cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sleep Disturbance, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia: A Review.

Approximately half of older people report sleep disturbances, which are associated with various health conditions, including neurodegenerative disease and dementia. Indeed, 60 to 70% of people with cognitive impairment or dementia have sleep disturbances, which are linked to poorer disease prognosis. Sleep disturbances in people with dementia have long been recognized and studied; however, in the past 10 years, researchers have begun to study disturbed sleep, including sleep fragmentation, abnormal sleep duration, and sleep disorders, as risk factors for dementia. In this review the authors summarize evidence linking sleep disturbance and dementia. They describe how specific aspects of sleep (e.g., quality, duration) and the prevalence of clinical sleep disorders (e.g., sleep-disordered breathing, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder) change with age; how sleep parameters and sleep disorders are associated with the risk of dementia; how sleep can be disturbed in dementia; and how disturbed sleep affects dementia prognosis. These findings highlight the potential importance of identifying and treating sleep problems and disorders in middle-aged and older adults as a strategy to prevent cognitive decline and dementia. The authors also review recent evidence linking sleep disturbances to the pathophysiology underlying dementing conditions, and briefly summarize available treatments for sleep disorders in people with dementia.
Language, Space, and Social Relationships: Radiality and the Tongan kinship terminology

Introduction Tongan social events such as first birthday, marriage, and funerals are deeply intertwined with one's world of kin. The persons central to these events are kin of various kinds and the events serve to define and redefine core kin relations and relations between kin such as the fahu relationship. This chapter begins with the ethnographic account of a first birthday in Tonga. The events of that day highlight the interplay between the formal properties of kinship expressed through a kinship terminology and how the meaning of those kin relations are played out and reconstructed in the context of a family celebrating the first birthday of a daughter. The ethnographic account provides us with the activities of that day and the centrality of kin relations in those events, but it does not inform us of the conceptual system that the participants bring with them as culture bearers to this event. Rather, it is a slice in time of an ongoing, dynamic process linking behavior with a conceptual system for kin relations and a conceptual system for kin relations with behavior. The events of the day are a co-production of the dynamic and the static; of kinship as it is lived and kinship as it is conceptualized. To understand this interplay we need not only the ethnographic account but also an account of the underlying conceptual system that is being activated during this event.
Evaluation of a Substitute Structure Method to Estimate Seismic Displacement Demand in Piers and Wharves

This paper compares seismic displacement from the MOTEMS and the ASCE/COPRI 61-14 substitute structure method (SSM) with results from the nonlinear response history analysis (NLRHA). It is found th...
Specialization in Adaptive Immunity

Abstract Adaptive immunity evolved to deal with the cornucopia of pathogenic microbes that are present in the environment. Randomization of immune receptors and division of labor among highly specialized immune cell subsets were both key steps in the development of an immune system that could distinguish each unique microbial threat in a sea of potential threats. B cells recognize microbial pathogens through a randomly rearranged antigen receptor and begin to produce soluble antibodies that may affect the removal of microbes from the host. B cells can differentiate into long-lived cells that continuously produce antibodies that protect the host from future microbial threats and are capable of tailoring their activity to a specific threat by modifying the type or quality of antibody they produce. In a similar manner, specialized subsets of T cells developed that could seek out and destroy intracellular pathogens that were hidden from antibodies, while yet other subsets of helper cells produce specific cytokines to modulate the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of the host. This specialization permits the immune system to stock a limited number of sentinel cells that can sense infection and differentiate into a variety of distinct cell lineages individually suited to perform the necessary antimicrobial tasks.
A Framework for Evaluating a Minor's Involvement in Medical Decision Making.

Olszewski and Goldkind's (2018) article on pediatric decision making in the clinical care setting is articulate and well written. The authors understand the challenges in ensuring that pediatric pa...
Strategic Partnerships: Thinking Outside the Administrative Box

This study examines the strategic partnership and bottom-up style of management used by Wake Technical Community College (WTCC) in Raleigh, North Carolina. WTCC uses a strategic partnership initiat...
Confucian Methodology and Understanding the Human Person

Chinese Philosophy may be characterized as concretely rationalistic, organically naturalistic, intrinsically humanistic and morality-oriented pragmatistic.1 Although these features characterize Chinese philosophy in general, they characterize the Confucian philosophy in specific particularity par excellence. With a strong emphasis on the holistic integrity and unity of the human person and with a concentration on the human person as a vehicle for fulfilling the ultimate value in the world, the Confucian philosophy is unquestionably intrinsically humanistic and is staunchly opposed to a bifurcation of human existence by either contrasting and confronting it with an external divinity to be submitted to, or doing so with an external material world to be controlled and exploited. The Confucian philosophy is no doubt concretely rationalistic, specifically because of its dedication to the human use of human reason for solving human problems and for formulating criteria for the solution of human problems in concrete reference to an understanding of human potentiality and perfectibility.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN STATISTICS

