cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initiation of the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 by a Singly Reduced Ruthenium(II) Bipyridine Complex

The one-electron reduction of [CpRu(bpy)NCCH3]PF6 (Cp = cyclopentadienyl; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), abbreviated as [Ru-S]+, where S = CH3CN, in CO2-saturated acetonitrile initiates a cascade of rapid electrochemical and chemical steps (ECEC) at an electrode potential of ca. 100 mV positive of the first reduction of the ruthenium complex. The overall two-electron process leads to the generation of a CO-bound ruthenium complex, [Ru-CO]+, and carbonate, as independently confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Simulations of the cyclic voltammograms using DigiElch together with density functional theory based calculations reveal that the singly reduced ruthenium complex [Ru-S]0 binds CO2 at a rate of ca. 105 M-1 s-1 at almost zero driving force. Subsequent to CO2 binding, all of the steps leading up to deoxygenation are highly exergonic and rapid. A model of the potential energy profile of the CO2 approach to the Ru center in the singly reduced manifold reveals a direct correlation between the reactivity toward CO2 and the nucleophilicity at the metal center influenced by different ligand environments. Through the binding of CO2 after the first reduction, overpotentials associated with consecutive electrochemical reductions are avoided. This work therefore provides an important design principle for engineering transition-metal complexes to activate CO2 under low driving forces.
Assessment and evaluation of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies

The incidence of child and adolescent psychiatric emergencies has increased over the past 20 years. This rise in emergency department (ED) mental health visits coincides with an overall increase in ED use from 89.8 million visits in 1992 to 107.5 million visits in 2001. Psychiatric presentations by children and adolescents (often in the absence of medical complaints) account for up to of the total visits to an ED in a given year and, in some reports, such presentations account for as many as 16% of ED visits.
Faraday Rotation Correction for SMAP and Soil Moisture Retrieval

Faraday rotation can be significant at L-band and needs to be considered in remote sensing from space using the spectrum window at 1.413 GHz protected for passive observations. This is especially so for a conical scanner such as SMAP because the variation of the rotation angle with position around the scan is of the same order of magnitude as the change with geographic position as the sensor travels in its orbit around the globe. Furthermore, the angle retrieved in situ by the radiometer is particularly noisy over land raising additional issues for remote sensing of soil moisture. Research is reported here assessing the magnitude of the problem and suggesting an approach for treating Faraday rotation in the context of remote sensing of soil moisture with a conical scanner like SMAP.
Comparisons of Mathematics Intervention Effects in Resource and Inclusive Classrooms

In this article, we describe results of a reanalysis of two randomized studies that tested the effects of enhanced anchored instruction (EAI) on the fractions computation performance of students in...
A numerical study of laser cooling in a large mode area single-mode photonic crystal Yb3+:ZBLAN glass fiber (Conference Presentation)

A numerical study of laser cooling in a large mode area Single Mode Photonic Crystal Yb3+:ZBLAN glass fiber is presented. In a recent analyses on conventional single mode fibers (SMFs), strategies to maximize the cooling efficiency were highlighted and it was shown that the cooling scales quadratically with the core and inversely with the cladding radius. For conventional SMFs, heat source density can hardly be increased due to limitations in the total Yb doping concentration and the fact that the system easily operates in the pump saturation regime due to very low saturation intensities in small core single mode fibers. Therefore, it is essential to use the largest possible core radius and smallest cladding radius to obtain detectable cooling. A trivial design approach to obtain large mode areas is to decrease the numerical aperture (NA). However, there are several difficulties in applying this concept to rare-earth-doped fibers. Here, we propose large mode area single mode Yb3+:ZBLAN photonic crystal fibers as a robust alternative design. The radial distribution of the pump and laser mode intensities are numerically calculated using Finite Element Method and the heat source density is directly calculated using the pump and laser intensity distributions. The heat source density is fed back to the heat transfer module of COMSOL and radial temperature distribution across the large core of the fiber and its surrounding photonic crystal structure is calculated. Our results show that a much higher laser cooling efficiency is achievable in large mode area single mode photonic crystal fibers.
Reversals and limitations on high-intensity, life-sustaining treatments.

