cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface Engineering of 3D Gas Diffusion Electrodes for High‐Performance H2 Production with Nonprecious Metal Catalysts

In this work, a methodology is demonstrated to engineer gas diffusion electrodes for nonprecious metal catalysts. Highly active transition metal phosphides are prepared on carbon‐based gas diffusion electrodes with low catalyst loadings by modifying the O/C ratio at the surface of the electrode. These nonprecious metal catalysts yield extraordinary performance as measured by low overpotentials (51 mV at −10 mA cm−2), unprecedented mass activities (>800 A g−1 at 100 mV overpotential), high turnover frequencies (6.96 H2 s−1 at 100 mV overpotential), and high durability for a precious metal‐free catalyst in acidic media. It is found that a high O/C ratio induces a more hydrophilic surface directly impacting the morphology of the CoP catalyst. The improved hydrophilicity, stemming from introduced oxyl groups on the carbon electrode, creates an electrode surface that yields a well‐distributed growth of cobalt electrodeposits and thus a well‐dispersed catalyst layer with high surface area upon phosphidation. This report demonstrates the high‐performance achievable by CoP at low loadings which facilitates further cost reduction, an important part of enabling the large‐scale commercialization of non‐platinum group metal catalysts. The fabrication strategies described herein offer a pathway to lower catalyst loading while achieving high efficiency and promising stability on a 3D electrode.
Abstract MP05: Genetic Predisposition to Obesity and Healthful Plant-Based Diet in Risks of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Disease: Gene-Diet Interaction Analyses in the UK Biobank

Introduction: Plant-based diets include beneficial nutrients for the prevention of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD). No study has assessed interactions between a new healthful plant-based d...
FURTHER STUDIES OF GLYCOPROTEINS FROM A CARDIOVASCULAR CONNECTIVE TISSUE.

Glycoprotein material containing sialic acid was isolated from bovine aorta at 0o−4oC. by 0.15 M NaCl extraction, (NH4)2SO4 fractionation, and zone electrophoresis on starch. Although the material was essentially homogeneous by free solution electrophoresis in several buffers at various pH values, electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel resulted in a resolution into 4 fractions. Chemical analyses performed on 3 fractions indicated certain differences, for example, carbohydrate content. The compounds were capable of stimulating antibody formation, and immunologic studies further suggested that the number of antigenic components paralleled the resolution found on the gel. It is concluded that the isolation of a family of immunologically active aorta glycoproteins provides additional information in evaluating the complex physiology and biologic specificity of cardiovascular connective tissue.
Risk of de‐novo inflammatory bowel disease among obese patients treated with bariatric surgery or weight loss medications

BACKGROUND An association between bariatric surgery and development of de-novo inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been observed. AIM To evaluate further the association among bariatric surgery, weight loss medications, obesity and new-onset IBD. METHODS Using Explorys, a population-based Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant database, we estimated the prevalence of de-novo IBD among patients treated with bariatric surgery (Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy, laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or gastric banding) (n = 60 870) or weight loss medications (orlistat, phentermine/topiramate, lorcaserin, bupropion/naltrexone and liraglutide) (n = 193 790) compared with obese controls (n = 5 021 210), between 1999 and 2018. RESULTS The prevalence of de-novo IBD was lower among obese patients exposed to bariatric surgery (7.72 per 1000 patients) or weight loss medications (7.22 per 1000 patients) compared with patients with persistent obesity not exposed to these interventions (11.66 per 1000 patients, P < 0.0001). The risk reduction for de-novo IBD was consistent across bariatric surgeries and weight loss medications with the exception of orlistat which was not associated with a reduction in risk for de-novo IBD compared with the persistent obese control cohort. CONCLUSION Obese patients undergoing treatment with bariatric surgery or weight loss medications are at a lower risk for developing de-novo IBD compared with persistently obese controls not exposed to these interventions. These data suggest that obesity and ineffective management of obesity are risk factors for de-novo IBD. Further research is needed to confirm these observations and understand potential mechanisms.
Trends in Percutaneous Embolization Procedures by Radiologists and Other Specialists.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate utilization trends in percutaneous embolization among radiologists and nonradiologist providers. Materials and Methods The nationwide Medicare Part B fee-for-service databases for 2005–2016 were used to evaluate percutaneous embolization codes. Six codes describing embolization procedures were reviewed. Physician providers were grouped as radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists, other surgeons, and all others. Results The total volume of Medicare percutaneous embolization procedures increased from 20,262 in 2005 to 45,478 in 2016 (+125%). Radiologists performed 13,872 procedures in 2005 (68% of total volume) and 33,254 in 2016 (73% of total volume), a 140% increase in volume. While other specialists also increased the number of cases performed from 2005 to 2016, radiologists strongly predominated, performing 87% of arterial and 30% of venous procedures in 2016, more than any other single specialty. In 2014 and 2015, a sharp increase in venous embolization cases performed by nonradiologists preceded a sharp decrease in 2016, likely the result of complicated billing codes for venous procedures. Radiologists maintained a steady upward trend in the number of cases they performed during those years. Conclusions The volume of percutaneous embolization procedures performed in the Medicare population increased from 2005 to 2016, reflecting a trend toward minimally invasive intervention. In 2016, radiologists performed nearly 10 times more arterial embolization procedures than the second highest specialty and more venous embolization procedures than any other single specialty.
The persistence of myth: Brazil’s undead ‘racial democracy’

