cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sustainable, alternative sources of bioactive peptides

Abstract According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, we will need to increase our food production at least by 50% to meet the demands of a population of 9 billion people that is predicted to reach by the year 2050. The World Health Organization has also emphasized the need to explore more sustainable food resources. Consumption of alternative protein sources would alleviate environmental stress caused by conventional agriculture. These statements, in addition to the rise in consumers’ preference toward natural-derived therapeutic treatments, have opened a new door toward the use of emerging proteins as treatments for noncommunicable diseases. In particular, sustainable, emerging proteins have been investigated in recent years as potential sources of biological active peptides. In this chapter, we will review some of the most common sources of biological active peptides, in particular fungi, edible insects, marine macroalgae, and agricultural by-products, as well as extraction methods, examples of bioactivity and main proteins that contribute to the overall nutraceutical effects of these materials.
Self-Oriented Neural Circuitry Predicts Other-Oriented Adaptive Risks in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study.

Adolescence is marked by changes in decision-making and perspective-taking abilities. Although adolescents make more adaptive decisions with age, little is understood about how adolescents make adaptive decisions that impact others and how this behavior changes developmentally. Functional coupling between reward (e.g., VS) and "social brain" (e.g., TPJ/pSTS, mPFC) systems may be differentially shape adaptive risks for the self and other. A total of 173 participants completed between 1-3 sessions across three waves (a total of 433 behavioral and 403 fMRI data points). During an fMRI scan, adolescents completed a risky decision-making task where they made risky decisions to win money for themselves and their parent. The risky decisions varied in their expected value (EV) of potential reward. Results show that from the 6th through 9th grades, adolescents took increasingly more adaptive risks for themselves than for their parent. Additionally, greater VS-TPJ/pSTS and VS-mPFC connectivity that tracks EV when making risky decisions for themselves in 6th grade, but a lower VS-mPFC connectivity in 9th grade, predicted greater adaptive risk taking for their parent. This study contributes to our understanding of the self as a neural proxy for promoting adaptive social behaviors in youth.
Data Privacy in the Time of Plague

Data privacy is a life-or-death matter when it comes to public health. From late fall 2019 until summer 2021, two series of events unfolded, one that everyone was talking about, and one that hardly anyone noticed. The most reported news story of that period related to the greatest world-health crisis in at least 100 years, the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, in a story that received next to no news attention, the Personal Data Protection Act Committee of the Uniform Law Commissioners in the United States was busy working on a new model law. By July 2021, each of these stories had reached a turning point. In the developed, Western world, most people who wanted to receive the vaccine against COVID-19 could do so, and nearly 60% of people in the United States had received at least one vaccine dose. Nevertheless, the COVID pandemic surged in late summer. Meanwhile, the Uniform Law Commission adopted the Uniform Personal Data Protection Act (UPDPA) at its annual meeting, paving the way for state legislatures to consider adopting the uniform act in 2022 legislative sessions. At roughly the same time, Virginia and Colorado state legislatures also adopted comprehensive data privacy acts. These stories intersect in the public-health space. Public health researchers struggled with COVID-19 in the United States because they lacked information about individuals who were exposed and their contacts, among other matters. When the next pandemic arrives (and it is almost certain to do so), public health researchers will again have a critical need for access to personal data to monitor the progress of the disease and identify and implement population and individual interventions. In the meantime, understanding existing public health threats (e.g., obesity, opioid abuse, racism) requires leveraging and linking diverse data on the contributing social, environmental, and economic factors. The UPDPA does not clear the dense underbrush of barriers resulting from the patchwork of federal data privacy laws that interfere with public health practice and research. But it does provide an important route forward for public health, the full potential of which can be achieved only with active involvement of public health researchers and professionals. This article provides a conceptual framework for analyzing the regulation of uses of personal data and for public health and applies those frameworks to an analysis of UPDPA and other comprehensive state privacy statutes, focusing particularly on the ways that state adoption of UPDPA could promote—and hinder—public health. It concludes with recommendations for public health researchers and professionals to get involved in upcoming legislative debates on data privacy. Lives will depend on the outcomes.
Quality graphics in web-based applications for summarizing government agency data

High quality graphics aid federal government agencies in summarizing, analyzing, and disseminating federal statistical summaries, especially large highly complex summaries. The research efforts in Penn State Geography and the GeoVISTA Center (www.geovista.psu.edu), supported by a NSF Digital Government grant (#99883451), continue to develop web-based applications for exploring, analyzing, and presenting high dimensional geospatial data in ways that support exploration and dissemination. Progress has been achieved in the form of added visualization tools (applications and applets) in GeoVISTA Studio, a Java-based programming free visualization environment. GeoVISTA Studio is freely available to government agencies at www.geovistastudio.psu.edu, or at www.sourceforge.net. New visualization tools and functionalities added or enhanced this year include extentions to univariate and bivariate maps, a generic manipulable matrix, new parallel coordinate plot, a speadsheet, conditioning and visual classification tools.
PHD filter with approximate multiobject density measurement update

