cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Drugs and Cocaine Metabolites on Cocaine and Cocaethylene Binding to Human Serum In Vitro

The effect of amphetamine (AMPH), codeine (COD), methamphetamine (MEPH), morphine (MORP), and benzoylecgonine (BE) on the binding of cocaethylene (CE) and cocaine (COC) to human serum in vitro was investigated by equilibrium dialysis at 4 degrees C. Each compound was added individually at concentrations of 500, 1,000, or 2,000 nM to pooled human serum containing COC or CE at 500 nM concentration. For COC, the addition of COD, MEPH, and CE enhanced serum binding whereas MORP and BE decreased it. Variable effects on COC binding were noted for AMPH. For CE, the addition of COD and COC generally increased binding whereas MORP decreased it. No appreciable effect on CE binding was observed after adding AMPH, MEPH, and BE. Except for CE, AMPH, and MEPH in the presence of COC, the binding of COC and CE tended to be less with 2,000 nM of each added drug than at lower concentrations of them, presumably because of mass-action displacement of COC and CE at the higher concentration. These findings should be clinically important because these drugs are frequently found together in patients.
Chemical Reactions Producing Chrysene as an Artifact of Some K-Region Metabolites of Benzo(a)pyrene

SummaryAlkali catalyzed periodate cleavage of what seems to be a protein-bound metabolite of B(a)P produced chrysene.
Fitting Discrete-Time Models to Frequency Responses for Systems With Transport Delay

Fitting discrete-time models to frequency-response functions without addressing existing transport delay can yield higher-order models including additional non-physical nonminimum-phase (NMP) zeros beyond those that may appear as a result of sampling. These NMP zeros can be attributed to a discrete-time representation of a Pade approximation to account for the transport delay [1, 2]. Here, we explore this idea in greater detail and this discussion motivates the main contribution of this paper, the presentation of a procedure for fitting a discrete-time model to experimentally measured frequency response data. The appearance of NMP zeros in a system model can complicate controller design and limits the desired closed-loop performance. This discrete-time model-fitting procedure presents a technique that will help yield a model that reflects the measured frequency-response functions accurately, while minimizing the presence of non-physical NMP zeros. The key benefit being that, with respect to previous model fits, it may be possible to eliminate all NMP zeros in the discrete-time model. In the case of model-inverse-based control design, this will allow the stable inversion of the model without the use of approximation methods to account for NMP zeros.© 2011 ASME
ON THE EVOLUTION OF PARTHENOGENESIS. II. INBREEDING AND THE COST OF MEIOSIS.

Quantitative models of genetic change were analyzed to study the effect of inbreeding on the conditions for the evolution of parthenogenesis. Although inbreeding has been proposed as a key factor that may resolve the apparent paradox between the success of biparental reproduction and the genetic advantages of uniparental reproduction, the results indicate that inbreeding does not greatly change the cost of meiosis in diploids and actually increases it in haplodiploids. Inbreeding increases parent-offspring relatedness and the reproductive value of females. These direct effects act antagonistically on the cost of meiosis: higher relatedness between parents and biparentally-derived offspring promotes biparental reproduction, and high reproductive value of females promotes thelytoky. In diploids the two effects cancel one another, while in haplodiploids the latter predominates. A survey by Hamilton (1967) showed that a high proportion of haplodiploid species that undergo close inbreeding have thelytokous relatives, an association that is consistent with the result obtained here that, apart from its effect on the sex ratio, inbreeding directly promotes parthenogenesis in haplodiploids.
Slavery and African life : occidental, oriental, and African slave trades

List of plates List of figures List of maps Acknowledgements Prologue: tragedy and sacrifice in the history of slavery 1. The political economy of slavery in Africa 2. Why Africans? The rise of the slave trade to 1700 3. Slavery and the African population: a demographic model 4. The quantitative impact of the slave trade, 1700-1900 5. The economics and morality of slave supply 6. Patterns of slave life 7. Transformations of slavery and society, 1650-1900 8. The end of slavery 9. The world and Africa Appendix 1: slave prices Appendix 2: the demographic simulation Notes bibliography Index.
Morton, Gould, and Bias: A Comment on "The Mismeasure of Science".

A closer look at Stephen Jay Gould’s criticisms of Samuel Morton vindicates Gould’s accusations of racial bias in Morton’s cranial measurements.
Differential phenotype profile between main right ventricular chamber and outflow tract in chronic pulmonary hypertension: echocardiographic observation

