cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved implementation of pairing corrections in exciton model particle-hole state densities

Improvements have been made to an existing method for implementing realistic pairing corrections in particle-hole state densities. The threshold energy for the pairing “single particle” states is u...
In Vivo Imaging of MSCs

Clinical applications of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) to treat a myriad of diseases are currently being initiated. For MSC therapy to become common practice, basic questions about the fate of MSCs once administered need to be addressed. These include the biodistribution, survival, and differentiation of MSCs. In this chapter, several imaging techniques are described that can be used to interrogate these questions in a clinically applicable manner, and several examples are discussed. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/radioisotope imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cell-tracking techniques are the two modalities that likely will become mainstays in clinical practice.
Augmented Reality for Nano Manipulation

In recent research in nano and micro world, the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) [1] plays more and more important role because of high resolution image [2] and vacuum free working environment. With the help of AFM, it makes people more convenience to get high quality live cell or fixed cell image [3]. The AFM also has the ability to test and measure the mechanical characteristic of sample such as force curve, Young’s modulus and roughness [3, 4], therefore, some researchers [4–6] focus on the subject of measuring the mechanical property of living cell or using functionalized tip to stimulate the cell by means of electric or chemical solution [7–9]. The vacuum free working environment makes AFM much more flexible in various working conditions both in air and liquid.
Hydroxyapatite chromatography: purification strategies for recombinant proteins.

The purpose of this section is to provide developmental purification strategies for recombinant proteins on a column of hydroxyapatite and then to optimize them for repeated purification cycles using effect additives. Surface neutralization solutions (SNS) (patent pending) and/or the addition of calcium ions reduce the solubility of hydroxyapatite thus extending the column lifetime. This section leads the user through purification protocol screening followed by SNS--calcium ion supplementation step gradients for purifying a monoclonal antibody from its contaminants. The section provides simple analytical tools using a 160 ml scale column to predict column life at the process scale. However, the development engineer is encouraged to test the model in a minimum-sized process column.
Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Somatosensory-Evoked Potential Changes

The somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP) were the first evoked potentials recorded in humans (Dawson 1950). Activated by peripheral nerve stimulation and recordable from many sites on the body surface overlying the spinal cord and brain, SEP signals are among the most robust and reproducible evoked potentials. From the outset, many clinicians recognized the potential importance of the SEP for assessing sensory function (Perot, 1973). Unlike the neurological examination which require alert and cooperative patients, SEPs can test the integrity of the ascending sensory pathways in comatose, anesthetized, drugged, psychiatrically unstable, or malingering patients. In addition, SEPs provide certain information that cannot be readily determined by neurological examination, such as the conduciton velocity of central sensory pathways. Due to the length of the somatosensory pathways, SEPs are sensitive to lesions in many areas of central nervous system and can often detect subtle dysfunctions of conduction or synaptic transmission along the pathways.
Medial temporal lobe volumes in late-life depression: effects of age and vascular risk factors.

Substantial work associates late-life depression with hippocampal pathology. However, there is less information about differences in hippocampal subfields and other connected temporal lobe regions and how these regions may be influenced by vascular factors. Individuals aged 60 years or older with and without a DSM-IV diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder completed clinical assessments and 3 T cranial MRI using a protocol allowing for automated measurement of medial temporal lobe subfield volumes. A subset also completed pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling, allowing for the measurement of hippocampal cerebral blood flow. In 59 depressed and 21 never-depressed elders (mean age = 66.4 years, SD = 5.8y, range 60-86y), the depressed group did not exhibit statistically significant volumetric differences for the total hippocampus or hippocampal subfields but did exhibit significantly smaller volumes of the perirhinal cortex, specifically in the BA36 region. Additionally, age had a greater effect in the depressed group on volumes of the cornu ammonis, entorhinal cortex, and BA36 region. Finally, both clinical and radiological markers of vascular risk were associated with smaller BA36 volumes, while reduced hippocampal blood flow was associated with smaller hippocampal and cornu ammonis volumes. In conclusion, while we did not observe group differences in hippocampal regions, we observed group differences and an effect of vascular pathology on the BA36 region, part of the perirhinal cortex. This is a critical region exhibiting atrophy in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the observed greater effect of age in the depressed groups is concordant with past longitudinal studies reporting greater hippocampal atrophy in late-life depression.
Refinement of metabolite detection in cystic fibrosis sputum reveals heme negatively correlates with lung function

Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients (1, 2). Our laboratory has studied a class of small molecules produced by P. aeruginosa known as phenazines, including pyocyanin and its biogenic precursor phenazine 1 carboxylic acid (PCA). As phenazines are known virulence factors (3), we and others have explored the possibility of using phenazine concentrations as a marker for disease progression (4, 5, 6). Previously, we reported that sputum concentrations of pyocyanin and PCA negatively correlate with lung function in cystic fibrosis patients (6). Our study used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantify phenazines by UV vis absorbance after extraction from lung sputum. Since our initial study, methods for metabolite analysis have advanced considerably, aided in large part by usage of mass spectrometry (LC MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC MS/MS). Because a more recent study employing LC MS/MS revealed a surprising decoupling of P. aeruginosa metabolites in sputum and the detection of P. aeruginosa through culturing or microbiome profiles (4), we decided to check whether we could reproduce our previous findings by analyzing sputum samples from a different patient cohort with a new LC MS instrument in our laboratory. Our new samples were provided by the Mountain West CF Consortium Sputum Biomarker study (7). In the course of performing our new analyses, comparison of our old HPLC data to our new LC MS data led us to realize that the peak previously assigned to PCA instead originates from heme, and the peak assigned to pyocyanin originates from an as yet unknown compound. This correction only affects the measurements of phenazines in sputum, and we are confident in the phenazine measurements from isolated cultures and the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from that study (6). Here we outline the basis for our correction and present additional data showing that heme concentration negatively correlates with lung function in cystic fibrosis patients.
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Association Between Vitamin K Antagonist Use and Fracture

Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulant use is suspected to increase the risk of bone fracture through inhibition of vitamin K–dependent cofactors of bone formation, an effect not seen with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The purpose of our systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the association between VKA use and fracture. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library for studies analyzing fracture in adults using VKAs versus controls. Two authors independently reviewed articles. We assessed for risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and calculated pooled effects using random effects models. We included 23 articles (22 observational studies and 1 randomized controlled trial), studying 1,121,582 subjects. There was no increased odds of fracture in VKA users versus controls (pooled OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.89, 1.14) or in VKA users versus NOAC users (pooled OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.78, 1.15). Subjects using a VKA for 1 year or longer did not have increased odds of fracture (pooled OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.90, 1.27). Compared to controls, there was increased odds of fracture in women (pooled OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02, 1.21) and older VKA users (≥ 65) (pooled OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01, 1.14). We found no increase in odds of fracture in VKA users versus controls or NOAC users. There was a small increase in odds of fracture among female and elderly VKA users, which may not be clinically important when accounting for other considerations in choosing an anticoagulant. Our findings suggest that, when anticoagulation is necessary, fracture risk should not be a major consideration in choice of an agent. Future studies directly comparing VKA to NOAC users and studies with longer duration of VKA use may be needed.
Decision-Making in Agent-Based Modeling: A Current Review and Future Prospectus

All basic processes of ecological populations involve decisions; when and where to move, when and what to eat, and whether to fight or flee. Yet decisions and the underlying principles of decision-making have been difficult to integrate into the classical population-level models of ecology. Certainly, there is a long history of modeling individuals’ searching behavior, diet selection, or conflict dynamics within social interactions. When all individuals are given certain simple rules to govern their decision-making processes, the resultant population–level models have yielded important generalizations and theory. But it is also recognized that such models do not represent the way real individuals decide on actions. Factors that influence a decision include the organism’s environment with its dynamic rewards and risks, the complex internal state of the organism, and its imperfect knowledge of the environment. In the case of animals, it may also involve complex social factors, and experience and learning, which vary among individuals. The way that all factors are weighed and processed to lead to decisions is a major area of behavioral theory. While classic population-level modeling is limited in its ability to integrate decision-making in its actual complexity, the development of individual- or agent-based models (IBM/ABMs) (we use ABM throughout to designate both ‘agent-based modeling’ and an ‘agent-based model’) has opened the possibility of describing the way that decisions are made, and their effects, in minute detail. Over the years, these models have increased in size and complexity. Current ABMs can simulate thousands of individuals in realistic environments, and with highly detailed internal physiology, perception and ability to process the perceptions and make decisions based on those and their internal states. The implementation of decision-making in ABMs ranges from fairly simple to highly complex; the process of an individual deciding on an action can occur through the use of logical and simple (if-then) rules to more sophisticated neural networks and genetic algorithms. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the ways in which decisions are integrated into a variety of ABMs and to give a prospectus on the future of modeling of decisions in ABMs.
Adaptation Governance and Building Resilience in the Face of Climate Change in African Cities: Policy Responses and Emerging Practices from Accra

