cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Race and Length of Time Pursuing Pregnancy Among Women Who Utilized Medical Help to Get Pregnant

Objective: The evaluation of racial disparities in access to and use of infertility services in the U.S. has been documented. The aims of this study were to: 1) investigate racial differences in length of time women report attempting to become pregnant until seeking medical help; and 2) determine the predictors of seeking medical help to achieve pregnancy. Materials and methods: The National Survey of Family Growth 2011-2015 was used to analyze the duration women attempted to get pregnant among those who sought medical help. Results: 563 women reported seeking medical help to achieve pregnancy. The majority 422 (81%) were white. Multiple linear regression showed that age (β = .93; p = .00), having less than high school education (β = 14.64; p = .01), and higher body mass index (β = .59; p = .00) are significantly associated with an increased length of time for seeking medical help to get pregnant. Religions other than Catholic or Protestant (β = -8.63; p = .04) is significantly associated with a decreased length of time for seeking medical help to get pregnant. Race was not associated with a significant difference in the length of time attempting to become pregnant (β = -1.80; p = .44). Conclusion: Age, education attainment, religious affiliation, and body mass index are significantly associated with the length of time pursuing pregnancy. Once women have utilized medical resources, racial differences in the length of time pursuing pregnancy are not apparent.
Information and Facilitation Interventions for Accountability in Health and Nutrition: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in India

Community-based accountability interventions have shown promise in improving public service delivery in low-income countries. However, their effectiveness has varied across study settings and there is limited evidence on the relative importance of information provision versus facilitation of collective action. We study the health impacts of accountability interventions implemented in rural communities by the government of Uttar Pradesh, India. Using village-level randomization, we find no impacts on child mortality but large improvements in immunization rates, treatment of childhood diarrhea, and institutional delivery. Our findings suggest that information provision combined with facilitation had larger effects than information provision alone.
A High-Performance Photo-Biosupercapacitor Based on Manganese Oxide/Carbon Nanotube/PEDOT:PSS Nanocomposites

A high energy-density supercapacitor is currently undergoing exciting development with an entirely new kind of electric power device: a biosupercapacitor in which electric energy is simultaneously acquired and stored. This new hybrid device integrates the energy harvesting function of an electrochemical energy storage device (e.g. bio-solar cells) with the high-power operation of an internal supercapacitor. Manganese oxide/carbon nanotube/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate nanocomposites on carbon cloth were developed as a novel anode for the biosupercapacitor. Cyanobacterial biofilm formed on the anode provided 3-D double-functional electrode concurrently exhibiting solar-driven energy-generating and storing features, generating maximum power and current density of $25.48\mu \mathrm{W}/\text{cm}^{2}$ and $115.81\mu \mathrm{A}/\text{cm}^{2}$ , respectively, which is the highest reported success of any existing biosupercapacitors. The 3-D dual-feature bioanode demonstrated superior capacitive behaviors, electrochemical properties, a high rate of bacterial extracellular electron transfer, and efficient mass transfer to and from the electrode, all of which led to high power generation.
P-wave centric ambulatory ECG monitoring in infants and young children

Abstract Background P-wave centric ambulatory ECG monitoring has emerged as an important tool aiding the diagnosis of arrhythmias. However, with no specific pediatric approved ambulatory monitors, efficacy and user experience with these devices in young infants have not been established. Objective To evaluate tracings quality in children less than 10 kilograms who have been prescribed the P-wave centric Carnation Ambulatory Monitor (CAM) patch by Bardy Diagnostics Inc. Methods We performed an observational, retrospective study on patients prescribed 48-hour ambulatory Holter monitoring. We aimed to detail our experience with using the CAM patch with a patient population smaller than the recommended weight set forth by Bardy Diagnostics Inc. All patients less than 10 kg who were prescribed a 48-hour CAM patch were included in this review. Additionally, 2 different monitor locations (over the sternum and horizontal over the left axilla) were assessed to address the optimal placement in small children less than 10 kg. Results A total of 33 CAM reports from 25 patients, aged 0-15 months were included in the study. Mean patient age was 4.2 months ± 5.0 and mean weight was 5.3 kg ± 2.4. Twenty-Four percent of patients (8/33) had known congenital heart disease. Indications for monitoring included: tachyarrhythmia (15/33, 45%), bradycardia (6/33, 18%), ectopic rhythm (9/33, 27%), cardiac tumor (1/33, 1%), and prolonged QT interval (1/33, 1%). All CAM reports showed clear, identifiable P waves which were diagnostic and lead to changes in medical management for 30% of patients (i.e. medication adjustments or discharge from cardiology care). When comparing the P wave between a 12-lead ECG and the CAM patch, 77% of patients had the same or similar P wave morphology to lead aVF. We found the recommended, upright placement over the sternum performed better than the horizontal placement over the left axilla for small infants and children less than 10 kg. Conclusion A P-wave centric Holter monitor is helpful in providing accurate diagnostics tracings even in infants and small children aiding in their clinical management.
Going to “The Land of Drama”: Behavior management techniques in a kindergarten sociodramatic play residency

