cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accelerating sustainable photovoltaic market development

The Asia Alternative Energy Program (ASTAE) is a World Bank-donor initiative to support renewable energy and end energy efficiency investments in Asia. This article summarizes ASTAE's review of Solar Home System program experience in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. Successful photovoltaic (PV) market development for rural electrification requires removal of financial and institutional barriers. The authors emphasize the need to overcome the initial cost barrier of Solar Home Systems, establish responsive and sustainable infrastructure and ensure quality products and services. This article also identifies the economic niche for PV use in comparison to traditional options, such as kerosene lanterns and extension of the grid. Major obstacles to the diffusion of off-grid electrication via PV are discussed, along with recommended solutions and best practices. The authors have sought to apply these recommendations in design of the World Bank-assisted Sri Lanka Energy Services Delivery Project and the Solar Home Systems Project in Indonesia. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characteristics of DUI recidivists: A 12-year follow-up study of first time DUI offenders

77 individuals convicted of a drinking and driving (DUI) offense were screened for recidivism approximately 12 years following their first offense. At the time of the initial DUI conviction, participants were administered the MAST and the MMPI-2. Participants' drinking history and driving history and arrest at the time of screening and at a 12-year follow-up were also reviewed. The results indicate that, among DUI recidivists, on average 6 years elapsed between their first and second DUI offenses. Driving history prior to the first DUI offense was predictive of later recidivism. The only significant finding from the MAST and MMPI results was that repeat offenders tended to have higher scores on the L and K validity scales of the MMPI. These results are discussed in the context of Jessor's Problem-Behavior Theory and as well their clinical implications for screening and treatment decisions involving first time DUI offenders.
Urban Vulnerabilities in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Visualizations of Human/Hazard Interactions

Excessive unplanned urban growth leads to many vulnerabilities and impacts on urban environments to varying degrees. However, the majority of the extant literature focuses on the problems related to location and socioeconomic conditions, rather than vulnerability processes and related environmental degradation. This paper analyzes the scope of urban vulnerabilities for five rapidly urbanizing and highly-congested cities in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. First, the historic context of the Valley’s uncontrolled urbanization sets the scene. Second, the optic is narrowed to focus upon the geographical features of the resultant urbanized Valley landscape that includes spatial arrangements and of houses, population densities, road networks, vehicular densities, garbage problems, and available open spaces. Additionally, seismic vulnerabilities in the urban areas are also considering in this examination. Third, three-dimensional visualizations of selected urban locations are presented to differentiate between vulnerable and relatively safe locations. The intent of this research is to contribute to the methodological understanding of human/hazards interactions in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Third World, which share similar socioeconomic conditions and environmental contexts.
Comparison of observed seasonal temperature maxima, minima and diurnal range in North America with simulations from three global climate models

Confidence in model projections of climate change requires reasonably realistic simulation of present-day climate (Wilson and Mitchell, 1987; Boer, 1992). Accordingly, we compare surface air temperatures simulated in the control runs of three general circulation models (Canadian Climate Centre, Oregon State University, United Kingdom Meteorological Office) with observations in three regions of the central United States. The models simulate a smaller diurnal surface air temperature range, averaging overall 3.2°C less than observed. Spring maxima are consistently lower in the models by an average of 4.1°C. Although inadequate representation of clouds may contribute to the smaller simulated temperature range, the underlying cause of the differences is unknown. Since increased minima and decreased diurnal ranges are the most widely observed features of surface air temperature over the Northern Hemisphere continents during the last four decades, the discrepancy is a matter of concern for the projection of future greenhouse-gas-induced climate changes and their impacts.
Social Evolution: Ant Eggs Lacking Totipotency

Summary Caste plasticity is a hallmark of social insects. However, maternal effects that limit the caste of eggs may be more widespread than previously appreciated, and can have some odd consequences.
Recent advances in low-thrust propulsion technology

The NASA low-thrust propulsion technology program is aimed at providing high performance options to a broad class of near-term and future missions. Major emphases of the program are on storable and hydrogen/oxygen low-thrust chemical, low-power (auxiliary) electrothermal, and high-power electric propulsion. This paper represents the major accomplishments of the program and discusses their impact.
A low-power and wide tuning range frequency locked loop for a Cognitive Radio system

We present a frequency locked loop with a novel frequency detector scheme that can be used in a phase locked loop for aided acquisition and reduces the locking time without increasing the loop bandwidth. This FLL scheme utilizes a novel frequency detector and negative-impedance converter acting as a current conveyor without using an op-amp. The clock is generated by a simple three stage ring voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and a reference clock is sensed by two frequency detectors and converted to currents that are proportional to the frequency. These two currents adjust the supply voltage of the VCO. It shows a good tuning linearity over the range of 200 MHz – 600 MHz with a maximum power consumption of 1.72mW at 1GHz in TSMC 0.18 μm standard CMOS Technology. The settling time of the FLL is 105 ns. The FLL can be used to develop multi-standard frequency synthesizers for cognitive radio applications.
Changing Urbanization Patterns in US Lung Cancer Mortality, 1950–2007

