cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Olanzapine for cachexia in patients with advanced cancer: an exploratory study of effects on weight and metabolic cytokines

Olanzapine is used for treatment of psychiatric conditions but causes substantial weight gain. This study assessed safety, efficacy, and changes in metabolic cytokines associated with olanzapine administration in patients with cachexia due to advanced cancer. Patients with cancer-related cachexia were treated with olanzapine (doses ranging from 2.5 to 20 mg daily by mouth). Patients also received anti-neoplastic treatments. Serum samples were collected at baseline and after weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8 for analysis of levels of leptin, growth hormone, ghrelin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Of the 39 participants, 31 were evaluable for weight change (N = 6 excluded for new ascites; N = 2, incomplete body weight of data). Toxicities related to olanzapine were somnolence (n = 1), pancreatitis (n = 1), extrapyramidal symptoms (n = 1), and nausea/vomiting (n = 1) (all grade 2). The recommended dose of Olanzapine is 20 mg PO daily for cancer patients (same as FDA approved dose for psychiatric conditions). Samples from 29 patients were eligible for analysis of serum cytokine levels. Mean values of leptin, ghrelin, and growth hormone did not change on treatment, though IL-6 levels increased, perhaps due to tumor progression. There was no association between changes in cytokines and weight. The mean change in slope of weight loss before versus after therapy was 0.24 (95 % CI, −0.08, 0.56; p = 0.13) indicating a trend, albeit not reaching statistical significance, toward attenuation of weight loss. Changes in metabolic cytokines and body weight did not correlate. Treatment with olanzapine had only a modest effect in altering the trajectory of weight loss.
Application of Biochemical and Physiological Indicators for Assessing Recovery of Fish Populations in a Disturbed Stream

Recovery dynamics in a previously disturbed stream were investigated to determine the influence of a series of remedial actions on stream recovery and to evaluate the potential application of bioindicators as an environmental management tool. A suite of bioindicators, representing five different functional response groups, were measured annually for a sentinel fish species over a 15 year period during which a variety of remedial and pollution abatement actions were implemented. Trends in biochemical, physiological, condition, growth, bioenergetic, and nutritional responses demonstrated that the health status of a sentinel fish species in the disturbed stream approached that of fish in the reference stream by the end of the study. Two major remedial actions, dechlorination and water flow management, had large effects on stream recovery resulting in an improvement in the bioenergetic, disease, nutritional, and organ condition status of the sentinel fish species. A subset of bioindicators responded rather dramatically to temporal trends affecting all sites, but some indicators showed little response to disturbance or to restoration activities. In assessing recovery of aquatic systems, application of appropriate integrative structural indices along with a variety of sensitive functional bioindicators should be used to understand the mechanistic basis of stress and recovery and to reduce the risk of false positives. Understanding the mechanistic processes involved between stressors, stress responses of biota, and the recovery dynamics of aquatic systems reduces the uncertainty involved in environmental management and regulatory decisions resulting in an increased ability to predict the consequences of restoration and remedial actions for aquatic systems.
Association of the pre-B cell receptor (BCR) expression level with the quality of pre-BII cell differentiation reveals hierarchical pre-BCR function.

The expression of a pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR) is required for allelic exclusion and pre-BII cell differentiation. VH12 μH chains are unusual in that they form pre-BCRs and mediate allelic exclusion, but most cannot drive pre-BII cell differentiation. To explain this paradox, we examined pre-BCR functions and pre-BII cell differentiation in mice expressing μH chain transgenes encoding a B cell-permissible VH12 μH chain (designated 10/G4(6-1)), and a non-permissible VH12 μH chain (designated 8/G0). Compared with 10/G4 pre-BCRs, 8/G0 pre-BCRs are expressed at low levels on the cell surface. 8/G0 pre-BCRs mediate allelic exclusion, but 8/G0 pre-BII cells are defective in proliferation and expression of survival factors Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and hemokinin 1 (HK1). Increasing 8/G0 μH chain production restores HK1 transcription and improves proliferation of pre-BII cells as well as later stage B cell development. These data reveal a hierarchy of pre-BCR function that determines the development and plasticity of early B cells.
Participative design: linking BPR and SAP with an STS approach

The decades‐old paradox of great software promise and its disappointing practice in organizations has been recently increased by the appearance of “enterprise‐wide” systems (often called “enterprise resource planning” or ERP). Obtaining effective user involvement has been problematic in the past and it promises to become worse in the future with larger, more comprehensive software applications. Business process re‐engineering (BPR) adds to this significant problem by exhorting managers to undertake massive change ‐ including new information systems ‐ using autocratic methods. The confluence of management interest in organization change and in new technology has excited the global industrial community, but it has also disappointed in delivering on its promise. Sociotechnical systems (STS) design combines user‐involvement in design with structural change and the effective use of technology. The present paper explores the successful application of STS, with its local participation in organization design, to a centralized and autocratic application of BPR and SAP enterprise‐wide software.
Protein limitation of a tree leaf feeding Lepidopteran