This study examined the impact of educational drama on behavior management techniques used by Teaching Artists (TA’s) during a guided sociodramatic play residency. Four TA’s, two males and two fema...
RecovUS: An Agent-Based Model of Post-Disaster Household Recovery

The housing sector is an important part of every community. It directly affects people, constitutes a major share of the building market, and shapes the community. Meanwhile, the increase of developments in hazard-prone areas along with the intensification of extreme events has amplified the potential for disaster-induced losses. Consequently, housing recovery is of vital importance to the overall restoration of a community. In this relation, recovery models can help with devising data-driven policies that can better identify pre-disaster mitigation needs and post-disaster recovery priorities by predicting the possible outcomes of different plans. Although several recovery models have been proposed, there are still gaps in the understanding of how decisions made by individuals and different entities interact to output the recovery. Additionally, integrating spatial aspects of recovery is a missing key in many models. The current research proposes a spatial model for simulation and prediction of homeownersâ€™ recovery decisions through incorporating recovery drivers that could capture interactions of individual, communal, and organizational decisions. RecovUS is a spatial agent-based model for which all the input data can be obtained from publicly available data sources. The model is presented using the data on the recovery of Staten Island, New York, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The results confirm that the combination of internal, interactive, and external drivers of recovery affect householdsâ€™ decisions and shape the progress of recovery.
Carriers of haemophilia: pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum.

Management of haemophilia carrier women during labour and postpartum is yet to be standardized. Pregnancy was accompanied by a marked rise in factor VIII levels compared with only a small rise in factor IX levels. After delivery, a carrier's factor level drops down to prepregnancy levels, which increases the chance of postpartum haemorrhage. Availability of management guideline and care provided in a multidisciplinary approach can help to minimize bleeding complications in carriers of haemophilia and their newborns.
Bidirectional Association between Visual Impairment and Dementia Among Older Adults in the United States Over Time.

Purpose Although visual impairment (VI) has been associated with worse cognitive performance among older adults, the temporal relationship between the 2 remains subject to debate. Our objective was to investigate the longitudinal impact of VI on cognitive function and vice versa. Design Retrospective, time-to-event study. Participants National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) participants from 2011 to 2018 cycles. Methods A total of 10 676 participants aged 65 years and older were included. Cox proportional hazards regression models evaluated the impact of baseline VI on subsequent dementia and impact of baseline dementia on subsequent VI. Models were adjusted for potential confounding variables, including demographics, clinical comorbidities, and hearing and physical function limitations. Main Outcome Measures Hazard ratio (HR) for incident dementia among participants with baseline self-reported VI and HR for incident VI among participants with baseline dementia. Results Of the 10 676 participants included in the analysis, approximately 40% were aged 65–74 years, 40% were aged 75–84 years, and the remaining 20% were aged 85 years and older. The majority were female (59%), and 68% self-identified as non-Hispanic White. Among participants with normal cognitive status at baseline, subsequent dementia was observed in 1753 (16%), and among participants with normal self-reported vision at baseline, subsequent VI was reported in 2371 (22%). In adjusted regression models, participants with baseline VI had higher likelihood of developing dementia over subsequent follow-up (HR, 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0–2.6; P Conclusions Self-reported VI in the US Medicare population is associated with greater dementia likelihood over time, and dementia is similarly associated with greater VI likelihood over time. Associations are likely multifactorial and bidirectional and could be explained by intervening variables in the path from VI to dementia, or vice versa, or by common risk factors for pathological processes in both eyes and brain. These findings suggest the need for early identification of older adults with visual compromise and consideration of visual disability in the cognitively impaired.
The Black Intellectual Tradition: Conceptions and Misconceptions

Kehinde Andrews’s book is a welcome addition to the vast Black intellectual tradition because it defines major concepts of this tradition and challenges misconceptions about them. As Andrews shows ...
The interactions of molecular chaperones with client proteins: why are they so weak?

The major classes of molecular chaperones have highly variable sequences, sizes and shapes, yet they all bind to unfolded proteins, limit their aggregation and assist in their folding. Despite the central importance of this process to protein homeostasis, it has not been clear exactly how chaperones guide this process or whether the diverse families of chaperones use similar mechanisms. For the first time, recent advances in NMR spectroscopy have enabled detailed studies of how unfolded, "client" proteins interact with both ATP-dependent and ATP-independent classes of chaperones. Here, we review examples from four distinct chaperones, Spy, Trigger Factor, DnaK and HscA-HscB, highlighting the similarities and differences between their mechanisms. One striking similarity is that the chaperones all bind weakly to their clients, such that the chaperone-client interactions are readily outcompeted by stronger, intra- and inter-molecular contacts in the folded state. Thus, the relatively weak affinity of these interactions seems to provide directionality to the folding process. However, there are also key differences, especially in the details of how the chaperones release clients and how ATP cycling impacts that process. For example, Spy releases clients in a largely folded state, while clients seem to be unfolded upon release from Trigger Factor or DnaK. Together, these studies are beginning to uncover the similarities and differences in how chaperones use weak interactions to guide protein folding.
Post-Abortion Perceptions: a Comparison of Self-Identified Distressed and Nondistressed Populations