This study examined disparities in lung cancer mortality rates among US men and women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas from 1950 through 2007. Annual age-adjusted mortality rates were calculated for men and women in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, and differences in mortality rates were tested for statistical significance. Log-linear regression was used to model annual rates of change in mortality over time, while Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risk after adjusting for age, sex, deprivation, and urbanization levels. Urbanization patterns in lung cancer mortality changed dramatically between 1950 and 2007. Compared to men in metropolitan areas, men aged 25–64 years in non-metropolitan areas had significantly lower lung cancer mortality rates from 1950 to 1977 and men aged ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had lower mortality rates from 1950 to 1985. Differentials began to reverse and widen by the mid-1980s for men and by the mid-1990s for younger women. In 2007, compared to their metropolitan counterparts, men aged 25–64 and ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had 49 and 19% higher lung cancer mortality and women aged 25–64 and ≥65 years in non-metropolitan areas had 32 and 4% higher lung cancer mortality, respectively. Although adjustment for deprivation levels reduced excess lung cancer mortality risk among those in non-metropolitan areas, significant rural–urban differences remained. Rural–urban patterns reversed because of faster and earlier reductions in lung cancer mortality among men and women in metropolitan areas. Temporal trends in rural–urban disparities in lung cancer mortality appear to be consistent with those in smoking.
Modeling of bias for the analysis of receptor signaling in biochemical systems

Ligand bias is a recently introduced concept in the receptor signaling field that underlies innovative strategies for targeted drug design. Ligands, as a consequence of conformational selectivity, produce signaling bias in which some downstream biochemical pathways are favored over others, and this contributes to variability in physiological responsiveness. Though the concept of bias and its implications for receptor signaling have become more important, its working definition in biochemical signaling is sufficiently imprecise as to impede the use of bias as an analytical tool. In this work, we provide a precise mathematical definition for receptor signaling bias using a formalism expressly applied to logistic response functions, models of most physiological behaviors. We show that signaling-response bias of biological processes may be represented by hyperbolae, or more generally as families of bias coordinates that index hyperbolae. Furthermore, we show bias is a property of a parametric mapping of these indexes into vertical strings that reside within a cylinder of stacked Poincare disks and that bias factors representing signaling probabilities are the radial distance of the strings from the cylinder axis. The utility of the formalism is demonstrated with logistic hyperbolic plots, by transducer ratio modeling, and with novel examples of Poincare disk plots of Gi and β-arrestin biased dopamine 2 receptor signaling. Our results provide a platform for categorizing compounds using distance relationships in the Poincare disk, indicate that signaling bias is a relatively common phenomenon at low ligand concentrations, and suggest that potent partial agonists and signaling pathway modulators may be preferred leads for signal bias-based therapies.
Validation of musculoskeletal ultrasound to assess and quantify muscle glycogen content. A novel approach.

AbstractGlycogen storage is essential for exercise performance. The ability to assess muscle glycogen levels should be an important advantage for performance. However, skeletal muscle glycogen assessment has only been available and validated through muscle biopsy. We have developed a new methodology using high-frequency ultrasound to assess skeletal muscle glycogen content in a rapid, portable, and noninvasive way using MuscleSound (MuscleSound, LCC, Denver, CO) technology. Purpose: To validate the utilization of high-frequency musculoskeletal ultrasound for muscle glycogen assessment and correlate it with histochemical glycogen quantification through muscle biopsy. Methods: Twenty-two male competitive cyclists (categories: Pro, 1–4; average height, 183.7 ± 4.9 cm; average weight, 76.8 ± 7.8 kg) performed a steady-state test on a cyclergometer for 90 minutes at a moderate to high exercise intensity, eliciting a carbohydrate oxidation of 2–3 g·min-1 and a blood lactate concentration of 2 to 3 mM. Pre- and ...
CREB, memory enhancement and the treatment of memory disorders: promises, pitfalls and prospects

The treatment of memory disorders, such as the gradual weakening of memory with age, the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and the cognitive deficits in various forms of mental retardation, may greatl...
In vitro selection and characterization of Bacillus anthracis mutants with high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin.

