cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A highly scalable dielectric metamaterial with superior capacitor performance over a broad temperature

Although many polymers exhibit excellent dielectric performance including high energy density with high efficiency at room temperature, their electric and dielectric performance deteriorates at high temperatures (~150°C). Here, we show that nanofillers at very low volume content in a high-temperature (high–glass transition temperature) semicrystalline dipolar polymer, poly(arylene ether urea), can generate local structural changes, leading to a marked increase in both dielectric constant and breakdown field, and substantially reduce conduction losses at high electric fields and over a broad temperature range. Consequently, the polymer with a low nanofiller loading (0.2 volume %) generates a high discharged energy density of ca. 5 J/cm3 with high efficiency at 150°C. The experimental data reveal microstructure changes in the nanocomposites, which, at 0.2 volume % nanofiller loading, reduce constraints on dipole motions locally in the glassy state of the polymer, reduce the mean free path for the mobile charges, and enhance the deep trap level.
The Uncertain Stewardship Potential of Index Funds

Regulators and commentators around the world are increasingly demanding that institutional investors engage in stewardship with respect to their portfolio companies. Further, the demand for stewardship has broadened from an expectation that investors engage to reduce agency costs and promote economic value to a call for investors to demand that companies serve a broader range of societal interests and objectives. This chapter considers calls for stewardship in the context of the U.S. capital markets specifically as applied to index funds. It argues that, irrespective of the merits of institutional stewardship generally, the structure of index funds and the business environment in which they operate limits their ability to engage in effective stewardship. Although index fund sponsors have had a powerful influence on their portfolio companies, well-intentioned calls for them to play a more significant role and, in particular, claims that they should incorporate non-economic objectives more broadly into their engagement strategy, are in tension with the valuable role that index funds serve in the U.S. markets by providing a low-cost diversified investment option for an increasing segment of ordinary citizens. The chapter concludes by considering the possibility of using pass-through voting to enhance the stewardship potential of index funds.
International Students’ Sense of Belonging and Connectedness with US Students: A Qualitative Inquiry

International students studying at higher education institutions in the United States experience challenges as they adjust to new environments. Social connectedness to American college students could mitigate such challenges and assist international students with social and cultural integration. Using qualitative data from interviews with 17 students, this chapter examines international students’ sense of belonging and social connectedness with US students. The study identified five primary factors influencing the students’ sense of belonging and integration with Americans, including perception of inclusion/exclusion, socialization goals and initiative, cultural adjustment factors, English communication ability, and campus support. The findings support previous research on sense of belonging and social integration of international college students. Areas in which educators and higher education professionals can encourage inclusion and positive interactions between international and domestic students are suggested.
Role of grain boundary structure on diffusion and dissolution during Ni/Al nanolaminate combustion

Ni/Al nanolaminates are reactive materials with customizable combustion characteristics. A common approach to synthesize the repeating Ni and Al nanolayers is physical vapor deposition, which often results in columnar grains with ⟨ 111 ⟩ texture and grain diameters on the order of a single layer thickness. Changes in grain size have been reported to affect combustion rates, yet the role of individual grain boundaries (GBs) on this process is unclear. Thus, this work investigates the role of the GB structure on atomic diffusion/dissolution and the resulting combustion reaction via molecular dynamics simulations. Nanolaminate combustion is simulated in bicrystal models containing columnar symmetric tilt GBs with ⟨ 111 ⟩ misorientation axis perpendicular to the Ni/Al interface. A range of GB misorientation angles is studied, and combustion in a Ni/Al nanolaminate without GBs is simulated for comparison. Combustion in bicrystal models reveals a rise in temperature with an exponential form prior to complete Al melting, while the model without GBs shows a linear temperature increase. Diffusion coefficients are measured for each bicrystal model, and separate Arrhenius fits are used to identify the first three combustion stages. Models containing higher energy GBs generally have higher diffusion coefficients and lower activation energies prior to complete melting of Al, while the GB structure shows little effect on dissolution after the Al layer melts. Thus, the GB structure plays a key role in Ni/Al nanolaminate ignition sensitivity but does not impact runaway combustion.
Error Rates, Likelihood Ratios, and Jury Evaluation of Forensic Evidence.