The PHD filter is a popular approach to the multiple target tracking problem, however, it suffers from the Poisson assumption which yields a cardinality estimate with too high variance. In recent work Le and Kaplan proposed to improve the performance of the PHD filter using a particle approximation of the predicted multiobject density and updating it using the multiobject measurement pdf. Following the work by Le and Kaplan, in this paper we use the predicted PHD to construct a particle approximation of the predicted multiobject density. Using joint probabilistic data association, the multiobject particle approximation can then be updated using the multiobject measurement likelihood, resulting in a particle approximation of the posterior multiobject density. The posterior multiobject particles are then used to approximate the posterior PHD, which is subsequently predicted using the standard PHD prediction. The proposed filter is implemented using a Gaussian mixture approximation of the PHD intensity, and a simulation study shows a significant performance improvement compared to using the standard PHD measurement update, especially in terms of the cardinality estimate.
Structure Determination, X-Ray Diffraction for

X-ray diffraction is a widely used experimental method for materials analysis. The scope of materials analysis that can be provided by X-ray diffraction includes crystalline phase identification, lattice parameter measurement, grain size measurement, and texture analysis. In particular, crystalline phase identification is a basic form of materials analysis that is critically important for metals, ceramics, and other crystalline materials. In contrast, elemental analysis, as provided by X-ray spectroscopy, atomic absorption, etc., provides information on the composition but not the phases. Because a material frequently consists of more than one phase, the composition of the multiphase mixture is not the same as the composition of an individual phase. A true understanding of a crystalline material cannot be obtained until one knows what phases are present in the material. Even if two phases have the same composition, their difference in crystal structure can make them have very different electrical, magnetic, thermal, mechanical, or chemical properties.
Some Thoughts about Fractions.

WRITING OF "THE FUTURE OF FRACtions" in 1978 was motivated by a single incident, the quote that begins the article. That quote indicating that fractions would become obsolete is from an editorial essay in the Virginia Mathematics Teacher by Lucien Hall. Hall was an active, responsible, and knowledgeable member of the mathematics education community, and when I saw what he had written, I knew that his statement represented the beliefs of many other mathematics teachers and educators. I felt that his statement and this broader view of the impending demise of fractions had to be addressed. Twenty-eight years later, the situation regarding fractions is quite different. The realization that fractions represent division and constitute the most common way in which division is represented in algebra has caused a demand for increasing competence with fractions by all those for whom algebra skills are important How can a person operate with algebraic fractions without the ability to do arithmetic fractions? If algebra is to be "for all," then every student needs to have competence with fractions. How much competence a student needs with paper-and-pencil computation is a subject of great debate, but I think almost everyone agrees that
Exploration of Once‐Daily Dosing of Aminoglycosides Through Bayesian Simulation

Study Objectives. To simulate peak and trough concentrations, using Bayesian forecasting, achieved with a variety of once-daily dosing (ODD) regimens; to evaluate dosing regimens required to produce target peak and trough concentrations; to compare the peak-to-MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) ratios and time above MIC for various dosing regimens and MICs; to stratify the information based on renal function estimates; and to use the results from these simulations to make recommendations regarding optimum ODD of aminoglycosides. Design. Simulation of ODD using a Bayesian technique and existing patient data. Setting. A tertiary referral, community teaching hospital. Patients. One hundred consecutive adults from the author's data base, with a wide variety of infections and underlying illnesses, who met strict inclusion criteria. Interventions. Two methods of dosing, weight-based (4–7 mg/kg) and target concentration-based (peak 10, 15, or 20 μg/ml, trough ≤ 0.3 μg/ml), were evaluated. Each patient had a known dosing-sampling history, stable renal function, and at least two measured serum concentrations, and were being treated with either gentamicin or tobramycin. Measurements and Main Results. A wide range of peak and trough serum concentrations are achieved when dosages are chosen based on patient weight. Even with large dosages, some patients had very low peak-to-MIC ratios and time above the MIC, and vice versa. Variations in MIC had a much greater effect on dosing target values than did variations in dosage. A large degree of variability was also noted in doses and dosing intervals when using a target serum concentration approach. For both methods, an inverse relationship existed between calculated creatinine clearance and time above MIC, although there was little change over the range of 60–119 ml/minute. Conclusions. Bayesian simulation showed that weight-based ODD of aminoglycosides did not produce clinically acceptable serum concentrations or target values in many patients. Young and elderly patients, and any patient with a creatinine clearance below 60 or above 119 ml/minute, are especially likely not to achieve an optimum serum concentration profile. Aminoglycoside ODD should be individualized by evaluating the peak-to-MIC ratio, time above MIC, and patient response.
Nature of Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis During Early Sporulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Phosphate uptake in sporulating cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been found to occur approximately 2 h after the transfer to sporulation medium. Early ribonucleic acid synthesis begins at approximately 4 h and continues to 8 h. Incorporation of phosphate into acid-extractable precursor pools parallels phosphate uptake. In triple-labeling experiments it was observed that the breakdown of vegetatively synthesized ribonucleic acid is not a significant source of precursors for ribonucleic acid synthesis during sporulation. The majority of the ribonucleic acid made in a 10-min period during sporulation does not migrate on gels with precursor or mature ribosomal ribonucleic acid.
Commutative ideal theory without finiteness conditions: Primal ideals