Mutants of attenuated Bacillus anthracis with high-level ciprofloxacin resistance were isolated using a three-step in vitro selection. Ciprofloxacin MICs were 0.5 μg/ml for first-step mutants, which had one of two gyrA quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) mutations. Ciprofloxacin MICs were 8 and 16 μg/ml for second-step mutants, which had one of three parC QRDR mutations. Ciprofloxacin MICs for third-step mutants were 32 and 64 μg/ml. Mutants for which MICs were 64 μg/ml had one of two additional mutations within the gyrA QRDR or one of two mutations within the gyrB QRDR. Mutants for which MICs were 32 μg/ml had no additional target modifications but showed evidence of enhanced ciprofloxacin efflux.
Multidetector Row CT Pulmonary Angiography and Indirect Venography for the Diagnosis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease in Intensive Care Unit Patients

Rationale and Objectives To determine the diagnostic quality, performance characteristics and interreader reliability of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and venography (CTV) in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with suspected venous thromboembolism (VTE). Materials and Methods A total of 100 consecutive ICU patient CT examinations performed for clinically suspected VTE on a four-row CT scanner were reviewed. Three readers rated the diagnostic quality of each CTPA and CTV examination as excellent, acceptable, or nondiagnostic. Readers scored the overall determination for pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) using a 5-point scale, and scored the determination for PE by anatomic level. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed for each reader and the original clinical report, using consensus interpretation as the reference standard. Interobserver variability for PE and DVT was determined using kappa analysis, and was stratified by examination quality. Results A total of 25% of CTPA examinations were nondiagnostic, most commonly because of motion artifact and poor contrast opacification. A total of 24% of CTV examinations were nondiagnostic, most commonly because of poor contrast opacification and metallic hardware. Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, the areas under the curve (Az) for PE diagnosis were 0.875, 0.923, 0.888, and 0.674 for the three readers and clinical reading, respectively, and for DVT diagnosis were 0.842, 0.859, 0.952 and 0.669. Interobserver agreement for detection of PE was moderate at the supralobar level (κ = 0.55), very good at the lobar level (κ = 0.69), and moderate for segmental (κ = 0.54) and subsegmental arteries (κ = 0.44). Overall reader agreement was good for excellent/good quality CTPA examinations (κ = 0.52–0.56), and poor when examination quality was poor (κ = 0.06). Conclusions CTPA and CTV are sufficiently accurate and reliable techniques for evaluating VTE in ICU patients, particularly in light of patient complexity.
Contrasting solvent and capping ligand effects directing the photochemistry of Uranyl(VI) schiff base complexes

Photolysis of the uranyl(VI) Schiff base complex UO2(tBu4-salphen)(THF) (1a) with cobaltocene in THF affords [Cp2Co][UO2(tBu4-salphen)(OH)] (2) in high yield while irradiation in toluene yields no reaction. Electronic emission spectra of 1a reveal a large Stokes' shift in toluene similar to that observed in the free ligand, while in THF the structural rearrangement responsible for this shift is blocked. Instead, the ligand-centered excited state is redirected to the uranyl(VI) center by way of energy transfer, thus generating 2 from the intramolecular activation of a coordinated THF molecule.
How a Northern Interest Began: A Chapter about Don Dumond's Effect

This account is a brief, non-academic review of the author’s career, launched under the guidance of Don Dumond (DD). The paper explores some “windows” of his life that may not be familiar to many. A lot of this is personal narrative, but the paper finishes with some reflections on DD’s contributions to the understanding of Alaskan archeology.
Bilateral neck exploration in primary hyperparathyroidism--when is it selected and how is it performed?

Although most patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) are ideal candidates for minimally invasive parathyroidectomy, some will have more than one enlarged gland and require bilateral neck exploration to achieve biochemical cure. We evaluated the clinical evidence for when to choose bilateral neck exploration for patients with PHPT. We searched PubMed for English-language studies published from 1996 to 2008. The level of clinical evidence was determined according to the criteria proposed by Sackett (Chest 95[2 Suppl]:2S, 1989), and the grade of recommendation was established according to the criteria proposed by Heinrich et al. (Ann Surg 243:154, 2006). Level III–IV evidence shows that patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 1 and PHPT should have a bilateral neck exploration (grade C recommendation). Only level IV evidence indicates that patients with familial PHPT should do so (no recommendation). Although most patients with MEN 2A have single-gland disease, bilateral neck exploration is still indicated, because they will have either a therapeutic or prophylactic total thyroidectomy for medullary thyroid cancer. A history of head and neck irradiation is associated with PHPT, but the risk of multi-gland parathyroid disease is apparently no higher than in sporadic cases (level IV evidence, no recommendation). Previous or current lithium therapy confers a higher risk of multi-gland disease (25%–45%; level IV–V evidence), which may require bilateral neck exploration. Preoperative localizing studies reliably identify most patients with single-gland but not multi-gland disease (level II–IV evidence). Negative localizing studies confer an approximately 50% risk of multi-gland disease and indicate that bilateral neck exploration is necessary. If two localizing studies are concordant, few patients will require bilateral neck exploration (level IV, no recommendation). No level I or II evidence reliably identifies preoperative clinical risk factors for determining which patients should have routine bilateral neck exploration for multi-gland disease or for intraoperative decision making to convert to bilateral neck exploration. Imaging studies are positive in most patients (level II). No randomized studies exist to determine when a bilateral neck exploration is indicated based on clinical risk factors or imaging studies that may suggest multi-gland disease.
The enhancement effect of irradiation by methotrexate. Report of three complications

Three cases are described in which complications developed which were believed to be due to the enhancement effect of irradiation by methotrexate during the course of therapy for lung, kidney, and bladder cancer. These included esophageal and large bowel complications. In two of these cases, the patients improved with conservative therapy.
Design, analysis, and tests of a structural prototype Viking aeroshell. I - Aeroshell design and analysis. II - Test procedure and test results.