Forensic examiners regularly testify in criminal cases, informing the jurors whether crime scene evidence likely came from a source. In this study, we examine the impact of providing jurors with testimony further qualified by error rates and likelihood ratios, for expert testimony concerning two forensic disciplines: commonly used fingerprint comparison evidence and a novel technique involving voice comparison. Our method involved surveying mock jurors in Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 897 laypeople) using written testimony and judicial instructions. Participants were more skeptical of voice analysis and generated fewer "guilty" decisions than for fingerprint analysis (B = 2.00, OR = 7.06, p = <0.000). We found that error rate information most strongly decreased "guilty" votes relative to no qualifying information for participants who heard fingerprint evidence (but not those that heard voice analysis evidence; B = -1.16, OR = 0.32, p = 0.007). We also found that error rates and conclusion types led to a greater decrease on "guilty" votes for fingerprint evidence than voice evidence (B = 1.44, OR = 4.23, p = 0.021). We conclude that these results suggest jurors adjust the weight placed on forensic evidence depending on their prior views about its reliability. Future research should develop testimony and judicial instructions that can better inform jurors of the strengths and limitations of forensic evidence.
Countervailing Risk Management Through Knowledge Transfer

This investigation seeks to understand the relationship between the identification and handling of countervailing risks that arise during value stream analysis projects and knowledge obtained from ...
Experimental diffuse brain injury and a model of Alzheimer's disease exhibit disease-specific changes in sleep and incongruous peripheral inflammation.

Elderly populations (≥65 years old) have the highest risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and/or obtaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Using translational mouse models, we investigated sleep disturbances and inflammation associated with normal aging, TBI and aging, and AD. We hypothesized that aging results in marked changes in sleep compared with adult mice, and that TBI and aging would result in sleep and inflammation levels similar to AD mice. We used female 16-month-old wild-type (WT Aged) and 3xTg-AD mice, as well as a 2-month-old reference group (WT Adult), to evaluate sleep changes. WT Aged mice received diffuse TBI by midline fluid percussion, and blood was collected from both WT Aged (pre- and post-TBI) and 3xTg-AD mice to evaluate inflammation. Cognitive behavior was tested, and tissue was collected for histology. Bayesian generalized additive and mixed-effects models were used for analyses. Both normal aging and AD led to increases in sleep compared with adult mice. WT Aged mice with TBI slept substantially more, with fragmented shorter bouts, than they did pre-TBI and compared with AD mice. However, differences between WT Aged and 3xTg-AD mice in immune cell populations and plasma cytokine levels were incongruous, cognitive deficits were similar, and cumulative sleep was not predictive of inflammation or behavior for either group. Our results suggest that in similarly aged individuals, TBI immediately induces more profound sleep alterations than in AD, although both diseases likely include cognitive impairments. Unique pathological sleep pathways may exist in elderly individuals who incur TBI compared with similarly aged individuals who have AD, which may warrant disease-specific treatments in clinical settings.
Microscopic mechanism of unusual lattice thermal transport in TlInTe2

We investigate the microscopic mechanism of ultralow lattice thermal conductivity (κl) of TlInTe2 and its weak temperature dependence using a unified theory of lattice heat transport, that considers contributions arising from the particle-like propagation as well as wave-like tunneling of phonons. While we use the Peierls–Boltzmann transport equation (PBTE) to calculate the particle-like contributions (κl(PBTE)), we explicitly calculate the off-diagonal (OD) components of the heat-flux operator within a first-principles density functional theory framework to determine the contributions (κl(OD)) arising from the wave-like tunneling of phonons. At each temperature, T, we anharmonically renormalize the phonon frequencies using the self-consistent phonon theory including quartic anharmonicity, and utilize them to calculate κl(PBTE) and κl(OD). With the combined inclusion of κl(PBTE), κl(OD), and additional grain-boundary scatterings, our calculations successfully reproduce the experimental results. Our analysis shows that large quartic anharmonicity of TlInTe2 (a) strongly hardens the low-energy phonon branches, (b) diminishes the three-phonon scattering processes at finite T, and (c) recovers the weaker than T−1 decay of the measured κl.
Cross sections and isomer ratios in the Rb(n, $$\gamma $$ γ ) and Sr(n, $$\gamma $$ γ ) reactions

The neutron radiative capture cross sections have been measured for the stable isotopes of Rb (mass numbers 85, 87) and Sr (mass numbers 84, 86, 88) using the activation technique, by observing the $$\gamma $$ rays emitted in the decays of the radionuclides produced in neutron irradiation. Values are reported for both the thermal cross sections and the resonance integrals. Internal consistency of the deduced values has been obtained where possible by measuring several radioisotopes from the same sample as well as by irradiating at several different reactor sites that have different mixtures of thermal and epithermal neutrons. Experimental values of the thermal cross sections are compared with values calculated from the known resonances. Isomer ratios are deduced and compared with values calculated from a phenomenological model. Also reported are spectroscopic studies of Rb and Sr radionuclides leading to improved values for the energy of $$\gamma $$ rays emitted in the decays of $$^{{86}}\hbox {Rb}$$ , $$^{{{85g}}} \hbox {Sr}$$ , and $$^{\mathrm {89}}\hbox {Sr}$$ . The half-life of $$^{{{87m}}}\hbox {Sr}$$ has been remeasured in order to resolve the conflict between two precise but discrepant values reported in the literature.
Description of Parents Knowledge About Smooth Fine Motor Ability in Pos Paud Mawar Merah, Kedaung, Sawangan, Depok

