cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reducing spin-up time for simulations of turbulent channel flow

Spin-up of turbulent channel flow forced with a constant mean pressure gradient is prolonged because the flow accelerates due to an imbalance between the driving pressure gradient and total bottom stress. To this end, a method ensuring a time invariant volume-averaged streamwise velocity during spin-up is presented and compared to simulations forced with a mean pressure gradient for both linear and logarithmic initial velocity profiles. The comparisons are made for open-channel flow with a friction Reynolds number Reτ of 500. Additional simulations with Reτ ranging from 1 to 400 are also run to confirm validity of the method for a range of Reynolds numbers. While the method eliminates spin-up time related to approaching the target volume-averaged velocity, spin-up time is still required for the flow to transition to turbulence and reach statistical equilibrium. Therefore, the time evolution of turbulence in response to different initial velocity profiles and random perturbations is investigated. Simulatio...
The Labor Share Squeeze in Latin America: A Dynamic Heterogeneous Approach

This paper analyzes the long-run relationship between labor share and its determinants for 20 Latin American countries from 1980 to 2014. Using the pooled mean group estimator, we find evidence that technological change, the globalization process, and financial integration, have contributed to the decline of labor share in Latin America. We also find evidence of the importance of institutional factors and public spending for the labor share. Finally, we discuss the role of the informal sector on the dynamics of the decline. Our key findings are robust to various specifications and methodologies.
Innovation and challenges in materials design for flexible rechargeable batteries: from 1D to 3D

Due to the emergence of numerous flexible electronic devices, the design and fabrication of flexible power sources with high energy density have attracted great attention in the field. Among various energy storage technologies, flexible rechargeable batteries are the most promising, because of their unique features including high flexibility, high specific energy density, light weight properties, etc. To achieve the flexible battery concept, the flexibility of each component is considered a key property in addition to required electrochemical capacity and stability. In this review, recent advances in different kinds of flexible rechargeable batteries are discussed, including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries, lithium–air (Li–air) batteries, zinc–air batteries (ZABs), and sodium–ion batteries (SIBs). Based on the macro-shapes and micro-structures, flexible batteries are outlined into one-, two-, and three-dimensional. Further, sub-classification is performed within each type according to the role of materials in various batteries such as anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, and other components. It is important to note that the design for flexibility is also influenced by the assembly process of all of material components. Thus, this review focuses not only on the selection and preparation of battery materials, but also on the complete battery assembly process. Since some experimental data for flexible batteries are still limited by today's technology, performance simulations have also been included to predict and describe the battery performance. Finally, key challenges and perspectives for advanced flexible battery technologies are provided as general guidance for future research.
The effects of attentional focus in the preparation and execution of a standing long jump.

Attentional focus research suggests an external focus leads to improved motor performance compared to an internal focus (Wulf in Int Rev Sport Exerc Psychol 6:77–104, 2013), but skilled athletes often report using an internal focus (Fairbrother et al., Front Psychol 7:1028, 2016) and sometimes shifting between different foci in the preparation and execution phases of performance (Bernier et al. in J Appl Sport Psychol 23:326–341, 2011; Bernier et al. in Sport Psychol 30:256–266, 2016). To date, focus shifts have been unexplored in experimental research, thus the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of shifting focus between the preparation and execution phases of a standing long jump. Participants (N = 29) completed two jumps in a control condition (CON), followed by two jumps in four experimental conditions presented in a counterbalanced order. Conditions included using an external focus (EF) and internal focus (IF) in both preparation and execution of the skill, as well as shifting from an internal focus in preparation to an external focus in execution (ITE), and an external focus in preparation to an internal focus in execution (ETI). Jump distance was analyzed with a repeated measures ANOVA. The main effect of condition was significant, p < .001, with EF producing longer jumps than all other conditions (p’s < 0.05). ITE also generated farther jumps than IF and CON (p’s < 0.05). The superiority of the EF and ITE conditions suggests that the focus employed in execution has the strongest impact on performance. Additionally, if an internal focus must be used in preparation, the performance decrement can be ameliorated by shifting to an external focus during execution.
Sepiolite in Pleistocene Lake Tecopa, Inyo County, California

Abstract P1eistocene Lake TecOpa, in southeastern Inyo County, California, was formed in a closed basin when the Amargosa River was blocked at the southern end of the valley. The lake-bottom sediments consist of mudstones interbedded with tuffs formed from intermittent volcanic ash falls. Sepiolite is found near the margins of the lake basin, stratigraphically within about 2 meters of the uppermost tuffs. The sepiolite was probably precipitated when silica taken into solution from the volcanic ash became available to the magnesium-bearing, high-pH (9.0) lake waters. Zeolites were formed within the ash beds and the sepiolites were formed outside the ash beds. Apparently sepiolite was not produced within the ash beds because of the presence of reactive alumina.
Elimination of Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B in Africa: A Review of Available Tools and New Opportunities.