Two near optimum full-scale Viking aeroshell prototypes (140 deg ring-stiffened conical shells), differing only in base ring size, were designed and tested under uniform pressure to buckling failure. Part I describes the computerized design procedure which iterates between a design program based on approximate equations to determine skin and ring gages and ring spacings, and a sophisticated system of shell of revolution programs for more accurate analysis as a basis for redesign. Part II discusses fabrication techniques, test procedures, and test results. Both buckling and prebuckling data are compared with the theoretical predictions of Part I. Appropriate buckling knockdown factors for this type of construction are identified. Measured strains in skin and rings agreed well with theoretical predictions and the buckling pressure was in close agreement with the design ultimate pressure.
Long-term Water-aging of Whisker-reinforced Polymer-Matrix Composites

Long-term water exposure may degrade polymer-matrix composites. This study investigated the water-aging of whisker composites. It was hypothesized that whiskers would provide stable and substantial reinforcement, and that whisker type would affect water-aging resistance. Silica-fused Si(3)N(4) and SiC whiskers were incorporated into a resin. The specimens were tested by three-point flexure and nano-indentation vs. water-aging for 1 to 730 days. After 730 days, SiC composite had a strength (mean +/- SD; n = 6) of 185 +/- 33 MPa, similar to 146 +/- 44 MPa for Si(3)N(4) composite (p = 0.064); both were significantly higher than 67 +/- 23 MPa for an inlay/onlay control (p < 0.001). Compared with 1 day, the strength of the SiC composite showed no decrease, while that of the Si(3)N(4) composite decreased. The decrease was due to whisker weakening rather than to resin degradation or interface breakdown. Whisker composites also had higher moduli than the controls. In conclusion, silica-fused whiskers bonded to polymer matrix and resisted long-term water attack, resulting in much stronger composites than the controls after water-aging.
P01-216 The paradox of social anxiety and bipolar disorder: Implications for presentation and treatment

Several reports have recently highlighted the close association between anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder. These reports have indicated a worse course for patients with such comorbidity, including more severe symptoms and poorer outcomes. Fewer studies, however, have closely looked at how social anxiety in particular impacts the clinical presentation and treatment-seeking behavior of people with bipolar disorder. The present report addresses this question using data from the Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services (MIDAS) project, one of the largest ongoing clinical epidemiology studies in the United States with over 2,500 participants enrolled to date. Participants were outpatients seeking psychiatric treatment, all of whom underwent an extensive assessment via semi-structured interviews by highly trained diagnosticians. Patients with bipolar disorder and social anxiety (n = 85) were compared to patients with bipolar disorder alone (n = 150) on a series of clinical characteristics, including comorbidity, to determine how social anxiety impacts the clinical presentation of bipolar disorder. Results indicate that comorbid social anxiety is associated with a more severe clinical presentation. Follow-up analyses explored the extent to which this was due to social anxiety specifically versus comorbidity in general. Discussion focuses on how differences in presentation due to comorbid social anxiety and bipolar disorder are likely to impact treatment.
The Return of the Aryan Myth: Tajikistan in Search of a Secularized National Ideology

For more than a decade, the five Central Asian republics have been “readjusting” their academic institutions in response to the new borders created by the fall of the USSR and subsequent independen...
Rail Transit and Neighborhood Crime: The Case of Atlanta, Georgia

The construction of commuter rail stations is the centerpiece of many metropolitan areas' overall strategies for dealing with worsening air pollution, automobile congestion, and urban sprawl. Neighborhood groups have frequently opposed new stations on the grounds that stations increase crime. If fears of station-induced neighborhood crime are justified, building new stations may make the problems they are supposed to address even worse, because crime is a cause of employment and population decentralization. This paper first demonstrates theoretically that transit's impact on neighborhood crime can be either positive or negative. Some rare evidence is then provided on the link between transit and crime. Using a unique panel of neighborhood crime data for Atlanta, the results from estimating fixed effects and random effects models show that transit's impact on crime depends on certain characteristics of the neighborhood. The mix of these characteristics found within central city neighborhoods has resulted in transit increasing crime there, whereas in the suburbs crime has been reduced by transit.
Transforming growth factors and insulin-like growth factors in chronic kidney disease

