cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes island: preliminary impact of a virtual world self-care educational intervention for african americans with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Diabetes is a serious worldwide public health challenge. The burden of diabetes, including prevalence and risk of complications, is greater for minorities, particularly African Americans. Internet-based immersive virtual worlds offer a unique opportunity to reach large and diverse populations with diabetes for self-management education and support. Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the acceptability, usage, and preliminary outcome of a virtual world intervention, Diabetes Island, in low-income African Americans with type 2 diabetes. The main hypotheses were that the intervention would: (1) be perceived as acceptable and useful; and (2) improve diabetes self-care (eg, behaviors and barriers) and self-care related outcomes, including glycemic control (A1C), body mass index (BMI), and psychosocial factors (ie, empowerment and distress) over six months. Methods: The evaluation of the intervention impact used a single-group repeated measures design, including three assessment time points: (1) baseline, (2) 3 month (mid intervention), and (3) 6 month (immediate post intervention). Participants were recruited from a university primary care clinic. A total of 41 participants enrolled in the 6 month intervention study. The intervention components included: (1) a study website for communication, feedback, and tracking; and (2) access to an immersive virtual world (Diabetes Island) through Second Life, where a variety of diabetes self-care education activities and resources were available. Outcome measures included A1C, BMI, self-care behaviors, barriers to adherence, eating habits, empowerment, and distress. In addition, acceptability and usage were examined. A series of mixed-effects analyses, with time as a single repeated measures factor, were performed to examine preliminary outcomes. Results: The intervention study sample (N=41) characteristics were: (1) mean age of 55 years, (2) 71% (29/41) female, (3) 100% (41/41) African American, and (4) 76% (31/41) reported annual incomes below US $20,000. Significant changes over time in the expected direction were observed for BMI ( P <.02); diabetes-related distress ( P <.02); global ( P <.01) and dietary ( P <.01) environmental barriers to self-care; one physical activity subscale ( P <.04); and one dietary intake ( P <.01) subscale. The participant feedback regarding the intervention (eg, ease of use, interest, and perceived impact) was consistently positive. The usage patterns showed that the majority of participants logged in regularly during the first two months, and around half logged in each week on average across the six month period. Conclusions: This study demonstrated promising initial results of an immersive virtual world approach to reaching underserved individuals with diabetes to deliver diabetes self-management education. This intervention model and method show promise and could be tailored for other populations. A large scale controlled trial is needed to further examine efficacy. [JMIR Serious Games 2014;2(2):e10]
Commentary: Iliac crest bone graft: are the complications overrated?

COMMENTARY ON: Howard JM, Glassman SD, Carreon LY. Posterior iliac crest pain after posterolateral fusion with or without iliac crest graft harvest. Spine J 2011;11:534–7 ( in this issue ).
Noninvasive ventilation in neuromuscular disease

It is estimated that approximately 122,619 individuals suffer from major neuromuscular disease in the United States. 38,44 Exact prevalence data are unavailable as there are over 40 different disorders, and many of the less common ones are not well documented as to exact numbers. The major neuromuscular disease (NMD) states are represented in Table 1. Over recent decades there has been a change in physicians' attitudes toward the treatment of patients who have NMD. More aggressive rehabilitation management has trended the realization that incurable is not synonymous with untreatable. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of ventilatory assistance, as a wide variety of noninvasive ventilators are now available to afford patients greater comfort, convenience, and improved quality of life. Indeed, as newer more specific treatments become available, many physicians and therapists believe that preserving maximal physical capacity and function is important so that optimal function is present when a specific treatment becomes available. 45 Almost uniformly, respiratory failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in individuals who have NMD. Although the degree of ventilatory impairment depends on the site of neurologic deficit, the basic pathophysiologic end point is a reduction in lung volume. Pulmonary function studies commonly reveal a reduced vital capacity and total lung capacity. Expiratory effort is limited, and therefore the residual volume may be elevated. Maximal airflow (V max ) is decreased. Determinants of airflow include muscular pressure (P mus ), elastic recoil of the lung (P el ), and opposing airway resistance (R aw ) 105 (Fig. 1). Individuals who have NMD frequently have normal lung parenchyma and therefore P el and P aw are normal. However, P mus is reduced, which causes a fall in V max with reduction in the volume of the thoracic cage. Respiratory muscle weakness and thoracic scoliosis also contribute to poor expansion of the bony thorax. As respiratory muscles weaken, there is loss of sigh volumes resulting in low-tidal volume breathing. 95 This may result in microatelectasis with loss of compliance in the lung. 15,47 As lung compliance decreases, the patient must increase energy expenditure to maintain a normal tidal breath, and muscle fatigue occurs when the demand on the muscle for work exceeds its energy supply. 55,82,90 Eventually, as the lungs become less compliant, respiratory muscles fail and hypercarbia occurs. Noninvasive methods of ventilation include several devices involving both negative- and positive-pressure techniques with the idea of prolonging life with improved quality and reduced morbidity (Table 2). Various options for noninvasive mechanical ventilation in neuromuscular disease have been the focus of several recent articles.* *See References 17,20,26,54,56,57,58,61,67,69,83,84,97,98,101,107 The goal here is to acquaint the reader with the various types of noninvasive ventilators that are currently available. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed, and various cost considerations are also taken into account.
Development of the excitation-contraction coupling apparatus in skeletal muscle: peripheral and internal calcium release units are formed sequentially

