cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Course of drug use from early adulthood to mid-life among Vietnam-era veterans

AbstractThere is limited study of drug use trajectories over the life-course and limited examination of drug versus alcohol use trajectories. The purpose of this study was to identify differences in drug use trajectories from early adulthood to mid-life and to compare and contrast these with trajectories based on the course of alcohol abuse. The sample consisted of male veterans from the Vietnam-era study, a 25-year follow-up of the Vietnam Drug User Returns project that assessed medical and psychiatric consequences of substance use disorders. Retrospective structured interviews covered the 25 years since an original 1972 survey; measures of alcohol and drug use were obtained for each year of the follow-up interval. Individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of a drug use disorder (DUD) (n = 319) were selected for further analysis. A four-class model was identified with trajectories parallel to those identified in previous studies examining alcohol use. However, the covariates that differentiated the alcohol u...
Percutaneous Interventions in the Presacral Space: CT-guided Precoccygeal Approach—Early Experience

A computed tomography (CT)-guided, precoccygeal approach was used for interventions in the presacral space in four patients (three biopsies, one abscess drainage). Localization comprised palpation of the coccyx and measurement of the distance from the coccyx to the lesion on a prone CT scan. This approach provided an easy, straight vector to all points in the presacral space and involved no radiation exposure to the physician.
Influence of dorsal rhizotomy on a sustained avoidance response in rats

Abstract Sustained avoidance responding was studied in each hind limb of rats before and after unilateral dorsal rhizotomy (T13 through L6, left). The subjects were required to make a change in the resting posture of the unseen hind limb, and to maintain the change, to avoid shock to a sensate area of the trunk. Two dichotomous training variables were manipulated: the presence or absence of preoperative training and the order of training of the two hind limbs. Although the animals rapidly reached criterion with sensate limbs before and after surgery, acquisition with dorsal rhizotomized (DR) limbs failed to occur except when the order of postoperative training was sensate limb:DR limb. Even then, acquisition was significantly slower with DR than intact limbs, and the topography of the avoidance response differed in the two cases. It appeared that response-related changes in body parts immediately surrounding the DR limb were not critical for successful performance, and when there was failure of acquisition, the number of training sessions was not a relevant variable. It was concluded that tonic movements cannot be acquired in the absence of peripheral topographic feedback from the responding body part, unless information concerning the general response requirement is first provided to the rat via training with a sensate limb.
The development of hospitalwide patient-education director competencies

Abstract Members of the patient-education divisions of the Michigan Society for Healthcare Education and Training and the Great Lakes Chapter of the Society of Public Health Education drafted a model job description and related competencies, using representative position descriptions and a role delineation project as a basis. The product of this effort can serve as a model for hospital administrators hiring patient educators, professional organizations supporting patient education, universities and colleges training such specialists, and patient-education specialists pursuing continuing education.
Evaluation of the prognosis of in vitro fertilization pregnancies with initially low serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of initially low serum early human chorionic gonadotropin levels in in vitro fertilization pregnancies that progress to an intrauterine gestational sac. Study Design: This retrospective cohort study compared 65 in vitro fertilization pregnancies with an initial human chorionic gonadotropin value at 4 weeks of ≤20 mIU/mL with 130 pregnancies with human chorionic gonadotropin values >20 mIU/mL. All pregnancies had a singleton intrauterine sac at 6 weeks' gestational age. Spontaneous abortion rates and pregnancy complications were compared. Results: Women with a low initial serum human chorionic gonadotropin level showed a statistically significant increase in first-trimester pregnancy loss (36.5% vs 9.2%; odds ratio, 5.7; 95%; confidence interval, 2.6, 12.4; P
Constitutive coupling of a naturally occurring human alpha1a-adrenergic receptor genetic variant to EGFR transactivation pathway

We previously identified a naturally occurring human SNP, G247R, in the third intracellular loop of the α1a-adrenergic receptor (α1a-247R) and demonstrated that constitutive expression of α1a-247R results in twofold increased cell proliferation compared with WT. In the present study we elucidate molecular mechanisms and signal transduction pathways responsible for increased cell proliferation unique to α1a-247R, but not α1a-WT, α1b, or α1dAR subtypes. We show that elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) and a disintegrin and metalloproteinase-12 (ADAM12) in α1a-247R–expressing cells are responsible for EGF receptor (EGFR) transactivation, downstream ERK activation, and increased cell proliferation; this pathway is confirmed using MMP, EGFR, and ERK inhibitors. We demonstrate that EGFR transactivation and downstream ERK activation depends on increased shedding of heparin-binding EGF. Finally, we demonstrate that knockdown of MMP7 or β-arrestin1 by shRNAs results in attenuation of proliferation of cells expressing α1a-247R. Importantly, accelerated cell proliferation triggered by the α1a-247R is serum- and agonist-independent, providing unique evidence for constitutive active coupling to the β-arrestin1/MMP/EGFR transactivation pathway by any G protein-coupled receptor. These findings raise the possibility of a previously unexplored mechanism for sympathetically mediated human hypertension triggered by a naturally occurring human genetic variant.
Joint decision-making on two visual perception systems

