cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the efficiency of thermal engines with power output: Harmonically driven engines

In a previous article we defined and studied a model of a heat engine with the purpose of emphasizing the role of inertial effects, particularly their importance in relation to optimization problems. Here we pursue our argument on this issue by comparing the performance of models of heat engines harmonically driven around a state of equilibrium. For the first model, with inertia, we define the model, calculate its nonlinear response with emphasis on the linear approximation, and discuss the issues related to the coupling of the thermal and mechanical driving forces. We study the influence of increasing values of the mechanical friction coefficient, and show that when this coefficient is small the work output displays subharmonic resonances that disappear when the friction coefficient increases. In the second model, without inertial effects, no such resonances appear as expected, since these are due only to the inertial terms.
An efficient digital circuit for implementing Sequence Alignment algorithm in an extended processor

The problem of sequence alignment (Edit Distance) between a pair of strings has been well studied in the field of computing algorithms. The classic dynamic programming-based algorithm, Needleman-Wunsch (O(n2)), has been widely used in practice, especially by biologists to find similarities between gene sequences. Any optimization in the implementation of this algorithm will have a significant practical impact on biological research. However, within the past several decades, not much has been done in improving the runtime of the algorithm in real implementations. Although algorithms based on systolic processor arrays and FPGAs were presented earlier to create custom hardware to aid in speed-up, their usage has been very limited due to their inherent synchronous design complexity and scalability issues. In view of this, we propose an efficient hardware implementation of the Sequence Alignment algorithm. We provide a simple and efficient asynchronous sequential design which can be readily implemented as an instruction in an extensible processor. Experimental results show that our circuit implementation can achieve a speed-up of 3.77X on average compared with the software counterpart, meanwhile reducing the area cost.
The History of Scientific Expert Testimony in the English Courtroom

This paper provides a historical perspective to one of the liveliest debates in common law courts today — the one over scientific expert testimony. Arguing against the current tendency to present the problem of expert testimony as a late twentieth-century predicament which threatens to spin out of control, the paper shows that the phenomena of conflicting scientific testimonies have been perennial for at least two centuries, and intensely debated in both the legal and the scientific communities for at least 150 years.
Fiber Optic Coupler For VHSIC/VLSI Interconnects

Fiber Optic Coupler for VHSIC /VLSI InterconnectsPaul R. Prucnal, Eric R. Fossum, and Richard M. OsgoodDepartment of Electrical EngineeringColumbia UniversityNew York, New York 10027Abstract - A new optical interconnect technique, suitable for very high packing densities,is proposed for implementation in VHSIC /VLSI circuits. The approach allows verticalbonding.IntroductionThe performance of VHSIC /VLSI circuits is impaired by limitations in the communicationcapacity between gates, chip and boards 1. Fiber optic interconnects are widely
Methylation of the Protein Phosphatase 2A Catalytic Subunit Is Essential for Association of Bα Regulatory Subunit But Not SG2NA, Striatin, or Polyomavirus Middle Tumor Antigen

Binding of different regulatory subunits and methylation of the catalytic (C) subunit carboxy-terminal leucine 309 are two important mechanisms by which protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) can be regulated. In this study, both genetic and biochemical approaches were used to investigate regulation of regulatory subunit binding by C subunit methylation. Monoclonal antibodies selectively recognizing unmethylated C subunit were used to quantitate the methylation status of wild-type and mutant C subunits. Analysis of 13 C subunit mutants showed that both carboxy-terminal and active site residues are important for maintaining methylation in vivo. Severe impairment of methylation invariably led to a dramatic decrease in Balpha subunit binding but not of striatin, SG2NA, or polyomavirus middle tumor antigen (MT) binding. In fact, most unmethylated C subunit mutants showed enhanced binding to striatin and SG2NA. Certain carboxy-terminal mutations decreased Balpha subunit binding without greatly affecting methylation, indicating that Balpha subunit binding is not required for a high steady-state level of C subunit methylation. Demethylation of PP2A in cell lysates with recombinant PP2A methylesterase greatly decreased the amount of C subunit that could be coimmunoprecipitated via the Balpha subunit but not the amount that could be coimmunoprecipitated with Aalpha subunit or MT. When C subunit methylation levels were greatly reduced in vivo, Balpha subunits were found complexed exclusively to methylated C subunits, whereas striatin and SG2NA in the same cells bound both methylated and unmethylated C subunits. Thus, C subunit methylation is critical for assembly of PP2A heterotrimers containing Balpha subunit but not for formation of heterotrimers containing MT, striatin, or SG2NA. These findings suggest that methylation may be able to selectively regulate the association of certain regulatory subunits with the A/C heterodimer.
Oil industry, wild meat trade and roads: indirect effects of oil extraction activities in a protected area in north-eastern Ecuador

