cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The spreading of surfactant-laden liquids with surfactant transfer through the contact line

We examine the spreading of a liquid on a solid surface when the liquid surface has a spread monolayer of insoluble surfactant, and the surfactant transfers through the contact line between the liquid surface and the solid. We show that, as in surfactant-free systems, a singularity appears at the moving contact line. However, unlike surfactant-free systems, the singularity cannot be removed by the same assumptions as long as surfactant transfer takes place. In an attempt to avoid modelling difficulties posed by the question of how the singularity might be removed, we identify parameters which describe the dynamics of the macroscopic spreading process. These parameters, which depend on the details of the fluid motion next to the contact line as in the pure-fluid case, also depend on the state of the spread surfactant in the macroscopic region, in sharp contrast to the pure-fluid case where actions at the macroscopic scale did not affect material spreading parameters. A model of the viscous-controlled region near the contact line which accounts for surfactant transfer shows that, at steady state, some ranges of dynamic contact angles and of capillary number are forbidden. For a given surfactant–liquid pair, these disallowed ranges depend upon the actual contact angle and on the transfer flux of surfactant.We also examine a possible inner model which accounts for the transfer via surface diffusivity and regularizes the stress via a slip model. We show that the asymptotic behaviour of this model at distances from the contact line large compared to the inner length scale matches to the viscous-controlled region. An example of how the information propagates is given.
Personality Change at Mid-Life is Associated with Changes in Self-Rated Health: Evidence from the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort.

Abstract Personality traits change across the lifespan, and trait change, in addition to trait level, may be related to health. Longitudinal data from the Hawaii Personality and Health Cohort were used to investigate associations between changes in traits and self-rated health (SRH). Participants (N = 733, Mage = 44.4) completed measures of the Big Five personality traits and SRH twice approximately 3 years apart. Personality trait changes were associated with SRH change. Additionally, increases on Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness, and decreases on Neuroticism, predicted increases in SRH, even when controlling for gender and education. Relating correlated trait change at mid-life, when traits reach peak stability, to a consequential health outcome such as SRH change, demonstrates the value of treating both traits and health indicators as dynamic variables.
Challenges associated with childhood exposure to severe natural disasters: research review and clinical implications

Natural disasters cause widespread destruction, economic loss, and death, leaving children to cope with the devastating aftermath. The research literature has demonstrated that children are at risk postdisaster for negative mental health outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression. The purpose of this review is to highlight the challenges associated with childhood exposure to severe natural disasters and to summarize the current research on clinical interventions for children postdisaster. Specific challenges reviewed include disasterrelated deaths, secondary stressors typical in postdisaster environments, disruption in social networks, and the threat of recurrent disasters. A public health framework for schoolbased mental health services is discussed and the need for research on effective intervention models for youth in postdisaster environments is highlighted.
Analysis of Ion Behavior Affecting Voltage Holding Property of Liquid Crystal Displays

A mechanism for the decay of charged voltage, which leads to the lowering of the voltage holding ratio of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), was proposed using a model for the behavior of ions in an LC layer. The proposed model was verified by experimental results using two LC cells of different LC materials. The decay of the charged voltage occurs with two decay components; one originates from the ions arriving at the surface of an alignment layer due to the application of pulsed voltage diffusing toward the LC layer, and the other originates from the ions in the LC layer moving toward the opposite surface and canceling the dielectric polarization of LC molecules during an open-circuit period. We found that the decay of the charged voltage increases with increasing density of ions arriving at the surface before the open-circuit period.
Interaction between Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis and demographic variables on cognitive function in young to middle-aged adults.

Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis are widespread diseases that have been associated with cognitive deficits and Alzheimer’s disease. We sought to determine whether interactions between Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis, age, race-ethnicity, educational attainment, economic status, and general health predict cognitive function in young and middle-aged adults. To do so, we used multivariable regression and multivariate models to analyze data obtained from the United States’ National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which can be weighted to represent the US population. In this sample, we found that 31.6 percent of women and 36.2 percent of men of the overall sample had IgG Antibodies against Helicobacter pylori, although the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori varied with sociodemographic variables. There were no main effects for Helicobacter pylori or latent toxoplasmosis for any of the cognitive measures in models adjusting for age, sex, race-ethnicity, educational attainment, economic standing, and self-rated health predicting cognitive function. However, interactions between Helicobacter pylori and race-ethnicity, educational attainment, latent toxoplasmosis in the fully adjusted models predicted cognitive function. People seropositive for both Helicobacter pylori and latent toxoplasmosis – both of which appear to be common in the general population – appear to be more susceptible to cognitive deficits than are people seropositive for either Helicobacter pylori and or latent toxoplasmosis alone, suggesting a synergistic effect between these two infectious diseases on cognition in young to middle-aged adults.
Late pleistocene passerine birds from Sonora, Mexico