This article addresses a recurrent tension in the literature on race and racism in Brazil. On the one hand, we find the so-called myth of racial democracy presented as the dominant racial ideology in Brazil, obscuring enduring racial inequality and thwarting the development of a mass-movement for racial justice. On the other hand, we find periodic announcements that the myth of racial democracy has definitively died. Accordingly, I theorize the myth of racial democracy as a paradoxically undead myth and ask what it is about the form of this peculiar myth that allows it to survive its own repeated death. Drawing on Roland Barthes’ theory of myth, I show how the celebration of racial mixture, or mesticagem, functions as a mythological signifier of racial democracy that operates beneath and beyond the level of conscious thought, activating powerful affects and desires even in those who ostensibly know better.
Practical Use of Genetic Testing in Athletes

Genetic testing for health-related purposes is becoming increasingly common in the practice of medicine. Identification of genetic forms of cardiovascular disease, including channelopathies, cardiomyopathies, and aortopathies, is becoming more of an important component of sports cardiology practices. This chapter will review general principles of genetic testing and provide guidance on how genetic testing can help in the detection of inherited cardiovascular disorders that are associated with sudden cardiac death and which have an impact on athletes and decisions regarding sports participation. Medical providers who are provided with genetic data on their patient-athletes must be able to separate properly used and validated genetic information from increasingly popular direct-to-consumer genetic testing products that offer unsupported claims to predict such things as athletic ability, sports performance, and injury risk. The growing market of such genetic tests being advertised directly to the athletic community has led to a 2015 scientific consensus statement warning on the danger of these products to aspiring athletes that can be detrimental to their physical and psychological health. Our role as healthcare providers is to use validated genetic testing practices and data as an added tool promoting the health and safety of athletes.
Samantar v. Yousuf : A False Summit in American Human Rights Civil Litigation

The quest to bring human rights abusers to justice is a challenge wrought with legal obstacles. One such obstacle is the common law principle of sovereign immunity, under which a foreign nation cannot be sued in a court outside of its own jurisdiction. In 1976, Congress sought to eliminate inconsistent application of such immunity by passing the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA). The inconsistency remained, however, as some circuit courts interpreted the FSIA immunity as applying to both foreign government officials, as well as foreign states. The U.S. Supreme Court settled the issue in 2010 in Samantar v. Yousuf, a civil suit against a former Somali general charged with torture, when it held that FSIA immunity does not apply to foreign officials sued in their individual capacity. While some lauded the decision as a landmark in human rights litigation, such optimism appears misplaced. Because of the various avenues of common law immunity still available to foreign officials, the possibility that the precedent of Samantar will prove to be a valuable tool in bringing justice to abuse victims remains highly remote.
Communication & Global Power Shifts| Rosa Luxemburg's Internet? For a Political Economy of State Mobilization and the Movement of Accumulation in Cyberspace

Both the state and capital have been crucial for the evolving political economy of the Internet. This article briefly sketches the history of U.S. state action to shape and manage the extraterritorial Internet and explicates the escalating challenge to U.S. dominance that stems today from other governments. The article then examines the role of capital, viewed not as money or investment but as the contradictory social relation that is built around wage labor. Drawing on insights offered by Rosa Luxemburg, communication processes and practices—including but not limited to the Internet—are situated in relation to the historical reconstitution of the global working class.
Workshop for continued discussion of the Local Bubble

At the end of the regularly scheduled conference, the organizers made available a large sunny conference room for the remaining participants to continue discussion. The main topics were the structure of the Local Bubble and the properties of the Galactic X-ray halo. Here we try to summarize the main points of those discussions.
La plume bifide, le coeur québécois. L’usage de l’anglais chez les écrivains québécois francophones