Starting in 1994, a wholesale wild meat market developed in north-eastern Ecuador, involving Waorani and Kichwa people in the area of influence of a road built to facilitate oil extraction within Yasuni National Park. Between 2005 and 2007, we recorded the trade of 11 717 kg of wild meat in this market, with pacas Cuniculus paca, white-lipped peccaries Tayassu pecari, collared peccaries Pecari tajacu and woolly monkeys Lagothrix poeppiggi accounting for 80% of the total biomass. Almost half of the wild meat brought to the market was transported by dealers for resale at restaurants in Tena, a medium-sized town 234 km west of the market. Prices of wild meat were 1.3–2 times higher than the price of meat of domestic animals, suggesting that it is a different commodity and not a supplementary protein source in the urban areas where it is consumed. The actual price of transportation between the local communities and the market was a significant predictor of the amount of meat sold in Pompeya. Based on this relationship the Waorani hunters sold exceptionally larger amounts of wild meat than would be expected if they would not have the transportation subsidies provided by the oil companies. Although the scale of this wild meat wholesale market is still relatively small, its dynamic reflects the complex interactions that emerge as the overriding influence of oil companies or other private industries modify the culture and subsistence patterns of marginalized indigenous groups, increasing their potential impacts on wildlife and natural ecosystems.
On Jansen's perturbation theory for exchange interactions

Abstract The perturbation theory developed by Jansen [1] to treat long-range exchange interactions between atoms or molecules is re-written in terms of the formalism introduced by Van der Avoird [2]. The transformation defining Jansen's unperturbed Hamiltonian is clarified, and the first-order energy discussed.
Fundamental thermodynamical equation of a self-gravitating system.

The features of the fundamental thermodynamical relation (expressing entropy as function of state variables) that arise from the self-gravitating character of a system are analyzed. The models studied include not only a spherically symmetric hot matter shell with constant particle number but also a black hole characterized by a general thermal equation of state. These examples illustrate the formal structure of thermodynamics developed by Callen as applied to a gravitational configuration as well as the phenomenological manner in which Einstein equations largely determine the thermodynamical equations of state. We consider in detail the thermodynamics and quasistatic collapse of a self-gravitating shell. This includes a discussion of intrinsic stability for a one-parameter family of thermal equations of state and the interpretation of the Bekenstein bound. The entropy growth associated with a collapsing sequence of equilibrium states of a shell is computed under different boundary conditions in the quasistatic approximation and compared with black hole entropy. Although explicit expressions involve empirical coefficients, these are constrained by physical conditions of thermodynamical origin. The absence of a Gibbs-Duhem relation and the associated scaling laws for self-gravitating matter systems are presented. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Design of a single-feed all-metal 63 GHz Fabry-Perot cavity antenna using a TL and a wideband circuit model

In this paper, we show a wideband transmission line (TL) model for a Fabry-Perot cavity (FPC) antenna which is designed at a center frequency of 63 GHz using a thick and slotted metallic partially reflective surface. Then, by using the proposed wideband circuit model, we predict the gain and 3dB gain bandwidth of the antenna, assumed as infinitely large in the transverse domain (for the modeling purposes). Finally we compared the circuit model results to the full-wave ones for a FPC antenna of finite extent.
A New Homogenized Climate Division Precipitation Dataset for Analysis of Climate Variability and Climate Change

AbstractA new homogeneous climate division monthly precipitation dataset [based on full network estimated precipitation (FNEP)] was created as an alternative to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) climate division dataset. These alternative climate division monthly precipitation values were estimated using an equal-weighted average of Cooperative Observer Program stations that contained serially complete time series. Missing station observations were estimated by a procedure that was optimized through testing on U.S. Historical Climate Network stations. Inhomogeneities in the NCDC dataset arise from two principal causes. The pre-1931 estimation of NCDC climate division monthly precipitation from statewide averages led to a significant time series discontinuity in several climate divisions. From 1931 to the present, NCDC climate division averages have been calculated from a subset of available station data within each climate division, and temporal changes in the location of available stations have ca...
Rate estimates for lateral bedrock erosion based on radiocarbon ages, Duck River, Tennessee

Rates of bedrock erosion in ingrown meandering rivers can be inferred from the location of buried relict flood-plain and river-bank surfaces, associated paleosols, and radiocarbon dates. Two independent methods are used to evaluate the long-term rates of limestone bedrock erosion by the Duck River. Radiocarbon dates on samples retrieved from buried Holocene flood-plain and bank surfaces indicate lateral migration of the river bank at average rates of 0.6-1.9 m/100 yr. Such rates agree with lateral bedrock cliff erosion rates of 0.5-1.4 m/100 yr, as determined from a comparison of late Pleistocene and modern bedrock cliff and terrace scarp positions. These results show that lateral bedrock erosion by this river could have occurred coevally with flood-plain and terrace formation and that the resulting evolution of valley meander bends carved into bedrock is similar in many respects to that of channel meanders cut into alluvium. 11 references, 5 figures.
NATIONAL TELEVISION AND THE MARKET FOR LOCAL PRODUCTS: THE CASE OF BEER*