The hypothesis that arbivorous insects are protein limited was tested by feeding larvae of Datana ministra mature leaves of Tilia americana that were coated with a mixture of protein. Larvae fed the protein supplement had a lower ingestion rate and net growth efficiency but higher apparent digestion efficiency and apparent assimilation rate than control larvae. Protein supplement had no effect on the rate of growth of 5th instar larvae although larvae fed added protein pupated at a lower weight than control larvae. The added protein placed a metabolic load on the larvae, perhaps by excessive nitrogen excretion demands and osmotic imbalance. The results do not support the hypothesis that arbivorous insects are protein limited. Resume La carence en proteines des chenilles consommatrices de feuilles d'arbres L'hypothese suivant laquelle la croissance des larves d'insectes est limitee par l'insuffisance des proteines disponibles dans les feuilles d'arbres a ete examinee par l'alimentation des chenilles de Datana ministra Drury sur feuilles developpees de Tilia americana L. enduites d'une mixture de proteines d'oeuf et de lait. Des chenilles de second stade, prelevees dans des colonies naturelles, ont ete separees en un lot temoin eleve en masse sur feuilles coupees et un lot experimental eleve sur feuilles coupees mais enduites de proteines. Le bilan en matiere seche, le taux de croissance, la relation entre ce taux de croissance et la quantite de matiere ingeree, le poids des prenymphes ont ete determines sur 10 chenilles de dernier stade dans chaque lot. Les chenilles ayant consomme un supplement de proteine ont presente un plus faible taux d'ingestion et un plus faible rendement de croissance, mais une meilleure efficacite apparente d'ingestion et un meilleur taux apparent d'assimilation que les temoins. Le complement proteique n'a pas eu d'effet sur le taux de croissance des chenilles de 5eme stade bien que l'alimentation avec addition de proteines ait provoque la nymphose a un poids larvaire plus faible. L'addition de proteines avait provoque une charge metabolique pour les chenilles, peut-etre en provoquant une demande d'excretion d'azote excessive ou en creant un desequilibre osmotique, ce qui aurait provoque une reduction du taux de croissance et du poids des chenilles malgre un taux d'assimilation superieur. Ces resultats ne confirment pas l'hypothese que les insectes des arbres sont carences en proteines.
Pupil Size in Relation to Mental Activity during Simple Problem-Solving

Changes in pupil size during the solving of simple multiplication problems can be used as a direct measure of mental activity. The pupil response not only indicates mental activity in itself but shows that mental activity is closely correlated with problem difficulty, and that the size of the pupil increases with the difficulty of the problem. These findings relate to recent Russian research on the pupillary reflex in connection with orienting and brain stimulation.
Distribution and turnover of recently fixed photosynthate in ryegrass rhizospheres

The cycling of root-deposited photosynthate (rhizodeposition) through the soil microbial biomass can have profound influences on plant nutrient availability. Currently, our understanding of microbial dynamics associated with rhizosphere carbon (C) flow is limited. We used a 13C pulse-chase labeling procedure to examine the flow of photosynthetically fixed 13C into the microbial biomass of the bulk and rhizosphere soils of greenhouse-grown annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). To assess the temporal dynamics of rhizosphere C flow through the microbial biomass, plants were labeled either during the transition between active root growth and rapid shoot growth (Labeling Period 1), or nine days later during the rapid shoot growth stage (Labeling Period 2). Although the distribution of 13C in the plant/soil system was similar between the two labeling periods, microbial cycling of rhizodeposition differed between labeling periods. Within 24 h of labeling, more than 10% of the 13C retained in the plant/soil system resided in the soil, most of which had already been incorporated into the microbial biomass. From day 1 to day 8, the proportion of 13C in soil as microbial biomass declined from about 90 to 35% in rhizosphere soil and from about 80 to 30% in bulk soil. Turnover of 13C through the microbial biomass was faster in rhizosphere soil than in bulk soil, and faster in Labeling Period 1 than Labeling Period 2. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of using 13C labeling to examine microbial dynamics and fate of C associated with cycling of rhizodeposition from plants at different phenological stages of growth.
The separation of particulates from supercritical water oxidation processes