Abstract Songbirds (Passeriformes) have a very limited fossil record in spite of making up more than one-half of the world's 10,000 living species of birds. From the late Pleistocene fossil site of Terapa in east-central Sonora, Mexico, the identifiable fossils of songbirds consist exclusively of species of Icteridae. The seven extant species (Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus, Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus, Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus, Bronzed Cowbird Molothrus aeneus, Brown-headed Cowbird M. ater, and Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius) still occur in Sonora, either as residents or migrants. The eighth fossil icterid from Terapa is an extinct genus and species of cowbird, Pandanaris convexa. The genus Pandanaris was known formerly only from late Pleistocene sites in southern California (P. convexa A. H. Miller) and Florida (P. floridana Brodkorb). We synonymize P. floridana with P. convexa because their supposed differences either cannot be substantiated or can be attributed to sexual dimorphism in size within a single species. Among the few Pleistocene sites from Mexico or the United States with well-studied and substantial assemblages of fossil passerines, Terapa is unique in its dominance of icterids (which may be common elsewhere but not dominant) and in its absence of corvids. Today, tropical “foothills thornscrub” is the vegetation type at Terapa except for riparian forest along the rio Moctezuma. The icterid fossils are compatible with previous evidence (from plant, invertebrate, and other vertebrate fossils) that tropical/subtropical marsh, savanna, and riparian forest existed at Terapa during the late Pleistocene. Just as the two extant species of cowbirds associate today with large grazing mammals, the extinct Pandanaris convexa may have foraged in association with Pleistocene mammals whose extinction led to the demise of P. convexa as well.
Cardiovascular responses elicited during binge administration of cocaine.

Cocaine use is often characterized by a repeated pattern of frequent administrations (binge) followed by periods of abstinence. The repeated binge administration of methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) alters cardiovascular function and the arterial pressure and heart rate responses elicited by these drugs. Whether repeated binges of cocaine similarly affect cardiovascular function and cardiovascular responsiveness is unknown. Radiotelemetry was used to record the cardiovascular responses elicited during three successive cocaine binges (5 mg/kg, t.i.d., for 4 days) in conscious, unrestrained rats. Each binge was separated by a 10-day cocaine-free period. The effects of cocaine administration on vascular reactivity and vasovagal, Bezold-Jarisch reflex function were also evaluated. The intravenous administration of cocaine increased both mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate. The arterial pressure and heart rate responses elicited by cocaine, both within and between the binges, were remarkably similar. The arterial pressure and heart rate responses elicited by the intravenous administration of sodium nitroprusside, acetylcholine and phenylephrine before each binge and 10 days after the last binge were not altered after the binge administration of cocaine. Likewise, Bezold-Jarisch reflex function elicited by intravenous serotonin was unchanged after the binge administration of cocaine. These results indicate that the administration of cocaine using this repeated binge model does not alter the arterial pressure and heart rate responses elicited by the drug, nor does it alter the cardiovascular responses elicited by a variety of vasoactive substances.
Environment During growth: Accounting for governance and vulnerability

Summary The conventional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) model holds that pollution inevitably increases until societies reach middle-income status, because poor countries do not have the institutional capacity or political will to regulate polluters. Some policy makers and researchers have cited the EKC model when arguing that developing countries should “grow first and clean up later.” However, new evidence suggests that this argument is incorrect because it mistakenly assumes that strong environmental governance is not possible for poor countries. This paper extends the EKC model to include a new measure of environmental governance, as well as a detailed accounting of geographic vulnerability (climate and terrain factors). We find that these two factors can account for much of the observed variation in developing-country air pollution levels.
Escherichia coli RNase D: sequencing of the rnd structural gene and purification of the overexpressed protein.

Abstract We have determined the nucleotide sequence of a 1.4-kb-pair fragment of the E. coli chromosome that carries the complete rnd gene encoding RNase D, a putative tRNA processing enzyme. The coding region of rnd extends for a total of 1128 nucleotides beginning at an initiator UUG codon and terminating at a UAA codon, and encodes a 375-amino acid polypeptide of 42,679 daltons, consistent with the known size of RNase D. A rapid purification procedure was developed for isolation of RNase D from strains overexpressing the enzyme. The N-terminal sequence and the amino acid composition of the homogenous protein were in excellent agreement with those derived from the sequence of the rnd gene.
Is There a Digital Purgatory

SUMMARY The many opportunities libraries face with the advances of digital technology lead to an understandable assumption that providing a wide range of resources in electronic formats is a natural next step. Only now are some beginning to give serious attention to problems we need to solve before we move forward too quickly and create more problems for those managing information. This paper addresses these issues from the perspective of a research collection focused on scholarly use.
Attempts to Extract Infective Nucleic Acid of Rous Sarcoma Virus.