Information technology lowers the cost of distributing information to dispersed consumers. Because national firms reap larger benefits from new media than firms serving only local consumers, media innovations may reduce the market for local products. This paper considers the effect of television on the market for local beer. Using market-level data on television penetration, local breweries and brewery production from 1945–1960, results show that increases in television penetration are associated with fewer local breweries and less local beer production. The results indicate that the industrial organization of media markets can affect the structure of markets for local products.
Brain Death: A Model For A Non-invasive Ancillary Test

In this paper a model is presented to support the hypothesis of using a tonometer to measure the ocular pulse and intraocular pressure changes that occur during progressive brain death. Information gathered from changes in pressures over time may lead to an ancillary diagnostic method. The mathematical simulation models from the heart to the eye and allows impact as a source of brain death.
Surgical therapy for pulmonary aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients.

Abstract Background . Medical management for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is often unsatisfactory. Antifungal therapy may be unable to eradicate IPA in the immunocompromised or neutropenic patient. Methods . We retrospectively reviewed the surgical management of IPA in 13 immunocompromised patients at our institution. Twelve patients underwent perioperative bone marrow transplantation (4 autologous, 8 allogenic). All 13 patients received antifungal therapy. Eleven patients were neutropenic at the time of operation. Results . The mean interval from diagnosis of aspergillosis to operation was 42 days (range, 3 to 135 days). Eighteen operations were performed on the 13 patients. Seven patients had resections from multiple pulmonary sites, whereas 6 had a single lesion resected. The average lesion resected was 3.7 cm in greatest diameter (range, 1 to 9 cm). After a mean follow-up of 21 months (range, 0 to 9 years), 3 patients (23%) are alive with no evidence of aspergillosis, 6 patients (46%) died without evidence of aspergillosis, and 4 patients (31%) died secondary to aspergillus infection. All 4 patients who died of aspergillus infection received an allogenic bone marrow transplantation. Two patients with direct extrapulmonic extension of IPA at time of operation died of recurrent aspergillus infections. Three of 4 patients who died of aspergillus infection had an absolute neutrophil count less than 1,300 cells/μL at time of operation. The mean absolute neutrophil count of the patients who cleared the aspergillus infection was 5,538 cells/μL. The mean survival of allogenic bone marrow transplant recipients was 5.2 months, and for recipients of autografts was 51.4 months. Conclusions . In this series, surgical resection of IPA cleared the aspergillus infection in 69% of the patients. Neutropenia, extrapulmonic extension of IPA, and allogenic bone marrow transplantation may predict a worse prognosis. Surgical resection of IPA in immunocompromised patients is an effective form of therapy in a properly selected patient population.
Implementation of Survey Method in a Construction Team Effectiveness Study

Increasingly, most organizations in the construction sector use teams to meet today’s global competition and customer expectations, but they need better ways of evaluating the effectiveness of the teams. To ensure that construction teams are successful and effective, construction companies must promote, measure, and evaluate their teams’ effectiveness. It is believed that creating a highly effective project team will produce high-end project outcomes that exceed standards, and, therefore, enhance overall productivity. This paper discusses a method for designing a survey to measure the effectiveness of construction project teams. First the paper describes the steps in designing a survey, and then focuses on the statistical processes used to establish reliability and validity. The survey is pretested and analyzed using explanatory factor analysis to reduce the number of variables and to detect the structure of the questionnaire from the relationship between variables. The paper reports lessons learned during the development of a survey, provides the survey, and offers suggestions for future research
A Tale of Two Cultures: Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative Research

The quantitative and qualitative research traditions can be thought of as distinct cultures marked by different values, beliefs, and norms. In this essay, we adopt this metaphor toward the end of contrasting these research traditions across 10 areas: (1) approaches to explanation, (2) conceptions of causation, (3) multivariate explanations, (4) equifinality, (5) scope and causal generalization, (6) case selection, (7) weighting observations, (8) substantively important cases, (9) lack of fit, and (10) concepts and measurement. We suggest that an appreciation of the alternative assumptions and goals of the traditions can help scholars avoid misunderstandings and contribute to more productive “cross-cultural” communication in political science.
Improved localization of right-sided accessory pathways with microcatheter-assisted right coronary artery mapping in children.