Publisher Summary When existing graduate programs in statistics are being modified or when new programs are being created, universities need to give close attention to the nature of statisticians' work. Statisticians are students of the scientific method, and they are most valuable to employers when they are equipped with skills that permit them to function effectively as consultants on the scientific method. Each university statistics department hammer out a written list of objectives for each degree awarded. These objectives can then serve as the basis of discussion concerning the precise content of the programs to be offered. This chapter presents a proposition for shaping a graduate program in statistics that the content of a program will flow naturally from a carefully prepared list of objectives that describes what students should be capable of doing upon graduation. The objectives, which should be re-evaluated from time to time, can then serve as the basis of discussion concerning the precise content of the programs to be offered.
The Place of Psychology in a Vacuum of Theories

Eysenck’s paper perceptively directs us to several of the most crucial issues in the assessment and improvement of contemporary psychological theory. In this comment I employ his lucid exposition of these issues to explain why a very old science, like psychology, has not become a more advanced one, like physics.
Integration of sample preparation and analysis into an optofluidic chip for multi-target disease detection

Detection of molecular biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity from biological samples requires both sophisticated sample preparation and subsequent analysis. These tasks are often carried out on separate platforms which increases required sample volumes and the risk of errors, sample loss, and contamination. Here, we present an optofluidic platform which combines an optical detection section with single nucleic acid strand sensitivity, and a sample processing unit capable of on-chip, specific extraction and labeling of nucleic acid and protein targets in complex biological matrices. First, on-chip labeling and detection of individual lambda DNA molecules down to concentrations of 8 fM is demonstrated. Subsequently, we demonstrate the simultaneous capture, fluorescence tagging and detection of both Zika specific nucleic acid and NS-1 protein targets in both buffer and human serum. We show that the dual DNA and protein assay allows for successful differentiation and diagnosis of Zika against cross-reacting species like dengue.
Intellectual Asset Management

The chapter deals with the key role in media and digital organizations played by companies: how they create, protect, and manage intellectual assets. Different assets are discussed: trade secrets, contract-created rights, patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We learn how to get a patent, the frontiers of patents, and how to deal with patent infringements. For copyrights, issues covered are what can be copyrighted, international copyright protections, and “fair use.” The next section deals with the commercialization of intellectual assets: how to value intellectual assets and how to license them. The final section deals with the challenges of piracy; and the various protection strategies of law, technology, and business responses. Reform proposals and new approaches such as open-source are discussed. Throughout the chapter, the case discussion tracks General Electric’s intellectual assets, and how much of General Electric’s value and profits are based on them.
The sensitivity of reported effects of EMF on childhood leukemia to uncontrolled confounding by residential mobility: a hybrid simulation study and an empirical analysis using CAPS data

Residential mobility is considered as a potential source of confounding in studies assessing environmental exposures, including in studies of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposures and childhood leukemia. We present a hybrid simulation study where we simulate a synthetic dataset based on an existing study and use it to assess the sensitivity of EMF–leukemia associations to different scenarios of uncontrolled confounding by mobility under two major hypotheses of the infectious etiology of childhood leukemia. We then used the findings to conduct sensitivity analysis and empirically offset the potential bias due to unmeasured mobility in the California Power Line Study dataset. As expected, the stronger the assumed relationship between mobility and exposure and outcome, the greater the potential bias. However, no scenario created a bias strong enough to completely explain away previously observed associations. We conclude that uncontrolled confounding by residential mobility had some impact on the estimated effect of EMF exposures on childhood leukemia, but that it was unlikely to be the primary explanation behind previously observed largely consistent, but unexplained associations.
Oriented Regions for Linearly Conceptualized Features

The typical phenomena in geographic space are 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional in nature, yet people often conceptualize some of them as 1-dimensional entities embedded in a 2-dimensional space—rivers have widths and depths, and extent across the surface of the Earth, but for some tasks they are thought of as linear objects; likewise, roads as travel paths have widths as they wind through the landscape, but in some scenarios the extent is ignored and only connectivity between points along the path is considered. A critical property that makes these features special is the orientation that is attached (e.g., through the flow of the water or the traffic directions imposed by an authority). Contemporary spatial models capture such features either 1-dimensionally as networks of lines or directed lines, or 2-dimensionally simply as regions, each abstracting away one key property—in the case of the network the features’ extents and connections to neighboring areas, and in the case of regions their orientations. This paper introduces oriented regions as a model that preserves the key properties from both abstractions. Key properties of this approach are the sequences in which the boundaries of oriented regions interact, and the placement of objects with respect to the topological hull of a set of oriented regions. This model, dubbed hull+i, is based on topological hulls and the i-notation, a systematic method to capture boundary interactions between oriented regions, and provides a means for representing entire spatial scenes with an arbitrary number of objects, separations, and instances where ensembles of objects surround other objects.
Cardiopulmonary Testing Before Lung Resection: What Are Thoracic Surgeons Doing?

