cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vaginal microbiota and mucosal pharmacokinetics of tenofovir in healthy women using tenofovir and tenofovir/levonorgestrel vaginal rings

Recent data support that the vaginal microbiota may alter mucosal pharmacokinetics (PK) of topically delivered microbicides. Our team developed an intravaginal ring (IVR) that delivers tenofovir (TFV) (8-10 mg/day) alone or with levonorgestrel (LNG) (20 ug/day). We evaluated the effect of IVRs on the vaginal microbiota, and describe how the vaginal microbiota impacts mucosal PK of TFV. CONRAD A13-128 was a randomized, placebo controlled phase I study. We randomized 51 women to TFV, TFV/LNG or placebo IVR. We assessed the vaginal microbiota by sequencing the V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA genes prior to IVR insertion and after approximately 15 days of use. We measured the concentration of TFV in the cervicovaginal (CV) aspirate, and TFV and TFV-diphosphate (TFV-DP) in vaginal tissue at the end of IVR use. The change in relative or absolute abundance of vaginal bacterial phylotypes was similar among active and placebo IVR users (all q values >0.13). TFV concentrations in CV aspirate and vaginal tissue, and TFV-DP concentrations in vaginal tissue were not significantly different among users with community state type (CST) 4 versus those with Lactobacillus dominated microbiota (all p values >0.07). The proportions of participants with CV aspirate concentrations of TFV >200,000 ng/mL and those with tissue TFV-DP concentrations >1,000 fmol/mg were similar among women with anaerobe versus Lactobacillus dominated microbiota (p = 0.43, 0.95 respectively). There were no significant correlations between the CV aspirate concentration of TFV and the relative abundances of Gardnerella vaginalis or Prevotella species. Tissue concentrations of TFV-DP did not correlate with any the relative abundances of any species, including Gardnerella vaginalis. In conclusion, active IVRs did not differ from the placebo IVR on the effect on the vaginal microbiota. Local TFV and TFV-DP concentrations were high and similar among IVR users with Lactobacillus dominated microbiota versus CST IV vaginal microbiota. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02235662.
Tunable laser-based detection of benzene using spectrally narrow absorption features

A mid-infrared laser-based sensor for the detection of gas-phase benzene (C6H6) in ambient air is presented. It is based on the principle of tunable laser absorption spectroscopy utilizing unique fine spectral features of benzene near 3.4 µm, along with the robust design of an optical multi-pass cell. The sensor is capable of providing real-time measurement of benzene as low as 200 ppb (12 ppm m) at 2 Hz, while still being portable enough to fit in the trunk of a small car. A demonstration measurement in a moving vehicle is presented based on the data collected along Highway 101, El Camino Real, and around Stanford University campus in California, showing elevated benzene emission in several spatial regions.
Studying specificity in psychotherapy with meta-analysis is hard

Relative efficacy refers to estimating differences among treatments. For example, is cognitive therapy superior to interpersonal therapy? This is a deceptively simple question. Psychotherapies are ...
Simulação como Tecnologia Habilitadora da Indústria 4.0: Uma Revisão da Literatura

No atual contexto de desenvolvimento das organizacoes rumo a Industria 4.0, processos industriais sao diariamente bombardeados por uma diversidade de variaveis cada vez maior, alem da necessidade constante de melhorias e evolucoes tecnologicas exigidas pelo mercado. Neste cenario a simulacao computacional aplicada tem papel fundamental, assim como outras ferramentas, constituem as chamadas tecnologias habilitadoras. Este estudo busca compreender como esta ferramenta habilitadora esta sendo percebida e implementada. Para tanto foi realizada Revisao Sistematica da Literatura, apresentando uma visao de como os artigos cientificos estao sendo publicados quanto a sua distribuicao geografica, autorias, areas de pesquisas, entre outras caracteristicas. A tecnologia da simulacao como ferramenta de auto aprendizado proporciona autonomia a sistemas de manufatura inteligentes, gerando tomada de decisao dinâmica e automatica. Realizando feedback ao sistema tomador de decisao, a simulacao gera oportunidades de melhorias de performance e previsao de riscos, aumentando os niveis de seguranca. Tambem, extrapola os paradigmas da simulacao como ferramenta de otimizacao estatistica e posiciona-se cada vez mais no mundo da virtualizacao atraves de imagens, realidade virtual, layout fabril, entre outras representacoes graficas. http://dx.doi.org/10.18226/23185279.v7iss2p117
Statistical Analysis of the Capabilities of Various Pattern Recognition Algorithms for Fracture Detection Based on Monitoring Drilling Parameters