Our goal is to establish an efficient decomposition of an ideal A of a commutative ring R as an intersection of primal ideals. We prove the existence of a canonical primal decomposition: A = ∩ P ∈ xA A (P) , where the A (P) are isolated components of A that are primal ideals having distinct and incomparable adjoint primes P. For this purpose we define the set Ass(A) of associated primes of the ideal A to be those defined and studied by Krull. We determine conditions for the canonical primal decomposition to be irredundant, or residually maximal, or the unique representation of A as an irredundant intersection of isolated components of A. Using our canonical primal decomposition, we obtain an affirmative answer to a question raised by Fuchs, and also prove for P ∈ Spec R that an ideal A C P is an intersection of P-primal ideals if and only if the elements of R\P are prime to A. We prove that the following conditions are equivalent: (i) the ring R is arithmetical, (ii) every primal ideal of R is irreducible, (iii) each proper ideal of R is an intersection of its irreducible isolated components. We classify the rings for which the canonical primal decomposition of each proper ideal is an irredundant decomposition of irreducible ideals as precisely the arithmetical rings with Noetherian maximal spectrum. In particular, the integral domains having these equivalent properties are the Prufer domains possessing a certain property.
How do income and education affect health inequality: evidence from four developing countries

Using household survey data from four countries ‒ Albania, Nepal, Tajikistan and Tanzania ‒ this article calculates income-related inequality in health care utilization. We measure health disparity separately for generally and chronically ill individuals by constructing two models: one for the probability of a visit to a physician and another for the number of visits. Following model-based measurements, we decompose inequality into two major parts: one accounted for by identity-related factors and another by socioeconomic and other factors such as education, geography and distance to a clinic. We propose a new method to quantify the effect of changes in income and education on health disparity. One of our important findings suggests that health disparity is pro-rich in all our sample countries. The pro-rich disparity is prevalent among generally ill as well as chronically ill patients, in both visit probability and visit frequency models. Health inequality seems primarily driven by income differences foll...
A Multiple-Domain Evaluation of Stratified Case-Based Reasoning

Stratified case-based reasoning (SCBR) is a technique in which case abstractions are used to assist case retrieval, matching, and adaptation. Previous work has shown that SCBR can significantly decrease the computational expense required for retrieval, matching, and adaptation under a variety of different problem conditions. This paper extends this work to two new domains: a problem in combinatorial optimization, sorting by prefix reversal; and logistics planning. An empirical evaluation in the prefix-reversal problem showed that SCBR reduced search cost, but severely degraded solution quality. By contrast, in logistics planning, use of SCBR as an indexing mechanism led to faster solution times and permitted more problems to be solved than either hierarchical problem solving (by ALPINE) or ground level CBR (by SPA) alone. The primary factor responsible for the difference in SCBR's performance in these two domains appeared to be that the optimal-case utility was low in the prefix-reversal task but high in logistics planning.
Neurovascular risks of anteroinferior clavicular plating

Anteroinferior plating has been described for internal fixation of clavicular fractures, citing improved bicortical fixation, less hardware prominence, and safer drill trajectories compared with other plate configurations. This anatomic study defined structures at risk during anteroinferior clavicular plating. Four paired cadaveric specimens (8 clavicles) from ages 75 to 93 years were systematically dissected. Using the screw paths associated with an anteroinferior plate (anteroinferior to superoposterior), the distance from the posterior clavicle cortex to the nearest vital structure was measured at 5 different positions along the clavicle. In the medial half of the clavicle, the subclavian artery is in closest proximity to the clavicle, measuring, on average, 22.95 mm and 15.10 mm at point A and B. At the lateral three-fifths point of the clavicle (point C), the brachial plexus is 12.76 mm from the posterior clavicle and is more at risk than the subclavian artery. Lateral to the three-fifth point of the clavicle, there were no vital structures that could be injured by overdrilling. Our results suggest that more care should be observed with placement of screws in the medial half of the clavicle where subclavian artery damage is more likely.
Resveratrol protects against peripheral deficits in a mouse model of Huntington's disease