Abstract Purpose This review article focuses on preventing vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where disease is endemic and the estimated maternal HBV seroprevalence is >8%. Available interventions that have been studied in low- and middle-income countries are compared in terms of efficacy and effectiveness in clinical practice. Global disease-elimination targets, barriers to HBV-prevention efforts, and critical research gaps are discussed. Methods A PubMed literature search in February 2018 identified relevant studies of interventions to reduce or prevent the transmission of HBV during pregnancy or in the peripartum period. Studies that focused on interventions that are currently available or could be made available in SSA were included. Trials conducted in SSA and other low-income countries were prioritized, although studies of interventions in middle- and high-income countries were included. Findings Among 127 studies and reports included in the review, 60 included data from SSA. The most cost-effective intervention to reduce HBV infection rates in SSA is timely birth-dose vaccination followed by completion of the 3-dose infant-vaccination series. The identification and treatment of pregnant women with elevated HBV viral load to further reduce the risk for vertical transmission in SSA show promise, but efficacy and tolerability trials in Africa are lacking. Implications Scale-up of currently available tools is required to reach HBV disease-elimination goals in SSA. Many countries in SSA are in the process of rolling out national birth-dose vaccination campaigns; this roll out provides an opportunity to evaluate and improve processes in order to expand coverage. Early antenatal care, promotion of facility deliveries, and increased awareness of HBV prevention are also key components of prevention success. Future studies in SSA should identity an HBV-prevention package that is effective, well tolerated, and feasible and can be administered in the antenatal clinic and tailored to vertical-transmission risk.
Microstructure Evolution and Implications for Cu Nanointerconnects and Beyond

The continued scaling of Cu low k technology is facing serious challenges imposed by basic limits from materials, processing and reliability. This has generated great interests recently to further develop Cu nanointerconnects and alternates, particularly Co and Ru nanointerconnects beyond the 10nm node. The performance and reliability are important considerations for the development of nanointerconnects in addition to challenges from processing complexity and manufacturing cost. In this paper, we investigate the microstructure evolution in Cu, Co and Ru nanointerconnects and the effects on resistivity and electromigration (EM), two key factors contributing to the RC delay and reliability of the nanointerconnects.
Dynamic simulation, control, and performance evaluation of a synergistic solar and natural gas hybrid power plant

Abstract Solar power is considered among the leading renewable energy technologies. Abundant supply, flexibility of installation, and decreasing cost makes it an interesting renewable energy resource. However, there are challenges associated with the reliability of solar power due to its intermittent nature. This work demonstrates the synergies that exist in integrated hybrid systems, where a dispatchable fuel is used in conjunction with concentrated solar power. In this simulation-based study, a parabolic trough solar concentrator is used to collect solar energy. The heat collected from the solar field is used to generate steam in a Rankine cycle. The system also utilizes natural gas combustion in the steam generator to provide supplemental steam when the solar intensity is reduced due to cloud cover or at night. Natural gas is also used for superheating the steam, which allows the system to produce higher temperatures and achieve increased thermodynamic cycle efficiencies. This flexible design produces 100 MW at nominal conditions, while it is capable of producing a maximum of 140 MW when sufficient solar energy is available. The novel contributions of this work include a complete, systems-level, dynamic model of a hybrid solar plant. The model is complete with a control system that smoothly transitions the plant from pure natural gas mode at night to solar hybrid mode during the day. It evaluates innovative design features such as flexible fuel operation, steam superheating to boost efficiency, and preheating by solar or waste heat. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that by hybridizing a solar system with a dispatchable energy source, both the reliability and efficiency of the solar power production are increased. The annual solar-to-electric efficiency increases from 15.2% to 26.13% with hybridization, which indicates that utilization of the solar energy is effectively increased.
Effects of Inorganic Mercury and Methylmercury on the Ionic Currents of Cultured Rat Hippocampal Neurons

1. The effects of inorganic Hg2+ and methylmercuric chloride on the ionic currents of cultured hippocampal neurons were studied and compared. We examined the effects of acute exposure to the two forms of mercury on the properties of voltage-activated Ca2+ and Na+ currents and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced currents.
SHRINKING THE EARTH: The Rise and Decline of Natural Abundance, by Donald Worster. xii and 265 pp.; ills., bibliog., index. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. $27.95 (cloth), isbn 9780199844951

Are there limits to growth—of economy, population, natural resource use, wealth—or will human ingenuity always concur the obstacles through capital and technology? Donald Worster, an environmental ...
From discoveries in ageing research to therapeutics for healthy ageing

For several decades, understanding ageing and the processes that limit lifespan have challenged biologists. Thirty years ago, the biology of ageing gained unprecedented scientific credibility through the identification of gene variants that extend the lifespan of multicellular model organisms. Here we summarize the milestones that mark this scientific triumph, discuss different ageing pathways and processes, and suggest that ageing research is entering a new era that has unique medical, commercial and societal implications. We argue that this era marks an inflection point, not only in ageing research but also for all biological research that affects the human healthspan. The milestones that mark the advances in ageing research, the medical, commercial and societal implications of ageing and the different ageing pathways and processes that are associated with ageing are discussed.
Cytochrome P450 2E1-deficient MRL+/+ mice are less susceptible to trichloroethene-mediated autoimmunity: Involvement of oxidative stress-responsive signaling pathways.

