of a loss in C1GALT1. To determine a potential mechanism by which truncated o-glycans on CD44 enhances CSC properties, we deleted C1GALT1 and CD44 in PC cells. A loss of CD44 o-glycan truncation significantly reduced expression of the self-renewal CSC marker Nanog and phosphorylated p65, a major component in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, pancreatic tumorigenesis was significantly reduced in athymic mice injected with PC cells as a result of C1GALT1 and CD44 deletion. These results provide a novel mechanism by which truncated o-glycans on CD44 is responsible for activating downstream targets for self-renewal and maintenance of CSCs. Our findings begin to contextualize the contributions of aberrant glycosylation on glycoproteins to accelerate metastatic properties by enhanced expression and characteristics of pancreatic CSC. Citation Format: Frank Leon, Rama K. Nimmakayala, Seema Chugh, Rohitesh Gupta, Satyanarayana Rachagani, Surinder K. Batra, Moorthy P. Ponnusamy. Role of immature CD44 o-glycosylation in enrichment of cancer stem cell population for aggressive pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6030.
Learner-centric Design of a Hand Hygiene Serious Simulation Game for Grade 12 Emerging Health Professional Students

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Emerging Health Professional (EHP) programs are primarily populated by female students in the U.S. The development and testing of innovative educational models such as serious simulation games have been suggested for greater internalization of hand hygiene best practices behaviors for EHP students, but 50% of these female students do not play, or rarely play, games of any kind. This paper describes a hand hygiene serious simulation game which was intentionally designed for non-game-oriented grade 12 female CTE EHP students based upon the findings of two learner analyses. The deliberately informed design is expected to motivate these students to independently choose to persistently play to mastery level achievement by fostering their need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, which should lead to greater internalization of hand hygiene compliant behaviors earlier in their preprofessional healthcare careers.
Transoral versus Transcervical Drainage of Pharyngeal Abscesses in Children: Post-Operative Complications.

Introduction:The objective of this study was to compare complications and other perioperative outcomes between intraoral and transcervical drainage of both retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal absces...
Soft-switching, Self-tuning and Optimization Technique for Solid State Transformers Based on Direct AC-AC Matrix Converter Topology

Solid state transformers (SSTs) offers some distinct advantages compared to the traditional low frequency ones . One of the design challenges with SST, is its reliability and efficiency. The use of matrix converters (MC) for direct AC-AC conversion is one of the most effective SST topologies. It eliminates the need for DC link capacitors and consequently improves its reliability. This paper proposes a novel and simplified logic based control circuit using quantum energy injection/absorption principle that achieves a zero voltage switching (and resonant current tracking for self-tuning), for all the MC switches from light loads to heavy loads. The proposed controller consists of just logic gates which minimizes costs and eliminates the need for complex programming of micro-controllers such as FPGAs and DSPs. A simplified design multi-objective optimization technique for a 5kW high frequency transformer (HFT) using the AMCC −50 core is also proposed. The proposed design optimization of the HFT enables careful selection of the HFT parameters which minimizes its cost, achieves reasonable leakage inductance and reduces the total loss as its design objectives. The HFT optimization is done using MATLAB coupled with ANSYS and FEMM. Using one of the Pareto optimal solutions of the HFT, a 5kW, 17kHz, 208/208V , SST using the proposed controller is simulated using Matlab/SIMULINK. The HFT optimization results show the effectiveness of the proposed optimization algorithm while the SST simulation results the verify effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Network models and sensor layers to design adaptive learning using educational mapping

A network modelling approach to educational mapping leads to a scalable computational model that supports adaptive learning, intelligent tutors, intelligent teaching assistants, and data-driven continuous improvement. Current educational mapping processes are generally applied at a level of resolution that is too coarse to support adaptive learning and learning analytics systems at scale. This paper proposes a network modelling approach to structure extremely fine-grained statements of learning ability called Micro-outcomes, and a method to design sensors for inferring a learner’s knowledge state. These sensors take the form of high-resolution assessments and trackers that collect digital analytics. The sensors are linked to Micro-outcomes as part of the network model, enabling inference and pathway analysis. One example demonstrates the modelling approach applied to two community college subjects in College Algebra and Introductory Accounting. Application examples showcase how this modelling approach provides the design foundation for an intelligent tutoring system and intelligent teaching assistant system deployed at Arapahoe Community College and Quinsigamond Community College. A second example demonstrates the modelling approach deployed in an undergraduate aerospace engineering subject at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to support course planning and teaching improvement.
Disinfection/ammonia removal from aquaculture wastewater and disinfection of irrigation water using electrochemical flow cells: A case study in Hawaii.