Right Coronary Artery Mapping of APs. Introduction: Radiofrequency ablation of some right-sided accessory pathways continues to be challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of introducing a multielectrode microcatheter in the right coronary artery to localize accessory pathways when conventional mapping was unsuccessful. Methods and Results: A retrospective study was conducted of all right-sided accessory pathway radiofrequency ablation procedures in which a multielectrode microcatheter as a reference in the right coronary artery was used to assist mapping. Between January 1998 and January 2002, 10 patients (5 males) underwent mapping of 11 accessory pathways with this technique at mean age of 12.3 ′ 3.8 years. Five patients had Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve. Accessory pathways were identified in the following locations: right anterior 3, right anterolateral 2, right lateral 1, right posterolateral 2, and right posterior 3. Mean procedure time was 285 ′ 70.3 minutes, and fluoroscopy time was 68.7 ′ 21 minutes. Average mapping duration prior to microcatheter insertion in the right coronary artery was 136 ′ 40 minutes. After microcatheter placement in the right coronary artery, the time to successful ablation of accessory pathways was 38 ′ 11 minutes. All 11 (100%) accessory pathways were successfully ablated. Conclusion: Mapping in the right coronary artery with a microcatheter is an effective method to improve localization and successful ablation of difficult right-sided accessory pathways.
Temperature-dependent solubility of wax compounds in ethanol

The ability of ethanol to dissolve wax compounds, as an alternative to traditional lipid solvents, was investigated for the recovery of cuticular lipids from biomass. The solubilities of fatty esters with carbon chain lengths from 40 to 54 were measured in ethanol over a temperature range of 30–80°C. The greatest increase in solubility was observed between 40° and 60°C for the long chain waxes that are characteristic of flax cuticle lipids. The solubility of a 52-carbon wax increased by a factor of four over this temperature range. The Van't Hoff equation was used to estimate enthalpy of solution values. Ethanol was an effective lipid solvent at these modestly elevated temperatures and offers an economical method to recover lipid co-products from biomass prior to conversion to bioethanol.
Cardiac adaptations to chronic exercise in mice

Transgenic mice can be created to serve as models of human cardiac disease. Despite the technology available to manipulate the cardiovascular system of the mouse, there is relatively little information available concerning the normal physiology of the mouse heart. Therefore, we have characterized the response of the adult mouse to chronic physical conditioning by swimming. Adult female C57/B16 mice were conditioned by swimming up to 90 min twice daily for 4 wk, resulting in a 10% increase in heart weight and a 16% increase in heart weight-to-body weight ratios compared with sedentary controls. The heart rate response to a submaximal work load decreased > 20% with this conditioning program. Succinate dehydrogenase activity increased markedly in the soleus muscles of the conditioned animals, from 28 +/- 3 to 44 +/- 3 nmol.mg-1.min-1. In contrast to these changes, which also characterize the exercise model in the rat, no increase in cardiac tissue norepinephrine content or in cardiac myosin or myofibrillar adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activities was observed, and no change in the V1 predominant myosin isoform or alpha-myosin heavy chain mRNA profiles was seen in the hearts of the swimmers. This study establishes that mice are able to develop cardiac hypertrophy in response to chronic conditioning which is not associated with changes in the ATPase activities of cardiac muscle. These data should be of use to investigators using murine models to define the molecular basis of adaptive cardiac hypertrophy in vivo.
Observations on Neonatal Aggregations and Associated Behaviors in the Prairie Rattlesnake, Crotalus viridis viridis

In August and September of 1991 we observed three groups of neonatal prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis viridis) near a prairie dog town in the Sand Hills (Cherry County, Nebraska). One of these groups included at least 31 neonates and 2 postpartum females. In addition to spatio-temporal association of neonates and putative mothers, we observed a radio-tagged male prairie rattlesnake consecutively visit two natal sites, just before and just after parturition. Mean mass of neonates in two groups was below the range previously reported for this subspecies. Young-of-the-year (YOY) captured during ingress were longer and weighed more than neonates captured at birth. Feces collected from nine YOY captured at hibernacula contained pocket mouse (Perognathus spp.) remains. In contrast to other intensively studied populations, most YOY in the Sand Hills appear to feed and grow before first hibernation.
Peripheral blood CD31+ cells for the treatment of ischemic vascular disease.

The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented rapidity of progression from laboratory findings to clinical trials in the field of cell therapy for ischemic disease. Trials have been completed, or are currently ongoing, in patients with acute myocardial infarction, chronic ischemic heart disease,
PHASUITE: AN AUTOMATED HAZOP ANALYSIS TOOL FOR CHEMICAL PROCESSES Part I: Knowledge Engineering Framework

Hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP) is widely used in process hazard analysis of chemical processes. But it is time and effort consuming. To aid human experts in conducting HAZOP analysis in a more thorough and systematic way, a software system (PHASuite) for automated HAZOP analysis has been developed. PHASuite can greatly increase the efficiency of the HAZOP analysis, support best analysis practices, and provide foundation for reuse of the safety knowledge generated from the analysis. Given the knowledge intensive nature of HAZOP analysis, a knowledge engineering framework was developed. From the point of view of functionality, the framework consists of four main parts: information sharing, representation, knowledge base and reasoning engine. Ontology based information sharing schemes are developed to share process information and results with other systems. Coloured Petri Nets based representation, created from process information, is used to represent chemical processes as well as the methodology for HAZOP analysis. In this framework, a process is decomposed into two abstraction levels, operation level and equipment level, which are bridged using functional representation. Analysis is carried out on both the levels. Knowledge used in this system is stored in models. Case-based techniques are adopted for knowledge management. Knowledge base is stored externally in structured databases. A two-level, two-layer reasoning engine has been designed to operate on the Petri Nets representation of the process using the knowledge base to perform HAZOP analysis.
Bariatric Surgery in Patients With Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction: Effective, But Is It Safe?