Abstract Small hydrocyclones with batch underflow receivers were assessed for their ability to separate micron-sized particulates from near-critical water solutions. Such particulates are expected from the effluent of a supercritical water oxidation reactor. The separation of micron-sized quartz silica, zirconia, and titania particles was investigated. An empirical expression was developed for the prediction of gross removal efficiencies as a function of a Stokes' number. Particle size distributions provided grade efficiencies for all experiments, and from these data, cut sizes were determined. Gross efficiencies up to 99% were observed for zirconia; cut sizes (d90 and d95) near one micron were measured.
Analysis of some commercial polysorbate formulations using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Analyses of polysorbate formulations (Tween®20, Tween®40, Tween®60, and Tween®80) by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) reveal a complex mixture of oligomers that include polyethylene glycols, polyethylene glycol esters, isosorbide polyethoxylates, sorbitan polyethoxylates, polysorbate monoesters, polysorbate diesters, and sorbitol polyethoxylate esters. The MALDI-TOF mass spectra for these formulations show the presence of sodiated molecules in which the major signals are attributed to the presence of polyethylene glycols, isosorbide polyethoxylates, and sorbitan polyethoxylates. Additionally, the complexity of the spectra was correlated to the constituent fatty acid moieties in the polysorbate formulations. Thus Tween®20 showed the presence of polysorbate monolaurates, polysorbate monomyristates, and polysorbate monopalmitates. Tween®40 contained polysorbate mono- and dipalmitates. Tween®60 contained polysorbate monopalmitates and polysorbate monostearates. For the Tween®80, mass assignment for polysorbate monooleates and polysorbate dioleates was equivocal, because both of these oligomeric series have the same molecular weight as the sorbitan polyethoxylates, and thus the Tween®80 MALDI-TOF spectrum appeared to be the least complicated of the four commercial polysorbate formulations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The interfacial chemistry and energy level structure of a liquid crystalline perylene derivative on Au(1 1 1) and graphite surfaces

Abstract We compare the energy level structure of ordered monolayers of N,N′-ditridecyl-3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI-C13) on Au(1 1 1) and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Both ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements show the formation of an occupied interface state for PTCDI-C13 on Au(1 1 1), whereas no such state is observed for PTCDI-C13 on HOPG. Comparative density functional theory calculations for various isolated perylene derivatives in the neutral and anionic states are unable to explain differences in observed interface state formation, which suggests that the interface state for PTCDI-C13/Au(1 1 1) is a consequence of a weak chemical interaction of this molecule and the Au substrate.
Performance vs. productivity in the context of ArcGIS server 10

While many programming languages excel in their ability to execute commands quickly, others embody a greater focus on programmer productivity and clear syntax. In ESRI's GIS software package ArcGIS, Python is now the choice language for many GIS Analysts as an alternative to the more complex ArcObjects library. ArcObjects is written in C#, Visual Basic, Java, or C++, all more difficult languages to learn than Python, but also much faster. In modern web mapping, ArcGIS Python scripts are now making their way onto the server, sometimes at the expense of application performance and stability.I have explored the idea of code performance vs. programmer productivity in the context of ArcGIS Server by writing several web-based geoprocessing services in both Python and C# ArcObjects. The goal was to identify the classes of tools which are best developed using one technology or the other, either based on performance or ease of development. From the outset, I made the assumption that under equal circumstances, it is easier to develop a service in Python, but that C# will always execute faster.The different geoprocessing services were divided into three categories: raster-based, vector-based, and server utilities. The services had different inputs and outputs ranging from text to polygons to zip files. Multi-Mechanize web performance and load testing framework was used to automate requests and make testing repeatable. Multi-Mechanize is an open source testing framework written in python which assisted in replaying requests, logging responses, and compiling statistics. Using this framework, I was able to make an assessment of the exact types of geoprocessing services which should be built using python, and which should be avoided.
Limited efficacy of gabapentin in severe therapy-resistant epilepsies of learning-disabled patients

Abstract Knowledge on the effects of gabapentin (GBP) in learning disabled patients is limited. The objective of this study was to assess antiepileptic efficacy and tolerability of GBP in routine therapy. A retrospective open observational study design was applied. Twenty-nine consecutive residential patients with simple and/or complex partial seizures with or without secondary generalization and with different degrees of learning disability were included. All patients had severe therapy-resistant epilepsy. GBP was administered as add-on therapy. Dosages were progressively increased up to 1600–2400mg/day (in a number of cases up to 4800mg/day), in accordance with clinical requirements. The seizure frequency was recorded and compared between a baseline and a treatment period (after 3 months of titration) of 3 months duration each. Only three patients (10.3%) had a reduction of their seizure frequency by 50% or more. No patient became seizure-free. Unwanted side effects, mostly mild and dose-dependent, occurred in 37.9% of all patients. Somnolence and ataxia were the most frequently observed unwanted effects. In two cases hyperphagia/weight increase, and in two other cases edema occurred. We conclude the efficacy of GBP in learning disabled patients with highly therapy-resistant partial seizures is limited.
The magic of hypnosis: is it child's play?