Ground conditions, including characteristics of fractures, joints, bed separations, and strengths of rock layers, are critical factors for proper design of openings in underground mining and construction projects. Correct understanding of geologic conditions allows for improvement and optimization of ground support design and minimizing incidents of ground failure and instabilities in underground workings. Rock bolts have been widely accepted as the preferred method of ground support in almost all forms of rock excavation applications. The concept of monitoring drilling data to evaluate characteristics of geological features of interest in the rock surrounding the underground opening is a very attractive option for developing the geological model of the ground on real-time basis. This includes information on distributions of joints and bed separations, locations of voids, and strengths of rock layers, which enables the automated and rapid evaluation of ground conditions while drilling is in progress. Several smart drilling systems have been developed and proposed to detect joints; however, they offer limited capabilities and have exhibited difficulties in identifying joints with small apertures. The current study was focused on developing a more sensitive method to locate joints with smaller apertures along the hole being drilled with an instrumented roof bolter. A series of full-scale drilling tests were carried out in samples which contained simulated joints with different inclined angles in controlled laboratory conditions. New joint detection programs, with improved capabilities based on various pattern recognition algorithms, have been developed and used for analysis of data recorded in the full-scale drilling tests. To precisely locate joints, composite parameter was also used to offer more accurate detection. This paper reviews the laboratory testing program, data analysis, logic/algorithms used in the programs, statistical analysis of the detection results, and comparison of the various algorithms for this application.
Embodiment and Culture

Influenced by developments in cognitive neuroscience and by internal disciplinary debates, social scientists are rethinking what culture is, how it is learned, and how it ought to be studied. Rather than imagining culture as systems of abstract symbols contained within the minds of individuals, scholars are increasingly analyzing culture in terms of embodied practices (including linguistic and cognitive practices) learned as techniques and ingrained as habits. Some of the major theoretical and methodological developments that have attended this conceptual shift are reviewed here.
A Novel Simulation Based Method For Training Pediatric & Neonatal Critical Care Transport Teams

Background: Critically ill pediatric patients often require care in tertiary/quaternary institutions, necessitating transport from community hospitals to these specialized centers. Such inter-facility transport is accomplished using specially trained critical care transport teams. These teams manage and support critically children in a resource limited environment prior to the stabilization that advanced ICU care can provide. Because support on transport impacts both short- and long-term outcomes for these patients, ongoing training is essential and …
Accurate and Efficient One-Pot Reverse Transcription and Amplification of 2'-Fluoro-Modified Nucleic Acids by Commercial DNA Polymerases.

DNA is a foundational tool in biotechnology and synthetic biology but is limited by sensitivity to DNA-modifying enzymes. Recently, researchers have identified DNA polymerases that can enzymaticall...
Extracting Legged Locomotion Heuristics with Regularized Predictive Control

Optimization based predictive control is a powerful tool that has improved the ability of legged robots to execute dynamic maneuvers and traverse increasingly difficult terrains. However, it is often challenging and unintuitive to design meaningful cost functions and build high-fidelity models while adhering to timing restrictions. A novel framework to extract and design principled regularization heuristics for legged locomotion optimization control is presented. By allowing a simulation to fully explore the cost space offline, certain states and actions can be constrained or isolated. Data is fit with simple models relating the desired commands, optimal control actions, and robot states to identify new heuristic candidates. Basic parameter learning and adaptation laws are then applied to the models online. This method extracts simple, but powerful heuristics that can approximate complex dynamics and account for errors stemming from model simplifications and parameter uncertainty without the loss of physical intuition while generalizing the parameter tuning process. Results on the Mini Cheetah robot verify the increased capabilities due to the newly extracted heuristics without any modification to the controller structure or gains.
A molecular parameter to scale the Gibbs free energies of adsorption and micellization for nonionic surfactants

Abstract A long standing goal in the interfacial thermodynamics community is free energies of adsorption and micellization in terms of molecular parameters. Historically, correlations for C i E j 's, a common class of nonionic surfactants, have been proposed between the number of ethylene glycol groups and/or the number of carbons and thermodynamic parameters, such as the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the equilibrium constant ( K ), and the maximum surface concentration ( Γ ∞ ). However, no such correlations to date are capable of capturing a large dataset of C i E j thermodynamic parameters. In this paper we propose the functional form of the critical micelle concentration and adsorption isotherm parameters in terms of molecular parameters for nonionic, C i E j surfactant chemistry. An extensive review of the literature is performed to generate interfacial thermodynamic parameters for a wide-range of C i E j chemistries. The data are used to parameterize and validate the molecular models. More specifically, we combine the well known linear dependence of CMC and K on the number of carbons, N C , with the theorized dependence on hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), represented as y phob , which is capable of collapsing all experimental data onto mastercurves. The resulting free energy models represent the first successful phenomenological theory which is able to collapse a broad range of experimental data for C i E j surfactants. Furthermore, the proposed models for the free energies of micellization and adsorption are capable of predicting the maximum surface concentration of C i E j surfactants at the air–water interface, thus providing a link between the physics of adsorption and self-assembly. This theory is a step towards engineering interfacial thermodynamics by chemical design which enables prediction of interfacial properties of novel surfactants without extrapolation. In addition, this paper summarizes the many years of experimental and theoretical understanding of surfactant structure property relationships for C i E j 's and the resulting theory quantitatively explains many hypotheses about their interfacial thermodynamics.
Laying the Corpses to Rest: Grain, Embargoes, and Yersinia pestis in the Black Sea, 1346–48