Abstract Reactive trichloroethene (TCE) metabolites and oxidative stress are involved in TCE-mediated autoimmunity, as evident from our earlier studies in MRL+/+ mice. However, molecular mechanisms underlying the autoimmunity remain largely unknown. Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), the major enzyme responsible for TCE metabolism, could contribute to TCE-induced toxic response through free radical generation. The current study was, therefore, aimed to further evaluate the significance of TCE metabolism leading to oxidative stress and autoimmune response by using MRL+/+ mice that lack CYP2E1. The Cyp2e1-null MRL+/+ mice were generated by backcrossing Cyp2e1-null mice (B6N; 129S4-Cyp2e1) to MRL +/+ mice. Female MRL+/+ and Cyp2e1-null MRL+/+ mice were given TCE (10 mmol/kg, i.p., every 4th day) for 6 weeks; their respective controls received corn oil only. TCE treatment in MRL+/+ mice induced oxidative stress, evident from significantly increased serum malondiadelhyde (MDA)-protein adducts, their antibodies and reduced liver GSH levels. TCE treatment also modulated Nrf2 pathway with decreased Nrf2 and HO-1, and elevated NF-κB (p65) expression in the liver. TCE exposure also led to increases in serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double stranded DNA antibodies (anti-dsDNA). Although TCE treatment in Cyp2e1-null MRL+/+ mice also led to increases in serum MDA-protein adducts and their antibodies, changes in liver GSH, Nrf2, HO-1 and NF-κB along with increases in serum ANA, anti-dsDNA, the alterations in the oxidative stress and autoimmunity markers in these mice were less pronounced compared to those in MRL+/+ mice. These findings support the contribution of CYP2E1-mediated TCE metabolism in autoimmune response and an important role of Nrf2 pathway in TCE-mediated autoimmunity.
Cyberinfrastructure and resources to enable an integrative approach to studying forest trees.

Sequencing technologies and bioinformatic approaches are now available to resolve the challenges associated with complex and heterozygous genomes. Increased access to less expensive and more effective instrumentation will contribute to a wealth of high-quality plant genomes in the next few years. In the meantime, more than 370 tree species are associated with public projects in primary repositories that are interrogating expression profiles, identifying variants, or analyzing targeted capture without a high-quality reference genome. Genomic data from these projects generates sequences that represent intermediate assemblies for transcriptomes and genomes. These data contribute to forest tree biology, but the associated sequence remains trapped in supplemental files that are poorly integrated in plant community databases and comparative genomic platforms. Successful implementation of life science cyberinfrastructure is improving data standards, ontologies, analytic workflows, and integrated database platforms for both model and non-model plant species. Unique to forest trees with large populations that are long-lived, outcrossing, and genetically diverse, the phenotypic and environmental metrics associated with georeferenced populations are just as important as the genomic data sampled for each individual. To address questions related to forest health and productivity, cyberinfrastructure must keep pace with the magnitude of genomic and phenomic sampling of larger populations. This review examines the current landscape of cyberinfrastructure, with an emphasis on best practices and resources to align community data with the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) guidelines.
Novel and lethal case of cardiac involvement in DNM1L mitochondrial encephalopathy

Pathogenic DNM1L mutations cause a mitochondrial disorder with a highly variable clinical phenotype characterized by developmental delay, hypotonia, seizures, microcephaly, poor feeding, ocular abnormalities, and dysarthria. We report the case of an 8-month-old female with autosomal dominant, de novo DNM1L c. 1228G>A (p. E410K) mutation and mitochondrial disorder, septo-optic dysplasia, hypotonia, developmental delay, elevated blood lactate, and severe mitochondrial cardiomyopathy leading to nonischemic congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock resulting in death. This case suggests that cardiac involvement, previously undescribed, can be a clinically important feature of this syndrome and should be screened for at diagnosis.
Heart Rate Variability, Neuromuscular and Perceptual Recovery Following Resistance Training