One aspect of development that is very important in the early childhood phase is physical and motor development. This aspect of development includes aspects that are very easy to do stimulation. Stimulation is an activity to stimulate a child's basic abilities, this activity can be done by parents by inviting children to play together based on love and affection. Children have a characteristic that is growing and developing and each child will go through the process of growth and development according to the stage of age. The development that occurs will certainly cause changes in children. Parents are one of the factors that play an important role in optimizing children's growth and development by doing stimulation. Lack of stimulation can cause deviation of growth and development of children and even a persistent disorder. One cause of child development problems is due to lack of parental knowledge about how to provide stimulation. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of mothers in performing fine motor stimulation in children in Pos PAUD Mawar Merah, Kedaung, Sawangan, Depok. The design of this study is a qualitative research with a descriptive analysis approach. Data was collected by giving questionnaires to 20 respondents from parents of students. The results showed that parents are the party most responsible for the development of fine motor children, as evidenced by the 52% answer that plays a role as parents. As many as 76% of parents also know that children's fine motor stimulation is most appropriate from birth until the age of 3 years and beyond. It can be concluded that parents at Pos PAUD Mawar Merah Kedaung, Sawangan, Depok have known about the fine motor development of children and understand ways to stimulate it.
U.S. Multinational Corporations’ Initial Income-Shifting Response to the TCJA

We find U.S. multinational corporations (MNCs) responded to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 by increasing income shifted to foreign sources in the first two years following the effective date. Financially constrained MNCs increased income shifting more, while higher operational uncertainty MNCs increased income shifting less than other MNCs. Moreover, MNCs likely to be subject to the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT) increased income shifting less than other MNCs, while firms having a global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI) inclusion are not discouraged from shifting income. MNCs that increase income shifting the most disclose less information about their GILTI liabilities. Our findings suggest that the GILTI provisions are not effective in curbing income shifting to foreign jurisdictions and that proposals such as the Global Minimum Tax are also unlikely to be effective if the rate is lower than the home country corporate income tax rate.
Fast Streaking Artifact Reduction in CT Using Constrained Optimization in Metal Masks

Here we accelerate computations that reduce CT metal artifacts by observing that metal projects to only a fraction of the X-ray detectors in each projection, and thus computations should focus on these metal “mask” regions. We propose that the penalized maximum likelihood optimization method for artifact reduction needs to be solved only within the metal mask, using the remaining non-mask regions as a constraint; we show that our approach leads to a 10x speedup.
Bankruptcy as a Legal Process

In this paper we empirically assess bankruptcy as a legal process. We examine a comprehensive reform to corporate bankruptcy law in Mexico, which streamlined the legal process and limits on litigation. Then we outline the ways in which bankruptcy law design affect a series of outcome variables. Using a hand-coded data set from court dockets, we measure procedural speed, recovery rates of creditors' claims, and violations to the absolute priority rule (APR); we also track and compare litigation throughout the bankruptcy process. Our investigation of the reform finds: (1) a decrease in the average time spent in bankruptcy from 7.8 to 2.3 years; (2) an increase in average recovery rates from 19 to 32 cents on the dollar; and (3) a decrease in the frequency of APR violations from 29 to 2 percent. Structural and administrative changes explain about 50 percent of the improvement in our outcomes variables, while changes in the regulation of the process, particularly on the ability to litigate, explain the remaining portion. More precisely, strategic litigation is strongly associated with lower recovery rates and longer procedural times. The results are not driven by censoring bias and are robust to time, firm, and court-specific considerations. Our findings suggest bankruptcy law reform should be focused on simplifying the legal process, introducing statutory timelines, and restricting litigation.
Comparison of CHAMP and Digisonde plasma frequencies at Jicamarca, Peru

[1] Ionospheric plasma frequencies at the altitude of the CHAMP satellite have been deduced from ionosonde true-height profiles for Jicamarca, Peru, and have been compared with the in situ measurements made by CHAMP. The differences between the plasma frequencies have been found to be well within the uncertainties associated with the ionosonde profiles, confirming the validity of the CHAMP measurements. For satellite-ionosonde separations of less than 250 km and for satellite altitudes below the peak of the F2 layer, the average discrepancy between the two plasma frequencies is 0.25 MHz or 4%. For the most reliable ionosonde measurements, the average discrepancies reduce to 0.18 MHz (or 1.7%), with a standard deviation of 0.16 MHz (or 1.5%). Given the validity of the CHAMP plasma frequencies, corresponding ionosonde and CHAMP observations have been used to support the practice of extending the ionosonde profile above hmF2 by assuming a Chapman layer with a constant scale height equal to that of the lower side of the F2 layer peak. The average discrepancy for CHAMP passing above the peak of the F2 layer is 0.22 MHz (or 2.6%), and the standard deviation is 0.8 MHz (or 13.3%).
Flavonoid intakes by adults in the United States: What We Eat in America, NHANES 2007-2008 (245.5)