Importance Critically ill patients often receive high-intensity life sustaining treatments (LST) in the intensive care unit (ICU), although they can be ineffective and eventually undesired. Determining the risk factors associated with reversals in LST goals can improve patient and provider appreciation for the natural history and epidemiology of critical care and inform decision making around the (continued) use of LSTs. Methods This is a single institution retrospective cohort study of patients receiving life sustaining treatment in an academic tertiary hospital from 2009 to 2013. Deidentified patient electronic medical record data was collected via the clinical data warehouse to study the outcomes of treatment limiting Comfort Care and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. Extended multivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate the association of patient and clinical factors with subsequent treatment limiting orders. Results 10,157 patients received life-sustaining treatment while initially Full Code (allowing all resuscitative measures). Of these, 770 (8.0%) transitioned to Comfort Care (with discontinuation of any life-sustaining treatments) while 1,669 (16%) patients received new DNR orders that reflect preferences to limit further life-sustaining treatment options. Patients who were older (Hazard Ratio(HR) 1.37 [95% CI 1.28–1.47] per decade), with cerebrovascular disease (HR 2.18 [95% CI 1.69–2.81]), treated by the Medical ICU (HR 1.92 [95% CI 1.49–2.49]) and Hematology-Oncology (HR 1.87 [95% CI 1.27–2.74]) services, receiving vasoactive infusions (HR 1.76 [95% CI 1.28, 2.43]) or continuous renal replacement (HR 1.83 [95% CI 1.34, 2.48]) were more likely to transition to Comfort Care. Any new DNR orders were more likely for patients who were older (HR 1.43 [95% CI 1.38–1.48] per decade), female (HR 1.30 [95% CI 1.17–1.44]), with cerebrovascular disease (HR 1.45 [95% CI 1.25–1.67]) or metastatic solid cancers (HR 1.92 [95% CI 1.48–2.49]), or treated by Medical ICU (HR 1.63 [95% CI 1.42–1.86]), Hematology-Oncology (HR 1.63 [95% CI 1.33–1.98]) and Cardiac Care Unit-Heart Failure (HR 1.41 [95% CI 1.15–1.72]). Conclusion Decisions to reverse or limit treatment goals occurs after more than 1 in 13 trials of LST, and is associated with older female patients, receiving non-ventilator forms of LST, cerebrovascular disease, and treatment by certain medical specialty services.
Synthetic Analogues of the Snail Toxin 6-Bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine Dimer (BrMT) Reveal That Lipid Bilayer Perturbation Does Not Underlie Its Modulation of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels

Drugs do not act solely by canonical ligand–receptor binding interactions. Amphiphilic drugs partition into membranes, thereby perturbing bulk lipid bilayer properties and possibly altering the function of membrane proteins. Distinguishing membrane perturbation from more direct protein–ligand interactions is an ongoing challenge in chemical biology. Herein, we present one strategy for doing so, using dimeric 6-bromo-2-mercaptotryptamine (BrMT) and synthetic analogues. BrMT is a chemically unstable marine snail toxin that has unique effects on voltage-gated K+ channel proteins, making it an attractive medicinal chemistry lead. BrMT is amphiphilic and perturbs lipid bilayers, raising the question of whether its action against K+ channels is merely a manifestation of membrane perturbation. To determine whether medicinal chemistry approaches to improve BrMT might be viable, we synthesized BrMT and 11 analogues and determined their activities in parallel assays measuring K+ channel activity and lipid bilayer p...
Potential Effects of Climate on Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding Demand and Value at U.S. National Forests

Annually, 23 million recreationists participate in downhill skiing on over 180,000 acres of skiable land in the U.S. National Forest system, making it the second most popular outdoor activity in the system. While the emerging literature on climate science reveals changing climatic conditions in ski areas, the extent of climate change impact on the demand for and economic value of downhill skiing is unknown. By combining trip data collected from on-site surveys of skiers in national forests across the nation with climatic data collected through nearby weather stations, this study developed an aggregated travel cost model to estimate the net economic benefit of downhill skiing and snowboarding, and the projected impact of climate change on the demand and value. Per person per trip net economic benefit of downhill skiing was estimated to be in the range of $91 to $185 depending on the assumptions about skiers’ opportunity cost of time. When aggregated across visits and national forests, the total economic value of downhill skiing in the U.S. National Forest system ranged from $2.16 to $4.39 billion, annually. Climate variables including temperature, snow depth, and rainfall were correlated with ski demand, and projected changes in these climate variables could affect the economic benefits from skiing. Findings contribute to understanding the net economic benefit of maintaining downhill skiing on national forests, and will help recreation planners and tourism entrepreneurs develop adaptive strategies to sustain the skiing industry. Subscribe to JPRA
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria with acute leukemia.

In a case of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, documented since 1955, the features of acute leukemia became evident in 1962, leading to quick death. Between 1960 and 1962, indications of PNH became greatly diminished and a slight, nonspecific leukocytosis developed. No apparent etiologic agent either for the PNH or the acute leukemia could be elicited.
CULTURE, CONCEPT AND DEFINITIONS

Anthropologists define culture as learned and shared concepts, values, or beliefs (conceptual), or as an adaptive system. Archaeologists use either definition to guide interpretation but define an archaeological culture as a set of artifact types that recurs at multiple sites. What those recurrent sets of artifact types truly signify in terms of human behavior and society has long been and continues to be contentious. In the past two decades whether or not sets of artifact types truly recur has become contentious as definitions of culture have come to include culture as a particularistic product of contingency-bound human interaction and behavior. However culture is defined, it must facilitate archaeological analysis.
FDG manual injection verses infusion system: A comparison of dose precision and extravasation