OBJECTIVES Right ventricular (RV) dilatation and systolic dysfunction are known remodeling changes occurring in chronic pulmonary hypertension and are likely the result of increases in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). It remains unclear whether PVR affects primarily the main RV chamber (mRVc) or the RV outflow tract (RVOT). METHODS Standard echocardiography data were collected from a heterogeneous population of 85 consecutive patients (mean age of 54 ± 12 years and mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 56 ± 28 mm Hg) to determine how PVR affected size and function of both RV chambers. RESULTS Regarding size, PVR correlated more with mRVc end systolic area (r = 0.77; P < 0.0001) than either mRVc end diastolic area (r = 0.58; P < 0.0001) or RVOT systolic length (r = 0.54; P < 0.0001), although it did not correlate with RVOT end diastolic length. In terms of fractional area change, a stronger negative correlation was seen between PVR and mRVc (r = -0.77; P < 0.0001) than with PVR and RVOT (r = -0.69; P < 0.0001). Systolic velocity of the tricuspid annulus was the best parameter in identifying elevated PVR. CONCLUSIONS Based on the echocardiography results, increasing PVR values appear to result in differential RV remodeling with significant mRVc dilation and systolic dysfunction when compared with RVOT. It is important to determine whether the different RV remodeling processes occur in all patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension, regardless of etiology; alter therapeutic response; or determine clinical outcomes.
Simulation of torpedo anchor set-up

Abstract Torpedo anchors are used for station keeping of floating offshore platforms and fixing risers to the seabed in deep water. Their main benefit over other anchors is reduction in anchor installation cost via free falling in the water. A torpedo anchor has a steel cylindrical shaft with a conical tip and is ballasted in order to deepen the soil penetration and increase the anchor holding capacity. In order to address the installation effects on the soil strength and consequently the anchor pull-out capacity, first reconsolidation (set-up) of soil next to the anchor after installation is studied by a finite-element (FE) analysis of coupled deformation and fluid flow in porous media. The results of the set-up analysis indicate the rate of dissipation of excess pore-water pressure and soil-strength recovery. These are important considerations in predicting the anchor pull-out capacity at different times after installation. In the absence of a documented complete set of installation and set-up tests, the results are validated qualitatively using available albeit limited field test data.
Protein metabolism in surgical patients.

Protein and amino acid metabolism in normal individuals and in stress and disease states is discussed. The goal of nutritional support is to provide exogenous nutrients to prevent depletion of the proteins essential for survival.
Productivity Progression with Tool Wear in Titanium Milling

Abstract This paper presents experimental results for flank wear width, cutting force, temperature, and surface finish with increasing tool wear in titanium (Ti6Al4V) milling. The variation in these process indicators is presented for repeated trials as the wear progresses from a new tool condition to a significantly worn state. Based on the measured force data, cutting force coefficients are determined using a nonlinear optimization algorithm as the tool wears and these coefficients are combined with the structural dynamics to predict the process stability. The achievable chatter-free material removal rate is then computed for both the new and worn tool conditions. In this way, the variation in productivity is related to the wear state. As expected, the productivity reduces with increase wear.
Intercellular Coupling of the Cell Cycle and Circadian Clock in Adult Stem Cell Culture

Circadian clock-gated cell division cycles are observed from cyanobacteria to mammals via intracellular molecular connections between these two oscillators. Here we demonstrate WNT-mediated intercellular coupling between the cell cycle and circadian clock in 3D murine intestinal organoids (enteroids). The circadian clock gates a population of cells with heterogeneous cell-cycle times that emerge as 12-hr synchronized cell division cycles. Remarkably, we observe reduced-amplitude oscillations of circadian rhythms in intestinal stem cells and progenitor cells, indicating an intercellular signal arising from differentiated cells governing circadian clock-dependent synchronized cell division cycles. Stochastic simulations and experimental validations reveal Paneth cell-secreted WNT as the key intercellular coupling component linking the circadian clock and cell cycle in enteroids.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia and Perinatal Characteristics Predict 1-Year Respiratory Outcomes in Newborns Born at Extremely Low Gestational Age: A Prospective Cohort Study

Objective To assess the utility of clinical predictors of persistent respiratory morbidity in extremely low gestational age newborns (ELGANs). Study design We enrolled ELGANs ( Results Of 724 infants (918 ± 234 g, 26.7 ± 1.4 weeks' gestational age) classified for the primary outcome, 68.6% had PRD; 245 of 704 (34.8%) were classified as severe. Male sex, intrauterine growth restriction, maternal smoking, race/ethnicity, intubation at birth, and public insurance were retained in perinatal and 36-week models for both PRD and respiratory morbidity severity. The perinatal model accurately predicted PRD (c-statistic 0.858). Neither the 36-week model nor the addition of bronchopulmonary dysplasia to the perinatal model improved accuracy (0.856, 0.860); c-statistic for BPD alone was 0.907. Conclusion Both bronchopulmonary dysplasia and perinatal clinical data accurately identify ELGANs at risk for persistent and severe respiratory morbidity at 1 year. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01435187 .
Plant-based product Apigenin attenuates EAE severity through the modulation of immune cell function (THER7P.948)