Decision-making is an interdisciplinary problem that has been the focus of many studies, particularly by interactive pairs of visual cognition systems. In a series of experiments, Bahrami et al. (2010) showed that dyadic interaction is beneficial only if participants communicate with each other about their confidence in making a judgment. Aside from data combination using both simple and weighted average, Hsu et al. (2006) first described the use of combinatorial fusion to combine multiple scoring systems (MSS). In this experiment, sixteen trials were conducted using pairs of individuals as visual cognition systems. Participants observed a target being thrown in a grassy field which could not be seen once it had landed, allowing them to then independently perceive the position of the target and determine their confidence level. The results of these trials were analyzed for performance of score and rank combinations relative to both the original cognition systems of the individuals and to simple and weighted averages of their systems. We demonstrated, using combinatorial fusion, that the combination of two visual perception systems is better than each of the individual systems only if they perform relatively well and they are diverse.
MicroRNA-17-3p is a prostate tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo, and is decreased in high grade prostate tumors analyzed by laser capture microdissection

MicroRNAs (miRs) are a novel class of RNAs with important roles in regulating gene expression. To identify miRs controlling prostate tumor progression, we utilized unique human prostate sublines derived from the parental P69 cell line, which differ in their tumorigenic properties in vivo. Grown embedded in laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM) gels these genetically-related sublines displayed drastically different morphologies correlating with their behaviour in vivo. The non-tumorigenic P69 subline grew as multicellular acini with a defined lumen and basal/polar expression of relevant marker proteins. M12, a highly tumorigenic, metastatic derivative, grew as a disorganized mass of cells with no polarization, whereas the F6 subline, a weakly tumorigenic, non-metastatic M12 variant, reverted to acini formation akin to the P69 cell line. These sublines also differed in expression of vimentin, which was high in M12, but low in F6 and P69 sublines. Analysis of vimentin’s conserved 3′-UTR suggested several miRs that could regulate vimentin expression. The lack of miR-17-3p expression correlated with an increase in vimentin synthesis and tumorigenicity. Stable expression of miR-17-3p in the M12 subline reduced vimentin levels 85% and reverted growth to organized, polarized acini in lrECM gels. In vitro motility and invasion assays suggested a decrease in tumorigenic behaviour, confirmed by reduced tumor growth in male athymic, nude mice dependent on miR-17-3p expression. Analysis of LCM-purified clinical human prostatectomy specimens confirmed that miR-17-3p levels were reduced in tumor cells. These results suggest that miR-17-3p functions as a tumor suppressor, representing a novel target to block prostate tumor progression.
A system of n interacting fermions and its unusual n → 0 limit

Abstract We consider a U( n ) model of fermions in 1+1 dimensions at finite density, with an attractive delta function interaction. This model appears in the replica analysis of a system of fermions in a random time-dependent potential. It can also be mapped to the problems of steps on vicinal crystal surfaces, commensurate to incommensurate transitions, and superconducting flux lines, all in two dimensions with quenched disorder. To understand the nature of these phases, we compute the U( n ) symmetric analogues of particle-hole excitations using Bethe ansatz techniques. We find that, in the n → 0 limit, the particle density of states vanishes while the holes behave just as in the pure problem. A naive argument then suggests that the fermion density-density correlations scale as 1 r . This in turn implies that if the fermion lines are regarded as domain walls advancing an order parameter, the resulting order is destroyed (i.e. has exponentially decaying correlations).
Pathway analysis with next-generation sequencing data

Although pathway analysis methods have been developed and successfully applied to association studies of common variants, the statistical methods for pathway-based association analysis of rare variants have not been well developed. Many investigators observed highly inflated false-positive rates and low power in pathway-based tests of association of rare variants. The inflated false-positive rates and low true-positive rates of the current methods are mainly due to their lack of ability to account for gametic phase disequilibrium. To overcome these serious limitations, we develop a novel statistic that is based on the smoothed functional principal component analysis (SFPCA) for pathway association tests with next-generation sequencing data. The developed statistic has the ability to capture position-level variant information and account for gametic phase disequilibrium. By intensive simulations, we demonstrate that the SFPCA-based statistic for testing pathway association with either rare or common or both rare and common variants has the correct type 1 error rates. Also the power of the SFPCA-based statistic and 22 additional existing statistics are evaluated. We found that the SFPCA-based statistic has a much higher power than other existing statistics in all the scenarios considered. To further evaluate its performance, the SFPCA-based statistic is applied to pathway analysis of exome sequencing data in the early-onset myocardial infarction (EOMI) project. We identify three pathways significantly associated with EOMI after the Bonferroni correction. In addition, our preliminary results show that the SFPCA-based statistic has much smaller P-values to identify pathway association than other existing methods.
Analytical problems in chlorination of saline water

don't, our cooling processes rapidly lose efficiency; and sewage, with our microbiologically contaminated waste products, enters water used by man for shellfish. The main problem is man. Infectious hepatitis remains at 50,000 to 60,000 REPORTED cases per year, and gastroenteritis of unknown etiology is in the hundreds of thousands and probably millions (McDermott, 1975). Don't stop disinfecting, just do a better job.
Successful growth of pike fingerlings (Esox lucius L.) on pellet at artificial condition