This study investigated the experiences of 25 women who described themselves as responding in an emotionally distressed manner to abortion and a comparison group of 25 women reporting more relieving/neutral responses. Current and initial stress response to the abortion, general mental health, and demographic characteristics were assessed quantitatively, and interviews explored subjective perceptions. The distress group had significantly higher scores on initial stress response and religiosity, were more often currently affiliated with conservative churches, and reported lower degree of social support and confidence in the abortion decision. Qualitatively, 48% of the distress group recalled experiencing feelings of loss immediately post-abortion, in contrast to none in the nondistress group. Both groups identified post-abortion "catalytic" events, such as subsequent childbirth, that affected responses to the abortion over time.
WHY IS U.S. POVERTY HIGHER IN NONMETROPOLITAN THAN METROPOLITAN AREAS? EVIDENCE FROM THE PANEL STUDY OF INCOME DYNAMICS

In the United States, low-income people are not evenly distributed across the rural-urban landscape. Does this phenomenon partly reflect that people who "choose" to live in rural areas have unmeasured attributes related to poverty? To address this question, I use data from nine waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to track economic well-being and rural/urban residential choice among a sample of 6,461 householders. A series of multivariate regression models are estimated in which the dependent variable is a householder's income to need and explanatory variables are individual attributes and place-level factors, including whether the county of residence is nonmetropolitan (nonmetro). First I estimate an ordinary least squares (OLS) model which excludes educational attainment variables. I then estimate an OLS model with controls for education. Finally, I estimate an individual fixed-effects regression model that controls for observed education and unobserved income capacity. I find that the effect on income to need of living in a nonmetro area is reduced substantially as more stringent controls for individual heterogeneity are implemented. Specifically, the first regression shows that nonmetro householders have income to need that is 26 percent lower than metro householders. The fixed-effects specification, by contrast, indicates a rural-urban gap in economic well-being of only 7 percent. Taken together, results suggest that one explanation for the higher incidence of poverty in rural than urban areas is that people with personal attributes associated with having low income tend to sort themselves into rural places.
Regulation of dendritic cell trafficking by the ADP-Ribosyl cyclase CD38: Impact on the development of humoral immunity

Mice lacking CD38, an ectoenzyme that generates the calcium-mobilizing metabolite cADPR, make reduced T cell-dependent antibody responses. Despite the predicted role for CD38 in B cell activation, we find that CD38 regulates the migration of dendritic cell (DC) precursors from the blood to peripheral sites and controls the migration of mature DCs from sites of inflammation to lymph nodes. Thus, T cells are inefficiently primed in Cd38(-/-) mice, leading to poor humoral immune responses. We also show that CD38 and cADPR modulate calcium mobilization in chemokine-stimulated DCs and are required for the chemotaxis of immature and mature DCs to CCL2, CCL19, CCL21, and CXCL12. Therefore, CD38 regulates adaptive immunity by controlling chemokine receptor signaling in DCs.
The Molybdenum Centers of Xanthine Oxidase and Xanthine Dehydrogenase DETERMINATION OF THE SPECTRAL CHANGE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTION FROM THE Mo(VI) TO THE Mo(IV) STATE

The UV-visible absorbance change associated with reduction of the molybdenum centers of xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase has been determined using a double-difference technique. At pH 8.5, the Mo(VI) minus Mo(IV) difference spectrum seen with xanthine oxidase exhibits a positive feature at 420 nm, having an extinction change of approximately 3,000 M-1 cm-1 as well as evidence for a negative feature below 340 nm. In xanthine oxidase this change is found to exhibit a marked pH dependence, implicating protonation/deprotonation events associated with changes in the molybdenum oxidation state. Application of the double-difference protocol to the respective circular dichroism spectra of xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase reveals appreciable CD changes at 420 and 580 nm associated with the reduction of the molybdenum center. The present results demonstrate a direct spectroscopic handle on the molybdenum centers of both xanthine oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase.
Study on default and its factors associated among Tuberculosis patients treated under DOTS in Mayurbhanj District, Odisha