Abstract Hypnosis is often disregarded and undervalued because it cannot be currently explained by natural science or scientific method. An alternative existential psychology paradigm, specifically an existential-phenomenological model, is offered here to close the gap between the theoretical and the actual clinical practice of hypnosis. This existential-phenomenological model emphasizes the individual's experience over any preconceived notions or diagnoses. In this context, the author introduces and discusses the idea that perception prefigures embodiment, creating the power of suggestion. And children's greater overall hypnotic susceptibility is explained as a result of natural unbiased observations of the world, free of the mind-body split that adults apply to perception.
Convergence of Nonrandomly Centered Random Sums

We find a simple necessary and sufficient condition for the convergence of nonrandomly centered random sums under the hypothesis that sure sums of the same random variables converge. The result contained here subsumes previous results of the authors and others and gives a unified treatment of some apparently disparate situations.
Massively parallel free-space optical Clos network using wavelength division multiple access

Based on a mesh-connected bus scheme, a novel free-space optical Clos network for interconnecting massively parallel communicating nodes is proposed and conceptually demonstrated under a wavelength-division-multiple-access environment.
Expression, Purification, and Characterization of Recombinant Ribulose-1,5-Bisphosphate Carboxylase/Oxygenase Large SubunitNϵ-Methyltransferase

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) large subunit (LS)Nϵ-methyltransferase (Rubisco LSMT, EC 2.1.1.127) catalyzes methylation of the LS of Rubisco. A pea (Pisum sativumL. cv Laxton's Progress No. 9) Rubisco LSMT cDNA was expressed inEscherichia coli,but most of the expressed protein was found in the insoluble fraction as an inclusion body. Expression at lower temperatures increased the level of soluble Rubisco LSMT and the associated enzymatic activity. However, the soluble form of Rubisco LSMT occurred as two molecular mass forms with the lower molecular mass suggestive of N-terminal processing at Ser-37. Deletion of 108 nucleotides from the 5′ end encoding the N-terminal 36 amino acids of Rubisco LSMT resulted in a 10-fold increase in solubility and activity. Further addition of a 3′ nucleotide sequence coding for a hexahistidyl carboxy-terminal peptide enabled purification of the N-terminally truncated Rubisco LSMT to homogeneity. Five milligrams of pure recombinant Rubisco LSMT was obtained from a 1-literE. colicell culture. The apparent kinetic constants for recombinant Rubisco LSMT for spinach Rubisco and AdoMet were only slightly different from the constants determined using affinity-purified native Rubisco LSMT from pea chloroplasts. However, there was a 6- to 7-fold reduction in thekcatfor Rubisco LSMT, which was apparently a consequence of catalytic inactivation due to exposure to NiSO4during purification. The availability of larger quantities of purified Rubisco LSMT should enable studies of the structure–function relationships in Rubisco LSMT and moreover its interaction with Rubisco.
Spatiotemporal variation of chromatic and achromatic contrast thresholds

Moving the retinal image of a sinusoidal grating at a constant velocity (compensated for eye movements) provides controlled spatial and temporal frequencies at every point in the stimulus field. Using this controlled-velocity technique, we have measured the detection threshold for isoluminance, red/green gratings as a function of their spatial and temporal frequencies. The chromatic contrast-threshold surface obtained in this way is analogous to the achromatic contrast-threshold surface measured previously, but the results are quite different. For very low temporal frequencies (below 0.2 Hz), the chromatic sensitivity decreases steadily with decreasing temporal frequency. Below 0.01 Hz, chromatic patterns disappear completely even at maximum contrast (although achromatic or homochromatic patterns do not). In the region above 0.2 Hz, both achromatic and chromatic thesholds can be explained by the same receptive-field-like model. When the center and the surround components of this model are additively combined, they form the chromatic threshold surface; when the sign of either component is reversed, they form the achromatic one.
A modified hollow fiber contained liquid membrane technique for gas separation at high pressures

Abstract The hollow fiber contained liquid membrane (HFCLM) permeation technique has been modified by using microporous fibers having a thin nonporous silicone coating to handle higher gas pressures. Separation of various CO2-N2 mixtures have been studied over a feed pressure range of 50–200 psig. Pure water and aqueous 20% diethanolamine (DEA) were used as a liquid membranes. Two modes of operation, conventional polymeric membrane and sweep gas mode, were investigated. Permeator conditions studied include liquid membrane pressure higher and lower than the feed pressure. The aqueos 20% DEA resulted in significantly higher overall CO2 permeabilities and selectivity. A mathematical model was developed which included the pressure drop inside the fiber bores. Numerical simulations of the model describe the experimental results well.
The Effects of Interactivity on Cross-Channel Communication Effectiveness

