cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of HIV Risk Behaviors Between Binge Drinkers and Non-Binge Drinkers Aged 18- to 64-Years in US, 2008

Using data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on 281,303 adults aged 18–64 years in the United States, we examined the relationship between HIV risk behaviors and binge drinking of alcoholic beverages and the frequency of binge drinking among a subgroup of 41,073 respondents who were acknowledged binge drinkers (bingers), based on reported drinking behavior in the year preceding survey. Our findings show that the weighted prevalence of HIV risk behaviors (including injection drug use, exchange of sex for money/drugs, and anal sex without a condom) among binge bingers [7.0%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 6.4–7.6%] is twice that among nonbingers (2.9%, 95% CI: 2.7–3.0%). The highest prevalence of HIV risk behaviors is among the bingers aged 18–20 years (14%, 95% CI: 11.2–18.2%). After adjusting for covariates, bingers are 1.77 (95% CI: 1.58–2.00) times more likely than nonbingers to report HIV risk behaviors. Risk increases in bingers with the number of episodes. Compared with bingers reporting 1–2 binge episodes in the month proceeding survey, the adjusted odds of reporting HIV risk behaviors among bingers are 1.27 (1.08–1.49), 1.68 (1.35–2.10), 1.67 (1.08–2.57), and 1.70 (1.34–2.16), respectively for bingers with 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, and ≥9 episodes in the same period. Our results suggest that HIV risk behaviors are strongly linked with binge drinking and its frequency. Effective measures to prevent binge drinking are essential to HIV prevention, especially among youth aged 18–20 years.
The capacity for rapid shifts in level of mental concentration.

This investigation continues the exploration of a largely neglected topic in the field of attention, levels of mental concentration, by ascertaining under optimal conditions the capacity for shifting quickly from one level to another. Previous research in our laboratory had applied a set of five post-hypnotically cued levels of concentration or “cognitive arousal”, covering a very wide range, to a variety of perceptual and cognitive tasks. In the present study two highly trained undergraduate hypnotic subjects, one male and one female, were given progressively shorter time durations in which to respond to the post-hypnotic cues before viewing tachisto-scopically flashed consonants under cue influence. The results indicate a striking capacity to shift degrees of cognitive arousal very rapidly to one extreme or the other, on the order of 100 ms or less.
Effects of stream acidification and habitat on fish populations of a North American river

Water quality, physical habitat, and fisheries at sixteen reaches in the Neversink River Basin were studied during 1991‐95 to identify the effects of acidic precipitation on stream-water chemistry and on selected fish-species populations, and to test the hypothesis that the degree of stream acidification affected the spatial distribution of each fish-species population. Most sites on the East Branch Neversink were strongly to severely acidified, whereas most sites on the West Branch were minimally to moderately acidified. Mean density of fish populations ranged from 0 to 2.15 fish/m 2 ; biomass ranged from 0 to 17.5 g/m2. Where brook trout were present, their population density ranged from 0.04 to 1.09 fish/m 2
Molecular Biology of KATP Channels and Implications for Health and Disease

The ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel is expressed in most excitable tissues and plays a critical role in numerous physiological processes by coupling intracellular energetics to electrical activity. The channel is comprised of four Kir6.x subunits associated with four regulatory sulfonylurea receptors (SUR). Intracellular ATP acts on Kir6.x to inhibit channel activity, while MgADP stimulates channel activity through SUR. Changes in the cytosolic [ATP] to [ADP] ratio thus determine channel activity. Multiple mutations in Kir6.x and SUR genes have implicated K(ATP) channels in various diseases ranging from diabetes and hyperinsulinism to cardiac arrhythmias and cardiovascular disease. Continuing studies of channel physiology and pathology will bring new insights to the molecular basis of K(ATP) channel function, leading to a better understanding of the role that K(ATP) channels play in both health and disease.
Effects of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Causing R403Q Mutation on Human Beta-Cardiac Myosin Biomechanical Function: Single Molecule to Ensemble Studies

Over 300 known mutations in human beta-cardiac myosin, the motor that powers ventricular contraction, causes familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by altering the functional capacity of the cardiac sarcomere. The precise mechanism(s) by which these point mutations alter cardiac function and lead to the clinically diverse HCM phenotypes is not well understood. The human heart is optimally designed to cyclically contract under varying loads and it is likely that the mutations in beta-cardiac myosin affect the power output of the heart by either altering force, velocity of contraction, or both, which ultimately results in the observed clinical phenotypes.Using ensemble in vitro motility experiments and single molecule force spectroscopy, we show that a truncated version (1-808 aa, containing human ELC) of human beta-cardiac HCM-causing R403Q myosin mutant has ∼15% lower unitary force generated by a single head but has ∼15% higher unloaded velocity of contraction with pure actin. However, when studied with the six-component regulatory thin filament (RTF) system (containing tropomyosin and the troponin complex) the unloaded velocity of R403Q is unchanged. Loaded in vitro motility measurements with both pure actin and RTFs indicate lower ensemble force and therefore possibly lower power generated by this molecule. Additional data suggests that R403Q myosin may have lower affinity for RTFs than WT myosin, signifying a change in the duty ratio. Current efforts exploring the effects of the R403Q mutation with a two-headed HMM construct are underway.
OPERATION AND EFFICIENCY OF CYCLIC COAL BURNING ENGINES