The development of calcium release units and of transverse tubules has been studied in skeletal muscle fibres from embryonal and newborn chicken. Three constituents of calcium release units: the tetrads, the feet and an internal protein directly associated with junctional surface of the sarcoplasmic reticulum are visualized by various electron microscope techniques. Evidence in the literature indicates that the three components correspond to the voltage sensors, the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release channels and the calcium binding protein calsequestrin respectively. We recognize two stages at which important events in membrane morphogenesis occur. The first stage coincides with early myofibrillogenesis (starting at approximately embryonal day E5.5), and it involves the assembly of calcium release units at the periphery of the muscle fibre in which feet and the internal protein are identified. Groups of tetrads also are present at very early stages and their disposition indicates a relation to the feet of peripheral couplings. Thus three major components of the excitation-contraction coupling pathway are in place as soon as myofibrils develop. The density of groups of tetrads in the surface membrane of primary and secondary fibres is similar, despite differences in developmental stages. The second stage involves the formation of a complex transverse tubule network and of internal sarcoplasmic reticulum-transverse tubule junctions, while peripheral couplings disappear. This stage starts abruptly (between E15 and E16) and simultaneously in primary and secondary fibres. It coincides with the myotube-to-myofibre transition. The two stages are separated by a relatively long intervening period (between E9 and E16). During the latter part of this period some primitive transverse tubules appear, and form junctions with the sarcoplasmic reticulum, but they remain strictly located at the periphery of the fibre and are not numerous. Finally, after the second stage there is a prolonged (up to 4 weeks) period of maturation, during which density of free sarcoplasmic reticulum increases, triads acquire a location at the A-I junction and fibre type differences appear. We conclude that a system for calcium uptake, storage and release exists at the periphery of the myotube during early myogenesis. The complexity of the system and its ability to deliver calcium through the entire fibre develop in parallel to the formation of myofibrils.
A washing-free and amplification-free one-step homogeneous assay for protein detection using gold nanoparticle probes and dynamic light scattering.

Abstract In this study, we developed a one-step, washing-free and amplification-free assay for protein analysis using gold nanoparticle probes (GNPs) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. The target protein concentration was determined by analyzing the level of GNP aggregation caused by antibody–antigen interactions using DLS. Two formats of assays were designed for mouse IgG detection. In the first format of assay, mouse IgG was directly mixed with GNPs conjugated to goat anti-mouse IgG. Due to the multiple binding sites of primary mouse IgG by the secondary antibody, mouse IgG caused nanoparticle aggregation. Mouse IgG can be detected at a concentration as low as 0.5 ng/mL and the dynamic range of this assay is between 0.5 and 50 ng/mL. A second format of assay developed in this study is a competitive assay conducted by using both mouse IgG and goat anti-mouse IgG conjugated GNPs. In this assay format, mouse IgG was detected within a dynamic range of 100 ng/mL to 10 μg/mL. The CV% of these assays is generally well within 10%. In conclusion, we demonstrated here that by using GNPs as a light scattering enhancer and selecting the proper assay formats, low cost, easy-to-conduct, and highly sensitive bioassays can be developed for protein detection and analysis.
Morphological transformations via advanced symbolic substitution architectures

New optical implementations of single and multichannel symbolic substitution systems are proposed. The systems are fully programmable, can be used with large patterns and are capable of processing large input images at relatively high speeds. Configuration and structure for a variety of morphological transformations such as erosion, dilation, opening, closing and skeletonization are detailed. Simulation results are presented.
Common Atrial Fibrillation Risk Alleles at 4q25 Predict Recurrence after Catheter-based Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

Background Common single nucleotide polymorphisms at chromosome 4q25 (rs2200733, rs10033464) are associated with both lone and typical atrial fibrillation (AF). Risk alleles at 4q25 have recently been shown to predict recurrence of AF after ablation in a population of predominately lone AF, but lone AF represents only 5%–30% of AF cases. Objective To test the hypothesis that 4q25 AF risk alleles can predict response to AF ablation in the majority of AF cases. Methods Patients enrolled in the Vanderbilt AF Registry underwent 378 catheter-based AF ablations (median age 60 years; 71% men; 89% typical AF) between 2004 and 2011. The primary end point was time to recurrence of any nonsinus atrial tachyarrhythmia (atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, or AF). Results Two-hundred atrial tachycardia, atrial flutter, or AF recurrences (53%) were observed. In multivariable analysis, the rs2200733 risk allele predicted a 24% shorter recurrence-free time (survival time ratio 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.6–0.95; P = .016) compared with wild type. The heterozygous haplotype demonstrated a 21% shorter recurrence-free time (survival time ratio 0.79; 95% CI 0.62–0.99) and the homozygous risk allele carriers a 39% shorter recurrence-free time (survival time ratio 0.61; 95% CI 0.37–1.0; P = .037). Conclusions Risk alleles at the 4q25 loci predict impaired clinical response to AF ablation in a population of patients with predominately typical AF. Our findings suggest that the rs2200733 polymorphism may hold promise as an objectively measured patient characteristic that can be used as a clinical tool for selecting patients for AF ablation.
Social Behavior of Males and Simultaneous Hermaphrodites in the Lantern Bass