The use of Apigenin, a naturally occurring plant flavone, for centuries to treat asthma, Parkinson9s disease, neuralgia, and shingles, indicates its importance in the regulation of inflammation. However, its effect on dendritic cells (DC) that maintain the critical balance between an immunogenic and tolerogenic immune response especially in neuroinflammation is relatively unknown. To test if Apigenin treatment ameliorates disease after onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis, C57BL/6 mice immunized with MOG 35-55 were treated with Apigenin. A significant reduction in severity of EAE progression was observed in the treated mice with disease peak lasting only a day. Splenocytes isolated from Apigenin treated EAE mice show decreased expression of α4 integrin and increased DCs and macrophages compared to untreated EAE mice. This correlated with immunohistochemistry findings of decreased immune cell infiltration and reduced demyelination in the CNS. In vitro, Apigenin inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 secretion in mice splenic DCs stimulated with LPS and the cell surface expression of MHC II and CD86 molecules on bone marrow derived DCs. These results indicate a protective role of Apigenin against the neurodegenerative effects resulting from the entry of DC stimulated pathogenic T cells into the CNS. Apigenin can thus serve as a potential therapy for neuroinflammatory disease through its regulation of immunogenic T cell response.
The Traumatic Tube: Bleeding Rectal Ulcer Caused by Flexi-Seal Device

Diarrhea and fecal incontinence are common in critically ill patients and present a challenging problem in patient management. The Flexi-Seal® Fecal Management System is a device to divert the stools away from the patient, thus improving the care to patients with fecal incontinence. There have been only few case reports describing the complications with the use of this device. Here, we present a case of a 77-year-old woman who was admitted due to massive hematochezia while on anticoagulation. She was found to have a large rectal ulcer caused by the Flexi-Seal device, used during the last hospital stay for fecal incontinence. Flexi-Seal device can be effective for the management of incontinence; however, caution should be exercised during handling and pressure from the retention balloon should be relieved periodically.
Phononic rogue waves

We present a theoretical study of extreme events occurring in phononic lattices. In particular, we focus on the formation of rogue or freak waves, which are characterized by their localization in both spatial and temporal domains. We consider two examples. The first one is the prototypical nonlinear mass-spring system in the form of a homogeneous Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou (FPUT) lattice with a polynomial potential. By deriving an approximation based on the nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equation, we are able to initialize the FPUT model using a suitably transformed Peregrine soliton solution of the NLS equation, obtaining dynamics that resembles a rogue wave on the FPUT lattice. We also show that Gaussian initial data can lead to dynamics featuring a rogue wave for sufficiently wide Gaussians. The second example is a diatomic granular crystal exhibiting rogue-wave-like dynamics, which we also obtain through an NLS reduction and numerical simulations. The granular crystal (a chain of particles that interact elastically) is a widely studied system that lends itself to experimental studies. This study serves to illustrate the potential of such dynamical lattices towards the experimental observation of acoustic rogue waves.
Information Leakage in Cloud Data Warehouses

Information leakage is the inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information through correlation of records from several databases/collections of a cloud data warehouse. Malicious insiders pose a serious threat to cloud data security and this justifies the focus on information leakage due to rogue employees or to outsiders using the credentials of legitimate employees. The discussion in this paper is restricted to NoSQL databases with a flexible schema. Data encryption can reduce information leakage, but it is impractical to encrypt large databases and/or all fields of database documents. Encryption limits the operations that can be carried on the data in a database. It is thus, critical to distinguish sensitive documents in a data warehouse and concentrate on efforts to protect them. The capacity of a leakage channel introduced in this work quantifies the intuitively obvious means to trigger alarms when an insider attacker uses excessive computer resources to correlate information in multiple databases. The Sensitivity Analysis based on Data Sampling (SADS) introduced in this paper balances the trade-offs between higher efficiency in identifying the risks posed by information leakage and the accuracy of the results obtained by sampling very large collections of documents. The paper reports on experiments assessing the effectiveness of SADS and the use of selective disinformation to limit information leakage. Cloud services identifying sensitive records and reducing the risk of information leakage are also discussed.
Semi-Transparent and Conformal Antenna Technology for Millimeter-wave Intelligent Sensing

This paper describes optically semi-transparent and flexible microstrip interconnects and patch antennas at millimeter wave frequencies. They are realized on a 5-mil thick transparent PET film by patterning honeycomb shape metal grids using a standard lithographic process. Dimensions of the employed metal grids were optimized for low insertion loss and >70% optical transmission at 77 GHz to enable integration into non-conventional surfaces for potential automotive radar applications. The fabricated microstrip lines demonstrate low-loss interconnects with <0.35dB/mm loss at 77 GHz and ~73% optical transmission from 390 nm to 700 nm. The fabricated semi-transparent microstrip patch antennas show radiation characteristics comparable to that made of standard solid metal.
Effect of Mechanical Refining Energy on the Enzymatic Digestibility of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Mechanical refining of lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as a promising technology for the improvement of enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Further research is necessary to understand the effects of mechanical refining at different conditions to allow for further optimization of the process. In this research, the impact of refining intensity (specific edge load; kWh/m) is investigated by the use of multiple refining passes to reach equivalent total specific refining energy (SRE) using a 12-in. disk refiner. In addition, the effect of adjusting gap-width vs adjusting consistency to increase refining energy is explored. Results show that enzymatic carbohydrate conversion is a function of SRE, independent of refining intensity. At lower enzyme loadings, gap-width adjustments were observed to be most effective at improving enzymatic digestibility. At higher enzyme loadings carbohydrate conversions leveled-off slightly as SRE increased, implying that there may be an economically optimum degree of refining.
Thermal Management Research – from Power Electronics to Portables