ABSTRACT A method of burning porous solid fuels in a fixed bed and in pellet or chunk form is described wherein compressing the fuel with air forces oxygen deep into the fuel pores where primary reaction occurs. Subsequent expansion brings the primary re action gases out of the fuel pores where secondary reaction with additional oxygen can occur. Useful mechanical work can be produced by carrying out this compression-reaction-expansion process within a piston engine or within a gas turbine engine. Maximum useable engine speeds are not limited by burning rates but by pressure drop due to gas flow into and out of the fuel pores. Approximate thermal efficiency relations are presented which show the piston engine process to be less efficient than the turbine engine process due to incomplete expansion in the piston engine. Engines using this cyclic porous burning are somewhat less efficient than engines using constant volume burning at minimum volume, as in Otto engines, or constant pressure burning at maximum...
Stress-induced double-hump substrate current in MOSFET's

Asymmetries in substrate current characteristics due to hot-electron stressing have been observed in short-channel n-MOSFET's. Due to the localized nature of trapped charges or interface traps as a result of hot-electron stressing, transistors can show single-peak or double-hump substrate current characteristics under normal- or reverse-mode measurements. Two-dimensional simulations indicate that a high lateral electric field is generated near the source when the negative charges are trapped there. This electric field is responsible for the observed double-hump substrate current and enhanced gate current injection under reverse-mode measurements for the stressed transistors.
Magnetic contribution to dilepton production in heavy-ion collisions

We calculate a novel ``magnetic contribution'' to the dilepton spectrum in heavy-ion collisions arising from interaction of relativistic quarks with intense magnetic field. Synchrotron radiation by quarks, which can be approximated by the equivalent photon flux, is followed by dilepton decay of photons in an intense magnetic field. We argue that the ``magnetic contribution'' dominates the dilepton spectrum at low lepton energies, whereas a conventional photon dilepton decay dominates at higher lepton energies.
Effects of hypophysectomy and dexamethasone treatment on plasma β-endorphin and pain threshold during pregnancy

Abstract During pregnancy, rats and humans show an increase in pain threshold that is mediated by an endorphin system. In order to determine whether plasma β-endorphin and/or other factors of pituitary origin are involved in pregnancy-induced analgesia in the rat, the effects of hypophysectomy (day 12 of pregnancy) or pharmacological suppresson of pituitary function via dexamethasone administration (day 14–21 of pregnancy) were investigated. Hypophysectomy did not affect either the magnitude of the increase or the pattern of change in pain threshold despite the resulting decrease in stress-induced plasma β-endorphin concentrations. However, the observed effect of the surgical and/or postsurgical procedure on pain threshold confounded unequivocal interpretation of these results. Pharmacological suppression of pituitary function with dexamethasone (2 μg/ml), a non-invasive procedure, also produced a significant decrease in resting plasma β-endorphin levels. As was observed for surgical removal of the pituitary gland, this treatment did not produce a significant alteration in the magnitude of the increase in jump threshold. Furthermore, no correlation was found between plasma β-endorphin concentrations and jump threshold values on day 21 of pregnancy. These results indicate that the pituitary gland does not play an essential role in the maintenance of opioid analgesia during pregnancy. It is suggested that pregnancy-induced analgesia depends on central rather than peripheral opioid systems.
Candidate determination for computer aided detection of colon polyps

Given a segmented CT scan data of the colon represented as a triangle mesh, our water-plane algorithm will detect polyp candidates. The water-plane method comprises of pouring water into a polyp protrusion from the outside of the colon and in raising the “water-plane” until it cannot be incremented any further without causing water leakage. The method starts at a vertex and uses average normal of all triangles adjacent to the starting vertex to generate the initial water-plane, which will make the starting vertex “wet” but leave its neighboring vertices “dry”. The method will continue to wet neighboring vertices one by one and then their neighbors and so on until the water-plane cannot move any further without causing water leakage. The water-plane movement alternates between just raising the water level in completely convex regions and tilting about one or two anchor vertices that have neighbors that would get wet if the water level was raised any more. The final set of wet vertices is a cluster that is an initial polyp candidate. The water-plane method was compared against the current polyp candidate detection method in our Computer Aided Detection of Colon Polyps software pipeline, called the surface curvature method. It finds clusters of connected vertices that all exhibit elliptical curvature. The water-plane method showed multiple improvements in polyp candidate detection. It detected polyp candidates missed by the surface curvature method. It exhibited continuous polyp candidate regions instead of non-uniform or incomplete regions detected by the surface curvature method. And finally, it avoided some false positive detections reported by surface curvature method.
Cyclophilin A Is a Proinflammatory Cytokine that Activates Endothelial Cells