Adaptation governance and building resilience in the face of climate change remain critical in African cities. However, in the absence of practical examples, this ideal could be considered a myth to many and most importantly, to cities that would otherwise be required to take pragmatic steps. This chapter discusses and provides new perspectives on cities and climate change adaptation in Africa, offering a novel insight on how an African city is adapting to flooding and water-related risks. It concludes that effective metropolitan adaptation governance will engender a long-term vision for the city with effective urban and land use planning, including risk management. It further advocates that emphasis should be placed on key factors for urban resilience such as land management, information systems and provision of infrastructure.
Adipocytes: A Novel Target for IL-15/IL-15Rα Cancer Gene Therapy

IL-15 is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an essential role in the development and activation of natural killer (NK) cells. Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine organ that secretes cytokines and is an important reservoir for lymphocytes. We hypothesized that activation of the IL-15 signaling in adipose tissue will activate and expand the NK cell population and control tumor growth. We recently developed an adipocyte-targeting recombinant adeno-associated viral (rAAV) vector with minimal off-target transgene expression in the liver. Here, we used this rAAV system to deliver an IL-15/IL-15Rα complex to the abdominal fat by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection. Adipose IL-15/IL-15Rα complex gene transfer led to the expansion of NK cells in the adipose tissue and spleen in normal mice without notable side effects. The i.p. injection of rAAV-IL-15/IL-15Rα complex significantly suppressed the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma implanted subcutaneously and exerted a significant survival advantage in a B16-F10 melanoma metastasis model. The antitumor effects were associated with the expansion of the NK cells in the blood, spleen, abdominal fat, and tumor, as well as the enhancement of NK cell maturity. Our proof-of-concept preclinical studies demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the adipocyte-specific IL-15/IL-15Rα complex vector as a novel cancer immune gene therapy.
A Fiber Optic Acoustic Pyrometer for Temperature Monitoring in an Exhaust Pipe of a Boiler

This letter presents a fiber optic acoustic pyrometer for temperature monitoring in an exhaust pipe of an industrial scale combustion test facility. The acoustic pyrometer consists of a fiber optic acoustic generator and a Fabry–Perot (FP) fiber sensor receiver. The proposed acoustic pyrometer was tested and verified at an exhaust pipe over the Industry Scale Burner Facility (ISBF) at GE’s Clean Energy Center, at a temperature of 320 °C. Further research on such fiber optic acoustic pyrometers will advance the study of 2D/3D temperature distribution reconstruction in industrial combustion facilities.
Laparoscopic Allograft Spacer Placement to Minimize Bowel Dose During Re-irradiation with Interstitial Brachytherapy.

In primary or re-irradiation of gynecologic malignancies, achieving optimal dosimetry with adjacent normal tissue becomes challenging. Surgical spacers are tissue-equivalent materials placed within the patient to protect organs at risk from long-term radiation effects and are commonly used in prostate cancer. We report the use of an allograft mesh to protect adhesed bowel from high-dose radiation for definitive treatment of recurrent endometrial cancer. An 88-year-old female was diagnosed with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage II endometrial cancer after she developed urinary frequency, hesitancy, and hematuria. She underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiation, followed by laparoscopic hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and adjuvant vaginal cuff brachytherapy. She developed 1.8 cm bilateral vaginal cuff recurrence and was dispositioned for interstitial brachytherapy. An allograft mesh spacer was placed laparoscopically before repeat, high dose rate brachytherapy to protect nearby structures. Dose-escalation was achieved without compromising normal tissue constraints. The patient tolerated the procedure without evidence of long-term toxicity at one year. Multidisciplinary discussion may help identify patients who would benefit from spacer placement before select dose-escalated radiation therapy. Laparoscopic allograft mesh is one of many types of surgical spacers available for such patients.
Cultivating Moral Imagination in Theological Field Education

Embodying moral imagination is an urgent task for leaders of our time. This chapter contends that theological field education is an essential, if not primary, locus for cultivating and embodying moral imagination in seminary students. Emerging from the author’s experience as an immigrant, Queer, Asian American woman theological educator, the metaphor of interpretation guides the pedagogical exploration of theological field education. This exploration further engages the concepts critically intersubjective (Courtney Goto) and interstitial integrity (Rita Nakashima Brock) in the pedagogical work of cultivating moral imagination. In particular, this chapter examines Union Theological Seminary’s Integrative and Field-Based Education program as a case study for the interpretive, critical intersubjective, and interstitial work in cultivating moral imagination.
Rhamnus prinoides (gesho) stem extract prevents co-culture biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans

Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans exhibit a symbiotic relationship to form polymicrobial biofilms that exacerbate oral infections including early-childhood caries, periodontitis and candidiasis. Rhamnus prinoides (gesho) has traditionally been used for the treatment of a variety of illnesses and was recently found to inhibit Gram-positive bacterial biofilm formation. We hypothesized that Rhamnus prinoides extracts have anti-biofilm activity against S. mutans and C. albicans mono- and dual-species biofilms. Ethanol extracts were prepared from gesho stems and leaves; then anti-biofilm activity was assessed using crystal violet, resazurin and XTT staining. Ethanol extracts significantly inhibited Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans mono-species biofilm formation up to 97 and 75%, respectively. The stem ethanol extract disrupted S. mutans and C. albicans co-culture synergism, with 98% less polymicrobial biofilm formation than the untreated control. Additionally, this extract inhibited planktonic S. mutans cell growth and decreased biofilm polysaccharide production up to 99%. The reduction in polysaccharide production is likely a contributing factor in the anti-biofilm activity of GSE. These findings indicate that gesho or gesho-derived compounds may have potential as additives to oral hygiene products. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Oral Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans biofilms are associated with a variety of illnesses. When occurring together, the resulting infections are especially challenging to treat due to enhanced biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. More therapeutics that can effectively prevent polymicrobial biofilm formation and disrupt interspecies synergism are needed. Rhamnus prinoides ethanol extracts significantly inhibited dual-species biofilm formation and disrupted interspecies synergism.
Quantitative Instrumental Assessment of Cooked Rice Stickiness

Stickiness is a major textural characteristic of cooked rice and an important criterion in cultivars classification. Many reports on instrumental evaluation cooked rice stickiness are based on variants of the texture profile analysis (TPA), a method that has fundamental methodological flaws and creates logical inconsistencies. Notable among these is that cooked rice tested as a flat cylindrical specimen having a larger diameter is always harder and stickier than when tested as a narrower specimen. Recent novel improvements have been the use of a universal testing machine (UTM) to record the force and calculate the work needed to separate a pre-compressed pair of individual cooked rice kernels, or to separate a single pre-compressed cooked kernel from the flat surface to which it is attached, while accounting, in both cases, for the contact areas. It is proposed to modernize an older manual method to measure the attractive force between two uncompressed cooked rice kernels directly with a tensiometer by replacing it with a UTM and expressing the result in term of a cohesion index, the dimensionless ratio between the net separation force and an individual cooked kernel’s weight. Rough calculations based on published data indicate that cooked rice of cultivars known to be sticky would have an index on the order of 15 while those known as non-sticky about 3 only, where the actual values will depend on the cooking procedure and the dry rice’s history. Also proposed is a similar adhesion index to characterize the attractive interaction of cooked rice with any surface of interest.
Bridging to Allotransplantation - Is Pig Liver Xenotransplantation the Best Option?

In the past 20 years, the number of patients in the United States who died while waiting for a human donor liver totaled >52 000. The median national wait-time for patients with acute liver failure and the most urgent liver transplant listing was 7 days in 2018. The need for a clinical 'bridge' to allotransplantation is clear. Current options for supporting patients with acute liver failure include artificial liver support devices, extracorporeal liver perfusion, and hepatocyte transplantation, all of which have shown mixed results with regard to survival benefit and are largely experimental. Progress in the transplantation of genetically-engineered pig liver grafts in nonhuman primates has grown steadily, with survival of the pig graft extended to almost 1 month in 2017. Further advances may justify consideration of a pig liver transplant as a clinical bridge to allotransplantation. We provide a brief history of pig liver xenotransplantation, summarize the most recent progress in pig-to-nonhuman primate liver transplantation models, and suggest criteria that may be considered for patient selection for a clinical trial of bridging by genetically-engineered pig liver xenotransplantation to liver allotransplantation.
Predicting Literacy Skills via Stealth Assessment in a Simple Vocabulary Game

iSTART is a game-based intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to improve students’ reading skills by providing training on reading comprehension strategies. Game-based practice in iSTART follows two main approaches: generative practice and identification practice. Generative practice games ask students to author self-explanations using one or more of the instructed strategies. Identification practice games require students to recognize or select appropriate strategies based on their analysis of example texts. This study explored the feasibility of implementing stealth assessments in iSTART using only an identification game. Specifically, this study examined the extent to which participants’ performance and attitudes related to a simple vocabulary game could predict the outcomes of standardized reading assessments. MTurk participants (N = 211) played identification games in iSTART and then rated their subjective gameplay experience. Participants also completed measures of their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. Results indicated that participants’ performance in a vocabulary practice game was predictive of literacy skills. In addition, the possibility that students’ attitude towards the game moderated the relation between game performance and literacy skills was ruled out. These findings argue for the feasibility of implementing stealth assessment in simple games to facilitate the adaptivity of ITSs.
The impact of informant gender on children's endorsement of scientific and non-scientific information.