Background: Defaulting from tuberculosis (TB) treatment has been one of the major obstacles to treatment management and an important challenge for TB control. Understanding of various factors accounting for treatment default could help to achieve better compliance from patients. Thus the aim of the study is to estimate number of defaulters out of total TB patients registered under DOTS from January to June 2005 and to study the reasons for default in Mayurbhanj district, Orissa. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing 41 defaulters using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire to elicit reasons for default. Data was analyzed using Epi-info-(3.5.1), to find statistical significance among the variables. Results: Of the total 41 defaulters among 550 patients registered, only 31 could be interviewed, 10 were untraceable at the address provided. Default rate in our study was 7.5%. Majority of patients (73%) had defaulted during intensive phase of the treatment. A higher default rate associated with age group of 40-60 years, males and employed groups. The main reasons for default was due to drug toxicity (42%), feeling better so discontinued (35.5%), alcoholism (19.4%), migration (6.45%), wrong ideas (6.45%), DOTS provider absent (3.2%), DOTS provider rudeness (3.2%), and other reasons (9.7%), which includes family problems, timing inconvenient, and carelessness. Risk factors significantly associated were male, age, alcoholism, and distance of more than 5 km from treatment center. Conclusions: The majority of patients have defaulted in intensive phase of treatment. All efforts should be made to retrieve these patients and return them to treatment to achieve the expected goal of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).
The structure and function of the fungal V-ATPase.

The fungal vacuole is a prominent organelle that functions as a storage site for amino acids, Ca, storage carbohydrates, inorganic phosphate and numerous hydrolases (Fig. 1) (Klionsky et al. 1990). A hallmark of fungal vacuoles is that they are acidic compartments involved in the turnover of cellular macromolecules. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the hydrolase activities in the vacuole are required for diploid cells to progress normally through sporulation and meiosis. The goal of this chapter is to present an overview of what is known about the enzyme complex responsible for acidifying the fungal vacuole and to summarize the current view of the function of acidification of the vacuolar network. The vacuolar H-ATPase (V-ATPase) is responsible for acidification of the fungal vacuolar network (Klionsky et al. 1990; Raymond et al. 1992). This enzyme functions by coupling the hydrolysis of cytoplasmic ATP to the translocation of protons across the vacuolar membrane. The V-ATPase has been isolated from several fungi, and the enzymes isolated from Neurospora crassa and the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been extensively characterized. In all cases, the enzyme is a multisubunit complex of at least 500 XlO relative molecular mass (Mr) (Hirata et al. 1989) composed of both membrane-bound polypeptides and peripherally associated subunits. Assigning functions to each of the polypeptides associated with the purified, enzymatically active V-ATPase complex remains a challenge for the future. The molecular cloning of the genes encoding the V-ATPase subunits has provided an avenue for the detailed characterization of the structure and function of the various polypeptides. Subunit-encoding genes were first isolated and characterized for the Neurospora crassa V-ATPase 69 and 59X 10Mr polypeptides (Bowman etal. 1988a,&). These investigations were followed by the isolation of the genes for the corresponding yeast subunits (Shih et al. 1988; Nelson et al. 1989; Hirata et al. 1990; Yamashiro et al. 1990). The availability of the yeast genes provided an opportunity for the complete genetic dissection of the fungal V-ATPase subunit composition and function through the use of yeast mutants lacking individual subunits as a result of gene disruptions. These genetic analyses have allowed each biochemically defined subunit to be individually scrutinized for its in vivo requirement for function and assembly of the V-ATPase complex. These topics are considered in detail in this paper and the other papers of this fungal V-ATPase chapter.
Max Weber Revisited: The “Protestant Ethic” and the Puritan Experience of Order*

The accuracy of Max Weber's grasp of Puritan religious experience has persistently been called into question by the critics of the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber is alleged either to have misunderstood the sources of Puritanism, or to have overlooked the real character of Puritan belief and action, or to have misconstrued its social significance. In short, Weber is generally accused of failing to assess correctly the causes, content, and implications of Puritanism.
Differential distribution of (Na, K)-ATPase α isoforms in the central nervous system

1. mRNA transcripts for three isoforms of theα subunit of (Na, K)-ATPase have been previously identified in the rat nervous system and designatedα1,α2 andα3. 2. In order to study the localization and expression of the differentα isoform mRNAs on a regional and cellular level in the brain, we prepared probes from the unique 3′ untranslated region of ratα1 cDNA and from a segment containing a portion of the translated region of ratα3 cDNA. These probes were used in dot blot andin situ hybridization assays of rat brain. 3. α1 mRNA was found predominantly in cerebral cortex, dentate gyrus of hippocampus, and specific isolated brain-stem nuclei such as locus ceruleus and motor nuclei V and VII. In contrastα3 mRNA was found predominantly in pyramidal neurons in the deep layers of cerebral cortex, in both pyramidal and dentate gyrus neurons of the hippocampus, and in neurons of most subcortical structures of the thalamus, basal ganglia, and brain-stem nuclei. 4. In the cerebellum, Purkinje cells showed predominantlyα3, as did stellate and basket cells. The granule cells contained predominantlyα1. 5. These experiments show that mRNAs for bothα1 andα3 isoforms of (Na, K)-ATPase are found in neurons of the CNS. The isoforms have unique cellular and regional distributions, which in some cases overlap.
Laboratory information system for nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry in biomedical materials (NMR LIS). II. Data analysis