2031 Objectives The MEDRAD Intego™ PET Infusion System (Intego) is designed to deliver a more patient-specific FDG dose. We evaluated the precision of the FDG dose delivery and the frequency of extravasations when using the Intego compared to the standard manual injection. Methods The Intego is a lead-shielded mobile cart equipped with a dose calibrator and multi-dose vial of F-18 FDG. Patient-specific dose is measured and automatically infused into the patient once venous access is available. This system is designed to measure, infuse, and flush the FDG while providing additional shielding to technologists. In our PET center, we routinely record residual remaining activity for each FDG injection and acquire whole-body “head to toe” axial co-scan range for all cancer cases. Residual remaining activity and frequency of extravasations for the 98 patients injected using the Intego system were compared to another 98 patients injected manually immediately prior to starting the Intego. Results Average syringe residual activity per patient was 0.047mCi for the Intego and 0.25mCi for the manual technique. Frequency of extravasations was 3/98 (3%) for the Intego and 9/98 (9%) for the manual injection. Compared to the manual injection, the Intego system resulted in reducing average residual activity by 81% and frequency of extravasations by 67%. Conclusions Initial utilization of Intego in our PET center was successful, resulting in a more precise FDG dose delivery and fewer extravasations. Further work is planned to evaluate workflow, cost analysis, and radiation exposure and overall pros and cons of the Intego PET infusion system.
Trauma to the Torso

Injuries to the torso account for a large portion of deaths from trauma. Second only to death from central nervous system injury, hemorrhage accounts for 30%–40% of traumatic deaths.1,2 Most commonly, bleeding is secondary to injury to the chest or abdomen.3 Thoracic injury alone accounts for 20% to 25% of all trauma deaths,4 most commonly caused by injury to the heart or great vessels. Minor injury to the thorax is common, including rib fracture, pneumothorax, and pulmonary contusion. Major abdominal injuries occur in approximately 25 % of severely injured patients and are often associated with multiple system injuries.5
Investigation of Generator Ramp Rates in High Renewable Penetration Systems using an Academic New York Network Model

This paper presents an Academic Model of the NYISO transmission system that mimics key features of the New York network on a smaller scale without the use of confidential information. A day-ahead and real-time Market Model is developed using MatPower. Real time dispatch and commitment engines operate on 5 and 15 minute time scales, respectively. Startup notification and the ability to curtail renewable resources are modeled. Simulations show the effects of doubling steam unit ramp rates on two days in both low and high renewable penetration scenarios.
Simulation of kinematic Kikuchi diffraction patterns from atomistic structures.

Abstract One of the limitations of atomistic simulations is that many of the computational tools used to extract structural information from atomic trajectories provide metrics that are not directly compatible with experiments for validation. In this work, to bridge between simulation and experiment, a method is presented to produce simulated Kikuchi diffraction patterns using data from atomistic simulations, without requiring a priori specification of the crystal structure or defect periodicity. The Kikuchi pattern simulation is based on the kinematic theory of diffraction, with Kikuchi line intensities computed via a discrete structure factor calculation. Reciprocal lattice points are mapped to Kikuchi lines using a geometric projection of the reciprocal space data. This method is validated using single crystal atomistic models, and the novelty of this approach is emphasized by simulating kinematic Kikuchi diffraction patterns from an atomistic model containing a nanoscale dislocation loop. Deviations in kinematic Kikuchi line intensities are explained considering the displacement field of the dislocation loop, as is done in diffraction contrast theory.
Post-operative Abdominal Wall Cellulitis

Imaging plays an important role in the current management of patients with postoperative wound infection. Early detection of the extent of intra-abdominal infection and complications is crucial because clinical deterioration can be precipitous. Knowledge of the available imaging tools will facilitate recognition of postoperative complications and allow prompt interventions.
All in the Family: the Link Between Couple-Level Work-Family Conflict and Family Satisfaction and Its Impact on the Composition of the Family over Time

Using a resource scarcity perspective, the current longitudinal study examines how a couple’s work-family conflict influences future satisfaction within the family domain and subsequent couple separation and family expansion. Results suggest that work-family conflict does alter the couple’s work-family interface indirectly by negatively influencing satisfaction within the family domain, which in turn influences future couple separation and family expansion through birth or adoption. These results move the applied psychology literature on the link between work-family conflict and satisfaction in the home forward by demonstrating that its effects are not limited to proximal outcomes within the family domain but overtime can indeed change the actual structure and composition of the family unit. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Shape equations for two-dimensional manifolds through a moving frame variational approach

A variational approach is given which can be applied to functionals of a general form to determine a corresponding Euler–Lagrange or shape equation. It is the intention to formulate the theory in d...
Challenges to disaster risk management in The Gambia: A preliminary investigation of the disaster management system's structure