Thermal management is critical for electronic systems ranging from servers and smartphones to radar HEMTs and hybrid vehicle converters. Rapid research progress is being achieved both on-chip and in packaging through new materials and microfluidics. One very promising area is thermal metamaterials, which offer unusual combinations of thermal, mechanical, fluidic, and other properties by means of micro- or nanoscale heterogeneity, porosity, and/or layering. Another area is the upscaling of the performance and efficiency of fluidic systems – both capillary-based and pumped, which remove heat to an external heat rejector. This talk summarizes progress and highlights collaborations with the semiconductor industry, US defense companies and the NSF center on power electronics (POETS).
A data-driven system for city-scale personal energy footprint estimations: poster abstract

Energy footprinting has the potential to raise awareness of energy consumption and lead to energy saving behavior. However, current methods for estimating energy consumption cannot provide fine enough temporal or spatial granularity for a reasonable personal energy footprint estimate. In this work, we present a data-driven system design for estimating personal energy footprint in the city in real-time, even in built environments that do not have existing or accessible energy data or population data.
Steven Marshall Frost, MD: a conversation with the editor.

Steven Frost (Figure 1) was born on September 2, 1948, and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He attended public school and then Texas Christian University (TCU) on a football scholarship. After obtaining his bachelor's degree in biology, he went to the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical School. He also interned and did his residency in urology at that institution, and after training entered the private practice of urology at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas (BUMC), where he has been ever since.
Statistical Modeling of Distribution Patterns: A Markov Random Field Implementation and Its Application on Areas of Endemism

A statistical framework to infer areas of endemism from geographic distributions is proposed. This novel method is based on hidden Markov random fields (HMRFs), a type of undirected graph model commonly used in computer vision. This framework assumes areas of endemism are the states of the hidden layer of the model, whereas taxon distributions are emitted values in the observed layer. Taxon distributions are associated to the observed layer through a clustering procedure based on the extent of overlap. Observations are emitted by the hidden layer according to a Gaussian distribution, whereas the joint distribution of the hidden layer follows a Potts model. State and parameter inference of the maximum a posteriori configuration is performed through a modified version of the expectation-maximization algorithm. The optimal number of areas of endemism in the data set is estimated through the pseudolikelihood information criterion, a model selection procedure that uses an approximation to likelihood. The performance of the new algorithm was assessed on simulated data, and compared with the most popular methods for delimitation of areas of endemism: biotic element analysis, parsimony analysis of endemism, and endemicity analysis. HMRFs efficiently recovered the true pattern across a wide range of uncertainty values. The performance was also examined on empirical data: South African weevils (Sciobius) and Central American ground beetles and funnel-web tarantulas (Carabidae and Dipluridae, respectively). HMRFs uncovered six areas of endemism from the weevil data set, whereas eight were estimated for the Central American arthropods (compared with 3-5 and 3-14 from the other methods, respectively).
Modeling seasonal surface runoff and base flow based on the generalized proportionality hypothesis

Summary The proportionality hypothesis, originating from the curve number method at the event scale, is extended for modeling runoff in the water-limited and energy-limited seasons, respectively. The proposed seasonal runoff model includes three parameters for two separate seasons, which are wetting capacity, initial wetting and initial evaporation. The parameters for 203 watersheds from the United States are estimated, and the empirical relationships between the parameters and watershed properties, which include duration of the season, duration, intensity and frequency of rainfall events, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and soil saturated hydraulic properties, are obtained for applications in ungauged watersheds. These empirical equations present physical controls on runoff at the seasonal scale besides climate seasonality. The Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency coefficient of the seasonal runoff simulation for total runoff is higher than 0.5 in 86% (77%) of the study watersheds; while the surface runoff is 38% (46%) and the base flow is 92% (78%) in the energy-limited seasons (water-limited seasons). This paper shows the potential application of the proportionality hypothesis for estimating seasonal runoff, which is valuable for water resources planning and management.
Illusions of Learning