Data analysis modules for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry LIS are described. Since the experimental NMR results from biomedical samples often exhibit complex structure that arises from complexity of tissue, the analysis methods focus on search, investigation, and evaluation of complex multiexponential relaxation features. Two algorithms have been implemented: an enhanced spin grouping method that is based on a multiexponential curve stripping algorithm, and an eigenvalue decomposition method, implemented as modified DISCRETE program.
Integral bounds for von Kármán's equations

In this paper we consider the von Karman plate equations. We show that a suitable function, defined on the solution to these equations is subharmonic. Then we derive bounds on the integral of the second gradient of the solution.
Prenatal buprenorphine exposure and sexually dimorphic nonreproductive behaviors in rats

This set of experiments examined the effects of prenatal buprenorphine (BUP) exposure on three measures of sexual differentiation in rats. Pregnant female rats were divided into four treatment groups: 0.6 mg/kg BUP, 0.3 mg/kg BUP, a pair-fed control (PFC), and an untreated control (UTC). Drugs were injected starting on gestation day (GD) 6 and continuing through GD 20 with a 48-h interval between drug administrations. Three variables were examined in the offspring: anogenital (AG) distance on postnatal day (PND) 1, spontaneous parental behavior on PNDs 23-28, and saccharin consumption on PNDs 42-55. Whereas prenatal BUP exposure had no effect on AG distance, spontaneous parental behavior was impaired in the 0.6-mg/kg-exposed offspring on two measures: pup-retrieval latencies and pup-directed behaviors. Furthermore, although both control groups and the 0.3-mg/kg-exposed offspring showed the expected sex difference in consumption of a 0.25% saccharin solution, this difference was not displayed by the 0.6-mg/kg-exposed offspring. These findings suggest that exposure to relatively high doses of buprenorphine during development may have long-term effects on behavior.
Chronic effects of traumatic brain injury on hippocampal vesicular acetylcholine transporter and M2 muscarinic receptor protein in rats.

Experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) produces cholinergic neurotransmission deficits that may contribute to chronic spatial memory deficits. Cholinergic neurotransmission deficits may be due to presynaptic alterations in the storage and release of acetylcholine (ACh) or from changes in the receptors for ACh. The vesicular ACh transporter (VAChT) mediates accumulation of ACh into secretory vesicles, and M2 receptors can modulate cholinergic neurotransmission via a presynaptic inhibitory feedback mechanism. We examined the effects of controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury on hippocampal VAChT and M2 muscarinic subtype receptor protein levels at four time points: 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks following injury. Rats were anesthetized and surgically prepared for controlled cortical impact injury (4 m/s, 2.5- to 2.9-mm depth) and sham surgery. Animals were sacrificed and coronal sections (35 micro(m) thick) were cut through the dorsal hippocampus for VAChT and M2 immunohistochemistry. Semiquantitative measurements of VAChT and M2 protein in hippocampal homogenates from injured and sham rats were assessed using Western blot analysis. Immunohistochemistry showed no obvious changes in VAChT and M2 immunoreactivity at 1 day and 1 week postinjury. At 2 and 4 weeks postinjury, an increase in hippocampal VAChT protein and a corresponding loss of hippocampal M2 protein was observed compared to sham controls. Consistent with these results, Western blot analyses at 4 weeks postinjury demonstrated a 40-50% increase in VAChT and a 25-30% decrease in M2. These changes may represent a compensatory response of cholinergic neurons to increase the efficiency of ACh neurotransmission chronically after TBI, by upregulating the storage capacity and subsequent release of ACh and downregulating presynaptic inhibitory receptors.
Splenotesticular cord (splenogonadal fusion) associated with inguinal hernia.

Abstract A cord of splenic tissue, extending from the spleen to the left testicle transperitoneally, and presenting clinically as a scrotal mass associated with an inguinal hernia, is a rare splenic anomaly. The clinical significance of the anomaly lies in its recognition by biopsy and frozen section if necessary. Preservation of the associated normal testicle is thus possible.
Pregnancy increases cardiovascular toxicity to cocaine

The effects of intravenous cocaine on heart rate and blood pressure were studied in pregnant and oophorectomized nonpregnant ewes. In response to intravenous cocaine doses of 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, both pregnant and nonpregnant ewes demonstrated dose-dependent increases in systolic, diastolic, mean arterial, and pulse pressures with return to baseline by 30 to 60 minutes after cocaine administration. However, at both doses (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) pregnant ewes demonstrated greater increases in mean arterial pressure (+29.6%, +48.7%) than nonpregnant ewes (+15.6%, +27.7%) during the first 5 minutes after cocaine administration. Thereafter the responses were similar. Thus pregnancy increases the cardiovascular toxicity to cocaine.
DeNovoND: Efficient Hardware for Disciplined Nondeterminism