Abstract The alarming increase in the scale and incidence of disasters around the world has been largely attributed to global climate change. Africa like other continents has also experienced its share of disaster, though not on the same scale as countries in Asia, while the scale of disasters in Africa is smaller, the effects on the population is devastating due in large part to the high level of vulnerability in African countries. The Gambia is no exception and is also prone to numerous hazardous events that are exacerbated by lack of capacity in implementing disaster risk reduction measures. The Gambia is in a position to decentralize the government in addition to implement newly created developmental goals. One of these goals is to enhance the nation's disaster risk management system. As such, this paper provides the results of a preliminary investigation of The Gambia's disaster risk management system, with a focus on its organizational structure. Using an action research approach and through the analysis of an online survey and semi-structured interviews with disaster management leadership, this study finds that the current institutional structure of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) should be enhanced to promote more efficient and effective management practices. As a result, a new national institutional structure is proposed that reduces political and administrative inefficiencies at the same time as pursuing the nation's new developmental goals and vision.
The Elephant in the Hospital Room Charge

The parents of a child recently hospitalized for 3 days for bronchiolitis receive the bill in the mail for their child’s hospital stay. They are stunned by the total amount of the bill. They notice that the hospital room charge accounts for nearly three-fourths of the billed amount. The bill provides no information about the room charge. The parents wonder, “What is this charge? What goes into it? Why is it so expensive?” They are grateful that the bill is covered almost fully by their child’s health insurance. In the current issue of Pediatrics , Synhorst et al1 assessed variation across children’s hospitals in the cost of care for pediatric patients hospitalized with asthma, bronchiolitis, and other common pediatric illnesses. Patients’ hospital rooms accounted for the majority of total hospital costs, whereas nonroom costs (eg, medications, laboratory testing) contributed much less. The authors concluded that initiatives to improve the quality of hospital care for common pediatric illnesses have limited opportunity to meaningfully reduce costs without addressing hospital room costs. Synhorst et al1 highlight the difficulty of conducting research on hospital cost of care using administrative data that provide little information about the biggest expense on the bill: the patient’s room. Although Synhorst et al1 suggest that room costs broadly include overhead and staffing expenses, there are neither established definitions nor … Address correspondence to Jay Berry, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02130. E-mail: jay.berry{at}childrens.harvard.edu
Multiplex RT-PCR assay for the detection of 8 kinds of respiratory viruses

Objective To set up a multiplex RT-PCR assay for the detection of 8 kinds of common respiratory viruses at the same time. Methods We obtained theses high sensitive and specific primers for RT-PCR detection of Influenza A, B and C, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, coronavirus 229E, OCA3 and metapneumovirus from published articles and evaluate them by related software. Eight pairs of primers selected from experiment were divided into 2 groups. Each multiplex RT-PCR with 8 special primers with was performed in same reaction system using one-step reverse transcription and hemi-ncsted assay. The multiplex RT-PCR was constructed by using virus isolates stored in our lab and performed on 261 throat swabs collected from out-patients with acute respiratory symptom. Results Eight kinds of respiratory viruses were amplified in two reaction systems, the consistency of positivity for multiplex RT-PCR and common RT-PCR for hRSV, hRV and hCov229E was 97.9%,95.8% and 95.8% respectively. The consistency of positivity for the other 5 viruses was 48/48. The consistency of positive for multiplex henri-nested PCR and common hemi-nested PCR for hRSV, hRV and hCov229E was 97.9%, 95.8% and 95.8% respectively. The consistency of positivity for the other 5 viruses was 100% . Conclusions Two multiplex RT-PCR assays show high consistency with common RT-PCR. The multiplex RT-PCR assays were initially established. Key words: Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; Respiratory syncytial viruses; Orthomyxoviridae; Rhinovirus; Coronavirus
Causal and Passive Parameterization of S-Parameters Using Neural Networks

Neural networks (NNs) are widely used to create parametric models of S-parameters for various components in electronic systems. The focus of deriving these models has so far been numerical error reduction between the NN-generated S-parameters and the data source. However, this is not sufficient when creating such NNs since it does not guarantee predicted S-parameters to be physically consistent, i.e., passive and causal, which restricts their use cases. This article, therefore, proposes a causality enforcement layer (CEL) and passivity enforcement layer (PEL) that can be used in NNs, which ensures that NN-predicted S-parameters are of a passive and causal system. To achieve this, we utilize Kramers–Kronig relations and singular value properties of S-parameters during the training stage with the purpose of learning a physically consistent representation. This enables end-to-end training where no postprocessing is required to ensure physical consistency. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented approach for three different design applications, where the goal is to predict S-parameters from dc to 100 GHz. The results show that when NNs are trained using CEL and PEL, the predicted S-parameters are characterized as 100.0% causal and passive while having the same level of accuracy as NNs that solely focus on error minimization.
When Franchisee Service Affects Demand: An Application to the Car Radiator Market and Resale Price Maintenance