Objective— Cyclophilin A (CyPA) is an abundant intracellular protein that is considered to be the main target of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine A. We and others showed that CyPA is secreted from smooth muscle cells and macrophages in response to oxidative stress and lipopolysaccharide, suggesting a role for CyPA in inflammation. We therefore studied the proinflammatory effects of CyPA on vascular endothelium. Methods and Results— Because atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, we studied expression of CyPA in atherosclerotic plaques from the ApoE−/− mouse. Using immunohistochemistry, we showed that CyPA was highly expressed in these plaques. Because endothelial cells (EC) are important mediators of inflammation, we next studied the ability of CyPA to activate EC. Human recombinant CyPA activated mitogen-activated protein kinases, including ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 in cultured human umbilical vein EC. CyPA also stimulated IκB-α phosphorylation and NF-κB activation, and induced expression of adhesion molecules including E-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. Furthermore, the combination of CyPA and cycloheximide induced EC apoptosis similar to the proapoptotic effect of tumor necrosis factor-α. Conclusions— Our data indicate that CyPA has proinflammatory effects on EC and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, such as atherosclerosis.
Resonant Capture and Separatrix Crossing in Dual-Spin Spacecraft

We consider the rotational motion of a spacecraft composed of two bodies which are free to rotate relative to one another about a common shaftS. A motor on one of the bodies provides a small constant internal torque which influences the relative motion of the two bodies, and which may influence the orientation of their common shaft S. Resonant capture refers to the phenomenon that the spacecraft may end up in one of several possible orientations, including a nearly flat spin (transverse to S), in addition to the expected simple rotation aboutS. The method of averaging is used to treat the original equations of motion, and it is shown that the essential mathematical problem involves separatrix crossingin a problem with slowly moving separatrices. Energy changes represented by Melnikov integrals are used to supplement the averaged equations in the neighborhood of the heteroclinic motions. The method is used to predict which initial conditions lead to capture into each of three distinct capture regions. The asymptotic results are compared to those obtained by direct numerical integration of the equations of motion. A dual-spin spacecraft consists of two bodies, called the platform and the rotor, attached to each other by a shaft S about which they can rotate relative to one another, see Figure 1. In addition, the entire assemblage can rotate freely in space. A motor acting along the shaft S may be utilized to apply an equal and opposite torque to both bodies. The motor may be used to control the orientation of the spacecraft in space. In this work we will be concerned with accomplishing a rotational pointing maneuver with a small constant torque supplied by the motor. We model the platform and rotor as rigid bodies. The rotor is assumed to be axisymmetric and balanced, with its symmetry axis coinciding with the shaft S. The platform is assumed to be asymmetric and balanced. Here balanced means that the shaft axisS is a principal axis for the moment of inertia tensor, i.e., no product of inertia terms are present. Also, axisymmetric means that all principal moments of inertia in directions orthogonal to S are equal. We assume that the initial state of the system and the physical parameters are chosen such that the applied torque is able to drive the system towards what turns out to be one of three different classes of motions, a process called resonant capture. Each of these classes of motions will be shown to
The standardized‐taper root canal preparation – Part 3. GT file technique in Large Root canals with small apical diameters

Buchanan LS. The standardized-taper root canal preparation - Part 3. GT file technique in Large Root canals with small apical diameters. International Endodontic Journal , 34 , 149-156, 2001. Aim To describe the preparation of Large Root canals with small apical diameters by the GT file technique. Summary Large Root canals with small apical diameters can usually be prepared with one to three GT files; one to nine clinical steps, and one to five minutes of clinical time. Following proper access, pulp tissue should be removed, and lubricant applied to pre- vent pulp compaction and blockage. Initial crown-down enlargement is accomplished with up to three standard GT rotary files 0.10, 0.08 and 0.06 taper, running at 300 r.p.m., and with light touch. Care should be taken not to overload instruments, and they should be withdrawn, cleaned and inspected whenever they bind. Sometimes, the shaping objec- tive is achieved with a single instrument; often waves of instrumentation are required before the shaping objective file cuts to length. Prior to cone-fit, the apical resistance form is confirmed with conventional files, employed as feeler gauges of the tapering form created at the canal terminus. Regardless of the shaping time, canals should be soaked with sodium hypochlorite solution for at least 30 min for effective cleaning. Key learning points • Large Root canals with small apical diameters should be prepared to shaping objectives 0.08 or 0.10 taper. • Compacted pulp tissue causes many canal blockages. It should be removed early, and canals should be well lubricated. • Large Root canals with small apical diameters should be prepared in crown-down sequence, with recapitulation of steps until the shaping objective is achieved. • Apical resistance form should always be confirmed before cone-fit. • Canals should be exposed to sodium hypochlorite for at least 30 min for effective cleaning.
Electrosynthesis of Commodity Chemicals by an Autotrophic Microbial Community