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of web site interactivity on consumers’ trust in brands and product evaluations, and their subsequent purchase intentions in a multi-channel context. Results from the experiment indicated that through greater interactivity, individuals developed greater trust in the vendor and better understanding of its products. Further, it was demonstrated that trust and product evaluation carried interactivity’s influence onto not only online purchase intention, but also offline purchase intention at a brand-specific business level. These findings indicate that online interactivity can have broad implications for multi-channel marketing.
Evidence That the Integrin β3 and β5 Subunits Contain a Metal Ion-dependent Adhesion Site-like Motif but Lack an I Domain

Abstract The amino-terminal domain of each integrin β subunit is hypothesized to contain an ion binding site that is key to cell adhesion. A new hypothesis regarding the structure of this site is suggested by the crystallization of the I domains of the integrin αL and αM subunits (Lee, J.-O., Rieu, P., Arnaout, M. A., and Liddington, R. (1995) Cell 80, 631–638; Qu, A., and Leahy, D. J. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 92, 10277–10281). In those proteins, an essential metal ion is bound by a metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS). The MIDAS is presented at the apex of a larger protein module called an I domain. The metal ligands in the MIDAS can be separated into three distantly spaced clusters of oxygenated residues. These three coordination sites also appear to exist in the integrin β3 and β5 subunits. Here, we examined the putative metal binding site within β3 and β5 using site-directed mutagenesis and ligand binding studies. We also investigated the fold of the domain containing the putative metal binding site using the PHD structural algorithm. The results of the study point to the similarity between the integrin β subunits and the MIDAS motif at two of three key coordination points. Importantly though, the study failed to identify a residue in either β subunit that corresponds to the second metal coordination group in the MIDAS. Moreover, structural algorithms indicate that the fold of the β subunits is considerably different than the I domains. Thus, the integrin β subunits appear to present a MIDAS-like motif in the context of a protein module that is structurally distinct from known I domains.
Vacuum system requirements for a high luminosity phi factory

Abstract We describe the thermal and photo-desorption loads on the vacuum system of a compact high luminosity phi factory to estimate the required properties of the vacuum chamber and pumping system for a storage ring operating as a high luminosity phi factory.
A path model of perceived financial risk in casino blackjack

Purpose – The prevalence of problematic gambling among adolescents and college‐age youth is estimated to be two to four times that of older consumers. Prior studies suggest this may be due to an age‐related difference in risk perception. This paper aims to focus on the perception of financial risk in playing casino blackjack among college‐age youth.Design/methodology/approach – A convenience sample of subjects age 24 or less and reporting at least some experience in playing and wagering on casino blackjack completed paper and pencil questionnaires. Data were fit to a path model using LISREL. The study focuses on the perception of financial risk within this at‐risk population, suggesting that perceived financial risk is influenced by four factors: estimated risk to an average “other” gambler, the subject's level of experience in playing casino blackjack, the subject's self‐reported level of skill at blackjack play, and the estimated “fun” in playing the game.Findings – Three significant total effects on pe...
Police officers' perceptual distortions during lethal force situations : Informing the reasonableness standard

Research Summary In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court held that determinations about the constitutional appropriateness of police force usage—deadly or not—must be “judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.” Although the Court's ruling established a clear standard for judging officers' actions (i.e., the perspective of a reasonable police officer on the scene), we know little about the sorts of factors that might frame the perspective of reasonable police officers during situations in which they apply force. This article presents the results of a study that examined 80 police officers' detailed accounts of how they perceived what transpired during 113 incidents in which they shot citizens. Respondents reported experiencing a wide range of sensory distortions, with the vast majority of officers reporting two or more distinct sorts. This study takes these findings as a point of departure to expand our understanding of what constitutes a reasonable officer's perspective during the tense, uncertain moments during which he or she makes the decision to employ deadly force. Policy Implications Given that officers are likely to experience multiple distortions during shootings, the findings have implications for civilian and police oversight policies. In particular, those responsible for reviewing police shooting incidents should take into consideration that officers' behavior will not always be based on the objective reality of what is occurring at the time they decide to pull the trigger, but rather an altered conception of it. Such an understanding is crucial to improving the image of police in certain communities and positively impacting citizen trust of, and satisfaction with, the police.
Strychnia and its Antidote

THE following circumstance I think worth noticing. Wanting to banish some mice from a pantry, I placed on the floor at night a slice of bread spread over with butter in which I had mixed a threepenny packet of “Battle's vermin killer”, which contains about a grain of strychnia along with flour and prussian blue. The following morning I was roused by a servant telling me that a favourite skye terrier was lying dead. I found that the mice had dragged the slice of bread underneath the locked door and that the dog had thus got at it and eaten part equal to about one-sixth of a grain of strychnia; it lay on its side perfectly rigid; an occasional tetanic spasm showed that life was not quite extinct. Having notes of the experiments made by direction of the British Medical Association last year, on the antagonism of medicines, and wherein it was conclusively proved that a fatal dose of strychnia could be neutralised by a fatal dose of chloral hydrate, and that the minimum fatal dose of the latter for a rabbit was twenty-one grains, I at once injected under the dog's skin forty-five grains of the chloral in solution, my dog being about twice the weight of a rabbit. In a quarter of an hour fancying the dog was dead, as the spasms had ceased and it lay apparently lifeless, I moved it with my foot, when it at once struggled to its feet and shortly after staggered to its usual corner by the parlour fire; it took some milk, and except for being quieter than usual seemed nothing the worse for the ordeal it had passed through.
Feedhorn‐Coupled TES Polarimeters for Next‐Generation CMB Instruments