SummarySodium deoxycholate and hot and cold phenol were used to extract nucleic acid from Rous sarcoma. The hot phenol technic in some experiments yielded a RNAse-sensitive product that caused non-transmissible focal lesions in chick fibroblast tissue cultures, but no extracts initiated a transmissible infection in tissue cultures, chicks or embry-onated eggs. The same hot and cold phenol technics did yield infective nucleic acid from West Nile. Mengo, and Semliki Forest virus preparations. Rous sarcoma virus was rapidly inactivated by deoxycholate.
Numerical stochastic analysis of groundwater contaminant transport and plume containment

First- and second-order reliability methods (FORM and SORM) are applied as alternatives to the Monte Carlo simulation method in the probabilistic analysis of groundwater contaminant transport and remediation. A two-dimensional finite-element model is interfaced with a reliability analysis program to account for uncertainty in aquifer media. Hydraulic conductivity is modeled as a spatial random field with prescribed marginal probability distribution and correlation structure. FORM and SORM provide the probability that a contaminant exceeds a target level at a well, termed the probability of failure. Sensitivity of the probability of failure to basic uncertainty in grid block conductivities is also obtained, at no additional computational effort. Component reliability is used to analyze failure in a single well. Results indicate that, at the most likely failure scenario, grid block conductivities attain their maximum value near the source, the receptor well, and along the stream tubes connecting the two. System reliability is used to analyze the joint probability of failure at several wells in the aquifer. Results indicate that system failure probability is greater than the largest component failure probability. Correlation between component failure events is greater when the individual wells are closer. Sensitivity of the upper bound on system probability with respect to grid block conductivities is highest along the path the contaminant follows to reach the receptor wells. Furthermore, the probability of failure to contain a plume from escaping site boundaries is analyzed, along with the corresponding sensitivity information. Probability of failure to contain the plume decreases as the well pumping rate increases. The presence of regions of lower conductivity dramatically increases the probability of remediation failure. A careful analysis of aquifer material uncertainty and heterogeneity is vital to the success of groundwater remediation systems.
Assessing the Relative Importance of the Child Sexual Abuse Interview Protocol Items to Assist Child Victims in Abuse Disclosure

This study identifies (1) the importance of using the Child Sexual Abuse Interview Protocol for multiple disciplines to obtain detailed information of what the alleged child victims say and claim, and (2) the concurrence of multiple professionals about the relevance of items in the protocol in their practice. A survey with 100 items based on the Child Sexual Abuse Interview Protocol was self administered by 36 professionals working at a child advocacy center including administrators, attorneys, child advocates, support persons, physicians, police, psychologists, and social workers. These respondents unanimously felt it was very important for interviewers to complete two specific items during the course of an investigative interview: “showing the interviewer is listening to the child” and “showing patience with the child.” As indicated by the average rating scores, 89 items were perceived between very important and important, and nine items as somewhat important. No item on this scale was rated as doesn’t matter or unimportant. Social workers and police officers did not differ significantly in their ratings of the importance of these items. Both quantitative and qualitative results support four major considerations when using an interview guide: 1) flexibility in opening and closing the interview, 2) professional and appropriate use of the anatomical dolls, 3) assessment of the age and mental state of the child, and 4) determination of the order of questions based on severity of incidents. This study provides data to identify the importance of using a comprehensive interview protocol for multidisciplinary professionals who work with alleged victims of child sexual abuse. The use of these 100 items will enhance the effectiveness of conducting a one-time interview to avoid repeated interviews. This study that was originally aimed at comparing differences among professionals has, in fact, demonstrated the similarities across disciplines, as agreement among various professional groups was substantial. This finding dissolves the myth that multiple disciplines brought forth diverse opinions and instead encourages the “working together” concept of a team.
Complexity and tissue specificity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain

There is a renewed interest in the structure and functioning of the mitochondrial respiratory chain with the realization that a number of genetic disorders result from defects in mitochondrial electron transfer. These so-called mitochondrial myopathies include diseases of muscle, heart, and brain. The respiratory chain can be fractionated into four large multipeptide complexes, an NADH ubiquinone reductase (complex I), succinate ubiquinone reductase (complex II), ubiquinol oxidoreductase (complex III), and cytochromec oxidase (complex IV). Mitochondrial myopathies involving each of these complexes have been described. This review summarizes compositional and structural data on the respiratory chain proteins and describes the arrangement of these complexes in the mitochondrial inner membrane. This biochemical information is provided as a framework for the diagnosis and molecular characterization of mitochondrial diseases.
Sphingosine kinase 1 protects against renal ischemia–reperfusion injury in mice by sphingosine-1-phosphate1 receptor activation

