cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulated ( n,f ) Cross Sections for Exotic Actinide Nuclei

Simulated (n,f) cross sections for En = 0.5 to 6 MeV are estimated from fission probabilities obtained in (3He,df) and (3He,tf) studies. Cross sections are presented for 34 isotopes of protactinium...
WAVES AND BREAKERS IN SHOALING WATER

Wiegel and Johnson (1950) summarized useable wave theories for deep and shallow water. Mason (1950) discussed waves in shoaling water and compared theoretical predictions with measurements. The theories are shown to apply, within practical limits, to periodic systems of deep water waves, and to periodic waves progressing over a shoaling bottom to wave positions near the breaking point. Near and at the breaking position the wave features are not predicted from theory with desired accuracies and measured characteristics are used to describe breakers. The available measurements are limited and do not show the effects of variables such as the beach slope. Recent work at the University of California has resulted in information on the limits of applicability of the linearized wave theories as applied to wave transformation in shoaling water, and on breaker shapes and motion; including the effect of beach slope.
CHAPTER 3 – Diode Applications

This chapter explores the practical applications of the diode. If the polarity of an applied voltage matches that of the diode, the diode turns “on” and functions as a short circuit. When the applied voltage polarity is opposite (reverse biased), the diode is off. Another good analogy to a diode is the plumber's check valve that allows water in a pipe to flow in one direction but not in the other. The remarkable characteristic of a semiconductor diode is the speed with which it can switch from conducting to nonconducting. One of the most important uses of a diode is in rectification that converts AC to DC. Diodes are also used in waveshaping circuits. A useful modification of a diode is in the form of a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR). It is popularly used in DC motor speed control and in light dimmers. Industrial SCRs have current ratings in the thousands of amperes and are able to control large amounts of power.
Research Integrity and Misconduct in the Academic Profession

Integrity in research is fundamental to the advancement of knowledge, for the public’s support of research, and the autonomy of the academic profession. Misconduct in the forms of fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism introduces error and misrepresentation into the scientific record. This chapter reviews the history of research integrity and misconduct in the United States, as well as the nature and prevalence of misconduct. It then turns to factors associated with misconduct and efforts to promote integrity, which include policy and regulation, normative pressure, codes of conduct, training, and mentoring.
Psychological Jurisprudence and the Relational Problems of De-vitalisation and Finalisation: Revisiting the Society of Captives Thesis

This chapter describes the relational problems of de-vitalisation and finalisation guided by the socio-cultural insights of Psychological Jurisprudence (PJ). De-vitalisation and finalisation are non-reflexive states of human relatedness in which reciprocal consciousness, inter-subjectivity, and mutual power are neutralised (i.e. forestalled and/or foreclosed). These neutralisations function to limit and/or to deny the project of shared struggle and the experiences of collective overcoming. The chapter asserts that this project and these experiences are necessary ontological and epistemological conditions for interdependent human flourishing to occur, including the becoming of human justice (as restorative and transformative) for a people yet to be. The chapter explains how the excess forms of de-vitalisation (e.g., limits on relational being, harms of reduction, and bad faith) and the excess forms of finalisation (e.g., denials of relational becoming, harms of repression, and negative freedom) nurture a society of captives. This is the ontological and epistemological captivity of the kept and those who keep, manage, observe, treat, and/or inspect them. The ubiquity of this captivity is made evident in the relations of humanness that populate this society. The chapter proposes how these relations—derived mostly from the deficit and desistance models of offender therapy, recovery, and reentry—are totalising (i.e. socio-culturally harm-generating and injury-producing) in their iterative effects on reciprocal consciousness, subjectivity, and power. Maintaining or cultivating these de-vitalising and finalising relations of humanness is an exercise in co-productive madness. Examples from the mental health and prison literatures suggestively highlight the chapter’s central thesis.
Likelihood of Injury and Medical Care Between CrossFit and Traditional Weightlifting Participants.

Background:CrossFit is a popular weightlifting sport, with participants who report significant improvements in physical health; however, others argue that CrossFit exposes participants to an increa...
Synthesis of the apratoxin 2,4-disubstituted thiazoline via an intramolecular aza-Wittig reaction.

