cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electropolymerization of monomers on metal electrodes

The use of electropolymerization to coat metal electrode surfaces with polymers formed in situ was investigated in detail. Electrolysis was carried out in a three-compartment cell with fritted disk separators such that polymerization occurred in the middle compartment only. Both anodic and cathodic reactions were utilized to form coating on pretreated metal surfaces. It was shown that polymerization occurred both by vinyl polymerization of olefin monomers as well as by ring-opening reactions of cyclic monomers. The factors that control the coating thickness, the morphology of the polymer deposit, and the adhesion of the polymer formed to the metal substrates were determined. It was found that the growth of the coating on electrode followed the chain polymerization kinetics to a considerable degree. However, increased current did not necessarily lead to increased coating thickness because it also led to increased early termination of growing polymer chains to form soluble low molecular weight products. Water, because of its high surface tension, encourages physical adsorption on metal surfaces of organic monomers dissolved in it. Thus, water was found to be unique as solvent for obtaining coatings with good adhesion to metal substrates. Coatings formed were analyzed by several methods including infrared spectroscopy. Several types of bonding, other than bond formation caused by polymerization reactions, were identified. Finally, the cyclization of polyacrylonitrile was observed when the coating was obtained on aluminum cathode during electrolysis of acrylonitrile–sodium nitrate–DMF solution.
A confirmatory factor-analytic investigation of the tripartite model of depression and anxiety in college students

The tripartite model of depression and anxiety suggests that depression and anxiety possess shared (generalized negative affect) and specific (low positive affect and physiological hyperarousal) components. In one of the first studies to examine the model using LISREL confirmatory factor-analytic techniques and an array of different self-report measures, 205 undergraduates completed measures of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. Consistent with the tripartite model, a three-factor model—with depression, anxiety, and negative affect as factors—provided a good fit to the observed data, whereas one- and two-factor models did not. In the three-factor model, low positive affect was a specific indicator of depression; physiological hyperarousal was a specific indicator of anxiety; and nonspecific indicators, such as negative mood, made up the negative affect factor.
Polyimides as biomaterials: preliminary biocompatibility testing.

Abstract A number of commercially available polyimide materials were evaluated in vitro using a selected battery of levels I and II testing protocols prescribed by the National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Blood-Material Interactions. These procedures consisted of electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis and contact angle characterization surface studies, and protein adsorption, cell culture cytotoxicity, clotting time and haemolysis biocompatibility testing. The polyimide surfaces were invariant from the bulk composition with 60–80% C, 10–20% O and 2–5% N, producing advancing contact angles in the hydrophobic range (80–100°). Consequently, they adsorbed significant amounts of albumin (2–3 μg/cm2) and fibrinogen (0.5–0.8 μg/cm2). The polyimides also displayed an insignificant level of cytotoxicity and haemolysis, and clotting times ranged from 63 to 98% of normal. These clotting times and haemolytic index values were intermediate between the values observed for Teflon® and Silastic® controls. These factors, along with the strong adherence of polyimides to metal oxide substrates, indicate that polyimide materials are good candidates for further testing as encapsulants for implantable biosensors.
Information hierarchies optimize patient-centered solutions.

Enabling science and information technologies has catalyzed a surge of biological, clinical, demographic, health services, and comparative-effectiveness data. While accelerating the deconvolution of complex pathophysiological, medical, social, and environmental networks and systems, these platforms have produced informational quanta devoid of contextualization. Therapeutic innovation is thus now challenged with moving beyond knowledge generation and curation to integrated solution-seeking paradigms that organize functionally related information, producing system-level insights into health and disease for optimized patient-centered outcomes. This annual issue on therapeutics innovations highlights emerging considerations for the generation and hierarchical organization of scientific and clinical information and its translation to advancing next-generation disease management. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2013); 93 1, 3–7. doi:10.1038/clpt.2012.208
Elevated IgG levels against specific bacterial antigens in obese patients with diabetes and in mice with diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance

High fat diets increase the risk for insulin resistance by promoting inflammation. The cause of inflammation is unclear, but germfree mouse studies have implicated commensal gut bacteria. We tested whether diet-induced obesity, diabetes, and inflammation are associated with anti-bacterial IgG. Blood from lean and obese healthy volunteers or obese patients with diabetes were analyzed by ELISA for IgG against extracts of potentially pathogenic and pro-biotic strains of Escherichia coli (LF-82 and Nissle), Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and Lactobacillus acidophilus, and for circulating tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). C57Bl/6 mice were fed low- or high-fat diets (10% or 60% kcal from fat) for 10 weeks and tested for anti-bacterial IgG, bodyweight, fasting glucose, and inflammation. Obese diabetic patients had significantly more IgG against extracts of E. coli LF-82 compared with lean controls, whereas IgG against extracts of the other bacteria was unchanged. Circulating TNFα was elevated and correlated with IgG against the LF-82 extract. Mice fed high-fat diets had increased fasting glucose levels, elevated TNFα and neutrophils, and significantly more IgG against the LF-82 extracts. Diabetes in obesity is characterized by increased IgG against specific bacterial antigens. Specific commensal bacteria may mediate inflammatory effects of high-fat diets.
Technology Applications in Occupational Therapy

