cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Induces Autophagy as a Prosurvival Mechanism to Alleviate Hepatic ER-Stress Response

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently leads to chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The molecular mechanisms by which HCV infection leads to chronic liver disease and HCC are not well understood. The infection cycle of HCV is initiated by the attachment and entry of virus particles into a hepatocyte. Replication of the HCV genome inside hepatocytes leads to accumulation of large amounts of viral proteins and RNA replication intermediates in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in production of thousands of new virus particles. HCV-infected hepatocytes mount a substantial stress response. How the infected hepatocyte integrates the viral-induced stress response with chronic infection is unknown. The unfolded protein response (UPR), an ER-associated cellular transcriptional response, is activated in HCV infected hepatocytes. Over the past several years, research performed by a number of laboratories, including ours, has shown that HCV induced UPR robustly activates autophagy to sustain viral replication in the infected hepatocyte. Induction of the cellular autophagy response is required to improve survival of infected cells by inhibition of cellular apoptosis. The autophagy response also inhibits the cellular innate antiviral program that usually inhibits HCV replication. In this review, we discuss the physiological implications of the HCV-induced chronic ER-stress response in the liver disease progression.
Infections of the central nervous system in the newborn

Safe, effective vaccines and potent antimicrobial agents have diminished substantially the morbidity and mortality associated with neonatal infections of the central nervous system (CNS), and new molecular methods, such as the polymerase chain reaction, enable clinicians to detect micro-organisms rapidly. Despite these advances, CNS infections remain an important cause of death and neurodevelopmental sequelae. This article summarizes current concepts regarding infections of the developing CNS.
Constructing a restorative school district collaborative

This action research initiative showcases the impact of a collaborative process involving educators who are delivering restorative practice to schools in the second largest school district in California. Three restorative practice action-oriented cycles engage educators in developing leadership capabilities to implement a restorative practice approach in targeted schools. Data shows through collaborative participation, restorative educators and stakeholders transform their ideas into restorative action.
Development of a tri-agonist compound library used to determine optimal adjuvanticity of a Q fever vaccine

Vaccines are one of the most successful treatments for disease. However, the development of more effective vaccines is still necessary for diseases, such as malaria and HIV. Recently, researchers have demonstrated that administering a target antigen with multiple immune agonists, especially Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, can enhance specific immune responses. Thus, suggesting that vaccines will require synergistic activity of multiple agonists to effectively activate the immune system and eliminate disease. In addition, vaccine development would greatly benefit from understanding the effect distinct combinations of immune agonists have on immune activity. This information would allow us to more rationally design vaccines that elicit directed and prolonged immune responses. Previously, we probed immune system responses by conjugating three TLR agonists together. Testing our construct in vitro and in vivo , we were able to modulate innate immune and antibody responses, suggesting downstream changes in immune signaling and adaptive immune activation. Here, we synthesized a library of tri-agonist compounds and examined how different covalently linked TLR agonist combinations affected immune activation via NF-kB activity and cytokine production. We are currently testing our constructs on a Q fever vaccination model, where Q fever is a current bioterrorism threat, to examine changes in T and B cell populations, antibody responses, and efficacy of the tri-agonist adjuvants. From our studies, these tri-agonist scaffolds can inform us about immune system signaling and activation in order to study immune activation mechanisms. Therefore, allowing us to potentially design more effective vaccines.
Extending lipoarabinomannan detection limitations with plasmonic gratings

Tuberculosis (TB) is a growing threat that endangers the lives of more than 9.6 million people each year. The early diagnosis and treatment of this disease are critical to preventing serious infections and death. However, accurately diagnosing adults and children in resource-poor regions has proven very difficult. We have developed an ultrasensitive plasmonic grating platform that can detect lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a biomarker for active TB, at concentrations much lower (1 fg/mL range) than currently available sensors by counting single molecules from epifluorescence microscope images. This platform could be used in conventional equipment such as microscopes and microplate readers to aid in the early detection of TB and ultimately the prompt treatment of the disease.
Life at a Teaching University.

ABSTRACTMany new political science faculty at teaching universities are recent PhD recipients, and are coming to these institutions from research-oriented universities. There are considerable diffe...
Günter Blobel (1936-2018).