Le titre de cet essai est tire d’une campagne provinciale de 1995 dont les objectifs etaient de sensibiliser la population envers les nouveaux citoyens d’origines diverses, tous au « coeur quebecois ». Cet essai souligne le caractere bilingue (francophone/anglophone) des auteurs quebecois et le recours frequent a l’anglais dans leurs textes d’une facon beaucoup moins conflictuelle depuis les annees 1980. Divers exemples servent a montrer comment les auteurs ont depasse la notion du Quebecois « pure laine ». D’autres citations incorporant des phrases et/ou expressions en anglais (et a propos de la langue anglaise) demontrent une connaissance de cette langue autrefois si ennemie. Plus assures du statut de la langue « quebecoise » depuis la Revolution tranquille, les auteurs sont egalement plus a l’aise avec l’emploi de l’anglais dans leurs textes. Dans les exemples etudies ici, nous constaterons que les expressions anglaises utilisees par ces auteurs bifides - au « coeur quebecois » - exigent tout de meme un lecteur bilingue.
A LANGUAGE FOR SPECIFYING INFORMATIONAL GRAPHICS FROM FIRST PRINCIPLES

Information visualization tools, such as commercial charting packages, provide a standard set of visualizations for tabular data, including bar charts, scatter plots, pie charts, and the like. For some combinations of data and task, these are suitable visualizations. For others, however, novel visualizations over multiple variables would be preferred but are unavailable in the fixed list of standard options. To allow for these cases, we introduce a declarative language for specifying visualizations on the basis of the first principles on which (a subset of) informational graphics are built. The functionality we aim to provide with this language is presented by way of example, from simple scatter plots to versions of two quite famous visualizations: Minard’s depiction of troop strength during Napoleon’s march on Moscow and a map of the early ARPAnet from the ancient history of the Internet. Benefits of our approach include flexibility and expressiveness for specifying a range of visualizations that cannot be rendered with standard commercial systems.
A genetic algorithm for segmentation and information retrieval of SEC regulatory filings

A principal mechanism by which the SEC fulfills its missions of investor protection and market efficiency is the widespread dissemination of the information that publicly traded firms submit for disclosure. The continuing evolution of reporting standards like the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the global convergence on XBRL as a syntax for sharing data address the quantitative dimension of reporting. This work complements the ongoing research on financial disclosure by helping investors learn from the textual, narrative portions of the filing. Our objective is to automatically segment SEC 10-K financial regulatory filings to facilitate structured retrieval and querying. In structured retrieval, terms are differentially weighted based upon the document segments in which a term appears. We leverage the regulatory instructions provided by the SEC to identify a set of semantic labels such as "Legal Proceedings" or "Management's Discussion and Analysis" that segment a 10-K annual report. We frame the problem of document segmentation as a search for semantic labels and use a genetic algorithm to segment each filing. We evaluate the genetic algorithm on a test set of 112 randomly selected regulatory filings and compare those results to a simple, greedy approach for information extraction and segmentation.
Reinventing a common strategy for patterning the eye.

All together, these findings must be placed in the context of the recent realization, based on complete genome sequences, that evolution toward a higher level of complexity does not rely on the dramatic acquisition of new regulatory functions, or even on a large increase in gene number. It has become clear that Nature uses over and over again a limited number of biochemical modules, such as hh/Shh or dpp/BMP, to achieve various simple patterning tasks. It appears now that patterning of complex tissues also reuses networks of these modules simply by changing the rules of their interaction. For instance, changes in the promoters of hh and dpp as well as changes in the targets of these signaling molecules through the influence of the genes that determine the nature of the structure (master regulators) might allow the development of new structures during evolution.It is very likely that the primitive ancestral unit from which eyes evolved was simply a photoreceptive cell that used Pax6 to activate expression of an opsin. As different eyes became more complex, Pax6 became restricted to progenitor cells within the retina. Then, a convergent strategy that used the interactions between several preexisting biochemical modules such as hh, dpp, and N was superimposed onto the Pax6 module to pattern the crystalline arrays of photoreceptors (Figure 3(Figure 3). Differences between phyla in the details of the regulation of such conserved genes and networks support the idea that they have been recruited independently through evolution to elaborate new eye structures. It is striking that very complex and distinct developmental processes are achieved with a relatively restricted and simple number of interlinked genetic modules such as the hh, dpp, N, and EGFR pathways. This leads to the notion that similar strategies do not necessarily imply common ancestry of the organ, but instead reflect the reuse of an efficient mechanism invented for a similar task.
A new two-site model for hydroxyapatite dissolution in acidic media☆

A physical model featuring two distinct types of dissolution sites for hydroxyapatite (HAP) crystals is presented. One of these sites (site No. 1) is associated with dissolution along c axis dislocations of HAP crystals and is the important site when dissolution occurs into partially saturated solutions. Site No. 2 is active only when dissolution occurs into nearly completely unsaturated solutions, and, because of its greater apparent rate constant, is the more important dissolution site under these conditions. In the physical model block dental enamel or a compressed HAP pellet is represented as a porous matrix of these HAP crystals with interstitial spaces which are permeated by the dissolution medium. The behavior of the model for various situations can be calculated by combining Fick's second law equation for diffusion with the kinetic equations for the behavior of the dissolution sites and solving the resulting boundary value problem. This model is capable of accounting for dissolution kinetics over a range of variation of experimental variables (degree of undersaturation, CaP ratio, and effective diffusion layer thickness). The model also correctly predicts the conditions necessary for zonal as opposed to surface dissolution: high partial saturation, a viscous dissolution medium, or the presence of a site No. 2 dissolution inhibitor. Electron microscopic studies of dissolution morphology at the single crystal level are also in full agreement with the model. Finally, an examination of the available data on enamel remineralization suggests that the holes formed as a result of site No. 1 dissolution are likely the primary sites for remineralization.
Peritoneal dialysis utilizing a Millipore filter