A microbial community originating from brewery waste produced methane, acetate, and hydrogen when selected on a granular graphite cathode poised at −590 mV versus the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) with CO2 as the only carbon source. This is the first report on the simultaneous electrosynthesis of these commodity chemicals and the first description of electroacetogenesis by a microbial community. Deep sequencing of the active community 16S rRNA revealed a dynamic microbial community composed of an invariant Archaea population of Methanobacterium spp. and a shifting Bacteria population. Acetobacterium spp. were the most abundant Bacteria on the cathode when acetogenesis dominated. Methane was generally the dominant product with rates increasing from 4 mM day−1 (accumulated to 28.5 mM over 12 days), and methanogenesis ceased following the addition of 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. Traces of hydrogen accumulated during initial selection and subsequently accelerated to >11 mM day−1 (versus 0.045 mM day−1 abiotic production). The hypothesis of electrosynthetic biocatalysis occurring at the microbe-electrode interface was supported by a catalytic wave (midpoint potential of −460 mV versus SHE) in cyclic voltammetry scans of the biocathode, the lack of redox active components in the medium, and the generation of comparatively high amounts of products (even after medium exchange). In addition, the volumetric production rates of these three commodity chemicals are marked improvements for electrosynthesis, advancing the process toward economic feasibility.
A perceptually-based objective measure for speech coders using abductive network

Objective measure techniques that provide reliable performance evaluation of speech coders is indispensable to designers, to end users when selecting telecommunication services and to providers in the designing stage of the telecommunications facilities. We introduce our objective measure technique that: (1) emulates several known features of perceptual processing of speech sounds by the human ear to map the speech power spectrum into an auditory power spectrum that is used to calculate the bark spectral distance per band (BSDB) between the input and the output coded speech signals; and (2) uses the abductive networks to estimate the speech quality from the BSDB. The results indicate that our proposed technique is reliable and robust in evaluating the coded speech quality and it is highly correlated to human responses across a wide range of quality levels and for a wide range of speech processing.
Different Strokes for Different Folks: How Individual Interest Moderates the Effects of Situational Factors on Task Interest.

Individual interest was examined as a moderator of effects of situational factors designed to catch and hold task interest. In Study 1, 96 college students learned a math technique with materials enhanced with collative features (catch) versus not. Catch promoted motivation among participants with low individual interest in math (IIM) but hampered motivation among those with high IIM. In Study 2 (n = 145), catch was crossed with a hold manipulation, emphasizing utility. Effects of each manipulation depended on IIM. The catch results were similar to those in Study 1. Hold promoted motivation among participants with high IIM and undermined it among participants with low IIM. Discussion centers on the intersection of individual and situational interest.
CFD for simulation of crosswind on the efficiency of high momentum jet turbulent combustion flames

Industrial flares have been identified as a potential major source of hydrocarbon emissions from chemical and petrochemical plants in the Gulf Coast area. Several studies have shown that crosswind ...
SC‐MEH‐MO calculations on high Tc superconductors. 1: The YBa2Cu8O 26+ cluster in YBa2Cu3O7

SC-MEH-MO calculations have been carried out on select clusters of the YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 lattice structure. The results of an earlier computation on small CuO clusters are presented for comparison with the finding obtained on a YBa 2 Cu 8 O 26 + extended cluster. In the latter, the antiferromagnetic coupling of singularly occupied Cu and O levels is analyzed
Persistence of Liver-specific Messenger RNA in Cultured Hepatocytes: Different Regulatory Events for Different Genes

Normal adult rat hepatocytes plated on rat tail collagen-coated dishes and fed a chemically defined medium supplemented with epidermal growth factor and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were examined over a 40-d culture period for (a) the amount of albumin secreted; (b) steady-state albumin mRNA levels; (c) steady-state mRNA levels for six other liver-specific genes and three common genes; and (d)transcription of several liver-specific and common genes using isolated nuclei. DMSO-treated hepatocytes in culture for 40 d expressed albumin mRNA at 45% the level of normal liver and five other liver-specific genes at levels ranging from 21% to 72% of those in normal liver. The rate of synthesis of ligandin RNA using nuclei from 40-d hepatocytes in a nascent chain extension assay was 130% of the value obtained for normal liver, indicating that liverlike transcriptional activity for ligandin was maintained in this in vitro culture system. In contrast, the rates of synthesis of albumin and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PepCK) mRNAs using nuclei from 40-d hepatocytes were 8% and less than 1%, respectively, and, therefore, were at levels that were much lower than was expected given the steady-state mRNA levels for these two genes. The discrepancy between the steady-state mRNA levels and rates of synthesis of RNA was analyzed, and the results suggest that the albumin and PepCK mRNAs from hepatocytes in culture may be more stable than those from liver. A plateau period for secretion of albumin, expression of albumin, alpha 1-antitrypsin, ligandin, phenylalanine hydroxylase, and PepCK mRNAs, and synthesis of albumin RNA using isolated nuclei was observed from days 6 to 40. The usefulness at a biological and molecular level of a hepatocyte culture system in which liver-specific genes are expressed over a long plateau period is discussed.
SG-01FEEDBACK ACTIVATION OF EGFR VIA PTPN9 LEADS TO GLIOMA ESCAPE FROM BRAFV600E TARGETED THERAPY