The next generation of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments targeting the signatures of inflation will require unprecedented sensitivities in addition to careful control of systematics. With existing detector technologies approaching the photon noise limit, improvements in system sensitivities must come from ever‐larger focal plane arrays of millimeter‐wave detectors. We report on the design and performance of microfabricated planar orthomode transducer (OMT) coupled TES polarimeters and silicon micromachined platelet feedhorns optimized for scaling to large monolithic arrays. Future versions of these detectors are targeted for deployment in a number of upcoming CMB experiments, including ABS, SPTpol, and ACTpol.
Local Damage Evolution of Double Cantilever Beam Specimens During Crack Initiation Process: A Natural Boundary Condition Based Method

Cohesive zone models are being increasingly used to simulate fracture and debonding processes in metallic, polymeric, and ceramic materials and their composites. The crack initiation process as well as its actual stress and damage distribution beyond crack tip are important for understanding fracture of materials and debonding of adhesively bonded joints. In the current model, a natural boundary condition based method is proposed, and thus the concept of extended crack length (characteristic length l) is no longer required and more realistic and natural local deformation beyond crack tip can be obtained. The new analytical approach, which can consider both crack initiation and propagation as well as local deformation and interfacial stress distribution, can be explicitly obtained as a function of the remote peel load P with the given bilinear cohesive laws. An intrinsic geometric constraint condition is then used to solve the remote peel load P. The nonlinear response in both the ascending and descending stages of loading is accurately predicted by the current model, as evidenced by a comparison with both experimental results and finite element analysis results. It is found that the local deformation and interfacial stress beyond crack tip are relatively stable during crack propagation. It is also found that, when the cohesive strength is low, it has a significant effect on the critical peel load and loadline deflection. In principle, the approach developed in the current study can be extended to multilinear cohesive laws, although only bilinear cohesive law is presented in this work as an example.
Charge-transfer dynamics in slow atom–surface collisions: a new close-coupling approach including continuum discretization

Within a new two-center close-coupling expansion, we solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for an active electron interacting with a slow projectile and a metal surface. The continuum of conduction-band states corresponding to the motion of the active electron in the metal subspace along the surface normal is discretized in terms of wave packets. Results for the time evolution of the atomic and metallic population amplitudes for an excited hydrogen atom near an aluminum surface are shown and discussed.
Photocarcinogenesis: an overview.

This paper reviews factors that have been reported to influence photocarcinogenesis in laboratory animals. Such factors include the sensitivity of the test animals, the amount of the ultraviolet radiation (UVR) delivered, the mode of its delivery, and interactions of other radiations or of chemicals in the process of carcinogenesis. New data are presented in these areas: reduction in the size of each unit dose (and thus an increase in dosing frequency) increases the carcinogenic effectiveness of a given lifetime dose; certain inbred strains of albino hairless mice exhibit heritable differences in their susceptibility; several chemicals are known to enhance photo-carcinogenesis, but they appear to have so little in common, either structurally or functionally, that they offer limited guidance about which other compounds may be effective in this way. Prevention of long-term UVR effects on skin is a desirable goal; development of personal UVR dosimeters will aid in defining the quantitative nature of the problem; improved sunscreens should provide the means to achieve significant reduction in the incidence of UVR-induced human skin cancer.
Neonatal alcohol exposure reduces NMDA induced Ca2+ signaling in developing cerebellar granule neurons

Abstract Glutamatergic neurotransmission through NMDA receptors is critical for both neurogenesis and mature function of the central nervous system (CNS), and is thought to be one target for developmentally-induced damage by alcohol to brain function. In the current study we examined Ca 2+ signaling linked to NMDA receptor activation as a potential site for alcohol's detrimental effects on the developing nervous system. We compared Ca 2+ signals to NMDA in granule neurons cultured from cerebella of rat neonates exposed to alcohol (ethanol) during development with responses to NMDA recorded in separated control groups. Alcohol exposure was by the vapor chamber method on postnatal days 4–7. An intermittent exposure paradigm was used where the pups were exposed to alcohol vapor for 2.5 h/day to produce peak BALs of ∼320 mg%. Control pups were placed in an alcohol-free chamber for a similar time period or remained with their mother. After culture under alcohol-free conditions for up to 9 days, Ca 2+ signaling in response to NMDA was measured using fura-2 Ca 2+ imaging. Results show that the peak amplitude of the Ca 2+ signal to NMDA was significantly smaller in cultured granule neurons obtained from alcohol-treated pups compared to granule neurons from control pups. In contrast, the Ca 2+ signal to K + depolarization was not depressed by the alcohol treatment. Resting Ca 2+ levels were also altered by the alcohol treatment. These results show that intermittent alcohol exposure during development in vivo can induce long-term changes in CNS neurons that affect the Ca 2+ signaling pathway linked to NMDA receptors and resting Ca 2+ levels. Such changes could play an important role in the CNS dysfunction associated with alcohol exposure during CNS development.
Demographic response to environmental pressure in Malawi.