Gunter Blobel, recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, died on 18 February 2018 aged 81. He was among the greatest scientists of the twentieth century, whose seminal work on intracellular protein transport and localization revolutionized cell biology.
Susceptibility of the life stages of cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) to ozone

Abstract The ban of methyl bromide and problems associated with the use of other stored-product pest control methods have demanded search for potential alternatives. Ozone, an oxidizing gas, is one of such potential alternatives. In this study, the susceptibility of life stages of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) to ozone, was investigated. The concentration-mortality relationships for all life stages exposed to 100–400 ppm at 50 ppm increments for 1 h were determined. The time-mortality relationships for adult L. serricorne exposed to 100 ppm ozone concentration for 1–6 h were also determined. Mortality was recorded as percentages of eggs that failed to hatch 10 days after treatment (DAT), larvae or pupae that failed to develop into adults 28 or 15 DAT, respectively, and adults that died 2 DAT. The concentration-mortality estimates suggested that, generally, higher concentrations were required to kill 99% of insects when treated without food compared to when treated with food made of whole wheat flour and brewer's yeast. In the absence of food, larvae were the most tolerant and adults were the least tolerant to ozone treatment and required 15, 974 ppm and 3769 ppm to kill 99% of the individuals respectively. In the presence of food, eggs and pupae were the most and least tolerant respectively. An exposure time of 7.1 × 1030 h was required to kill 99% of adults treated in the presence of food and 99 h in the absence of food. When adult insects were exposed to 100 ppm ozone for 1–6 h in the absence of food, a weak relationship between survival rate and exposure duration observed initially became stronger in subsequent days. The present study suggests that ozone treatment could be a potential alternative for the management of all life stages of L. serricorne.
Inside Looking In: Complicity and Critique:

Although postsecular criticism seems dedicated to the deconstruction of an untenable religious/secular binary, the discourse harbors an unacknowledged complicity with the very terms we attempt to d...
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Competing Redox Processes During DNA Cleavage: Reactivity-Based Selectivity

An understanding of the competition between competing redox processes that lead to the reduction of oxidants bound to DNA presents a new framework upon which to design selective cleavage agents and to interpret the results of structural studies based upon cleaving nucleic acids with small, transition-metal complexes.
Giving Voice to Vulnerable Children: Machine Learning Analysis of Speech Detects Anxiety and Depression in Early Childhood

Childhood anxiety and depression often go undiagnosed. If left untreated these conditions, collectively known as internalizing disorders, are associated with long-term negative outcomes including substance abuse and increased risk for suicide. This paper presents a new approach for identifying young children with internalizing disorders using a 3-min speech task. We show that machine learning analysis of audio data from the task can be used to identify children with an internalizing disorder with 80% accuracy (54% sensitivity, 93% specificity). The speech features most discriminative of internalizing disorder are analyzed in detail, showing that affected children exhibit especially low-pitch voices, with repeatable speech inflections and content, and high-pitched response to surprising stimuli relative to controls. This new tool is shown to outperform clinical thresholds on parent-reported child symptoms, which identify children with an internalizing disorder with lower accuracy (67–77% versus 80%), and similar specificity (85–100% versus 93%), and sensitivity (0–58% versus 54%) in this sample. These results point toward the future use of this approach for screening children for internalizing disorders so that interventions can be deployed when they have the highest chance for long-term success.
Author Correction: Net reduction of CO2 via its thermocatalytic and electrocatalytic transformation reactions in standard and hybrid processes

In the version of this Perspective originally published, in Table 1, the selectivity for MeOH and CO (%) values were incorrect at 0.298 and 0.35, respectively, they should have read 29.8 and 35. This has now been corrected.
Jackson, John Hughlings

John Hughlings Jackson (1835–1911) was a practicing neurologist in Victorian London. His careful bedside observations and profound thinking exerted a seminal influence on clinical and experimental neurology. His conception of epilepsy remains central to modern studies of the subject. Applying evolutionary theory to practical case analysis, he contributed to the development of theories of epilepsy, aphasia, cerebral localization, and motor control. He made original observations in psychiatry and in neuroophthalmology. He was famous in his lifetime and is now recognized as one of the founders of modern clinical neurology.
Freeness of the random fundamental group

Let Y (n,p) denote the probability space of random 2-dimensional simplicial complexes in the Linial–Meshulam model, and let Y ∼ Y (n,p) denote a random complex chosen according to this distribution...
Anxiety and fear

The theory of emotions predominant in Western European culture describes affects as subjective states. Even the curious concept of unconscious emotion presumes a mind, albeit resistant to phenomenological analysis, which apes conscious experience in all its functional attributes. This view advances the primacy of subjectivity as the determiner of human behavior. Experienced intentions and affects are held to act through the effectors on the world of external objects. However, objective behavior is not the reality of the person; it is only a reflection of the subjective person within.
CNS penetration and pharmacodynamics of the CHK1 inhibitor prexasertib in a mouse Group 3 medulloblastoma model.