Abstract:When, how, and why did the Black Death reach Europe? Historians have relied on Gabriele de’ Mussi’s account of Tatars catapulting plague-infested bodies into the besieged city of Caffa on ...
Are Patriots Bigots? An Inquiry into the Vices of In-group Pride

One view in the study of intergroup conflict is that pride implies prejudice. However, an increasing number of scholars have come to view in-group pride more benignly, suggesting that such pride can be accompanied by a full range of feelings toward the out-group. In this article, we focus on a substantively interesting case of in-group/out-group attitudes—national pride and hostility toward immigrants. We explore the relationship in two fundamental ways: first by examining the prejudice associated with various dimensions of pride, and second by embedding these relationships in a comprehensive model of prejudice. We find that national pride is most validly measured with two dimensions—patriotism and nationalism—two dimensions that have very different relationships with prejudice. While nationalists have a strong predilection for hostility toward immigrants, patriots show no more prejudice than does the average citizen.
Cognitive activities modulate cerebral hemovelocities

We report three studies in which one of three cerebral arteries (MCA, ACA, or PCA) was insonated while subjects remembered sets of three letters, made decisions that were based on ethics and item-evaluation scenarios, and solved problems (anagrams, constructed new words from the letters of a target word, mathematics). Accelerations in blood flow velocity occurred during the cognitive tasks, but specific changes were bound to (1) the cerebral artery that was insonated (VMCA and VACA showed identical modulations during the tasks, but VPCA was not affected); (2) the specific task that was provided (only the letter-recall and math tasks sustained accelerations throughout the cogitation period); (3) the mode of task presentation (visually presented tasks led to stronger accelerations initially than tasks presented verbally); and (4) whether the subjects completed the task requirement during the cogitation period, in which case velocity decelerated to baseline levels.
Meditating on the Barricades: Concerns, Cautions, and Possibilities for Peace Education for Political Efficacy

“Meditating on the Barricades: Concerns, Cautions, and Possibilities for Peace Education for Political Efficacy,” Chapter 1 of this volume opens an examination of the normalized pedagogical discourse in the field of peace education and its limiting apperception and perspective. Betty Reardon’s essay is written from the perspective of a practitioner-observer of peace education concerned with the effects of various fundamentalisms on current political discourse. Asserting that this situation presents a challenge to “critical peace education,” her chapter introduces some cautions regarding methodologies and political frames of current practices in the field. It assumes that one of the main purposes of “comprehensive critical peace education” is to guide learners in the development of the reasoned judgment skills integral to political efficacy in citizen action toward peace and justice, and to engagement in participation in the difficult political dialogues such action entails. Reardon advocates reflective inquiry as an approach less likely to manifest the ideological bias infecting some practice of critical pedagogy.
Long Term Simulation and Harmonic Analysis of North Sea/English Channel Tides

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses long-term simulation and harmonic analysis of north sea/English channel tides. In order to retrieve the 11 constituents used in forcing the model; a long-term simulation needs to be implemented. The length of the simulation is dictated, in this case, by the need to separate the K2 from the S2 constituent. A second source of discrepancy in the time–series comparisons arises from the limited spectrum used to force the model at the open boundaries. Essentially all, but 11 components are forced to vanish on these boundaries. As the system exhibits resonances at some of the common frequencies, relatively small amplitude forcing at the boundaries could be amplified at some of the tidal stations.
Sensor-Aided Navigation in GPS-Denied Environments

In this work we propose a novel approach to navigate users in GPS-denied environments with the help of sensors. The basic idea is to deploy wireless sensors over the field of interest and use the change of signal strength from multiple sensors to navigate users to the destination. To deal with RSS irregularity in a practical environment, an adaptive scheme is proposed to decide the scheme parameters online. We evaluated the proposed scheme through simulations and experiments. Results show that the proposed scheme navigates users to the destination successfully and efficiently with low movement overhead.
Cycloaromatization reactions: the testing ground for theory and experiment

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the testing ground for the theory and experiment for cycloaromatization reactions. An interesting breakdown of the tendency for the conservation of chemical bonds occurs in the so-called cycloaromatization reactions. In these reactions, a σ-bond is formed at the expense of two π-bonds, and thus, the process leads to a net loss of one chemical bond that is intrinsically unfavorable thermodynamically. The role of electron repulsion relative to bond breaking and antiaromaticity effects on a quantitative basis using Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis has been recently analyzed. In the case of the Bergman cyclization and the C1–C5 cyclization of enediynes, both the activation barrier for cyclization as well as the thermodynamics of the reaction became more favorable upon one-electron reduction compared to the thermal counterparts. Even though some of the general factors controlling the Bergman cyclization are applicable to newly discovered cycloaromatization reactions, new phenomena such as communication of orthogonal orbitals in radical-anionic, radical-cationic and dianionic cycloaromatizaton, and cyclorearomatization will continue to stimulate future development of this interesting field.
Effects of glucose, growth temperature, and pH on listeriolysin O production in Listeria monocytogenes.