Obesity, particularly severe obesity, produces a variety of alterations of cardiac performance and morphology that may lead to the development of heart failure.1–9 Excess adipose accumulation in association with increased lean body mass produces an increase in central blood volume.1–4,8,9 In patients with normotensive obesity, this predisposes to an increase in cardiac output which is facilitated by a decrease in systemic vascular resistance.1–4 Because heart rate changes little if at all with obesity, the increase in cardiac output is predominantly caused by augmentation of left ventricular (LV) stroke volume.1–4 In many obese individuals, the high cardiac output state is associated with LV dilatation, a response that may lead to eccentric LV hypertrophy (LVH).1–5,7,8 However, recent studies have suggested that concentric LVH or remodeling occurs as often or perhaps more often than eccentric LVH in obese subjects.10–12 Factors that may predispose to concentric LVH or remodeling in such individuals include the presence of systemic hypertension, increased sympathetic activity, stimulation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system, insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia (which may predispose to release of insulin-related growth factors), hyperleptinemia, and possibly, lipotoxicity and lipoapoptosis.1–5,12,13 Because LVH is a key morphological alteration in obesity, the predominant functional change is LV diastolic dysfunction, manifested as elevated LV end-diastolic pressure (particularly during exercise) and impaired LV diastolic filling on noninvasive cardiac imaging.1–5,7,8 LV systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is relatively uncommon in obesity. LV ejection phase indices are usually normal or supranormal, and when abnormal, they are usually mildly reduced.1–5,7,8,14,15 LVSD in uncomplicated obesity may be related in part to inadequate LVH leading to persistently high …
Transforming Trauma Through Reflection and Praxis

What happens when the issues of the human condition one has been teaching and theorizing about become issues in one’s life-world, even become a totalizing force that seeps through the boundaries around and between the “personal” and the “professional?” What happens when one is not only teaching about the challenges of grown-up-hood, balancing adult relationships, family caregiving, work responsibilities, and personal development but is suddenly faced with an event which forces one to confront competing responsibilities and make meaning of an existential emergency? In this hybrid essay—a combination of mini-memoir, testimony, and scholarly discourse—my central preoccupation is an unexpected crisis and how I engaged the possibilities and limitations of my professional knowledge as an educational gerontologist with a commitment to Critical Theory and came to more fully embrace the principles of Critical Gerontology, intentionally dissolving the boundaries between “work” and “life.”
Experimental Determination of the Mass Moment of Inertia of a Flywheel Using Dynamics and Statistical Methods

This paper presents the analysis of the mass moment of inertia (MMI) of a flywheel using experiment data. This analysis includes developing two models for determining the MMI of the flywheel. The first model considers the effect of mass moment of inertia only, while the second model takes the effect of friction in the ball bearings into consideration. The experiment results have been used along with both models to estimate the MMI of the flywheel. It has been demonstrated that while the model with no friction can be used for estimating the MMI to some extent, the model with friction produces the most accurate result. On the other hand, an effective application of the model with friction requires several experimental measurements using different standard masses. This translates into more expensive method in terms of experiment time and equipment cost.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Acetylcholine Esterase Content of Brain Tumors

The acetylcholine esterase content of 50 brain tumors, and of 13 brain lesions not neoplastic in character, has been determined by the pharmacological method previously described.1 All material was obtained immediately following removal in the neurosurgical operating room. The tissue to be examined for acetylcholine esterase content was exposed to the action of no drugs. The acetylcholine esterase activity (Q.CHE.) was determined as the number of milligrams of acetylcholine iodide hydrolized by 100 mg of tissue dry weight in one hour at 37°C and pH 7.61.The histologic or pathologic structure of the tissue resected at operation and examined for Q.CHE. content was established by multiple sections, fixed in Cajal's formalin-ammonium-bromide solution, and after the appropriate time of fixation stained with, (1) Penfield's second modification of Rio-Hortega's silver sodium carbonate stain, (2) Rio-Hortega's silver lithium carbonate stain, and (3) Cajal's gold chloride sublimate method. Other material fixed in ...
The co-occurrence of mental disorders in children and adolescents with intellectual disability/intellectual developmental disorder.