Background Cardiopulmonary assessment for lung resection is important for risk stratification, and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines provide decision support. We ascertained the cardiopulmonary assessment practices of thoracic surgeons and determined whether they are guideline concordant. Methods An anonymous survey was emailed to 846 thoracic surgeons who participate in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database. We analyzed survey responses by practice type (general thoracic [GT] versus cardiothoracic [CT]) and years in practice (0-9, 10-19, and ≥20) with the use of contingency tables. We compared adherence of survey responses with the guidelines. Results The response rate was 24.0% (n = 203). Most surgeons (n = 121, 59.6%) cited a predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in 1 second or diffusing capacity of lung for carbon monoxide threshold of 40% for further evaluation. Experienced surgeons (≥20 years) were more likely to have a threshold that varies by surgical approach (31.3% versus 23.5% with 10-19 years of experience and 15.9% for 0-9 years of experience, P = .007). Overall, 52.2% refer patients with cardiovascular risk factors to cardiology and 42.9% refer patients with abnormal stress testing. CT surgeons were more likely to refer all patients to cardiology than GT surgeons (17.6% versus 2.4%, P Conclusions Among thoracic surgeons, there is variation in preoperative cardiopulmonary assessment practices, with differences by practice type and years in practice, and marked discordance with the ACCP guidelines. Further study of guideline adherence linked to postoperative morbidity and mortality is warranted to determine whether adherence affects outcomes.
Abstract P131: A Selective Chymase Inhibitor, TEI-f00806, Eliminates the Ang II Production From Rat Ang-(1-12) in Bone Marrow Tissue

Background: Rat bone marrow (BM)-chimeric experiments reveal a critical role of locally formed angiotensin II (Ang II) in mediating the oxidant-rich inflammatory milieu associated with cardiovascul...
Persistent atrial fibrillation; It is time to regroup

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the only proven ablation strategy for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). However, when AF recurs despite durable PVI in a subgroup of patients with persistent AF, there is no scientifically proven ablation strategy to pursue. Here, we summarized how we approach persistent AF at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Information Access Post September 11: What Librarians Need to Know

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 has forced both the American people and the government to reevaluate how information is collected and disseminated. Part of the White House's response to September 11 includes protecting "sensitive information from inappropriate disclosure," and encouraging federal agencies to review whether certain information, formerly readily accessible, should be removed from the American public?s view. The ability to control the way information is made available to the public has changed, especially during the Digital Age. The Internet, like the radio during World War II, is one of the most powerful tools used to relay information to the public. This paper discusses the government's control of information post September 11, drawing some comparisons to actions taken during World War II.
Characterization of Influenza Virus Receptors on Host Cells

ABSTRACT It has been clearly established that influenza virions bind to soluble and erythrocyte-associated sialylated glycoproteins via the viral hemagglutinin and that the viral neuraminidase can release the virus from these substrates by removing terminal sialic acid residues from these glycoproteins. However, the relevance of these interactions to the initiation of infection is obscure. Although the viral neuraminidase is required for release of virus from these glycoproteins, we have shown that virions from which the neuraminidase was quantitatively removed by trypsin were fully infectious so long as the hemagglutinin spikes were not removed. Furthermore, addition of sialylated glycoproteins to trypsinized virus or covalent attachment of sialic acid residues to the hemagglutinin of the virus increased the infectivity of the preparations whereas it destroyed the hemagglutinating activity. These apparently contradictory findings prompted us to attempt isolation of virus receptors from host cell membranes. Using Triton-solubilized cell membranes and affinity chromatography on asialofetuin-Sepharose, we isolated a membrane fraction which inhibited influenza virus binding and infectivity but had little effect on vesicular stomatitis virus. This fraction was eluted from the column by galactose. The inhibitory activity was quantitatively recovered in the chloroform following chloroform-methanol extraction. This chloroform-soluble fraction contained trace amounts of a polypeptide which was resistant to degradation by pronase and by trypsin. When the chloroform extract was applied to a Florisil column, the inhibitory activity was eluted in the glycolipid fraction. It was not destroyed by proteases, lipase, phospholipases or by a variety of glycosidases, including neuraminidases. It was, however, destroyed by β-galactosidase from bovine liver; this destruction was prevented by galactonolactone, a specific inhibitor of β-galactosidase. The inhibitory component appears to be a glycolipid with terminal galactose residues. The results suggest that, during the initial stages of infection, influenza virions interact with glycolipids in the plasma membranes and that these glycolipids must have terminal galactose residues in order for this interaction to occur.
Predicting the process-dependent material properties to evaluate the warpage of a co-cured epoxy-based composite on metal structures