Previous attempts have shown that nursing pike on pellet is possible, but cannibalism is a decisive factor in this species. Pike fry were adapted to feeding with an artificial diet. In order to determine whether smaller individuals are suitable for further intensive mass culture, pike fingerlings of the same stock were graded into large and small size groups and raised separately for 4 weeks. Specific growth rates (SGR) and feed conversion rates (FCR) of the large and the small size groups were close to each other (SGR=3.40±0.04 and FCR=1.10±0.11 for the large group and SGR=3.69±0.1 and FCR=1.02±0.14 for the small group). Adequate grading and sufficient feeding proved to be suitable tools for minimizing cannibalism and providing good growth.
Acceptance of Ideas Generated Through Individual and Group Brainstorming

Summary This study compared the performance of nominal groups of individuals (N = 64 undergraduates) who actually brainstormed alone and real groups (N = 64 undergraduates) in terms of the number of ideas they produced for realistic and unrealistic brainstorming tasks, time taken to select a “best” idea following brainstorming, and level of agreement as to the quality of selected ideas. As in previous studies, nominal groups produced significantly more ideas than real groups, and an unrealistic problem stimulated more ideas than a realistic problem. Contrary to predictions of group brainstorming advocates, real groups were not found to be superior to nominal groups regarding either the selection of “best” ideas or level of agreement as to the quality of selected ideas. For both nominal and real groups, selection of “best” ideas was accomplished faster for an unrealistic as opposed to a realistic problem.
Application of affinity capillary electrophoresis for the determination of binding and thermodynamic constants of enediynes with bovine serum albumin

The binding constants and thermodynamic properties of a series of novel enediyne compounds with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were determined. The enediynes were synthesized, characterized, and then studied by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) methods to derive these recognition parameters. Change in electrophoretic mobility of BSA as a function of enediyne concentration was determined at 25°C providing binding constants of 1.76×105, 1.14×105, and 0.68×105M–1 for enediynephenylalanine carboxylic acid, enediynephenylalanine methyl ester, and enediyne carboxylic acid, respectively. The binding constant for the enediynephenylalanine carboxylic acid was in good agreement with that obtained using conventional methodology. Binding constants for the interaction of enediynes with BSA decreased with an increase in temperature. Van't Hoff plots showed a direct correlation between intensity of the binding constant and the sign and magnitude of various thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔS, and/or ΔH).
Foreign exchange futures prices under fixed exchange rates

Abstract This paper develops three models for the determination of foreign exchange futures prices under fixed exchange rates and expectations of devaluation. These models show that certain characteristics of futures prices behavior that have been used as proof of inefficiency may be present even if the market is efficient. They also have several implications that are consistent with the observed behavior of Mexican Pesos futures prices.
Political and Social Implications for Rural Areas of a Nationalized System of Welfare

N EARLY two hundred years ago our country proclaimed an independence from colonial rule. The rhetoric of that proclamation is well known and moves us all to wonderment and awe. Those who wrote these lines were not, however, so awed. They were politicians as well as philosophers; and reality, which gave freedom to to their declarations, constrained their actions. The libertarian rhetoric proclaimed by Jefferson's Declaration of Independence was followed by a Constitution cast from a much more conservative mold-so conservative it must be remembered that it was politically unacceptable until the first ten amendments were added. The impact that later and more radical administrations had on the social, political, and economic future of the nation was not in their own time foreseen or understood. Jefferson, the apostle of limited powers and decentralization not only doubled the nation through the Louisiana purchase in a constitutionally unauthorized and extralegal fashion but also gathered the authority of the federal government in a fashion that was to lay the foundation for a denial of states rights doctrine half a century later. Lincoln organized the nation to fight the civil war and at the same time broke Jacksonian populism with the industrial and financial powers let loose in that war which held the nation in sway for the next half century. An understanding of the importance of these two realities of schoolboy history is important because it reminds us that rhetoric is not in itself change and that change, when it comes, frequently passes unnoticed, being more modest in scope than its rhetorical justification and established in language that bores rather than excites. Two examples from our own century are illustrative. The 16th amendment, which permitted the imposition of a federal income tax, was viewed with equanimity by William Howard Taft who proposed such an amendment. Although Joseph Choate had successfully argued the unconstitutionality and "communist" origins of such a law in 1895 before the United States Supreme Court, the passage of this constitutional amendment was not, in spite of such fears, gener-
Interaction of mismatch repair protein PMS2 and the p53-related transcription factor p73 in apoptosis response to cisplatin