This study provides a novel empirical framework to quantify the effect of a firm’s unobserved endogenous service on demand, in conjunction with endogenous price.
Hematoma expansion is more frequent in deep than lobar intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective To test the hypothesis that patients with deep intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) would encounter hematoma expansion (HE) more frequently compared to patients with lobar ICH. Methods Patients with ICH with neuroimaging to calculate HE were analyzed from the multicenter Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) cohort. Patients with laboratory coagulopathy or preceding anticoagulant use were excluded to assess relationships of ICH location alone (deep vs lobar) with HE, defined as >33% relative growth. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these relationships were estimated with logistic regression. Sensitivity and specificity determined HE thresholds best associated with poor 3-month outcomes (modified Rankin score 4-6) stratified by location. Results There were 1,049 patients with deep and 408 patients with lobar ICH analyzed. Deep ICH locations were more likely to have HE (adjusted OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.08–2.29) after adjustment for age, sex, race, baseline hematoma size, and intraventricular hemorrhage. However, this difference was nonsignificant (adjusted OR 1.35, 95% CI 0.81–2.24) after controlling for time from symptom onset to admission CT in a subgroup analysis of 729 patients with these data. Yet, the threshold of HE best associated with poor outcomes was smaller in deep (30%) compared to lobar (50%) ICH. Conclusions While HE was more frequent in deep than lobar ICH, this could be due to differences in symptom onset to admission CT times in our cohort. However, patients with deep ICH appear particularly vulnerable to the deleterious effects of small volumes of HE. Further studies should clarify whether ICH location needs to be considered in HE treatment paradigms.
Epi-illumination tomographic quantitative phase imaging identifies brain tumor margins

The first-line treatment for brain cancer is surgery, which focuses on maximizing the percentage of the tumor removed during surgery (i.e., extent of resection) while minimizing damage to healthy brain tissue. Data show that extent of resection is one of the most critical factors associated with prolonged survival. However, differentiating between tumor and healthy tissue intraoperatively remains a significant clinical challenge, resulting in an exceedingly low 5-year survival rate of only ~35%. In this work, we show that quantitative oblique back illumination microscopy (qOBM), a novel label-free optical imaging technique that achieves tomographic quantitative phase imaging (QPI) in thick scattering samples, clearly differentiates between tumor and healthy tissue. Using a 9L gliosarcoma rat tumor model, we show that quantitative image features from qOBM provide a robust set of biomarkers for disease. In addition, tumor regions, including diffuse tumor, and healthy brain structures, show excellent structural agreement with H&E stained and sliced brightfield images, the gold standard for cancer detection. The unique attribute of qOBM—low-cost, easy-to-use, label-free, and real-time—make this technology ideally suited to help guide neurosurgery and address this important unmet need. Here we describe our free-space qOBM system and present quantitative results from the 9L gliosarcoma rat tumor model.
Gastrointestinal Distress, State and Trait Anxiety, and Dietary Intake Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives To determine the impact of State and Trait anxiety and dietary intake on college students' gastrointestinal symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Heat and moisture transfer studies on walnuts during hot air drying in a fixed-bed column dryer

Abstract This research was conducted to better understand the mechanisms of heat and moisture transfer of walnuts during drying in a fixed-bed column dryer with heated air, and to develop a mathematical model to simulate this process. Drying experiments were performed under constant temperature and step-down temperature conditions (43, 55, 65 and 75 °C) with fixed air velocity of 0.7 m/s. The nonequilibrium transfers of liquid moisture, water vapor and heat within the single walnuts (both shell and kernel), as well as between the walnuts and drying air in the column were simulated and studied using a finite element method. The numerical results showed that the distribution of temperature and moisture content in the single walnuts played an important role in the heat and moisture transfer in the deep-bed column. The drying characteristics of walnuts were significantly affected by the non-uniformity of drying conditions surrounding the walnuts (particularly for air temperature and humidity) along the column heights. The predicted values of walnut moisture contents, temperatures, and air relative humidity at different column heights agreed well with the experimental values (Radj2 > 0.972) under different drying conditions. This study established the theoretical basis for improving and optimizing the walnut drying process in deep-bed dryers. The developed mathematical model can be used to describe the drying characteristics and understand the mechanisms of walnuts drying in deep bed dryers.
Ultrafast optical techniques for communication networks and signal processing

Wireless communications, for data services in particular, have witnessed an exponential growth, and wireless spectrum shortages necessitate increasingly sophisticated methods to use spectrum efficiently. The backhaul of nearly all wireless data networks is fiber-optic. Analog optical signal processing techniques, or microwave photonics, provides an ideal platform for processing wireless information before it is transported to data aggregation centers by fibers. It is in this context that we present recent advances in optical signal processing techniques for wireless radio frequency (RF) signals. Specifically, this chapter is devoted to the discussion of photonic architectures for wideband analog signal processing, including RF beamforming , co-channel interference cancellation, and physical layer security . Photonics offers the advantages not only of broadband operation, but reduced size, weight, and power, in addition to low transmission loss, rapid reconfigurability, and immunity to electromagnetic interference .
Mammalian ferrochelatase. Expression and characterization of normal and two human protoporphyric ferrochelatases.