This field case study reports findings on disinfection/ammonia removal from aquaculture wastewater and disinfection of irrigation water carried out at an aquaculture farm and two irrigation locations in Hawaii. We used a flow cell incorporating PtRu/graphite anode and graphite cathode for the disinfection/ammonia removal from aquaculture wastewater, and a flow cell assembled with graphite plates as both anode and cathode for the disinfection of irrigation water. The removal of ammonia followed the indirect oxidation mechanism mediated by free chlorine electro-generated at the PtRu/graphite anode. Ammonia removal rate increased with the increase in NaCl concentration, applied current density, or flow rate. The disinfection of aquaculture wastewater can be readily achieved due to the presence of highly germicidal free chlorine species. The disinfection of irrigation water was realized without the addition of chemicals. The disinfection mechanism was attributed to the formation of free chlorine from the anodic oxidation of chloride ions naturally occurring in the water sources. The disinfection efficiency decreased with increasing organic matter concentration. In addition to the flow cell approach, we also successfully demonstrated the disinfection of irrigation water by adding electrolyzed NaCl solution or purging with a mixture of air and chlorine gas, both of which were generated on-site. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Field case study on disinfection/ammonia removal from aquaculture wastewater and disinfection of irrigation water was carried out in Hawaii. Electrochemical flow cell assembled with PtRu/graphite anode and graphite cathode effectively removes ammonia from aquaculture wastewater. Ammonia removal proceeds via the indirect oxidation mechanism mediated by free chlorine electro-generated at the PtRu/graphite anode. Electrochemical flow cell assembled with commercial graphite electrodes enables fast disinfection of coliform bacteria and E. coli. The primary disinfection mechanism is through chlorine species electro-generated from chloride oxidation at the graphite anode.
Currency Appreciation and ‘Deindustrialisation’: A European Perspective

During the 1980s, policy advisers were successful in promoting the view that movements in the value of the dollar have an inverse relationship to U.S. international competitiveness. This article explains their hypothesis, as well as the counterargument that exchange rates positively reflect a country's competitiveness. Economic policies that boost competitiveness also raise the value of the domestic currency. The mirror image of these hypotheses apply to U.S. trading partners, including Europe. The evidence indicates that European countries were not "deindustralized" from 1985 to 1990, when the ECU rose in value by more than the dollar had risen in 1980-1985. Instead, European competitiveness rebounded strongly in the late-1980s, reversing the stagnant performance of the early-1980s. Similarly, during the early-1980s, when the United States was, on one unsupported view, deindustralizing, European nations generally did not enjoy a surge in their share of output or capital formation. Instead, they suffered from "Euroscierosis". (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
Monitoring the Antimicrobial Resistance Dynamics of Salmonella enterica in Healthy Dairy Cattle Populations at the Individual Farm Level Using Whole-Genome Sequencing

Abstract Livestock represent a possible reservoir for facilitating the transmission of the zoonotic foodborne pathogen Salmonella enterica to humans; there is also concern that strains can acquire resistance to antimicrobials in the farm environment. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to characterize Salmonella strains (n = 128) isolated from healthy dairy cattle and their associated environments on 13 New York State farms to assess the diversity and microevolution of this important pathogen at the level of the individual herd. Additionally, the accuracy and concordance of multiple in silico tools are assessed, including: (i) two in silico serotyping tools, (ii) combinations of five antimicrobial resistance (AMR) determinant detection tools and one to five AMR determinant databases, and (iii) one antimicrobial minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) prediction tool. For the isolates sequenced here, in silico serotyping methods outperformed traditional serotyping and resolved all un-typable and/or ambiguous serotype assignments. Serotypes assigned in silico showed greater congruency with the Salmonella whole-genome phylogeny than traditional serotype assignments, and in silico methods showed high concordance (99% agreement). In silico AMR determinant detection methods additionally showed a high degree of concordance, regardless of the pipeline or database used (≥98% agreement between susceptible/resistant assignments for all pipeline/database combinations). For AMR detection methods that relied exclusively on nucleotide BLAST, accuracy could be maximized by using a range of minimum nucleotide identity and coverage thresholds, with thresholds of 75% nucleotide identity and 50-60% coverage adequate for most pipeline/database combinations. In silico characterization of the microevolution and AMR dynamics of each of six serotype groups (S. Anatum, Cerro, Kentucky, Meleagridis, Newport, Typhimurium/Typhimurium variant Copenhagen) revealed that some lineages were strongly associated with individual farms, while others were distributed across multiple farms. Numerous AMR determinant acquisition and loss events were identified, including the recent acquisition of cephalosporin resistance-conferring blaCMY- and blaCTX-M-type beta-lactamases. The results presented here provide high-resolution insight into the temporal dynamics of AMR Salmonella at the scale of the individual farm and highlight both the strengths and limitations of WGS in tracking zoonotic pathogens and their associated AMR determinants at the livestock-human interface.
Improved approximations for control augmented structural synthesis