The roles of sphingosine kinases SK1 and SK2 in ischemia–reperfusion injury have not been fully elucidated since studies have found beneficial effects of SK1 while others showed no role in this injury. To help resolve this, we used SK1 or SK2 knockout mice and confirmed that renal ischemia–reperfusion injury induced SK1, but not SK2, in the kidneys. Furthermore, knockout or pharmacological inhibition of SK1 increased injury after renal ischemia–reperfusion injury. In contrast, lack of SK2 conferred renal protection following injury. In addition, we used lentiviral gene delivery to selectively express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) or human SK1 coexpressed with EGFP (EGFP-huSK1) in the kidney. Mice with kidney-specific overexpression of EGFP-huSK1 had significantly improved renal function with lower plasma creatinine, renal necrosis, apoptosis, and inflammation. Moreover, EGFP-huSK1 overexpression in cultured human proximal tubule (HK-2) cells protected against peroxide-induced necrosis. Selective overexpression of EGFP-huSK1 led to increased HSP27 mRNA and protein expression in vivo and in vitro . Functional protection as well as induction of HSP27 with EGFP-huSK1 overexpression in vivo was blocked with sphingosine-1-phosphate-1 receptor 1 (S1P 1 ) antagonism. Thus, our findings suggest that SK1 is renoprotective by S1P 1 activation and perhaps HSP27 induction. Kidney-specific expression of SK1 through lentiviral delivery may be a viable therapeutic option to attenuate renal ischemia–reperfusion injury.
The effects of hypoxia on hemocyanin regulation in Cancer magister: Possible role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1

Abstract Aquatic organisms routinely experience fluctuations in oxygen levels. In response to oxygen deprivation, many organisms increase the oxygen carrying capacity of their blood to restore balance to hypoxic cells and tissues. This response has been well described in vertebrate as well as invertebrate systems. The respiratory pigment found in decapod crustaceans, hemocyanin (Hc), increases in concentration and is differentially regulated in response to decreases in oxygen tension. To test the effects of hypoxia on Hc regulation in Cancer magister , adult crabs were exposed to hypoxic conditions (6.4 kPa) for 12 days. Total protein and oxyhemocyanin were significantly higher in crabs that had been exposed to hypoxic conditions. Hemocyanin analyzed by pH7.4 PAGE showed that the concentration of both the 16S and 25S conformations of Hc significantly increased in hypoxic crabs. We also show that C. magister differentially regulates Hc subunits 3 and 6 when challenged by hypoxia. As Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1 (HIF-1) is considered to be the global regulator for oxygen homeostasis, we have also identified putative HIF-1α binding sites in the promoter and intronic sequence of several Hc subunits. The presence of these potential hypoxia response elements, the conservation of physiological responses, and the discovery of a HIF-1α homologue in C. magister and several other crustacean species, suggest a role for HIF-1 in regulating crustacean responses to hypoxia.
Removal of Deposited Plutonium by Triethylenetetramine Hexaacetic Acid

THE effectiveness of the chelating agent triethylenetetramine hexaacetic acid (TTHA) in reducing deposition of cerium-144 in the rat has been reported in a recent publication by Catsch and Schindewolf-Jordan1. The successful removal of cerium-144 from bone reported by these workers suggested the use of this new chelating agent in current investigations of plutonium therapy now in progress in our laboratory. The purpose of this communication is to report preliminary results with TTHA administered to rats containing deposited plutonium and to compare these results with the results of similar treatment with diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA), the present agent of choice for the removal of internally deposited plutonium2.
Coarctation of the Aorta in Children and Adolescents: Surgical Treatment and Review of 120 Patients

Between September 1967 and April 1975, a total of 120 patients between one day and 20 years of age underwent surgery for coarctation of the thoracic aorta. Thirty-two patients were below two years of age (group 1) and 88 were above two years (group 3). All patients in group 1 initially had congestive heart failure. Twenty-eight had associated cardiac defects, and 18 had significant pulmonary arterial hypertension (> 50 mm Hg). Operative deaths occurred only in group 1, all in infants below five months of age. Common features in the 13 deaths were congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, patent ductus arteriosus, large ventricular septal defect, concomitant pulmonary arterial banding or open-heart procedures. The only recurrence occurred in an infant first operated at 14 days of age. Resection of aortic coarctation can be safely performed as an elective procedure; however, it still presents a high surgical risk in infants with associated intracardiac defects. Late follow-up shows the salutary effects of repair of the coarctation on hypertension.
Some Thoughts on the Black Skull: An Archeologist's Assessment of WT‐17000 (A. boisei) and Systematics in Human Paleontology