Irrespective of its primary etiology, chronic kidney disease (CKD) progresses. Glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis, and tubular atrophy are key features of CKD. The important roles of the transforming growth factor (TGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) superfamilies have been indicated in recent studies. This review provides an update of the literature on these factors and their interactions in the pathophysiology of the progression of CKD as well as cachexia, which is an important complication. Specifically, the functions of key molecules, such as TGF-β, bone morphogenetic protein-7, myostatin, relaxin, and IGF-I in the pathobiology underlying CKD progression and CKD-associated cachexia are discussed.
Delocalization of Dyson orbitals in F−(H2O) and Cl−(H2O)

Electron propagator calculations accurately predict the vertical electron detachment energies of the title complexes. Corresponding Dyson orbitals closely resemble canonical Hartree–Fock orbitals. Approximations that use diagonal self-energies in the latter basis, therefore, show promise for applications on larger anionic clusters. Neutral final states correspond to Cl 3p or water 1b1 holes, in accord with recent interpretations of Cl−(H2O) photoelectron spectra. However, for the F case, the Dyson orbitals are delocalized over the F and O centers and compromise interpretations that ascribe F(H2O) or F−(H2O+) charge-transfer character to the final states. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010
Amide-directed arylation of sp3 C―H bonds using Pd(II) and Pd(0) catalysts

Protocols to effect β-arylation of sp(3) C-H bonds via Pd(II)/(IV) and Pd(0)/(II) catalytic cycles have been achieved using a newly developed monodentate CONHC(6)F(5) directing group. These reactions provide an unprecedented means to functionalize sp(3) C-H bonds in aliphatic carboxylic acid-derived substrates.
Measured and modeled backscatter of ionospheric photoelectron fluxes

[1] This paper examines the backscatter of ionospheric photoelectrons from the thermosphere using photoelectron measurements made on closed field lines in the magnetosphere from 1997 to 2004. The satellite made simultaneous measurements of both the precipitating photoelectrons from the sunlit conjugate hemisphere and the backscattered electrons from the dark thermosphere. The backscatter ratios of the observed fluxes are in very good agreement with photoelectron model calculations for energies ranging from a few eV to several hundred eV and for different levels of solar activity. The backscattered electron flux consists of a direct elastic backscatter component that is a weak function of energy and a much stronger cascade component that greatly increases with decreasing electron energy so that the backscatter ratio ranges from 0.2 at high energies to greater than one at low energies. Although the photoelectron fluxes can vary by up to an order of magnitude over the solar cycle, the backscatter ratios show only a small variation above 20 eV. There can be a factor of 2 or more variability in the backscatter ratios for energies below 20 eV due to thermal electron Coulomb interactions. The calculations show that 55–60% of the precipitating flux energy is backscattered from the thermosphere back along the field line to the conjugate hemisphere. The model–data comparisons show that photoelectrons are able to travel the long journey from the sunlit hemisphere to the satellite without significant degradation indicating that pitch angle scattering and trapping of photoelectrons in the magnetosphere may be small.
Unsymmetrical Azo Initiators Increase Efficiency of Radical Generation in Aqueous Dispersions, Liposomal Membranes, and Lipoproteins

Lipid peroxidation studies often employ the use of azo initiators to produce a slow, steady source of free radicals, but the lack of initiators capable of efficiently generating radicals in lipid a...
Question selection for crowd entity resolution

We study the problem of enhancing Entity Resolution (ER) with the help of crowdsourcing. ER is the problem of clustering records that refer to the same real-world entity and can be an extremely difficult process for computer algorithms alone. For example, figuring out which images refer to the same person can be a hard task for computers, but an easy one for humans. We study the problem of resolving records with crowdsourcing where we ask questions to humans in order to guide ER into producing accurate results. Since human work is costly, our goal is to ask as few questions as possible. We propose a probabilistic framework for ER that can be used to estimate how much ER accuracy we obtain by asking each question and select the best question with the highest expected accuracy. Computing the expected accuracy is #P-hard, so we propose approximation techniques for efficient computation. We evaluate our best question algorithms on real and synthetic datasets and demonstrate how we can obtain high ER accuracy while significantly reducing the number of questions asked to humans.
Anxiety, extraversion and smoking

In previous large-scale studies, smoking has been found to be associated either with extraversion or anxiety, though not both. Using a large population of adult American males, anxiety and extraversion scores were examined in groups of never smokers, former light, former heavy, current light and current heavy smokers to test the hypotheses that smokers would be both more extraverted and more anxious than non-smokers. Two independent measures of both traits were used. Heavy current smokers were seen to be significantly higher than non-smokers on both measures of neuroticism or anxiety; there were no differences between groups in extraversion. The small magnitude of reported relations led to the suggestion that future research focus on more meaningful classification of smokers and more specific facets of personality.
Development of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) coatings for multipurpose mechanical pump seals