Peritoneal dialysis is of established value in the management of many patients with either acute or chronic renal failure [1]. Peritonitis complicating peritoneal dialysis represents a significant clinical problem [2, 3]. When peritoneal dialysis is performed in highly specialized nursing units, the incidence of peritonitis is low. In 1973 it became apparent that the incidence of peritonitis in patients receiving peritoneal dialysis on our general medicine wards was high. A retrospective study of 116 consecutive peritoneal dialyses in these patients revealed an incidence of 20.7% of clinical peritonitis with a positive peritoneal fluid culture. It was this alarming rate of peritonitis that prompted a search for a bacteriologic filter that could be incorporated into the dialysate tubing so as to lessen the frequency of peritonitis in our general hospital population.
Responsiveness of the QuickDASH and SF-12 in Workers with Neck or Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders: One-Year Follow-Up

Introduction Questionnaires that measure functional status such as the Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) can quantify the impact of health on performance. Little is known about whether these questionnaires can be used as a tool for measuring disabilities among workers. We compare the responsiveness of these two functional status questionnaires to changes in clinical outcomes of neck or upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders (UEMSD) among active workers in a longitudinal study. Methods We evaluated the effect size (ES) and standardized response means (SRM) of the QuickDASH and the SF-12 for 148 workers who were divided into four subgroups based on the diagnosis status change between baseline and 1-year visit. Results The ES and SRM for QuickDASH scores were 0.6/0.6 for the 50 subjects who became incident symptomatic neck or UEMSD cases, 1.3/1.0 for the 18 subjects who became incident clinical cases of neck or UEMSD, −1.0/−1.1 for the 46 subjects who recovered from having neck or UEMSD symptoms, and −1.1/−1.1 for the 34 subjects who recovered from being neck or UEMSD clinical cases. The correspondent ES/SRM for the QuickDASH work module were 0.4/0.3, 0.7/0.5, −0.6/−0.4, and −1.0/−0.8, respectively. The correspondent ES/SRM for the physical component scores of SF-12 (PCS12) for the four subgroups were 0.2/0.2, −0.9/−0.6, 0.3/0.2, and 0.3/0.3, respectively. Conclusions The QuickDASH scores were responsive to changes among active workers who were neck or UEMSD symptomatic or clinical case. PCS12 scores were sufficient only for use in clinical case status change.
Tapping Alternatives: The Benefits of Managing Urban Water Demands

(1992). Tapping Alternatives: The Benefits of Managing Urban Water Demands. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development: Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 6-41.
Formation of chondrous and osseous tissues in micromass cultures of rat frontonasal and mandibular ectomesenchyme.

Abstract Rat frontonasal and mandibular mesenchyme was isolated from day-12 1/2 (stage-22) rat embryos and cultured at high density for up to 12 days. The stage chosen was based on the observation that mandibular mesenchyme at this stage became independent of its epithelium with respect to the production of both cartilage and bone. Frontonasal cultures developed aggregates of anastomosing columns of cells within 2 days. These grew as the cells enlarged, laying down an Alcian-blue-positive matrix by day 3 of culture. Significant mineral was detected by von Kossa staining by day 5 at which time the aggregates covered a large portion of the culture, eventually covering the entire micromass by day 10–12. Mandibular cultures developed centrally located nodular aggregates by 3 days of culture. These nodules increased in number, spreading outwards as the cells enlarged, laying down an Alcian-blue-positive matrix by day 4 and mineral by days 6–7. At this time the nodules began to elongate and coalesce, but never covered the entire culture over the 12-day period. Antibody staining revealed that in both cultures the cells were initially positive for type I collagen. Subsequently, the aggregates began expressing type II collagen, followed by type X, which coincided with the onset of mineralization. At this time some cells were negative for these cartilage markers, but positive for osteoblast markers, bone sialoprotein II, osteocalcin and type I collagen. In addition osteonectin and alkaline phosphatase were demonstrable in all of the aggregate cells late in the culture period. This provided clear evidence that chondroblast and osteoblast differentiation was proceeding within these cultures. The culture of rat facial mesenchyme should prove very useful, not only for the analysis of bone and cartilage induction and lineage relationships, but also in furthering our knowledge of craniofacial differentiation, growth and pattern formation by extending our analysis to a mammalian system.
Probing White Guilt, Pursuing White Redemption: William Kentridge’s 9 Drawings for Projection