By roughly 6 years of age, children acquire the stereotype that men are more competent than women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), potentially leading to greater trust in scientific information provided by men. This study tested whether 3- to 8-year-old children differentially endorsed conflicting information about science and toys presented by male and female informants depicted as a 'man' and 'woman' (Exp1) or 'scientists' (Exp2). Children were expected to endorse toy testimony from gender-matched informants; thus, the key question concerned endorsement of science testimony. In Exp1 (N = 149), boys and girls showed a same-gender informant preference for toy testimony; however, girls endorsed the male informant's testimony more for science than for toys - but only when tested by a male experimenter. In Exp2 (N = 264), boys and girls showed a same-gender preference, irrespective of content. Findings suggest that STEM-related gender stereotypes might lead girls to trust scientific information presented by men over women in certain contexts.
Recent Research on Elastic-Plastic Oscillators

In the past twenty years an increasing amount of attention has been devoted to research on elastic-plastic oscillators. These mechanical systems are useful model systems for studies of the complicated behavior of three-dimensional bodies, because they are governed by differential equations that mathematically are of independent interest and that have solutions displaying a rich variety of physically interesting characteristics. Knowledge of these systems provides a point of reference for studying the partial differential equations that arise in more detailed models of elastic-plastic behavior, and solutions of the ordinary differential equations describing coupled systems of elastic plastic oscillators are candidates for lumped approximations of solutions of the partial differential equations. Moreover, elastic-plastic oscillators are useful tools in the design of structures that must withstand large ground motions due to earthquakes, because these oscillators are relatively easy to simulate numerically, and their motions display some of the features of structures that are severely deformed. References [1]–[12] provide a selection of examples of recent research on elastic-plastic oscillators.
Specimen Size Effect on the Creep of Si3N4

The effect of specimen size on the measured tensile creep behavior of a commercially available gas pressure sintered Si3N4 was examined. Button-head tensile test specimens were used for the testing, and were machined to a variety of different gage section diameters (ranging from 2.5 to 6.35 mm) or different surface-area-to-volume ratios. The specimens were then creep tested at 1350 Degrees C and 200 MPa with tensile creep strain continuously measured as a function of time. The steady-state creep rate increased and the lifetime decreased with an increase in diameter (or decrease in the ratio of gage section surface area to volume). The time and specimen size dependence of transformation of a secondary phase correlated with the observed creep rate and lifetime dependence.
Optical Measurements of the Thermal Conductivity of Porous SiO2 Films

Nanocomposites offer unique capabilities of controlling thermal transport through the manipulation of various structural aspects of the material. However, measurements of the thermal properties of these composites are often difficult, especially porous nanomaterials. Optical measurements of these properties, although ideal due to the noncontact nature, are challenging due to the large surface variability of nanoporous structures. Recently, a novel pump-probe geometry was used in Time Domain Thermoreflectance (TDTR) to determine the thermal conductivity of liquids. In this work, we develop a thermal algorithm to solve for the temperature change and heat transfer in this TDTR geometry in which a thin film which is subjected to a modulated heat source is sandwiched between two thermally conductive pathways. We validate our thermal algorithm with TDTR measurements of the thermal conductivity and on a series of porous SiO2 -based nanostructured films.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Abriles de más y de menos

Poetas en abril. Volumen cinco. Recopilacion de Luz E. Sierra y J. Mattos O. Fundacion Talleres-Sociedad de la imaginacion, Medellin, 1987. 267 pags.
Empire, Industry, and Globalization: Rethinking the Emergence of the Gold Standard in the 19th‐century World

This state of the field essay surveys recent scholarship on the history of the international gold standard. Taken together, recent studies have re-situated the emergence of the classical gold standard in historical context, emphasizing the rapidly changing world of 19th-century globalization, industrialization, and imperialism. This work has significant implications for our understanding of the gold standard in world history. In particular, recent studies have placed new emphasis on non-economic factors that led to the establishment of a truly international gold standard. Among these factors, the ambitions for empire and modernization among leaders in the non-European world played a key role in the decline of regional monetary regimes based on silver or bimetallism and the emergence of the international gold standard in the late-19th century.
Dividends and Tax Policy in the Long Run

There is a long-standing debate as to whether changes in shareholder-level taxes have an effect on firm dividend policy. The traditional view is that tax changes influence dividends, while the new view is that there generally is no such effect. In support of the traditional view, recent observers point to the rise in dividends following the reduction in the tax rate on dividends in 2003. In fact, the resurgence in dividends has been so strong that President Bush has made it one of his top legislative priorities to permanently extend the tax cut, which is currently set to expire at the end of 2010. The popular assumption is that the rise in dividends - and any associated economic and corporate governance benefits - will only continue if the lower rate is made permanent. This Article challenges that assumption. Using finance theory and empirical evidence from the U.S. and other countries, this Article shows that the relationship between dividends and taxes over the long run is more complex than dividend tax cut proponents suggest. Because the 2003 tax cut was only a temporary cut, making it permanent may actually have an effect that is opposite of what is intended. The implication is not that a temporary tax cut is preferable to a permanent one, but rather that the attempt to influence corporate behavior through the tax laws should be resisted as either futile or potentially counterproductive.
Miscibility Behavior in Polyethersulfone/Polyimide Blends with and without Solvents