Here is studied structure-control systems that can be modeled as an assemblage of beams and nonstructural mass elements augmented by a noncollocated direct output feedback control system. Beam cross-sectional dimensions, nonstructural masses and rotary inertias, and controller position and velocity gains are treated simultaneously as design variables.
Squaring the feminist circle. Feminist labels vs. feminist behavior in the German Christian Democratic Union

The German Christian Democratic Party has emerged as a new feminist space within German politics, characterized by a strong backing of feminist claims and a simultaneous rejection of the feminist l...
A finite model of riding bubbles

Abstract When asset prices boom over extended periods of time, many investors begin to worry about bubbles. However, even those who believe that assets are overpriced may stay in the market believing that they can rise even further before correcting. Abreu and Brunnermeier (2003, AB) model this idea in an environment with rational and behavioral agents, and more recently, Doblas-Madrid (2012, DM) constructs a fully rational version of the AB model. These models conceptualize a bubble as a boom that is at first justified by fundamentals, but overshoots as asymmetrically informed agents ride the bubble hoping to sell to a greater fool. A critique of these papers is that, although bubbles are finite, they can only arise in equilibrium if prices can grow at extraordinary rates indefinitely. In this paper, I articulate this critique in a simplified DM environment and show how it can be overturned by modifying investors’ strategies. If the number of periods an investor plans to ride the bubble is conditional on her signal of fundamental value, one can sustain speculative bubbles in a finite model, where by construction it is impossible for prices to boom indefinitely.
Estrogen as therapy for breast cancer

High-dose estrogen was generally considered the endocrine therapy of choice for postmenopausal women with breast cancer prior to the introduction of tamoxifen. Subsequently, the use of estrogen was largely abandoned. Recent clinical trial data have shown clinically meaningful efficacy for high-dose estrogen even in patients with extensive prior endocrine therapy. Preclinical research has demonstrated that the estrogen dose-response curve for breast cancer cells can be shifted by modification of the estrogen environment. Clinical and laboratory data together provide the basis for developing testable hypotheses of management strategies, with the potential of increasing the value of endocrine therapy in women with breast cancer.
Diamonds in the Rubble: The Women of Haiti: Institutions, Gender Equity and Human Development in Haiti

Although Haiti's 2010 earthquake brought to light the inconceivable poverty existing in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti's struggle for economic development long pre-dated that earthquake. One problem in Haiti is the high level of gender inequity, and we argue that human development theory is the best mode for change. We provide a brief background of Haiti's economic development over the last several decades, along with the status of women's rights and gender-differentiated socioeconomic outcomes. We analyze the ways that policy neglect of gender equity in Haiti has contributed to failed economic development in the past. Finally, we identify ways that other developing countries have successfully incorporated a focus on gender equity in their development strategy, particularly in the face of natural disaster and financial crisis. Our goal is working toward a set of leading practices consistent with institutionalism that can be used in relating gender (in)equality to economic development.
Separation of mouse spermatogenic cells by sedimentation velocity: A morphological characterization☆

Abstract A method utilizing sequential enzymatic incubation in collagenase (1 mg/ml) and trypsin (2.5 mg/ml) has been developed for the dissociation of the seminiferous epithelium. A significant advantage of this method is that, following collagenase incubation and washings in an enriched Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer solution, isolated seminiferous tubules are obtained which are free of interstitial cells. The “purified” seminiferous epithelium is then dissociated with trypsin. A further advantage of this dissociation technique has been a reduction in the number of symplasts (multinucleate cells) which form by the opening up of the intercellular bridges that occur between synchronously differentiating clusters of germ cells. Both the elimination of the interstitial cells and the reduction in the number of symplasts have made possible the recovery of more highly enriched germ cell fractions. The homogeneity of the cell fractions was determined by light and electron microscopy. Integrity of the isolated cells was verified by Trypan blue exclusion and measurement of oxygen consumption.
DOGMA: a diversion management decision-support system in airline operations