Abstract Prexasertib (LY2606368) is a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of cell-cycle checkpoint CHK1 and CHK2 protein kinases and is currently under clinical evaluation for treatment of pediatric malignancies. As a candidate therapy for pediatric Group 3 medulloblastoma (G3MB), prexasertib CNS penetration was evaluated in mice using cerebral microdialysis and pharmacokinetic modeling. A plasma pharmacokinetic study with a population-based design was performed in CD1 nude mice bearing G3MB orthotopically implanted in the brain and receiving a single dose of prexasertib (10 mg/kg, subcutaneously) to characterize prexasertib disposition and to establish a limited plasma sampling model for the microdialysis studies. The microdialysis studies were performed in both non-tumor bearing mice and in mice bearing G3MB receiving 10 mg/kg prexasertib subcutaneously, for up to 24 h post-dose. Plasma and extracellular fluid (ECF) concentrations were quantified using validated LC MS/MS methods, and analyzed using a population pharmacokinetic model. Model-derived prexasertib tumor/ECF to plasma partition coefficient Kp,uu (ratio of tumor/brain ECF to unbound plasma AUC0-24 h) was significantly greater in G3MB tumor-bearing mice (0.17 ± 0.08) compared to non-tumor bearing mice (0.09 ± 0.04, p = 0.04). A pharmacodynamic study was then performed in mice bearing G3MB (20 mg/kg, IV) to evaluate prexasertib-induced target engagement after a single dose. Phosphorylated CHK1 serine 345 (pCHK1 S345), phosphorylated Histone 2A variant (γ-H2AX), and cleaved caspase-3 were quantified in mouse G3MB tumor tissues by immunohistochemistry at different time points up to 24 h post-dose. The induction of pCHK1 S345 and γ-H2AX peaked at 2 h after the dose and was elevated above baseline for at least 6 h, reflecting relevant CHK1 inhibition and DNA damage. Cleaved caspase-3 levels increased at 24 h suggesting initiation of cell apoptosis. Adequate unbound prexasertib exposure reached the brain tumor site relative to target engagement in G3MB tumor bearing mice at a clinically relevant dosage. These results support further preclinical and clinical development of prexasertib to treat children with medulloblastoma.
Integrated Analysis of Methylome and Transcriptome Following Developmental Atrazine Exposure in Zebrafish Reveals Aberrant Gene-Specific Methylation of Neuroendocrine and Reproductive Pathways

Atrazine (ATZ) is one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States. Previous studies have hypothesized the role of ATZ as an endocrine disruptor (EDC), and developmental exposure to ATZ has been shown to lead to behavioral and morphological alterations. Specific epigenetic mechanisms responsible for these alterations, however, are yet to be elucidated. In this study, we exposed zebrafish embryos to 0.3, 3, and 30 ppb (μg/L) of ATZ for 72 hours post fertilization. We performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to assess the effects of developmental ATZ exposure on DNA methylation in female fish brains. The number of differentially methylated genes (DMG) increase with increasing dose of treatments. DMGs are enriched in neurological pathways with extensive methylation changes consistently observed in neuroendocrine and reproductive pathways. To assess the effects of DNA methylation on gene expression, we integrated our data with transcriptomic data. Four genes, namely CHD9, FRAS1, PID1, and PCLO, were differentially expressed and methylated in each dose. Overall, this study identifies specific genes and pathways with aberrant methylation and expression following ATZ exposure as targets to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ATZ toxicity and presents ATZ-induced site-specific DNA methylation as a potential mechanism driving aberrant gene expression.
Collaboration of Open Content News in Wikipedia: The Role and Impact of Gatekeepers

With the advances of social technologies, open content in social media has become an important place where people gather and communicate news. Prior studies in conventional mass media has long studied the news reporting process, and suggest that gatekeepers – editors or journalists who control the information and have a unique power to determine what gets published to the public – play an important role in the news reporting process. However, as the process of how open content are created by contributors in social media platforms is different, what we understand about content publication process in traditional mass media can not directly apply in the context of social media. Especially, it is unclear who are the gatekeepers and how do they influence the content creation and spread of information in social media. In the current proposed study, I aim to understand this new model of content generation process through the lens of gatekeepers in social media platforms such as Wikipedia. Specifically, I aim to discover ways to identify gatekeepers and assess their impact on information quality and content polarization.
Influence of race and sociodemographic factors on declining resection for gastric cancer: A national study.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to determine whether racial or other demographic characteristics were associated with declining surgery for early stage gastric cancer. Methods Patients with clinical stage I-II gastric adenocarcinoma were identified from the NCDB. Multivariable logistic models identified predictors for declining resection. Patients were stratified based on propensity scores, which were modeled on the probability of declining. Overall survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results Of 11,326 patients, 3.68% (n = 417) declined resection. Patients were more likely to refuse if they were black (p Conclusions Racial and sociodemographic disparities exist in the treatment of potentially curable gastric cancer, with patients who decline recommended surgery suffering worse overall survival.
An Analysis of the Impact of Culture and Wealth on Declining Software Piracy Rates: A Nine-Year Study