An argument is made that American social distress is exacerbated by the decline of public education, a decline fostered and maintained by systematic self-deception. Americans hold cherished beliefs about education, teaching, and learning that they know are not now, or cannot be, true. America's educational policies both reflect popular beliefs and give direction. Baffling public policy can make sense when seen in the broader context of public perceptions, beliefs, sentiments, ideologies, values, and opinions. This context shifts over time, circumstance, and group. Although this conceptual mix varies with geographic location and media attention, in this paper I have tried to touch on widely accepted, thus potent, national illusions that have confounded our understanding of public education and have misdirected educational policy.
Control of oxygen delivery from the erythrocyte by modification of pyruvate kinase.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how modification of pyruvate kinase activity can control oxygen delivery from the erythrocyte. Hemoglobins of a variety of animals fall into two classes: low-0 2 -affinity hemoglobins insensitive to P 2 GA and high-O 2 -affinity, P 2 GA-sensitive hemoglobins. How the levels of 2,3-P 2 GA in the red cell are regulated is an important question that has not yet been fully answered. The discovery that the human red cell contains phosphoglycolate, a powerful activator of the phosphatase may hint at a previously unsuspected mechanism for control of 2, 3-P 2 GA concentration. The best established correlation with 2,3-P 2 GA concentration in red cells is the activity of the enzyme pyruvate kinase. Red cell pyruvate kinase activity can be affected by a variety of factors. The enzyme is an allosteric enzyme showing cooperative homotropic interactions with its substrate phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) but not with adenosine diphosphate (ADP). The enzyme is activated by fructose bisphosphate (FBP) that appears to stabilize the PEP-binding conformation, decreasing the K m for PEP and changing the PEP saturation curve to a rectangular hyperbola. Activation is not specific to FBP because mannose bisphosphate and glucose bisphosphate show the same activating effects although at high affector concentrations. Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase, in the absence of FBP, is very sensitive to oxidation. Oxidation raises the K m for PEP but not for ADP and causes increased sigmoidicity of PEP saturation. No evidence has been obtained that oxidation of pyruvate kinase in vivo is a reversible control mechanism but it has been suggested that abnormal pyruvate kinase found in some genetic diseases may be an oxidized form of a normal enzyme rather than a mutant enzyme. The chapter presents the role of phosphorylation in the red cell as a determinant of the oxygen delivery capacity of that cell. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) added externally is clearly capable of stimulating phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase and decreasing its affinity for PEP. This necessarily causes an increase in the concentration of 2,3-P 2 GA and a decreased affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen.
Pulmonary Embolism and DVT

This section describes the risk stratification for pulmonary embolism (PE) and the current guidelines for advanced therapies for VTE. Various testing modalities are discussed in stratifying PE, and treatment options for each clinical severity are reviewed. The main treatment for all PE is anticoagulation; however, in cases of massive and submassive PE, additional remedies can include systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed and percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy. Anticoagulation is also the main treatment for deep vein thrombosis, but catheter-directed therapy and stent placement can also be considered in very symptomatic patients with proximal thrombosis.
Sensitization of Airway Epithelial Cells to Toxin-Induced Death by TNF Superfamily Cytokines.

The TNF superfamily of proinflammatory and proapoptotic cytokines influence tissue-wide responses to molecular insults such as small molecules, toxins, and viral infections that perturb cellular homeostasis at the level of DNA replication, transcription, and translation. In the context of acute lung injury, for example, TNF superfamily members like TNF-α and TRAIL can severely exacerbate disease pathophysiology. This chapter describes a systematic approach to optimization of mammalian cell viability assays and transcriptional profiling through nCounter® Technology to permit a detailed examination of how TNF-α and TRAIL modulate programmed cell death pathways in concert with ricin toxin, a ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) and a potent inducer of acute respiratory distress. We compare two widely used luciferase- and colorimetric-based cell viability assays and provide optimization protocols for adherent and non-adherent cell lines. We provide a computational workflow to facilitate downstream analysis of datasets generated from nCounter® gene expression panels. While combined treatment with ricin toxin and TRAIL serves as the exemplar, the methodologies are applicable to any TNF superfamily member in combination with any biological agent of interest.
Pitfalls in Interpretation of PET/CT in the Chest

Whole body positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging with [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) is widely used in oncologic imaging. In the chest, common PET/CT applications include the evaluation of solitary pulmonary nodules, cancer staging, assessment of response to therapy, and detection of residual or recurrent disease. Knowledge of the technical artifacts and potential pitfalls that radiologists may encounter in the interpretation of PET/CT in the thorax is important to avoid misinterpretation and optimize patient management. This article will review pitfalls in the interpretation of PET/CT in the chest related to technical factors, physiologic uptake, false positive findings, false negative findings, and iatrogenic conditions.
Design sensitivity analysis and optimization of nonlinear structures

Methods of design sensitivity analysis with linear response under static and dynamic loads have been developed and documented over the last fifteen years [1–5]. However, they are just beginning to be developed with nonlinear response [6–8]. Purpose of this paper is to describe a method of design sensitivity analysis of static nonlinear response using incremental finite element procedures. To accomplish this objective, nonlinear analysis of the structure must be performed which is usually quite tedious. The most effective procedure is to use load incrementation coupled with an iteration. With such a procedure, geometric as well as material nonlinearities (different material models) can be consistently and uniformly treated. However, the structure can collapse before the full load level is reached. In that case, design must be improved to have a stable structure. Thus procedures for calculation of collapse load and its sensitivity to design changes must be included in structural optimization problem with nonlinear response.
Avaliação da alface hidropônica usando água de piscicultura misturada com diferentes porcentagens de soluções nutritivas