This paper describes the diversion off-gate management assistant (DOGMA) system a decision-support tool that uses airline-articulated policies to critique dispatcher initiated diversion decisions to ensure that these plans will not only maintain safe operating practices, but will also go further toward providing decision makers with the broad and diverse set of concerns from various stakeholders in their diversion decisions. Diversion management is the decision of which incoming flights to divert and where to divert them to in the face of reduced landing capacity at original destination airports. Policy is used to capture the goals and priorities of all stakeholders that currently do not have a prominent voice in diversion decisions. DOGMA is a policy based system that interacts with the user via a critiquing approach in which dispatchers' input to a diversion plan is reviewed by a computer partner that offers feedback on the potential solutions and their ramifications for all stakeholders. The impact of this increased awareness and broader input into the diversion decision should be better and more consistent diversion decisions that minimize the negative impact of diversions and improve an airline's ability to recover from severe schedule disruptions.
Structural analysis and expression of the human thrombospondin gene promoter.

We have isolated a 34-kilobase pair genomic thrombospondin clone and determined the sequence of 2033 base pairs of the 5′-flanking region, the first entirely untranslated exon and the first intron. A number of interesting regulatory motifs were identified. The transcription start site, determined by primer extension and S1 nuclease analysis, was shown to be 20-30 bases 3′ of a TATA-like sequence, TTTAAAA. We have also shown that a thrombospondin promoter-bovine growth hormone fusion gene is transcribed in transiently transfected cells. We conclude that the genomic clone contains the transcriptional signals of the thrombospondin gene and will therefore be useful in the analysis of cis-acting elements that regulate the expression of this gene.
Interaction of caffeine with acetaminophen. 1. Correlation of the effect of caffeine on acetaminophen hepatotoxicity and acetaminophen bioactivation following treatment of mice with various cytochrome P450 inducing agents

The combination of caffeine with acetaminophen (APAP) is used widely in the treatment of headache. The effects of caffeine on APAP-induced hepatotoxicity and APAP bioactivation by liver microsomes from uninduced mice and from mice pretreated with various agents that induce cytochrome P450 were studied. When 1 mM caffeine was included, the rate of glutathione-APAP conjugate (GS-APAP) formation was increased significantly by 33 and 39% in microsomes from phenobarbital (PB)- and dexamethasone (DEX)-treated mice, respectively, whereas this parameter was decreased 39 and 12% by caffeine in microsomes from beta-naphthoflavone (beta NF)- and acetone-treated mice, respectively. A 5 mM concentration of caffeine increased GS-APAP formation by 47, 107 and 117% in microsomes from control, PB-, and DEX-treated mice, respectively, and decreased it 39 and 25% in microsomes from beta NF- and acetone-treated mice, respectively. Caffeine was a competitive inhibitor of APAP bioactivation in microsomes from beta NF- and acetone-treated mice. While caffeine increased APAP bioactivation in microsomes from uninduced, PB-, and DEX-treated mice, the apparent Km values for APAP were increased by caffeine, indicating that this enhancement was not due to a direct effect of caffeine on APAP binding to cytochrome P450 but may be due to an effect of caffeine on the substrate-enzyme complex. The variable effect of caffeine on APAP hepatotoxicity correlated with the effect of caffeine on APAP bioactivation by liver microsomes, regardless of pretreatment. Lack of correlation of aminopyrine N-demethylase, but good correlation of erythromycin N-demethylase activity with the extent of caffeine enhancement of APAP bioactivation following PB or DEX treatment suggests that a murine P450 subfamily similar to the rat P450 3A subfamily may be the candidate in mediating the stimulatory effect of caffeine on APAP bioactivation and APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.
Probabilistic approach to the Dirichlet problem of perturbed stable processes