The miscibility behavior in blends of polyethersulfone (Victrex PES) with the polyimide PI 2080, (the condensation product of 3,3’,4,4’-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride [BDTA] and a 4:1 mixture of 2,4-toluene diisocyanate and 4,4’-diphenylmethane diisocyanate) or with the polyimide XU 218 (the condensation product of BDTA and 5(6)-amino-l-(4’-aminophenyl)-l,3,3’-trimethylindane) was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The effects of solvents (dimethylacetamide, tetramethylene sulfone, dimethyl sulfoxide and l-methyl–2-pyrrolidone) on miscibility were studied and one solvent, tetramethylene sulfone was found to have a plasticizing effect. In the absence of solvent, the equilibrium phase boundary for these blends was in the experimentally inaccessable region below the Tg-composition line. The phase boundary at zero solvent concentration was obtained by extrapolation using data collected in the presence of the plasticizer.
A randomized study comparing Crinone 8% and intramuscular progesterone supplementation in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer cycles

Abstract Objective: To compare the efficacy of Crinone 8% intravaginal progesterone gel vs. IM progesterone for luteal phase and early pregnancy support after IVF-ET. Design: Randomized, open-label study. Setting: Academic medical center. Patient(s): Two hundred and one women undergoing IVF-ET. Intervention(s): Women were randomized to supplementation with Crinone 8% (90 mg once daily) or IM progesterone (50 mg once daily) beginning the day after oocyte retrieval. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy, embryo implantation, and live birth rates. Result(s): The women randomized to luteal phase supplementation with IM progesterone had significantly higher clinical pregnancy (48.5% vs. 30.4%; odds ratio [OR], 2.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21, 3.87), embryo implantation (24.1% vs. 17.5%; OR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.08, 3.30), and live birth rates (39.4% vs. 24.5%; OR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.10, 3.70) than women randomized to Crinone 8%. Conclusion(s): In women undergoing IVF-ET, once-a-day progesterone supplementation with Crinone 8%, beginning the day after oocyte retrieval, resulted in significantly lower embryo implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rates compared with women supplemented with IM progesterone.
Defective glycosylation of erythrocyte membrane glycoconjugates in a variant of congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II: association of low level of membrane-bound form of galactosyltransferase

Congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type II (CDA II) or HEMPAS is a genetic disease caused by plasma membrane abnormality. The enzymic defect of HEMPAS has been suggested to be the lowered activity of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase II, resulting in lack of polylactosamine formation on proteins and leading to accumulation of polylactosaminyl lipids. In contrast to typical HEMPAS cases, cell-surface labeling of the erythrocytes of a HEMPAS variant G.K. showed an absence of polylactosamines either on proteins or on lipids. Fast-atom bombardment mass spectrometry analysis of G.K.'s erythrocyte glycopeptides detected a series of high mannose-type oligosaccharides, which were not detected in erythrocyte N-glycans of normal cells or of other HEMPAS cases: The former contains polylactosaminoglycans and the latter contains hybrid-type oligosaccharides. Keratansulfate (sulfated polylactosamines) in this patient's serum was abnormally low. The galactosyltransferase activity in microsomal membranes prepared from G.K.'s mononucleated cells was 24% of the normal level, whereas this enzyme activity in G.K.'s serum was comparatively higher than normal. Western blotting of G.K.'s membranes using antigalactosyltransferase antibodies showed that G.K. has reduced amounts of this enzyme present. The results collectively suggest that variant G.K. is defective in polylactosamine synthesis owing to the decreased quantity of the membrane-bound form of galactosyltransferase.
Imaging breast cancer in a hybrid DBT / NRI system using compressive sensing

This work presents an improved imaging algorithm for use in a hybrid Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) / microwave Nearfield Radar Imaging (NRI) system. By using compressive sensing techniques, this new algorithm is capable of reconstructing the dielectric constant and conductivity of breast cancer with a small number of measurements.
Quantitative determination of vitamin E and oxidized and reduced coenzyme Q by high-performance liquid chromatography with in-line ultraviolet and electrochemical detection.