Este trabalho foi conduzido em estufa plastica, no Instituto Federal Catarinense, Campus de Concordia, SC, com o objetivo de avaliar o desempenho agronomico da cultura da alface, cultivar Vera, no sistema hidroponico utilizando agua de piscicultura misturada com diferentes percentuais de solucao nutritiva; e avaliar o incremento de fitomassa seca, analisando teores de nitrato (NO -3 ) nas folhas da alface na colheita. Os seguintes tratamentos foram utilizados: (T1) agua mais 100% da solucao nutritiva (testemunha); (T2) agua da piscicultura com 50% da solucao nutritiva; (T3) agua da piscicultura com 100% dos micronutrientes da solucao nutritiva; e (T4) somente agua da piscicultura. Os resultados evidenciaram que: (a) a agua residual da criacao de peixes, em acudes no sistema semi-intensivo, nao e capaz de fornecer os nutrientes necessarios para o crescimento e desenvolvimento das plantas de alface para fins comerciais; (b) a producao de alface utilizando o sistema semi-intensivo com o uso da agua da piscicultura e tecnicamente viavel em acudes, desde que seja realizada uma adubacao complementar para suprir as necessidades nutricionais das plantas; (c) o tratamento T1 apresentou os melhores resultados, tendo as plantas atingido uma fitomassa verde e seca, respectivamente de 378,70 g e 19,97 g; (d) o tratamento T2 nao apresentou diferenca significativa para o tratamento testemunha, com 293,59 g e 19,28 g, respectivamente, o que demonstra uma efetividade do sistema semi-intensivo, e que o mesmo e perfeitamente viavel a partir de ajustes nutricionais; (e) o tratamento T1 apresentou maior teor de nitrato aos 28 dias apos transplante, com 793,3 mg kg-1 de NO3-, entretanto, dentro dos limites aceitaveis para o consumo humano das folhas de alface.
Quantifying the interfacial dzyaloshinskii-moriya interactions from spin-waves

Skyrmions and chiral magnetic domain walls have attracted large interest recently. The underlying interaction of these chiral magnetic phenomena is the interfacial Dzyalosinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). The interfacial DMI can be found in systems where a ferromagnet is in contact with a material with large spin-orbit coupling as for example Pt. Such systems enable novel memory and logic devices that are based on the interaction of a material with large spin-orbit coupling and a ferromagnet.
Pricing issues-is there a common ground?

Summary form only give, as follows. The author first summarizes three different approaches on pricing: namely, locational based marginal pricing, flow gate approach and utilization based pricing. He then explores the underlying common ground. It seems that no matter what the approaches are, there is a need for transaction based power flow analysis that can decompose all involved quantity, such as line flows, power consumption, control utilization, etc. into transaction components. With this approach, it is then clear how utilization of transmission lines, real power consumption, reactive power consumption, involved voltage supports and other control devices can be accounted for individual transactions. Accordingly, the utilization based pricing can be easily calculated and accounted based on contracted pricing (rents) or other pricing schemes such as marginal pricing. The approach can also incorporate the transmission rights, locational based marginal pricing and flow gate approaches easily. Examples are given to demonstrate the idea.
Peroxyl, alkoxyl, and carbon-centered radical formation from organic hydroperoxides by chloroperoxidase

The decomposition of organic hydroperoxides as catalyzed by chloroperoxidase was investigated with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Tertiary peroxyl radicals were directly detected by ESR from incubations of tert-butyl hydroperoxide or cumene hydroperoxide with chloroperoxidase at pH 6.4. Peroxyl, alkoxyl, and carbon-centered free radicals from tertiary hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase systems were successfully trapped by the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide, whereas alkoxyl radicals were not detected in the ethyl hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase system. The carbon-centered free radicals were further characterized by spin-trapping studies with tert-nitrosobutane. Oxygen evolution measured by a Clark oxygen electrode was detected for all the hydroperoxide/chloroperoxidase systems. The classical peroxidase mechanism is proposed to describe the formation of peroxyl radicals. In the case of tertiary peroxyl radicals, their subsequent self-reactions result in the formation of alkoxyl free radicals and molecular oxygen. β-Scission and internal hydrogen atom transfer reactions of the alkoxyl free radicals lead to the formation of various carbon-centered free radicals. In the case of the primary ethyl peroxyl radicals, decay through the Russell pathway forms molecular oxygen.
Second order effects in the hyperfine field of Fe57 in troilite (Anti-ferromagnetic FeS)

Abstract Taking into account second order effects in the combined magnetic and electric hyperfine splitting gives an electric quadrupole interaction at the Fe 57 site in FeS about 5 times larger than previously reported.
A discontinuous Galerkin method with plane waves and Lagrange multipliers for the solution of short wave exterior Helmholtz problems on unstructured meshes

Recently, a discontinuous Galerkin method with plane wave basis functions and Lagrange multiplier degrees of freedom was proposed for the efficient solution of the Helmholtz equation in the mid-frequency regime. This method was fully developed however only for regular meshes, and demonstrated only for interior Helmholtz problems. In this paper, we extend it to irregular meshes and exterior Helmholtz problems in order to expand its scope to practical acoustic scattering problems. We report preliminary results for two-dimensional short wave problems that highlight the superior performance of this discontinuous Galerkin method over the standard finite element method.
Increased neutrophil adherence to endothelial cells exposed to asbestos.