Expression of listeriolysin O of Listeria monocytogenes as a function of different growth conditions was studied by performing a direct hemolysin assay, immunoblotting experiments, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Expression of listeriolysin O was reduced at a lower growth temperatures (26 degrees C) and at higher glucose concentrations (> or = 0.3%) in the growth media. The effect of glucose appeared to be due to a change in the pH of the growth media. Images
Chlamydia: Old Ideas Crushed, New Mysteries Bared

The bacteria Chlamydia cannot survive on its own, but must live within the cytoplasm of other cells. In his Perspective, Hatch discusses the surprising revelations about this unusual organism based on its genome sequence, published by [ Stephens et al .][1] in this issue. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/282/5389/754
SIVIL: a true visual programming language for students

This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using SIVIL (SImple VIsual Language), a new visual programming language in development at Canisius College, to teach novice programmers to think more deeply about programming. In consideration of how SIVIL meets its goal of making programming easier for beginners, the paper will look at Bloom's Taxonomy, specifically at Bloom's levels of learning and how a visual language might aid or speed up the learning curve for students endeavoring to join the world of programming.
Drosophila social clustering is disrupted by anesthetics and in narrow abdomen ion channel mutants

Members of many species tend to congregate, a behavioral strategy known as local enhancement. Selective advantages of local enhancement range from efficient use of resources to defense from predators. While previous studies have examined many types of social behavior in fruit flies, few have specifically investigated local enhancement. Resource-independent local enhancement (RILE) has recently been described in the fruit fly using a measure called social space index (SSI), although the neural mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we analyze RILE of Drosophila under conditions that allow us to elucidate its neural mechanisms. We have investigated the effects of general volatile anesthetics, compounds that compromise higher order functioning of the type typically required for responding to social cues. We exposed Canton-S flies to non-immobilizing concentrations of halothane and found that flies had a significantly decreased SSI compared with flies tested in air. Narrow abdomen (na) mutants, which display altered responses to anesthetics in numerous behavioral assays, also have a significantly reduced SSI, an effect that was fully reversed by restoring expression of na by driving a UAS-NA rescue construct with NA-GAL4. We found that na expression in cholinergic neurons fully rescued the behavioral defect, whereas expression of na in glutamatergic neurons did so only partially. Our results also suggest a role for na expression in the mushroom bodies (MBs), as suppressing na expression in the MBs of NA-GAL4 rescue flies diminishes SSI. Our data indicate that RILE, a simple behavioral strategy, requires complex neural processing.
Introduction of DNA into S. pombe cells.

Methods of transformation rely upon conditioning cells to take up DNA, and growing them under selective conditions to establish and maintain the plasmid or integration. Different methods may be used, including electroporation, treatment with lithium cations, or protoplast treatment which removes the cell wall. Protoplasts prepared as for transformation can also be induced to fuse with each other and undergo karyogamy, which provides a means of mating sterile strains.
A spectral histogram model for textons and texture discrimination

Based on a local spatial/frequency representation, the spectral histogram of an image is defined as the marginal distribution of responses from a bank of filters. We propose the spectral histogram as a quantitative definition for textons. The spectral histogram model avoids rectification and spatial pooling, two commonly assumed stages in texture discrimination models. By matching spectral histograms, an arbitrary image can be transformed via statistical sampling to an image with similar textons to the observed. Texture synthesis is employed, to verify the adequacy of the model. Building on the texton definition, we use the /spl chi//sup 2/-statistic to measure the difference between two spectral histograms, which leads to a texture discrimination model. The performance of the model well matches psychophysical results on a systematic set of texture discrimination data. A quantitative comparison with the Malik-Perona model is given, and the biological plausibility of the model is discussed.
Long wavelength MOCVD-grown InGaAsN-InGaAsP-GaAs quantum-well lasers

1.26-/spl mu/m-emitting MOCVD-grown InGaAsN single quantum-well lasers with barriers of E/sub g/=1.62 eV InGaAsP exhibit a room-temperature threshold current density of 440 A/cm/sup 2/ and a characteristic temperature To as high as 128 K and 98 K in the temperature ranges of 10-50/spl deg/C and 50-100/spl deg/C, respectively. A growth pause annealing technique is found to be critical for achieving high photoluminescence intensity. Higher-bandgap barrier materials increase the valence band offset and lead to suppression of carrier leakage, which potentially results in improved temperature characteristics of the InGaAsN quantum-well lasers.
Use of mobility ratios to estimate binding constants of ligands to proteins in affinity capillary electrophoresis.