Mismatch repair (MMR) proteins contribute to genome integrity by correcting replication errors. In higher eukaryotes, MMR proteins also regulate the cellular response to DNA lesions such as oxidized, alkylated, or crosslinked bases. Previous studies have linked MMR proteins to the activation of apoptosis through p53-dependent and p53-independent mechanisms. MMR-deficient cells exhibit variable defects in the induction of p53 and its related p73, which are activators of apoptosis. However, the specific role of each MMR protein in the regulation of apoptosis has not been determined. Here, we describe an interaction between PMS2, an MMR protein, and p73. This interaction causes the stabilization of p73 and the redistribution of PMS2 to the nuclear compartment. Exposure to cisplatin enhances the association between PMS2 and p73. Moreover, stimulation of the p73 proapoptotic function by cisplatin requires PMS2. These results suggest that PMS2 contributes to genome integrity not only through DNA repair but also by enhancing DNA damage-induced apoptosis.
Trading quality across borders: colonial discourse and international quality assurance policies in higher education

Accountability and quality assurance have become central discourses in higher education policy throughout the world. However, accountability and quality assurance involve power and control. Practices and ideas about quality developed in the Global North are spreading rapidly across the Global South, leading to increased uniformity in the approaches to quality assurance. Given the significant asymmetries that divide the Global North and Global South, this article maps interdiscursive relations among key texts that influence policy development on international quality in higher education, and explores the applicability of colonial discourse as a perspective for understanding this increasing international convergence.
Patient communication tools to enhance ART adherence counseling in low and high resource settings

Objective Few articles have examined specific counseling tools used to increase antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. We present communication tools used in the context of Project MOTIV8, a randomized clinical trial.
Forecasting the recent behavior of US business fixed investment spending: an analysis of competing models

We evaluate forecasting models of US business fixed investment spending growth over the recent 1995:1–2004:2 out-of-sample period. The forecasting models are based on the conventional Accelerator, Neoclassical, Average Q, and Cash-Flow models of investment spending, as well as real stock prices and excess stock return predictors. The real stock price model typically generates the most accurate forecasts, and forecast-encompassing tests indicate that this model contains most of the information useful for forecasting investment spending growth relative to the other models at longer horizons. In a robustness check, we also evaluate the forecasting performance of the models over two alternative out-of-sample periods: 1975:1–1984:4 and 1985:1–1994:4. A number of different models produce the most accurate forecasts over these alternative out-of-sample periods, indicating that while the real stock price model appears particularly useful for forecasting the recent behavior of investment spending growth, it may not continue to perform well in future periods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does the association with NOD2, autophagy and some pathogens really mean Crohn's disease is caused by uncontrolled infection?

Dear Sir, As we know, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) emerged and became epidemic since the last century,1 suggesting that environmental factors would have played the predominant role. From the very beginning, many infectious agents encompassing bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, had been suspected as the cause of IBD, but none of them can be firmly established due to the lack of consistent detection of the existence of the pathogen in the patients, the failure of the treatment specific for the organism, …
Crystal structure of the cryptand [3.33] - potassium iodide complex: A large coordination number for potassium ion

Abstract Cryptand [3.3.3] was prepared by a one-step process from 2 moles of 1,11-diiodo-3,6,9-trioxaundecane and 1 mole of 1,11 -diamino-3,6,9-trioxaundecane in acetonitrile using potassium carbonate as the base. An X-ray crystal study of the KI-[3.3.3] complex shows that all cryptand donor atoms are directed towards the encapsulated K+. The K+ ion is not midway between the two nitrogen atoms, but is 3.15A from one nitrogen and 3.37A from the other. The X-ray structure strongly suggests that potassium is coordinated by eleven donor atoms.
Global Analysis of Microwave-Induced Delayed Phosphorescence of Photoexcited Triplet States

Abstract The microwave-induced delayed phosphorescence (MIDP) responses of several molecules in their excited triplet state are analyzed globally by least-squares minimization of the residuals, χ 2 . The analysis considers not only the initial amplitudes of the MIDP responses which has been customary in the past, but also all data points (up to about 20,000) contained in a data set consisting of all three zero-field transitions and a range of delay times. It is shown that global fitting of the data cannot be carried out successfully without including both sublevel decay to the ground singlet state and spin–lattice relaxation (SLR). Thus a complete data set containing at least two of the zero-field transitions when analyzed globally yields both sublevel decay constants and the SLR rate constants. Results are reported for tryptophan (Trp), 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-Htrp), the anion of 5-Htrp obtained by ionization of the hydroxyl proton, and 7-azatryptophan (7-Atrp). It is found that the T z sublevel ( z is the out-of-plane axis) decays principally by SLR even at about 1.2 K; k z = 0 within experimental error (≈±0.01 s −1 ) except for 5-Htrp anion, where it is measurable and is the smallest of the k values. For each triplet state, except for 5-Htrp anion, SLR is least efficient between the T x and T y sublevels. This relaxation process requires an angular momentum component along z . Since the z component of spin–orbit coupling is the weakest one in 3 (π, π*) states, the van Vleck relaxation process is suggested for Trp, 5-Htrp, and 7-Atrp. For the 5-Htrp anion, the most efficient SLR occurs between T x and T y , suggesting a different mechanism, possibly direct phonon modulation of the zero-field splittings.
Neutron Dosimetry with CaF2: Tm