In developing a synthetic entry to the thiazoline-containing domain of the apratoxin natural products, we converted vicinal azido-thiolesters into 2,4-disubstituted thiazolines via sequential one-pot Staudinger reduction/aza−Wittig reaction. This method of de novo thiazoline formation provides a mild and versatile process that is particularly well suited to acid-sensitive substrates.
World War II and American Racial Politics: Public Opinion, the Presidency, and Civil Rights Advocacy

World War II played an important role in the trajectory of race and American political development, but the War's effects were much more complex than many assume. Steven White offers an extensive analysis of rarely utilized survey data and archival evidence to assess white racial attitudes and the executive branch response to civil rights advocacy. He finds that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the white mass public's racial policy attitudes largely did not liberalize during the war against Nazi Germany. In this context, advocates turned their attention to the possibility of unilateral action by the president, emphasizing a wartime civil rights agenda focused on discrimination in the defense industry and segregation in the military. This book offers a reinterpretation of this critical period in American political development, as well as implications for the theoretical relationship between war and the inclusion of marginalized groups in democratic societies.
Improving estimates of transmission capital costs for utility-scale wind and solar projects to inform renewable energy policy

Abstract Estimating the overall costs of transmission needed to integrate variable renewable energy (VRE) onto the grid is challenging. An improved understanding of these transmission costs would support electricity system planning as VRE penetrations increase. This paper brackets VRE transmission capital costs using multiple approaches based on interconnection studies, actual transmission projects, capacity-expansion simulation models, and aggregated U.S. VRE-related transmission expenditures. Each approach possesses advantages and drawbacks, and combining the approaches lends confidence to the results. The resulting range of average levelized VRE transmission costs is $1–$10/MWh, which is generally lower than earlier estimates in the literature. These transmission capital costs can increase the direct plant-level levelized cost of VRE by 3%–33%, based on levelized costs of energy of $29–$56/MWh for utility-scale wind and $36–$46/MWh for utility-scale solar. As VRE deployment continues to expand, policy makers can use this information to (1) assess the benefits of transmission avoidance and deferral when comparing distributed energy resources versus utility-scale projects, (2) evaluate the potential costs of large-scale public transmission investments, and (3) better analyze system-level costs of utility-scale VRE technologies. Future research can expand on the framework presented here by providing a review of operation and maintenance costs for transmission systems.
The protégé effect in the retention of underrepresented minority undergraduate teaching assistants in geoscience: Preliminary indications from Newark, New Jersey

A summer scholars institute to introduce urban underrepresented minority (URM) high school students to applied geosciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, had the unanticipated effect ...
Contact Resistance Improvement for Advanced Logic by Integration of Epi, Implant and Anneal Innovations

As advanced CMOS scaling with FinFETs continues beyond the 10/7nm nodes, contact resistance (Rc) remains a dominant component affecting device performance. The FinFET Source/Drain (S/D) contact area has become smaller with fin pitch scaling, resulting in drastically increased Rc. To achieve higher drive currents and fully realize the performance gain from FinFET architectural changes, it is critical to continue to reduce contact resistivity (ρc) < 1.0×10−9 Ω.cm2 for both NMOS and PMOS. In this paper, we review the recent trends for ρc reduction for advanced CMOS devices and discuss approaches that have demonstrated reduction in ρc, such as in-situ heavily doped epitaxial films for S/D, advanced ion implantation and laser anneals. The implant techniques include pre-amorphization implants (PAI), dopant boosting implants, cryogenic (−100oC) implants for damage engineering and plasma doping (PLAD) for conformal doping of high aspect ratio (HAR) contacts. With such high levels of doping from epi and implants, advanced laser anneals are key for epitaxial regrowth and formation of metastable alloys for dopant supersaturation or segregation in top layers. Millisecond laser anneal (MSA) improves dopant activation and nanosecond laser anneal (NLA) permits superactivation, and both have become key enablers for ρc reduction. This paper also reviews two alternative contact approaches: dual silicide scheme and wrap-around contact (WAC), as potential pathways to further reduce Rc for advanced CMOS nodes.
Malignancy Involving the Spine

The most common tumor in the spine is a metastatic tumor. Lung, breast, and prostate are the most common cancers that metastasize to the spine. To detect spinal metastases, a Technetium-99m bone scintiscan (radionuclide bone scan) is the radiologic study of choice. Both osteoporosis and metastasis can cause compression fractures, but osteoporosis will spare the posterior vertebral body and pedicles, whereas metastases might include this area. Lesions in the spine can be osteoblastic (bone forming) or osteolytic (bone destroying). The most common primary intramedullary lesion in adults is an ependymoma. In children, the most common primary intramedullary lesion is an astrocytoma.
Redeeming the ‘ordinary working class’:

Critical responses to the rise of right-wing populism in the Western world have done much to draw attention to the racialization of moral economies. However, it is not only remarkable that class ha...
Sleep Induction by Mechanosensory Stimulation in Drosophila

People tend to fall asleep when gently rocked or vibrated. Experimental studies have shown rocking promotes sleep in humans and mice. The prevailing "synchronization" model proposes synchronization of brain activity to mechanosensory stimuli mediates the phenomenon. The alternative "habituation" model proposes habituation, a form of non-associative learning, mediates sleep induction by monotonous stimulation. Here we show that gentle vibration promotes sleep in Drosophila in part through habituation. Vibration-induced sleep (VIS) leads to the accrual of homeostatic sleep credit, is associated with reduced arousability, and can be suppressed by heightened arousal. Sleep induction improves over successive blocks of vibration and exhibits stimulus specificity, supporting the habituation model. Multiple mechanosensory organs mediate VIS, and the magnitude of sleep gain depends on the vibration frequency and genetic background. Our findings suggest habituation is a major contributor to VIS, but synchronization of brain activity may play a role under certain stimulus conditions.
TCGA Kidney Cell Atlas: A differential gene expression database for the dissection of tumor-specific gene modules.