Abstract Inhalation of asbestos may activate the pulmonary endothelium to promote an inflammatory cell phenotype that participates in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. However, little is known about the effects of asbestos on endothelial cell function. Therefore, endothelial cells were exposed to chrysotile and crocidolite asbestos for up to 72 hr to investigate the effects of noncytotoxic concentrations of asbestos on cell function. Noncytolytic concentrations of chrysotile and crocidolite caused localized changes in cell morphology, resulting in activation of endothelial cells to a vacuolated, “spindle-shaped” morphology at sites of fiber deposition. The adherence of neutrophils (PMN) to control and asbestos-treated cultures was examined to determine the functional significance of this altered morphology. Chrysotile asbestos caused a time-dependent, 2- to 4-fold increase in PMN adherence that was localized to spindled endothelial cells in close contact with fibers. Monoclonal antibodies against intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) inhibited this asbestos-induced PMN adherence. Solution hybridization demonstrated a 2.5-fold increase in steady-state levels of ICAM-1 mRNA in cells exposed to chrysotile asbestos for 8 hr. Exposure to crocidolite asbestos resulted in similar alteration in cell morphology and increase in PMN binding to endothelial cells, while a physically similar nonasbestos fiber, refractory ceramic fiber-1 did not cause morphologic change or increased PMN binding. These data suggest that asbestos fibers can specifically and directly activate endothelial cells, resulting in an activated cell morphology, increased ICAM-1 expression, and enhanced PMN adherence.
Relationship of specific gravity to the nitrogen and ascorbic acid content of potatoes

The relationships of specific gravity to total and non-protein nitrogen and to ascorbic acid content of Ontario potatoes, a variety susceptible to precooking discoloration, were studied. Total and non-protein nitrogen, expressed on a dry weight basis, decreased as specific gravity increased to the mean specific gravity for the variety. Potatoes having the mean specific gravity had the lowest total and non-protein nitrogen content. Both total and non-protein nitrogen were significantly higher in the center than in the cortex tissue. High specific gravity was significantly correlated with high ascorbic acid content. Tubers of low specific gravity showed a greater loss of ascorbic acid during storage than those of high specific gravity.
Autoimmune-associated congenital heart block: dissecting the cascade from immunologic insult to relentless fibrosis

Few diseases exemplify the integration of research from bench to bedside as well as neonatal lupus, often described as a model of passively acquired autoimmunity. The signature histologic lesion of autoimmune congenital heart block (CHB) is fibrosis of the conducting tissue and, in some cases, the surrounding myocardium. Although anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies are detected in > 85% of mothers whose fetuses are identified with conduction abnormalities in a structurally normal heart, the risk for a woman with the candidate antibodies to have a child with CHB is 2%. The mechanism by which maternal anti-SSA/Ro-SSB/La antibodies initiate and finally eventuate in atrioventricular nodal scarring is not yet defined, but it is clear that the antibodies alone are insufficient to cause disease and fetal factors are likely contributory. Previous in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that the pathologic cascade is initiated via apoptosis, resulting in translocation of SSA/Ro-SSB/La antigens to the cell surface where they are bound by maternal autoantibodies. Subsequently, the Fc portion of the bound immunoglobulin engages Fcgamma receptors on tissue macrophages, resulting in release of TGF-beta at a threshold favoring a profibrotic milieu and irreversible scarring. This cascade also involves tissue-specific activation of TGF-beta, which promotes the modulation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, a scarring phenotype. Recent findings point to genetic polymorphisms that promote high production of TGF-beta as possible fetal risk factors for CHB. Further elucidation of maternal and fetal contributory factors should provide insight into the pathogenesis of CHB and the rarity of irreversible injury.
Design of Experiments to Investigate Geometric Effects on Fluid Leakage Rate in a Balance Drum Seal