The response of CaF2: Tm thermoluminescent dosimeters to 14 MeV neutrons produced at the NRL Cyclotron has been investigated. CaF2: Tm has two dominant glow peaks, one at 140°C and one at 250°C. The 250°C peak is preferentially filled by neutron irradiation which leads to the possibility of using this material as a dosimeter for mixed gamma and neutron fields. Energy dependence, fading, and linearity of response of the dosimeter is shown along with other characteristics of the material.
Marine Amebae From Clean and Stressed Bottom Sediments of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

SYNOPSIS Amebae isolated from sediments of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico were maintained in continuous culture and most were identified to genus and species. Twenty-six species representing 12 genera were recognized from existing literature and several others (Flabellula, Mastigamoeba, Cochliopododium) were identified only to genus. One ameboflagellate and several small limax-type amebae which require further study also were isolated. Other sarcodmids belonging to the Heliozoida, Testocida, Leptomyxida, and Proteomyxida were identified only tentatively. the distribution of the amebae and ameba-like organisms was tabulated for the following geographic areas: Atlantic Ocean near Long Island, New York: Atlantic Ocean 16-65 miles offshore from New York and New Jersey: Atlantic Ocean 1-50 miles offshore from Maryland and Delaware: and the Gulf of Mexico 3.5-41 miles offshore from the southeastern United States. Amebae present in shellfish holding trays at Lewis. Delaware, were isolated, and identified to compare the distribution of species in laboratory tanks with those present in natural ocean bottoms. Published accounts of each collection site were reviewed to obtain specific data on contamination with sewage wastes, acid wastes, dredge spoils, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Two previously undescribed amebae were found to represent new genera and species and are described herein, one from the Delaware mariculture facility, and the other from the digestive tract of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, and the gill surface of the lady crab, Ovalipes ocellatus. Sarcodinids present in clean or stressed environments were listed, and genera and species that were widespread or apparently geographically restricted were recorded.
Effect of Loop-Closing Residues on DNA Hairpin Stability

Structure-prediction algorithms, such as DINAMelt (1), are often used to analyze hairpin formation in single-stranded DNA and RNA oligomers. In general, an oligomer and its complement are predicted to form hairpins with similar stabilities. Here, we have used capillary electrophoresis to analyze hairpin formation in two complementary 26-nucleotide DNA oligomers that exhibit significantly different free solution mobilities at 20°C. The free solution mobility is a useful indicator of the presence or absence of hairpins, because hairpins and random coils containing the same number of nucleotides have different frictional coefficients, leading to different mobilities (2). The two oligomers studied here are predicted to form molecular beacon-like hairpins with 5 base-pair stems and 16-nucleotide loops at 20°C. The oligomer with the higher free solution mobility forms a stable hairpin with melting temperatures that are reasonably well predicted by DINAMelt, especially at high salt concentrations. However, its complement, which migrates more slowly in free solution, exhibits melting temperatures that are significantly lower than predicted by DINAMelt. Stable hairpins are observed at 20°C only in solutions with Na+ concentrations greater than 200 mM. Since the two oligomers have the same predicted stem sequences, the results suggest that differences in the nucleotides closing the two loops are responsible for the differences in stability of the two hairpins. Hairpin formation in oligomers with different base pairs at the top of the stem and different nucleotides closing the loop are being investigated.1. N. R. Markham, M. Zuker, Nucleic Acids Res. 2005 33, W577.2. E. Stellwagen, A. Abdulla, Q. Dong, N. C. Stellwagen, Biochemistry 2007, 46 10931.
Ultrastructural study of rat mammary gland during pregnancy.

Virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats were mated, and after the appearance of vaginal plugs were placed in individual cages. The animals were sacrificed at different intervals from the second day of gestation until delivery. Breast tissue was studied with the light and electron microscope. The study suggests that breast tissue undergoes changes as early as four days after fertilization and continues throughout pregnancy. The changes start with accumulation of many ribosomes and polysomes within the epithelial cell cytoplasm. Lipid droplets appear early and increase in number as pregnancy advances. Two types of proteinaceous particles appear within the cytoplasm on the seventh day of gestation, and are totally secreted into the lumina before parturition. The particles are believed to play a role in colustrum composition. The Golgi apparatus plays no role in the formation of the proteinaceous particles. The particles are formed in relation to rough surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. The changes seen are limited to the ductular epithelium and are not seen in the large ducts. In animals treated with colchicine, mitoses are seen in the ductular epithelium very early in pregnancy and continue throughout the gestation period.
Experimental Study of Surface and Lattice Effects on the Solubility of Hydroxyapatite