This work evaluates the use of mobility ratios (M) to estimate binding constants of proteins to ligands using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE). This concept is demonstrated using two model systems: vancomycin (Van) from Streptomyces orientalis and carbonic anhydrase B (CAB, EC 4.2.1.1). A plot of change in M (ΔM) over the concentration of ligand [L] versus ΔM yields a more useful representation of the Scatchard plot in capillary electrophoresis (CE) than traditional plots of the change in mobility Δμ over [L] versus Δμ in a wide set of circumstances, especially when comparing electropherograms obtained in the presence of substantial variations in electroosmotic flow. Altering the voltage and/or capillary length of the CE system produced only small variations in M, but much larger changes in the more standard measures of migration used by the μ form of analysis. The use of M in the Scatchard analysis offers a new approach to estimating binding constants of ligands to proteins using ACE.
Commercialization of Agriculture and Rural Living Standards: El Palmar, Colombia, 1960–1979

The effect of the commercialization of traditional agriculture on the levels of living of peasant households is examined through a case study of El Palmar, Colombia. While there appear to have been widespread, positive, short-mn effects, the long-run consequences appear to be more problematic. It is suggested that commercialization and its consequences are more complex than can be grasped from available aggregate data, and a historical, case-study approach to this topic is recommended to complement macroeconomic studies.
Bivalent probes of the human multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein.

A small library of bivalent agents was designed to probe the substrate binding sites of the human multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp). The bivalent agents were composed of two copies of the P-gp substrate emetine, linked by tethers of varied composition. An optimum distance between the emetine molecules of approximately 10 A was found to be necessary for blocking transport of the known fluorescent substrate rhodamine 123. Additionally, it was determined that hydrophobic tethers were optimal for bridging the bivalent compounds; hydrophilic or cationic moieties within the tether had a detrimental effect on inhibition of transport. In addition to acting as probes of P-gp's drug binding sites, these agents were also potent inhibitors of P-gp. One agent, EmeC5, had IC50 values of 2.9 μM for inhibiting transport of rhodamine 123 and approximately 5 nM for inhibiting the binding of a known P-gp substrate, [125I]iodoarylazidoprazosin. Although EmeC5 is an inhibitor of P-gp and was shown to interact direct...
Interaction of the transcription factor Sp1 with the nuclear pore protein p62 requires the C-terminal domain of p62

The transcription factor Sp1 plays an important role in the expression of many cellular genes. In studies of proteins that associate with Sp1, a 62-kDa glycoprotein was found in immunoprecipitates of Sp1. This protein was detected in these immunoprecipitates by the monoclonal antibody, RL2, which was originally raised against nuclear pore proteins but was subsequently found to recognize an epitope that contains O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). The association of this protein with Sp1 could be blocked by SDS denaturation of the protein complex. Western blot analysis of the Sp1 immunoprecipitate using antibodies to p62 nucleoporin indicated that this nuclear pore protein associates with Sp1. Furthermore, immunoprecipitation of p62 nucleoporin resulted in the coprecipitation of Sp1. Recombinant p62, expressed as a GST-fusion protein using a vaccinia virus system, also interacted with both recombinant and native Sp1. This interaction between p62 and Sp1 required the C-terminus of p62 and the C-terminus was able to bind Sp1, albeit less efficiently than native p62. A mammalian two-hybrid interaction assay was devised in which p62 was fused to the Gal4 DNA-binding domain. This system also indicated that p62, through its C-terminus, interacts with Sp1 in the living cell. We propose that this interaction of a nuclear pore protein with Sp1 may reflect the nuclear organization required to bring transcribable DNA in contact with the transcription factors. J. Cell. Biochem. 68:50–61, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Challenges in nursing practice: nurses' perceptions in caring for hospitalized medical-surgical patients with substance abuse/dependence.

OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to investigate nurses’ perceptions of caring for hospitalized medical-surgical patients with comorbid conditions of substance abuse/dependence.BACKGROUND:Critical to this issue of quality patient care is the rising incidence of comorbid drug and alcohol abus
Comparison of Geant4 and MCNP6 for use in delayed fission radiation simulation

Abstract Neutron induced fission fragment distributions and delayed fission radiation are extremely important with reactor applications in fission cross sections and heating. Data on the fragment distributions are sparse so simulations use models or interpolations between known neutron energies. Different simulations perform different treatments of the distributions, and have different capabilities and flexibility in use. MCNP is a typical workhorse for fission simulations and coupled with burn-up codes such as CINDER can provide delayed radiation from fission. Geant4 is an extremely flexible physics based Monte Carlo simulation framework, but is not typically used for fission research. In this work the applicability of Geant4 for delayed fission radiation simulations is examined, with comparison to MCNP6 coupled with the CINDER2008 burn-up code. The Fisher and Engle fission experiment with the Godiva II subcritical assembly as a fission neutron source is used as a test case. Both simulations are adapted from that experiment and simulation results are compared with that experiment. Following Fisher and Engle, photons/fission/sec, MeV/fission/sec, and MeV/photon are examined. For the first two quantities results from both simulation codes are similar and are lower than experimental values, with Geant4 giving a higher value for earlier time bins and MCNP6/CINDER giving a higher value for the later time bins. For the last quantity both simulations are usually within uncertainty of the experimental values, with MCNP6/CINDER values consistently higher than both experimental and Geant4 values.
Evaluating the association between clozapine and venous thromboembolism.