Serranus baldwini (Serranidae), the lantern bass, is a small, gleaning carnivore found in turtle grass and rubble substrates in the Caribbean. Small S. baldwini are simultaneous hermaphrodites, but large members of this species are males. The males patrol territories in which several hermaphrodites reside. Hermaphrodites spawn as females with the resident males and rarely spawn as males themselves. Unlike the pattern in reciprocating hermaphrodites, courtship is largely a male function in S. baldwini. Males are much more active and aggressive than are hermaphrodites. In reciprocally spawning species, interactions among mates are more symmetrical. The behavior patterns found in the serranines reflect the differences in mating systems in a manner similar to that found in other organisms and is consistent with current mating system theory.
Spin Trapping and Protein Cross-linking of the Lactoperoxidase Protein Radical

Lactoperoxidase (LPO) reacts with H2O2 to sequentially give two Compound I intermediates: the first with a ferryl (FeIV=O) species and a porphyrin radical cation, and the second with the same ferryl species and a presumed protein radical. However, little actual evidence is available for the protein radical. We report here that LPO reacts with the spin trap 3,5-dibromo-4-nitroso-benzenesulfonic acid to give a 1:1 protein-bound radical adduct. Furthermore, LPO undergoes the H2O2-dependent formation of dimeric and trimeric products. Proteolytic digestion and mass spectrometric analysis indicates that the dimer is held together by a dityrosine link between Tyr-289 in each of two LPO molecules. The dimer retains full catalytic activity and reacts to the same extent with the spin trap, indicating that the spin trap reacts with a radical center other than Tyr-289. The monomeric protein recovered from incubations of LPO with H2O2 is fully active but no longer forms dimers when incubated with H2O2, clear evidence that it has also been structurally modified. Myeloperoxidase, a naturally dimeric protein, and eosinophil peroxidase do not undergo H2O2-dependent oligomerization. Analysis of the interface in the LPO dimers indicates that the same protein surface is involved in LPO dimerization as in the normal formation of myeloperoxidase dimers. Oligomerization of LPO alters its physical properties and may alter its ability to interact with macromolecular substrates.
Nano-milling of pigment agglomerates using a wet stirred media mill: Elucidation of the kinetics and breakage mechanisms

Abstract The present study concerns the production of pigment nanoparticles in a wet-batch stirred media mill with polymeric media. The breakage kinetics and mechanisms were investigated using size-discrete population balance models (PBMs). The temporal variation of the particle size distribution was measured via dynamic light scattering. Considering the G–H model, a time-invariant PBM, and a time-variant PBM, the specific breakage rate parameters and breakage distribution parameters were identified. It is found that the breakage rate is not first-order and that a delay time exists for the breakage of nanoparticles. The time-variant PBM captures all these features and suggests a transition from deagglomeration of agglomerates to the breakage of primary particles. The analysis of the breakage distribution parameters suggests splitting as the dominant mechanism as opposed to attrition or massive fracture.
Plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and corticosterone stress responses to restraint in individual male and female rats, and their correlations

Norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and corticosterone (C) levels were determined in the same male and female rats before and during a 30-min period of restraint. Individual values were compared within and among NE, E and C. Individual rats responded differently to immobilization and females usually showed higher stress values. NE and E levels rose smoothly and simultaneously in all animals and peaked early. The early (5 min) NE and E levels, but not the baseline values (0 min), predicted the total extent of the NE and E stress responses in both sexes. The C response was relatively independent of either E or NE. The male C response, but not the female C response, was strongly predicted by the C 5-min level, and significantly predicted by the C 15-min level. Additionally, the male C response, unlike the E, NE or female C response, was biphasic, dropping significantly below baseline at 5 min before rising to peak levels at the end of immobilization (30 min).
Ionization of highly excited hydrogen atoms by intense electromagnetic fields

A previous theory of atomic transitions in ultrastrong electromagnetic fields is applied to the problem of the ionization of highly excited hydrogen atoms. The magnitude of the fields necessary for the validity of the theory is greatly reduced by using excited hydrogen in the initial state, and the requirement of only multiphoton ionization limits the application to lowfrequency (microwave) fields. The requirement can probably be satisfied with currently available equipment. A result of the calculation is that the average number of photons absorbed is twice the minimum number.
Psychometric properties of the Interpersonal Relationship Inventory-Short Form for active duty female service members.