The solubility of hydroxyapatite (OHAp), Ca5 (PO4) 3OH, has been the topic of many investigations. It has been a subject of sustained interest because the solution behavior of OHAp is fundamental to processes of physiologic adaptation in bone and teeth. However, experimental studies of the soltubility of OHAp often have yielded confusing results. The responsibility for much of this confusion lies with the use of variable and nonrigorous definitions of "solubility" in the framework of a particular study, and with failure to consider the effect of surface on the dissolution process. Other factors' that may have caused difficulties include the sensitivity of the apparent solubility of OHAp to impurities, the difficulty involved in the preparation of pure OHAp, and the slow growth of OHAp crystals in solution, which often results in failure to achieve equilibrium with the lattice. Many of these difficulties can be avoided if an internally consistent, thermodynamic treatment for the solubility of OHAp is formulated. This has been done by Brown. Moreno, and Gregory.' Their treatment reveals the importance of separating "lattice" and "surface" reactions in the study of the solubility of sparingly soluble salts. Lattice reaction refers to the process where in a local region of a crystal, the stoichiom-
Hypoxia-Induced Changes in the Mechanical Properties of the Mouse Pulmonary Artery

Hypobaric hypoxia produces pulmonary hypertension in mice which causes pulmonary vascular remodeling. To study the biomechanics of this process, mice were exposed to hypoxia for 0-(control), 10-, and 15-days. Using a pressurized arteriograph system, mechanical properties of the main pulmonary artery were measured and compared to the biological changes in the vessel wall measured histologically. 10- and 15-day hypoxic vessels were significantly stiffer when compared to 0-day vessels. This stiffness correlated with greater elastin and collagen content in the vessel wall.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Differential sensitivity of fungi to lithium chloride in culture media.

Abstract Forty species of fungi, representing a range of ecological and taxonomic groups, were tested for their ability to grow on agar media amended with lithium chloride (LiCl) at 1.5, 3 and 6 g l −1 . Species of Trichoderma varied considerably in their sensitivity to LiCl; at one week on 6 g l −1 LiCl medium, the growth of seven species of Trichoderma was considerably inhibited; however, by three weeks at this level, four of the species tested were able to attain ≥30 % of control growth. Of the seven species tested, an isolate of T. viride was the most sensitive to LiCl in agar. Eleven other imperfect fungi also showed a range of ability to grow on agar amended with LiCl, from total inhibition to complete lack of inhibition. Six ascomycete fungi were greatly inhibited by LiCl at all levels; however, an isolate of Chaetomium globosum was highly tolerant of LiCl. Seven basidiomycete wood-decay fungi were quite sensitive to LiCl in agar, showing total to nearly total inhibition even at the lowest level; however, after three weeks, an isolate of Postia placen ta was nearly uninhibited except at 6 g l −1 . Five ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete fungi were totally inhibited by all levels of LiCl; however, one ectomycorrhizal imperfect fungus ( Cenococcum graniforme ) was able to grow at 3 g l −1 and was uninhibited at 1.5 g l −1 . Four zygomycete fungus isolates were nearly unaffected in their growth by all levels of LiCl.
Noncosmetic skin-related procedures performed in the United States: an analysis of national ambulatory medical care survey data from 1995 to 2010.

BACKGROUNDDemand for dermatologic care is increasing alongside a known shortage of physicians in the dermatology workforce. Changes in the volume of dermatologic procedures over time and the physician specialties involved in skin-related procedural care are not well characterized.OBJECTIVETo determi
The dodecahedral conjecture

This article gives a summary of a proof of Fejes Toth’s Dodecahedral conjecture: the volume of a Voronoi polyhedron in a three-dimensional packing of balls of unit radius is at least the volume of a regular dodecahedron of unit inradius.
Measuring Assistive Technology Outcomes in Education

Providing assistive technology in educational settings can be a positive educational intervention. However, it is often difficult to measure assistive technology outcomes because interventions poss...
Immunochemical conditions affecting the measurement of DNA antibodies using ammonium sulfate precipitation.