Recent research in disciplined shared-memory programming models presents a unique opportunity for rethinking the multicore memory hierarchy for better efficiency in terms of complexity, performance, and energy. The DeNovo hardware system showed that for deterministic programs written using such disciplined models, hardware can be much more efficient than the current state of the art. For DeNovo to be adopted by commercial systems, however, it is necessary to extend it to support nondeterministic applications as well; for example, applications using lock synchronization. This article proposes DeNovoND, a system that provides support for disciplined nondeterministic codes with locks while retaining the simplicity, performance, and energy benefits of DeNovo. The authors designed and implemented simple memory consistency semantics for safe nondeterminism using distributed queue-based locks and access signatures. The resulting protocol avoids transient states, invalidation traffic, directory sharer-lists, and false sharing, which are all significant sources of inefficiency in existing protocols. Their experiments showed that DeNovoND provides comparable or better execution time for applications designed for lock synchronization. In addition, it incurs 33 percent less network traffic on average relative to a state-of-the-art invalidation-based protocol, which directly translates into energy savings.
Cell Therapy Enhances Function of Remote Non-Infarcted Myocardium

Cell transplantation improves cardiac function after myocardial infarction; however, the underlying mechanisms are not well-understood. Therefore, the goals of this study were to determine if neonatal rat cardiomyocytes transplanted into adult rat hearts 1 week after infarction would, after 8-10 weeks: 1) improve global myocardial function, 2) contract in a Ca2+ dependent manner, 3) influence mechanical properties of remote uninjured myocardium and 4) alter passive mechanical properties of infarct regions. The cardiomyocytes formed small grafts of ultrastructurally maturing myocardium that enhanced fractional shortening compared to non-treated infarcted hearts. Chemically demembranated tissue strips of cardiomyocyte grafts produced force when activated by Ca2+, whereas scar tissue did not. Furthermore, the Ca2+ sensitivity of force was greater in cardiomyocyte grafts compared to control myocardium. Surprisingly, cardiomyocytes grafts isolated in the infarct zone increased Ca2+ sensitivity of remote uninjured myocardium to levels greater than either remote myocardium from non-treated infarcted hearts or sham-operated controls. Enhanced calcium sensitivity was associated with decreased phosphorylation of cTnT, tropomyosin and MLC2, but not changes in myosin or troponin isoforms. Passive compliance of grafts resembled normal myocardium, while infarct tissue distant from grafts had compliance typical of scar. Thus, cardiomyocyte grafts are contractile, improve local tissue compliance and enhance calcium sensitivity of remote myocardium. Because the volume of remote myocardium greatly exceeds that of the grafts, this enhanced calcium sensitivity may be a major contributor to global improvements in ventricular function after cell transplantation.
Cyclical testing of zone II flexor tendon repairs.

Abstract Kessler, Strickland, or modified Becker repairs, all augmented with a running circumferential epitenon suture, were performed for simulated zone II flexor tendon lacerations in the index, long, and ring fingers of 12 fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens. Each hand was tested with a tensiometer built for curvilinear testing of human flexor tendons in an intact hand. Each tendon was cycled 100 times, then examined for gapping before testing to failure. Maximum load to failure, including tendon load and pinch force, was recorded for each tendon. We propose that combining the advantages of cyclical testing and a curvilinear model is the most effective way of testing flexor tendon repairs capable of undergoing an early active motion protocol. None of the repaired tendons failed during the cyclic portion of testing. The average gapping after cycling for the 3 suture techniques was 0.12 ± 0.35 mm for the Kessler technique, 0.00 ± 0.00 mm for the Strickland technique, and 0.19 ± 0.26 mm for the modified Becker technique. The maximum tendon loads to failure were 33.8 ± 6.8 N for the Kessler technique, 30.4 ± 5.64 N for the Strickland technique, and 76.3 ± 9.02 N for the modified Becker technique. There was a statistically significant difference between the modified Becker repair and the other 2 repairs for maximum tendon load and pinch force to failure. The results of this study show that all 3 tendon repair techniques can withstand forces reported with passive motion, but only the modified Becker repair allows sufficient strength above those forces that are estimated for active motion during tendon healing. (J Hand Surg 2000;25A:1127-1134. Copyright © 2000 by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand.)
Which of These Was Neighbour?: Spiritual Dimensions of the US Immigration Question

In the present climate of debate surrounding United States immigration, both legal and illegal, the call to be neighbour and to exercise hospitality that echoes throughout the biblical tradition provides valid and unequivocal dimensions of a Christian spirituality within the horizon of the immigration discussion. This article traces the development of such a spirituality beginning with the Jewish scriptures, the ministry of Jesus in the gospels and Catholic social teaching. It concludes with a spirituality rooted in the American memory that offers promise and hope and proclaims the best of the American spirit.
Hormone-Stimulated Iipid Synthesis in Mammary Culture