LetXt be a symmetric stable process of index α, 0<α<2, inRd (d≧2). In this paper we deal with the perturbation ofXt by a multiplicative functional of the following form: $$M_t = \exp \left\{ {\sum\limits_{s\mathop \leqslant \limits_ - t} {F(X_{s - } ,X_s )} } \right\}$$ withF being a function onRd×Rd satisfying certain conditions. First we prove the following gauge theorem: IfD is a bounded open domain ofRd, then the functiong(x)=Ex{M(τD)} is either identically infinite onD or bounded onD, where τD is the first exit time fromD. Then we formulate the Dirichlet problem associated with the perturbed symmetric stable process by using Dirichlet form theory. Finally we apply the gauge theorem to prove the existence and uniqueness of solutions to the Dirichlet problem mentioned above.
BREMSSTRAHLUNG AND THE PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT AS INVERSE PROCESSES

The bremsstrahlung matrix element at the short-wavelength limit of the spectrum is calculated to lowest order in $\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\equiv}\frac{Z}{137}$, for an unscreened Coulomb field. The result, valid for relativistic incoming electrons, is shown to be exactly ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}{m}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}}$ times the complex conjugate of Sauter's relativistic matrix element for the $K$-shell photoelectric effect. These matrix elements are the leading terms in an expansion of the exact matrix elements in powers of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and they are found to be derivable from the first two terms of the expansions in powers of $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ of the electron wave functions. In this sense their structure is completely analogous to that of the Bethe-Heitler bremsstrahlung matrix element.
Quantitative metallography using a television camera and laboratory computer

Abstract This television camera-digital computer system performs image analyses of photomicrographs as accurately as commercially available quantitative metallography instruments. The programmable computer allows for flexible data gathering, image enhancement, reduction of background and spurious noises, and data manipulation. Partially densified powder structures are analyzed to demonstrate the accuracy and insight possible with this system.
Reversible and Irreversible Components of Central-Airway Flow Resistance

The flow energy loss (head loss) through a cast of canine central airways is found to be nearly independent of flow direction. By contrast, head loss in geometrically-simpler branching sections at comparable flow conditions is highly irreversible, with inspiratory loss being greater by nearly two units of dynamic pressure (2 X 1/2 rho V2). In these branching sections head loss appears to be independent of important geometric parameters such as the branch length/diameter ratio and the exit/inlet flow-area ratio. An analysis of these observations suggests that kinetic energy factors, not shear stresses, account for most of the energy dissipated in central airways and in simple bifurcating sections. Inspiratory loss in bifurcations is greatly increased by the onset of flow separation: irreversibility is minimal in central airways, where separation either is absent or else is much less pronounced.
Evolution of free-electron laser development

Recent experimental demonstrations of free-electron laser oscillators and amplifiers have verified the feasibility of these broadly tunable photon sources. We review the current status and their continuing evolution toward ever higher output power and shorter wavelengths.
The myocardial depressant effect of volatile anesthetics does not involve arachidonic acid metabolites or pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins.

Abstract The involvement of the phospholipid-arachidonic acid pathway and of a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein in the myocardial depressant effect of volatile anesthetics was examined in the rat heart left papillary muscle and atria. Neither phospholipase A 2 , cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase antagonists altered the potency or the efficacy of clinically used concentrations of halothane and isoflurane in decreasing the contractile force of the muscles. Pretreatment of the rats with pertussis toxin (50 μg/kg i.v., 72 h before sacrifice), which abolished the myocardial depressant effect of muscarinic agonists, did not prevent the decrease in contractile force induced by the anesthetics. The results of this study indicate that the cellular mechanism of the myocardial depressant effect of volatile anesthetics does not involve a metabolite of the phospholipid-arachidonic acid pathway, does not require a functional pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein, and differs from that of muscarinic agonists.
Ontogeny of Glucose Metabolism in Sympathetic Ganglia of Chickens. Changes in the Carbon Fluxes to CO2, Lactate, and Tissue Constituents from 8 to 19 Days of Embryonic Age