Flavonoids, polyphenolic compounds found in plants, exhibit anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant activity. This study’s objective was to calculate national intake estimates for 6 flavonoi...
Novel ruthenium cyanide complex for optical sensing

The spectroscopic properties of transition metal complexes make them good candidates for optical sensors. We have developed a coordination complex of ruthenium (II) that changes its visible spectra as a function of local environment. The coordinating ligands to the ruthenium (II) center are cyanide and dipyridophenazine; the cyanides impart solvatochromic behavior, while the coordinated dipyridophenazine functions as a `luminescent light switch' for nonaqeous local environments. The complex was synthesized according to a photochemical protocol, purified by high pressure liquid chromatography, and characterized spectroscopically and by mass spectrometry.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Shigellosis complicating preterm premature rupture of membranes resulting in congenital infection and preterm delivery.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The association of chorioamnionitis with preterm birth is well established. Intra-amniotic infection complicates 13–60% of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PROM) with enteric gram-negative pathogens accounting for 20–40% of recoverable organisms. However, the source of enteric pathogens leading to premature birth has been poorly characterized. CASE: A 36-year-old multiparous woman presented at 25 6 7 weeks with preterm PROM. She reported a 5-day history of bloody, mucous diarrhea. A fourth cesarean delivery was performed secondary to the onset of labor. Fetal blood, placental membrane, and vaginal pool cultures revealed the presence of Shigella sonnei. With appropriate antibiotic therapy, the patient was discharged home on postoperative day 5. Neonatal stool cultures revealed evidence of in utero fetal transmission. CONCLUSION: It is prudent to treat pregnant patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of shigellosis because this pathogen can result in preterm PROM and preterm delivery. Neonatal testing is indicated if maternal disease is suspected before delivery.
On understanding the relationship between structure in the potential surface and observables in classical dynamics: A functional sensitivity analysis approach

The relationship between structure in the potential surface and classical mechanical observables is examined by means of functional sensitivity analysis. Functional sensitivities provide maps of the potential surface, highlighting those regions that play the greatest role in determining the behavior of observables. A set of differential equations for the sensitivities of the trajectory components are derived. These are then solved using a Green’s function method. It is found that the sensitivities become singular at the trajectory turning points with the singularities going as η−3/2, with η being the distance from the nearest turning point. The sensitivities are zero outside of the energetically and dynamically allowed region of phase space. A second set of equations is derived from which the sensitivities of observables can be directly calculated. An adjoint Green’s function technique is employed, providing an efficient method for numerically calculating these quantities. Sensitivity maps are presented f...
The fiscal effect of community composition on public services and welfare

Abstract I consider the changes in the public service level and in the utility of wealthy families when a community of wealthy families expands to include more poor families. Public expenditure is financed by a property tax and set by majority voting. Because adjustments in housing are sluggish, families vote treating house sizes as fixed, and utility is not maximized. The model structure suggests that the signs of the changes are a priori ambiguous—in particular, the fiscal deterioration may cause the public service level to rise and the utility of the wealthy resident to be increased. The changes are estimated in a model with typical parameter estimates.
Perioperative use of the Thrombelastograph in patients with inherited bleeding disorders.

Abstract There are few reports of the use of Thrombelastgraph® (TEG TM ) in patients with isolated or inherited bleeding disorders. Three surgical patients are presented with von Willebrand's disease, factor XII deficiency, and hemophilia A with dysfibrinogenemia in which the abnormalities detected by the TEG were similar to the expected coagulation abnormalities based on preoperative laboratory studies. This initial report suggests that this potential application of the TEG be further investigated.
Mechanisms of Disease: genetic and epigenetic alterations that drive bladder cancer

There is substantial evidence for the existence of mutually exclusive molecular pathways to tumorigenesis, in the formation of papillary and invasive carcinomas, respectively. The most common genetic alterations in low grade papillary transitional-cell carcinoma (TCC) are loss of heterozygosity of part or all of chromosome 9 and activating mutations of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). The pathway to development of invasive TCC seems to start with dysplasia, progress to carcinoma in situ, followed by invasion of the lamina propria. The most frequent genetic alteration in dysplasia and carcinoma in situ is mutation of TP53, followed by loss of heterozygosity of chromosome 9. A marker for progression in TCC is loss of chromosome 8p, which occurs in approximately 60% of bladder tumors. Global trends of increased genomic instability and aberrant methylation of cytosine residues in DNA correlate with increased tumor invasion and progression. When researching markers of bladder cancer for clinical use, it is important that biomedical pathways and their alterations are measured in the same tumor populations. This review examines the published data and proposes a model for the mechanisms behind bladder cancer development.
The Generalized Adjoint Network and Network Sensitivities