The products of today's research will be available to clinicians in the future. Many occupational therapists are involved in technology research in rehabilitation engineering and other technical programs. As part of the research teams they are designing new positioning systems and monitoring the effects of these new systems on the posture and skin of people with disabilities. They are designing new interfacing strategies for equipment. They are developing training strategies for accessing computer-based augmentative communication aids. They are providing functional design criteria for the modification of personal vehicles for use by disabled people. They are involved in the development and clinical application of robotics. In summary, the field of rehabilitation technology provides a fertile area for therapists wishing to pursue research careers. RESNA provides continuing education courses with a focus on technology application in conjunction with its annual meeting and encourages regional meetings with educational program components. RESNA is also very concerned with the issues of quality assurance. Only one formal training program for training rehabilitation engineers exists in this country, yet many engineers and others are providing technology in clinical settings. Current legislation is alerting many professionals to the value of technology, and yet there is no mechanism in place to monitor the quality of technical programs or the qualifications of many of the professionals providing the technical services. A major challenge is to address the formal training and quality assurance issues in a sensible way. The application of technology as a component of our clients' rehabilitation is an exciting development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An ISS, AES, and CO chemisorption study of titania overlayers on Rh(111)

Abstract Ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and crystal current measurements have been used to characterize the growth of titania overlayers deposited on a Rh(111) surface. Titania grows two-dimensionally during the first monolayer, with subsequent growth nearly layer-by-layer. The results show agreement among ISS, AES, and crystal current measurements in determination of monolayer coverage. The effect of titania on the chemisorption of CO on Rh(111) has also been investigated and compared with previous studies of titania deposited on Group VIII metals. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of CO shows that titania has relatively little effect on the desorption energy of CO, and that the chemisorption capacity is proportional to the exposed Rh area. The results support a site-blocking model of chemisorption suppression.
Nanoparticle-Based Assays of Antioxidant Activity

The antioxidant power of several phenolic acids and related food samples is estimated from the generation and growth of gold nanoparticles. The intensity of the resulting particle plasmon absorption bands correlates well with the redox characteristics of these phenolic acids estimated from cyclic voltammetry experiments. The highest capacity of reducing gold(III) to gold nanoparticles corresponds to the highest antioxidant activity, consistent with the tendency of phenolic acids to donate electrons.
Urban School Achievement Gap as a Metaphor to Conceal U.S. Apartheid Education

This article uses the metaphor of the achievement gap to make transparent, discuss, and critique the analytical frame/lens used in the articles to analyze urban education. Doing such an analysis is essential to producing an additional lens that has utility in theory and practice. It facilitates a historical analysis of urban education and leads to creating an argument for the new frame in advancing future work in urban education. This will not represent a response to the articles in the issue, but will advance possible alternative analytical frames, scholarly possibilities, and practical approaches to a new generation of urban educators (scholars, school educators, youth, and community members) who utilize the multiple voices, axes of analyses, and perspectives as a tool of urban education thinking, practice, and improvement.
MapReduce Performance Evaluation on a Private HPC Cloud

The convergence of accessible cloud computing resources and big data trends have introduced unprecedented opportunities for scientific computing and discovery. However, HPC cloud users face many challenges when selecting valid HPC configurations. In this paper, we report a set of performance evaluations of data intensive benchmarks on a private HPC cloud to help with the selection of such configurations. More precisely, we study the effect of virtual machines core-count on the performance of 3 benchmarks widely used by the MapReduce community. We notice that depending on the computation to communication ratios of the studied applications, using higher core-counts virtual machines do not always lead to higher performance for data-intensive applications.
Image Chain Analysis For Digital Image Rectification System

An image chain analysis, utilizing a comprehensive computer program, has been gen-erated for the key elements of a digital image rectification system. System block dia-grams and analyses for three system configurations employing film scanner input have been formulated with a parametric specification of pertinent element modulation transfer functions and input film scene spectra. The major elements of the system for this analy-sis include a high-resolution, high-speed charge-coupled device film scanner, three candidate digital resampling option algorithms (i.e., nearest neighbor, bilinear inter-polation and cubic convolution methods), and two candidate printer reconstructor implemen-tations (solid-state light-emitting diode printer and laser beam recorder). Suitable metrics for the digital rectification system, incorporating the effects of interpolation and resolution error, were established, and the image chain analysis program was used to perform a quantitative comparison of the three resampling options with the two candi-date printer reconstructor implementations. The nearest neighbor digital resampling function is found to be a good compromise choice when cascaded with either a light-emit-ting diode printer or laser beam recorder. The resulting composite intensity point spread functions, including resampling, and both types of reconstruction are bilinear and quadratic, respectively.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Concentration‐dependent sugar preferences in nectar‐feeding birds: mechanisms and consequences