This paper examines the relationship between Hofstede’s national culture indices (IDV, PSI, MAS, and UAI), economic wealth (GNI), and software piracy rates (SPR). Although a number of studies have already examined this relationship, the contribution of this paper is two-fold. First, we will examine not only the relationship to SPR, but also the relationship to declines in SPR. The average national SPR has been declining since 1994, although the global rate has leveled off since 1997 and has recently seen a slight increase. Second, we will use a 9-year dataset stretching from 1994 to 2002 to assess wealth and SPR. This allows for a more sensitive analysis of the relative wealth of a country and the underlying SPR. Using a sample of 45 countries, we find a significant negative relationship between GNI, IDV and SPR. We also find that decline in SPR is a function of culture (PDI), not wealth. Areas of further research are discussed.
Excellence and power in the Black physics community

#BlackInPhysics Week aimed to build community among physicists by celebrating, supporting and increasing the visibility of Black physicists. The week accomplished all of this, and more.
Euler Equation and Gibbs–Duhem Relation

In Chap. 5 we noted that in combination the first and second laws lead to an important relationship, that is, the difference, \(\mathrm{d} U\), in the internal energy of two neighboring equilibrium states is linearly related to the corresponding difference, \(\mathrm{d} S\), in their entropy. Of course, also included in this relationship is the heat energy quasistatically added to the system and the quasistatic work, \(\mathrm{d} W_{\mathrm{quasistatic}}=P\mathrm{d} V\), performed by the system when it transitions from a state with extensive variables \((U,S,V)\) to one with \((U+dU,S+dS,V+dV)\).
The state of the art in high resolution electrocardiography

The high resolution ECG is now commonly used in the clinical setting. It is the most advanced ECG signal processing methodology commercially available to the physician. The methodology is reviewed with comments about its limitations and future applications.
Ensuring a Safe and Supportive Work Environment

Safety is crucial to ensure an optimal simulation experience for learners, faculty, and SPs. Understanding that SP methodology is the tool and the SP is a human co-collaborator and member of the education team is critical. SPEs have an ethical responsibility to assure the safety of the SPs by considering the design of the activity, managing faculty/client expectations of SP work, identifying and mitigating safety threats, and by debriefing. Multiple studies examining SPs’ perspectives revealed that a socially supportive environment and the role of the SPE in setting clear guidelines regarding physical, cognitive, and psychological safety were very important to SPs engagement, effort, motivation, satisfaction and retention (Pritchard et al., Med Teach 39(11):1159–1167, 2017; Arthur et al., J Organ Behav: Int J Ind Occup Organ Psychol Behav 26(2):177–202, 2005; Kuhne et al., Acad Psychiatry 8:1–9, 2018). In this chapter, we will explore the unique relationship and responsibility the SPE has in creating and maintaining a safe work environment for the SP.
Nano-engineered spatial-light modulators from electro-optic nano-molecules

We explore transduction between the radio-frequency and near-infrared domain in nanoscale metasurfaces to demonstrate multi-pixel spatial light modulators. We custom-tailor their optical, radio-frequency and electro-optic response at the nanoscale. We investigate guided mode resonances and bound states in the continuum cross-functionalized with state-of the art organic nano-molecules JRD1 that have combined merits of record efficiency in a broadband range and low electronic consumption per pixel.
"Pride and prejudice and zombies: The classic Regency romance—Now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem!," by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Review of Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Pride and prejudice and zombies: The classic Regency romance—Now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem! Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books, 2009. $12.95 (320p) ISBN 978-1594743344.
[3] Use of PCR for isolation of neuropeptide receptor genes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the isolation of neuropeptide receptor genes. A complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) receptor has been synthesized, which is a member of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)/secretin/parathyroid hormone (PTH)/calcitonin receptor family. The cloning of the VIP, secretin, PTH, and calcitonin receptors suggests that these receptors represent a new family of receptors in the superfamily of seven transmembrane-spanning G-protein-coupled receptors. Sequence comparison of these receptors revealed considerable homologies in their transmembrane domains. It has been hypothesized that these conserved sequences are a general structural feature of the receptors in this family and that these sequences would be conserved in the PACAP receptor. Thus, these conserved sequences have been targeted to design PCR primers in an effort to amplify gene segments for the PACAP receptor and other novel receptors within this family. Based on sequence information obtained from sequencing cDNA clones obtained by PCR with degenerate primers, PCR has been employed to isolate a full-length cDNA encoding the PACAP receptor. The chapter describes detailed procedures of this novel PCR strategy for molecular cloning of new neurotransmitter receptor cDNAs.
Fear appeals and persuasion: A review and update of the Extended Parallel Process Model.