Abstract By directly curing continuous fiber reinforced thermosets locally onto metal parts, the mechanical performance of these components can be increased significantly by just adding a minimum of weight. Due to the thermal and chemical behavior of the composite material, residual stresses occur and lead to warpage of the structure or failure of the part. This paper deals with a hot-melt, snap-cure matrix material which is characterized as a function of temperature and degree of cure, also the cure kinetics are described based on an Arrhenius-equation. This information is used to simulate the curing of a composite for a press-molding manufacturing process in order to calculate the temperature profile of the material, taking the exothermal reaction of the epoxy into account. Also a metal-composite-hybrid specimen is simulated to evaluate the influence of the manufacturing process on the warpage of the component. Manufacturing trials evaluate the simulation and allow an estimation regarding the forecast quality. Finally, a parametric study illustrated the influence of selected temperature- and degree of cure dependent characteristic values on the prediction accuracy of the simulation to outline the significant influencing factors.
Outcomes of Paraesophageal Hernia Repair: Analysis of the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database

While there have been many outcome studies on paraesophageal hernia repair in the civilian population, there is sparse recent data on the veteran population. This study analyzes the mortality and morbidities of veterans who underwent paraesophageal hernia repair in the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Veterans who underwent paraesophageal hernia repair from 2010 to 2017 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Multivariable analysis was used to compare laparoscopic and open, including abdominal and thoracic approaches, groups. The outcomes were postoperative complications and mortality. There were 1607 patients in the laparoscopic group and 366 in the open group, with 84.1% men and mean age of 61 years. Gender and body mass index did not influence the type of surgical approach. The mortality rates at 30 and 180 days were 0.5% and 0.7%, respectively. Postoperative complications, including reintubation (2.2%), pneumonia (2.0%), intubation > 48 h (2.0%), and sepsis (2.0%) were higher in the open group (15.9% versus 7.2%, p < 0.001). The laparoscopic group had a significantly shorter length of stay (4.3 versus 9.6 days, p < 0.001) and a lower percentage of return to surgery within 30 days (3.9% versus 8.2%, p < 0.001) than the open group. The ratio of open versus laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repairs varied significantly by different Veterans Integrated Services Network regions. Veterans undergoing laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repair experience similar outcomes as patients in the private sector. Veterans who underwent laparoscopic paraesophageal hernia repair had significantly less complications compared to an open approach even after adjusting for patient comorbidities and demographics. The difference in open versus laparoscopic practices between various regions requires further investigation.
Twitter Data Collection and Extraction: A Method and a New Dataset, the UTD-MI

This paper proposes a Twitter Data collection method using some Python libraries to automatically read and process the raw collected data "Tweets" from the Twitter streaming API, where the returned Tweets are encoded in the lightweight JSON data-format. Using a Python script, the JSON data is parsed into a Python object and transformed into a Pandas DataFrame to help extract the required data fields. Lastly, the Pandas DataFrame is exported to a CSV file for future data analysis tasks, such as the use by some Machine Learning Algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed method was used to automatically collect Tweets and initiate a novel Twitter dataset. The result is a new corpus of Universities-Based Tweets called "UTD-MI" dataset, incorporating real-time Tweets about some selected Universities in Michigan. In addition, some statistical information and visual representations of a sample from the collected corpus is demonstrated.
Evaluation of Risks of Bias in Addiction Medicine Randomized Controlled Trials

AIMS Perhaps the most important step when designing and conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in addiction is to put methodological safeguards in place to minimize the likelihood for bias to affect trial outcomes. In this study, we applied the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool (ROB 2) to RCTs of drug, alcohol or tobacco interventions. METHODS We searched for trials published in 15 addiction medicine journals over a 7-year period. Our primary endpoint is the risk of bias of included studies. We conducted a sensitivity analysis of publicly funded trials. RESULTS Overall, included RCTs were most often at high risk of bias per our judgments (244/487, 50.1%). However, significant proportions of included RCTs were at low risk of bias (123/487, 25.3%) or some concerns for bias (120/497, 24.6%). RCTs with behavioral modification interventions (19/44, 43.2%) and alcohol interventions (80/150, 53.3%) had the highest proportion of high-risk judgments. In a sensitivity analysis of publicly funded RCTs), 195/386 (50.5%) were at high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS Approximately half of included drug, alcohol or tobacco RCTs in our sample were judged to be at high risk of bias with the most common reason being a lack of proper blinding or proper description of blinding. Key action items to reduce bias in future addiction RCTs include adequate randomization, blinding and inclusion of a trial registry number and protocol.
On Patient Safety: "Is There a Gun in the Home?".