William Kentridge's 9 Drawings for Projection present white characters in the context of apartheid caught between guilt and redemption, with special attention to the intermediate terrain. Felix in Exile , the fifth film, suggests that the dismantling of the structures of white racism requires a long-term excavation of the white psyche. The quest for whites' full understanding of their apartheid legacy is tricky because of the fine line between self-examination and self-absorption. The later films beautifully dramatize the vulnerability of white characters as they cross the line and blur crucial distinctions. Kentridge's call for a political art of "ambiguity, contradiction, uncompleted gestures and uncertain endings" has great integrity but may also condone insufficiency and may itself need scrutiny and revision.
Transtracheal aspiration studies in asthmatic patients in relapse with “infective” asthma and in subjects without respiratory disease

Abstract Exacerbations of bronchial asthma that cannot be accounted for by allergic reactions have sometimes been called "infective" asthma. The validity of this designation was tested by study of transtracheal aspirates (TTA) obtained from 27 asthmatic patients in relapse who had findings suggestive of respiratory infection and 12 subjects without respiratory disease. Aspirates were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, Mycobacteria , fungi, Mycoplasma , and viruses. A comparable variety of bacterial and fungal growth in small numbers obtained from a majority of both groups. Microbial growth did not correlate with the presence of symptoms or signs compatible with infection. Aspirates from asthmatics with chronic bronchitis, immediate hypersensitivity to aeroallergens, or aspirin intolerance yielded no greater growth than did aspirates from asthmatics without these characteristics. In only one asthmatic was there suggestion that overt infection of the lower respiratory tract contributed to exacerbation of asthma. These results do not lend support to the empiric use of antibiotics in the management of unexplained asthmatic relapse.
Clinicopathologic types of epidermolysis bullosa and their nondermatological complications.

• The various epidermolysis bullosa syndromes are classified into (1) epidermolytic, (2) lamina lucidolytic (junctional), and (3) dermolytic (dystrophic) subgroups. The mode of inheritance and the clinical manifestations, both cutaneous and noncutaneous, are systematically summarized. This report provides an overview of the diverse epidermolysis bullosa syndromes, particularly from the perspective of their nondermatological manifestations. ( Arch Dermatol 1988;124:718-725)
Examining body dissatisfaction in young men within a biopsychosocial framework.

Abstract This study examined biopsychosocial factors related to body dissatisfaction in young men within multivariate and moderator contexts. A female sample was included as a gender comparison. Male ( n = 111) and female ( n = 236) undergraduates filled out self-report questionnaires assessing body mass index (BMI), media influence, a history of weight-related teasing, and socially prescribed perfectionism, along with various indices of body dissatisfaction. Perceived pressure from the media was consistently related to body dissatisfaction in men whereas multiple biopsychosocial variables accounted for body dissatisfaction in women. Socially prescribed perfectionism and a history of weight teasing each moderated the relationship between BMI and male body dissatisfaction, identifying men low in body dissatisfaction. Findings indicate that applying a biopsychosocial framework to the study of body dissatisfaction in men is useful and suggest the need for including other factors, such as male peers and sports involvement, in understanding contributors to male body image.
Oriented and exfoliated single wall carbon nanotubes in polyacrylonitrile

Abstract Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) fibers were gel spun at 0, 0.5, and 1 wt% SWNT content to a draw ratio of 51. Structure, morphology, and mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of these fibers have been studied. PAN/SWNT composite exhibited much higher electron beam radiation resistance than PAN. As a result, PAN lattice images could be easily observed in the composite fiber by high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The PAN/SWNT composite fiber also exhibited higher solvent resistance than the control PAN fiber. UV–vis spectroscopy of highly drawn fiber exhibited van Hove transitions, suggesting SWNT exfoliation upon drawing. SWNT exfoliation was also confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). At 1 wt% SWNT loading, fiber storage modulus (at 1 Hz) increased by 13.9, 6.6, and 0.2 GPa at −75, 25, and 150 °C, respectively. This suggests that the load transfer ability and hence interfacial strength is increasing with decreasing temperature, even below the polymer's γ transition temperature.
Hypersensitive response of near-isogenic wheat carrying the temperature-sensitive Sr6 allele for resistance to stem rust☆