Summary 1Specialised nectar-feeding birds tend to prefer sucrose over glucose-fructose mixtures or to be indifferent when tested at concentrations close to 584 mmol L−1 sucrose equivalents. The role of the potential interaction between sugar composition and concentration on the sugar preferences of these birds, however, has not been explored. 2We tested the hypothesis that sugar preferences in nectar-feeding birds are concentration-dependent. We predicted that at high concentrations they would prefer sucrose over hexoses, whereas at low sugar concentrations they would prefer hexoses. We expected birds to show differences in food intake that matched their sugar preferences when they fed on equicaloric solutions of sucrose and 1 : 1 mixture of glucose and fructose. Consequently, the curves describing the relationship between food intake and sugar concentration for these two sugar solutions should cross. We tested these hypotheses in two species of nectar-feeding birds: the Cinnamon-bellied Flowerpiercer, Diglossa baritula (Wagler) and the Magnificent Hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens (Swainson). 3The sugar preferences of both species were concentration dependent. At lower concentrations they preferred hexoses, whereas at higher concentrations they shifted their preference to sucrose. However, these concentration-dependent preferences were not matched by parallel differences in intake. 4Although nectar composition and concentration are often discussed as two different floral traits, our results show that they have a synergistic effect on the sugar preferences of nectar-feeding birds.
Tenotomy‐induced motor endplate alterations in rat soleus muscle

The effects of tenotomy on the ultrastructure of rat soleus muscle motor endplates were examined both qualitatively and quantitatively. Rat soleus muscle was studied 2 weeks following tenotomy and compared with normal littermates. The motor endplates from the tenotomized muscles were found to exhibit both degenerative and regenerative changes. Degeneration consisted of postjunctional fold breakdown, exposed junctional folds, myelin-like bodies within the sub-junctional sarcoplasm, and dense bodies within the Schwann cell cytoplasm. The regenerative changes consisted of several small nerve terminals occurring within the same primary synaptic cleft and several axons wrapped by the same Schwann cell. The results demonstrate that tenotomy induces denervation-like changes at endplates that lead to terminal sprouting within the neuromuscular junctional area and remodelling.
Nanotechnology tools in pharmaceutical R&D

Nanotechnology is a new approach to problem solving and can be considered as a collection of tools and ideas which can be applied in pharmaceutical industry. Application of nanotechnology tools in pharmaceutical R&D is likely to result in moving the industry from ‘blockbuster drug’ model to ‘personalized medicine’. There are compelling applications in pharmaceutical industry where inexpensive nanotechnology tools can be utilized. The review explores the possibility of categorizing various nanotechnology approaches to meet the requirements in pharmaceutical R&D.
Promoting effects of alkaline cations on the Pd/Y catalyzed methylcyclopentane conversion

The conversion of methylcyclopentane over Pd/MY zeolites has been studied with catalysts containing Li, Na or K as charge compensating ions M. It is found that in the sequence M = Li, Na, K the activity for ring opening increases, while that for ring enlargement decreases and the benzene/cyclohexane ratio in the ring enlargement product increases. It is proposed that in the sequence M = Li, Na, K the acid strength of zeolite protons is lowered while electron transfer from donor sites to palladium clusters increases from Li to K.
Self-organization and the evolution of division of labor

Division of labor is one of the most fascinating phenomena found in social insects and is probably responsible for their tremendous ecological success. We show how major features of this division of labor may represent self-organized properties of a complex system where individuals share an information data base (a stimulus environment), make independent decisions about how to respond to the current condition of that data base (stimulus environment), and alter the data base by their actions. We argue that division of labor can emerge from such systems even without a history of natural selection, that in fact such ordered behavior is an inescapable property of group living. We then show how natural selection can operate on self-organized complex systems (social organization) and result in adaptation of division of labor.
A Trans-Actional Approach to Moral Development.