“Is there a gun in the home?” Seems like an innocuous enough safety question for a doctor to ask a patient. Who knew it would cause such a stir?
A Novel Lévy-Impulse Mixture Based Connection Model for Computer Network Traffic

Computer network traffic features do not always conform with traditional Poisson and Gaussian models. For instance, the α-stable distribution frequently provides a more accurate model for high-volume network traffic. To more accurately characterize SYN traffic, we propose a novel mixture based on measurements from our local network. The proposed Levy-impulse model utilizes an impulse function to account for a high zero-probability and the Levy distribution to account for the heavy-tailed features of host-sent SYN packets. We develop a probability density function of the Levy-impulse model for various window lengths and apply it to real-world data. We then utilize maximum likelihood estimation and real-world network traffic to demonstrate the accuracy of the model. The proposed model demonstrates higher accuracy than traditional models like Poisson or Gaussian for the examined traffic case. Additionally, the relative invariance of the model’s fit to the size of the traffic window allows for scalable applications. Ultimately, this Levy-impulse mixture can serve as a model for normal network traffic to develop improved computer worm detection techniques.
Stress-and-Temperature-Induced Drift Compensation on a High Dynamic Range Accelerometer Array Using Deep Neural Networks

Acceleration random walk, from its name, is widely modeled as an error from random processes. Contrarily, we hypothesize that acceleration random walk at the averaging time up to several hours can be treated as a deterministic error. In this work, we present initial results toward understanding the physics underlying acceleration random walk and development of deterministic models and associated compensation techniques. Simultaneous scanning through an array of on-chip stress and temperature sensors while recording data from the accelerometer enables compensation of the acceleration random walk using a trained neural network estimator over a four-hour test run.
Relationship of Body Mass Index With Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy Severity and TCF4 CTG18.1 Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion.

PURPOSE To investigate the association of body mass index (BMI) with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) severity and TCF4 CTG18.1 expansion. METHODS A total of 343 patients with FECD were enrolled from the Mayo Clinic. FECD severity was graded by slit-lamp biomicroscopy. BMI values were obtained from the electronic medical records. DNA extracted from leukocytes was analyzed for CTG18.1 expansion length, with ≥40 repeats considered expanded. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare FECD grade and CTG18.1 expansion length in patients by BMI (<25, ≥25 to <30, and ≥30 kg/m2). FECD grade was regressed on age, sex, BMI, and CTG18.1 expansion and, separately, BMI on CTG18.1 expansion. Models were investigated for effect modification by age and sex with an interaction term of P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULTS When examining the association between BMI and FECD, there was a significant interaction between BMI and sex (P for interaction = 0.004). When controlling for age and CTG18.1 expansion, a positive association was observed between BMI and FECD grade in women, but not in men. In addition, BMI was not associated with CTG18.1 expansion when controlling for age and sex. CONCLUSIONS BMI was positively associated with FECD severity among women but not men. There was no significant association between BMI and CTG18.1 expansion. These findings suggest that increased BMI is potentially a modifiable risk factor for FECD disease progression among women.
Should 'Substitute' Private Attorneys General Enforce Public Environmental Actions? Balancing the Costs and Benefits of the Contingency Fee Environmental Special Counsel Arrangement

There is developing phenomenon of quasi-privatized environmental enforcement occurring on behalf and in the name of governments by entrepreneurial attorneys who substitute in place of the public enforcers and derive professional payment from a contingent fee withdrawn from the public’s environmental damage award. This Article addresses the question of whether governments should permit private attorneys to handle these “substitute environmental special counsel” enforcement arrangements. In so doing, the Article weighs the arrangement’s costs and benefits from the standpoint of whether it maximizes the deterrence and restorative compensation goals of environmental enforcement. Governments are often the only entities with standing to sue on behalf of the public for environmental injury to public resources. In instances where governments lack the resources or choose not to enforce, there exists an enforcement gap not currently filled by any structural mechanism. Citizen suits are an incomplete gap filler because of the Article III standing hurdle, initial up-front litigation funding requirement and the fact that citizen suit provisions only exist for certain types of enforcement claims. Substitute environmental special counselor enforcement provides standing derivative of the standing, permits quasi-privatized enforcement for claims not currently permitted under citizen suit statutes, and contemplates a fee premium to incentivize the privatized funding. Because the arrangement helps fill an unacceptable gap in the enforcement scheme, the costs of arrangement are outweighed by the benefits. Certain costs, however, are particularly acute when using substitute environmental special counselors, including the tendency to monetize the damage award when equitable restorative remedy might better serve the public’s environmental interest, the difficult to implement monitoring of the substitute enforcer, and the lack of transparency. The Article suggests an attorney fee shifting approach on top of the damage award in place of a contingency fee drawn from the damage award compensation structure, an open and competitive bidding requirement, a preference for government-led enforcement where feasible, and adequate controls on the monitoring process, to temper some of the arrangement’s costs.
Children with perinatal stroke are at increased risk for autism spectrum disorder: Prevalence and co-occurring conditions within a clinically followed sample.