The Interpersonal Relationship Inventory-Short Form (IPRI-SF) has demonstrated psychometric consistency across several demographic and clinical populations; however, it has not been psychometrically tested in a military population. The purpose of this study was to psychometrically evaluate the reliability and component structure of the IPRI-SF in active duty United States Army female service members (FSMs). The reliability estimates were .93 for the social support subscale and .91 for the conflict subscale. Principal component analysis demonstrated an obliquely rotated three-component solution that accounted for 58.9% of the variance. The results of this study support the reliability and validity of the IPRI-SF for use in FSMs; however, a three-factor structure emerged in this sample of FSMs post-deployment that represents “cultural context.” © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 34:241–252, 2011
Analytic solution for second-harmonic gyroresonant absorption and mode conversion.

An entirely analytic treatment for second-harmonic mode conversion is presented, which uses the wave-phase-space $\mathbf{x}\ensuremath{-}\mathbf{k}$ space) method. Explicit expressions are derived for the coefficients of transmission, reflection, conversion (magnetosonic wave to ion-Bernstein wave), and absorption. A conservation law for wave energy flux in phase space is also presented.
Approach to articular pain in the geriatric population

Musculoskeletal disorders account for 20% of office visits. While non-inflammatory arthritis (e.g., osteoarthritis) is predominant, inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis) not uncommonly presents in the geriatric population. Both types of disorders are important to differentiate as their therapeutic responsiveness, though generally good, requires appropriately designed therapeutic regimens. Predicted upon clinical rather than immunologic observation, quality care and facilitated by cultivated observational techniques, effective therapeutic intervention requires an intra-disciplinary approach combining physical and occupational therapy with appropriate patient motivation and medicinal therapy.
Recognition of editorial board members and peer reviewers for Alcohol

* Corresponding author. Alcohol Editorial Office, c/o Three Forks Editorial Consultants, 11912 Gow Lane, Bellevue, NE 68123-1116, USA. Tel.: 1-402-291-2862; fax: 1-402-291-2904. E-mail address: alcohol@unmc.edu (T.R. Jerrells). c a T J As I begin to reflect on my first five-year tenure as Editorin-Chief of Alcohol An International Biomedical Journal (1999–2003)—and look forward to the future of this vital scientific medium—I think of the collegial support and contributions of editorial board members and peer reviewers as partners in this endeavor. Both sets of contributors are integral to the journal and my leadership as Editor-in-Chief. The list of editorial board members has evolved, from those who ushered the journal into my leadership from the previous editor (1998) to the current (continuously evolving) list of appointed members. An international membership— historically and currently—is integral to the journal, as well as to its authors and readers. I am pleased with the current representation and look to bring about even more diversity in the future. As Editor-in-Chief, I ask appointed editorial board members to support the journal through multiple efforts, such as by reviewing papers submitted to, submitting high-quality papers to, recruiting high-quality papers for, and supporting and suggesting areas of growth for Alcohol and how Alcohol can best serve authors, readers, and the scientific community as a whole. Most accept these tasks on top of their ongoing commitments to an active career, internal and external committee work, participation in study sections for review of grant funding, teaching, and scientific meeting travel and participation, to name a few—in addition to their own research; writing; publishing of work; and graduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral training tasks. I express my sincere appreciation, at this juncture, to all editorial board members who have served the journal from 1998 to date and recognize those individuals as follows: s c a w e j i h 2 g s
The safety, efficacy and recovery characteristics of desflurane versus propofol for anaesthesia in an older day surgery population

Abstract Desflurane is one of a new generation of volatile anaesthetic agents with a low blood gas solubility coefficient of 0.42 (cf. Isoflurane 1.40 and nitrous oxide 0.46) and the potential for rapid recovery and minimal post-operative hangover. This could have advantages for day surgery particularly in an older day surgical population. This study compared the maintenance of anaesthesia with desflurane or propofol in a randomised, comparative, controlled and open labelled trial. A variety of tests of or indices of recovery were studied including psychometric testing and the recovery from similar depths of anaesthesia as assessed by the coherent frequency analysis of auditory evoked potentials in the electroencephalogram (EEG).
A model for engaging students in a research experience involving variational techniques, mathematics, and descent methods

We describe a two-semester numerical methods course that serves as a research experience for undergraduates without requiring external funding or modification of current curriculum. The first semester introduces traditional material and builds a proper set of tools that the students use in the second semester to approach a more research oriented problem. Our vehicle is an engineering problem associated with the hydro-dynamics of keel design which is used to introduce students to constrained optimization via a variation of the traditional isoperimetric problem of finding the curve with fixed end-points, fixed perimeter, and maximum area.
Genomics: Plague's progress