Sirtuins are NAD-dependent deacetylases that regulate important biologic processes including transcription, cell survival and metabolism. Activation of SIRT1, a mammalian sirtuin, extends longevity and increases neuronal survival. An important substrate of SIRT1 is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1α (PGC-1α), a principal regulator of energy metabolism, whose function is significantly impaired in Huntington's disease (HD). We studied the effects of a pharmacological preparation of the SIRT1 activator resveratrol (SRT501-M), in the N171-82Q transgenic mouse model of HD. We analyzed motor performance, survival, central and peripheral pathology and levels of PGC-1α expression. Administration of SRT501-M increased expression of PGC-1α, as well as its downstream targets, nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), but there was no effect on PGC-1α, NRF-1 or the mitochondrial transcription factor (Tfam) in the striatum. SRT501-M administration also reduced BAT vacuolation and decreased elevated blood glucose levels. However, there was no significant improvement in weight loss, motor performance, survival and striatal atrophy. Activation of the PGC-1α signaling pathway via resveratrol-induced activation of SIRT1, therefore, is an effective therapy in BAT, but not in the central nervous system of HD transgenic mice.
Signature changes in ubiquilin expression in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease

Ubiquilin proteins have been implicated in the cause and the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. In the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease (HD), ubiquilin levels decline during disease progression. Restoration of their levels by transgenic expression of ubiquilin-1 extends survival. Here we provide a comprehensive assessment of the expression and localization of all four ubiquilin proteins in both normal and R6/2-affected mice brains, using antibodies specific for each protein. Ubiquilin-1, 2 and 4 proteins were detected throughout the brain, with increased expression seen in the hippocampus and cerebellum. Ubiquilin-3 expression was not detected. All three ubiquilins expressed in the brain were found in Htt inclusions. Their expression changed during development and disease. Ubiquilin-1 and ubiquilin-2 protein levels decreased from 6 to 18 weeks of mouse development, independent of disease. Ubiquilin-1 and ubiquilin-4 protein levels also changed during HD disease progression. Ubiquilin-4 proteins that are normally expressed in the brain were lost and instead replaced by a novel 115 kDa higher molecular weight immunoreactive band. Taken together, our results demonstrate that all ubiquilin proteins are involved in HD pathology and that distinct changes in the signature of ubiquilin-4 expression could be useful for monitoring end-stage of HD disease.
Counting Women’s Labour: A Reanalysis of Children’s Net Production Using Cain’s Data from a Bangladeshi Village

The economic contribution of children to their parents’ households has long interested demographers because of its potential to influence fertility levels. Valuing children's labour in pre-industrial economies, however, is inherently difficult. The same is true of women's labour, a crucial component of any analysis of net production. Here we use Mead Cain's seminal study (Population and Development Review 3(3): 201–227, 1977) of children's economic contributions in a Bangladeshi village to illustrate these points. We combine Cain's data on landless women's and men's hours of work with data on the efficiency per hour of work from other pre-industrial settings (Mueller, Population and Development: The Search for Selective Interventions. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 98–153, 1976; Kramer, Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 1998). When women's labour is incorporated, we find that the Bangladeshi children begin to produce as much as they consume by ages 10 ...
Repair of freezing injury in mammalian cells grown in serial culture

Abstract Chinese hamster cells in culture (Clone A) can survive freezing and thawing in Eagle's medium, without serum or cryoprotective agent, provided they are placed in conditioned medium immediately on thawing. The damage produced by freezing, which is repaired in conditioned medium, is associated with the cell surface and involves carbohydrate and phospholipid.
Forehead contour and hypotelorism in patients with metopic craniosynostosis: comparing minimally invasive and open treatments

Patients with metopic craniosynostosis and trigonocephaly are classically treated with a fronto-orbital advancement. In contrast, a minimally invasive treatment entails a narrow ostectomy of the fused suture, followed by postoperative helmet molding. The goal of this project was to investigate the results of patients treated with minimally invasive techniques by quantifying the deformity of the forehead contour a year after their operation and comparing these measurements to patients who underwent an open operation as a control. The 1-year postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans of patients treated with minimally invasive techniques for metopic craniosynostosis (n = 10) were compared to CT scans of patients treated with an open operation (n = 20). The straight line measurements between the zygomaticofrontal (ZF) sutures and between the dacryon bilaterally were recorded to assess the degree of hypotelorism. An axial plane two-dimensional angle between frontotemporale bilaterally and the glabella (FTR-G-FTL) was used as a measurement of the severity of trigonocephaly. The average age of patients at surgery for minimally invasive cases was 3.4 ± 0.5 months old (mean ± standard error of the mean) compared with the age of patients for open cases at 11.3 ± 0.6 months old. Seventy percent of the patients were males and 30 % were females in both the minimally invasive and open groups. The mean distance between the ZF sutures was 76.3 ± 1.9 mm in the minimally invasive group and 75.9 ± 1.2 mm in the open group (p = 0.90). The mean distance between the dacryon bilaterally was 15.1 ± 1.0 mm in the minimally invasive group and 14.5 ± 0.6 mm in the open group (p = 0.63). The FTR-G-FTL angle was 118.5° ± 13.2° in the minimally invasive group and 113.1° ± 2.0° in the open group (p = 0.21). In this small, retrospective series, minimally invasive treatment of metopic craniosynostosis appears to have equivalent results to open fronto-orbital advancement in terms of the acuity of trigonocephalic forehead angle and hypotelorism at 1-year follow-up. Additional studies are being conducted to better quantify, validate, and compare these measurements. The end goal is to elucidate the best methods of quantifying normal forehead contours and to determine if minimally invasive treatment is equivalent to the open approach. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study.
Interactive linear programming as a learning tool in a graduate business school environment