e17078Background: The Cancer Genome Atlas project has become a leading source for data that has allowed the identification of a broad range of human cancer tumor types and subtypes and has revealed...
Pirfenidone is Associated with Decreased Indexed End Diastolic and Systolic Volumes in Patients with HFpEF and a Known History of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Background To date, there remains to be a lack of effective treatment modalities for HFpEF, which accounts for approximately 50% of all cases of congestive heart failure. Pirfenidone is a novel anti-fibrotic agent that has been shown to improve pulmonary function in patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. In pre-clinical studies, pirfenidone has been implicated in decreasing myocardial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction (Kuwahara et al, Circulation 2002). The effects of this medication on markers of LV function and structure in humans with a history of IPF and HFpEF has not been studied. Hypothesis We hypothesize that patients taking pirfenidone will have favorable changes in echocardiographic parameters of LV function and structure. Methodology We performed a retrospective review of 24 patients with a history of HFpEF and IPF being treated with pirfenidone. All patients had pre and post treatment echocardiograms. Changes in parameters of LV structure (indexed LV mass, end diastolic and end systolic volumes), diastolic function (indexed left atrial volume, trans-mitral Doppler flow patterns, tissue Doppler indices), systolic function (EF) and global LV strain were compared before and after pirfenidone administration. Results mean age of patients involved was 70±6.8 years and patients were predominantly males(76%). 34% patients had a history of CAD, 62% HTN, 16% Atrial fibrillation, 61% hyperlipidemia, 23% diabetes, 25% CKD and 46% obesity. 88% of patients had stage 1 diastolic dysfunction at baseline and 12% with stage 2 diastolic dysfunction. Mean NT pro BNP was 2287±3444 pg/ml . Post pirfenidone treatment, there was a significant reduction in indexed LV end diastolic(-11.9±1.1ml/m2) and end systolic (-6.2±2.3ml/m2) volumes. No significant changes were noted in other parameters. Conclusion Treatment with pirfenidone was associated with decreases in indexed LV end diastolic and end systolic volumes in patients with HFpEF and a known history of IPF. However, contrary to the rest of the hypothesis, no improvements were noted in markers of LV diastolic, systolic function and strain. Our study was retrospective in nature and limited by its small sample size.
Implicit adaptation processes appear unable to account for learning in sensorimotor adaptation tasks

Learning in sensorimotor adaptation tasks has been historically viewed as solely an implicit learning phenomenon. However, recent findings suggest that implicit adaptation is heavily constrained, calling into question its utility in motor learning, and the theoretical framework of sensorimotor adaptation paradigms. These inferences have been based on results from single bouts of training, thus, it is possible that implicit adaptation processes supersede explicit re-aiming strategies over repeated practice sessions. We tested this by dissociating the contributions of explicit re-aiming strategies and implicit adaptation over five consecutive days of training. Implicit adaptation plateaued at a value far short of complete learning. We sought to determine if these constraints on implicit adaptation extend to another sensorimotor task, mirror reversal. Implicit adaptation was inappropriate for mirror reversal and became suppressed during training. We suggest that the implicit adaptation process studied in sensorimotor adaptation paradigms cannot support long-term motor skill learning.
Progress on Management of Penile Cancer in 2020.

Management of penile cancer represents a challenge to urologic oncologists due to the disease’s rarity and sparse data in the literature. Squamous cell carcinoma represents the most common histologic subtype of penile cancer. Penile cancer has a disastrous effect on patients’ psychological and physical health. Penile cancer accounts for approximately 1% of cancer deaths in the USA annually. However, in recent years, the management of penile cancer has achieved marked progress in both diagnostic and therapeutic approaches with the intent to avoid radical surgeries. The traditional total penile amputation has been replaced by penile preserving procedures in many patients. Nowadays, total penile amputation (total penectomy) is preserved only for patients with proximal lesions. The introduction of minimally invasive surgical techniques in the management of penile cancer-infiltrated lymph nodes has been reported. Given the dismal prognosis with conventional cytotoxic therapies, new systemic therapies have been investigated in patients with locally advanced or metastatic penile cancer. Multiple studies have shown promising outcomes. All these efforts have resulted in a remarkable improvement in patient quality of life. The objectives of our review are to update clinicians on the advances in the management of penile cancer and to summarize the recent guidelines and recommendations.
Background: Random Vectors