The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. The first complete genome sequence of the causative Yersinia pestis bacterium provides a fresh perspective on plague evolution. See Letter p.506 The latest DNA recovery and sequencing technologies have been used to reconstruct the genome of the Yersinia pestis bacterium responsible for the Black Death pandemic of bubonic plague that spread across Europe in the fourteenth century. The genome was pieced together from total DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of four individuals excavated from a large cemetery on the site of the Royal Mint in East Smithfield in London, where more than 2,000 plague victims were buried in 1348 and 1349. The draft genome sequence does not differ substantially from modern Y. pestis strains, providing no answer to the question of why the Black Death was more deadly than modern bubonic plague outbreaks.
Efficient and realistic generation of IP addresses

Network simulation and emulation environments play a crucial role in evaluating proposed protocols, applications, and networked systems. In such settings, the ability to scalably and efficiently generate traffic that has characteristics similar to those measured in the live Internet is of great importance. A key aspect of generating realistic traffic is to assign source and destination IP addresses to traffic flows such that the statistical structure of the addresses is similar to what would be seen in a live Internet setting.In this paper, we propose and evaluate an algorithm and data structure for efficient and realistic generation of IP addresses. We describe our new method and compare it with existing and prior work, while also showing that our technique is far more efficient --- both in terms of memory consumed and computation time required. We also show that the statistical structure of the generated addresses is similar to what would be measured in the live Internet. Our results show that it is possible to efficiently generate addresses over the entire IPv4 address space, and that it is feasible to generate addresses from a/64 IPv6 subnet.
Drug-albumin interactions using spin labeling.

Abstract Three spin labels were used to monitor possible drug- induced conformational changes in bovine serum albumin. The electron spin resonance spectra of labeled bovine serum albumin in all cases consisted of two subspectra corresponding to labels in a partially immobilized environment and a strongly immobilized environment. Only bovine serum albumin with the triazine spin label was suitable for quantitation of data. The strongly protein- bound acidic drug, phenylbutazone, caused a conversion of strongly immobilized sites to partially immobilized sites, an effect that was proportional to the amount of drug added. This probably was due to the initial drug binding inducing a conformational change in the bovine serum albumin, thereby exposing additional binding sites.
Long-term pulmonary function after metastasectomy for childhood osteosarcoma: a report from the St Jude lifetime cohort study.

Background Complete resection of lung metastases improves survival in patients with osteosarcoma. We evaluated the long-term effect of metastasectomy on pulmonary function of patients treated for osteosarcoma during childhood. Study Design We reviewed the medical records of patients who had pulmonary function tests (PFTs) after metastasectomy for osteosarcoma. Patient, tumor, and treatment variables were abstracted along with PFTs. The PFTs were recorded as a percentage of predicted value and were classified as abnormal for forced vital capacity (FVC) 1 ) corr ) Results Twenty-one patients had PFTs performed during follow-up. Mean age at diagnosis of osteosarcoma was 13.2 ± 4.7 years (SD). Fifteen patients had a single thoracotomy, and 6 patients had ≥2 thoracotomies (range 2 to 6). Eighty lesions were resected. Nine patients had ≤2 lesions resected and 12 patients had >2 lesions (range 3 to 12) resected. Mean time from the last surgical procedure to measurement of PFTs was 20.3 ± 9.0 years (SD). Total lung capacity was abnormal for 28.6%, DLCO corr for 47.4%, FVC for 40%, and FEV 1 for 47.6% of the cohort members. Individual PFTs were abnormal in 13.3% (TLC) to 46.7% (DLCO corr ) of patients who had 1 thoracotomy and in 50.0% (DLCO corr ) to 66.7% (FEV 1 , TLC) of patients with ≥2 thoracotomies. The number of thoracotomies was associated with abnormal TLC (p = 0.03). Conclusions Patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy for osteosarcoma as children often had abnormal PFTs on long-term follow-up, but the reduction in lung volumes and DLCO corr was relatively mild. Multiple thoracotomies predicted greater impairment of pulmonary function.
Complications of exercise and pharmacologic stress tests: differences in younger and elderly patients.

Background Age characteristics of patients undergoing various types of stress tests are important because of differences in clinical background and exercise performance between the young and elderly. Adverse effects of pharmacologic agents are known to be more common in the elderly, who are less able to perform vigorous exercise stress testing. We investigated the clinical background, performance characteristics, and complication rate of various stress tests in younger (≤75 years old) and elderly (>75 years old) patient populations.
Solving nonlinear dynamic models by iterative dynamic programming