Abstract The hypersensitive response of near-isogenic wheat lines with either the Sr6 allele for compatibility or the temperature-sensitive Sr6 allele for incompatibility toward Puccinia graminis tritici, race 56, was studied. The response was determined at daily intervals during infection by counting with the aid of a fluorescence microscope the number of size of fluorescent sites in standardized segments of leaf tissue randomly selected from minimum populations of 10 heavily infected leaves. When grown continuously at 20 to 21 °C, the resistant Sr6 line was characterized by a progressive increase in the number of fluorescent sites during the critical period (through the fourth day after inoculation) when compatibility or incompatibility is established. At 26 °C, the Sr6 line is susceptible in terms of infection type, number and time of appearance of lesions and increase in glucosamine content during sporulation. Statistically, the development of the hypersensitive response in the Sr6 line at 20 °C could not be distinguished from the response at 26°C, yet at the latter temperature there were no visible signs of incompatibility between host and parasite. When treated with 80 parts/106 of ethylene at 20°C, the Sr6 line developed even more fluorescent sites than untreated plants despite the induction of susceptibility by ethylene. Pre-inoculation temperature appears important in determining the extent of the hypersensitive response, but not in determining disease reaction. The data provides less ambiguous evidence in support of previous contentions that the hypersensitive response is not a determinant of resistance in rust disease. It is possible that the response is a result only of a general stress occasioned by the presence of an organism to which the host normally does not accomodate or to which it accomodates with difficulty.
Clinical heterogeneity in mitochondrial DNA deletion disorders : A diagnostic challenge of pearson syndrome

The clinical presentation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) disorders is quite diverse. Very often, the initial symptoms do not fit a specific disease, and diagnosis is difficult to make. We describe a patient who presented with macrocytic anemia. Extensive biochemical and clinical work-up failed to provide an etiology for the macrocytic anemia. The patient over the course of 6 years developed gait problems, exercise intolerance, episodic vomiting, short stature, dermatological problems, and recurrent infection. At age 8 years she had encephalopathy with ataxia and dysphagia. The presence of elevated lactate, bilateral basal ganglia calcification, and ragged red fibers led to mtDNA mutational analysis. A novel 4.4-kb deletion from nucleotide position 10,560 to nucleotide position 14, 980 was identified in muscle biopsy. The same heteroplasmic mtDNA deletion was present in blood, buccal cells, and hair follicles, but not in mother's blood, consistent with sporadic mutation in the patient. This case emphasizes the importance of considering mtDNA disorder in patients with multisystemic symptoms that cannot be explained by a specific diagnosis.
Phenomenology as a way of life? Husserl on phenomenological reflection and self-transformation

In this article I consider whether and how Husserl’s transcendental phenomenological method can initiate a phenomenological way of life. The impetus for this investigation originates in a set of manuscripts written in 1926 (published in Zur phanomenologischen Reduktion) where Husserl suggests that the consistent commitment to and performance of phenomenological reflection can change one’s life to the point where a simple return to the life lived before this reflection is no longer possible. Husserl identifies this point of no return with becoming a transcendental idealist. I propose a way of understanding Husserl’s claim that transcendental idealism makes a simple return to life before phenomenological reflection impossible. I then suggest that a phenomenological way of life is characterized by an epistemic modesty that follows from Husserl’s transcendental idealism and consider whether and how such a phenomenological way of life is a life worth living.
Investigating Relationships Between Paternal Perception of the Role of the Father and Paternal Feeding Practices

A father’s perception of his role or, how his partner views his role, at mealtimes influences his feeding practices is currently unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of father-reported maternal and paternal perceptions of the role of the father on child feeding practices, as well as child body weight. Biological fathers of varied racial, ethnic, education, and income backgrounds (n = 150) of preschool age children from a Northeastern state in the United States were interviewed one-on-one using the Role of the Father Questionnaire to assess a father’s perception of his role and of his partner’s perception of his role in mealtimes and The Child Feeding Questionnaire to assess paternal feeding practices. Height and weight for each father and child were measured. Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between the role of the father, paternal feeding practices and child BMI z-score. Overall, the findings revealed that only the father’s perception of his role at mealtimes was associated with higher perceived responsibility for child feeding (β = .033, p = 0.020), and lower use of controlling feeding practices, including pressure to eat (β = −.048, p = 0.029) and restriction (β = −.030, p = 0.05) and was not moderated by the father’s appraisal of his partner’s perception of his role at mealtimes. Thus, a father’s beliefs regarding his role at mealtimes, and not his views of the mother’s perception, may be related to his own feeding practices.
The combined television - radio receiver and its problems

The large number of frequency allocations in and around Band II compared with Bands I and III causes a serious selectivity problem in domestic combined receivers for television and f.m. sound broadcasts. The sound bandwidth of a television receiver is usually of the order of 500-1000 kc/s and since the frequency allocations of commercial radio transmitters are liable to be within 500 kc/s of the B.B.C. transmitters, interference can occur. Interference can also occur between the various B.B.C. regional transmitters whose frequency separation is usually 400 kc/s, but may be as little as 200 kc/s. The problem and a number of different solutions are discussed in detail. The circuit details of a commercially available combined receiver are then described. The sound i.f. circuits incorporate a double superheterodyne system, and the frequency of its r.f. oscillator is stabilized in Band II by means of an inexpensive a.f.c. system. Methods are described for measuring accurately the selectivity of a Band II receiver.
A role-based secure group communication framework