So far, we have only worried about approximating or fitting data; we have not asked why the data looks like it does. Moving forward, we’ll use probabilistic modeling to consider possible mechanisms generating the data. In this chapter, we’ll briefly learn how to work with random vectors, the building blocks of probabilistic modeling.
Near-Zero Drift and High Electromechanical Coupling Acoustic Resonators at > 3.5 GHz

In this article, near-zero drift and high electromechanical coupling acoustic resonators have been designed and demonstrated. The acoustic resonator is based on Lamb acoustic waves in a bimorph composed of lithium niobate on silicon dioxide. Our approach breaks through a performance boundary in conventional Lamb-wave resonators by introducing the bimorph while operating at higher order resonant modes. This enables the resonator to achieve frequency scalability, a low-temperature coefficient of frequency, and high electromechanical coupling altogether. The electromechanical coupling and temperature coefficient of the resonator were analytically optimized for the A3 mode through adjusting the thicknesses of different materials in the bimorph. Resonators with different dimensions and stack thickness were fabricated and measured, resulting in a temperature coefficient of frequency ranging from −17.6 to −1.1 ppm/°C, high electromechanical coupling ranging from 13.4% to 18%, and quality factors up to 800 at 3.5 GHz. The achieved specifications are adequate for fifth-generation (5G) sub-6-GHz frequency bands n77 and n78.
Astrometry exoplanet detection using the Habex Workhorse camera

Accurate measurement of exoplanetary masses is a critical step in addressing key aspects of NASA’s science vision. Astrometry can detect and measure masses of planets orbiting the target star. However, the signal for earth-analogs is in the sub-microarcsecond regime, well beyond our instrumentation. In this paper, we study part of an astrometry error budget for the HabEx Workhorse Camera and we propose a calibration approach to reach earth-analog sensitivity.
Local and remote forcing of decadal sea level and thermocline depth variability in the South Indian Ocean

[1] Analysis is performed on a set of diagnostic numerical experiments designed to isolate local Indian Ocean forcing versus remote forcing from the Pacific via the Indonesian throughflow on decadal variability of subsurface temperature, sea level, and thermocline depth of the South Indian Ocean. It is found that the vertical structure of decadal temperature variability varies from decade-to-decade, with maximum variation peaking in the vicinity of the thermocline. The decadal-scale temperature variations in the tropical southwestern Indian Ocean between 5°S and 17°S are primarily associated with the vertical displacements of the thermocline. Prior to the early 1990s, decadal variations in sea level and thermocline depth can be described in terms of a baroclinic Sverdrup balance, forced by Ekman pumping velocity associated with windstress curl acting on the Indian Ocean. Beginning in the early 1990s, decadal variability of the equatorial Pacific trades forces thermocline variations that modify the sea level and thermocline depth across the tropical South Indian Ocean basin. Farther south, between 20°S and 30°S, oceanic internal variability makes significant contributions to decadal variability of the thermocline. The anomalies along the western coast of Australia are primarily driven by regional forcing acting on the Indian Ocean prior to the 1990s, and signals originating from the equatorial Pacific make a greater contribution thereafter.
Dealing with rapid development: Creation of the informal urban economy and gecekondu housing in Istanbul

The late emergence of national industries in Turkey in the 20 century created various challenges for the country’s development, including architecture and urbanization. With reference to Lefebvre’s notion that “politics” has the “privilege to embrace” the spheres of architecture, urbanism, planning, and the economy, this study analyzes the spread of the informal economy and informal gecekondu housing in Istanbul by making connections to the outcomes of the political and economic shifts in the post-World War II period in Turkey.
Models for Melanomas and Sarcomas

First page of article Keywords: animal models; tumour growth; metastasis; syngeneic; orthotopic injections; transgenic mice; melanocytes; melanoma; sarcoma; skin reconstruct; immune response; nude mice
Effect of time-varying fading channels on control performance of a mobile sensor

In mobile sensor networks, sensor measurements as well as control commands are transmitted over wireless time-varying links. It then becomes considerably important to address the impact of imperfect communication on the overall performance. In this paper, we study the effect of time-varying communication links on the control performance of a mobile sensor node. In particular, we investigate the impact of fading. We derive a key performance measure parameter to evaluate the overall feedback control performance over narrowband channels. We show that fading can result in considerable delay and/or poor performance of the mobile sensor depending on the system requirements. To improve the performance, we then show how the application layer can use the channel status information of the physical layer to adapt control commands accordingly. We show that sharing information across layers can improve the overall performance considerably. We verify our analytical results by simulating a wireless location and speed control problem.
Constraints on the Ages of Distant Giant Elliptical Radio Galaxies

The oldest observed ages of elliptical galaxies and globular clusters form a logical lower limit to the age of the Universe. To find the earliest possible formation epoch of elliptical galaxies one needs to study candidates at high redshift, which have very red colors and whose spectra consist entirely of starlight. To derive ages from observed spectra or colors one must first understand the stellar populations that compose the gE spectrum, their evolutionary tracks in the HR diagram and the resulting spectral evolution of the entire stellar population with cosmic time.
Improvement in Rates of Preterm Infant Hypothermia by the Implementation of a Best Practice Bundle