Annular labyrinth seals are designed as tortuous paths that force a working fluid to expand and contract repeatedly through small clearances between high and low pressure stages of turbomachinery. The resulting expansion and recirculation reduces kinetic energy of the flow and minimizes leakage rate between regions of high and low pressure through the seal. Most current seal geometries are selected based on what has worked in the past, or by incremental improvements on existing designs. In the present research, a balance drum used in a multi-stage centrifugal pump was chosen as a starting point. A design of experiments study was performed to investigate the influence of groove scale on leakage rate across the seal for a fixed pressure differential.The CFD model of the selected labyrinth seal has an upstream region leading to 20 evenly spaced semicircular grooves along a 267 mm seal length, with a clearance region of 0.305 mm. The seal geometry was specified by a set of five variables. The variables allow for variation in scale of the semicircular grooves within a pattern of five independently scaled grooves repeated four times along the seal length.The seal was constructed with a parameterized CFD model in ANSYS CFX as a five degree sector of the full 3D seal. A non-central composite designed experiment was performed to investigate the effects of five parameters on leakage rate in the system. This study demonstrates a practical approach for investigating the effects of various geometric factors on leakage rate for balance drum seals. The empirical 10-parameter linear regression model fitted to the results of the experimental design yields suggested groove radii that could be applied to improve performance of future seals.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Surface Determinants of Haemophilus influenzae Pathogenicity: Comparative Virulence of Capsular Transformants in Normal and Complement-Depleted Rats

In an assessment of the contribution of different capsular polysaccharides to the pathogenicity of Haemophilus influenzae, the virulence of H influenzae strain Rd and of a series of capsular transformants (types b, c, d, and f) of strain Rd was compared and in normal and complement-depleted rats. After intraperitoneal inoculation, the encapsulated transformants were strikingly more virulent than strain Rd, although their pathogenicity varied; type b was the most virulent, type c the next most virulent, type f less virulent, and type d the least virulent. C3 depletion enhanced the susceptibility of rats to systemic infection but did not influence the relative virulence of the transformants. Comparative studies of clearance showed efficient intravascular survival of type b, c, and f transformants but not of the type d transformant or strain Rd; C3 depletion enhanced the intravascular survival of type d. Further analysis of the capsular transformants revealed differences in the electrophoretic characteristics of their lipopolysaccharides. These studies indicate that elaboration of a unique capsular polysaccharide may not be a sufficient explanation for the greater virulence of H influenzae type b and that lipopolysaccharide may contribute to the mediation of the differential pathogenicity of the various serotypes.
Clinical Significance of Enhanced Detection of HBsAg by a Monoclonal Radioimmunoassay

We assessed the significance of the enhanced detection by monoclonal radioimmunoassay (M-RIA) of HBsAg in serum of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In acute HBV infection, the M-RIA detected HBsAg in the blood for a far longer period of time than previously recognized. In some patients, the “window phase” of HBV infection (defined as the presence of anti-HBc and the lack of detectable HBsAg and anti-HBs) was shortened or completely eliminated. Furthermore, 26% of individuals with anti-HBc as the only serologic marker of recent or past HBV infection were reactive only in the M-RIA. Analysis of patients tested for HBsAg because of suspected underlying liver disease revealed additional HBsAg-positive sera, unrecognized by polyvalent RIA, thus adding important information in the immunodiagnosis of HBV infection. The enhanced performance of the monoclonal RIA compared to conventional polyvalent RIA was due in part to the increased sensitivity of the assay and the observation that M-RIA may detect “hidden” HBV antigens in immune complexes.
Fasciclin I and II have distinct roles in the development of grasshopper pioneer neurons

We have used a new technique, micro-CALI (chromophore-assisted laser inactivation), to investigate the function of the neural cell adhesion molecules fasciclin I and II in the development of the grasshopper Ti1 neurons. Micro-CALI of fasciclin I results in defasciculation of the Ti1 axons similar to that achieved using large scale CALI (Jay and Keshishian, 1990). The initial point of axon separation corresponds to the site of laser irradiation, and defasciculation always continues distal to this point. Micro-CALI of fasciclin II prevents the initiation of Ti1 axon outgrowth but has no effect on fasciculation. This effect is restricted to a 3 hr interval between cytokinesis and growth cone emergence.
High-risk plaque in the superficial femoral artery of people with peripheral artery disease: prevalence and associated clinical characteristics.

Objective We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the prevalence and associated clinical characteristics of high-risk plaque (defined as presence of lipid-rich necrotic core [LRNC] and intraplaque hemorrhage) in the superficial femoral arteries (SFA) among people with peripheral artery disease (PAD).
Substituent Effects in Gas-Phase Substitutions and Eliminations: β-Halo Substituents. Solvation Reverses SN2 Substituent Effects

The gas-phase reactions of benzoate and phenolate containing dianions with a series of β-substituted alkyl bromides (X-CH2CH2Br, X = H, F, Cl, Br) have been studied in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Branching ratios between SN2 and E2 products were measured and rate constants were determined. The β-halogens increase both the SN2 and E2 rates, but the effect is greater for the latter process and therefore these substituents lead to an increase in the amount of elimination. The kinetic data for the SN2 reactions can be analyzed via a two-parameter, linear free-energy relationship and the results indicate that field-effects (i.e., electron-withdrawing groups) strongly favor the reaction (ρF = 1.83). In contrast, analysis of the available condensed phase data for these substrates indicates that halogens strongly retard the reaction (ρF = −2.04). The dramatic reversal in substituent effects can be explained by a simple electrostatic model which suggests that solvation causes the system to shift to a ...