It has been established that the adjoint network and network sensitivities play important roles in automated network design algorithms. The present paper derives a related adjoint network representation and sensitivity coefficients for networks containing a very broad class of elements: those that admit a parametric representation. A brief discussion is given as to how these results may be exploited in a general automated network design scheme.
Educational and Personal Dimensions of Learning- and Grade-Oriented Students

Two studies exploring educational and personal differences between learning- and grade-oriented students are reported. Learning-oriented students were more emotionally stable, trusting, imaginative, forthright, placid, self-sufficient, and relaxed than their grade-oriented counterparts. Learning-oriented students also had better study habits, less debilitating test anxiety, and reported higher collaborative and participative learning styles. Implications of these findings were drawn for educational and research practices in higher education.
Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance.

Previous research has found that listener evaluations of ensemble performances vary depending on the expressivity of the conductor’s gestures, even when performances are otherwise identical. It was the purpose of the present study to test whether this effect of visual information was evident in the evaluation of specific aspects of ensemble performance, articulation and dynamics. We constructed a set of 32 music performances that combined auditory and visual information and were designed to feature a high degree of contrast along one of two target characteristics: articulation and dynamics. We paired each of four music excerpts recorded by a chamber ensemble in both a high- and low-contrast condition with video of four conductors demonstrating high- and low-contrast gesture specifically appropriate to either articulation or dynamics. Using one of two equivalent test forms, college music majors and nonmajors (N = 285) viewed sixteen 30-second performances and evaluated the quality of the ensemble’s articulation, dynamics, technique and tempo along with overall expressivity. Results showed significantly higher evaluations for performances featuring high rather than low conducting expressivity regardless of the ensemble’s performance quality. Evaluations for both articulation and dynamics were strongly and positively correlated with evaluations of overall ensemble expressivity.
Clinical value of NGAL, L-FABP and albuminuria in predicting GFR decline in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients.

Objectives Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and liver-type fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) are emerging as excellent biomarkers in the urine and plasma for the early prediction of acute and chronic kidney injury. The aims of this prospective study were to determine the role of albuminuria, and that of serum and urine levels of NGAL and L-FABP as predictors of a decline in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods A longitudinal cohort study with one hundred forty type 2 diabetic patients was conducted. Serum and urine levels of NGAL and L-FABP, and the urine albumin excretion rate were determined. The correlation between the kidney injury biomarkers and rate of GFR decline was analyzed. Results The eGFR of study subjects decreased significantly as the study progressed (86.4±31.1 vs. 74.4±27.3 ml/min/1.73 m2, P<0.001), and the urine albumin excretion rate increased significantly (264.9±1060.3 vs. 557.7±2092.5 mg/day, P = 0.009). The baseline urine albumin excretion rate and serum L-FABP level were significantly correlated with baseline eGFR (P<0.05). The results of regression analysis for the correlations between the rate of eGFR change and the baseline levels of NGAL and L-FABP, and the urine albumin excretion rate showed that only the urine albumin excretion rate was significantly correlated with the rate of eGFR change (standardized coefficients: −0.378; t: −4.298; P<0.001). Conclusions Tubular markers, such as NGAL and L-FABP, may not be predictive factors associated with GFR decline in type 2 diabetic patients.
Adiabatic regularization of the energy momentum tensor of a quantized field in homogeneous spaces

In the theory of a quantized scalar field interacting with the classical Einstein gravitational field, the formal expression for the energy-momentum tensor has infinite expectation values. We propose a procedure for defining, in certain cosmological models, suitable finite expectation values of this tensor, when the mass of the scalar matter field does not vanish. Our method uses the decomposition of the scalar field into modes permitted by the symmetry of the models. The identification of the divergent terms, which are to be subtracted mode by mode from the formal tensor, follows in a natural manner from the identification of physically relevant creation and annihilation operators under conditions of arbitrarily slow (adiabatic) time dependence of the metric. The extension of the results to periods of strong time dependence is accomplished with the aid of the requirement that the four-divergence of the regularized energy-momentum tensor remain zero at all times. The energy-momentum tensor obtained by adiabatic regularization is the same as that obtained by the $n$-wave regularization procedure of Zel'dovich and Starobinsky, although the two methods are conceptually quite different. In this paper we apply the adiabatic-regularization method to the minimally coupled scalar field with positive mass in the Robertson-Walker universes. Later papers will concern extensions to conformal coupling, anisotropic metrics, and massless fields, as well as a possible physical interpretation of the regularization procedure in terms of renormalization of coupling constants in Einstein's equation.
Overview of nucleic acid analysis programs.