The discussion in this paper uses Malawi as a case study to shed some light on the interrelationships between population growth and demographic responses to environmental pressure. It is noted that certain parts of the country that are experiencing extreme environmental stress have began to go through a rapid phase of demographic and social change and transformation. For example, the Southern Region of the country, which has some of the highest densities, is experiencing a fertility transition. There is a spontaneous internal migration pattern from densely populated rural areas to other sparsely populated rural areas. Other non-demographic responses to population pressures are also briefly discussed in this paper.
Vitamin D and the skin

The keratinocytes of the skin are unique in being not only the primary source of vitamin D for the body, but also possessing the enzymatic machinery to metabolize vitamin D to active metabolites [in particular, 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D)] and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that enables the keratinocytes to respond to the 1,25(OH)2D they produce. Numerous functions of the skin are regulated by vitamin D and/or its receptor: these include inhibition of proliferation, stimulation of differentiation including formation of the permeability barrier, promotion of innate immunity, regulation of the hair follicle cycle, and suppression of tumor formation. Regulation of these actions is exerted by a number of different coregulators including the coactivators DRIP and SRC, a less well known inhibitor, hairless, and β-catenin. Different coregulators appear to be involved in different VDR-regulated functions. This review examines the various functions of vitamin D and its receptor, and to the extent known explores the mechanisms by which these functions are regulated.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids exert antiarrhythmic actions as free acids rather than in phospholipids

Previous studies have shown that exogenous free n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can prevent tachyarrhythmias caused by specific agents in isolated cardiac myocytes. However, the question as to whether incorporation of the n-3 PUFA into membrane phospholipids has the same immediate protective effects remained to be answered. To answer this question, we increased the content of n-3 PUFA in the phospholipids of cultured neonatal rat myocytes by growing them 2–3 d in a culture to which eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in 15 μM concentration was added. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids revealed a significantly higher level of EPA and DHA (from 0.2 to 7.6% and from 1.2 to 6.5%) in cells supplemented with EPA or DHA, respectively. The responses of the myocytes grown in normal media or in media enriched with the PUFA to arrhythmogenic agents were examined after free fatty acids were removed from the medium and the cells. The arrhythmogenic agents used were the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol or an elevated extracellular concentration of calcium. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the induction of tachyarrhythmias by isoproterenol or by elevated [Ca2+]o in cells grown in media enriched with PUFA, as compared with cells grown in normal media in the absence of the free PUFA. Under the conditions of this study, only the unesterified PUFA were able to protect the cardiomyocytes against induced arrhythmias. There was no antiarrhythmic effect due to an increased fraction of EPA or DHA in membrane phospholipids.
Differentiation of isomeric oxygenated adsorbates using low-energy ion/surface collisions

Reactive scattering of polyatomic ions in the hyperthermal collision energy range (<100 eV) is used to distinguish isomeric oxygenated adsorbates and to quantify their relative amounts when co-adsorbed at a surface. The self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of interest are constructed from HO-terminated, CH3O-terminated, and CH3CH2O-terminated dialkyl disulfides. Projectile ions used for ion/surface scattering experiments include CF3+, SiCl3+, and the molecular ion of pyridine, C5H5N+. Each of these ions exhibits a unique scattered ion profile upon collision with the SAM monolayer surfaces, and so provides different information about the surfaces. Hydrogen atom abstraction by the C5H5N+ ion is more prominent at the CH3CH2O- and CH3O-terminated surfaces than the HO-terminated surface, while collisions of SiCl3+ yield reactively scattered products which reflect the chemical composition of these surfaces. For instance, SiCl2OH+ and SiCl2OCH3+ are scattered from the HO-terminated and CH3O-terminated surfaces, respectively. Ion/surface collisions involving the CF3+ ion produce chemically sputtered ions from the oxygenated adsorbates, which are valuable for quantitation of those groups. Preferential sputtering of the CH3O-terminated versus the HO-terminated SAM surface is ascribed to favored thermochemistry and the more accessible CH3O-terminated adsorbate. Fundamental ion/surface scattering processes, such as inelastic collisions leading to surface-induced dissociation (SID), ion/surface reaction, and chemical sputtering are examined over a range of collision energies for each of the ion/surface types mentioned, and their value in surface analysis is demonstrated.
Anaerobic bacteria in upper respiratory tract and head and neck infections: Microbiology and treatment