The paper presents a discrete-time dynamic programming algorithm that is suitable to track nonlinearities in intertemporal optimization problems. In contrast to using linearization methods for solving intertemporal models, the proposed algorithm operates globally by iteratively computing the value function and the controls in feedback form on a grid. A conjecture of how the trajectories might behave is analytically obtained by letting the discount rate approach infinity. The dynamic found serves as a useful device for computing the trajectories for finite discount rates employing the algorithm. Commencing with a large step and grid size, and then pursuing time step and grid refinements allows for the replication of the nonlinear dynamics for various finite discount rates. As the time step and grid size shrink, the discretization errors vanish. The algorithm is applied to three economic examples. Two examples are of deterministic type; the third is stochastic. In the deterministic cases limit cycles are detected.
Experimental Investigation of Switching Oxygen Sensor Behavior Due to Exhaust Gas Effects

Switching type exhaust gas oxygen sensors are critical to the performance of air-to-fuel ratio control in stoichiometric SI engines. Controlling the air-to-fuel ratio around stoichiometry is necessary for adequate three-way catalyst performance to meet government emissions regulations. However, the feedback signal from the sensor does not always truly depict the actual chemical mixture present in the exhaust gasses, which intrinsically affects the catalyst performance. A sensor may not provide correct air-to-fuel ratio feedback due to certain species in the exhaust gas which affect the equivalence ratio that the sensor switches from the high to low voltage or vice versa. This work attempts to characterize the impact of gas on fresh and aged sensors and builds upon earlier work in the field by using real engine exhaust rather simulated exhaust gas. In these experiments, the air-to-fuel ratio of a stoichiometric gasoline engine is incrementally increased from a lean to rich mixture to elicit the full switching response of the oxygen sensor. Additional sensor output curves are generated in the presence of external additive gases such as hydrogen, carbon monoxide, propane, and gasoline vapor. An automotive emissions analyzer and a hydrogen analyzer detect the concentrations of the exhaust gases and the chemical equivalence ratio is calculated using a carbon balance. This equivalence ratio creates a reference to examine the accuracy of the switch point of the sensor to actual stoichiometry. Using these data sets, it is possible to determine observe the effect of various gas species on the air to fuel ratio at which the sensor switches. The sensitivity of the different sensors to gas concentrations are quantified and presented, which form an elementary model to predict the sensor switch point in the presence of these gas species. Primary findings indicate that the impact of species on the sensor switch point is linearly related to the concentration of the species; sensor type and sensor age have an effect on a sensor's sensitivity to species; and different hydrocarbon species affect sensors differently. The findings support the simulated exhaust gas results reported in the literature in that the degree of interference of a species is related to the diffusion rate of the species with respect to oxygen through the sensor. The results also point toward the importance of the species of hydrocarbons in the engine exhaust, which are uncontrolled and can vary with engine operating conditions. This feature is critical to the application of this knowledge to automotive control.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Model-based design of time-triggered real-time embedded systems for digital manufacturing

This work presents a novel Model-Based Design (MBD) approach and associated tool-chain for the IEC 61131-3 specific Programmable Logical Controllers (PLC) [2]. Our tool-chain automatically synthesizes software for manufacturing Time-Triggered Real-time Embedded (TTRE) systems. A Software-In-the-Loop Simulation (SILS) framework integrated into our tool-chain helps to reduce the design iterations. Using a manufacturing robot-arm use-case, we validate our tool-chain and demonstrate a 39x improvement in the Quality-of-Control (QoC) when compared to the state-of-the-art approach [1]. Our auto-generated scheduler meets all the hard real-time constraints (zero deadline misses) for a given TTRE system when compared to the scheduler (e.g., 145 deadline misses for a CPU utilization of 95%) presented in [13].
Source Effects in Online Education

While most MOOCs rely on world-famous experts to teach the masses, in many circumstances students may learn more from people who share their context such as local teachers or peers. Here, we describe an experiment to explore how the "source" of video content, the teacher, affects online learning, specifically in the context of higher education in Indian colleges. The proposed experiment will compare three content sources -- a local lecturer (teacher from an Indian engineering college), a local peer (both male and female students similar to the targeted audience), and an internationally recognized expert (a Stanford lecturer). Students will watch videos by the various source authors, after which we will measure differences in their preference, engagement, and learning. In addition, we discuss our experiences with helping students prepare video lectures and describe the support and processes we used to curate interesting and clear peer-generated content.
Lumbar anomalies in the Shanidar 3 Neandertal

Recent examination of the Shanidar 3 remains revealed the presence of anomalous bilateral arthroses in the lumbar region. This paper describes this developmental anomaly, as well as several degenerative changes and offers potential etiologies. The Shanidar 3 remains represent an adult male Neandertal, approximately 35-50 years of age, dating to the Last Glacial. Although the partial skeleton is fragmentary, preserved elements include an almost complete set of ribs, portions of all thoracic vertebrae, all lumbar vertebrae, and the sacrum. Vertebral articulations from S1-T1 can be confidently assigned. The vertebra designated L1 is well preserved but lacks transverse processes. Instead, well defined bilateral articular surfaces, rather than transverse processes, are located on the pedicles. The skeletal elements associated with the anomalous L1 articulations were not recovered. The most likely interpretation is that the arthroses in question represent the facets for a 13th pair of ribs, a rare condition in modern hominid populations. Such lumbar developmental anomalies are an infrequent expression of a larger complex of cranial-caudal border shifting seen in the vertebral column. These shifts result in a change in the usual boundaries between the distinctive vertebral regions and are responsible for the majority of variability present in the vertebral column.
Declining Energy Intensity in the U.S. Agricultural Sector: Implications for Factor Substitution and Technological Change