A nontechnical assessment of the controversial Black Skull is provided. Claims that it could not be accommodated by any known phylogeny are rejected in the context of a discussion of systematics in human paleontology. It is suggested that the discipline lacks a clear-cut conception of science, and is characterized by poorly formed theories that can neither be confirmed nor rejected. Research designs appear to be unconstrained pattern searches using variables selected more by convention or for convenience than for demonstrated diagnostic utility. Explanations based on such designs are a weak form of inference since they are wholly dependent on their warranting arguments.
The classification of individuals into two criterion groups on the basis of a discontinuous payoff function

An analytic method is presented for optimally classifying individuals into two subgroups on the basis of a cutting score on a test or test composite. The development assumes the test and criterion scores to be normally distributed, and the correlation surface to be bivariate normal. It is further assumed that individuals belong to the first or second sub-group depending on whether their criterion score is above or below a specified value. The predictor cutting score is determined so as to maximize the expected value of the decision procedure, taking gains and losses associated with correct and incorrect assignments into account.
SU-E-J-146: Time Series Prediction of Lung Cancer Patients' Breathing Pattern Based on Nonlinear Dynamics.

Purpose: Prediction methods for breathing patterns, which are crucial to deal with system latency in treatments of moving lungtumors using state‐space methodologies based on non‐linear dynamics are contrasted to linear predictive methods. Method and Materials: In our previous work we established that breathing patterns can be described as a 5‐6 dimensional nonlinear, stationary and deterministic system that exhibits sensitive dependence on initial conditions. In this work, nonlinear prediction methods are used to predict the short‐term evolution of the respiratory system for 3 patients. Single step and N‐point multi step prediction are performed for sampling rates of 5Hz, 10Hz, and 30Hz. We compare the employed nonlinear prediction methods with respect to prediction accuracy to Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) prediction filters. The simplest form of local prediction is finding similar segments of scalar time series data in a higher dimensional embedding space. Hence, we predict the future value x(t)of N‐time steps ahead by simply finding the average of nearest neighbor points to the point x(t) in the past and using them to estimate x(t+N), yielding a local average model (LAM). Local linear models (LLM) which are linear autoregressive models that hold only for a region around the target point formed by the nearest neighbor points is combined with a set of linear regularization techniques to solve ill‐posed regression problems are also implemented. Results: For all sampling frequencies, both single step and N‐point multi step prediction results obtained using LAM and LLM with regularization methods are better than IIR prediction filters for the selected sample patients. Conclusions: The use of non‐linear prediction methods for predicting the breathing pattern of lungcancer patients may lead to improved, robust and accurate long‐term prediction to account for system latencies.
Parallel processing for Rietveld refinement

A method for speeding Rietveld refinements using parallel computing is presented. The method can be applied to most, if not all, Rietveld refinement programs. An example implementation for the Los Alamos General Structure Analysis System (GSAS) package is described. Using a cluster with seven processors, least-squares refinements are completed 2.5 to 5 times faster than on an equivalent single-processor computer.
Managing Regional Hegemony in Historical Asia: The Case of Early Ming China

Much has been written about China’s rise, yet from a historical perspective, China’s rise is nothing new. Historian Wang Gungwu points out three past instances: the Qin–Han unification, the Sui–Tang reunification, and the Ming–Qing dynasties. The present, fourth rise of China ‘needs to be seen in a longer perspective’. What can we learn from China’s rich historical experience? The polity that we now know as China was the most powerful state and a regional hegemon during certain periods of East Asian history. How did China behave in the region when it had preponderant power? Did China expand when strong? And how did China manage its hegemony to stay on top? As the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) is the only period from the fall of the Tang dynasty in 907 until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912 when a native or non-alien Chinese dynasty dominated East Asia, this feature alone makes the Ming dynasty a good vehicle for examining Chinese strategic behaviour. By examining a past regional hegemon, this article offers a first-cut at the longer historical perspective on the rise of China. International relations (IR) theory in the past two decades tends to focus on states’ resistance to a concentration of power. Scholars debate over whether or not balances of power recurrently form or whether or not a balancing coalition against the United States, the current unipolar leader, will emerge. This focus on power balancing, albeit important, overlooks a
The effects of social injustice and inequality on children's moral judgments and behavior: Towards a theoretical model