Chains of sympathetic ganglia were excised from the lumbar region of white Leghorn chicken embryos, 8-19 days of age. The chains were incubated for 5 h at 36 degrees C in a bicarbonate-buffered physiological salt solution containing 5.55 mM unlabeled glucose and tracer amounts of glucose labeled either uniformly or at carbon-1 or carbon-6. Glucose uptake and labeled lactate output were both highest in ganglia from the youngest embryos studied and declined progressively with increasing age. The output of labeled CO2 rose to a peak rate at an incubation age of 10-12 days in the presence of either [U-14C]glucose or [1(-14)C]glucose, but changed relatively little with age in the presence of [6(-14)C]glucose. The incorporation of 14C into tissue constituents was fastest at 10-12 days with all three labeled glucoses. It is concluded that the hexosemonophosphate shunt is most active at an incubation age of 10-12 days, after glycolysis has greatly slowed. The literature on morphological and biochemical changes in the sympathetic ganglia during development is briefly reviewed and discussed in relation to the observed metabolic changes. The early high glycolytic rate may be related to the normal developmental delay in vascularization of the sympathetic chains.
Sea Sediments, Cosmic Rays, and Pulsars

Measured variations in 10Be and 26Al in deep sea sediments may result from increases in the local cosmic ray intensities produced by a nearby supernova explosion.
Estimation of macromolecule concentrations and excluded volume effects for the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli

The very high concentration of macromolecules within cells can potentially have an overwhelming effect on the thermodynamic activity of cellular components because of excluded volume effects. To estimate the magnitudes of such effects, we have made an experimental study of the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli. Parameters from cells and cell extracts are used to calculate approximate activity coefficients for cytoplasmic conditions. These calculations require a representation of the sizes, concentrations and effective specific volumes of the macromolecules in the extracts. Macromolecule size representations are obtained either by applying a two-phase distribution assay to define a related homogeneous solution or by using the molecular mass distribution of macromolecules from gel filtration. Macromolecule concentrations in cytoplasm are obtained from analyses of extracts by applying a correction for the dilution that occurs during extraction. That factor is determined from experiments based upon the known impermeability of the cytoplasmic volume to sucrose in intact E. coli. Macromolecule concentrations in the cytoplasm of E. coli in either exponential or stationary growth phase are estimated to be approximately 0.3 to 0.4 g/ml. Macromolecule specific volumes are inferred from the composition of close-packed precipitates induced by polyethylene glycol. Several well-characterized proteins which bind to DNA (lac repressor, RNA polymerase) are extremely sensitive to changes in salt concentration in studies in vitro, but are insensitive in studies in vivo. Application of the activity coefficients from the present work indicates that at least part of this discrepancy arises from the difference in excluded volumes in these studies. Applications of the activity coefficients to solubility or to association reactions are also discussed, as are changes associated with cell growth phase and osmotic or other effects. The use of solutions of purified macromolecules that emulate the crowding conditions inferred for cytoplasm is discussed.
Tryptophan-mediated charge-resonance stabilization in the bis-Fe(IV) redox state of MauG.

The diheme enzyme MauG catalyzes posttranslational modifications of a methylamine dehydrogenase precursor protein to generate a tryptophan tryptophylquinone cofactor. The MauG-catalyzed reaction proceeds via a bis-Fe(IV) intermediate in which one heme is present as Fe(IV)=O and the other as Fe(IV) with axial histidine and tyrosine ligation. Herein, a unique near-infrared absorption feature exhibited specifically in bis-Fe(IV) MauG is described, and evidence is presented that it results from a charge-resonance-transition phenomenon. As the two hemes are physically separated by 14.5 A, a hole-hopping mechanism is proposed in which a tryptophan residue located between the hemes is reversibly oxidized and reduced to increase the effective electronic coupling element and enhance the rate of reversible electron transfer between the hemes in bis-Fe(IV) MauG. Analysis of the MauG structure reveals that electron transfer via this mechanism is rapid enough to enable a charge-resonance stabilization of the bis-Fe(IV) state without direct contact between the hemes. The finding of the charge-resonance-transition phenomenon explains why the bis-Fe(IV) intermediate is stabilized in MauG and does not permanently oxidize its own aromatic residues.
Flood insurance and floodplain management: the US experience

Abstract With over six million buildings located within the boundaries of the 100-yr floodplain, flood losses across the United States are widespread (88% of US counties experienced at least one flood disaster during the second half of the twentieth century). To deal with this problem, the federal government provides flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, which was initiated by Congress in 1968 and amended significantly in 1969, 1973, and 1994. This article describes the US approach to flood insurance and notes a number of problems that have limited its effectiveness. Flood hazard identification is incomplete, and methods used are flawed. Mitigation has failed to contain increasing exposure to property damage in floods and coastal storms, and it has failed to markedly reduce exposure to loss of older buildings located in flood hazard areas. Market penetration of flood insurance is low, in spite of mandatory purchase requirements for new construction and the availability of subsidized insurance rates for older buildings located in flood-hazard areas. These problems, although serious, can be remedied through a variety of actions taken by governments at the federal, state, and local level.
The pool of subsectors cache design