The binding of serum to native DNA as detected by the Farr ammonium sulfate technic is subject to considerable variation dependent on reaction conditions. DNA-binding activity of normal sera was significantly increased in buffers of low pH or ionic strength, to the range of SLE sera. Conversely, without incubation at 37 C and 4 C, many SLE sera were within the normal range. Serum nuclease activity did not account for the absence of DNA-binding in normal sera. The presence or absence of serum complement did not affect binding. Both precipitating and nonprecipitating antibodies are detected using ammonium sulfate precipitation. Optimal conditions for specificity and sensitivity included use of a buffer of pH 8 with conductivity of 12.5 millimhos (equivalent of 0.15M sodium chloride), and incubation for one hour at 37 C and 24 hours at 4 C prior to addition of saturated ammonium sulfate.
Smoke Exposure and Ethanol Ingestion Modulate Intrapulmonary Polymorphonuclear Leukocyte Killing, but Not Recruitment or Phagocytosis

Background: People who smoke and abuse alcohol are uniquely susceptible to pulmonary infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the pneumococcus. The primary cellular defense against pneumococci within the lungs is the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN). Cigarette smoke and ethanol (EtOH) are known to alter certain PMN functions, but little is known about their concurrent effects. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were exposed twice daily for 8 weeks to cigarette smoke (smoke-exposed) or room air (sham-exposed). During the final week of exposure, the rats were pair-fed a liquid diet containing either 36 or 0% EtOH calories. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes were prerecruited into the rats' lungs by transtracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide. Five hours later, the rats were infected transtracheally with S. pneumoniae, and PMN recruitment, phagocytosis, and bactericidal activity were quantified within their lungs. Chemokine levels were also measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, lung homogenates, and sera. Results: Neither PMN recruitment nor phagocytic uptake of pneumococci was altered by EtOH ingestion or smoke exposure. Killing of the organisms, however, was significantly decreased in sham-exposed, but not smoke-exposed, rats ingesting EtOH. Parallel results were determined for serum cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1), with EtOH ingestion significantly decreasing the levels in sham-exposed, but not smoke-exposed, rats. Pulmonary levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) and CINC-1 were highly elevated by the combination of EtOH and smoke. Conclusions: One week of EtOH ingestion by rats impaired the ability of their PMNs to kill S. pneumoniae within their lungs. This was not due to decreased recruitment of the PMNs to the lungs or to diminished phagocytosis of intrapulmonary pneumococci. The addition of twice-daily cigarette smoke exposure to this short-term EtOH ingestion model restored PMN bactericidal ability to levels observed in the absence of either treatment. These EtOH-induced and smoke-induced alterations in PMN killing may be related to alterations in both pulmonary and systemic inflammatory chemokine levels.
A Call for Civically Engaged Educational Policy-Related Scholarship

At a time when higher education is undergoing great challenges and diminished public support, the civically engaged university holds the promise of reclaiming the meaning and the purpose of higher education, where contributions toward promoting democratic public life through research and education become central institutional priorities. The civically engaged university that takes its scholarly leadership seriously is one that is committed to higher education as an institution within the public sphere and whose mission is to embrace difficult questions about our values and responsibilities, about our past, present, and future, about our differences and alternative worldviews, and about enhancing democracy and inclusion. This piece takes this charge seriously as the authors outline what educational scholarship should or could be as scholars move toward educational policy—related scholarship in the civically engaged university.
A Marital Conflict Resolution Model: Redefining Conflict to Achieve Intimacy*

The approach to conflict resolution used in this model is to redefine conflict as alternative choices. Six assumptions about conflict are reviewed, suggesting it is the way conflicts are processed, not the conflict per se, which affects the relationship. The model is built on skills: Listening, speaking, deciphering basic needs, unlocking alternative choices, and introspection about the process. Some perspectives and principles provide a conceptual framework for use of the seven sequential procedures. Effectively processed conflicts result in greater personal and relationship understanding and potential for growth.
Parametric synthesis of SISO automatic control systems

Abstract A new technique is presented for the synthesis of controllers for use with single-input-single-output (SISO), linear, deterministic, time invariant, stable/unstable, minimum-phase/nonminimum-phase and proper/improper plants to form a stable closed loop feedback system satisfying a set of user defined performance measures in a near optimum fashion. The procedure uses the factorization approach to controller synthesis and is based on a new factorization algorithm. The technique is demonstrated by solving an example problem, and the final results are compared with an alternative design method obtained previously. Sensitivity analyses with respect to the choice of optimization technique and the choice of starting solutions for the optimization algorithm is presented.
Benchmarking the propagator method for nonlinear systems: a Burgers-Korteweg-Devries equation

Abstract A new method for solving a generalized Burgers-Korteweg-deVries (BKdV) equation is presented. This new method consists of two symbiotic aspects-analytical and numerical, respectively. The analytical aspect consists of obtaining the propagators-which are the nonlinear analogues of Green's functions-for the BKdV equation, and subsequently using these propagators to obtain the BKdV solution as a fixed-point integral equation. The numerical aspect consists of developing a highly efficient and accurate method for solving this integral equation. Benchmarking comparisons using the Korteweg-deVries and Burgers equations indicate that our new method is efficient, accurate, and robust.
Theoretical analysis of reactivity on Pt(111) and Pt–Pd(111) alloys