Among the latest trends in moral educational theory, several authors have suggested that a sociocultural approach to moral education is an improvement over the dominant cognitive-developmental and character educational paradigms. This approach draws its inspiration from the work of the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky. In the 1920s, Vygotsky attempted to reconstruct psychology to overcome the false dichotomy psychologists had posited between the individual and the environment. This genre of sociocultural theory has come to be known as activity theory. Despite its aims, however, activity theory never overcame the dualism of individual and environment. My contention is that Dewey's moral psychology is more adequate to that task, and thus is a more appropriate foundation for developing moral educational policy and practice.
UPDATE ON CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF HIV INFECTION

The skin is affected in virtually all patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Many articles and several books have been published that deal with these disorders for a number of reasons. First, cutaneous disease may serve as the initial or only problem that the patient suffers for much of the course of the HIV infection. Second, serious opportunistic infections may present for the first time in the skin, so that a skin lesion may be a harbinger of the patient's having a life-threatening illness. Third, skin disorders in these patients may appear unusual and hence may not be accurately diagnosed by clinical inspection alone. Furthermore, response to treatment may be poorer than expected. Thus, skin diseases in the HIV-infected patient are important and, in some cases, may be the most debilitating element of the patient's condition. Over the last few years, significant improvements in the treatment of HIV infection have emerged. Administration of protease inhibitors, agents that inhibit viral protease, given in combination with other antiretroviral drugs, has resulted in dramatic improvement in survival of patients with HIV disease and can effectively result in undetectable levels of virus in the circulation. As a consequence, the compromised immune systems of such patients may be reconstituted, leading to longer survival. Thus, issues related to quality of life, such as cosmetic appearance, are assuming greater importance. Furthermore, the traditional teachings that skin disorders may be unusual in their appearance and be difficult to treat in these individuals, although still true in some regions such as developing countries, must now be modified when referring to patients in the United States and Europe. This article discusses the most common skin disorders seen in these individuals with emphasis placed on the effects that the new triple-drug regimen has had on them.
New Physics and CP Violation in Hyperon Nonleptonic Decays

The sum of the CP-violating asymmetries $A({\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\ensuremath{-}}^{0})$ and $A({\ensuremath{\Xi}}_{\ensuremath{-}}^{\ensuremath{-}})$ in hyperon nonleptonic decays is presently being measured by the E871 experiment. We evaluate contributions to the asymmetries induced by chromomagnetic-penguin operators, whose coefficients can be enhanced in certain models of new physics. Incorporating recent information on the strong phases in $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\Xi}}\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremath{\pi}$ decay, we show that new-physics contributions to the two asymmetries can be comparable. We explore how the upcoming results of E871 may constrain the coefficients of the operators. We find that its preliminary measurement is already better than the $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ parameter of $K\ensuremath{-}\overline{K}$ mixing in bounding the parity-conserving contributions.
Urinary dipstick protein: A poor predictor of absent or severe proteinuria

Objective: Our purpose was to compare urinary protein dipstick values with standard 24-hour urinary protein excretion in women with hypertension in pregnancy. Study Design: Urinary protein dipstick determinations and concurrent 24-hour urinary protein excretion measurements were compared by review of 300 urine samples obtained from women with hypertension in pregnancy. Results: One hundred twenty-three samples had negative to trace protein on dipstick on two occasions at least 6 hours apart. Eight-one (66%) of these patients had significant proteinuria (≥ 300 mg per 24 hours). Seventy-six samples revealed 3+ to 4+ protein on dipstick in at least two samples. Of these, 27 (36%) had heavy proteinuria (≥ 5 gm per 24 hours), and 42 (55%) had nephrotic range proteinuria of ≥ 3.5 gm per 24 hours. One hundred one patients had urine dipstick values of 1 + to 2+, of whom 89 (88%) had significant proteinuria. Conclusion: Urinary protein dipstick values ≥ 1 + have a positive predictive value of 92% (162/177) for predicting ≥ 300 mg per 24 hours. In contrast, a dipstick of negative to trace should not be used to rule out significant proteinuria because its negative predictive value is only 34% (42/123) in hypertensive patients. Moreover, urine dipstick values of 3+ to 4+ should not be used to diagnose severe preeclampsia because their positive predictive value is only 36% (27/76).
Can a Hip and Knee Adult Reconstruction Orthopaedic Surgeon Sustain a Practice Comprised Entirely of Medicare Patients

Reimbursement continues to decrease for orthopaedic surgeons specializing in total joint arthroplasty (TJA). Practice information from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Cost Survey and Private practice Compensation Survey and CMS locality reimbursement data was used to develop a practice model for a TJA specialist performing 300 TJA per year (66% knees, 33% hips, 15% revision surgery), evaluating 3000 outpatient visits per year based on, current Medicare reimbursement rates. Our model shows that the anticipated physician compensation is well below the mean compensation reported for a TJA specialist irrespective of geographic location. When MGMA practice expense data are applied to the Medicare-only model, the salary level is unsustainable. Further decreases in Medicare Part B reimbursement will only worsen the disparity.
σ–π-Diauration as an alternative binding mode for digold intermediates in gold(I) catalysis