Abstract Our goal in this paper is to examine the potential origins of children's understanding of morally relevant transgressions, with a particular focus on how children's perceptions of both proximal and distal unfairness might influence their social reasoning and behavior. A preliminary theoretical model is presented that addresses connections among aggressive children's social cognitive biases, their attachment histories, and their working models of societal justice and fairness. It is argued that difficulties in early parent–child interactions in combination with hostile larger social environments act to undermine emotional reciprocity, empathy, and concern for others in ways likely to promote proactive, uncaring forms of victimization and harm. Furthermore, it is proposed that given sufficiently toxic social experiences, some children will develop beliefs that life does not primarily revolve around caring or fairness, but around power and domination. Discussion focuses on the potential implications of these non-normative but coherent moral beliefs for theory and intervention.
Dynamic programming with reduced computational requirements

The purpose of this paper is to describe in detail a computational procedure for solving optimal control problems called state increment dynamic programming. This procedure has computational requirements which are considerably less than those of conventional dynamic programming, but it still retains the general applicability and other desirable features of the conventional method. In one example the reduction in high-speed memory requirement is from l0\deg to about 100 locations. Similar reductions in computing time can also be obtained in some cases. The new procedure, like the conventional method, is based on iterative application of Bellman's principle of optimality. It differs from the conventional method in the choice of the time interval over which a given control is applied. Instead of using a fixed interval, the new procedure determines the time interval as the minimum time required for at least one of the state variables to change by one increment. As a result of this choice of interval, the next state for any given control is known to lie within a small neighborhood of the point at which control is applied. By using this result it is possible to compute optimal control in units, called "blocks," that cover a relatively long time interval but a small distance along each state variable. By using only one or two high-speed memory locations per state in the block-an almost arbitrarily small number of locations-it is possible to compute optimal control throughout the block. Specialized computations near the boundaries of the block permit the optimal trajectories any desired degree of freedom in passing from block to block. This technique has been applied in a computer program which calculates minimum fuel trajectories for supersonic (Mach 3) aircraft under a variety of conditions and constraints. The basic program can be used both for a detailed evaluation of an aircraft design and for real-time control of an aircraft.
Prevalence and Consequences of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Women With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence and clinical consequences of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of acute, transient left ventricular dysfunction seen predominantly in postmenopausal women after acute emotional or physical stress. Postmenopausal women have a high prevalence of bone and musculoskeletal consequences related to hypovitaminosis D. Although rickets is known to cause a reversible dilated cardiomyopathy in children, the importance of vitamin D for adult cardiovascular health is less understood. Methods: We prospectively identified patients diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy at Danbury Hospital from April 2009 through January 2011, collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and angiographic data, and performed serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels during the index hospitalization. Vitamin D insufficiency was defined as serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D less than 30 ng/mL. We compared p...
On the Social Costs of Bankruptcy: Can the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005 be an Effective Policy?

The goal of BAPCPA is to shift bankruptcy filers from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13. The basis for this goal is the assumption that Chapter 7 filers repay much less of their debt than do Chapter 13 filers. Therefore, shifting debtors from Chapter 7 to Chapter 13 will increase debt repayment and lessen the amount of bankruptcy costs shifted to society as a whole. In order for this reasoning to be valid, it is necessary to substantiate the claim that Chapter 13 actually leads to substantial debt repayment. This paper examines the validity of this assumption using a random sample of filers from the Eastern Washington U.S. Federal Bankruptcy Court District in 2003 and 2005. The authors find that filers do, indeed, repay a substantial portion of their debts. This suggests that Chapter 13 is effective in generating debt repayment. However, Chapter 13 repayments also create major administrative costs, and frequently provide little benefit to general unsecured creditors. Moreover, the effectiveness of Chapter 13 bankruptcies is substantially reduced (by nearly a 2.5 to 1 ratio) if debtors do not successfully complete the repayment plans. As such, BAPCPA appears to miss an opportunity to further reduce the social costs of bankruptcy.
Anterior sacrospinous vaginal vault suspension for prolapse.

Abstract Background: We describe a new modification of sacrospinous vaginal vault suspension, through the anterior compartment of the vagina. Technique: The anterior vaginal wall is opened and the endopelvic connective tissue on the patient’s right is separated from the pubic ramus at the level of the bladder neck to the ischial spine, exposing the paravesical and pararectal space. The sacrospinous ligament is identified and isolated through this defect. Two permanent sutures are placed approximately 2 cm apart through the ligament, anchored with pulley stitches underneath the vaginal epithelium, and tied down to the ligament. Experience: Seventy-five women with vaginal vault prolapses had anterior sacrospinous vaginal vault suspension between June 1993 and February 1997. The average age was 69 and parity was 3. Seventy women were postmenopausal and 32 were taking hormone replacement therapy. Mean follow-up examination was 8.5 months. Recurrent vault prolapse occurred in five women, enterocele in one, rectocele in five and cystocele in nine. Three women needed second operations for prolapse. Conclusion: The anterior approach to sacrospinous vaginal vault suspension provides an alternative to the traditional posterior technique. It is a convenient route for apical suspension when posterior surgery is not needed.
Collapse of a one-dimensional spin fluid☆