Purpose. The possible association between clozapine and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is discussed. Summary. Twenty-two cases of VTE associated with clozapine have been published. The average patient age at the time of occurrence was 38 years in the reported cases. Of the published cases with a known outcome, the mortality rate of a clotting complication while on clozapine was approximately 44%. The manufacturer of clozapine has calculated a mortality rate from pulmonary embolism to be one death per 3450 person years of use, approximately 28 times higher than the rate in the general population. The possible mechanism for the association between clozapine and VTE is probably multifactorial. A VTE usually occurs when one of three factors is present: damage to the vessel wall, static blood flow, or coagulation abnormalities. Clozapine, as well as other antipsychotics, has not been shown to cause direct damage to the vasculature in humans. However, static blood flow may be influenced by sedation and the sedentary lifestyle commonly associated with psychiatric disorders, their treatment, or both. Clozapine is associated with significant sedation and an average weight gain of 7–11 kg. There is also increasing evidence that clozapine and other antipsychotics may cause a variety of different coagulation abnormalities. Clozapine has been found to increase platelet adhesion as well as aggregation. Avoidance of risk factors, such as weight gain and sedentary lifestyle, may alleviate some of the risk of clozapine-induced VTE. Conclusion. Available data indicate an association between clozapine and VTE; however, it is unknown whether the increased risk of VTE in patients receiving clozapine is because of prothrombotic effects of the drug. Risk of VTE versus the benefits of therapy should be considered when initiating clozapine therapy.
The field and plasma configuration of a filament overlying a solar bipolar magnetic region

This paper presents an analytic model for a finite-size straight filament suspended horizontally in a steady state over a bipolar magnetic region. The equations of magnetostatic equilibrium are integrated exactly. The solution obtained illustrates the roles played by the electric current, magnetic field, pressure, and plasma weight in the balance of force everywhere in space. A specific example of a filament of diameter 50,000 km, with a density two orders of magnitude over the corona and supported by a magnetic field of about 4 gauss is included. The filament temperature can take values ranging from a small fraction to a few times the coronal temperature, depending on the internal electric current of the filament. To produce a cool filament, such as the quiescent prominence, the solution is required to have an internal field with a strong component along the filament, giving rise to helical structures. A hot filament such as the X-ray coronal loop can be produced as a twisted magnetic flux tube embedded in a strong background field aligned parallel to the filament and having lower density and temperature. The basic steps of construction can be used to develop models more realistic than the ones presented for their analytic simplicity.
“Living together separately”: Thoughts on the relationship between political science and political geography

Abstract In their provocatively titled book, Living Together Separately, Michael Romann and Alex Weingrod argue that the shared terrain of Jerusalem obscures deep divisions in the physical and social lives of its Arab and Jewish ethnic communities ( Romann & Weingrod, 1991 ). Multiple divisions exist not only among peoples sharing a common space; they are also found among communities of scholars sharing common intellectual interests. This has certainly been the case of Political Science and Political Geography during much of the twentieth century. Members of both disciplinary communities seek insights into the role of politics and political structures in human society, yet until recently they have pursued their work within orbits that only rarely intersected. They attended different conferences and symposia, they employed different methodological tools, and they did not draw heavily on each others published work. Recent theoretical and empirical developments have begun to erode the barriers separating Political Science and Political Geography, and a discussion of the relationship between the disciplines is thus both timely and welcome. Professor Elazar is an appropriate person to place at the center of this discussion, for his work as a political scientist is unusual sensitivity to geography. Professor Elazar's comments about research orientations and career constraints provide an interesting point of departure for such a discussion, but to understand the nature and depth of the divide between the disciplines it is important to consider the core intellectual constructs and practices that have characterized Political Science and Political Geography during the twentieth century. These have fostered theoretical orientations and research approaches that are sufficiently different from one another to create significant barriers to interdisciplinary contact.
Ocean acoustic tomography: a scheme for large scale monitoring