Purpose of review The study summarizes supportive epidemiological data regarding the true co-occurrence (comorbidity) and course of mental disorders in children with intellectual disability/intellectual developmental disorders (ID/IDD) across the lifespan.
NH2-terminal amino acids of the serum lipoproteins of normal and hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

Aspartic acid is the major and glutamic acid and serine are minor NH2-terminal amino acids of the lipoproteins of rabbit serum. No NH2-terminal amino acids other than these are found after prolonged cholesterol feeding. The hyperlipoproteinemia accompanying the feeding is not characterized by any significant changes in the NH2-terminal amino acid composition of the density (d)
Heterologous desensitization of smooth muscle to K+ depolarization : retarded stimulus-[Ca2+]i coupling

Wardle, Robert L., John D. Strauss, Christopher M. Rembold, and Richard A. Murphy. Heterologous desensitization of smooth muscle to K + depolarization: retarded stimulus-[Ca 2+ ] ; coupling. Am. J. Physiol. 272 (Cell Physiol. 41): C1810-C1820, 1997. -To understand the phenomenon of postreceptor heterologous desensitization, we exposed porcine carotid media to 40 mM KCl physiological saline solution both before and after intervening treatment with histamine. Increasing histamine concentration or duration of exposure or decreasing the interval between histamine exposure and KCl progressively slowed the contractile responses to K + depolarization. A delay in initiation and a slower rate of rise of KCl-induced stress in histamine-pretreated muscle were preceded by a slower rate of rise of aequorin-estimated myoplasmic Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ), myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) phosphorylation, and tissue stiffness, with no detectable change in the Ca 2+ sensitivity of MRLC phosphorylation. This heterologous desensitization was not a diminished steady-state force but instead a profound slowing of contraction rates. This slowing was a manifestation of retardation of the rate at which [Ca 2+ ] ; rises to the level appropriate for the stimulus. The lack of rapid initial [Ca 2+ ] ; and cross-bridge phosphorylation transients as a consequence of histamine pretreatment resulted in very slow cross-bridge cycling rates and rates of force development (latch).
Reconstruction following abdominoperineal resection (APR): Indications and complications from a single institution experience

Summary Background Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is the surgical treatment of low-lying rectal cancers and other pelvic malignancies. Plastic surgery offers a means to close these complicated defects through obliterating dead space, providing tension-free closure, and introducing vascularized tissue into a radiated field. The indications for reconstructive surgery and choice of reconstruction are debatable. This study aims to identify when and which reconstruction is preferred. Methods A retrospective comparative analysis was performed on all patients undergoing APR at Stanford Hospital between 2007 and 2013. Data points included demographics, disease, operative positioning, and postoperative complications. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify markers of flap reconstruction and complications. Results A total of 178 APRs were performed, of which 51 underwent flap reconstruction. The odds ratio of all complications between flap and primary closure was not significant at 1.36 (0.69–2.66). Independent predictors for flap reconstruction included prone positioning, anal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), prior smoking, and neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy. Univariate predictors of flap reconstruction included female gender and combined vaginectomy. Independent predictors of complications included current and prior smoking. Muscle flap closure had lower recipient site complications than V-to-Y advancement closure (20% vs. 50%, p = 0.039). Conclusion Flap reconstruction following APR is associated with prone positioning, neoadjuvant chemoradiation, female gender, prior smoking, and anal SCC resections. Pedicled muscle flaps had a significantly lower rate of recipient site complications than V-to-Y advancement flaps and therefore should be the flap reconstruction of choice. The vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap was superior to the gracilis flap in terms of the overall reduction of complications.
Routing in random ad-hoc networks: provably better than worst-case

Wireless networks, such as sensor networks or general ad-hoc networks, present special challenges for routing problems due to high energy constraints, failures, and node autonomy. As such, traditional methods of constructing and fixing a centralized routing topology and then simply expecting nodes to forward accordingly in the absence of any further incentives to do so suffer reliability drawbacks. We look to light-weight and game-theoretic proposals based on random walks and game-theoretic techniques to deal with these reliability concerns. In particular, we consider random walks for information collection, path auctions for one-to-one routing, and a locally minimum cost forwarding game (LMCF) for all-to-one reverse multicast routing. For each of the three routing scenarios considered, a trade-off between reliability and efficiency is observed in the worst-cases: There exist wireless network configurations for which random walks take a maximally long expected time to visit all nodes, path auctions require maximal overpayments to ensure truthfulness, and any Nash equilibria for locally minimum cost forwarding are arbitrarily costlier than the global optimum. We further demonstrate NP-hardness results and approximation hardness results regarding computation of optimal truthful mechanisms and optimal Nash equilibria for the game-theoretic scenarios present. On the other hand, a clique is also a possible wireless network configuration formed by setting a large enough (broadcast radius, and the clique configuration demonstrates optimal efficiency for all three. The extreme downside to such a configuration, however, is that such a large broadcast radius would rapidly deplete the system's energy, yielding it completely infeasible. What becomes apparent then, is that the appropriate question to ask is the following: What is the efficiency of each of the three proposed methods for a typical wireless network of low broadcast radius'? Does a nicer structure tend to arise despite negative worst-case behavior for the reliable routing problems considered in this work on the relevant random models of wireless networks'? A central theme of this work is a resounding, theoretically sound "Yes" to that question for all three scenarios: We prove that each of the three proposed methods are almost always efficient under relevant, models and metrics models for wireless networks.
Assessment of scale-up dimensionless groups methodology of gas-solid fluidized beds using advanced non-invasive measurement techniques (CT and RPT)†