Mammary explants from midpregnant mice were cultured for up to 96 hr with various combinations of insulin, prolactin, and corticosterone. Labeled glucose was added to cultures at 4 hr prior to termination, and explant morphology, glucose uptake, and lipid synthesis were studied in hormone-free and hormone-containing media. The results show that without hormones, explants take up glucose and synthesize lipid at minimal rates. After 48 hr these activities appear to be primarily those of adipose tissue since epithelial and connective tissue degenerate without hormones. Insulin increases cell number for 24 hr and maintains survival for 96 hr. Its stimulatory effect on lipogenesis precedes its enhancement of glucose uptake. The addition of prolactin to insulin-containing cultures has little effect on glucose uptake and lipogenesis, but stimulates minimal secretion in alveolar lumina. The absence of intracellular vacuoles indicates that these products probably contain little lipid. Corticosterone enhances the effects of insulin on lipid synthesis, but has little apparent effect on the secretory morphology of the alveoli. The three-hormone combination has no effect on glucose uptake above that obtained with insulin alone; however, it induces marked increases in Iipid synthesis as well as maximal morphological secretion by 48 hr. Thus, as for other lactogenic responses in vitro, insulin, prolactin, and corticosterone act synergistically to stimulate lipid synthesis in mammary explants.
Sufficient conditions for uniqueness of the steady state solutions in distributed parameter systems

Abstract A new technique of obtaining sufficient conditions for uniqueness of the steady state solution in distributed parameter systems is presented. The method is applied for the cases of an adiabatic or isothermal reaction in a porous catalyst and for an adiabatic tubular reactor with axial diffusion. The conditions yield estimates which are much less conservative than those obtained by the previously published methods. Close agreement was observed when the predicted bounds were compared with exact numerical solutions.
Probabilistic investigation of sensitivities of advanced test-analysis model correlation methods

The industry standard method used to validate finite element models involves correlation of test and analysis mode shapes using reduced Test-Analysis Models (TAMs). Some organizations even require this model validation approach. Considerable effort is required to choose sensor locations and to create a suitable TAM so that the test and analysis mode shapes will be orthogonal to within the required tolerance. This work uses a probabilistic framework to understand and quantify the effect of small errors in the test mode shapes on test-analysis orthogonality. Using the proposed framework, test-orthogonality is a probabilistic metric and the problem becomes one of choosing sensor placement and TAM generation techniques that assure that the orthogonality has a high probability of being within an acceptable range if the model is correct, even though the test measurements are contaminated with random errors. A simple analytical metric is derived that is shown to give a good estimate of the sensitivity of a TAM to errors in the test mode shapes for a certain noise model. These ideas are then applied to a generic satellite system, using TAMs generated by the Static, Modal and Improved Reduced System (IRS) reduction methods. Experimental errors are simulated for a set of mode shapes and Monte Carlo simulation is used to estimate the probability that the orthogonality metric exceeds a threshold due to experimental error alone. For the satellite system considered here, the orthogonality calculation is highly sensitive to experimental errors, so a set of noisy mode shapes has a small probability of passing the orthogonality criteria for some of the TAMs. A number of sensor placement techniques are used in this study, and the comparison reveals that, for this system, the Modal TAM is twice as sensitive to errors on the test mode shapes when it is created on a sensor set optimized for the Static TAM rather than one that was optimized specifically for the Modal TAM. These findings are evaluated in light of previously published studies of TAM sensitivity, and special attention is given to Gordis's theory, which suggest that TAM sensitivity is related to the natural frequencies of the structure when all measurement points are fixed. Some aspects of TAM sensitivity are problem dependent, so this one work cannot achieve a conclusive ranking of all of the available methodologies. Instead, this work focuses on presenting a set of tools and a probabilistic framework that can be used to correctly quantify TAM sensitivity and demonstrating the approach for one dynamic system and for a particular probabilistic model for the errors contaminating the test mode shapes.
Planar stress wave attenuation in plates with circular voids and inclusions

This paper addresses planar stress wave attenuation in finite rectangular aluminum plates with circular voids and two types of inclusions; namely, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and steel. The voids and inclusions act as a source of impedance mismatch and scatter the waves within the plates. The plates studied here have multiple numbers of circular voids and inclusions with different dimensions and positions, and are subjected to short duration transient loadings. To find the most efficient layout and dimensions of the circular voids and inclusions within these plates, a heuristic optimization methodology is developed based on Genetic Algorithms (GA). This methodology is coupled with the Finite Element (FE) method to analyze the wave propagation behavior of the plates under elastic response. The developed optimization methodology is capable of updating the FE model of each candidate design during the optimization procedure, as each in general has different geometric characteristics. The results show that the attenuation capacity of the plates with circular voids and inclusions is a complex function of the dimensions of the plates and the wavelength associated with the transient loading, as well as, the type, positions and dimensions of the voids and inclusions. It is observed that significant amounts of planar stress wave attenuation can be achieved, if the dimensions and positions of the circular voids and inclusions are selected appropriately.
Role of Free Radicals in Lung Injury