The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM; Communication Monographs, 59, 1992, 329) is a predominant message design theory in the social science fear appeal literature that provides a framework for effective communication of health-related information. This paper provides a review and update of the theory and the use of fear appeals in persuasion. First, a brief overview of the EPPM is provided. Then, Littlejohn and Foss (Theories of Human Communication, 2005, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth) criteria for evaluation of theory are used as a guide for reviewing research guided by the EPPM in terms of the consistency of data with theoretical predictions, how it has been adjusted and extended through research findings, and a discussion of future research to expand social scientific knowledge about fear appeals and persuasion. It is concluded that the EPPM has advanced our understanding of how fear appeals operate and continues to generate questions for research in risk messaging.
Some Limitations of Adjudication as an International Dispute Settlement Technique

Nations have generally resisted third-party settlement of their disputes and adjudicative techniques, in particular, have usually played only a limited role in their relations. This article notes some of the reasons adjudication is not more widely used as an international dispute settlement technique and urges that more attention be paid instead to the use of other non-judicial dispute management tools such as negotiation, mediation and conciliation.More broadly, the author proposes that international lawyers should focus their attention, not simply on adjudication, but on dispute avoidance and management processes as a whole, and goes on to suggest some of the questions which might be explored to help us better understand and utilize this range of processes.
JGIM New Section: Case Reports and Clinical Vignettes

With this issue, the Journal inaugurates a new section, Case Reports and Clinical Vignettes. We are particularly interested in clearly written cases that include a brief review of published relevant cases, a detailed description of the case, and a discussion of the case's distinctiveness. Other relevant considerations are contribution to published literature and implications for subsequent developments in clinical practice, teaching, or research. Emphasizing the main teaching points for General Internists has paramount importance. We welcome case reports, which illustrate a diagnostic dilemma or a unique management approach that either improves patient care or emphasizes an education goal.
ATOVAQUONE FOR THE TREATMENT OF TOXOPLASMA RETINOCHOROIDITIS IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT PATIENTS

Abstract Objective To report the results of a phase I trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of atovaquone for the treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients. Design Open label, nonrandomized, prospective, clinical trial. Participants Seventeen immunocompetent patients between the ages of 18 and 75 years with clinical and serologic evidence of ocular toxoplasmosis participated. Intervention Treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis with atovaquone tablets (750 mg four times a day) for 3 months. Prednisone (40 mg) tablets were added on day 3 of treatment and tapered as inflammation resolved. Main outcome measures Clinical response and patient tolerance to atovaquone therapy for ocular toxoplasmosis. Results Average follow-up was 10 months. Most patients experienced no adverse treatment effects. When present, side effects were usually mild and included rash, pruritus, headache, and nausea. With the exception of one patient, who discontinued treatment at 6 weeks secondary to persistent epigastric discomfort, all patients completed the 12 weeks of therapy. All patients had a favorable response to treatment that began within 1 to 3 weeks. Visual acuity was stabilized or improved in all patients. Median initial visual acuity was 20/200 and median final visual acuity was 20/25. In general, atovaquone was well tolerated. Conclusions Atovaquone is better tolerated than conventional antitoxoplasmosis therapy and appears to be at least as effective. Atovaquone is a promising alternative for the treatment of ocular toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients.
Commentary on Globalizing de Gaulle

Four distinguished analysts of French foreign policy under Charles de Gaulle provide in-depth assessments of the new book edited by Christian Nuenlist, Anna Locher, and Garret Martin, Globalizing de Gaulle: International Perspectives on French Foreign Policies, 1958–1969, published by Lexington Books. The commentators praise the book's wide scope and many of its essays and broad themes, but they raise questions about Garret Martin's contention (shared by a few, though not all, of the other contributors to the volume) that de Gaulle had a coherent if ultimately unsuccessful strategy to overcome the Cold War and move toward the unification of Germany and Europe. In article-length commentaries, both Andrew Moravcsik and Marc Trachtenberg take issue with Martin's view, arguing that de Gaulle's foreign policy involved more bluff and bluster than any genuine attempt to bring about the reunification of Germany or to end the Cold War. Moravcsik also provides a spirited defense of the “revisionist” conception of d...
94 GHz Search And Track Antenna

An offset Cassegrain modified focal-pivot-scan monopulse antenna was designed for use with a 94 GHz search and track radar system which would be mounted on an armored vehicle. The focal-pivot-scan design provides for scanning of the main reflector about its focal point while the feed horn and subreflector remain fixed. This permits rapid beam scanning in azimuth for target acquisition while minimizing the mass that must be scanned (and the required scan motor capacity) and precludes the necessity for rotary joints with their attendant losses and possible mechanical failure. The elevation search function and tracking in both azimuth and elevation are accomplished using separate drive motors.
Kaon-nucleus inelastic scattering