While investigating the gold(I)-catalyzed intramolecular hydroarylation of allenes, the structure of a digold-vinyl intermediate was verified. Instead of the previously proposed geminally diaurated binding mode for the digold when L = PPh3, an alternative σ–π-diauration mode was observed with the bulkier ligand L = P(o-Tol)3. Reactivity studies indicate the σ–π-mode has a disproportionate effect on protonolysis reactivity.
Late Pennsylvanian climate changes and palynomorph extinctions

A major floral change occurs in the Upper Pennsylvanian strata in the Midcontinent, Illinois basin, and in the northern Appalachian basin of eastern United States. Lycospora spp. (derived from arborescent lycopsids) became extinct along with some other palynomorph taxa. This investigation is concerned with the importance of this major floral change. Samples were studied from western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia (from a previous study) cover the stratigraphic interval from the Upper Freeport coal bed, uppermost part of the Allegheny Formation, to the Mahoning, Mason, Brush Creek, Wilgus, and Anderson coal beds in the lower part of the Conemaugh Formation. The floral change occurs either at or below the accepted Desmoinesian-Missourian boundary in the Midcontinent and Illinois basin, whereas in the northern Appalachians this change occurs in the lower part of the Conemaugh Formation, between the Mahoning and Brush Creek coal beds, or when the Mason is present, between the Mahoning and Mason coal beds. With the advent of late Middle Pennsylvanian time, the climate began to change from wet tropical to seasonal tropical. The Middle-Upper Pennsylvanian boundary is the culmination of this drying trend, which was marked by reduction of available water. The peat swamps are interpreted as having changed from the domed type of bog to the planar type under these circumstances. Thus, in general, the coals of the Conemaugh Formation are characteristically much thinner than those of the Allegheny Formation. This was caused by a number of factors including reduced or more seasonal rainfall, decline of arborescent lycopsids, and the increased dominance of herbaceous and fern plants. As a result, there are fewer minable coal beds in the Conemaugh Formation. The first coal bed above the extinction of Lycospora spp. is dominated by the palynomorph taxon Endosporites globiformis which is derived from a heterosporous, herbaceous lycopsid. However, Sigillaria, another arborescent lycopsid, did not become extinct at this time as evidenced by the presence of the palynomorph genus Crassispora which is derived from Sigillaria. The reason for the survival of Sigillaria is not known, but it may have been able to adapt, in a limited fashion, to some sort of specialized microenvironment. The ferns, based on palynomorph occurrence, become numerically more important throughout the balance of the Conemaugh Formation, and dominate the Pittsburgh No. 8 and Pomeroy coal beds in the overlying Monogahela Formation.
Recovery of the elastic parameters of a layered half-space

Summary. In this article we begin the study of the problem of recovering the elastic parameters of a layered half-space from single component measurements of reflected waves, and applications to reflection seismology. We analyse the perturbational relationship between the elastic moduli (p, X and p) and the vertical component of surface particle displacement due to a point impulsive traction. We show that this linearized problem has a unique solution and derive some stability estimates. The analysis of the linearized problem proceeds by way of the plane wave decomposition, and the uniqueness proof is constructive. To illustrate these ideas, we implement the construction numerically and recover parameter perturbations from data perturbations in a synthetic example. The solution of the linearized problem may be viewed as a step in a Newton-like scheme for solution of the full inverse problem. In considering the application of any such technique to field recorded data, however, one must confront problems such as model inadequacy, data error, source signature error, band limitation, etc. The extent to which these problems are resolvable has been explored for the simpler acoustic model using techniques compatible with those presented here. We plan to address such (practically crucial) stability considerations, and their implications for the design of useful algorithms, elsewhere. The focus of the present paper is thus the mathematical uniqueness question, which may be regarded as the most primitive stability question.
Genetic analysis of adiponectin and obesity in Hispanic families: the IRAS Family Study

Adiponectin, coded for by the APM1 gene, is a novel adipocyte-derived hormone implicated in energy homeostasis and obesity. Several genetic studies have observed evidence of association between APM1 gene polymorphisms and features of the metabolic syndrome, such as insulin resistance and obesity. As part of a comprehensive genetic analysis of the APM1 gene, we have screened 96 unrelated individuals for polymorphisms in the promoter, coding regions, and 3'untranslated region (UTR). Three promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), two rare coding SNPs (G113A and T1233C), and 13 SNPs in the 3'UTR were identified. Eighteen SNPs were genotyped in 811 Hispanic individuals from 45 families in the IRAS Family Study (IRASFS). SNPs were tested for association with six obesity quantitative traits (body mass index, waist, waist:hip ratio, subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue, and visceral:subcutaneous ratio). Significant evidence of association to at least one of the obesity traits was identified in seven of the 18 SNPs (<0.001-0.05). The promoter SNP INS CA-11156 was the most consistently associated SNP and was associated significantly with all measures of obesity, except the visceral:subcutaneous ratio (P-values 0.009-0.03). Haplotype analysis supported this evidence of association, with haplotypes containing an insertion of one CA repeat at position -11156 consistently being associated with lower obesity values (P-value <0.001-0.05). The adiponectin polymorphisms, in particular those in the promoter region, thus show significant association with obesity measures in the Hispanic population. Additional studies are needed to confirm our findings and determine which polymorphism causes the functional effect.
Interfacial Energy of Polypeptide Complex Coacervates Measured via Capillary Adhesion