In introductory Operations Research courses that one encounters in interdisciplinary programs, or in the quantitative techniques courses in Business Schools, a significant amount of time is devoted to the development as well as the computational mechanics of Linear Programming. The average student whose undergraduate background is non-quantitative usually gets lost in the arithmetic operations of pivoting. As a result, the essentials of the simplex method are obscured. An alternative is to use "canned" linear programming codes or routines. This is quite unsatisfactory since all that the student does is punch or type the data in and the results are spewed out. There is no feel for what and how one proceeds to a solution, if a solution should exist.
Novel filled polymer composites prepared from in situ polymerization via a colloidal approach: I. Kaolin/Nylon‐6 in situ composites

A mineral-filled in situ composite was prepared by a colloidal approach by first suspending kaolin filler particles in aqueous caprolactam, and then polymerizing caprolactam in situ at high pressure and temperature. The purpose of this colloidal in situ polymerization is to improve particle dispersion and to enhance interaction of the filler to the polymer matrix. X-ray diffraction studies of the in situ kaolin/Nylon-6 composites revealed that the x-ray peak corresponding to the α-crystal form of Nylon-6 diminished with increasing kaolin loading, while the γ-crystal structure became more pronounced. The degree of crystallinity of Nylon-6 remained fairly unchanged with the kaolin loading level in the in situ composites. Calorimetric and dynamic mechanical studies exhibited that the glass transition temperature of the resulting composite increased significantly with increase in kaolin concentration, suggesting strong filler-matrix interaction at the kaolin/Nylon-6 interface. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) results showed uniform filler dispersion in the in situ composites relative to the conventional melt-mixed composites. Modulus and tensile strength of these in situ composites were found to be distinctively higher than that of the conventional melt-mixed kaolin/Nylon-6 composites. However, as typical for composite materials, drawability and fracture toughness decreased with increasing kaolin loading.
Magnetic phase diagram and magnetic structure of Gd(Sn1-xInx)3.

We have carried out measurements of the magnetic susceptibility, M\"ossbauer spectra, and specific heat on Gd(${\mathrm{Sn}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{In}}_{\mathit{x}}$${)}_{3}$. We observe an oscillatory variation of the antiferromagnetic transition temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}1}$ across the series from ${\mathrm{GdSn}}_{3}$ (x=0.0) to ${\mathrm{GdIn}}_{3}$ (x=1.0). For the range of In concentrations 0.265\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.565, we find a second magnetic transition, at a temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}2}$ well below ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}1}$. These measurements along with the temperature dependence of $^{119}\mathrm{Sn}$ M\"ossbauer spectra indicate that the ground-state magnetic structure is a type-I antiferromagnetic ordering for the Sn-rich side (0\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.25) and is a type-II for the very rich In side (x\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1.0). For the range of In concentrations 0.265\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.565 the magnetic structure is also of type I in the temperature interval ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}2}$T${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}1}$. The magnetic structure for 0.265\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.565 with T${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}2}$ and also for 0.565x1.0 with T${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{N}1}$ could be a canted antiferromagnetic ordering state. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Phosphotungstic Acid Diffusion in Porcine Ocular Tissue for MicroCT Shape Reconstruction

For any ocular research involving finite element analysis, measurement of sample geometry is an important step that determines the accuracy of subsequent results. A shape reconstruction method using diffused Phosphotungstic Acid (PTA) within ocular samples for measurement with a microCT device will be presented here. With all finite element modeling, the material properties of the tissue must be determined using techniques such as digital image correlation (DIC) [1]. With this technique, the limitations for displacement measurement accuracy are the size of non-altering markers and camera resolution. This means that only certain material points can be tracked and the non-tracked material points must be interpolated in finite element models. Along with this interpolation, techniques for thickness measurements across the ocular tissue such as using calipers or a pachymeter [2] typically only give values at a small quantity of points while the thickness changes continuously across the tissue. The PTA staining will provide the advantage of internal geometry as well as external shape to give thickness across the entire sample. While these other techniques provide repeatable results, we believe the PTA method presented here for geometry acquisition provides accurate shape reconstruction of the tissue for finite element applications. The purpose of this study was to quantify the depth of penetration of PTA in porcine scleral samples as a function of PTA concentration and time.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Deconvolution of partial pair correlation functions of an n component system using n diffraction experiments