Abstract We outline the mathematical distinctions among seven of the most popular computer programs currently used to analyze the spatial arrangements of bases and base pairs in nucleic acid helical structures. The schemes fall into three basic categories on the basis of their definitions of rotational parameters: matrix-based, projection-based, and combined matrix- and projection-based. The approaches also define and construct base and base-pair coordinate frames in a variety of ways. Despite these mathematical distinctions, the computed parameters from some programs are strongly correlated and directly comparable. By contrast, other programs which use identical methodologies sometimes yield very different results. The choice of reference frame rather than the mathematical formulation has the greater effect on calculated parameters. Any factor which influences the reference frame, such as fitting or not fitting standard bases to the experimentally derived coordinates, will have a noticeable effect on bot...
Effect of disc moistening method on Bacillus stearothermophilus disc assay zone diameters.

Abstract Effect of disc moistening method on the Bacillus stearothermophilus disc assay zone size was studied. Pasteurized homogenized milk was subdivided and three levels of US Pharmacopeial reference standard penicillin G were added. Disc assay filter paper discs were moistened using the standard capillary action procedure and a method incorporating the use of a 90-μl micropipetter. Amount of milk sample absorbed by discs prepared by the capillary action method was correlated with disc mass. Variation in amount of milk absorbed by discs was significantly greater when discs were prepared by capillary action. Zone diameter means and standard errors across all penicillin G concentrations tested were not significantly different for the two methods. The 90-μl micropipetter method is recommended as an alternative to the capillary action method.
Abstract 3320: Functional RANK expression is observed in disaggregated primary human lung tumors

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The receptor activator of nuclear factor-κβ (RANK) and its ligand RANKL play a key role in the regulation of bone remodeling. RANK pathway activation has also been implicated in various aspects of lung tumor biology. In mouse models of NSCLC bone metastasis, RANKL inhibition led to decreased skeletal tumor progression and increased survival. By IHC, RANK expression has been reported to occur in approximately 60-70% of NSCLC cases profiled. Expression and function have been observed using human lung cancer cell line models. However, there is a lack of understanding with respect to the role RANK signaling plays in primary human lung tumor cells. To better understand RANK biology in lung cancer a novel platform was employed to measure RANK expression and pathway response to RANKL stimulation in freshly resected human lung tumors. RANK expression and function were investigated in viable, non-apoptotic disaggregated primary NSCLC samples by flow cytometry using previously described methodology. Cell surface RANK expression was evaluated using a monoclonal antibody (N2B10, Amgen). Evidence of receptor function was investigated by analysis of relevant intracellular signaling pathways using phospho-specific antibodies following ex vivo RANKL stimulation (2.5 pM - 5 µg/mL, 30 minutes). A cocktail of EGF, HGF and IGF1 was also employed as a positive control for functional pathway activation. Molecular profiling of somatic mutations is ongoing to further elucidate the molecular characteristics of tumors that have functional RANK signaling. Table 1 summarizes RANK expression and RANKL response profiles. This study demonstrates that RANK is expressed and functional in a subset of primary human lung tumors. Data presented here confirms RANK expression on tumor cells of NSCLC and suggests that RANK pathway utilization is restricted to the sub-set of tumors that express detectable RANK. View this table: Table 1 Citation Format: John M. Rossi, Yang Pan, William C. Dougall, Daniel Branstetter, Allison Jacob, Jude Canon, Robert D. Loberg. Functional RANK expression is observed in disaggregated primary human lung tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3320. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3320
Clinical pharmacist intervention in reviewing prescriptions of drugs administered by an enteral feeding tube in adult and pediatric intensive care units

Administration of drugs by an enteral feeding tube is a common practice in critically ill patients, since it provides an easy access for those unable to swallow. By monitoring the administration of drugs by an enteral feeding tube in the adult and pediatric ICUs, we have found several factors that could lead to an unsuccessful practice. Since most patients are given continuous enteral feeding, problems such as drug – nutrient interactions, tube obstruction, changes in drug bio-availability, and biological risk for the nursing team may occur. In a survey conducted from April to June 2006 in the ICU, 83 pharmacist interventions relating to problems with drugs administered by feeding tube were found. Of these 83 interventions, 23 were associated with absorption problems, 44 with obstruction problems, 15 with drug – nutrient interactions, and one with a biological risk for the nursing team.
Brain norepinephrine depleting lesions selectively enhance behavioral responsiveness to novelty