Mutational activation of BRAF (BRAFV600E) is found in 10-67% of pediatric gliomas (depending on histopathologic subclassification) and drives aberrant MAPK signaling independently of upstream cues. BRAFV600E targeted monotherapy displays efficacy in pre-clinical models of glioma, however xenograft tumors adapt rapidly and escape from the growth-inhibitory effects of BRAF-targeted therapy. Here, we show that intrinsic resistance to a BRAFV600E specific inhibitor stems, in part, from feedback activation of EGFR and downstream signaling pathways. BRAFV600E inhibition suppresses MAPK signaling, which in turn downregulates the EGFR phosphatase PTPN9, resulting in sustained EGFR phosphorylation and enhanced EGFR activity. We further demonstrated that overexpression of PTPN9 reduces EGFR phosphorylation and cooperates with BRAFV600E inhibitor PLX4720 to suppress MAPK and Akt signaling, resulting in decreased glioma cell viability. Moreover, pharmacologic inhibition of EGFR combined with inhibition of BRAFV600E to reduce growth of glioma cell lines and orthotopic glioma xenograft by decreasing tumor cell proliferation while increasing apoptosis, with resultant significant extension of animal subject survival. Our data support clinical evaluation of BRAFV600E and EGFR targeted therapy in treating BRAFV600E glioma.
Susceptibilities of 228 penicillin- and erythromycin-susceptible and -resistant pneumococci to RU 64004, a new ketolide, compared with susceptibilities to 16 other agents.

The susceptibilities of 228 penicillin- and erythromycin-susceptible and -resistant pneumococci to RU 64004, a new ketolide, were tested by agar dilution, and the results were compared with those for penicillin G, erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, rokitamycin, clindamycin, pristinamycin, ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline, chloramphenicol, cefuroxime, ceftriaxone, imipenem, and vancomycin. RU 64004 was very active against all strains tested, with MICs at which 90% of the isolates are inhibited (MIC90s) of 0.016 microg/ml for erythromycin-susceptible strains (MIC, or = 0.5 microg/ml). All other macrolides had MIC90s of 0.03 to 0.25 and > or = 128 microg/ml for erythromycin-susceptible and -resistant strains, respectively. Among erythromycin-resistant strains, clindamycin MICs for 28 of 91 (30.7%) were < or = 0.125 microg/ml. Pristinamycin MICs for all strains were < or = 1.0 microg/ml. MIC90s of ciprofloxacin and sparfloxacin were 4.0 and 0.25 microg/ml, respectively, and were unaffected by susceptibility to penicillin or erythromycin. Vancomycin and imipenem inhibited all strains at < or = 0.5 and < or = 0.25 microg/ml, respectively. MICs of cefuroxime and cefotaxime rose with those of penicillin G. MICs of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline, and chloramphenicol were variable but were generally higher for penicillin- and erythromycin-resistant strains. RU 64004 is the first member of the macrolide group which has low MICs for erythromycin-resistant pneumococci.
Regional histology and histochemistry of the ductus epididymis in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta).

Examination of epididymides from 6 sexually mature male rhesus monkeys revealed epididymal epithelial and stereocilial height was maximal in the capur region and minimal at the cauda. Luminal diameter was just the reverse. Strong acid phosphatase activity was localized principally in the supranuclear area of the columnar cells in the distal caput and corpus epithelia. Stereocilia were practically devoid of this activity. Moderate alkaline phosphatase activity was localized in the basal cells of the corpus and proximal cauda epididymidis, while activity in the principal cells was slight. Luminal contents of ductuli efferentes and epididymis had much more alkaline phosphatase activity than tissues. PAS positive materials were most evident in the apical epithelium of the ductuli efferentes and distal caput and in the luminal contents beyond the proximal caput. Location of the cytoplasmic droplet on the sperm midpiece changed from proximal to distal between distal caput and proximal corpus. Progressive sperm motility changed dramatically between distal corpus (15%) and proximal cauda (75%). It was hypothesized that some rhesus sperm within the distal corpus (second portion of the middle segment) would have acquired fertilizing ability.
SC‐MEH‐MO calculations on lanthanide systems. I. Sm(Cp*)2, bis(pentamethyl‐cyclopentaldienyl)Sm(II)

SC-MEH-MO calculations with electron repulsion correlation and configuration interaction included, have been carried out on Sm(Cp*)2 in both its linear and bent geometrical forms. Except for relatively small factors, there are virtually no major differences in the electronic structures of the two comfomers. In both cases, the bonding is found is to be very clost to being nearly totally ionic. An estimation of the ionic bond energy is made and discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Self‐Diffusion of Beryllium in Polycrystalline Beryllium Oxide