A theoretical investigation of kaon inelastic scattering is conducted for the specific reaction /sup 12/C(K/sup +/,K/sup +/')/sup 12/C* (J/sup ..pi../ = 2/sup +/,E/sub x/ = 4.43 MeV). The analysis utilizes the Kerman-McManus-Thaler multiple scattering formalism and the distorted wave impulse approximation. The distorting parameters are uniquely determined through the empirical K/sup +/-nucleon scattering amplitudes. Numerical results demonstrate a clear sensitivity to choice of amplitudes. The cross sections, calculated over a wide range of energies, display a slow variation. Fermi motion effects are found to be quite important at kaon lab kinetic energies below 300 MeV. The magnitude of the K/sup +/-nucleus elastic S matrix shows that the kaon is not strongly absorbed; however, cut-off calculations, which eliminate all internal form factor contributions, firmly establish the inelastic process is surface localized.
‘A POSTERIORI’ ERROR INDICATOR AND ERROR ESTIMATORS FOR ADAPTIVE MESH REFINEMENT

Two different ‘a posteriori’ error estimation techniques are proposed in this paper. The effectiveness of the error estimates in adaptive mesh refinement for 2D and 3D electrostatic problems are also analyzed with numerical test results. The post‐processing method employs an improved solution to estimate the error, whereas the gradient of field method utilizes the gradient of the field solution for estimating the ‘a posterior’ error. The gradient of field method is computationally inexpensive, since it solves a local problem on a patch of elements. The error estimates are tested by solving a set of self‐adjoint boundary value problems in 2D and 3D using a hierarchical minimal tree based mesh refinement algorithm. The numerical test results and the performance evaluation establish the effectiveness of the proposed error estimates for adaptive mesh refinement.
Transmission loss allocation using normalized loss weight factors in bilateral contracts environment

One of the major problems in liberalized power markets is loss allocation. In this paper, a new method for allocating transmission losses to bilateral contract market participants is proposed. The proposed method is fundamentally based on Bialek's “Tracing the flow of electricity” method. The losses is allocated to market participants using the loss weight factors (LWFs) which are obtained from the squared current magnitude and Z-bus matrix. The LWF method is based on a solved load flow and strongly emphasizes on current magnitude while considers network topology. The method has been implemented and tested on several networks and one sample summarized in the paper. The results show that the method has an acceptable performance in various situations.
A supersymmetric gut

Abstract We propose a grand unified supersymmetric theory based on SU(5) with spontaneously broken supersymmetry. The theory (really a class of theories) is completely realistic. In particular, supersymmetry partners of ordinary fermions and bosons are heavy. The model requires one fine-tuning in order to render the color triplet partners of the Higgs fields (which mediate proton decay) superheavy. This fine-tuning is stable against radiative corrections. At the tree level, the model contains two scales, the unification scale, of order 1016 GeV, and the supersymmetry breaking scale, of order 1010 GeV. The breaking of SU(2) × U(1) invariance arises as a radiative effect. The lightest of the new particles implied by supersymmetry are expected to have masses of order tens of GeV.
Landowner attitudes toward natural gas and wind farm development in northern Pennsylvania

The US has undergone a recent boom in the development of onshore wind farm and natural gas energy projects and contentious debates over the construction of these projects are common in communities across the US. A survey of landowners in a region of Northern Pennsylvania (N=1028) undergoing simultaneous development of both wind and natural gas development shows that landowners are generally much more polarized and negative towards gas development than wind farm development, and that attitudes toward natural gas development is highly dependent on environmental attitudes and industry leasing, development, or employment experience. Landowner proximity to the development explains a small amount of the variation in attitudes towards wind energy. Recommendations for energy policy and future research are discussed.
Short coherence length produced by a spatial incoherent source applied for the Linnik-type interferometer

An axial resolution created by a spatial incoherent source is investigated theoretically and experimentally for the Linnik-type interferometer. The axial resolution in interference microscopy depends on both the temporal coherence length of the source and the objective numerical aperture (NA). Here the problem is treated in a more general situation by considering the spatial and temporal coherence of the illumination source which may be important for deep coherence imaging application. The results show that the axial resolution is degraded at the depth much less by using the optimal spectral bandwidth of the incoherent source and high-NA objectives.
Plant cells at different stages in their growth curve differentially activate promutagens

Mutagenic activity of the promutagens 2-aminofluorene (2AF) and a contaminant of 4-nitro-o-phenylenediamine (NOP-X) was followed in Ames Salmonella strain TA98 following metabolism by cotton and carrot cell suspension cultures using the plant cell/microbe coincubation assay. Both cell lines were capable of activating each chemical. However, activation capacities of the cell lines differed relative to their respective stage of growth when used. For 2AF activation early-log phase cotton cells and mid-log phase carrot cells proved superior while mid-log phase cotton cells and stationary phase carrot cells proved superior for NOP-X activation. These data indicate that the phase of the growth cycle at which plant cells are harvested can significantly affect their promutagen activation potential.
Time-varying quark masses and cosmological axion energy

The possibility is examined that the masses of the light quarks u and d have varied over the course of the universe's evolution. Such a variation would have an effect on axion cosmology and can be the basis of a solution of the so-called axion energy problem. If this is the case, a scalar force somewhat weaker than gravity could exist that has a range of order 1 km.
SU-GG-I-84: Operation Logic of Coventional FluoroscopyAutomatic Brightness Control