A systematic study of the interfacial energy (γ) of polypeptide complex coacervates in aqueous solution was performed using a surface forces apparatus (SFA). Poly(l-lysine hydrochloride) (PLys) and poly(l-glutamic acid sodium salt) (PGA) were investigated as a model pair of oppositely charged weak polyelectrolytes. These two synthetic polypeptides of natural amino acids have identical backbones and differ only in their charged side groups. All experiments were conducted using equal chain lengths of PLys and PGA in order to isolate and highlight effects of the interactions of the charged groups during complexation. Complex coacervates resulted from mixing very dilute aqueous salt solutions of PLys and PGA. Two phases in equilibrium evolved under the conditions used: a dense polymer-rich coacervate phase and a dilute polymer-deficient aqueous phase. Capillary adhesion, associated with a coacervate meniscus bridge between two mica surfaces, was measured upon the separation of the two surfaces. This adhesion ...
Systemic LPS induces spinal inflammatory gene expression and impairs phrenic long-term facilitation following acute intermittent hypoxia

Although systemic inflammation occurs in most pathological conditions that challenge the neural control of breathing, little is known concerning the impact of inflammation on respiratory motor plasticity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that low-grade systemic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 μg/kg ip; 3 and 24 h postinjection) elicits spinal inflammatory gene expression and attenuates a form of spinal, respiratory motor plasticity: phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF) induced by acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH; 3, 5 min hypoxic episodes, 5 min intervals). pLTF was abolished 3 h (vehicle control: 67.1 ± 27.9% baseline; LPS: 3.7 ± 4.2%) and 24 h post-LPS injection (vehicle: 58.3 ± 17.1% baseline; LPS: 3.5 ± 4.3%). Pretreatment with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen (12.5 mg/kg ip) restored pLTF 24 h post-LPS (55.1 ± 12.3%). LPS increased inflammatory gene expression in the spleen and cervical spinal cord (homogenates and isolated microglia) 3 h postinjection; however, all molecules assessed had returned to baseline by 24 h postinjection. At 3 h post-LPS, cervical spinal iNOS and COX-2 mRNA were differentially increased in microglia and homogenates, suggesting differential contributions from spinal cells. Thus LPS-induced systemic inflammation impairs AIH-induced pLTF, even after measured inflammatory genes returned to normal. Since ketoprofen restores pLTF even without detectable inflammatory gene expression, “downstream” inflammatory molecules most likely impair pLTF. These findings have important implications for many disease states where acute systemic inflammation may undermine the capacity for compensatory respiratory plasticity.
Factors affecting %CDT status at entry into a multisite clinical treatment trial: experience from the COMBINE Study.

Background: Carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) occurs as a higher percentage of normal transferrin (%CDT) in heavy drinkers. %CDT is used as a marker of both alcohol use disorder severity and treatment outcome both clinically and in treatment trials. Nevertheless, little is known about the parameters that predict which patients are %CDT positives at treatment entry. These parameters might include level of drinking, days of abstinence before testing, and severity of alcohol dependence before evaluation. Methods: %CDT levels were collected before randomization from participants of the COMBINE Study, a large federally sponsored multisite clinical trial evaluating medications and behavioral therapies in alcohol-dependent outpatients. %CDT (assayed in a central laboratory) was available in 1,193 individuals for whom drinking history in the 30 days before testing and measures of alcoholism severity were documented. The effects of drinking history and alcohol severity were evaluated for prediction of a %CDT-positive test status. Results: Less percent days abstinent (PDA) and more drinks per drinking day (DDD) were predictive of higher rates of %CDT-positive patients (maximum 67%). Up to 14 days of continuous abstinence before testing did not appear to significantly affect %CDT status. Rates of %CDT positives remained reasonably steady up to about 40% PDA. Years of drinking at dependence levels had an unexpected negative impact on %CDT-positive rates while previous treatment had a small but positive impact of %CDT-positive rates. ADS and DrInC scores had no predictive value over and above recent drinking amounts on %CDT status. Conclusions: %CDT is more likely to be positive in those who have more days of drinking and to a lesser degree in those who drink more per drinking day. It can remain positive even in those alcoholic subjects who stop drinking many days before testing. Alcoholic subjects with more treatment experiences appear to have a marginally higher %CDT-positive rate.
Gain and transmission properties of an embedded microstrip patch antenna for structural health monitoring application