We quantified associations between changes in heart rate variability (HRV), neuromuscular and perceptual recovery following intense resistance training (RT). Adult males (n = 10) with >1 year RT experience performed six sets to failure with 90% of 10 repetition maximum in the squat, bench press, and pull-down. Changes (∆) from pre- to immediately (IP), 24 and 48 h post-RT were calculated for neuromuscular performance markers (counter-movement jump peak power and mean concentric bench press and squat velocity with load corresponding to 1.0 m∙s−1) and perceived recovery and soreness scales. Post-waking natural logarithm of the root-mean square of successive differences (LnRMSSD) in supine and standing positions were recorded pre-RT (5 day baseline), IP and two mornings post-RT. All parameters worsened at IP (p < 0.05). LnRMSSD measures were not different from baseline by 24 h. Neuromuscular markers were not different from pre-RT by 48 h. Perceptual measures remained suppressed at 48 h. No significant associations among ∆ variables were observed (p = 0.052–0.978). These data show varying timeframes of recovery for HRV, neuromuscular and perceptual markers at the group and individual level. Thus, post-RT recovery testing should be specific and the status of one metric should not be used to infer that of another.
Visually Introducing Freshmen to Low-Level Java Abstractions for Creating, Synchronizing and Coordinating Threads

We have developed and experimented with an approach to teach low-level Java concurrency abstractions in our first required course for CS majors, which assumes knowledge of procedural programming. The driving problems are visualized simulations of multiple physical objects in motion that may (a) be confined to a shared space and (b) coordinate with each other. Such simulations do not require any domain-specific knowledge such as sorting and image processing for driving problems and exercises, and their implementation demonstrates the benefits of object-based programming. They allow focus on both the performance and programmability benefits of concurrency, provide analogies for an abstraction-independent explanation of concurrency concepts, and can be used to incrementally motivate all low-level concurrency abstractions and visualize the effect of using and not using these abstractions. Layered simulation-based worked examples illustrating the abstractions were presented and easily understood in multiple offerings of a course that implemented this approach. Students implemented non-trivial assignments based on these abstractions, even when they were optional, did not face major obstacles because of visual error feedback, and were excited by concurrency as they felt it empowered them to implement arbitrary applications early.
Exercise and Migraine Prevention: a Review of the Literature.

This review intends to characterize the recent literature pertaining to the role of aerobic exercise in the prevention of migraine. Areas of consensus within that literature may be used to guide clinical practice, allowing for the promulgation of evidence-based practice recommendations. The past decade has seen the publication of numerous high-quality studies that explore aspects of exercise’s effects on migraine prevention, including its success as a stand-alone prevention strategy, as well as its non-inferiority to some pharmacologic preventive measures. Exercise often tops providers’ lists of recommended lifestyle modifications that help reduce migraine burden. Biologically, exercise suppresses inflammatory modulators, including numerous cytokines, and stress hormones, like growth hormone and cortisol. Exercise has also been shown to affect microvascular health, which may be implicated in cortical spreading depression. Psychologically, there is evidence that exercise improves migraine self-efficacy and internalizes the locus of control, leading to reduced migraine burden. Randomized control trials have demonstrated that a sufficiently rigorous aerobic exercise regimen alone is sufficient to yield a statistically significant reduction in migraine frequency, intensity, and duration. Higher-intensity training appears to confer more benefit. Studies have also demonstrated non-inferiority of exercise compared with certain pharmacologic prophylactic interventions, like topiramate. However, the addition of exercise to a traditional preventive regimen may provide added benefit. Special populations, like those with comorbid neck pain or tension headache, may benefit from exercise; and patients who cannot tolerate high-impact exercise may even benefit from low-impact exercise like yoga. Therefore, exercise is a reasonable evidence-based recommendation for migraine prevention.
Stories and voices: Engaging community differences by designing a deliberative public dialogue

Students engage in a pedagogy that fosters deliberation on civic issues that illicit different perspectives relevant to a community through a semester-long project that culminates in the execution ...
Label free two photon imaging to assess tissue morphology and function

Label-free intensity and lifetime two photon excited fluorescence in combination with second harmonic generation images yield a wealth of morphological and functional information. Quantitative assessments of such images enable characterization of cellular metabolism and morphology in the context of important structural features of the surrounding matrix and/or biomaterial scaffold. Dynamic changes and interactions that are difficult to characterize using traditional staining or bulk tissue assessment techniques are revealed in the context of disease presence, tissue responses, and cell-matrix interactions in human and engineered tissues.
Epistemic utility theory’s difficult future

According to epistemic utility theory, epistemic rationality is teleological: epistemic norms are instrumental norms that have the aim of acquiring accuracy. What’s definitive of these norms is that they can be expected to lead to the acquisition of accuracy when followed. While there’s much to be said in favor of this approach, it turns out that it faces a couple of worrisome extensional problems involving the future. The first problem involves credences about the future, and the second problem involves future credences. Examining prominent solutions to a different extensional problem for this approach reinforces the severity of the two problems involving the future. Reflecting on these problems reveals the source: the teleological assumption that epistemic rationality aims at acquiring accuracy.
Sustained Effect of a Brief Video in Reducing Public Stigma Toward Individuals With Psychosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Young Adults