Abstract A proof of the relation giigjj = gijgji is given. This relation gives an additional n(n − 1) 2 equation for use in deconvoluting partial pair correlation functions from experimental diffraction data. Formulae for g11, g12, g22 for a binary alloy system are explicitly derived.
Seasonality of birth in subtypes of chronic schizophrenia.

– Several reports in the literature suggest that schizophrenic patients are disproportionately born during the colder months compared to the general population. In this study, we report differences in the seasonality of birth between the subtypes of chronic schizophrenia, particularly when gender is considered. Cold months’ births (December to March) are most likely in nonparanoid females and paranoid males. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed in light of genetic and environmental factors in schizophrenia.
The reaction of silver oxides with potassium hydroxide

Abstract The dissolution of silver oxides in aqueous potassium hydroxide solutions has been followed by determining solubility and by observing the changes in potential of a silver electrode in such solutions. The effect of solubility with time has been studied and the identity of the black decomposition product has been determined. The extent to which silver oxides dissolve in aqueous potassium hydroxide is determined by several reactions.
Infitah and (in)dependence: Bizerte women's economic strategies three decades into Tunisian neoliberal policy

This study is about Tunisian women's work and lives in the present era of economic neoliberalism. The focus of this article is dissertation research conducted in 2008–2009, with the assistance of a grant from the American Institute for Maghrib Studies, on working women in the city of Bizerte, Tunisia. Tunisia's economic infitah, opening to free trade, has meant new opportunities for Tunisian women. However, it is problematic to conflate women's ‘empowerment’ with labour force participation. Women in this study, those fortunate enough to find employment, often earn wages which maintain their dependency on male family members. Those working in informal economic production in traditionally gendered forms of work were also likely to earn little. Further, the possibilities for Bizerte women to seek social and economic power beyond traditional boundaries can lead to new chances for women to demand equality, but they often also exacerbate class stratification. While women of various class positions may find more...
Induced gate noise in MOS FET's☆

Abstract Input admittance, drain noise and induced gate noise measurements are reported on several MOS FET's of large geometry. A few units show excess gate noise as found earlier by Halladay and van der Ziel. Other units show the gate noise expected from the thermal noise of the channel. No evidence was found of induced flicker gate noise even in noisy units that showed flicker drain noise up to 30 MHz. Rao and van der Ziel have shown theoretically that Christensson, et al's flicker noise models should give clearly observable flicker gate noise if a noticeable amount of flicker drain noise is present. Since none was observed, this indicates that these models may not be correct. Experiments seem to indicate that the h.f. input conductance g11 varies as ƒ 3 2 in MOS-units with gate overlap whereas g11 varies as ƒ2 in MOS-units with no gate overlap. There is at present no satisfactory explanation for this difference; an ƒ2 frequency dependence is expected theoretically.
Neutron inelastic scattering from 54,56Fe.

Differential cross sections for inelastic scattering of neutrons to numerous levels in $^{54}$,56Fe have been measured at incident neutron energies of 11 and 26 MeV. The data have been analyzed in terms of a collective model using a distorted-wave Born approximation as well as a full coupled-channels treatment. Analysis has also been performed with a microscopic folding model using an energy- and density-dependent effective interaction. Both collective and microscopic analyses have also been applied to inelastic proton scattering in the same energy region in order to extract information on the isospin nature of the measured excitations.
Operators with singular continuous spectrum. VII. Examples with borderline time decay

We construct one-dimensional potentials V(x) so that if H = - d^2/dx^2 + V(x) on L^2(ℝ), then H has purely singular spectrum; but for a dense set D, φ є D implies that │φ,ℯ^(-itH)φ)│ ≦ C_φ│t│^(-1/2)In(│t│) for │t│ > 2. This implies the spectral measures have Hausdorff dimension one and also, following an idea of Malozemov-Molchanov, provides counterexamples to the direct extension of the theorem of Simon-Spencer on one-dimensional infinity high barriers.
Substance abuse among asian indians in the united states : A consideration of cultural factors in etiology and treatment