Abstract The noradrenergic innervation of the forebrain by cells from the locus coeruleus (LC) was interrupted by either electrolytic lesions of the LC or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the dorsal noradrenergic bundle (DB). Animals so treated were then tested in a modified open field test designed to measure responsiveness to environmental novelty and also tested for food consumption in their home cages. In addition, DB lesioned animals were tested in photocell activity cages for both their initial locomotor response to the novel cages as well as their activity level after habituation. The DB lesioned animals were also tested for rates of acquisition and extinction of an operant response. The DB lesion produced no deficits in either the acquisition or the extinction of a food rewarded operant response. The DB lesion did reduce the initial amount of locomotor activity in response to introduction to the activity cages but did not alter the rate of habituation of the locomotor response nor the “basal” level of activity at the end of two hr of exposure. Neither lesion affected the amount of food eaten by 24 hr-fasted animals in their home cages during the first 15 min. When fasted prior to being given access to food in a novel open field, however, both lesions resulted in decreased food consumption and decreased amounts eaten per approach to the food pedestal. The DB lesion, but not the LC lesion, resulted in decreased rearing and grooming in this setting. These data are consistent with previous reports of NE depletion producing enhanced responsiveness to novelty and suggests that this effect results from destruction of the locus coeruleus forebrain system. As there was no change in direct measures of extinction of an operant response or the habituation of a locomotor response to novelty, these results suggest that the observed enhanced response to novelty was not due to a resistance to extinction to the novel elements in the environment or a decreased rate of habituation to those elements per se , but may be more related to the stressful nature of the situation.
Survey of parallel architectures used for three image processing algorithms

This paper examines several parallel image processing architectures designed for convolution filtering and solving least-square problems. Six papers on convolution are examined three describe linear systolic array designs and three describe special-purpose implementations. Four papers on median filter are examined. The algorithms used are all slightly different but the architectures are very different. Finally arrays that solve the least-squares problem using the QR decomposition method are examined. The criteria used to analyze the architectures are the intended environment the characteristics of the algorithms and the requirements of the host the cell and the array. 1.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Molecular strategies to read and write at the nanoscale with far-field optics

Diffraction prevents the focusing of ultraviolet and visible radiations within nanoscaled volumes and, as a result, the imaging and patterning of nanostructures with conventional far-field illumination. Specifically, the irradiation of a fluorescent or photosensitive material with focused light results in the simultaneous excitation of multiple chromophores distributed over a large area, relative to the dimensions of single molecules. It follows that the spatial control of fluorescence and photochemical reactions with molecular precision is impossible with conventional illumination configurations. However, the photochemical and photophysical properties of organic chromophores can be engineered to overcome diffraction in combination with patterned or reiterative illumination. These ingenious strategies offer the opportunity to confine excited chromophores within nanoscaled volumes and, therefore, restrict fluorescence or photochemical reactions within subdiffraction areas. Indeed, information can be “read” in the form of fluorescence and “written” in the form of photochemical products with resolution down to the nanometre level on the basis of these innovative approaches. In fact, these promising far-field optical methods permit the convenient imaging of biological samples and fabrication of miniaturized objects with unprecedented resolution and can have long-term and profound implications in biomedical research and information technology.
SU‐FF‐J‐106: FMISO‐PET Hypoxia Imaging: A Novel Method to Plan IMRT‐Based Boost Radiation to Hypoxic Subvolumes

Purpose: To investigate the use of [F‐18] fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) PET and intensity modulated radiation treatment(IMRT) planning to escalate the dose to hypoxic subvolumes in patients with advanced head and neck tumors.Method and Materials: Seventy‐three patients with head and neck cancer underwent FMISO‐PET scans, with fifty‐three of them also undergoing FDG‐PET scans as part of ongoing research studies. An initial treatment plan used a PTV defined with a 0.5‐cm margin around physician‐defined primary GTVs and affected nodal systems. The prescription dose is 70 Gy to the PTV and 50 Gy to the affected nodes, while sparing the spinal cord, mandible, and parotid glands. Physician‐defined regions of enhanced FMISO signal were used to define boost volumes on coregistered FMISO‐PET/CT images. The boost plan prescription dose to the hypoxic subvolumes is an additional 10 Gy. Results: Initial results from example treatment plans for two head and neck cancer patients are as follows (average over patients): to the PTV V100 = 87.2%, Dmin = 6081 cGy, D10 = 7303 cGy and to the nodal system V100 = 95.9%, Dmin = 4764 cGy, D10 = 5280 cGy. The IMRT boost plan yields V100 = 95.1%, Dmin = 979 cGy, D10 = 1012 cGy to the hypoxic PTV. The critical structures of interest received the following dose distributions from the composite IMRT plans: cord D1 = 3890 cGy, left (contralateral) parotid gland D1 = 1965 cGy, right parotid gland D1 = 4907 cGy (same side as primary tumor), and mandible D5 = 6220 cGy. Conclusion: We demonstrate the feasibility of directing dose‐escalatedIMRT to hypoxic subvolumes in head and neck cancer using coregistered FMISO‐PET and CTimages. Ongoing research and patient studies are expected to provide conclusive information on the clinical role of this procedure.
The Formal and Informal Worlds of State and Civil Society: What Do They Offer to the Urban Poor?