Poster Presentation Objective To decrease the number of preterm infants with hypothermia on admission to the NICU by improving delivery room management. Design A best practice bundle was developed for preterm infants. This included the use of heated mattress pads for all infants 36‐weeks gestational age or less and polyethylene bags for infants 28‐weeks gestational age or fewer. Additionally, to prevent convective and conductive heat loss, preterm infants were not weighed in the delivery room, and operating room temperatures were set to 25 degrees C. Sample Data were collected for 300 preterm neonates admitted to the NICU between January 2013 and June 2014. Methods Using plan‐do‐check‐act (PDCA) methodology, an interprofessional team reviewed the literature, developed and implemented an evidence‐based protocol, and evaluated outcomes. Normal admission temperature was defined as 36.5 degrees C or greater within one hour of birth. Implementation Strategies All nursing and physician staff who attended births were educated on the significance of infant hypothermia and the bundle components. Following implementation of the bundle, outcomes were tracked and disseminated on a monthly basis. Outliers were analyzed and debriefs with the nursing and physician staff were conducted. Results The retrospective baseline data included 45 infants: 10 (22%) had admission temperatures of 36.5 degrees C or greater. Postimplementation, there was a steady improvement in admission temperatures. By the third quarter of 2014, 68% of infants in had admission temperatures of 36.5 degrees C or greater. For the low‐birth‐weight infants tracked in the Vermont Oxford Network (VON) database, for the 3 years prior to the bundle implementation, we performed at 3.8%, 3.10%, and 14.3%. The year postimplementation, of 12 VLBW neonates, 75% met the standard for temperature on admission to NICU. Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Successful implementation of this project required a commitment from the obstetric and neonatal teams. Although it is clearly our responsibility to take admission temperatures and monitor various physiologic parameters in individual neonates, it is equally incumbent on the team to analyze aggregate data indicators to monitor overall performance. Data dissemination has been a crucial factor in maintaining awareness of this problem and providing the impetus for continued use of the bundle elements. In addition, conducting a case by case analysis of outliers is essential for ensuring that any gaps in performance are recognized and rectified by providing feedback to individual providers.
Equalization in aeronautical telemetry using multiple transmit antennas

This paper introduces a generalized time-reversed space-time block code (GTR-STBC) for single-carrier systems employing multiple transmit antennas and operating over frequency-selective multipath fading channels. The generalization involves unequal power allocation parameterized by ρ. The criteria for selecting the optimum ρ is minimizing the postequalizer mean-squared error for a minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) equalizer. GTR-STBC is applied to measured channel impulse responses and a simple statistical channel model. The results show that 1) the optimum value of ρ gives the best trade-off between signal-to-noise ratio and intersymbol interference (ISI); 2) equal power allocation may not be the optimum power allocation when channel state information is available; and 3) the optimum profile of ρ over measured channels is significantly different than from that in statistical channel models.
Naturally Occurring Mutations Define a Novel Function of the Hepatitis B Virus Core Promoter in Core Protein Expression

Functional analysis of naturally occurring hepatitis B virus (HBV) mutations is crucial in understanding their impact on disease. We have recently identified two mutations in the HBV core promoter of an HBV strain associated with fulminant hepatitis leading to highly (15-fold) enhanced replication as a result of increased viral encapsidation of pregenomic RNA into the core particles (T. F. Baumert et al., J. Clin. Invest. 98:2268-2276, 1996). Functional studies in an encapsidation assay had demonstrated that the increase in encapsidation was largely independent of pregenomic RNA transcription. In this study, we define the molecular mechanism whereby the two core promoter mutations (C to T at nucleotide [nt] 1768 and T to A at nt 1770) result in enhanced viral encapsidation and replication. The effect of these mutations leading to increased encapsidation is mediated through enhanced core protein synthesis (15-fold) by the mutant virus. The marked increase in core protein synthesis is largely a result of posttranscriptional or translational effect of the mutations because the mutations resulted in only a twofold increase in pregenomic RNA transcription. In addition, this effect appears to be selective for core expression since reverse transcriptase-polymerase expression was increased only twofold. trans-complementation analyses of HBV replication demonstrated that enhanced replication occurred only when the mutations were provided together with the core protein in trans, confirming the functional association of the core promoter mutations and core protein expression. In addition, the effect of the mutations appears to be quantitatively dependent on the strain background to which the mutations were introduced. Our study suggests that the HBV core promoter regulates core protein expression at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels.
Organizational Politics as a Moderator of the Authentic Leadership – OCB Relationship

This study examined the interactive relationship between perceptions of organizational politics and authentic leadership on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in a sample of 265 full- time m...
Outcome of pyriform sinus cancer: a retrospective institutional review.