Sector caches use an address tag to identify a sector, and valid bits to indicate whether each subsector is present in the cache. This design permits a small number of tag bits to control a large number of data bytes in the cache. Such a design is useful for single level caches when cache sizes are small and/or when the optimal line sizes are small. Sector caches are most useful when small first-level tag arrays are used to control large second level cache data arrays. The problem with sector caches is that because of the constrained mapping between address tags and data array space, frequently many of the subsectors are not filled before the sector is replaced. In this paper, we propose a new design, called the "sector pool cache," in which subsectors may be shared between sectors, so that the cache data arrays are used much more efficiently. We evaluate this design using a large multiprogrammed workload to provide a more realistic test of the various cache designs. Our results show that the sector pool cache can be an attractive solution for a first level on-chip cache when used in conjunction with a regular second level off-chip sector cache. Such a design provides improved performance by allowing a larger fraction of first level cache bits to be used for data rather than for tags.
CNS vasculitis and vasculopathy: Efficacy and usefulness of diffusion-weighted echoplanar MR imaging

This pictorial essay illustrates the usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) on various vasculitis or vasculopathies, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Behcet's disease, Churg-Strauss disease, primary angitis of the central nervous system (PACNS), giant cell arteritis, infectious vasculitis, sickle cell disease, drug-induced vasculopathy and hypertensive vasculopathy. DWI proves to detect small and active ischemic changes not visible on conventional MRI, and it clearly discriminates cytotoxic from vasogenic edema in patients with cerebral vasculitis or vasculopathy. DWI seems useful in assessing the treatment and patient outcome.
A high-speed scintillation-based electronic portal imaging device to quantitatively characterize IMRT delivery.

We have developed an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) employing a fast scintillator and a high-speed camera. The device is designed to accurately and independently characterize the fluence delivered by a linear accelerator during intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with either step-and-shoot or dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC) delivery. Our aim is to accurately obtain the beam shape and fluence of all segments delivered during IMRT, in order to study the nature of discrepancies between the plan and the delivered doses. A commercial high-speed camera was combined with a terbium-doped gadolinium-oxy-sulfide (Gd{sub 2}O{sub 2}S:Tb) scintillator to form an EPID for the unaliased capture of two-dimensional fluence distributions of each beam in an IMRT delivery. The high speed EPID was synchronized to the accelerator pulse-forming network and gated to capture every possible pulse emitted from the accelerator, with an approximate frame rate of 360 frames-per-second (fps). A 62-segment beam from a head-and-neck IMRT treatment plan requiring 68 s to deliver was recorded with our high speed EPID producing approximately 6 Gbytes of imaging data. The EPID data were compared with the MLC instruction files and the MLC controller log files. The frames were binned to provide a frame rate of 72 fpsmore » with a signal-to-noise ratio that was sufficient to resolve leaf positions and segment fluence. The fractional fluence from the log files and EPID data agreed well. An ambiguity in the motion of the MLC during beam on was resolved. The log files reported leaf motions at the end of 33 of the 42 segments, while the EPID observed leaf motions in only 7 of the 42 segments. The static IMRT segment shapes observed by the high speed EPID were in good agreement with the shapes reported in the log files. The leaf motions observed during beam-on for step-and-shoot delivery were not temporally resolved by the log files.« less
Auroral X‐ray emission at Jupiter: Depth effects

[1] Auroral X-ray emissions from Jupiter with a total power of about 1 GW have been observed by the Einstein Observatory, Roentgen satellite, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and XMM-Newton. Previous theoretical studies have shown that precipitating energetic sulfur and oxygen ions can produce the observed X-rays. This study presents the results of a hybrid Monte Carlo (MC) model for sulfur and oxygen ion precipitation at high latitudes, looks at differences with the continuous slow-down model, and compares the results to synthetic spectra fitted to observations. We concentrate on the effects of altitude on the observed spectrum. The opacity of the atmosphere to the outgoing X-ray photons is found to be important for incident ion energies greater than about 1.2 MeV per nucleon for both sulfur and oxygen. Model spectra are calculated for intensities with and without any opacity effects. These synthetic spectra were compared with the results shown by Hui et al. (2010) which fit Chandra X-ray Observatory observations for the north and south Jovian auroral emissions. Quenching of long-lived excited states of the oxygen ions is found to be important. Opacity considerably diminishes the outgoing X-ray intensity calculated, particularly when the viewing geometry is not favorable.
Relative reinforcing effects of different doses of orally delivered cocaine