This study examines factor substitution and energy intensity in the U.S. agricultural sector. Not only does this study focus on the substitution possibilities between energy and non-energy factors, but it also attempts to identify the factors that determine energy intensity. For the empirical analysis, a system of share equations for capital, energy and labor is estimated to calculate the price elasticities of factor demand. The findings reveal that energy demand is more elastic than the demand for capital and labor, and factor substitution possibilities exist across farm production regions. Moreover, the growth rate of energy intensity is decomposed into various driving forces, such as changes in budget, factor substitution, output and technology. The findings show that the budget and output effects are the major driving forces behind the reduced energy intensity, while there are few factor substitutions and technological improvements to reduce energy intensity in the U.S. agricultural sector.
Human primary prostate tumor cell line, ALVA-31: A new model for studying the hormonal regulation of prostate tumor cell growth

A new human prostate tumor cell line (ALVA-31) has been established from a biopsy specimen of primary tumor obtained during prostatectomy. The cell line has been maintained for more than 48 months in stable growth. The in vitro doubling time was determined to be approximately 26 hr. The chromosome number ranged from 24–112, with a modal number of 59 tested over several time points throughout continuous culture. Karyotypic analysis of late-passaged cells demonstrated approximately 70 human chromosomes, 8–14 markers, and two × chromosomes without a Y chromosome. Prostatic origin was confirmed by the expression of both prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase, using specific antisera and immunoradiolabelling techniques. Prostate tumor xenografts were grown in intact male, castrate male, and female athymic mice; however, the rate of tumor growth was clearly dependent upon serum testosterone levels. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina, Neonate Overwintering Ecology on Long Island, New York

Abstract We studied 11 nests, and the resulting neonates of Eastern Box turtles (Terrapene carolina) in New York in 2001 and 2002, and documented neonate emergence and movements. None overwintered in the nest; instead, they emerged in the fall and overwintered buried shallowly close to the nest, where they were exposed to temperatures as low as −7°C. Further research is needed regarding neonate T. carolina behavior and the relative advantages of overwintering in the nest and overwintering terrestrially outside the nest.
A hyperpolarization-activated inward current in heart interneurons of the medicinal leech

Heart interneurons (HN cells) in isolated ganglia of the medicinal leech were voltage-clamped with single microelectrodes. Hyperpolarizing voltage steps elicited a slow inward current (Ih), which underlies the characteristic depolarizing response of HN cells to injection of prolonged hyperpolarizing current pulses (Arbas and Calabrese, 1987a). The conductance underlying Ih begins to activate near -mV and is fully activated between -70 and -80 mV. The activation kinetics of Ih are slow and voltage dependent. The activation time constant (tau h) ranges from approximately 2 sec at -60 mV to near 700 msec at -100 mV. Ih persists in low Ca2+ (0.1 mM), 5 mM Mn2+ saline and exhibits a reversal potential of -21 +/- 5 mV. The reversal potential is shifted by altering [Na+]o or [K+]o but is unaffected by changes in [Cl-]o. Ih is blocked by extracellular Cs+ (1–5 mM) but not Ba2+ (5 mM) or TEA (25 mM). Low concentrations of Cs+ (100–200 microM) cause a partial block that exhibits strong voltage dependence. Temperature changes were also shown to affect Ih. Both the rate of activation and the steady-state amplitude of Ih are enhanced by temperature increases. HN cells are interconnected by inhibitory chemical synapses, and their normal electrical activity consists of bursts of action potentials separated by periods of inhibition. During the inhibitory phase of rhythmic bursting activity, HN cells hyperpolarize to a voltage range where Ih is activated. Block of Ih with extracellular Cs+ (4 mM) disrupted the normal bursting activity of HN cells. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that Ih contributes to escape from inhibitory inputs during normal bursting activity.
Methods for screening watermelon for resistance to papaya ringspot virus type-W