We explore cultural factors that contribute to substance use in the Asian Indian population in the United State and propose culturally sensitive treatment, with an emphasis on family issues. The 2000 U.S. Census figures show that Asian Indians residing in this country have grown to about 1.7 million from the 1990 U.S. Census figure of 815,000. On average, Asian Indians have a higher level of education and proficiency in English compared with many other new immigrant groups. The median family income for Asian Indians in the United State in 1999 was $70,708, compared with $53,356 for Whites. Based on these statistics, Asian Indians are erroneously labeled a “model minority.” However, a closer look shows that Asian Indians are paid lower than their White counterparts with comparable education. Also, many Asian Indians live in areas where the cost of living is higher, and high family income does not automatically translate into a higher standard of living. There is large within-group disparities in income, an...
The Pedagogical Effects of Interactive Multimedia Instruction in Listening

Abstract This paper describes the nature and assessment of an interactive videodisc instructional program on listening. The program is available to other educational institutions seeking to expand cost-effective listening instruction to students. Formative evaluations indicate that students enjoyed the Level III interactive multimedia instruction (IMI). Results of a dummy variable regression analysis indicate that students receiving IMI in listening achieved significantly higher immediate cognitive test scores and listening gain scores than did students in the control group. Regression analysis indicated no significant effect of reported GPA, year in school, previous listening instruction, or time-on-task on listening test gain scores of the IMI treatment group. However, significant effects on cognitive test scores were found for reported GPA, previous listening instruction, time-on-task, and senior versus non-senior standing.
Reliability evaluation of process models

The integration definition (IDEF) methodology has been extensively used for modeling of various processes. Reliability analysis of IDEM models is of interest to practitioners and researchers for several reasons. It identifies critical activities in the process, improves the process performance, and decreases downtime and operating cost of the process. This paper extends the system reliability evaluation techniques, i.e., the system reduction approach and minimum path and cut sets method for reliability evaluation of IDEF3 models. Representation of IDEF3 models as reliability graphs, generation of the minimal path and cut sets of IDEF3 models with a path tree algorithm, and reliability analysis of IDEF3 models are the issues discussed in this paper. An algorithm for computing reliability of an IDEF3 model from a path set-activity incidence matrix is also presented.
Light-induced absorbance changes of two cytochrome b components in the electron-transport system of spinach chloroplasts.

Abstract Light-induced absorbance changes of cytochromes b and f in chloroplasts have been measured in the cytochrome α-band region with a dual-wavelength spectrophotometer. The data indicate that there are b-type cytochromes at two different places in the electron-transport system. Whereas the cytochrome f changes induced by red (645 mμ) and far-red (715 mμ) light are typical of the two pigment system antagonism, the cytochrome b changes are more complex. With an actinic light intensity of 2–3·104 ergs·cm−2·sec−1 and no electron acceptor, the cytochrome b changes show two components, with difference spectra peaking at 563 and 560 mμ, respectively. Cytochrome b-563 is associated with a fast transient reduction upon illumination with far-red light. On turning off the far-red, cytochrome b-560 shows an oxidation which is reversible by red light. Cytochrome b-563 is oxidized in the dark and is not reduced by ascorbate, whereas cytochrome b-560, when oxidized, is ascorbate reducible. Both components are reduced by NADPH via a diaphorase. The cytochrome b-560 shows red, far-red reversibility at lower actinic light intensities and in the presence of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. It is concluded that cytochrome b-563 is reduced by Photosystem 1 and that cytochrome b-560 is in the electron transport chain between Photosystems 1 and 2.
Emerging Applications of Liquid Metals Featuring Surface Oxides

Gallium and several of its alloys are liquid metals at or near room temperature. Gallium has low toxicity, essentially no vapor pressure, and a low viscosity. Despite these desirable properties, applications calling for liquid metal often use toxic mercury because gallium forms a thin oxide layer on its surface. The oxide interferes with electrochemical measurements, alters the physicochemical properties of the surface, and changes the fluid dynamic behavior of the metal in a way that has, until recently, been considered a nuisance. Here, we show that this solid oxide “skin” enables many new applications for liquid metals including soft electrodes and sensors, functional microcomponents for microfluidic devices, self-healing circuits, shape-reconfigurable conductors, and stretchable antennas, wires, and interconnects.
Load-Calculation Procedure for Electric-Panel Space Heating

Radiant heating by means of low-temperature ceiling panels permits establishing comfort in a room with lower air temperature?and therefore a greater feeling of freshness?than is possible with heating systems of conventional type. Because of the reduced air temperature, the energy loss due to heating of ventilation air is less than usual and, in some cases, the over-all heat requirement for the system may be substantially less than that of a corresponding convection system. Architecturally, panel heating is advantageous, because there need be no visible evidence of the heating element. When electrically energized panels are used, this advantage is increased, as neither stack, boiler, nor fuel storage is required, and the only visible evidence of a heating plant is the electric switch. Electric systems of many types have been used extensively, but need exists for a panel of this type which will combine good diffusion characteristics (to give a uniform surface temperature) with minimum thermal capacity (to assure rapid response to load changes). The three steps which must be followed in designing a panel-heating system have been enumerated and discussed, and a detailed rational procedure has been presented for carrying out the analysis leading to determination of the required panel size (or operating temperature) and the energy requirement of the system.
Innovation for Community Health: Antibiotic Activity of Moringa oleifera Lam. Leaves Extract