Anaerobes are the predominant components of oropharyngeal mucous membranes bacterial flora, and are therefore a common cause of bacterial infections of endogenous origin of upper respiratory tract and head and neck. This review summarizes the aerobic and anaerobic microbiology and antimicrobials therapy of these infections. These include acute and chronic otitis media, mastoiditis and sinusitis, pharyngo-tonsillitis, peritonsillar, retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal abscesses, suppurative thyroiditis, cervical lymphadenitis, parotitis, siliadenitis, and deep neck infections including Lemierre Syndrome. The recovery from these infections depends on prompt and proper medical and when indicated also surgical management.
Demonstration of aliinase in a protein preparation from onion

Eine proteinhaltige Darstellung aus Zwiebeln enthalt ein Enzym, welches stochiometrisch S-Alkyl-l-cystein-sulfoxyde in Brenztraubensaure und Ammoniak spaltet. Daneben entsteht, nicht-stochiometrisch, ein benzolloslicher, lauchartig riechender, mit N-Athylmaleinimid reagierender Stoff, wahrscheinlich das Alkylthiosulfinsaure-alkylester. Das Enzym wirkt optimal auf (+)-S-Propyl-l-cysteinsulfoxyd bei pH 8,4 in Gegenwart von Pyridoxalphosphat.
Chemical vapour deposition of diamond

Growth of diamond at conditions where it is the metastable phase can be achieved by various chemical vapour deposition methods. Atomic hydrogen plays a major role in mediating rates and in maintaining a proper surface for growth. Low molecular weight hydrocarbon species (e.g. CH3 and C2H x ) are believed to be responsible for extension of the diamond lattice, but complete understanding of attachment mechanisms has not yet been achieved. The nucleation of diamond crystals directly from the gas phase can proceed through a graphitic intermediate. Once formed, the growth rate of diamond crystals is enhanced by the influence of stacking errors. Many of the commonly observed morphologies, e.g. hexagonal platelets and (apparent) decahedral and icosahedral crystals, can be explained by the influence of simple stacking errors on growth rates. In situ measurements of growth rates as a function of hydrocarbon concentration show that the mechanism for diamond growth is complex and may involve surface adsorption processes in rate limiting steps. The transport regime in diamond deposition reactors varies widely. In the hot-filament and microwave reactors, which operate from 20 to 100 Torr (1 Torr ≈ 133 Pa), the transport of mass and energy is dominated by molecular diffusion. In the atmospheric pressure combustion and plasma methods, transport is dominated by convection. In situ measurements of H atom recombination rates in hot-filament reactors show that, under many commonly used process conditions, transport of atomic hydrogen to the growing surface is diffusion limited and H atom recombination is a major contributor to energy transport.
Cell Phone Forensics

Cell Phone Forensics is a relatively new field when compared to computer forensics. The need to recover data from mobile devices often overwhelms the processing capabilities of most law enforcement agencies. This paper outlines a three course sequence in mobile digital forensics that has been developed in partnership with law enforcement and forensic tool manufacturers. During the three course sequence, students learn forensic tools, procedures, and how get information from chips removed from cell phone boards. This dynamic partnership has been beneficial to all parties and potential employers are seeking graduates with these new forensic skills.
Parallel hierarchical adaptive genetic algorithm for fragment assembly

Fragment assembly is an important task in genome sequencing, and involves reconstructing a long sequence based on many overlapping subsequences (fragments) that contain errors. This paper presents a fragment assembler using a new parallel hierarchical adaptive variation of evolutionary algorithms. The innovative features include a new measure for evaluating sequence assembly quality and the development of a hybrid algorithm. Results from the simulation of 56 cases demonstrate that sequence assembly by the new sequencing method is highly accurate and noise-tolerant.
Simulation of Microstructure and Behavior of Interfacial Mold Slag Layers in Continuous Casting of Steel

A computational model of heat transfer, solidification and interface behavior during the continuous casting of steel is applied to interpret the crystallization behavior of slag layers in the interfacial gap between the mold and the steel shell. A mechanism for the formation of this crystalline layer is proposed that combines the effects of a shift in the viscosity curve, a decrease in the liquid slag conductivity due to partial crystallization, and an increase in the solid slag layer roughness corresponding to a decrease in solid layer surface temperature with distance down the mold. When the shear stress exceeds the slag shear strength before the axial stress accumulates to the fracture strength, the slag could shear longitudinally inside the layers. The predictions are consistent with measurements conducted in the real process and with the microstructure of analyzed slag samples.