The relative reinforcing effects of different doses of oral cocaine were investigated in two adult male rhesus monkeys. In the first experiment, a range of cocaine doses (0.1-0.8 mg/ml) was studied with drug and water concurrently available for 3 h each day under identical and independent fixed-ratio schedules. The side positions of the drug and vehicle were alternated from session to session. Drug deliveries always exceeded vehicle deliveries, i.e., orally delivered cocaine functioned as a reinforcer. The highest rates of responding occurred at either the lowest or next to lowest dose (0.1 or 0.2 mg/ml). In the second experiment, pairs of different cocaine doses were systematically presented under identical and independent fixed-ratio schedules. The higher of two concurrently available doses usually maintained the higher response rate. These findings suggest that the relative reinforcing effects of orally delivered cocaine increase with dose. Absolute response rates obtained with single cocaine doses and water concurrently available do not always reflect the magnitude of the reinforcing effects indicated when pairs of cocaine doses are studied together. The results of this study are in agreement with earlier investigations in which the relative reinforcing effects of pairs of intravenous cocaine doses or oral pentobarbital doses were studied. Taken together these findings indicate that, over a range of doses and across pharmacological classes and routes of administration, relative reinforcing effects of a drug increase directly as a function of increases in dose.
Effect of Stress on Skin Transplantation Immunity in Mice

Chronic avoidance-learning stress was found to depress the immune reaction responsible for skin homograft rejection to a modest but significant degree. This effect was observed in a genetically uniform as well as a heterogeneous line of mice.
Problems in Jacobean Administration: Was Henry Howard, Earl of Northampton, A Reformer?

Complaints about corrupt administrative practices were endemic to the Tudor-Stuart state. During the reign of James I, however, the issue of corruption was transformed from a staple of political discourse to an issue which not only aggravated administrative problems but also undermined the crown's very legitimacy. With the impeachment in 1621 of James' lord chancellor, Francis Bacon, for accepting bribes while holding judicial office, parliament forged for itself a weapon capable not only of rooting out corruption but unpopular government ministers as well. When administrative reform was successfully undertaken by Charles I, it came too late to resurrect the credit of the court or to restore that identification of monarch and subjects which Elizabeth had brought to its apogee only decades before. Yet the problem posed by Jacobean corruption is complex. Many of the practices for which the Jacobean court stood condemned were characteristic of the early modern state, and energetic attempts to reform the administrative apparatus were, in fact, undertaken throughout the reign. What then differentiates Jacobean administration from that of Elizabeth or the Georges and what caused the critical failure of reform? Answers to these questions may be suggested by taking a close look at the findings and fate of several investigations undertaken by one reform-minded official.
Depression of Escape Pacemakers Associated with Rapid Supraventricular Rate in Patients with Atrioventricular Block

Intermittent failure of escape pacemakers to maintain an effective rate when the supraventricular rate was rapid was observed in three patients with complete, or high degree atrioventricular block....
An equation-oriented approach for handling thermodynamics based on cubic equation of state in process optimization

This paper deals with handling of the cubic equation of state (CEOS) in equation-oriented (EO) process optimization. The roots of the CEOS are generally computed by subroutine-based calculations that involve logical if-else conditions. This approach can lead to nonsmoothness and convergence issues when used with gradient-based solvers in an EO framework. In this work, we propose a new general EO approach for selecting the appropriate root of the CEOS by incorporating derivative constraints specific to the desired (vapor or liquid) phase. We prove that these constraints are capable of isolating the liquid, middle and vapor root. The derivative constraints are tested using the EO phase-equilibrium formulation of Gopal and Biegler (1999) which is suitably extended for handling CEOS and relaxing the derivative constraints in the event of disappearance of phases. Using numerical examples involving simulation of flash vessels and optimization of distillation column, it is demonstrated that the proposed EO formulation always selects the appropriate roots, handles missing phases on distillation trays and flash units, and is fairly robust to different starting points in the phase envelopes.