Abstract We consider the problem of monitoring ocean basins for mesoscale fluctuations, using acoustic inverse techniques. The procedure, which has much in common with conventional seismology, consists of measuring perturbations in travel time between acoustic sources and receivers. Because the number of pieces of information is the product of the number of sources, receivers, and resolvable multipath arrivals, the economics of the system is enhanced over usual spot measurements. The temporal resolution required to distinguish multipath arrivals is estimated at 50 ms; the precision required to measure mesosclae perturbations is estimated at 25 ms. The required resolution and precision can be achieved by existing low-frequency (100- to 200-Hz) broadband (> 20-Hz) sources, but we are ultimately limited to 1000-km ranges by the variable ocean finestructure and associated micropaths. There appear to be no practical range limits imposed by micropaths if such broadband sources could be centered at 30 Hz. Given the travel time measurements and their noise estimates, we show how actually to invert the system for the interior changes in sound speed and, by inference, for density. The method is analogous to the medical procedure called tomography (from the Greek ‘slice’). Measures of the spatial resolution and of formal error bars are obtained. We conclude that such a system is achievable now and has potential for development in a number of directions.
Using ion implantation to study localized corrosion of Al

Abstract A mechanistic-based understanding of corrosion is needed in order to predict aging characteristics and reliability of either electronic or structural components. Although it is well known that the presence of a halide such as Cl− is necessary for pit initiation, the precise role the Cl− plays in the oxide breakdown is not understood. Cl and Ar ion implantation were used to modify air passivated Al using the implantation profile to provide a variation in Cl concentration with depth, in conjunction with varying implant fluences. After irradiation, samples were exposed to a corrosive environment and the electrochemical behavior was characterized as a function of impurity level. The pitting potential varied in an inverse relationship with the Cl concentration when measured in Cl-containing solutions. In solutions without Cl it was estimated that a concentration on the order of 0.5 at.% was required to initiate pitting. Implanting the inert ion of Ar did not enhance pitting.
Observations on nuclear differentiation in Ascaris

A microdensitometric survey of the DNA content of adult Ascaris nuclei was undertaken to determine the relationship between these values and those expected as a consequence of somatic chromatin diminution. The species diploid value was derived from measurements of Feulgen stained sperm nuclei and unreduced primary oocytes. The somatic DNA values, expected to be hypodiploid if unaltered following diminution, fall into three groups. The first, the intestinal nuclei, are closest of all positively staining nuclei to the anticipated values but are nevertheless in the tetraploid range. A second group of somatic cells, constituting the uterine epithelium, pharyngeal glands and excretory cell present nuclei with quantities of DNA suggestive of high degrees of polyploidy. A “polyploid” gradient exists within the nuclei of the uterine epithelium. Values equivalent to 150-ploid are found in the posterior half of the uterus, becoming progressively lower toward both ends. The gradient corresponds closely to the known protein synthetic activity of the epithelium. Nuclei of the pharyngeal glands and excretory cell, among the largest nuclei reported, stain distinctly with the Feulgen reaction but their degree of “polyloidy” has not been estimated. On occasion, the excretory nucleus has been noted to be Feulgen negative. The third group of nuclei include those of the somatic muscle and ganglia. By all of the cytological tests for DNA applied (Feulgen staining with standard and fluorescent Schiff reagent, acridine orange and methyl green staining) the muscle nuclei are negative; however, they contain considerable amounts of RNA. Some of the neuron nuclei are negative while others show a faint membrane-associated staining. The Feulgen-negative nuclei of the adult most likely represent those which remain in the originally diminished condition.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide: electrophysiologic activity in the newborn heart.

ABSTRACT: We performed intracardiac electrophysiologic studies of the effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP, 0.125 μg/kg/min) on sinus and atrioventricular (AV) nodal function, intracardiac conduction, and myocardial refractoriness in two groups of neonatal dogs (aged 6–16 d). Group I consisted of eight neonates in whom VIP was administered after bilateral vagotomy and β-blockade with propranolol. Group II consisted of five neonates studied after vagotomy and propranolol, plus total chemical sympathectomy (6-hydroxydopamine). In both groups, VIP resulted in a significant shortening of sinus cycle length. AV nodal conduction time, measured as the AH interval (the time from the onset of the atrial electogram to the onset of the His bundle electrogram in the His electrode catheter) during atrial pacing, also shortened after VIP. His-Purkinje conduction time and atrial effective refractory periods were unchanged by VIP. In other experiments, the direct chronotropic effect of VIP was evaluated in five isolated neonatal canine hearts using a modified Langendorff technique. In these hearts, the spontaneous cycle length decreased from 403 ± 88 to 293 ± 69 ms, or −28 ± 4% (mean ± SD), after exposure to 0.1–0.5 nmol of VIP (p < 0.001). In nine other newborns (aged 4–16 days), the effect of selective α1- and α2-adrenergic receptor blockade on the positive chronotropic effect of VIP was evaluated. The effect of VIP on sinus cycle length was not altered by the α2-adrenergic receptor blocker prazosin or by the α2-adrenergic receptor blocker yohimbine. These data indicate that, in the neonatal dog, VIP shortens sinus cycle length and AV nodal conduction time but has no effect on infranodal conduction or myocardial refractoriness. We find no evidence that VIP's chronotropic effect is modified by α-adrenergic receptor blockade. VIP may play a role in the neural modulation of heart rate and AV nodal conduction in the neonate.
Infrared spectroscopic study of thermal transitions in poly(methyl methacrylate)