Abstract The reactivity of Pt–Pd alloy surfaces towards the oxygen reduction reaction is studied as a function of the alloy overall composition and surface atomic distribution and compared to that on pure Pt surfaces. The systems include Pd and Pt monolayers on various substrates and Pt 3 Pd, PtPd and PtPd 3 surfaces of ordered alloys. Reactivity is evaluated on the basis of the adsorption strength of oxygenated compounds which are intermediate species of the four-electron oxygen reduction reaction, separating the effect of the first electron–proton transfer from that of the three last electron–proton transfer steps. None of the alloys are found to provide better sites than those of pure Pt both for O 2 dissociation and for the reduction of O and OH to water; with the skin surfaces being the closest to pure Pt. The results are discussed in relation to those found in 10-atom clusters of similar compositions and to experiments.
On the identification of fast dynamics using slow rate camera measurements

This paper addresses the identification of the dynamics of a high bandwidth motion system using measurements from a slow rate integrative sensor. The motivation of this work is the need to characterize the dynamics of adaptive optics elements, such as deformable mirrors, using image array based sensors, such as CCD or CMOS wavefront sensors, which sample at a significantly lower rate than the actuator bandwidth. The integrative nature of the sensor produces a blurred image when the image moves much faster than the exposure period. The key concept of this paper is to extract system dynamics from the image blur. We consider the image blur as a nonlinear temporal-to-spatial transformation under a known input excitation, such as a sinusoid. The output signal parameters, such as amplitude and phase, characterize the frequency response of the system at the specific excitation frequency. This problem may be posed as a nonlinear minimization: finding output signal parameters to match the predicted spatial distribution with the measurement. However, the nonlinear mapping is not one-to-one, or, equivalently, the solution of the nonlinear minimization is non-unique. We propose two methods for avoiding this aliasing problem: by imposing a continuity constraint or by solving the minimization over two different exposure periods. The efficacy of the proposed identification approach for a single-input/single-output system is experimentally demonstrated by accurately obtaining the frequency response of a fast steering mirror up to 500Hz using a 30 Hz CCD camera.
Quantum mechanical modeling of electronic excitations in metal oxides: Magnesia as a prototype

Abstract We compare embedded correlated wavefunction (ECW) approaches for predicting excited states within MgO as a prototypical metal oxide. The crystal is partitioned into a cluster treated with CW methods and a background described by various electrostatic or orbital-free-density-functional-theory (DFT)-based embedding potentials. The excited singlet and triplet states are found to be nearly degenerate and of charge-transfer type, consistent with experiment. Although the prediction of excitation energies by ECW theory with an electrostatic description of the background falls slightly short of more expensive Green’s function methods, it is significantly improved over standard DFT or non-embedded CW methods.
Analysis of cooling, heating, and power systems based on site energy consumption

Feasibility of cooling, heating, and power systems frequently is based on economic considerations such as energy prices. However, a most adequate feasibility of CHP systems must be based on energy consumption followed by economic considerations. CHP systems designs must yield economical savings, but more importantly must yield real energy savings based on the best energy performance. For CHP systems, energy savings is related to primary energy and not to site energy. This paper presents a mathematical analysis demonstrating that CHP systems increase the site energy consumption (SEC). Increasing the SEC could yield misleading results in the economic feasibility of CHP systems. Three different operation modes are evaluated: (a) cooling, heating, and power; (b) heating and power; and (c) cooling and power, to represent the operation of the system throughout the year. Results show that CHP systems increase site energy consumption; therefore primary energy consumption (PEC) should be used instead of SEC when designing CHP systems.
Role of opiates and their receptors in the regulation of food intake and body weight

Considerable evidence implicates the involvement of the three opioid receptor subtypes in the short-term regulation of energy balance. However, inconsistent efficacy observed in weight loss studies with the classical opioid antagonist naltrexone calls into question the therapeutic role(s) of opioid receptors and their antagonists for the treatment of obesity and eating disorders. Recent publications highlighting additional benefits of recently disclosed novel opioid antagonists have renewed interest in the potential therapeutic value of opioid receptor antagonists for the treatment of obesity.
Effects of Carbon Fillers on the Rheology of Highly Filled Liquid-Crystal Polymer Based Resins

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating resins increases the composite electrical and thermal conductivity. Often, enough of a single type of carbon filler is added to achieve the desired conductivity while still allowing the material to be molded into a bipolar plate for a fuel cell. In this study, various amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid-crystal polymer. The rheological properties of the resulting single-filler composites were measured. In addition, the rheological properties of composites containing combinations of different carbon fillers were studied via a factorial design. In all cases, the viscosity increased with increasing filler volume fraction and followed a shear-thinning power-law model. The factorial design results indicated that each of the single fillers and all the filler combinations caused a statistically significant increase in the composite viscosity when compared at a shear rate of 500 s−1 or at a stress of 105 Pa. For composites containing synthetic graphite particles and/or carbon fiber, the viscosity variation with the volume fraction of carbon followed a modified Maron–Pierce equation. When compared at a constant volume fraction of carbon, composites containing carbon black showed viscosity enhancement above and beyond that shown by the other composites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008