Building a secure group communication system is an active research topic. Several studies have focused on achieving a good level of privacy among a group of people via agreement on a shared encryption key. However, there is not much work published on easily manageable, simple, and effective systems that can provide secure communication in a role-based environment. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive solution to the key exchange problem for group communication. A centralized key server is used to produce a key chain, based on recursive hashing, and securely distributing the keys to the recipients according to their roles. The proposed work makes it possible that a user with a higher clearance can audit the communications among the users that are hierarchically below him/her. Moreover, the system has the ability to isolate communications among different groups, which means the compartmentation is reserved.
Spin and parity assignments for 35Cl levels from the 31P(α, p)34S reaction

Abstract 35 Cl states at excitation energies between 9.9 and 11.8 MeV have been identified through sharp resonances in the 31 P(α, p o ) 34 S excitation functions at 25°, 105° and 155° for E α = 3.25–5.50 MeV. Forty-eight on-resonance angular distributions, normalized to an absolute cross section scale, have been subjected to single-level and two-level analyses resulting in spin and parity assignments for each resonance. Approximately half the resonances were of the pure single-state type, having unique angular distribution shapes. Data from 12 resonances of an earlier experiment 1 ) were analyzed with the same theory, extending the diagnostics down to a 35 Cl excitation energy of 9.1 MeV. A set of optical potentials consistent in all four reactions that this experimental program encompasses has been incorporated in the present analysis. Validity of the optical potential is demonstrated for α-particles elastically scattered by 31 P.
Amrinone and exercise performance in patients with chronic heart failure

Whether cardiotonic agents can improve the ability of patients with chronic heart failure to exercise remains unknown. Accordingly, the circulatory and respiratory response of 11 patients with severe heart failure refractory to digitalis, diuretic drugs and vasodilators was assessed during upright treadmill exercise before, within 24 hours and after 4 weeks of therapy with amrinone. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of amrinone therapy to improve exercise hemodynamics, effort tolerance and aerobic capacity of these patients. Acute intravenous administration of amrinone (1.8 ± 0.1 mg/kg body weight) produced the following changes (mean values ± standard error of the mean) in hemodynamic variables during supine rest; increased cardiac index (from 2.04 ± 0.39 to 2.99 ± 0.38 liters/min per m2; p <0.01) and reduced pulmonary wedge pressure (from 24 ± 6 to 14 ± 6 mm Hg; p <0.01) without altering heart rate or mean arterial pressure. Within 24 hours after administration of amrinone, wedge pressure decreased at the onset of (from 25 ± 7 to 14 ± 7 mm Hg) and throughout exercise (p <0.01), whereas the exercise response of cardiac output, arteriovenous oxygen difference, heart rate, pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances, maximal oxygen uptake and the pattern of ventilation remained similar to control values. However, after 4 weeks of amrinone therapy, exercise and aerobic capacities were increased 44 and 48 percent (p <0.03), respectively, whereas the ventilatory response was unchanged. Thus, amrinone is a potent cardiotonic agent that acutely improves the function of the failing heart at rest and during exercise; the maximal aerobic capacity was increased after 4 weeks of therapy. Amrinone therefore appears to hold promise for the management of patients with chronic heart failure.
Attenuation compensation in distributed amplifier design

A high-gain common-gate FET that presents at its drain a broadband impedance characterized by a (frequency-dependent) negative resistance and a capacitance is examined theoretically and experimentally. Loading the input and/or the output lines of a distributed amplifier with this circuit reduces the signal losses, leading to an increase in the allowed number of active devices with a consequent increase in the gain-bandwidth and gain-maximum-frequency products. The cascode circuit, a related loss reduction network, is also evaluated because of its use in distributed amplifiers. Several designs employing the common-gate FET loss-compensating circuit and/or the cascode amplifying circuit are compared to a conventional distributed amplifier optimized for gain-bandwidth product. Simulated gain-maximum-operating frequency product increases of 27% to 245% over that of the optimized conventional distributed amplifier are shown. The increase in single-stage amplifier gain provided by this technique often results in (proportionally) higher maximum output power. >
Inducible immortality in hTERT-human mesenchymal stem cells.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are attractive candidates for tissue engineering and cell-based therapy because of their multipotentiality and availability in adult donors. However, in vitro expansion and differentiation of these cells is limited by replicative senescence. The proliferative capacity of hMSCs can be enhanced by ectopic expression of telomerase, allowing for long-term culture. However, hMSCs with constitutive telomerase expression demonstrate unregulated growth and even tumor formation. To address this problem, we used an inducible Tet-On gene expression system to create hMSCs in which ectopic telomerase expression can be induced selectively by the addition of doxycycline (i-hTERT hMSCs). i-hTERT hMSCs have inducible hTERT expression and telomerase activity, and are able to proliferate significantly longer than wild type hMSCs when hTERT expression is induced. They stop proliferating when hTERT expression is turned off and can be rescued when expression is re-induced. They retain multipotentiality in vitro even at an advanced age. We also used a selective inhibitor of telomere elongation to show that the mechanism driving immortalization of hMSCs by hTERT is dependent upon maintenance of telomere length. Thanks to their extended lifespan, preserved multipotentiality and controlled growth, i-hTERT hMSCs may prove to be a useful tool for the development and testing of novel stem cell therapies. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1879–1885, 2012
From Curve Stitching to Epicycloids.