Objective: Public stigma is a barrier to care and increases the duration of untreated psychosis among individuals with first-episode psychosis. The authors recently demonstrated the efficacy of a 9...
A reduced global warming potential replacement for HFC-134a in centrifugal chillers: XP10 measured performance and projected climate impact

The performance of XP10, a new refrigerant with a reduced global warming potential, in a centrifugal chiller designed for HFC-134a with a cooling capacity of 1969.44 kW (560 tons) was measured under full- and part-load conditions and compared to performance with HFC-134a. Measured chiller energy efficiencies with XP10 were comparable to those with HFC-134a. They resulted in 0.6% higher energy consumption for XP10 when integrated over a representative profile of partial loads as described by AHRI Standard 550/590 (AHRI 2003). Based on the measured chiller performance, XP10 could be considered a near drop-in replacement for HFC-134a in centrifugal chillers. It could replace HFC-134a in existing chillers or enable optimized new chiller designs without extensive equipment and no flammability code modifications. The total equivalent warming impact of a chiller with XP10 was estimated under representative scenarios and compared to total equivalent warming impact with HFC-134a. Use of XP10 could significantly re...
Visualization of mitochondria in budding yeast.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the labeling methods and optical approaches for visualizing yeast mitochondria, using fluorescence microscopy. It is now feasible for laboratories to acquire and analyze high-resolution multidimensional images of yeast and structures within yeast, including mitochondria. As mitochondria cannot be detected in yeast using transmitted-light microscopy (phase-contrast or differential interference contrast), methods have been developed to visualize the organelle with vital fluorescent dyes, immunofluorescence, or targeted fluorescent proteins (FPs). For studies of morphology and dynamics of mitochondrial membranes, the laboratory uses FPs targeted to the matrix or the inner surface of the inner mitochondrial membrane. FPs can be targeted to mitochondria by two methods both of which employ fusion proteins. One approach relies on ectopic expression of fusion proteins consisting of mitochondrial signal sequences fused to FPs. The other method is the fusion of FPs to endogenous mitochondrial proteins. Signal sequences contain all the information that is required for import of proteins from the cytosol into mitochondria. They may reside at the N-terminus, C-terminus, or within nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. Mitochondrial signal sequences have been used to target FPs to mitochondria and specific compartments within mitochondria. The chapter discusses several plasmid-borne targeted FPs to label yeast mitochondria. All of the targeted FPs used produces a robust fluorescent signal that is specific for mitochondria and have no deleterious effect on cell growth or on mitochondrial morphology, motility, or respiratory activity. Applications and outcomes for each of the commonly used approaches are also summarized in the chapter.
Urethral erosion. Complication of Kaufman anti-incontinence operation.

Abstract Results of eighteen months' experience with the Kaufman III prosthesis for urinary incontinence have been excellent-to-good in 75 per cent of patients. The infrequent but distressing complication of urethral erosion has been encountered and is the subject of this report.
Limits and Continuous Functions

Let {x n } be a sequence of real numbers. We shall say that the sequence converges if there exists an element a ∈ R such that, given є > 0, there exists a positive integer N such that for all n ≧ N we have $$\left| {a - {x_n}} \right| < \in .$$
Mobilization and transport of in situ colloids during drainage and imbibition of partially saturated sediments

[1] Colloid mobilization and transport in the vadose zone have important implications to the migration of many contaminants that adsorb to mineral surfaces. The objective of this study is to elucidate the influences of transient flow events on the mobilization of in situ colloids from water-unsaturated natural sediments. Results from our laboratory column experiments demonstrate that sand pack drainage and imbibition mobilized substantial quantities of mineral colloids and that effluent colloid concentrations peaked concomitantly with the passage of the wetting and drying fronts. In these experiments, drainage events occurred first and mobilized higher concentrations of in situ colloids than the following imbibition events, and the mass of colloids mobilized was sensitive to pore water ionic strength, as well as to the rates of imbibition and drainage. The data from the column experiments were used to test a new mathematical model that is based on the assumption that colloid mobilization is driven by pore-scale changes in air-water configuration that occur during porous medium drainage and imbibition. The simulated changes in air-water configuration are predicted on the basis of the measured water retention characteristics of the porous medium. Agreement between measured and modeled concentrations of colloids is generally good, and the parameters that govern the kinetics of colloid mobilization and redeposition vary in a discernible fashion with changes in ionic strength, imbibition rates, and drainage rates.
Do Sexy Cover Models Increase Magazine Sales

Abstract In the competitive struggle to increase circulation, mainstream men's magazines (such as Details, Maxim, Esquire) are featuring sexually attractive people on their covers. This article reports the findings of a study designed to determine if the sexual response evoked by cover models is related to interest in the magazine and purchase intention. Findings suggest that sexual attractiveness of the cover model and sexual arousal were related to interest in the magazine, but not purchase intention. Although no gender differences emerged, those with a positive sexual response to the cover person were more interested in the magazine. These results suggest that sexy cover models may be most effective for attracting attention to, and interest in, the magazine at the newsstand, but that feature articles have greater impact on purchase decisions.
Development of a broadly-tunable continuous-wave, mode-hop-tuned, PPLN OPO for chemical sensing application