The most common scale-up methodology for gas-solid fluidized bed reactors that has been reported in the literature is based on matching the dimensionless groups. This scale-up methodology in the literature has been validated by only measuring global hydrodynamic parameters (overall holdups and pressure drop, etc.) without details. Therefore, in this work, we have applied our an advanced non-invasive measurement techniques, gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) and radioactive particle tracking (RPT) techniques for the first time to evaluate such scale-up methodology by measuring local hydrodynamic parameters. The results obtained demonstrate that the reported set of the dimensionless groups are not adequate in capturing all the interplay phenomena for achieving similarity in the local hydrodynamic parameters when the proposed set of dimensionless groups has been matched using two sizes of fluidized beds of 0.14 m and 0.44 m and sets of operating conditions. This finding confirms that the local measurements of the hydrodynamic parameters are essential for detailed assessment of scale-up methodologies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
315: Recurrent anal sphincter injury: a population based study

a population based study Sima Parmar, Dena Towner, Guibo Xing, Stacey Wallach UC Davis Medical Center, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Sacramento, CA, UC Davis Medical Center, Center for Healthcare Policy and Research, Sacramento, CA OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the effect of a primary anal sphincter injury in the first vaginal delivery as a risk factor for recurrent anal sphincter injury in subsequent vaginal deliveries. STUDY DESIGN: This is a population-based cohort study that used data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. The study population (Lac First) was defined as women having their first singleton vaginal delivery between 1991 and 1995 complicated by an anal sphincter injury, with a second vaginal delivery between 1991 and 2004. These women were compared to a control group of women without anal sphincter injury (Nolac First) during the same time period. The primary outcome of interest was occurrence of an anal sphincter injury in the second vaginal delivery. Maternal demographics, obstetric and labor data, and fetal data were collected for the second delivery. Odds ratios for recurrent anal sphincter injury were calculated using multivariate logistic regression and were reported with 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 375,278 women were identified with their first vaginal delivery between 1991-1995 and a second vaginal delivery before 2005. The Lac First group consisted of 43,583 (11.6%) women with an anal sphincter injury. During their second delivery, 2,648 (6.1%) had a recurrent anal sphincter injury. In contrast, in the Nolac First group, only 1.4% (4,697 of 331,695 women) were found to have anal sphincter injury at the time of their second delivery. The adjusted odds ratio for recurrent injury was 3.79 (95% CI 3.60-3.98). Variables significantly associated with recurrent anal sphincter injury at the time of second delivery were found to be increasing maternal age 40 (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.14-1.58), fetal macrosomia 5000g (OR 9.92, 95% CI 7.44-13.22), operative deliveries with forceps (OR 4.69, 95% CI 3.77-5.82) and vacuum (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.74-2.22). CONCLUSION: Women with anal sphincter injury at their first delivery are at almost a four fold risk for recurrent anal sphincter injury at the time of second delivery.
Teaching computer science to biologists and chemists, using jupyter notebooks: tutorial presentation

In this tutorial we will discuss teaching basic computer science skills to natural science majors (primarily biologists and chemists). I have spent the last year developing such a course at the University of Puget Sound. CSCI 141: Programming for Natural Scientists is a reformulation of a more typical Introduction to Computer Science class, but aimed at natural scientists rather than computer science and math majors. Offering a class such as this has many benefits for a computer science department:
Identifying the prevalence of influential factors on middle managers’ abilities to lead organizational change within the context of community nursing and therapy services

United Kingdom healthcare organizations are tasked with improving standards of patient care alongside balancing finances resulting in large scale organizational changes being implemented. Change ma...
Effect of resveratrol on Wnt signaling in hematopoietic cells

4593 Resveratrol, a stilbene found in grape skins and red wine inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in myeloid and lymphoid leukemia cell lines in vitro. Because signaling through the Wnt pathway is critical for normal hematopoiesis and has been implicated in leukemic transformation, we examined the effects of resveratrol on Wnt signaling in hematopoietic cell lines in vitro. Jurkat (T-cell), undifferentiated U937 (monocytic) and PMA-differentiated U937 (macrophage) cells were treated for 48 hours with resveratrol at concentrations of 10uM, 20uM and 50uM. Cell proliferation was measured using an MTT assay. Effects on the Wnt pathway were evaluated by measurement of total cellular β-catenin by Western blot, and intracellular localization of β-catenin by fluorescence and confocal immunohistochemistry, since nuclear localization indicates active Wnt signaling. Wnt pathway throughput was defined by a LEF/TCF reporter construct producing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). In order to observe any negative regulation of the pathway by resveratrol, the latter experiments were performed with co-transfection of Wnt2 or β-catenin expression constructs. Resveratrol induced no change in proliferation of Jurkat and a modest decrease in U937 proliferation (to 63-67% of control; p
Functional specification of probabilistic process models