Children with perinatal stroke are at increased risk for developmental language disorders, learning difficulties, and other mental health conditions. However to date, autism (ASD) prevalence in thi...
DNA nanotechnology: new adventures for an old warhorse

As the blueprint of life, the natural exploits of DNA are admirable. However, DNA should not only be viewed within a biological context. It is an elegantly simple yet functionally complex chemical polymer with properties that make it an ideal platform for engineering new nanotechnologies. Rapidly advancing synthesis and sequencing technologies are enabling novel unnatural applications for DNA beyond the realm of genetics. Here we explore the chemical biology of DNA nanotechnology for emerging applications in communication and digital data storage. Early studies of DNA as an alternative to magnetic and optical storage mediums have not only been promising, but have demonstrated the potential of DNA to revolutionize the way we interact with digital data in the future.
Central cyclooxygenase inhibition during the course of lung injury attenuates breathing frequency

Ventilatory pattern is a neurally integrated output that is altered by lung injury. Work in our lab has provided evidence that ventilatory pattern changes persist in situ, and are concurrent with e...
Biotechnology and potential nutritional implications for children.

Biotechnology has the potential to affect children's short-term and long-term health. Benefits from biotechnology potentially will be derived primarily from gene therapy, which will correct metabolic abnormalities that affect the nutritional status of the child, from transgenic animal models developed to study the molecular basis of children's nutrition, and from the development of foods and food products that will have general and specific health benefits. Cow's milk and infant formula potentially could be modified made to more closely resemble human milk. Achievement of these rewards of biotechnology for children demands a diligent search for nutritional knowledge and for insight into nutrient–nutrient and nutrient–gene interactions.
Equitable Clawback: An Essay on Restoration of Executive Compensation

The remedy of restoration of compensation, known in the agency context as the faithless servant doctrine, provides for the corporate principal's recovery of compensation previously paid or payable to corporate officers and other agents who have breached their fiduciary obligations. Although a limited clawback provision was one of the reforms enacted as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, courts have refused to imply a private remedy, and, even if they were to do so, it would be of limited utility. Given the many variations of the clawback concept, including the demands for clawback of AIG and Merrill Lynch bonuses and of pre-bankruptcy returns paid to Madoff investors, I have chosen to distinguish the equitable remedy of restoration of compensation as equitable clawback. My essay contends that the remedy's increased recognition and broader use would add primacy to individual versus entity liability, and, consequently, help reestablish the link between executive wealth and executive responsibility.
8.2.2 On the Efficacy of Student Teams in Engineering: An Assessment of Individual Learning in Collaborative Projects

The scale, complexity, and multi-disciplinarity of systems engineering projects almost necessitate that systems engineers work in teams and that those teams are effective. Consequently, systems engineering students can expect to participate in a number of team projects during their academic careers. It is also reasonable that students can expect their effort on teams to contribute meaningfully to their individual course learning. We have developed a guidance framework that facilitates effective collaboration on teams and previously demonstrated its efficacy in team mental model convergence and its concomitant improvement in team project outcomes. In this study we investigate whether those improved team outcomes lead to an improvement in individual learning as should occur if there is team learning. We determined that this is not the case. The implications of this result are potentially troubling not only from an academic standpoint, since it challenges the validity of student teams in some cases, but also with respect to the professional development programs in place at many engineering companies. These programs are often team-oriented with the intent of not only developing effective team players, but also in developing proficient engineers and the latter objective may be threatened.
750-kW interleaved buck converter dc supply control implementation in a low-cost FPGA

The digital control of a 750-kW dc supply that converts a 480-V three-phase ac input voltage to an adjustable dc output voltage which has the maximum voltage value of 600 V is presented in this paper. Digital control is important for achieving precise data acquisition and proper operation of power electronic equipment. In addition to power semiconductor switching signals, several fault and warning signals from the power converter must be considered. Providing sufficient inputs/outputs (I/Os) and high-speed parallel processing, the fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) is one of the best candidates to accomplish the tasks mentioned above. In the proposed FPGA application, all functions including analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), power electronic converter algorithms, data interface, and protection logic for the dc supply are implemented in one single cheap FPGA which operates at a 25 MHz clock. All programming of the FPGA is completed by manual coding of hardware description language - the Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL). A small-scale prototype is built and tested to provide further verification of the VHDL code prior to final implementation of the 750-kW prototype. The validity of control algorithms and FPGA functions are verified by simulations using Matlab/SimulinkTM Xilinx ISETM, respectively, prior to implementation in the hardware prototype.
Nacimiento del Estado paranoico: aprietos y parodia de la seguridad petrolera en Estados Unidos post-hegemónico