Gain and Infrastructure health monitoring using embeddable wireless sensors has drawn considerable attention. Such sensors will need antennas to support data communication as well as wireless power reception functions. In this paper the gain and return loss properties of an embedded microstrip patch antenna within concrete are studied as function of the air-gap and concrete cover thickness. The transmission between one antenna in free-space and another embedded within concrete are measured to demonstrate the feasibility of wireless power transmission to the embedded sensor.
A new reconfigurable modem architecture for 3G multi-standard wireless communication systems

The trend in communication systems is towards more rapidly changing specifications with shorter time intervals between updates of existing standards. This results in a coexistence of many diverse standards. To support this diversity, communication systems should have a flexible architecture for easy and rapid updates. An ASIC design approach is not suitable for this purpose. Reconfigurable computing machines (RCM) provide a promising solution for multi-standard communication system design. The flexibility and scalability of RCM can support multiple standards and easily adapt to rapid changes of specifications. In this paper, we present a reconfigurable modem (RM) architecture targeting 3G multi-standard wireless communication systems. The proposed RM achieves scalability and low circuit complexity, white obtaining the performance close to an ASIC.
Architecture of the Pentium microprocessor

The techniques of pipelining, superscalar execution, and branch prediction used in the Pentium CPU, which integrates 3.1 million transistors in 0.8- mu m BiCMOS technology, are described. The technology improvements associated with the three most recent microprocessor generations are outlined. The Pentium's compatibility, performance, organization, and development process are also described. The compiler technology developed with the Pentium microprocessor, which includes machine-independent optimizations common to current high-performance compilers, such as inlining, unrolling, and other loop transformations, is reviewed. >
A posteriori error estimates for mixed finite element and finite volume methods for problems coupled through a boundary with nonmatching grids

Abstract : The primary purpose of this paper is to compare the accuracy and performance of two numerical approaches to solving systems of partial differential equations. These equations are posed on adjoining domains sharing boundary conditions on a common boundary interface in the important case when the meshes used on the two domains are non-matching across the interface. The first widely used approach is based on a finite volume method employing ad hoc projections to relate approximations on the two domains across the interface. The second approach uses the mathematically-founded mortar mixed finite element method. To quantify the performance, we use a goal-oriented a-posteriori error estimate that quantifies various aspects of discretization error to the overall error. While the performance difference may be not a surprise in some cases, we believe that there is a perception in part of the scientific community concerned with multiphysics systems that if the solution is smooth near the interface, then there is little effect from varying the coupling technique. We find that, on the contrary, the error associated with ad hoc coupling approaches may be large in practical situations. Moreover, we also show that mortar methods can be used with black box component solves, thus permitting an efficient and practical implementation also within legacy codes.
Explaining Differences in Multidimensional Aggregates

Our goal is to enhance multidimensional database systems with advanced mining primitives. Current Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) products provide a minimal set of basic aggregate operators like sum and average and a set of basic navigational operators like drill-downs and roll-ups. These operators have to be driven entirely by the analyst’s intuition. Such ad hoc exploration gets tedious and error-prone as data dimensionality and size increases. In earlier work we presented one such advanced primitive where we premined OLAP data for exceptions, summarized the exceptions at appropriate levels, and used them to lead the analyst to the interesting regions. In this paper we present a second enhancement: a single operator that lets the analyst get summarized reasons for drops or increases observed at an aggregated level. This eliminates the need to manually drill-down for such reasons. We develop an information theoretic formulation for expressing the reasons that is compact and easy to interpret. We design a dynamic programming algorithm that requires only one pass of the data improving significantly over our initial greedy algorithm that required multiple passes. In addition, the algorithm uses a small amount of
Failing Compensatory Mechanisms During Working Memory in Older Apolipoprotein E-ε4 Healthy Adults

How and when the known genetic risk allele, apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOEe4), confers risk to Alzheimer’s disease has yet to be determined. We studied older adults and found that APOEe4 carriers had greater neural activation in the medial frontal and parahippocampal gyrus during a memory task (cluster-corrected p < .01). When compared to a group of younger adults, interactive effects of age and APOEe4 were found in the inferior frontal—anterior temporal region, one of the first areas to develop amyloid plaques in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and, in the posterior cingulate, one of the earliest areas to show decreased cerebral metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, abnormally high activation in fronto-temporal areas are present in both younger and older APOEe4 carriers confronted with a working memory task when compared to non-APOEe4 carriers. This effect, however, appears to diminish with age.
Kant’s Derivation of the Formula of Universal Law