The exploration of curves that seem to appear in drawings made of straight lines is fascinating and interesting to learners from the very young to the quite mature. Consistent with the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics, problem solving, reasoning, communication, and connections are integrated into mathematics learning activities that permit students to know mathematics by doing mathematics. Examples in this article show how students may create drawings of sets of lines whose envelopes are parabolas, cardioids, epicycloids, or hypocycloids.
Impulsive Actuation in Robot Manipulators: Experimental Verification of Pendubot Swing-Up

There are many benefits of using impulsive actuation in dynamical systems; therefore, control systems with impulsive inputs have been widely investigated. All of these investigations, however, have been theoretical in nature and few have reported experimental implementation. This paper discusses continuous-input approximations of impulsive forces in robot manipulators and their implementation in a simple pendulum (one-link robot) using an electric motor. The insights gained from the pendulum experiments are used to implement an existing algorithm for swing-up of the pendubot based on impulsive forces. The experimental results validate the swing-up algorithm but, more importantly, establish the feasibility of using impulsive inputs for robots and other electromechanical systems.
Effect of eicosatetraynoic acid on liver and plasma lipids

Groups of rats were fed a fat-free diet supplemented with 0.5% safflower oil (control) or the control diet containing 0.5% of 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (TYA). Blood was collected weekly and plasma lipids analyzed. After 4 weeks, the animals were killed and the liver lipids were analyzed in detail. The acetylenic fatty acid perturbed plasma neutral lipid and phospholipid class concentrations and reduced growth rates. Liver triglyceride concentrations were reduced dramatically in the TYA fed animals, suggesting interference with complex lipid synthesis. Plasma and liver triglycerides were shifted to higher molecular weight species suggesting that TYA affected fatty acid metabolism. The phospholipids showed an accumulation of 18∶2 and a fall in 20∶4 percentages indicating an inhibition in the conversion of linoleate to arachidonate. All major lipid classes exhibited an increase in 18∶1 levels. Analysis of the octadecenoate positional isomers indicated the proportion of oleate increased substantually in all lipid classes whereas vaccenate proportions had fallen dramatically. All of the data collectively suggest that TYA inhibits the elongation of unsaturated fatty acids. A group of rats bearing hepatoma 7288CTC were also fed the TYA diet. Host liver lipids were affected by TYA similar to normal TYA fed animals, but the effects on hepatoma lipids were marginal.
Solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatographic quantitation of insect repellent N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide in plasma

A sensitive and reliable method based on solid-phase extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatography was developed and validated for the quantitation of insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in plasma. N,N-diethyl-2-phenylacetamide was used as internal standard in the extraction which employed C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges. The wash solvent was 3 ml acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (pH 4.5; 0.03 M) (10:90, v/v), and the eluting solvent was 1 ml acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (pH 4.5; 0.03 M) (40:60, v/v). The eluent obtained from the extraction cartridge was directly analyzed on a reversed-phase C8 column with UV detection at 220 nm. A clean chromatogram and high sensitivity were achieved at this wavelength. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-ammonium acetate (pH 4.5; 0.03 M) (36:64 v/v). The retention time was 7.9 min for the internal standard and 9.6 min for DEET when the mobile phase was delivered at 1.0 ml min-1. The overall absolute recovery was 97.7% with a standard deviation (SD) of 3.9 (n = 9) for DEET and 100.2% with a SD of 3.4 (n = 3) for the internal standard. The limit of quantitation was found to be 15 ng ml-1 with a relative standard deviation of 12%. For the analyses of DEET-spiked plasma samples with five replicates each at 50, 500 and 1500 ng ml-1, the overall intra- and inter-day precisions were 5.7% and 5.5% respectively, and the overall intra- and inter-day accuracies were 2.0% and 2.4% respectively. The correlation coefficient for calibration plots in the concentration range 15-1500 ng ml-1 was typically 0.999. The method was applicable to both dog and human plasma samples and was successfully used in pharmacokinetic studies of DEET in beagle dogs after intravenous bolus and topical routes of administration.