The oil shock of 1973 was a historical watershed, a preamble to the competitive globalization of oil and the decay and fall of American global hegemony. Oil revenue reached status category, whether OPEC has existed or not. The earnings from oil sales are realized by the owner on the site of the oil field, public or private, and independent of its belonging to OPEC. Among other elements this explains the birth of a Paranoid state, much more dangerous and self-destructive than the witch hunts of the McCarthy era.
Importance of shapes and compositions of wind-blown dust particles for remote sensing at solar wavelengths

[1] The quality of satellite aerosol retrievals depends critically upon the modeling accuracy of the aerosol optical properties. The optical properties of mineral aerosols depend on particle morphology, mineralogy, and state of mixing. Here we investigate how the realistic morphology and composition of dust particles affect the optical properties of dust mixtures by utilizing microscopy data that recently become available of dust samples collected in the atmosphere. The data were used to reconstruct the representative composition-shape-size (CSS) distributions and then the discrete dipole approximation technique was applied to calculate the optical properties. We demonstrate that the presence of sharp-edge, angular-type particles results in various differences in the scattering phase function, asymmetry parameter, optical depth and single scattering albedo compared to those of the volume-equivalent spheres or ellipses. These differences are sufficiently large as to affect the retrievals of aerosol optical properties from satellite and ground-based remote sensing observations at the solar wavelengths.
Comparison of the mechanisms of action of cholera toxin and the heat-stable enterotoxins of Escherichia coli.

The mechanisms which enable cholera toxin (CT) and the Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxins (STa and STb) to stimulate intestinal secretion of water and electrolytes are only partially understood. CT evokes the synthesis of 3',5'-cyclic AMP (cAMP), and STa is known to elevate intestinal levels of 3',5'-cyclic GMP (cGMP). Neither of these recognized second messengers appears to mediate E. coli STb responses. We compared the secretory effects of CT, STa, and STb using the pig intestinal loop model and also measured the effects of toxin challenge on the synthesis of cAMP, cGMP, and prostaglandins (e.g., prostaglandin E2 [PGE2]), as well as on the release of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) from intestinal enterochromaffin cells. All three enterotoxins elicited fluid accumulation within a 2-h observation period. A combination of maximal doses of STa with STb yielded additive effects on fluid accumulation, which suggested different mechanisms of action for these toxins. Similarly, challenge of pig intestinal loops with a combination of CT and STb resulted in additive effects on fluid accumulation and luminal release of 5-HT. Unlike its effect on intestinal tissues from other animals, CT did not appear to elicit a dose-dependent cAMP response measurable in mucosal extracts from pig small intestine. In contrast, luminal fluid from CT-challenged pig intestinal loops contained dose-related amounts of cAMP and PGE2 that had been secreted from the mucosa. cAMP responses to STa or STb could not be demonstrated in either mucosal tissue or luminal fluid. In contrast, cGMP levels were increased in the intestinal fluid of loops challenged with STa but not in those challenged with STb. While the mechanisms of action of CT and STa are thought to involve impulse transmission via the enteric nervous system, we demonstrated significant stimulation of PGE2 synthesis and 5-HT release for CT and STb but very little for STa. We conclude from these data that the mechanisms of action of STa, STb, and CT are distinct, although the mode of action of STb may have some similarity to that of CT. Since STb stimulated the release of both PGE2 and 5-HT from the intestinal mucosa, the data suggested the potential for an effect of STb on the enteric nervous system.
Efficient rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation for the synthesis of a new class of N-aryl beta-amino acid derivatives.

N-Aryl β-amino esters were obtained by asymmetric hydrogenation of a new class of N-aryl β-enamino esters. High conversions and up to 96.3% ee values were achieved with a Rh-TangPhos catalyst.
Transfer of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons between model membranes: Relation to carcinogenicity

Abstract Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), some of which are potent carcinogens, are common environmental pollutants. The transport processes for these hydrophobic compounds into cells and between intracellular membranes are diverse and are not well understood. A common mechanism of transport is by spontaneous desorption and transfer through the aqueous phase. From the partitioning parameters, we have inferred that the rate limiting step involves solvation of the transfer species in the interfacial water at the phospholipid surface. Transfer of 10 PAH (pyrene, 3,4-benzophenanthrene, triphenylene, chrysene, 1,2-benzanthracene, 1,1′-binaphthyl, 9-phenylanthracene, 2,2′-binaphthyl, m-tetraphenyl and 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene) out of phosphatidylcholine vesicles has been examined. Our results show that the molecular volume of the PAH is a rate-determining factor. Moreover, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) data confirms the hypothesis that the rate of transfer is correlated with the size of the molecule and with the partitioning of the molecule between a polar and hydrocarbon phase. The kinetics and characteristics of the spontaneous transfer of carcinogens are likely to have a major impact on the competitive processes of PAH metabolism within cells.
Mechanism of suppression in Drosophila: a change in tyrosine transfer RNA.