Purpose: New generation of fluoroscopic imaging systems are equipped with spectral shaping filters complimented with sophisticated automatic brightness (and image quality) control logic called fluoroscopy curve or trajectory. Such fluoroscopy curves were implemented first on cardiovascular systems, and are now available on conventional fluoroscopy equipment. This study is to investigate the control logic operations under the fluoroscopy and spot filming/acquisition modes of a conventional fluoroscopy system typically installed for Upper‐Lower GI Examination Suites, Interventional Endoscopy Laboratory, Gastrointestinal Laboratory and Pain Clinics. Method and Materials: A brand new GE Precision 500D fluoroscopy system was chosen for the investigation which was installed in the middle of February 2008. Two radiation detectors were employed to monitor the patient and image intensifier air kerma dose and dose rate as functions of increasing PMMA plastic phantom thickness. The measurement protocol utilized by the AAPM TG 125 was followed as much as possible with some exceptions due to the mechanical constraints. The image quality was evaluated with the NEMA‐SCAI phantom at 4″, 8″, and 12″ total phantom thicknesses. Results: The data analysis and the graphs obtained from this study showed extensive use of copper filters (up to 0.3 mmCu) similar to the cardiovascular imaging systems (up to 0.9 mmCu). However, it is with fewer steps of copper filters and less power input to the x‐ray tube, reflecting the differences of clinical applications, and complexity of examinations. As expected, it also showed somewhat narrower dynamic range the imaging system is able to cover with reasonable “penetration” as opposed to that of cardiovascular imaging systems. Conclusion: It is shown that compared against previous generations of fluoroscopy systems, the new conventional fluoroscopy systems equipped with spectral shaping filters provide reduced patient dose while maintaining reasonable (better than just acceptable) image quality. In‐depth discussion will be provided at the presentation.
Hypertext habitats: experiences of writers in NoteCards

This paper reports on an investigation into the use of the NoteCards hypertext system for writing. We describe a wide variety of personal styles adopted by 20 researchers at Xerox as they “inhabit” NoteCards. This variety is displayed in each of their writing activities: notetaking, organizing and reorganizing their work, maintaining references and bibliographies, and preparing documents. In addition, we discuss the distinctive personal decisions made as to which activities are appropriate for NoteCards in the first place. Finally, we conclude with a list of recommendations for system designers arising from this work.
Sample-path analysis of queues with batch arrivals

In this article we give a deterministic sample path general relationship that relates workload and batch delays, and use it to extend the Pollaczek-Khintchine formula for a batch arrival single-server queueing model. We also give a conservation law for the same system with multiple classes that leads to new versions of conservation laws for Poisson batch arrival models. Our results are completely rigorous and hold under weaker assumptions than those given in the literature. We do not make stochastic assumptions, so the results hold almost surely on every sample path of the stochastic process that describes the system evolution. The article is self contained in that it gives a brief review of necessary background material.
EFFECTS OF PORCINE SOMATOTROPIN AND SUPPLEMENTAL LYSINE ON PORCINE MUSCLE HISTOCHEMISTRY1

Thirty barrows were used to evaluate effects of porcine somatotropin (pST) administration and increased dietary lysine (0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2%) on longissimus thoracis (LT) and semimentranosus (SM) muscle histochemistry. Myofiber types were classified based on ATPase and NADH staining. Fiber diameters were not affected (P> 0.05) by exogenous pST in either muscle. Percentage of αR fibers tended to decrease (P< 0.10) and percentage of the αW fibers increased (P< 0.05) in the LT with pST treatment. Fiber percentages of the SM were not affected by pST; however, the diameter of the αR fibers in the muscle tended to increase (P< 0.10) in those animals receiving 0.8 and 1.2% lysine. Supplemental lysine had no effect on fiber percentages in the SM or the LT muscles nor did it increase fiber diameters in the LT. These data indicate that pST enhanced the anaerobic potential in the LT and increased dietary lysine promoted cellular hypertrophy in the SM.
CMOS Compatible Erbium Coupled Si Nanocrystal Thin Films for Microphotonics

Er doped Si-rich SiO2 films were deposited through reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering and subjected to a single annealing step to simultaneously form silicon nanocrystals (Si-nc’s) and activate the Er emission. Reference Er in stoichiometric SiO2 (Er:SiO2) films were deposited for comparison and the Er emission in the presence of Si-nc’s was optimized with respect to the annealing temperature. The Er emission from Er in SiO2 containing Si-nc’s (Er:SiO2+Si-nc) films is maximized at annealing temperatures between 600 °C and 800 °C, where the 1.54 µm emission is enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude relative to Er:SiO2 samples. Efficient energy coupling between Si-nc’s and Er ions was demonstrated through excitation cross section measurements and non-resonant Er excitation experiments for samples annealed at temperatures as low as 600 °C. Since strong emission can be achieved from Er:SiO2+Si-nc films deposited through a standard CMOS process and annealed at temperatures below 700 °C, they can be used to fabricate CMOS compatible light sources and amplifiers.
Rebuilding Walls to Access and Service: The Impact of Electronic Resources on Resource Sharing