Abstract The reliability and performance of silicon carbide (SiC) shaft seals on multipurpose mechanical pumps are improved by applying a protective coating of ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD). UNCD exhibits extreme hardness (97 GPa), low friction (0.1 in air) and outstanding chemical resistance. Consequently, the application of UNCD coatings to multipurpose mechanical pump seals can reduce frictional energy losses and eliminate the downtime and hazardous emissions from seal failure and leakage. In this study, UNCD films were prepared by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition utilizing an argon/methane gas mixture. Prior to coating, the SiC seals were subjected to mechanical polishing using different grades of micron-sized diamond powder to produce different starting surfaces with well-controlled surface roughnesses. Following this roughening process, the seals were seeded by mechanical abrasion with diamond nanopowder, and subsequently coated with UNCD. The coated seals were subjected to dynamic wear testing performed at 3600 RPM and 100 psi for up to 10 days during which the seals were periodically removed and inspected. The UNCD-coated seals were examined using Raman microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and adhesion testing before and after the wear testing. These analyses revealed that delamination of the UNCD films was prevented when the initial SiC seal surface had an initial roughness >0.1 μm. In addition, the UNCD surfaces showed no measurable wear as compared to approximately 0.2 μm of wear for the untreated SiC surfaces.
The origin of Pliocene-Holocene basalts of New Mexico in the light of strontium-isotopic and major-element abundances

Strontium isotope ratios of nepheline-normative basalts of New Mexico are similar to those of oceanic basalts and these undersaturated basalts have probably originated deep in the mantle under all structural provinces in the state. The hypersthene-normative basalts have highly variable Sr-isotope ratios (0.7029–0.7078) indicating either an origin in mantle enriched in radiogenic Sr or crustal contamination which is likely for one flow with variable87Sr/86Sr ratios. The most acceptable hypothesis for the origin of the hypersthene-normative basalts requires that they be formed primitively in the mantle at a shallow depth with a Sr content low enough to reflect a change in the Sr ratios by small additions of crustal material of higher Sr-isotope ratios.
Diagnostic liquidity: Mental illness and the global trade in DNA

The increasing global circulation of information, capital, and human bodies operates in relation to regulatory techniques – at local, national, and transnational levels – that both encourage and constrain these flows. Studies of the creation and enactment of standards regimes provide helpful tools for the analysis of the practices involved in creating zones of potential circulation. This article combines an ethnographic description of the process of transnational standards-coordination with an analysis of the political contexts in which such commensuration practices unfold. It follows a particular set of transnational flows, involving human DNA, biomedical knowledge, and capital, whose direction is intimately related to the relative presence of regulatory and technical regimes within different national spaces.
Multisystemic Therapy: Clinical Foundations and Research Outcomes

Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an intensive family and community-based treatment for adoles- cents presenting serious antisocial behavior and their families. Using a home-based model of service deli- very to overcome barriers to service access and a strong quality assurance system to promote treatment fidelity, MST therapists address known risk factors (i.e., at individual, family, peer, school, and commu- nity levels) strategically and comprehensively. The family is viewed as central to achieving favorable out- comes, and mediation research supports the emphasis of MST on promoting family functioning as the key mechanism of clinical change. Importantly, 22 MST outcome studies have been published, many of which are independent randomized clinical trials, and the vast majority, including those conducted in Europe, support the capacity of MST to reduce youth antisocial behavior and out-of-home placements. Such out- comes, combined with the advocacy of many juvenile justice stakeholders, have led to the transport of MST programs to more than 500 sites, including 10 nations in Europe. Keywords: behavior problems, intervention, multisystemic-therapy, outcomes, randomized clinical-trial, serious juvenile offenders. Resumen. La terapia multisistemica (TMS) es un tratamiento intensivo en el ambito familiar y comunita- rio dirigido a adolescentes con comportamientos antisociales graves y a sus familias. Mediante un mode- lo de atencion en el hogar para romper las barreras de acceso al servicio y un sistema de garantias solido y de calidad para promover la fidelidad al tratamiento, los terapeutas de TMS abordan factores de riesgo conocidos (es decir, a nivel individual, familiar, de iguales y de la comunidad) de forma estrategica y exhaustiva. Se considera a la familia como un elemento fundamental para la obtencion de resultados favo- rables y la investigacion sobre variables mediadoras, apoya el enfasis que el TMS pone en promover el funcionamiento familiar como mecanismo clave para el cambio clinico. Es importante senalar que la mayor parte de los 22 estudios de resultados publicados, muchos de ellos ensayos clinicos aleatorios inde- pendientes y algunos realizados en Europa, confirman la capacidad de la TMS para reducir la conducta juvenil antisocial y el numero de reubicacion de menores fuera del hogar familiar. Dichos resultados, junto al apoyo de muchas de las partes implicadas en los procesos judiciales con menores, han propiciado la implementacion de programas de TMS en mas de 500 lugares, incluyendo 10 naciones europeas. Palabras clave: ensayo clinico aleatorio, intervencion, problemas de conducta, resultados, terapia multi- sistemica. The primary purposes of this article are to provide overviews of the clinical foundations of multisystemic therapy (MST) and research regarding MST effective- ness and transport to community settings. MST was developed more than 30 years ago as a community- based treatment of adolescents with serious antisocial behavior and their families. The subsequent validation of MST has been supported by an extensive body of
Digital Radiography and PACS