The self-diffusion of beryllium in polycrystalline beryllium oxide was measured from 1330° to 2135°C with the 7Be tracer. Results are compared with the findings of other investigators, and it is concluded that the differences reported are due to variations in impurity and porosity contents. Diffusion has been shown to be via a vacancy mechanism, with such impurities as aluminum and silicon being the principal contributors of vacancies. A roll-over in the plot of log D versus 1/T, where D is the diffusion coefficient and T is absolute temperature, was found in this study as in some others. Above about 1500°C the activation energy is no higher than 62 kcal, whereas it is 92 kcal at lower temperatures. It is suggested that this roll-over is due to aluminum impurity. There appears to be a temperature-independent anisotropy of diffusion, with the rate in the 〈c〉 direction being 30% higher than that in the 〈a〉 direction. It is concluded that for this and other investigations the diffusion coefficient of beryllium in beryllium oxide above the rollover temperature is governed by impurities and in this region it is given by the formula where Fp is the fraction of porosity and Nv is the molar fraction of vacancies introduced by impurities. There is sufficient scatter in individual 〈a〉 and 〈c〉 diffusion values so that there is no value in discriminating between directions in this formula.
Apomorphine infusional therapy in Parkinson's disease: clinical utility and lack of tolerance.

We assessed the clinical utility of apomorphine infusional therapy in patients with parkinsonism and motor fluctuations and sought evidence for alterations in drug response resulting from chronic treatment. Six patients with Parkinson's disease were treated for 3 months with s.c. infusions of apomorphine administered during waking hours. At the beginning and the end of the study, test doses of apomorphine (12.5-100 micrograms/kg) were administered to establish a dose-response curve. Over the study, the patients reported a significant improvement in the number of "on" hours experienced per day and substantially reduced the dose and frequency of levodopa and other antiparkinsonian medications. No average change in apomorphine dose-response relationships or pharmacokinetics was observed during the study. However, two patients lowered the infusion rate during the 3-month observation and exhibited higher drug levels and longer responses following test doses of apomorphine given at the end of the study. Although pragmatic concerns with the use of infusion pumps solutions and adverse effects limited the overall benefit afforded by the treatment, this kind of drug treatment may be useful in selected patients with severe parkinsonism and fluctuations.
Theory and experimental measurements of contact resistance

Electrical contact is an important issue for high power microwave sources, wire-array Z pinches, field emitters, and metal-insulator-vacuum junctions. Because of the surface roughness on a microscopic scale, true contact between two pieces of metal occurs only on the asperities of the two contacting surfaces. Current flows only through these asperities, which occupy a small fraction of the area of the nominal contacting surfaces. This gives rise to contact resistance [1].
Low-Weight Channel Coding for Interference Mitigation in Electromagnetic Nanonetworks in the Terahertz Band

Nanotechnology is providing the engineering community with a new set of tools to design and manufacture integrated devices just a few hundred nanometers in total size. Communication among these nano-devices will boost the range of applications of nanotechnology in several fields, ranging from biomedical research to military technology or environmental science. Within the different alternatives for communication in the nanoscale, recent developments in nanomaterials point to the Terahertz band (0.1-10 THz) as the frequency range of operation of future electromagnetic nano-transceivers. This frequency band can theoretically support very large bit-rates in the short range, i.e., for distances below one meter. Due to the limited capabilities of individual nano-devices, pulse-based communications have been proposed for electromagnetic nanonetworks in the Terahertz band. However, the expectedly very large number of nano-devices and the unfeasibility to coordinate them, can make interference a major impairment for the system. In this paper, low-weight channel coding is proposed as a novel mechanism to reduce interference in pulse-based nanonetworks. Rather than utilizing channel codes to detect and correct transmission errors, it is shown that by appropriately choosing the weight of a code, interference can be mitigated. The performance of the proposed scheme is analytically and numerically investigated both in terms of overall interference reduction and achievable information rate, by utilizing a new statistical interference model. The results show that this type of network-friendly channel coding schemes can be used to alleviate the interference problem in nanonetworks without compromising the individual user information rate.
America’s Great Game: The CIA’s Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East, Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah: The United States and Iran in the Cold War

Recent years have seen a bounty of excellent scholarship on the history of US–Middle East relations. This new work has done much to showcase the dramatic evolution of US policy in the region, from ...
Influence of temperature on oxygen diffusion in hamster retractor muscle

A mathematical analysis by Popel et al. [Am. J. Physiol. 256 (Heart Circ. Physiol. 25): H921-H924, 1989] of in vivo data on arteriolar O2 loss suggested that Krogh's diffusion coefficient (KO2 = al...
Receptor-Mediated Differences in the Actions of Ovine Luteinizing Hormone vs. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

In primates, as in most other species, continued secretion of progesterone from the corpus luteum is a requirement for maintenance of early pregnancy. Luteinizing hormone (LH) plays the key role in stimulating ovulation and formation of the corpus luteum (1). If pregnancy occurs, concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in serum begin to rise as early as 8 days after ovulation or 1 day after implantation (2). The secretion of hCG by the developing conceptus is apparently the only hormonal signal required for maternal recognition and maintenance of pregnancy.
Feelings: Actions, Methods, and Strategies to Prepare Students for Learning by Creating an Environment Considerate of Affective Needs