Abstract Papaya ringspot virus-watermelon strain (PRSV-W) affects all agriculturally important species of the Cucurbitaceae, and is of economic interest because of its destructiveness. The objective of this study was to develop a consistent and reliable method to screen watermelon for resistance to PRSV-W. PRSV-W isolates 1637, 1870, 2030, 2038, 2040, 2052, 2169, 2201, 2207, and W-1A were maintained in ‘Gray Zucchini’ squash, and were used in the inoculations. Three experiments were run, a preliminary experiment to determine the important factors involved in disease development, a main experiment to quantify the effects of those factors, and a retest of three cultigens to determine test variability. The experiment was a split-plot treatment arrangement in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Whole plots were growth stage (cotyledon, first true leaf), subplots were pot size (55 or 100 mm), and sub-subplots were the 10 isolates. Plants were rated on a scale of 0–9 for each of three traits: leaf necrosis, mosaic symptoms, and leaf deformation. We found the best method for a screening of the watermelon germplasm collection for resistance to PRSV-W is to grow the seedlings in square, 100 mm diameter pots (or 55 mm diameter pots if uniform germination is expected) and inoculate plants at the first true leaf stage using PRSV-W isolate 2052 and the rub method. Significant differences were obtained (with LSD values of 0.6–1.5) using four replications of five plants per plot, but fewer replicates and plants may be adequate for a large germplasm screening experiment. The method can be used by researchers interested in screening for PRSV-W resistance in watermelon, verifying that resistance, studying its inheritance, and transferring it to elite cultivars.
Motion of a particle generated by chemical gradients. Part 2. Electrolytes

When a particle is placed in a fluid in which there is a non-uniform concentration of solute, it will move toward higher or lower concentration depending on whether the solute is attracted to or repelled from the particle surface. A quantitative understanding of this phenomenon requires that the equations representing conservation of mass and momentum within the fluid in the vicinity of the particle are solved. This is accomplished using a method of matched asymptotic expansions in a small parameter L/a, where a is the particle radius and L is the length scale characteristic of the physical interaction between solute and particle surface. This analysis yields an expression for particle velocity, valid in the limit L/a → 0, that agrees with the expression obtained by previous researchers. The result is cast into a more useful algebraic form by relating various integrals involving the solute/particle interaction energy to a measurable thermodynamic property, the Gibbs surface excess of solute Γ. An important result is that the correction for finite L/a is actually O(Γ/C∞ a), where C∞ is the bulk concentration of solute, and could be O(1) even when L/a is orders of magnitude smaller.
The Role of Selenium in Thyroid Hormone Action

I. Introduction RECENT progress in the field of thyroid hormone deiodination has led to a greater understanding, not only of this critical process, but also of mechanisms more basic to protein synthesis in general. The cloning of the type I deiodinase, demonstration that this enzyme is a selenoprotein, and subsequent identification of selenocysteine insertion sequences in the noncoding portion of the gene have provided considerable insight into the mechanism of incorporation of this unusual amino acid into proteins. The purpose of this review is to discuss some of these advances and their implications. We begin by providing a brief background of the deiodination process and the discovery of the enzymes involved, followed by a discussion of some of the extensive characterization studies that have been performed on these enzymes over the years. Comprehensive reviews of these earlier studies have been published previously (1, 2). We next describe the expression cloning of the type I deiodinase and its identi...
A novel role for FGF and extracellular signal–regulated kinase in gap junction–mediated intercellular communication in the lens

Gap junction–mediated intercellular coupling is higher in the equatorial region of the lens than at either pole, a property believed to be essential for lens transparency. We show that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) upregulates gap junctional intercellular dye transfer in primary cultures of embryonic chick lens cells without detectably increasing either gap junction protein (connexin) synthesis or assembly. Insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1, as potent as FGF in inducing lens cell differentiation, had no effect on gap junctions. FGF induced sustained activation of extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) in lens cells, an event necessary and sufficient to increase gap junctional coupling. We also identify vitreous humor as an in vivo source of an FGF-like intercellular communication-promoting activity and show that FGF-induced ERK activation in the intact lens is higher in the equatorial region than in polar and core fibers. These findings support a model in which regional differences in FGF signaling through the ERK pathway lead to the asymmetry in gap junctional coupling required for proper lens function. Our results also identify upregulation of intercellular communication as a new function for sustained ERK activation and change the current paradigm that ERKs only negatively regulate gap junction channel activity.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Group Interventions in College Counseling Centers

Students who engage with their college counseling center, whether attending workshops or undergoing treatment, are at a time of personal change and transition. Whether they are first year students dealing with the normative developmental challenges of defining themselves in regard to themselves and others, graduating seniors contemplating leaving the safe harbor of the university to begin to build a career, returning students working full-time while training for a new career path, or graduate students simultaneously studying, teaching, and engaging in supervised professional practice for the first time, counseling center clientele are stretching themselves in a myriad of ways, and seeking our assistance in doing so. Students are pursuing a formal education in order to grow intellectually, but they are also struggling to address such personal questions as: Who am I, and how will I contribute? What is my place among others? These transitional processes contribute to the significant reward of working in counseling centers, where clients are often very motivated to work and change.
Fault diagnosis for linear systems via multifrequency measurements

The fault diagnosis problem for a linear system whose transfer function matrix is measured at a discrete set of frequencies is formalized. A measure of solvability for the resultant equations and a measure of testability for the unit under test is developed. These, in turn, are used as the basis of algorithms for choosing test points and test frequencies.