Agents that handle complex processes evolving over a period of time need to be able to monitor the state of the process. Since the evolution of a process is often stochastic, this requires probabilistic monitoring of processes. A probabilistic process modeling language is needed that can adequately capture our uncertainty about the process execution. We present a language for describing probabilistic process models. This language is functional in nature, and the paper argues that a functional language provides a natural way to specify process models. In our framework, processes have both states and values. Processes may execute sequentially or in parallel, and we describe two alternative forms of parallelism. An inference algorithm is presented that constructs a dynamic Bayesian network, containing a variable for every subprocess that is executed during the course of executing a process. We present a detailed example demonstrating the naturalness of the language.
A Reversible Epigenetic Link between Obesity and Cancer Risk

In a recent Cell Reports article, Li et al. report that obesity is associated with altered fatty acid metabolism and DNA methylation in the colonic epithelium, which precede a tumor-prone gene-expression profile. Interestingly, obesity-associated methylation and transcriptome changes were reversed by weight loss, and the duration of weight loss correlated with the extent of restored gene expression. These findings have implications that are encouraging for weight loss and cancer prevention.
Micro- and Macrocirculation

In physiology, capillary blood flow is identified with microcirculation. Flow in small blood vessels supplying and draining the capillaries, the arterioles and venules, respectively, are also included in microcirculation, but the question of how many orders are to be included in microcirculation is sometimes debated, because different organs seem to demand different answers. From fluid mechanical point of view, the distinction between micro and macro circulation can be based on the Reynolds number, VD/v, and Womersley number, \(\left( {D/2} \right)\sqrt {\omega /\nu } \) (Sec. 5.16), where V represents the mean velocity of flow in the vessel, D is the vessel diameter, v is the kinematic viscosity of the blood, co is the circular frequency of oscillation of the blood velocity fluctuations. If the Reynolds number and Womersley numbers are both much smaller than 1, then the inertial force can be ignored, and the flow is said to be microcirculation. If both numbers are much greater than 1, then the fluid viscosity can be ignored, and the flow is said to be macrocirculation. In between these limits the fluid mechanical equations are harder to solve, and it is immaterial whether you classify them as micro or macro circulation.
Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem

Let’s right away jump in and see the theorem that is the focus of this chapter. Theorem (Arrow1) There does not exist any social choice rule satisfying all of: 1. the standard domain constraint; 2. the strong Pareto condition; 3. independence of irrelevant alternatives; 4. has transitive explanations; 5. absence of a dictator.
Minimal enteral feeding

In preterm infants, enteral feeding is often delayed by hours to days after birth for fear of feeding intolerance due to immaturity, to avoid the accentuation of hypoxic/ischemic intestinal injury that might have been sustained in utero due to maternal risk factors such as pre-eclampsia, placental inusufficiency, or chorioamnionitis, or after birth due to the presence of cardio respiratory compromise in the early neonatal period, and as a protective strategy to reduce the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis. However, some degree of luminal nutrient exposure is essential to prevent intestinal mucosal atrophy. Minimal enteral feeding is a clinical compromise where small volumes of maternal milk or formula, typically 12–24 mL/kg/day, are provided to avoid complete enteral fasting for prolonged periods. Although preclinical and observational human studies indicate that minimal enteral feeding is likely to be beneficial through maturation of gut motility, induction of gut hormones, and prevention of adverse effects of enteral fasting and parenteral nutrition on the mucosa, randomized clinical trials conducted thus far have not provided conclusive evidence to confirm these benefits. Current clinical evidence suggests that minimal enteral feeding is relatively safe and does not increase incidence of NEC. However, the amount, duration, and the rate of advancement of minimal enteral feeding remain controversial. There is a need for a large, multi-centric study with pre-defined statistical and clinical definitions to draw strong conclusions. In this chapter, we review the physiological rationale and appraise the quality of existing evidence to support minimal enteral feeding in the neonatal intensive care unit.
A Review of the Interactions between Milk Proteins and Dairy Flavor Compounds

The effect of sodium caseinate and whey protein concentrate on vanillin, benzaldehyde, citral, and d-limonene was determined by quantitative descriptive analysis deviation from reference. A trained taste panel evaluated samples containing a single flavor compound in 2.5% sucrose solution against a reference sample. Vanillin, benzaldehyde, and d-limonene flavor intensity decreased as the concentratin of whey protein concentrate increased. In a separate study, the ability of delipidated methyl ketones to bind straight and branched chain methyl ketones was determined. The concentration of straight chain methyl ketones bound by the milk protein powder was inversely proportional to the size of the ligand. Branched chain methyl ketones did not exhibit a trend in binding based on ligand size.