Abstract We describe a sensitive quantitative high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the simultaneous determination of vitamin E isomers (α, γ- and δ-tocopherol) oxidized coenzyme Q species (ubiquinone 9, ubiquinone 10) and reduced coenzyme Q homologues (ubiquinol 9, ubiquinol 10) in various tissues, including blood and plasma. The compounds of interest are quantitatively extracted with a fast one-step lipid extraction procedure and subjected to HPLC without further purification. The extract is separated on a reversed-phase column and the eluted compounds are monitored by sequential UV and electrochemical detection. Ubiquinones are detected at their 275 nm absorbance maximum, by the UV detector, whereas tocopherols and ubiquinols are monitored by the electrochemical detector with high sensitivity and selectivity. The method can detect as little as 1 pmol of the individual ubiquinones. Detection limits for tocopherols and ubiquinols are at least two orders of magnitude lower.
Geometry of binocular imaging II: the augmented eye

We address the issue of creating imagery on a screen that, when viewed by naked human eyes, will be indistinguishable from the original scene as viewed through a visual accessory. Visual accessories of interest include, for example, binoculars, stereomicroscopes, and binocular periscopes. It is the nature of these magnifying optical devices that the transverse (normal) magnification and longitudinal (depth-wise) magnification are different. That is why an object viewed through magnifying optical devices looks different from the same object viewed with the naked eye from a closer distance--the object looks `squashed' (foreshortened) through telescopic instruments and the opposite through microscopic instruments. We rigorously describe the quantitative relationships that must exist when presenting a scene on a screen that stereoscopically simulates viewing through these visual accessories.
Energy absorption in polymeric foams. I. Prediction of impact behavior from instron data for foams with rate-independent modulus

Impact behavior can be predicted for rate-dependent foams from constant rate of strain response. The response must be factorized into a rate-dependent modulus function and a strain-dependent function. In this way the rate-dependent modulus can vary throughout the impact as the velocity of the impacting object decreases.
Clinical trial design and evidence-based outcomes in the study of liver diseases.

Current medical training often does not include the formal study of trial design, forcing clinicians to acquire this knowledge independently. This article reviews the foundational elements of clinical trial design. An overarching hierarchy of clinical evidence is introduced, and the relative strengths and limitations of the major types of study designs are discussed. A corollary to the hierarchy of evidence in trial designs is proposed for trial outcomes: the ‘‘pyramid of endpoints.” This pyramid represents a spectrum of outcomes from tangible health events to intermediate markers with no direct physical impact on an individual. The potential advantages and difficulties inherent in the use of surrogate endpoints for final health outcomes are explored. Randomized controlled trials utilizing ‘‘hard” clinical endpoints are advocated as the most efficient and reliable way to directly assess the benefits and harms of a therapy; however, using a case study of treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma, we highlight the challenges that can complicate even the highest levels of evidence. All trials have a ‘‘signal-to-noise” ratio – this review emphasizes the need for careful and deliberate consideration of the potential limitations of every study, and provides basic tools to assist the practitioner in identifying common pitfalls of clinical trials. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of the European Association for the Study of the Liver.
Traumatically induced alterations in the oxygen fields in the canine spinal cord

The partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) was characterized in known anatomic loci of the canine spinal cord subsequent to impact injury. Using a sensitive oxygen microelectrode system, we monitored the alterations of extracellular PO2 at the impact site during the acute period subsequent to injury. The response of grey and white matter can be clearly differentiated during this period. Grey matter PO2 values were always lower than those in spinal white matter. An increase in PO2 values was seen in both grey and white matter during the 3 h after injury. A sudden additional increase occurred in white matter at 1.5 to 2 h postinjury. These results are interpreted in terms of changing patterns of spinal cord blood flow and spinal cord oxidative metabolism subsequent to spinal cord injury.
Plant-derived antimicrobials reduce Listeria monocytogenes virulence factors in vitro, and down-regulate expression of virulence genes

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a major foodborne pathogen causing septicemia, meningitis and death in humans. LM infection is preceded by its attachment to and invasion of human intestinal epithelium followed by systemic spread. The major virulence factors in LM include motility, hemolysin and lecithinase production. Reducing LM attachment to and invasion of host tissue and production of virulence factors could potentially control listeriosis in humans. This study investigated the efficacy of sub-inhibitory concentrations (SICs, concentrations not inhibiting bacterial growth) of three, generally regarded as safe (GRAS)-status, plant-derived antimicrobial compounds in reducing LM attachment to and invasion of human colon adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). Additionally, the effect of these compounds on the aforementioned LM virulence factors was studied. The compounds and their respective SICs used relative to their MICs were trans-cinnamaldehyde (TC 0.50mM, 0.75mM with the MIC of 0.90mM), carvacrol (CR 0.50mM, 0.65mM with the MIC of 0.75mM), and thymol (TY 0.33mM, 0.50mM with the MIC of 0.60mM). All three-plant antimicrobials reduced LM adhesion to and invasion of Caco-2 and HBMEC (p 3.0 folds compared to controls (p<0.05). Results suggest that TC, CR, and TY could potentially be used to control LM infection; however, in vivo studies are necessary to validate these results.
How to help children and adolescents deal with the threat of terrorism.