Abstract This is a study of the classical equilibrium statistical mechanics of a one-dimensional system of hard rods each of which has an Ising spin variable associated with it. Nearest-neighbor rods attract one another with a force that is inversely proportional to their center-of-mass separation. The proportionality factor contains a nearest-neighbor Ising interaction, and the entire system is taken to be in a uniform magnetic field. The equation of state is given and has the property that for a certain domain of interaction-parameter space the pressure goes continuously to zero along any isotherm as the density ϱ approaches a critical density ϱc associated with the isotherm. Within a certain subdomain the compressibility diverges as ϱc is approached along any isotherm. The explicit form of the divergence is presented as is the explicit dependence of ϱc on the magnetic field.
Effect of nicotine on cardiac necrosis induced by isoproterenol.

Abstract The average severity of myocardial lesions produced by the injection of isoproterenol was not increased by the prior administration of “2-pack equivalents” (2.28 mg. per kilogram) of nicotine per day for 7 days. The administration of the same dose of nicotine for 6 months resulted in a significant (P 1 8 - pack ” or 0.14 mg. per kilogram, and “ 1 2 - pack ” or 0.57 mg. per kilogram equivalents) did not increase the average severity of the lesions. The lack of a consistent relationship between lesion severity and myocardial potassium content is discussed.
Control algorithms for dynamic attenuators

Purpose: The authors describe algorithms to control dynamic attenuators in CT and compare their performance using simulated scans. Dynamic attenuators are prepatient beam shaping filters that modulate the distribution of x-ray fluence incident on the patient on a view-by-view basis. These attenuators can reduce dose while improving key image quality metrics such as peak or mean variance. In each view, the attenuator presents several degrees of freedom which may be individually adjusted. The total number of degrees of freedom across all views is very large, making many optimization techniques impractical. The authors develop a theory for optimally controlling these attenuators. Special attention is paid to a theoretically perfect attenuator which controls the fluence for each ray individually, but the authors also investigate and compare three other, practical attenuator designs which have been previously proposed: the piecewise-linear attenuator, the translating attenuator, and the double wedge attenuator. Methods: The authors pose and solve the optimization problems of minimizing the mean and peak variance subject to a fixed dose limit. For a perfect attenuator and mean variance minimization, this problem can be solved in simple, closed form. For other attenuator designs, the problem can be decomposed into separate problems for each view to greatly reduce the computational complexity. Peak variance minimization can be approximately solved using iterated, weighted mean variance (WMV) minimization. Also, the authors develop heuristics for the perfect and piecewise-linear attenuators which do not require a priori knowledge of the patient anatomy. The authors compare these control algorithms on different types of dynamic attenuators using simulated raw data from forward projected DICOM files of a thorax and an abdomen. Results: The translating and double wedge attenuators reduce dose by an average of 30% relative to current techniques (bowtie filter with tube current modulation) without increasing peak variance. The 15-element piecewise-linear dynamic attenuator reduces dose by an average of 42%, and the perfect attenuator reduces dose by an average of 50%. Improvements in peak variance are several times larger than improvements in mean variance. Heuristic control eliminates the need for a prescan. For the piecewise-linear attenuator, the cost of heuristic control is an increase in dose of 9%. The proposed iterated WMV minimization produces results that are within a few percent of the true solution. Conclusions: Dynamic attenuators show potential for significant dose reduction. A wide class of dynamic attenuators can be accurately controlled using the described methods.
Effect of Hyaluronic Acid Incorporation Method on the Stability and Biological Properties of Polyurethane-Hyaluronic Acid Biomaterials

The high failure rate of small diameter vascular grafts continues to drive the development of new materials and modification strategies that address this clinical problem, with biomolecule incorporation typically achieved via surface-based modification of various biomaterials. In this work, we examined whether the method of biomolecule incorporation (i.e., bulk versus surface modification) into a polyurethane (PU) polymer impacted biomaterial performance in the context of vascular applications. Specifically, hyaluronic acid (HA) was incorporated into a poly(ether urethane) via bulk copolymerization or covalent surface tethering, and the resulting PU–HA materials characterized with respect to both physical and biological properties. Modification of PU with HA by either surface or bulk methods yielded materials that, when tested under static conditions, possessed no significant differences in their ability to resist protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and bacterial adhesion, while supporting endothelial cell culture. However, only bulk-modified PU–HA materials were able to fully retain these characteristics following material exposure to flow, demonstrating a superior ability to retain the incorporated HA and minimize enzymatic degradation, protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, and bacterial adhesion. Thus, despite bulk methods rarely being implemented in the context of biomolecule attachment, these results demonstrate improved performance of PU–HA upon bulk, rather than surface, incorporation of HA. Although explored only in the context of PU–HA, the findings revealed by these experiments have broader implications for the design and evaluation of vascular graft modification strategies.
Binding of Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator to Its Receptor in MCF-7 Cells Activates Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1 and 2 Which Is Required for Increased Cellular Motility