Pyriform sinus cancer remains one of the most lethal of human diseases. Regardless of approach attempted significant enhancement of survival has not been realized. In this study a retrospective single institutional review of all patients diagnosed with pyriform sinus cancer during the 1980s was conducted. The results in 93 patients show an overall determinant 5-year survival of 14.3%. Of patients undergoing surgery, median determinant survival was 37 months and 5-year survival was 34.6%. In resectable patients treated with radiation with or without chemotherapy, median determinant survival was 13 months with 5-year survival of 7.1% (P<.01). Surgical salvage was attempted in 8 patients without success. In conclusion, due to the apparent survival advantage for surgical patients, the low rate of surgical salvage, and the relatively low rate of organ preservation in prospective trials, pyriform sinus cancer is a poor site for organ preservation. Surgery followed by radiation therapy should remain the standard of care for pyriform sinus cancer.
Factors affecting foaming behavior in cellulase fermentation by Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30.

Coupling fermentation with in situ foam fractionation may be beneficial to cellulase production in optimizing oligomer inducer generation, minimizing catabolite repression and reducing cellulase degradation by proteases. In this study, the potential factors that may affect the foaming behavior of broth from Trichoderma reesei Rut C-30 fermentation were examined. These factors included solid (both cell and cellulose) concentrations, cellulase activity and extracellular protein concentration. The loss of cellulase activity caused by the foaming process was minimal. The foamate generation was lower in the presence of higher solids (cell and/or cellulose) concentrations. Cellulase appeared to promote the broth foaming ability but its enrichment ratio was not high (lower than 1.2). The enrichment ratios for the individual component enzymes (β-glucosidase, endo- and exo-glucanases) were found to be similarly low. None of the cellulase components were likely the primary foaming factors. The foam also carried out cells and cellulose solids. The hydrophobicity of cell surface, studied at various fermentation stages and in both media with and without cellulose, increased as the fermentation approached the stationary phase and then decreased gradually after entering the stationary phase.
An alternative point of view: getting by with less: what's wrong with perfection?

Objective: Predictions about the future impact of technologic and process innovations inspire optimistic visions. Optimism and speculation require a counterweight. Because results often do not turn out as expected, anticipating failure is useful, and anticipating unintended consequences is visionary. Measurements: A history of unfulfilled prognostications was explored with the intent of finding something essential to the complexities of medicine. Do missed predictions signal another side to innovation that also helps us uncover new information about our world? Main Results: Serendipity is an important theme in medical innovation. There is no reason to think this will change. Things do not necessarily go as planned, but often the results are as important as the original prediction was supposed to be. It will not be clear where we end up until we get there. Conclusions: Ideal goals are useful but speculative and subjective. There in fact might be several ideals and contingency is important. The detours and incidental stops on the way to an ideal are more fruitful than the goal itself.
Potential model calculation for coplanar and non-coplanar proton-proton bremsstrahlung

Abstract The cross section for coplanar and non-coplanar proton-proton bremsstrahlung is calculated with Hamada-Johnston and Reid potentials. The results agree with experiments and show a rapid decrease as the kinematic limit for non-coplanarity is approached.
Observations on HIV-associated renal disease in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.

ABSTRACT Background Renal disease in patients infected with HIV has evolved to include several lesions, including HIV-associated nephropathy (HIV-AN), which can promote progressive loss of renal function. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and corticosteroids are beneficial in selected patients, the effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on renal function is currently being explored. Methods We undertook a retrospective study to determine the types of renal lesions present in patients infected with HIV with renal insufficiency and/or proteinuria during the era of HAART availability and the effect of HAART on renal outcomes in these patients. Patients with HIV infection referred to the renal clinic from July 1996 through December 2000 were evaluated. Patient characteristics and data were collected including CD4 count, viral load, serum creatinine, blood pressure, proteinuria, renal ultrasound, and biopsy results, and treatment with HAART. Study endpoints were doubling of serum creatinine, initiation of dialysis, or death. Results Twenty-three patients met study criteria, 13 received HAART, and 10 did not. Baseline characteristics were similar except for renal function parameters, viral loads, and CD4 counts. A variety of lesions were noted on 12 renal biopsies. A clinical diagnosis of HIV-AN was made in the other 11 patients. Only 2 patients receiving HAART before renal evaluation were noted to have HIV-AN. In the HAART group, none of the patients, including those with HIV-AN, developed a doubling of serum creatinine. In the non-HAART group, all patients manifested a doubling of serum creatinine, 2 patients died, and 8 patients required dialysis. Conclusions A variety of renal lesions are noted in patients infected with HIV during the HAART era. Patients who received HAART maintained stable renal function, whereas patients who did not required dialysis therapy or died with advanced renal failure. It seems that HAART may improve renal outcomes in patients with HIV and renal disease.
Collagen gene expression