Summary form only given. The use of periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) in spectroscopy and chemical sensing offers many potential advantages over traditional laser based systems. Many chemical sensing applications require broad tunability, high power and single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation. While PPLN based sources offer many of these attributes there are currently few in use. We have developed a broadly tunable, SLM optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on PPLN for use in a photoacoustic spectrometer. The development of a broadly tunable cw OPO is a difficult task and there are many subtleties and differences from more traditional tunable laser sources.
THE PH DEPENDENCE OF BINDING OF α, α‘‐DIBROMO‐P‐XYLENESULFONIC ACID TO LYSOZYME

The chemical modification of lysozyme (I) has been accomplished with alpha, alpha'-dibromo-p-xylenesulfonic acid (DBX) at five different pH values. I was alkylated by DBX at room temperature (28 degrees C) with decrease in enzyme activity. The rate of inactivation depended upon the pH at which alkylation was carried out. The highest rate was seen at alkaline pH values; the lowest at more acidic pH values. Amino acid analyses showed that-two lysines and two tryptophan residues had been modified at pH 9; two lysines, one tryptophan and one methionine had reacted at pH 8. A histidine residue was bound at pH 6.5 together with a tryptophan residue. At the lower pH values (2.7, 4.5, 6.5), alkylation occurred with a single tryptophan residue each. Fluorescence and CD data both ruled out the participation of tryptophans 62 or 108. Labeling experiments showed that two residues of DBX-35S were bound per molecule of I at both pH9 and pH8; one residue of DBX was bound per molecule of I at the other pH values. Sedimentation coefficients were characteristic of native lysozyme. The stoichiometry of binding and residue modification indicated that intra-molecular cross links were established. The pH dependence of the cross-linking provides means to measure several allowed intra-molecular distances. The results presented here are consistent with the existence of side chain motion in lysozyme.
Clinical outcomes three years after PLAATO implantation.

Background: The percutaneous left atrial appendage transcatheter occlusion system (PLAATO) is an alternative to coumadin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and contraindications to anticoagulation. It appears to be protective against stroke in intermediate follow-up studies. Hypothesis: The PLAATO system is protective against stroke and is safe in long-term follow-up. Methods: Eleven patients (age 72 ± 9 years) enrolled in the PLAATO feasibility and safety trial at our institution were followed (36 ± 1.4) months. All patients had contraindications to anticoagulation and had at least one risk factor for stroke. The predicted stroke risk for this cohort was 8.6% per year as calculated using the CHADS2 score (A validated scoring system assigning 1 point for CHF, hypertension, diabetes, and age >75 years, and 2 points for history of stroke). The primary end-point was the incidence of stroke, and secondary end points were complications related to PLAATO device and systemic embolic events. Results: There was one stroke during follow-up; the stroke risk in our population was 3% per year. Interestingly, the observed stroke risk in these patients after occluding the left atrial appendage is comparable to what would have been observed with warfarin. No systemic embolic events were noted in our cohort and no long term complications related to PLAATO were seen. Conclusion: The PLAATO device decreases the risk of stroke in a high-risk cohort of AF patients. Furthermore, the safety of this device is confirmed during this long-term follow-up study. A larger trial is needed to validate these findings. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phenotypic differences between cord blood and adult peripheral blood.

Background and Objectives Neonates are more susceptible to infections than adults, due to a less mature immune system. The objective of this study was to compare the immunophenotypes of cord blood (CB) and adult peripheral blood (APB) and to establish whether or not there are immunophenotypical differences. Methods CB and APB were collected into CPD anticoagulant. Whole blood was stained with fluorochrome conjugated antibodies, cells were fixed, red cells were lysed, and samples were run in a FACSCanto flow cytometer. Results Plots of SSC vs. CD45 showed two lymphocyte-like populations in CB with the same low SSC characteristics while there was only one low SSC lymphoid population in APB. The CD45dim population included the majority of CD34+ cells, but it also included T, B, NKT, and NK cells. The percentages of CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD19+, CD3+CD56+, and CD3−CD56+ in the CD45high gate of CB were similar to the percentages obtained for APB. Meanwhile, in the CD45dim gate, the percentages were either lower (CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+) or higher (CD19+, CD3+CD56+, CD3−CD56+) than in the CD45high gate. Conclusions CB presents two lymphoid populations defined by different levels of expression of the phosphatase CD45; the CD45dim subsets likely represent cells with elevated proliferative activity possibly due to the differential expression of CD45 but still not yet immunologically mature with regard to immunophenotype and function. © 2008 Clinical Cytometry Society
Wall thickness control in layered manufacturing for surfaces with closed slices