Abstract Ferrochelatase (EC 4.99.1.1) catalyzes the terminal step in the heme biosynthetic pathway, the insertion of ferrous iron into protoporphyrin IX. Herein we report the expression, purification, and characterization of the mature processed form of human and mouse ferrochelatase in Escherichia coli JM109. Metal analysis of the recombinant normal human ferrochelatase reveals that there are approximately 2 iron atoms/molecule of enzyme. This, along with the presence of spectral absorbance near 320 nm, is strongly suggestive that recombinant mammalian ferrochelatase as expressed in E. coli may contain an iron sulfur cluster. Two human protoporphyric ferrochelatases, F417S and M267I, were also expressed and characterized. The M267I mutant possesses the same Km and Vmax as the normal enzyme but exhibits increased thermolability when compared with normal human ferrochelatase. The F417S mutant has less than 2% of the normal activity. Since the Phe-->Ser substitution in this mutation is both chemically and structurally significant, three single amino acid substitutions (Lys, Tyr, and Trp) were engineered and characterized. None of these resulted in a protein with wild type activity. Additionally the carboxyl-terminal 10-amino acid segment, which contains Phe-417, from the yeast sequence was substituted, but this construct had no activity. Elimination of the carboxyl-terminal 30 amino acid residues (which include Phe-417) results in a protein the same length as the bacterial ferrochelatases, but it is an inactive enzyme.
Parallel Genetic Algorithms

A universal method for parallelizing a Genetic Algorithm is given. Referred to as IIP parallel, independent and identical processing, theoretical analysis shows that the technique achieves a speedup using m processors given bymsm−1 where the acceleration factor s is a parameter depending on the details of the GA. Typically s > 1. The results are illustrated on two problems small enough that the exact calculation of s can be made and compared to the asymptotic estimates. The results are also illustrated on the non–trivial Inverse Fractal Problem. It is noted that the same results have been attained elsewhere on a wide variety of well known significant problems.
Optical Coherence Tomography Study of Retinal Changes in Normal Aging and After IschemiaOCT Changes in Normal Aging and After Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

PURPOSE Age-related thinning of the retinal ganglion cell axons in the nerve fiber layer has been measured in humans using optical coherence tomography (OCT). In this study, we used OCT to measure inner retinal changes in 3-month-, 1-year-, and 2-year-old mice and after experimental anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION). METHODS We used OCT to quantify retinal thickness in over 200 eyes at different ages before and after a photochemical thrombosis model of AION. The scans were manually or automatically segmented. RESULTS In normal aging, there was 1.3-μm thinning of the ganglion cell complex (GCC) between 3 months and 1 year (P < 0.0001) and no further thinning at 2 years. In studying age-related inner retinal changes, measurement of the GCC (circular scan) was superior to that of the total retinal thickness (posterior pole scan) despite the need for manual segmentation because it was not contaminated by outer retinal changes. Three weeks after AION, there was 8.9-μm thinning of the GCC (circular scan; P < 0.0001), 50-μm thinning of the optic disc (posterior pole scan; P < 0.0001), and 17-μm thinning of the retina (posterior pole scan; P < 0.0001) in the 3-month-old group. Changes in the older eyes after AION were similar to those of the 3-month-old group. CONCLUSIONS Optical coherence tomography imaging of a large number of eyes showed that, like humans, mice exhibited small, age-related inner retinal thinning. Measurement of the GCC was superior to total retinal thickness in quantifying age-related changes, and both circular and posterior pole scans were useful to track short-term changes after AION.
Modeling cognitive network of a physical system using design knowledge base

In this work, a framework is presented to semi-automate the development of a cognitive network diagram for complex engineering systems. Each node of a cognitive network represents design parameters, environmental factors, and quality characteristics whereas each arc represents causal relationship between two nodes. The framework is proposed to utilize the existing knowledge base, such as, CAD database, expert inputs, and other sources of information to generate the network diagram. Along with these sources of information, the framework also extracts geometric structure, functional relations, and other engineering inputs from CAD system to model the complex physical system into the cognitive network diagram. Semi-automation of the development of a cognitive network diagram will help to reduce the tedious task of manually developing network diagrams. The purpose of developing the cognitive network model is to simulate the behavior of complex physical systems and generate the failure knowledge. The framework is demonstrated by a case study of fuel injection nozzle.
Tool Force Measurement And Prediction In Diamond Turning