Collagens are extracellular matrix proteins that play important structural roles in many tissues and organs. Thirteen types of collagen, the products of 23 genes, have been described. Most of the collagen genes are developmentally regulated; a given tissue or cell type expresses only a subset of the collagen genes. Type I collagen, the most abundant protein in vertebrate connective tissues, is produced by most cells of mesenchymal origin except hyaline cartilage. Each tissue or cell type expresses the type I collagen genes at a characteristic rate. Maintenance of the normal synthetic rate appears to be important for preservation of normal tissue structure and function. Fibrotic lesions are characterized by increased production of type I collagen. The mechanisms that determine both the normal tissue-specific pattern of type I collagen gene expression and the elevated expression in fibrosis are complex. Both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms have been described, with modulation of mRNA stability being perhaps the most important post-transcriptional mechanism. Several sequences have been identified in the promoters of the type I collagen genes which are required for transcriptional activity; in addition, transcriptional enhances have been identified within the first introns of the genes. Type I collagen gene expression is also regulated both positively and negatively by a variety of exogenous factors, including inflammatory response mediators. The specific combination of such exogenous factors available in a given tissue probably determines the net rate at which the genes are expressed.
602 SUPERIOR EFFICACY OF THE PRONE ELEVATED POSITION IN TREATMENT OF POST-PRANDIAL GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX

Positional therapy for gastroesophageal reflux was evaluated by extended pH monitoring of the esophagus during the post-prandial period in 28 normal and 45 reflux patients. Frequency of reflux (F), percent time the esophagus was pH<4 (%) and mean duration of reflux (MD) were determined while awake, asleep, supine, sitting, and prone on a board with the head elevated 30°. In normals, position or state of alertness did not affect reflux. Compared to normals, the increased % in reflux patients while awake (p<.001) was mainly related to increased F (p<.001) and normal MD; while asleep the increased % (p<.05) was related to normal F and prolonged MD (p<.05). Reflux patients have less % while on the board than while sitting or supine, both awake and asleep (p<.05). MD while asleep on the board was less than supine (p=.05), but F was unchanged; while awake, F was less on the board (p=.02) than supine, but MD was unchanged. These data demonstrate that alertness and position affect gastroesophageal reflux only in abnormal patients. The major determinant of increased acid exposure to the esophagus in reflux patients varies with the state of alertness, being mainly frequency of reflux while awake and prolonged duration while asleep. The prone elevated position effectively reduced these determinants in refluxers compared to supine positioning. The same effect could not be demonstrated for the sitting position.
Explaining the monopoly in shell-bead production on the Channel Islands: Drilling experiments with four lithic raw materials

Significant political and economic developments among the Chumash of southern California were catalyzed in part by the emergence of an intensive, specialist-driven shell-bead industry during the second millennium CE on the Santa Barbara Channel Islands. The production of millions of beads depended in turn on the availability of lithic microdrills of standardized form and materials. Channel Islanders quarried a particular stone type, a blocky Monterey Formation chert, from multiple outcrops situated close to the eastern shores of Santa Cruz Island. Rich archaeological assemblages document the lithic and shell byproducts of these intertwined production systems, each of which endured for several centuries (CE 1150–1819). Islanders invariably chose Island chert for making microdrills: hundreds of thousands of specimens recorded to date are of this material. Furthermore, nearly every microlith in all of Chumash territory (post CE 1150) was produced on the islands; the large populations on the mainland did not participate in microlith making or bead making after CE 1150–1200. We argue that this pattern had its roots not only in the patchiness of key resources and shifting regional social relationships, but also in the physical properties of available raw materials. Here we experimentally assess the properties of Santa Cruz Island chert alongside three important mainland raw materials—Grimes Canyon fused shale, Coso obsidian, and Vandenberg chert—that potentially could have been tapped to make microliths. We test the proposition that Island chert outperforms other lithic materials in drilling efficiency and drill use life. Our experimental results from 108 drilling trials reveal sharp distinctions in performance characteristics across the four materials. We infer that the process by which Islanders became the more-or-less exclusive manufacturers of shell-bead currency in southern California was facilitated by both the efficacy and physical properties of the Island cherts and the propitious locations of the outcrops.
Novel enhanced lung-colonizing variant of murine MBT-2 bladder cancer cells.

Abstract Objectives To develop an enhanced lung-colonizing variant of murine bladder cancer that will allow the mechanism of metastasis to be studied more readily. Methods We implanted murine bladder tumor cells (MBT-2) into the leg muscles of C3H mice. We developed variant cells from a lung metastasis nodule. We compared the MBT-2 cells and variant cells (MBT-2V) in vivo by evaluating lung nodule formation, survival, in vitro adhesion, and migration-invasion assays. Zymography and semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses were also performed to characterize the metastatic ability of both cells. Results MBT-2 and MBT-2V cells were tumorigenic when injected intramuscularly into C3H mice, but MBT-2 cells had little potential to metastasize compared with MBT-2V cells. Metastases were observed in the lungs of mice injected in the tail vein with MBT-2 and MBT-2V cells. Mice receiving MBT-2V cells had significantly shorter survival ( P P Conclusions We generated an enhanced lung-colonizing variant of MBT-2 cells. Our MBT-2V cells showed more aggressive and invasive metastatic ability than that of the MBT-2 cells. Zymography and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analyses indicated that matrix metalloproteinase-9 might be associated with the metastatic ability of MBT-2V cells.
Antibacterial activity of Rosa damascena essential oil