Collaborative Practice provides a forum for healthcare professionals to share expertise and enhance communication.
The Racial Foundation of Organizational Communication

Scholars of organizational communication have begun to focus diligently on organization as gendered, yet we continue to neglect the ways in which it is fundamentally raced. With this article, we seek to stimulate systematic attention to the racial dynamics of organizational communication. We argue that the field's most common ways of framing race ironically preserve its racial foundation. Specifically, our analysis of core organizational communication texts exposes 5 disciplined messages that disguise our field's participation in preserving the normative power of organized Whiteness. We conclude with specific suggestions for revising the racial subtext of our scholarship. The essay follows in the spirit of “a radical rethinking of the role we play in articulating accounts of organizational life” (Mumby, 1993, p. 21).
A NEW ROOT SPECIES OF CALLIXYLON

THE GENUS Callixylon was established by Zalessky in 1911. Since that time this genus has been of great interest to certain morphologists and paleobotanists, primarily because of the complex and highly specialized nature of its secondary xylem. In most details of anatomy the secondary xylem of Callixylon species is as complex as that of any living conifer. The general appearance of the secondary xylem is strikingly similar to that of the conifers. Yet one would not suggest more than a relatively distant relationship between Callixylon, over 300 million years old, and modern conifers. We know nothing of its reproductive structures since no fructifications of any sort have ever been found which could be attributed to this genus. Likewise, no Callixylon foliage has been discovered. Our entire knowledge of the genus is based primarily on the descriptions of petrified stem axes. Consequently, the problem of the taxonomic affinities of this group has been a difficult one. In the light of available information, Callixylon has been placed in the Pityeae of the Cordaitales. Callixylon has generally been considered in the p,ast to be solely an Upper Devonian genus. However, Arnold (1934) collected C. whiteanum from the Woodford chert of Oklahoma which he noted is probably of Lower Mississippian age. Recently, Hoskins and Cross (1951) have redescribed C. brownii from the upper part of the New Albany shale of Kentucky, also of Lower Mississippian age. Most of the previous work on the genus Callixylon has dealt with the stem and little attention has been given to roots and their structure. Arnold (1930) briefly comments on root structure and states that, with minor differences, the secondary xylem is essentially like that of the stem. He also points out that the specimen from which he described C. bristolense may be a root. Of the remaining species, previously described, none is definitely known to have been based on a root specimen. Nevertheless, C. marshii, C. whiteanum and C. mentethense have been described from nothing more than fragments of secondary xylem. Thus the possibility exists that they are root species. Although root specimens are not uncommon, well preserved ones showing intact primary xylem are. The writer was fortunate in discovering well-preserved roots in material collected from three localities in the Finger Lakes region of New York: (1)
Obesity Is Associated with an Increase in Pharmaceutical Expenses among University Employees

Objective. To examine costs associated with obesity in an employee population and factors associated with increased costs. Methods. We used data from the Physical Activity and Life Style (PALS) study, a randomized prospective design evaluating three interventions to increase physical activity among physically inactive nonfaculty university employees (n = 454). The primary exposure variable, obesity (measured by body mass index), was obtained from the in-person baseline survey. Covariates were obtained from the baseline survey and included demographic characteristics and health status. Data from the baseline survey was linked with administrative data to determine pharmaceutical, inpatient, outpatient, and total health care costs for three years. Average monthly expenditures for obese and nonobese individuals were compared using t-tests and a two-part multivariate regression model adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors. Results. Although in-patient and outpatient expenses were not associated with obesity, pharmaceutical expenditures were $408 or 87.2% higher per year ($468 versus $876) for obese individuals than for nonobese individuals, which reflected poorer health behaviors and health status of obese adults. Conclusion. Awareness of the costs associated with obesity among employees can stimulate employers to make the investment in providing employer-sponsored wellness and health improvement programs to address obesity.
The Cat, The Flea, and Pesticides

Recent advances in our knowlege of cat flea biology and the discovery of new nontoxic methods of flea control have greatly simplified and improved flea control. Instead of relying on adulticides for the bulk of flea control, the veterinarian now focuses on the immature stages, particularly the larvae and the eggs. By doing this, environmentally "friendly" flea control methods are used that are much safer for the veterinarian, the pet owner, and the cat.