Access and service are two of the principles upon which libraries are founded and the principles that guided the creation of interlibrary loan. Through technological developments and the hard work of many librarians, interlibrary loan has helped to bring down the walls of the library, allowing libraries to provide services and access to information beyond the library walls. However, the use of electronic resources is increasing substantially, and they pose issues to interlibrary loan with limiting resource sharing provisions and legal uncertainty. As electronic resources become ever more prevalent, the future of interlibrary loan is uncertain. This article reviews the potential impact that electronic resources will have on resource sharing. This article also reviews what libraries can do to ensure the provision of access and services to patrons despite these issues and some alternatives to interlibrary loan that may allow libraries to serve their patrons better.
Delamination failures of Stellite hardfacing in power plants: a microstructural characterisation study

at the Stellite/steel interface and in the weld dilution zone formed between the steel and clad. Ultimately, disbonding or delamination of the weld hardfacing from the valve body occurs and has resulted in collateral damage to components in the plant (such as to the turbine) or valve failure. In this study, the microstructure formed near the Stellite/steel interface is investigated. Based on thermodynamic modelling, microstructure formed at these regions is hypothesised and a simple methodology is proposed to predict the occurrence of these failures.
Enterotoxigenic E. coli Infection and Protection by Breastfeeding in a Mexican Birth Cohort • 450

Enterotoxigenic E. coli Infection and Protection by Breastfeeding in a Mexican Birth Cohort • 450
Urban Canopy Modeling of the New York City Metropolitan Area: A Comparison and Validation of Single- and Multilayer Parameterizations

Abstract High-resolution numerical simulations are conducted using the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS)1 with two different urban canopy parameterizations for a 23-day period in August 2005 for the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area. The control COAMPS simulations use the single-layer Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Urban Canopy Model (W-UCM) and sensitivity simulations use a multilayer urban parameterization based on Brown and Williams (BW-UCM). Both simulations use surface forcing from the WRF land surface model, Noah, and hourly sea surface temperature fields from the New York Harbor and Ocean Prediction System model hindcast. Mean statistics are computed for the 23-day period from 5 to 27 August (540-hourly observations) at five Meteorological Aviation Report stations for a nested 0.444-km horizontal resolution grid centered over the NYC metropolitan area. Both simulations show a cold mean urban canopy air temperature bias primarily due to an underestimation of n...
Perceptions of Dietary Supplements Among Older Women With Diabetes

Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the meaning of taking dietary supplements from the perspective of being an older woman with type 2 diabetes. Methods Nine women over the age of 65 with type 2 diabetes participated in a single, in-depth semistructured interview that focused on use of, views of, and methods of hearing about supplements. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using phenomenological methodology. Results Eight of the 9 participants used some form of dietary supplement daily. Respondents described methods of hearing about supplements ranging from their daughters to the media to "people talk." Individual supplements were used primarily to prevent or treat conditions related to aging, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and vision loss. They were also taken to prevent or lessen conditions associated with diabetes, including heart disease. Conclusions The older women with type 2 diabetes in this study used dietary supplements. However, taking supplements was not perceived as a means of controlling blood glucose and, as such, supplements were not taken as part of their diabetes treatment regimen.
Parameters of anorectal and colonic motility in health and in severe constipation

Anorectal function and colonic transit was assessed in 17 severely constipated patients and 15 age-matched controls. The constipated patients were divided into those who had "immobile perineum" (perineal descent 1.0 cm) of the perineum. When constipation was accompanied by an immobile perineum, patients had impaired balloon expulsion, impaired and delayed artificial stool expulsion, decreased straightening of the anorectal angle, decreased descent of the pelvic floor with defecation, and prolonged rectosigmoid colon transit compared with the patients with constipation who had a mobile perineum and with normal controls. The mobile-perineum group differed from controls only in colon transit times, having prolonged total colon transit. Anal sphincter resting pressures, immediate artificial stool expulsion, resting anorectal angles, and electromyography of the external anal sphincter and puborectalis did not differentiate the constipated patients from the controls. We concluded that descent of the perineum of < 1 cm was associated with impaired expulsion, an adynamic anorectal angle, and slowed distal colon transit. This simple sign of pelvic floor function distinguished constipated patients with disordered expulsion from constipated patients with normal pelvic floor function. These patients may respond poorly to surgery and conventional management and would therefore be candidates instead for pelvic floor retraining. Accurate characterization and appreciation of pelvic floor dysfunction in patients with severe chronic constipation may improve the selection for and results of surgical and nonsurgical intervention.