Abstract The layered manufacture of sheet (surface) parts is considered for processes that use support structure. In particular, for surfaces with closed slices and solids whose interiors are unimportant, a new method for construction that reduces the need for “traditional” support structure, hence reducing wasted material and decreasing build time, is proposed. This method selectively thickens the surface's walls and is a natural compliment to adaptive slicing. Instructive examples are provided.
Western equine encephalomyelitis virus: In vivo infection and morphogenesis in mosquito mesenteronal epithelial cells

Abstract The infection and morphogenetic events associated with the replication of Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) virus within the mesenterons of Aedes dorsalis and three strains of Culex tarsalis are compared and contrasted. WEE virus apparently penetrates mesenteronal epithelial cells in vivo through membrane fusion. Profiles of apparent membrane fusion events were observed between virus particles and the microvillar surface of the mesenteron and naked nucleocapsids are observed intracellularly along the apical margin of the mesenteronal epithelial cell within 3 h of ingestion of the bloodmeal. Further, no viral particles were found in association with endocytotic nor lysosomal vacuoles during the initial phases of infection. In those strains of Cx. tarsalis that supported viral replication and in Ae. dorsalis , accumulations of nucleocapsids and maturation of WEE virus were evident along basolateral membranes of the mesenteron by 22–24 h after ingestion of the bloodmeal. Maximal extracellular nascent virus occurred between 30–36 hrs. The Knights Landing strain of Cx. tarsalis revealed no subcellular morphological alteration in response to infection throughout the period of study. However, distinct morphological structures associated with the infection were observed in strains or species with enhanced susceptibility compared to Knights Landing (i.e., Cx. tarsalis WS-3 and Ae. dorsalis ). In both, apical accumulations of nucleocapsids were apparent by 29 h post infection. These nucleocapsids were most often embedded in a rather amorphous matrix and occasionally in association with membrane profiles; presumably endoplasmic reticulum. Ae. dorsalis also demonstrated some alterations in response to WEE viral infection that were unique relative to Cx. tarsalis and some of these may be considered cytopathological. First, progeny virions were observed repeatedly within lysosomal figures. Second, extensive cytoplasmic vacuolization was noted and occasionally it appeared that these vacuolated cells were being sloughed off into the lumen of the mesenteron.
Ocular Manifestations of the Meckel Syndrome

The Meckel syndrome is a genetically determined (autosomal recessive) disease with major developmental abnormalities incompatible with life. The ocular manifestations include cryptophthalmos, clinical anophthalmos, microphthalmos, sclerocornea, microcornea, abnormal iridocorneal angle, partial aniridia, cataract, persistent tunica vasculosa lentis, retinal dysplasia, posterior staphyloma, and hypoplasia of the optic nerve. The ocular abnormalities are very similar to those of the 13-15 trisomy syndrome, but the chromosome karyotype is normal in the Meckel syndrome.
Control of differentiation in BC3H1 muscle cells.

Abstract BC3H1 is a cell line that undergoes a musclelike pattern of differentiation under the appropriate conditions. We have examined the control of the synthesis of proteins characteristic of differentiated muscle in these cells as a function of their position in the cell cycle. We define two positions in the cell cycle where BC3H1 cells can remain stably quiescent. G1d is a restriction point early in the G1 portion of the cell cycle that permits the synthesis of muscle-specific proteins and is probably identical to G0. The second restriction point, G1q, occurs approximately 4 hr later in the G1 portion of the cell cycle and does not permit the synthesis of muscle-specific proteins. Movement of the cells from G1d to G1q occurs when fibroblast growth factor is added to the cells and is reversed when this growth factor is removed. Repression of the synthesis of muscle-specific proteins occurs when fibroblast growth factor is added to cells in G1d. In the case of the muscle form of creatine phosphokinase (M-CPK), the decline in the rate synthesis of this protein is a consequence of a decreased level of its mRNA. By contrast, the repression of alpha-actin synthesis, a protein synthesized only in differentiated cells, appears to be controlled at the translational level. The effect of fibroblast growth factor and other mitogens in these cells require activation of tyrosine kinase(s), but the intracellular targets of these kinases are not known. Studies by others suggest that activation of the ras oncogene can mimic the action of mitogenic polypeptides on these and other muscle cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Analytical and numerical solutions of the time-dependent Debye-Smoluchowski equation for transport-influenced reactions: Ion-ion recombination

Abstract Analytical solutions of the time-dependent Debye-Smoluchowski equation (DSE) for a general interaction V ( R ) between associating species A and B in a medium M are proposed. The derived probability distributions of A-B pairs at time t and separation R are exact solutions of the DSE (a) for all times t and large internal separations R , (b) for large t and all R and (c) for short t and all R . The derived analytical transient rates α L ( t ) and α s ( t ) are exact at long and short times. They also tend to the correct limits as t →0 and t →∞ respectively. Comparison with present exact numerical solutions of the DSE for ion-ion recombination under Coulombic attraction illustrates the effectiveness of an analytical rate α( t ) proposed for all t . The microscopic basis of the DSE is also examined in order to expose certain assumptions inherent to the macroscopic treatment.
Photon + hadron production in high energy deuteron (proton)–nucleus collisions