Abstract The ester CD 3 stretching modes in a partially deuterated poly(methyl methacrylate) sample have been studied as a function of temperature and bands in the CD stretching region assigned to fundamentals in Fermi resonance with overtone/combination modes. Changes in band parameters (widths, shapes) are observed at specific temperatures. Time correlation functions and their variation with temperature were calculated for the most intense modes observed in this region of the spectrum. The correlation functions were modeled by assuming that there is a fast relaxation process characterized by a single relaxation time that is inhomogeneously broadened by a slower process, also characterized by a single relaxation time. The fast modulation is in the sub picosecond time range, while the slower process has a relaxation time of the order of 1–10 ps. Relaxation times and other parameters are sensitive to transitions observed both below and above the glass transition, as well as at the T g itself. The high temperature transition corresponds to a liquid–liquid transition observed in other studies and predicted by theory. The lower temperature transition appears to correspond to the Vogel–Fulcher or Kauzmann temperature. Infrared spectroscopy and band shape analysis appear to be a useful probe of these transitions.
Ab Initio Quantum Calculation of the Diabatic Coupling Matrix Elements for the Self-Exchange Redox Couples M(Cp)20/+ (M = Fe, Co; Cp = C5H5)

The diabatic couplings between the metal centers in M(Cp)20/+ (M = Fe, Co; Cp = C5H5) were evaluated using ab initio methods at the Hartree−Fock level of theory. Excellent agreement with the experimental estimate is found for the Fe(Cp)20/+ couple. For Co(Cp)20/+, the calculated numbers are substantially higher than the experimental estimates, suggesting that the latter may represent a considerable underestimate (a possibility mentioned in the experimental publication).
A Technique to Reduce Peak Current and Average Power Dissipation in Scan Designs by Limited Capture

In this paper, a technique that can efficiently reduce peak and average switching activity during test application is proposed. The proposed method does not require any specific clock tree construction, special scan cells, or scan chain reordering. Test cubes generated by any combinational ATPG can be processed by the proposed method to reduce peak and average switching activity without any capture violation. Switching activity during scan shift cycles is reduced by assigning identical values to adjacent scan inputs and switching activity during capture cycles is reduced by limiting the number of scan chains that capture responses. Hardware overhead for the proposed method is negligible. The peak transition is reduced by about 40% and average number of transitions is reduced by about 56-85%. This reduction in peak and average switching activity is achieved with no decrease in fault coverage.
Doppler-free two-photon optogalvanic spectroscopy.

We describe the use of a new Doppler-free technique, two-photon optogalvanic spectroscopy (TOGS) in the observation of thirteen transitions from the four levels in the 3s configuration of 20Ne. The transitions from the two nonmetastable 3s levels are the first Doppler-free two-photon transitions reported from energy levels other than ground or metastable levels. This is also the first report of Doppler-free measurement of the 4d[5/2] J = 2–4d[5/2] J = 3 splitting in 20Ne.
Axisymmetric simulation of the interaction of a rising bubble with a rigid surface in viscous flow

Abstract The interaction between a rising deformable gas bubble and a solid wall in viscous liquids is investigated by direct numerical simulation via an arbitrary-Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) approach. The flow field is assumed to be axisymmetric. The bubble is driven by gravity only and the motion of the gas inside the bubble is neglected. Deformation of the bubble is tracked by a moving triangular mesh and the liquid motion is obtained by solving the Navier–Stokes equations in a finite element framework. To understand the mechanisms of bubble deformation as it interacts with the wall, the interaction process is studied as a function of two dimensionless parameters, namely, the Morton number ( Mo ) and Bond number ( Bo ). We study the range of Bo and Mo from (2, 6.5 × 10 −6 ) to (16, 0.1). The film drainage process is also considered in this study. It is shown that the deformation of a bubble interacting with a solid wall can be classified into three modes depending on the values of Mo and Bo .
Saccade latency in children and adults: Effects of warning interval and target eccentricity

Abstract Saccadic response latency to the onset of an eccentric target was studied in children (mean age = 8.7) and adults. The independent variables investigated were fixation-light offset to target-light onset warning interval (0, 100, 300, and 600 msec) and target eccentricity (5° or 15°). Both children and adults showed shorter saccade latencies under warning-interval conditions. Children were found to have longer latencies than adults with 0 or 100 msec warning intervals but to respond with as short or shorter latencies with 300 or 600 msec warning intervals. Target eccentricity effects did not interact with age, and occurred only with a lower target intensity. Children defined as poor readers could initiate a response as quickly as good readers but were less able to maintain fixation-light fixation prior to target onset.