The use of a Digital Radiography system (DR) with a digital interface to a PACS, greatly increases the potential of the system for effective communications, since it makes the majority of the cases done in the radiology department available without the need to digitize film. The new all digital, fully integrated system, consisting of a DR system and a PACS has been installed in the Duke University Medical Center Radiology Department. The digital radiography system, Philips Computed Radiography (PCR), transmits images to the PACS (CommView® ) via a PACS Interface Processor (PIP). The questions and problems associated with the integrated system are now being investigated.
Group parent training versus individual family therapy: An outcome study

A sample of 15 families referred for child behavior problems were randomly assigned to a group condition (parent training plus group behavior therapy, n = 7), and an individual condition (individual family behavior therapy, n = 8). These children manifested primarily home problems of non-compliance, tantrums and fighting behaviors. Results showed the group condition was more efficient in terms of therapist time and number of subject-families achieving an experimental criterion for behavior change. The group condition scored significantly higher than the individual condition on a post-test measuring knowledge of behavioral principles as applied to children. Most subjects, regardless of treatment condition, rated non-targeted behaviors as decreasing in frequency. Also, both groups were equally satisfied with therapy. Families were contacted 6 months following the conclusion of treatment.
When does spousal social control provoke negative reactions in the context of chronic illness? The pivotal role of patients’ expectations:

Spouses often monitor and seek to alter each other’s health behavior, but such social control attempts can provoke behavioral resistance and emotional distress. Expectations regarding spouses’ roles in their partners’ health may influence reactions to spousal social control, with resistance and hostility less likely to occur among people who believe spouses should be involved in their partners’ health. Evidence consistent with this idea emerged in a study of 191 patients with type 2 diabetes. Patients with greater expectations for spousal involvement (particularly females) generally reacted less negatively to spousal control. The findings help to clarify when people with a chronic illness are likely to resist and resent, rather than appreciate, spousal control.
Identification of type VI collagen in the trabecular meshwork and expression of its mRNA by trabecular cells

To investigate the nature of the 140 kDa glycoprotein in the trabecular meshwork, polypeptides were extracted with either urea/sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/beta-2-mercaptoethanol (BME) or guanidine hydrochloride followed by pepsin digestion. After electrophoresis and immunoblotting with anti-type-VI-collagen antibodies, a single fraction of molecular weight 140 kDa was identified in the urea/SDS/BME extracts. Pepsin solubilization revealed two immunoreactive fractions (molecular weights 75 and 85 kDa) that comigrated with purified, pepsin-solubilized type VI collagen. By using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and primers specific for the alpha 2(VI) chain of type VI collagen, a single PCR product was obtained, which corresponded to the expected size of 137 base pairs, from the total RNA extracted from the trabecular meshwork ex vivo. Southern hybridization with the antisense oligonucleotide probe of the alpha 2(VI) chain confirmed that the amplified sequence was specific. The results show that the trabecular meshwork contains a significant amount of type VI collagen and that trabecular cells express the mRNA coding for the alpha 2(VI) chain of this glycoprotein. The presence of type VI collagen in the trabecular meshwork is implicated in cell-extracellular matrix interactions at this site, and its abnormal accumulation in glaucomatous and aging eyes probably signifies a defect in the function of the trabecular cells in these eyes.
Multivariable analysis of the association between fathers’ and youths’ physical activity in the United States

Background Although the benefits of physical activity have been well-established, a significant number of children and adolescents in the U.S. do not meet the recommended levels of daily physical activity. Parental influences such as parents’ physical activity participation may play an important role in affecting youths’ physical activity.
‘Now You Got Your Answer...’: Healing Talk and Experience in the Navajo Lightning Way

Understanding the apparently effective bodily transformation by traditional Navajo healing rituals as the part of a consistent technological practice is, perhaps too quickly, perceived as undermining a foundation of western science in objectivity and logic. However, some of the differences that make a difference between Navajo and western technologies of the body may be due to contradictory spatiotemporal axioms for recognizing bodily boundaries. Attempting to explain what we don’t understand about a Navajo Shooting Way ceremony - our directly perceived experiences and talk in English about the ceremony by others - we draw analogies between the intentional bodily spaces cryptically described by Merleau-Ponty, linguistic studies of Navajo spatiality, and non-Euclidean projective geometry. We find that the Navajo healer takes a strong, phenomenological standpoint, but we also find much of what the healer tells us about her ceremony and its intended effect on bodies, to be nonsensical. However, we begin to h...
HSV-2 co-infection as a driver of HIV transmission among heterosexual non-injecting drug users in New York City.