Abstract We apply the color glass condensate formalism to photon + hadron production cross section in high energy deuteron (proton)–gold collisions at RHIC. We investigate the dependence of the production cross section on the angle between the produced hadron and photon for various rapidities and transverse momenta. It is shown that the angular correlation between the produced hadron and photon is a sensitive probe of the saturation dynamics.
Applications of Nuclear Data Covariances to Criticality Safety and Spent Fuel Characterization

Covariance data computational methods and data used for sensitivity and uncertainty analysis within the SCALE nuclear analysis code system are presented. Applications in criticality safety calculations and used nuclear fuel analysis are discussed.
Reinterpretation of the Boundary between the Cosumnes and Logtown Ridge Formations, Amador County, California

Recent detailed geologic mapping in the Sierran foothills reveals that rocks previously included in the Jurassic Amador Group must be redefined. The term “Amador Group” was applied by Taliaferro and Clark to a section of epiclastic metasedimentary rocks (the Cosumnes Formation) and the seemingly conformable overlying metavolcanic rocks (the Logtown Ridge Formation). New structural and stratigraphic evidence indicates that at their type localities on the banks of the Cosumnes River the boundary between the two formations should be relocated about 610 m downsection from the position shown by Clark. This change removes all known paleontological control on the age of the Cosumnes Formation. Structural relations show that the type Cosumnes and Logtown Ridge Formations are in fault contact at the Cosumnes River. Rocks of the Cosumnes Formation are now grouped with a complex unit of megabreccia that includes other strata previously termed the “western belt” of the Calaveras Formation. The megabreccia formed, at least partly, sometime between late Paleozoic and Late Jurassic times, but rocks in the megabreccia, including the Cosumnes Formation, could be older than late Paleozoic. The term “Amador Group” is herein abandoned.
Family based association analysis of statistically derived quantitative traits for drug use in ADHD and the dopamine transporter gene.

Abstract Objective To determine whether SNPs within the dopamine transporter gene ( DAT ) are associated with quantitative phenotypes generated from drug frequency variables in an ADHD sample. Method 35 SNPs were genotyped in and around DAT . We developed a quantitative phenotype at each SNP by weighting the drug frequency variables. The weights were selected to maximize the heritability at each SNP. Once a quantitative phenotype was generated at each SNP, a screening procedure was used to select and test the SNPs with the greatest power to detect an association in DAT . Results No SNPs in DAT were associated with the quantitative phenotypes generated from the drug frequency variables after the multiple comparisons adjustment; however, some SNPs achieved nominal significance. A sliding window of analysis of 3 SNPs also resulted in only nominal associations. Conclusions SNPs in DAT do not appear to be associated with the phenotypes generated from drug frequency variables among individuals with ADHD.
Subclavian Steal Syndrome in the Pediatric Age Group

Four pediatric patients with subclavian steal syndrome (SSS) are described. One patient with congenital SSS had persistence of the lesion following surgical repair of coarctation of the aorta due to a gradient across a hypoplastic aortic arch. In 3 patients SSS developed on an acquired basis as a sequel to corrective operation, for coarctation in 1 patient, and interrupted aortic arch in 2 patients. Contributory factors included hypoplasia of the aortic arch, anatomical variation of the origin of the vertebral artery, and discrete recoarctation involving the ostium of the subclavian artery. Treatment was by vertebral artery ligation in 3 patients and by prosthetic patch arterioplasty in the patient with recoarctation. The 4 patients remain asymptomatic on follow-up of 16 to 25 months.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol delays the gastric emptying of solid food in humans: a double-blind, randomized study

Background: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active constituent of marijuana, is an effective agent in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Aim: To determine the effect of THC on gastric emptying of a radiolabelled solid food in humans. Methods: Thirteen healthy volunteers underwent gastric emptying studies after receiving THC and placebo in a randomized double-blind fashion on 2 separate days. THC, at a dose of 10 mg/m2 of body surface area, or placebo were administered. Results: Gastric emptying after THC was slower than placebo in all subjects. Mean percentage of isotope remaining in the stomach was significantly greater than after placebo from 30 min (85.5 ± 4.3% vs. 94.2 ± 1.4% placebo and THC, respectively, P < 0.05) to 120 min (45.6 ± 7.2% vs. 73.9 ± 7.1% placebo and THC, respectively, P < 0.001) after the test meal. No correlation was found between plasma THC levels and the delay in gastric emptying. Conclusions: THC at a dose used for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting significantly delays gastric emptying of solid food in humans. Therefore, the anti-emetic property of THC may be mediated through the central nervous system.