Malunggay (Moringa oliefera), a topical plant of varied uses is often utilized in folk medicine to treat open wounds suggesting its antibiotic property. This study investigated the antibiotic activity of malunggay against the pus-forming bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus that are the common cause of wound infections in the community. Bacteria were cultured from a swab of a 2-day old purulent wound, pure cultures were prepared, and their identity verified by gram staining, culture appearance and differential tests results (e.g., catalase, blood agar hemolysis) with the assistance of a licensed bacteriology technologist. Juice from freshly picked malunggay leaves was extracted with the use of a commercial juicer, filter-sterilized and tested for antibiotic activity based on the Kirby Bauer Method. Zones of inhibition on a lawn of the pure culture of S. aureus produced by filter discs presoaked in varied concentrations (0%, 50%, 75% and 100%) of the malunggay extract were compared to the zones of inhibition on the same culture plate produced by discs pre-soaked in a preparation of penicillin G). Results showed significant increases in the diameter of the zones of inhibition produced with increasing concentrations of the malunggay leaves extract suggesting that fresh extract of malunggay leaves has antibiotic property that can be effective in the control of community-acquired Staphylococcus infections. Further confirmation of its efficacy effectiveness against drug resistant bacteria is recommended. Keywords - fresh malunggay leaves extract, staphylococcus aureus culture from purulent wound, zone of inhibition
A novel wet extrusion technique to fabricate self-assembled microfiber scaffolds for controlled drug delivery.

We have developed a novel wet extrusion process to fabricate nonwoven self-assembled microfiber scaffolds with uniform diameters less than 5 μm and without any postmanipulation. In this method, a poly(L-lactic acid) solution flows dropwise into a stirring nonsolvent bath, deforming into liquid polymer streams that self-assemble into a nonwoven microfiber scaffold. The ability to tune fiber diameter was achieved by decreasing polymer spin dope concentration and increasing the silicon oil to petroleum ether ratio of the nonsolvent spin bath. To demonstrate the drug delivery capabilities of scaffolds, heparin was encapsulated using a conventional water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion technique and a cryogenic emulsion technique developed in our laboratory. Spin dope preparation was found to significantly effect the release kinetics of self-assembled scaffolds by altering the interconnectivity of pores within the precipitating filaments. After 35 days, scaffolds prepared from W/O emulsions released up to 45% encapsulated heparin, whereas nearly 80% release of heparin was observed from cryogenic emulsion formulations. The versatility of our system, combined with the prolonged release of small molecules and the ability to control the homogeneity of self-assembling scaffolds, could be beneficial for many tissue regeneration and engineering applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 100A: 2793–2802, 2012.
Theory and applications of generalized dynamic programming: An overview

Abstract Extensions of dynamic programming (DP) into generalized preference structures, such as exist in multicriteria optimization, have invariably assumed sufficient structure to ensure the validity of Bellman's “principle of optimality” or the presence of monotonicity, hence ensuring the validity of the functional equations of DP. Often, however, the only reasonable formulation of problem (in terms of the size of the resulting state space) is one for which neither monotonicity nor the (strong) principle of optimality is satisfied. Generalized DP, based on a weaker principle of optimality, is a generalization of DP that produces optimal solutions, even in the absence of monotonicity. It is shown both to subsume conventional DP and to provide an alternative means of implementing Mitten's preference order DP. This paper provides an overview of generalized DP and its applications to date, summarizing our computational experiences in the process.
Risk factors for late-onset health care–associated bloodstream infections in patients in neonatal intensive care units

Health care-associated infections (HAI) among infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and result in substantial health care costs.1-5 The most common type of neonatal HAI is bloodstream infections (BSI), often associated with the use of central venous catheters.6-8 The National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System has reported rates of 9.1 umbilical and central line-associated BSI per 1000 device days for infants ≤1000 g, and 5.4 infections per 1000 catheter days for infants 1001 to 1500 g.9 Because advancing technology enables neonates to survive at lower birth weights, the number of preterm infants hospitalized in NICUs will continue to increase as will health care-associated BSI in this vulnerable population. Although central venous catheters are a well-established risk factor for BSI,1,5 there are few data comparing risk factors for catheter-related (CR) BSI with risk factors for non-CR BSI or risk factors for BSI caused by gram-positive as compared with gram-negative pathogens. Hence, the aims of this study were to compare risk factors for bacterial CR versus non-CR BSI and to compare risk factors for BSI associated with gram-negative versus gram-positive organisms among infants hospitalized in 2 NICUs in different hospitals in the same health care system.