Objective To examine herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2)/HIV co-infection as a contributing factor in the increase in HIV infection among non-injecting heroin and cocaine users in New York City. Methods Subjects were recruited from the Beth Israel Medical Center drug detoxification and methadone maintenance programs in New York City in 1995–1999 and 2005–2011. All reported current heroin and/or cocaine use and no injection drug use. A structured questionnaire was administered and serum samples collected for HIV and HSV-2 testing. Population-attributable risk percentages (PAR%s) were estimated for associations between HSV-2 and increased susceptibility to and increased transmissibility of HIV among female NIDUs. Results 785 subjects were recruited from 1995–1999, and 1764 subjects from 2005–2011. HIV prevalence increased from 7% to 13%, with nearly uniform increases among all demographic subgroups. HSV-2/HIV co-infection was common in both time periods, with an average (over the two time periods) of 80% of HIV negative females infected with HSV-2, an average of 43% of HIV negative males infected with HSV-2; an average of 97% of HIV positive females also infected with HSV-2 and an average of 67% of HIV positive males also infected with HSV-2. The increase in HIV prevalence was predominantly an increase in HSV-2/HIV co-infection, with relatively little HIV mono-infection in either time period. The estimated PAR%s indicate that approximately half of HIV acquisition among females was caused by HSV-2 infection and approximately 60% of HIV transmission from females was due to HSV-2 co-infection. Conclusions The increase in HIV infection among these non-injecting drug users is better considered as an increase in HSV-2/HIV co-infection rather than simply an increase in HIV prevalence. Additional interventions (such as treatment as prevention and suppressing the effects of HSV-2 on HIV transmission) are needed to reduce further HIV transmission from HSV-2/HIV co-infected non-injecting drug users.
Auditory inhibitory gating in medial prefrontal cortex: Single unit and local field potential analysis

Medial prefrontal cortex is a crucial region involved in inhibitory processes. Damage to the medial prefrontal cortex can lead to loss of normal inhibitory control over motor, sensory, emotional and cognitive functions. The goal of the present study was to examine the basic properties of inhibitory gating in this brain region in rats. Inhibitory gating has recently been proposed as a neurophysiological assay for sensory filters in higher brain regions that potentially enable or disable information throughput. This perspective has important clinical relevance due to the findings that gating is dramatically impaired in individuals with emotional and cognitive impairments (i.e. schizophrenia). We used the standard inhibitory gating two-tone paradigm with a 500 ms interval between tones and a 10 s interval between tone pairs. We recorded both single unit and local field potentials from chronic microwire arrays implanted in the medial prefrontal cortex. We investigated short-term (within session) and long-term (between session) variability of auditory gating and additionally examined how altering the interval between the tones influenced the potency of the inhibition. The local field potentials displayed greater variability with a reduction in the amplitudes of the tone responses over both the short and long-term time windows. The decrease across sessions was most intense for the second tone response (test tone) leading to a more robust gating (lower T/C ratio). Surprisingly, single unit responses of different varieties retained similar levels of auditory responsiveness and inhibition in both the short and long-term analysis. Neural inhibition decreased monotonically related to the increase in intertone interval. This change in gating was most consistent in the local field potentials. Subsets of single unit responses did not show the lack of inhibition even for the longer intertone intervals tested (4 s interval). These findings support the idea that the medial prefrontal cortex is an important site where early inhibitory functions reside and potentially mediate psychological processes.
Seasonal physiological responses of white pine under chronic air pollution stress

Abstract The chronology of foliar chlorophyll content, needle elongation, and development of photosynthetic potential of foliage from plantation-grown white pines was determined to evaluate physiological differences in trees with varying degrees of apparent sensitivity to chronic air pollution stress. No differences in photosynthetic rates were observed in symptomatic chlorotic dwarf and relatively nonsymptomatic trees although total chlorophylls differed, especially in older needles. Differences in growth of symptomatic and nonsymptomatic trees appear to be due to reduced foliar biomass resulting from shortened needles and premature needle loss, rather than impaired carbon fixation.
Homeobox genes: Molecular link between congenital anomalies and cancer

Homeobox-containing genes play a major role in the control of segmental identity during embryonic development in Drosophila. Abnormalities of these genes have been shown to produce a wide variety of congenital anomalies in invertebrates and in vertebrates. Many transgenic mice, which are mutant for homeobox genes, show a specific skeletal abnormality, similar to the human cervical rib. In humans, a relationship exists between malformations and tumours. Human cervical rib has been shown to be associated with an increased incidence of malignancy. Recent evidence indicates that homeobox genes might also play a role in carcinogenesis. In this article, we explore the possibility that alterations of homeobox genes might be the basic underlying aetiology for the association between congenital malformations and tumours, at least in a proportion of cases. We provide evidence in support of this argument and suggest areas of further research which would confirm this concept.