Binding of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) to its receptor, uPAR, regulates cellular adhesion, migration, and tumor cell invasion. Some of these activities may reflect the ability of uPAR to initiate signal transduction even though this receptor is linked to the plasma membrane only by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. In this study, we demonstrated that single-chain uPA activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Phosphorylation of ERK1 and ERK2 was increased 1 min after adding uPA and returned to baseline levels by 5 min. The amino-terminal fragment (ATF) of uPA, which binds to uPAR but lacks proteinase activity, also activated ERK1 and ERK2. Responses to uPA and ATF were eliminated when the cells were pretreated with PD098059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. uPA and ATF promoted the migration of MCF-7 cells across serum-coated Transwell membranes in vitro. Migration was increased 2.1 +/- 0.4-fold when uPA was added to the top chamber, 4. 8 +/- 0.8-fold when uPA was added to the bottom chamber, and 7.7 +/- 1.0-fold when uPA was added to both chambers. MCF-7 cells that were pulse-exposed to uPA for 30 min, and then washed to remove unbound ligand, demonstrated increased motility even though migration was allowed to occur for 24 h. PD098059 completely neutralized the effects of uPA on MCF-7 cellular motility, irrespective of whether the uPA was present for the entire motility assay or administered by pulse-exposure. These results demonstrate a novel, receptor-dependent signaling activity which is required for uPA-stimulated breast cancer cell migration.
Relationships between maternal size, egg diameter, time of spawning season, temperature, and length at hatch of Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia

Eggs were stripped from gravid Atlantic silversides collected on two occasions, once during the early part and once during the late part of the natural spawning season. Unfertilized egg diameter was not correlated with length of the female, nor was it significantly larger during the early part of the season. Eggs were fertilized and incubated in the laboratory. Larval length at hatch was measured every 24 h during the hatching period after embryos were incubated at 18 or 25° C. Lower incubation temperature caused a significantly greater length at hatch for the offspring of each of the 20 females studies. In most cases (17 out of 20 at 25° C, 10 out of 20 at 18° C), there was a significant decrease in length at hatch during the hatching period for a given female's eggs incubated at a given temperature. In the natural environment, larvae hatched early in the season under cooler temperatures could average 12% longer than those hatched later under warmer temperatures, and therefore may have a greater chance of survival. The results help to explain the observation that field-caught M. menidia that hatched early in the season are larger at any given age than those that hatched late in the season.
Reversible high capacity nanocomposite anodes of Si/C/SWNTs for rechargeable Li-ion batteries

Abstract Nanocomposites comprising silicon (Si), graphite (C) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), denoted as Si/C/SWNTs, have been synthesized by dispersing SWNTs via high power ultrasonication into a pre-milled Si/C composite mixture, followed by subsequent thermal treatment. The Si/C composite powder was prepared by high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM) of elemental Si and graphite using polymethacrylonitrile (PMAN) as a diffusion barrier suppressing the possible mechanochemical reaction between silicon and graphite to form SiC, and further prevent the amorphization of graphite during extended milling. A nanocomposite with nominal composition of Si-35 wt.% SWNTs-37 wt.% exhibits a reversible discharge capacity of ∼900 mAh g−1 with an excellent capacity retention of capacity loss of 0.3% per cycle up to 30 cycles. Functionalization of the SWNTs with LiOH significantly improves the cyclability of the nanocomposite containing Si-45 wt.% SWNTs-28 wt.% exhibiting a reversible capacity of 1066 mAh g−1 and displaying almost no fade in capacity up to 30 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is hypothesized to be attributed to the formation of a nanoscale conductive network by the dispersed SWNTs which leads to successful maintenance of good electrical contact between the electrochemically active particles during cycling.
X-ray crystallographic analysis of swine pancreas α-amylase

Abstract α-Amylase has been purified from swine pancreas by adsorption onto glycogen and crystallized from concentrated protein solutions in the presence of Ca2+. Two morphological forms have been obtained and X-ray analysis has shown them both to be of space group P212121 with a = 70 A , b = 110 A and c = 117 A . There are two molecules of total molecular weight 90 000 in the asymmetric unit. The diffraction pattern extends to a resolution of better than 3 A and appears to be stable to radiation exposure.