This article examines two critical questions for building trust to provide learners in communities that have experienced violence with the ability to participate with hope in classroom settings: (1) After the many recent alarming and violent events that have occurred in our society, how can educators best meet the affective needs of students to create a positive environment for learning? (2) Are there strategies and methods that any educator can use to help students feel interested in learning and ready to learn in spite of the repeated upsetting events in the news and in their communities? The answer is yes. Johnson’s (2011) research showed that students need faith in one another and the system that proposes to educate them. Given the dizzying, frightening, and sometimes dreadful events confronting students in their communities and in the news, educators need to promote affective skills for guidance in cross-racial dialogues, in emotional situations to acknowledge injustice, in validating feelings, and in building positive ideas toward knowledge and the future. Acknowledging and analyzing structural racism, sexism, and classism prevent the hiding and smothering of students’ needs. It takes more than knowledge of a hierarchy of needs, or cases requiring social justice, for educators to develop an environment of trust, mutual respect, and hope in the classroom.
Response of ryegrass to limestone and phosphorus

Annual or Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is an important cool-season grass grown in the southeastern USA to provide high-quality winter forage. Other than N, limestone and P are the major inputs needed for ryegrass production. This field study was conducted on a Pomona fine sand (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Ultic Haplaquod) to determine the response of ryegrass to limestone and P additions and to determine if P and lime application levels can be reduced below the current agronomic recommendations without substantially affecting ryegrass production (...)
ARTERIOVENOUS MALFORMATIONS, GASTROINTESTINAL BLEEDING, LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICES AND USE OF THALIDOMIDE

Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in the patients on continuous flow left ventricular assist device (cfLVAD) has been reported with an incidence varying from 5 %-30 %.Pathogenesis of GIB in patients with cFLVAD is multifactorial. Commonly implicated factors include development of acquired von
Oxygenation of cardioplegic solutions: Potential for the calcium paradox

Oxygenation of crystalloid cardioplegic solutions is beneficial, yet bicarbonate-containing solutions equilibrated with 100% oxygen become highly alkaline as carbon dioxide is released. In the isolated perfused rat heart fitted with an intraventricular balloon, we recently observed a sustained contraction related to infusion of cardioplegic solution. In the same model, to record these contractions, we studied myocardial preservation by multidose bicarbonate-containing cardioplegic solutions in which first the calcium content and then the pH was varied. An acalcemic cardioplegic solution (Group 1) and the same solution with calcium provided by adding calcium chloride (Group 2) or blood (Group 3) were equilibrated with 100% oxygen. Ionized calcium concentrations were 0, 0.10 ± 0.06, and 0.11 ± 0.07 mmol/L and pH values were 8.74 ± 0.07, 8.54 ± 0.08, and 8.40 ± 0.07, all highly alkaline. Hearts were arrested for 2 hours at 8° ± 2.5° C and reperfused for 1 hour at 37° C. At end-arrest, myocardial adenosine triphosphate was depleted in all three groups, significantly in Groups 2 and 3. In Group 1 the calcium paradox developed upon reperfusion, with contracture (left ventricular end-diastolic pressure = 60 ± 7 mm Hg), creatine kinase release up to 620 ± 134 U/L, a profound further decrease in adenosine triphosphate to 1.9 ± 1.7 nmol/mg dry weight, and either greatly impaired or no functional recovery (17% ± 10% of prearrest developed pressure). Three hearts in this group released creatine kinase during arrest and did not resume beating during reperfusion. In Groups 2 and 3, the calcium paradox did not occur; functional recovery was 61% ± 4% and 71% ± 9% at 5 minutes of reperfusion. In two additional groups (4 and 5), the pH of the acalcemic cardioplegic solution was decreased by equilibration with 2% and 5% carbon dioxide in oxygen to 7.53 ± 0.03 and 7.11 ± 0.02. Contractions during arrest were smaller than in Groups 1, 2, and 3; adenosine triphosphate was maintained during arrest; functional recovery was 101% ± 3% and 96% ± 4% at 5 minutes of reperfusion. We conclude that acalcemic solutions with carbon dioxide are superior to highly alkaline calcium-containing solutions. If oxygenation of cardioplegic solutions, of proved value, causes severe alkalinity, then calcium paradox may result even with hypothermia. This hazard is prevented by adding calcium or blood to the solution or carbon dioxide to the oxygen used for equilibration.
Prometheus and Bilski: pushing the bounds of patentable subject matter in medical diagnostic techniques with the machine-or-transformation test.