Experiments have been performed to measure cutting forces for slow speed turning of aluminum 2024-T361 with diamond tools. A measurement apparatus. was designed and incorporated into an existing precision lathe. Both specimen preparation and cutting force measurements were performed with the lathe. Cuts of 12 mm (0.5 in) in length were made and average forces obtained for a variety of cutting depths, speeds, rake angles, and lubricants. The results of this work show that (a)cutting force and area are linearly proportional to each other, (b)cutting force increases but surface finish improves as the rake angle is varied from 5 to -15 degrees, and (c)cutting force decreases with improved surface finish at higher speeds if a lubricant is used. Finally, agreement between these results and those of a numerical analysis has been achieved.
Convergence or Business as Usual?: Comparing New Media Use at Television Stations and Newspapers

This national survey examined the differences between television news operations and newspapers in their use of multimedia to disseminate content. Although Dailey, Demo, and Spillman (2005a) noted that journalists should leave their “old ways” behind and focus on ways that will work in the “new media,” it appears that the “legacy” attitudes of traditional media are carrying over into new media and that newspapers appear to be falling behind television stations in some key aspects of delivering content over new media.
Regulation of the Human Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Gene in Atrial Cardiocytes by the Transcription Factor AP-1

The effects of overexpression of individual components of the AP-1 transcription complex (ie, c-fos and c-jun) were examined in neonatal rat atriocyte cultures. Cotransfection of a c-jun expression plasmid together with a test plasmid linking portions of the human atrial natriuretic peptide (hANP) gene promoter to a bacterial chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter resulted in a dramatic increase in ANP gene promoter activity. This effect appeared to operate through a consensus TPA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) response element (ie, AP-1 binding site) located approximately 235 base pairs upstream from the start site of transcription. This same TPA response element appears to be responsible for induction of hANP gene promoter activity by the phorbol ester TPA. Cotransfection of the same hANP promoter-CAT reporter constructs with a c-fos expression vector resulted in an unpredicted inhibition of reporter gene expression. This inhibitory activity was localized to the carboxy terminus of the c-fos protein and dominated the more conventional AP-1-dependent activity located elsewhere in the c-fos molecule. These findings suggest potential mechanisms for linking regulatory signals operative at or near the cell surface to the control of transcriptional activity in the cell nucleus.
Conflict theory and racial profiling: An empirical analysis of police traffic stop data

Using data collected by the Richmond, Virginia Police Department, this article applies conflict theory to police traffic stop practices. In particular, it explores whether police traffic stop, search, and arrest practices differ according to racial or socioeconomic factors among neighborhoods. Three principal findings emanate from this research. First, the total number of stops by Richmond police was determined solely by the crime rate of the neighborhood. Second, the percentage of stops that resulted in a search was determined by the percentage of Black population. Third, when examining the percentage of stops that ended in an arrest/summons, the analyses suggest that both the percentage of Black population and the area crime rate served to decrease the percentage of police stops that ended in an arrest/summons. Implications for conflict theory and police decision-making are addressed.
Patterns of LPS synthesis in Gram negative bacteria

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a lipid based carbohydrate polymer, is found in the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria where it plays a vital role in its structure and function. It is chiefly responsible for the toxic effects of the bacterial diseases caused by these organisms and plays a role in the organisms defense against host immune attack. In recent experiments using high resolution gel techniques Goldman & Leive (1980) have revealed an unexpected heterogeneity in the distribution of polymer lengths found in the membrane with lengths ranging from 0 (lipid-A-core) to nearly 40 sugar units. Monomer units are an essential element of the synthesis process. Working with mutant strains of E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium , they have also shown that these bacteria will continue to synthesize LPS molecules with very long chains even though monomer unit production is severely reduced. The steps involved in the synthesis of LPS are known and in this paper it is shown that the results of Goldman & Leive cannot be obtained assuming the synthesis process is length independent as has been suggested. Moreover, the paradoxical persistence of long chains in spite of monomer suppression has a simple explanation once length dependence is assumed. These conclusions result from the analysis of a Markov chain model of synthesis.
Making a Wish in Rwanda The Restoration of Hope

Though the genocide in Rwanda occurred in 1994, its debilitating effects on the survivors persist, and probably will continue to persist for many years, if not generations. This paper explores the question of why a simple Western tradition may have helped a Rwandan woman to emerge from a 13-year-old state of grief. The key elements involved in her transformation were: resilience, timing, connection, and creativity. Additionally, positive regard and sincere respect can promote healing and can transcend language and culture. Parallels between self-in-relation theory and trauma recovery work are discussed. Social workers must strive to be culturally competent, but should not underestimate the effectiveness of their essential social work training and practical experience.
Effectiveness of a specialized women's intervention in a residential treatment program.