The essential oil of Rosa damascena petals was evaluated for its antibacterial effects against three strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis spp. vesicatoria. The essential oil may be a potential control agent in the management of the disease caused by X .a. vesicatoria in tomato and pepper plants.
VICTIM RESPONSES TO ROBBERY AND CRIME CONTROL POLICY

Victim responses in robbery incidents may constitute individual behavior relevant to the goal of crime control. By regulating crime outcomes it may be possible to reduce the rewards associated with criminal behavior and thereby reduce the likelihood of recurring incidents. Yet, criminal justice professionals often advocate submission to robbers' demands apparently based upon the belief that victims can and ought to exchange property losses in return for escaping physical injury. Analysis of 13-city National Crime Panel data of 3,679 robbery incidents discloses that victim resistance to execution of robbery is not often associated with serious injury but is linked to preventing the successful execution of the crime. Victims may play a critical role in the control of crime outcomes, and policy prescriptions which entail limiting the range of responses open to victims may be harmful to both the victims and the interest of society in controlling crime.
Visual filling-in

What is filling-in? It is the phenomenon in which an empty region of visual space appears to be filled with the color, brightness or texture of its surround. The brain is capable of filling-in the blind spot, borders, surfaces and objects. To explain each case there are two main types of theory, suggesting that filling-in is either isomorphic or symbolic.
Ground water use in an energy development area: the Tongue River basin, southeastern Montana

Ground water, of relatively good quality, occurs throughout southeastern Montana's Tongue River basin and can be procured cheaply and easily. The widespread occurrence of springs and the development of shallow aquifers enables settlement to occur away from perennial streams and allows for extensive grazing of the range. Ground water in the Tongue River basin occurs in five aquifers ranging from shallow alluvium to the extremely deep Madison Group. Coal beds of the Fort Union Formation contain significant quantities of good quality ground water. Extensive strip mining of these coal beds lowers the water level of nearby wells and causes springs to dry up. There are over 1,700 permits for ground water appropriation in the Tongue River Valley. Development of ground water has been especially important to ranchers in that it enabled most of the basin to be used for grazing. Ground water also provides an important source of water for domestic use. Ground water quality varies considerably in the basin depending upon locality and aquifer. Generally, ground water is characterized by high sodium, sulfate, and bicarbonate levels. Strip mining significantly alters ground water quality, primarily by leachates entering from the mine spoil.
Why we blog

Bloggers are driven to document their lives, provide commentary and opinions, express deeply felt emotions, articulate ideas through writing, and form and maintain community forums.
Children and marital conflict resolution: Implications for emotional security and adjustment.

This study addresses multiple gaps in understanding the implications of marital conflict resolution for children. Mothers' diary home reports (N = 102 mothers, N = 578 reports) of marital conflict resolution (i.e., compromise, apology, submission, agreement to disagree, withdrawal) and of children's responses, along with the reactions of children (N = 163) to analogue presentations of the same conflict endings in the laboratory, were examined. The significance of specific marital conflict endings, including the emotionality of endings, was supported and demonstrated for the first time in the home. Parents' and children's appraisals of resolution were generally similar, although for some endings these appraisals differed, supporting the notion that children are sensitive to the broader implications of conflict endings for interparental relations and family functioning. Children's responses to conflict resolution were related to their broader adjustment, further indicating the significance of conflict endings to understanding the impact of marital conflict.
Multinational corporations, democracy and child mortality : A quantitative, cross-national analysis of developing countries

This study presents quantitative, sociological models designed to account for cross-national variation in child mortality. We consider variables linked to five different theoretical perspectives that include the economic modernization, social modernization, political modernization, ecological-evolutionary, and dependency perspectives. The study is based on a cross-lagged effects regression analysis of a sample of 59 developing countries. Our preliminary analysis based on additive models replicates prior studies to the extent that we find that indicators linked to economic and social modernization have beneficial effects on child mortality. We also find support for hypotheses derived from the dependency perspective suggesting that multinational corporate penetration fosters higher levels of child mortality. Subsequent analysis incorporating interaction effects suggest that the level of political democracy conditions the effects of dependency relationships based upon multinational corporations. Transnational economic linkages associated with multinational corporations adversely affect child mortality more strongly at lower levels of democracy than at higher levels of democracy–that is intranational, political factors interact with the international, economic forces to affect child mortality. We conclude with some brief policy recommendations and suggestions for the direction of future research.