If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long a...
Generation of Rabbit Monoclonal Antibodies

Rabbit hybridomas are gaining wide acceptance as serologic reagents to identify a variety of antigens, including proteins, small peptides, phosphorylated proteins, and polysaccharides. Rabbits make high-affinity IgG antibodies, all of which bind with high affinity to Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus and Protein G from Group G Streptococcus. Consequently, rabbit monoclonal antibodies of desired specificity can be rapidly detected using Protein A/G as secondary reagents. Here we describe the method for generating rabbit monoclonal antibodies using the rabbit hybridoma fusion partner 240E-1. The method begins with the immunization of rabbits and ends with the cloning the antigen-specific hybridomas.
Transvaginal Repair of Fistulae

There are three sections in the chapter on fistulae: vesicovaginal and urethrovaginal fistula, rectovaginal fistula, and repair of perineal fistula.
Human Health and Safety with the Robot

The issue of human health and safety while reacting with robots is discussed. Several cases of accidents or death are cited with suggestions on how they could have been avoided. Sources of threat from robotics to human safety and health are discussed. Concepts for the design and installation of safe-guard devices are outlined.
Cellular Adhesion: Evaluating the Effect of Receptor-Ligand Chemistries, Distribution of Receptors, and Spread Versus Spherical Cell Geometry

The initial stage of cellular adhesion is similar to a functionalized nanocarrier binding to a cell membrane through specific receptor-ligand interactions. Therefore, the computational models developed for nanocarrier binding can be used to investigate cell-substrate interactions. In this work, we use a Monte Carlo based free energy model to determine the binding affinities of a cell interacting with a functionalized substrate. In particular, we focus on how the chemical variations of the cell surface receptors (e.g., integrins) mediate the adhesive interactions and thereby affect the binding affinity. Our multiscale model explicitly accounts for (i) a mixture of specific and non-specific receptor-ligand interactions, (ii) flexural motion of the ligands, (iii) thermal motion of the cell, and (iv) feedback between molecular adhesion and membrane dynamics. The receptor-ligand interactions are first characterized using conventional docking studies and the interaction energy landscape is determined from all atom umbrella sampling simulations. For simplicity, we model the dynamics of the cell membrane using a harmonic potential that mimics the undulations of the membrane. We first study how the underlying molecular interactions, composition of receptor, and size and shape of the cell manifest as effective association constants. We also show that binding affinities, computed for cells whose dimensions are less than 1 micron, follow an asymptotic scaling behavior that can be used to predict the binding affinities of typical mammalian cells with larger dimension (> 1 micron) with minimal computational costs.
Ytterbium-doped 30, 40/400 LMA Fibers with a Record-low ~NA of 0.028

We report ytterbium-doped LMA fibers with ~30μm and ~40μm cores and a record-low NA of 0.028, i.e. ΔN=2.7×10−4, critical for overcoming transverse-mode-instability in single-mode fiber lasers and made possible by an innovative fabrication process.
Invisible Costs and Profitability

Treynor, J. (Financial Analysts Journal 27:12–14 (1971)) argues that transaction costs can significantly impede performance. This paper explores the implications of transaction costs for the measured profitability of various asset-pricing anomalies. While standard portfolios yield poor performance for large fund sizes, optimal liquidity-conscious methodologies can substantially improve performance. The decrease in the level of trading costs over time may further increase the attractiveness of these trading strategies. However, the systematic component of transaction costs has increased, elevating portfolio liquidity risk. Furthermore, the lower transaction costs are associated with an increase in trading activity as evidenced by the exponential increase in trading volume and the shortened average investment horizon of institutional investors. The increased arbitrage activity may have improved market efficiency, thereby reducing the ex-ante profitability of some anomalies.
Transulnar approach as an alternative to transradial approach in non-coronary intervention: safety, feasibility and technical factors

PurposeTransulnar access (TUA) has been shown to be an effective alternative to transradial access (TRA) for coronary intervention. This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of TUA in patients u...
A Case of Imatinib-Induced Hepatitis.

A 71-year-old female with a past medical history of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia on imatinib therapy, Sjogren’s syndrome, and hypothyroidism presents with acute hepatitis. After a comprehensive workup ruling out viral, infectious and metabolic etiologies imatinib is stopped which results in immediate improvement. The biopsy is consistent with drug-induced liver damage; the patient is started on oral prednisone and discharged. Unfortunately, our patient’s liver function does not improve over the course of the next week and she is readmitted for hepatic and renal failure. During this second admission patient’s condition continues to deteriorate with concomitant gastric bleeding, renal injury, and cellulitis. She ultimately chooses a palliative approach.
Seizures and Epilepsy in Early Life

This chapter provides an outline of highlights for selected pediatric epilepsy syndromes, including those seen in neonates, infants, and children. Brief details of clinical and EEG characteristics are noted. For more detail, readers are referred to any of a number of outstanding pediatric epilepsy or neurology textbooks (key references are cited in each section).
Behavior of Solutions of the Semilinear Heat Equation in Vanishing Time and Controllability

In this chapter we discuss the problem of approximate controllability of the semilinear heat equation with, possibly, superlinear nonlinear terms in u and ∇u, governed by degenerate controls. Our approach focuses on the study of the asymptotic behavior in vanishing time of those solutions to the semilinear heat equation that are generated by controls solving the controllability problem at hand. The provided examples include the static distributed and time-dependent lumped controls.