Free radicals (and other toxic metabolites of oxygen) are generated in most cells as a consequence of normal metabolic processes, but cells are protected from injury by antioxidant mechanisms. Several forms of lung injury appear to result from generation of toxic metabolites of oxygen in quantities which exceed the antioxidant capacity of lung cells. Several manipulations which prevent free radical production or accumulation or enhance antioxidant capacity of lung tissue may prove to be useful therapeutically in acute and chronic diseases of the lungs.
FPlus: a programming environment for scientific applications

A description is given of FPlus, a Fortran-based programming environment for engineers and scientists that lets them write code, test it immediately, incrementally develop applications, and generate documentation automatically. The incremental generation process is examined. FPlus testing facilities, which are available at any time during development and help to build in reliability, are discussed. Simple mechanisms that evaluate code and design to help improve programming style are provided. The FPlus environment also encourages uniformity with its structure-oriented editor and formatter. FPlus helps the user generate structured code and module and system documentation. It also provides a macro-definition facility for experienced programmers. >
Improved magnetic properties of self-assembled epitaxial nickel nanocrystallites in thin-film ceramic matrix

Nanocrystalline nickel particles were embedded in amorphous alumina and crystalline TiN matrices using a pulsed laser deposition process to investigate the effect of texturing on magnetic properties of nickel nanocrystallites. The crystalline quality of both the matrix and magnetic particles was investigated by cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The embedded Ni nanocrystals were found to be epitaxial in the case of the TiN matrix and polycrystalline in Al 2 O 3 amorphous matrix. The Ni nanocrystals on TiN/Si grow epitaxially because the TiN acting as a template grows epitaxially on Si substrate via domain epitaxy. On the other hand, Ni nanocrystals in the Al 2 O 3 matrix are polycrystalline because of the amorphous nature of the alumina matrix. Magnetization versus temperature measurements have shown that the blocking temperature, above which the samples lose magnetization-field (M-H) hysteretic behavior, of the Ni-TiN sample (approximately 190 K) is significantly higher than that of Ni-Al 2 O 3 sample (approximately 30 K) with a similar size distribution of embedded magnetic particles. A comparison of the values of coercivity (H c ) of the two samples, measured from M-H data, indicates that epitaxial Ni nanocrystals also exhibit significantly higher coercivity than polycrystalline Ni particles in amorphous alumina matrix. The high values of T B and H c of Ni-TiN samples with respect to T B of Ni-Al 2 O 3 samples are believed to be associated with preferred alignment of nanocrystallites.
Fibrin formation in plasma perfusates during kidney preservation

Kidney preservation failure using cryoprecipitated plasma and hypothermic pulsatile perfusion is an unusual complication [2]. We have recently experienced two preservation failures, manifested by rapidly rising perfusion pressure, after not having encountered this complication in the preceding 5 years of experimental and clinical kidney preservation. Analysis of the cause of preservation failures in human kidney preservations and in subsequent experimental dog kidney preservations revealed the cause of the failure to be fibrin clot formation. Further studies demonstrated that the type of anticoagulant used in the plasma preparation was a major reason for the fibrin formation.
Quantitative predictions of the trans-interface diffusion-controlled theory of particle coarsening

Abstract Data on the coarsening of γ′ (Ni 3 Al) precipitates in binary Ni–Al alloys are re-examined quantitatively in light of the theory of trans-interface diffusion-controlled (TIDC) coarsening, which predicts time-dependent behavior of the type 〈 r 〉 n ≈ k T t for the growth of precipitates of average radius 〈 r 〉 and X ≈ κ T t –1/ n for the depletion of solute concentration in the matrix, X . The exponent n is intimately related to the width of the precipitate–matrix interface, δ , which depends on r as δ ∝ r m ( m = n − 2). The scaled distribution of particle sizes (PSD) also depends on n , while the rate constants k T and κ T depend on the thermophysical constants of the alloy system. In Ni–Al alloys n = 2.4, determined from analyzing three different sets of PSDs. Quantitative analysis yields interfacial free energies and chemical diffusion coefficients that agree exceptionally well with extant data. The TIDC theory is the only theory that is consistent, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with the entirety of the data.
Ice-Tethered Profiler Measurements of Dissolved Oxygen under Permanent Ice Cover in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract Four ice-tethered profilers (ITPs), deployed between 2006 and 2009, have provided year-round dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements from the surface mixed layer to 760-m depth under the permanent sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean. These ITPs drifted with the permanent ice pack and returned 2 one-way profiles per day of temperature, salinity, and DO. Long-term calibration drift of the oxygen sensor can be characterized and removed by referencing to recently calibrated ship DO observations on deep isotherms. Observed changes in the water column time series are due to both drift of the ITP into different water masses and seasonal variability, driven by both physical and biological processes within the water column. Several scientific examples are highlighted that demonstrate the considerable potential for sustained ITP-based DO measurements to better understand the Arctic Ocean circulation patterns and biogeochemical processes beneath the sea ice.