“Time Out! For Me,” a specialized psychoeducational treatment found to be effective with women in an outpatient methadone clinic, was tested for generalizability to a residential drug user treatment program. The 6-session module was first given to an experimental group (n = 11) and compared to a control group (n = 10). The treatment was associated with increases in knowledge of human sexuality, assertiveness and communication skills, more positive attitudes toward being assertive and practicing safer sex, and increased self-esteem. Thus, “Time Out” appears to be an effective treatment enhancement for women in residential treatment.
Symmetry breaking bifurcations of a parametrically excited pendulum

This paper examines the bifurcation behavior of a planar pendulum subjected to high-frequency parametric excitation along a tilted angle. Parametric nonlinear identification is performed on the experimental system via an optimization approach that utilizes a developed approximate analytical solution. Experimental and theoretical efforts then consider the influence of a subtle tilt angle in the applied parametric excitation by contrasting the predicted and observed mean angle bifurcations with the bifurcations due to excitation applied in either the vertical or horizontal direction. Results show that small deviations from either a perfectly vertical or horizontal excitation will result in symmetry breaking bifurcations as opposed to pitchfork bifurcations.
Direct numerical simulation of premixed flame kernel-vortex interactions in hydrogen-air mixtures

Abstract The unsteady interaction between a vortex pair and a premixed flame kernel in 2D is investigated numerically using direct numerical simulations with a detailed reaction mechanism for hydrogen chemistry. The simulations are based on variations of the vortex size and strength with respect to a base case and in comparison with an unperturbed premixed flame kernel. The simulations result in two different regimes for flame kernel–vortex interactions, which, based on the parameter range considered, are consistent with experimental observations. The first regime, the global extinction regime, is characterized by an interaction that is initiated when the kernel is still small compared to the vortex pair core size. The second regime corresponds to an interaction later in time when the kernel size is larger than the vortex pair core size, which results primarily in a wrinkling effect on the flame kernel. Computations of different global quantities show that the vortex-pair causes an enhancement in the flame surface area and the volumetric fuel consumption rate in the break through regime. However, there is a reduction in the global consumption speed during the interaction associated with the effect of stretch on flame structure. A rescaling of the time scale, taking into consideration the vortex-pair translational velocity, is derived, which represents the main effect of the vortex-induced stretch on the flame surface area. Moreover, a new parameter is derived to evaluate the fraction of mutually interacting flames. Downstream interactions, which correspond to the proximity of flames from their burned gas side, are the dominant contribution to flame–flame interactions.
Cell proliferation in injured spinal cord. An electron microscopic study.

To examine the fine structure of cells synthesizing DNA in the spinal cord in response to injury, mice were given a single injection of 3H-thymidine two days after stab injury to the spinal cord and were sacrificed at either two hours or one, two, six or 14 days later. The most common type of labeled cell found at a distance from the wound at all the time intervals after 3H-thymidine injection had an elongated or irregularly oval nucleus with clumps of condensed chromatin at the nuclear envelope and one or more nucleoli. The cytoplasm which was darker than adjacent axoplasm, contained dense bodies, scattered mitochondria, many free ribosomes, only a few rather long cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticulum, a prominent Golgi apparatus, and a few granules. These cells were similar in appearance to the cells that have been identified as microglia or multipotential glia by others. However, they also have many features in common with blood mononuclear cells. In the wound, in addition to the cells already described, the labeled cells at two hours after 3H-thymidine injection included well developed macrophages, a few endothelial cells, and a large number of cells with large pale nuclei and cytoplasm containing abundant microtubules and granules. At the later time intervals, these cells apparently developed large numbers of cytoplasmic filaments. Although they bore some resemblance to reactive astrocytes, these labeled cells were not typical astrocytes, and their location, their apparent transformation from a cell without filaments, and their pseudopodia and surface vacuoles suggest the possibility that they may be derived from blood mononuclear cells.
RETRIEVING OF THE BIOOPTICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BLACK-SEA WATERS UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF CONSTANT REFLECTANCE AT A WAVELENGTH OF 400 nm

We consider a method used for the solution of the inverse problem of biooptics of the sea according to the spectrum of upwelling radiation and propose a procedure for the correction of the data of measurement by fixing the value of reflectance at a wavelength of 400 nm. The influence of this assumption on the results of retrieving of the concentrations of admixtures in seawater is analyzed. The computed values of the concentration of chlorophyll correspond to the data of direct biological measurements, and the reconstructed spectra of the absorption coefficient of phytoplankton have local maxima typical of biological particles. The applied correction allows us to decrease the influence of measurement errors on the results of retrieving and to increase the stability of solution of the inverse problem.
Characterization of the jet perforation crushed zone by SEM and image analysis

This paper presents a method to measure porosity and permeability alteration of the crushed zone with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analysis. A new phenomenon, shock metamorphism, was used to evaluate shock-wave penetration. Berea sandstone samples were prepared with a modification of the API recommended practice for test-sample preparation. Samples were perforated with low- and medium-penetration shaped charges. Analysis of the low-charge shot sample indicated an average porosity reduction of 25% and an average permeability reduction of 55% in the crushed zone. The sample shot with the medium-penetration shaped charge shoved planar-element shock metamorphism.