In recent years, a positive developmental role has been increasingly expected of civil society organizations. Focusing on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and grass-roots organizations (GROs), the extent to which these organizations exist, adopt pro-poor strategies and have a positive influence in governmental processes in nine cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America is analysed. The findings demonstrate that a number of issues identified from the wider literature about the internal governance arrangements of NGOs and GROs, their commitment and ability to represent and address the needs of the poor, and their relationships with wider political and administrative processes are also a matter for concern at city level. While there are some successful development NGOs, many only operate on a small scale and many do not empower poor people and their organizations. Formal interactions between government and civil society organizations are apparently becoming more common, but informal exchanges between GRO...
Risk Factors Associated With Reoperation and Mortality in 252 Patients After Aortic Valve Replacement for Congenitally Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease

Background We aimed to determine the risk factors associated with mortality in patients with congenitally bicuspid aortic valve disease and dilation ( Methods We reviewed 252 patients with bicuspid aortic valve undergoing aortic valve replacement at our institution from 1971 through 2000. Patients undergoing concomitant replacement of the ascending aorta were excluded. Results The average patient age was 61 ± 15 years; 66.3% were male, and 40.5% of patients had coronary artery disease. The ascending aorta was normal ( p = 0.006). Mean follow-up was 8.9 ± 6.3 years. Long-term survival was significantly different across the three groups ( p = 0.004). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year estimates were 78%, 59%, and 37%, respectively, in the normal aorta group; 88%, 77%, and 46%, respectively, in the mild aortic dilation group; and 92%, 83%, and 70%, respectively, in the moderate aortic dilation group. No significant difference in cardiac death was found among the groups ( p = 0.08). The significant predictors of survival using the Cox regression model were coronary artery disease, age, decade of surgery, and ejection fraction. Aortic dilation was not significant after adjusting for these other variables. At follow-up, 18 patients required reoperation, 17 for aortic valve prosthesis failure and 1 for ascending aorta aneurysm. Conclusions The present study highlights the important adverse effect of concomitant coronary artery disease, advanced age, earlier decade of surgery, and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction on survival after aortic valve replacement for bicuspid aortic valve in patients with no or mild and moderate (
AI-23PERIOSTIN REGULATES TUMOR RESISTANCE TO ANTIANGIOGENIC THERAPY THROUGH EMT AND ANGIOGENESIS-RELATED MECHANISMS IN GLIOMA STEM CELL MODELS

Periostin (osteoblast-specific factor 2, POSTN) is able to interact with multiple integrins to coordinate a variety of cellular processes, including cell proliferation, EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) and cell migration. Recent studies revealed that periostin plays an important role in tumor development and is up-regulated in a wide variety of tumors. In the present study, we investigated the role of periostin and its receptor in tumor invasion and resistance to antiangiogenic therapy in a panel of glioma stem cell lines. The expression status of periostin was analyzed by western blot. Periostin expression in vitro was elevated in multiple GSCs including several lines of the mesenchymal subclass. All GSCs expressed the periostin receptor integrin-beta1 but only 2 of 10 lines (20%) expressed the integrin-beta3 receptor (GSC11 and GSC17). Stable knockdown of periostin expression using specific shRNA abrogated expression of multiple EMT (CAMK2N1, COL1A2, KRT14, COL3A1 and MMP-9) and angiogenesis-related (ANGPTL4, VEGFA, CXCL5, HPSE and EFNA3) genes compared to controls. Consistent with these results, expression of HIF-1 alpha and phosphorylation of STAT3 were decreased following knockdown of periostin. However, cell cycle related genes (CyclinD1 and CyclinD2) were unaffected. Moreover, recombinant periostin increased VEGF expression and glioma cell invasion in vitro. We demonstrated in previous studies that bevacizumab (Avastin, Roche/Genentech) increased glioblastoma invasion in vivo and acquired resistance to bevacizumab was associated with an increase in periostin levels in vivo. Bevacizumab and periostin shRNA-treated animals were evaluated for expression of the stem cell marker nestin. The number of nestin-positive cells decreased in shRNA-periostin NSC11 tumors alone and following bevacizumab treatment compared to controls. Detailed mechanisms of periostin-related resistance are being elucidated. Collectively, our data suggests that periostin appears to play an important role in glioma invasion, resistance to antiangiogenic therapy and may regulate mesenchymal differentiation.