Abstract The mechanism of suppression of the vermilion locus in Drosophila melanogaster is examined. The suppressor locus, su(s)2, is shown to control directly the amount of a specific tyrosine transfer RNA which occurs in the adult fly. Wild-type flies have three chromatographic forms of tyrosine tRNA but flies that are homozygous for the suppressor gene su(s)2 contain little or none of the second chromatographic form. The isoacceptor patterns of tRNA for leucine, phenylalanine and serine are identical in the suppressor mutant and wild-type fly. Genetic data show that the phenotypic expression of su(s)2 and the altered chromatographic pattern of tyrosine tRNA are recessive and that both map at the same position on the left tip of the X chromosome. Furthermore, another suppressor of vermilion was induced by ethyl methane sulfate, su(s)e1, that is at the same locus as su(s)2 and that produces the same change in tyrosine tRNA as su(s)2. The recessive character of the suppressor mutants is evident both in the phenotypic expression and in the alteration of the tyrosine tRNA. This recessive character indicates that the suppressor locus is not the locus for the primary structure of tyrosine tRNA but that it may control an enzyme that modifies the tyrosine tRNA in some way.
INSTABILITIES OF MASSIVE SCALAR PERTURBATIONS OF A ROTATING BLACK HOLE

We study the stability of a massive scalar field in the exterior metric of a rotating Kerr black hole. An argument based on energy conversation shows, under some strong technical assumptions, that unstable normal modes exist. These unstable modes can be interpreted as wave packets in bound, superradiant orbits. A JWKB estimate of the fastest growth rate gives 10/sup -7/M/sup -1/ exp(--1.84M..mu..) in the case M..mu..>> 1, where M is the mass of the hole and psi is the mass of the field. The existence of unstable normal modes has significant implications for quantum particle creation by rotating black holes, which we attempt to assess.
Primary and secondary steady flows of the Taylor problem

On formule les equations de bifurcation et on decrit les hypotheses sous lesquelles on peut les resoudre. On etablit les diagrammes de bifurcation
A hydrodynamic simulation of mineral flotation. Part II: surface chemical effects for coal-oil agglomerate flotation

Oil-agglomeration prior to flotation has proven to be a very effective means of waste fine coal recovery. Existing data on the surface properties of coal-oil agglomerates were used as input parameters for a turbulent, three-phase, computational fluid dynamics simulation of a flotation cell. The flow field in the cell was resolved in two dimensions and the local hydrodynamic conditions were used as the basis for estimating bubble-particle collisions leading to particle collection and flotation recovery. The particulate surface tension as well as a quantity tied to the intrinsic material composition of each coal sample were used as parameters in deriving an expression for the flotation collection efficiency. This integrated simulation, taking into account both local hydrodynamic effects and the surface properties of the particulates was able to predict correctly flotation recovery trends for agglomerates of various coals across a range of oil levels.
Exact solution of the zero crossing rate of a differentiated speckle pattern

Abstract The exact solution of the zero crossing rate of a differentiated speckle pattern is given. For a fully developed speckle pattern, the general expression of the zero crossing rate is derived using the exact differentiated speckle intensity probability density distribution. Some examples for the zero crossing rate of actual optical systems are given and the results of the exact rate are compared with those of the gaussian approximation discussed in early papers. The gaussian approximation is a good one for the zero crossing rate of differentiated speckle intensity.
Follow-up difficulty with substance abusers: predictors of time to locate and relationship to outcome

A sample of 76 alcoholics and 31 drug abusers who had been inpatients at a Veterans Administration Medical Center were followed up 6 months after termination of treatment. Of this population, 100 (93.5%) were located, and additional data were recorded as to both the length of time required for location and the sources which proved useful in the process. Two-thirds of the sample were located within 1 month and most before the fourth month. Multivariate analyses revealed that criminal history, longer time in treatment, and previous treatment each were independent predictors of difficulty in location. Personal addresses provided by the subjects at intake were crucial in the tracking process, as well as female relatives named by addicts. The time to locate a subject was not generally related to outcome. Employed subjects were somewhat harder to find, and those drinking daily-or not at all-were easier to locate.