Certains ont critique la derivation de la formule de la loi universelle de Kant parce que la logique en serait lacunaire. Je prends la defense de la derivation, en mettant d'abord l'accent sur un principe teleologique auquel Kant fait allusion dans son argument et, ensuite, en clarifiant ce que celui-ci entend par la «conformite a la loi universelle» des actions. Kant maintenait que les actions etaient conformes a une loi universelle seulement lorsque leurs maximes appartiennent a un systeme unifie de principes. Une analogie avec la conformite a la loi universelle des objets dans la nature aide a montrer pourquoi Kant avait raison de deriver la formule de la loi universelle des premisses de son argument.
Deglaciation and Holocene climate change in the western Peruvian Andes

Pollen, charcoal, magnetic susceptibility, and bulk density data provide the first paleoecological record spanning the last 33,000 years from the western cordillera of the Peruvian Andes. Sparse super-puna vegetation existed before 30,000 cal yr B.P. around Lake Compuerta (3950 m elevation), prior to a sedimentary hiatus that lasted until c. 16,200 cal yr B.P. When sedimentation resumed, a glacial foreland or super-puna flora is represented in which Polylepis was a significant element. Glacial outwash, marked by high sedimentary magnetic susceptibility, increased from c.16,200 cal yr B.P. and reached a peak at c. 13,200 cal yr B.P. Between c. 12,500 cal yr B.P. and 10,000 cal yr B.P., magnetic susceptibility was reduced. Vegetation shifts suggest a cool dry time, consistent with regional descriptions of the Younger Dryas event. Deglaciation resumes by 10,000 cal yr B.P. and the last ice is lost from the catchment at ∼7500 cal yr B.P. During the early Holocene warm and dry period between 10,000 and 5500 cal yr B.P., Alnus expanded in downslope forests. Alnus declined in abundance at 5500 cal yr B.P. when wetter and cooler conditions returned and human activity intensified. Maize (Zea mays) pollen first occurred in the core at ∼2600 cal yr B.P., indicating a minimum age for local agriculture. An increase in Alnus pollen abundance at ∼1000 cal yr B.P. could be due to human activity or perhaps due to a regional climate change associated with cultural turnover elsewhere in the Andes at this time.
Fibrosis worsens chronic lymphedema in rodent tissues

Secondary lymphedema in humans is a common consequence of lymph node dissection (LND) to treat breast cancer. A peculiar characteristic of the disease is that lifelong swelling often precipitously ...
The Tangled Banks of Ants and Microbes

Worker attine ants carefully tend the fungus and forage for substrates to use as nutrients to support its growth. In exchange, the fungus serves as the primary food source for the colony. Functionally, this is similar to human agriculture, but instead of growing plants, the ants grow fungus. The foraging activity of these ants is so prodigious that they are one of the most dominant herbivores of Neotropical ecosystems. Pseudonocardia are members of the Actinobacteria, a group well known for their ability to produce potent antibiotics. Indeed, the majority of antibiotics used in human medicine are derived from Actinobacteria. So, it is perhaps not surprising that through natural selection fungus-growing ants “discovered” the benefit of obtaining antibiotics from these bacteria. This relationship, however, not one-sided, as Pseudonocardia benefits from its symbiosis with the ants. Studies indicate that over their long evolutionary history, attine ants have been continuously threatened with famine induced by Escovopsis infections of their fungus garden; to help mitigate this threat, the ants have been employing antibiotic-producing bacteria for millions of years. The fungus garden serves as the external digestive system for the ants; the garden converts leaves into energy for the ants. It has long been assumed that nutrient provisioning to the ants from the garden is only mediated through the ants’ fungal mutualist. Through the formation of symbiotic associations with their fungus and bacteria, the ants obtain access to the metabolic capacity of these microbes, including the capacity to degrade plant biomass and produce antibiotics, respectively.
Chronic Toxicity of Ammonia to Rainbow Trout

Abstract The chronic effects of ammonia to rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri were studied in a laboratory test conducted over a 5-year period. Fish were tested at five concentrations over the range 0.01–0.07 mg/liter un-ionized ammonia; the mean pH of the test water was 7.7, and the mean temperature was 9.3 C. Parental fish were exposed for 11 months, the first filial generation (F1) for 4 years, and the second filial generation (F2) for 5 months. The parental fish spawned of their own volition at all ammonia concentrations tested; baskets containing crushed rock served as the spawning substrate. The F1 fish did not spawn voluntarily at either 3 or 4 years of age, although manual spawning of 4-year-old F1 fish produced viable eggs. There was no significant correlation between ammonia concentration and numbers of egg lots spawned, total numbers of eggs produced, numbers of viable eggs, growth of progeny, or mortality of parents or progeny in any of the generations tested. Blood ammonia concentrations were meas...