cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology of Adolescent Substance Use and Adolescent Psychoactive Substance Use Disorders

It has been reported that in the early 1990s, the general downward trend in the prevalence of drug use that started in 1980 has continued (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 1992). Despite this encouraging report, which implies that adolescents continue to move away from the use of drugs (especially alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine), a considerable number of youngsters continue to use illicit drugs.
Observation of a Phonon Softening Effect on Li Ion Conduction in Mixed-Anion Chalcogenide Glasses

The structural evolution and Li-ion transport in 40%Li2S–60%Ge(S,Se)2 glasses are investigated as a function of S/(S + Se) ratio, using Raman, 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic techniques. The structure of these glasses is primarily composed of corner-shared GeS4/2, GeSe4/2, and mixed-anion GeSx/2Se(4–x)/2 tetrahedra with nonbridging Se and S, where Li plays the role of a modifier cation. 7Li NMR line shape analysis indicates that the electrical conductivity is entirely due to the hopping transport of Li ions. While these glasses are found to have comparable ionic conductivity that varies little with composition, the activation energy and the pre-exponential factor display a nonlinear variation with the S/(S + Se) ratio. The observed compositional trends of the pre-exponential factor and the activation energy are rather similar and are shown to be related to the progressive phonon softening as Se replaces S in a mixed-anion network. When taken together, thes...
The Imaginary Board of Directors Exercise: A Resource for Introducing Social Capital Theory and Practice

“Social Capital” refers to the resources that become available to us when we are embedded in social networks. Although everyone has social capital, people vary in their abilities to navigate their social networks in order to access the social capital contained within. The Imaginary Board of Directors exercise introduces students to concepts in social network structure and social capital and helps them develop strategies to access social capital in service of their personal, professional, and academic goals. Modeled after an exercise developed for MBA students, this hour-long activity invites high school students to imagine a network of people (their “Boards of Directors”) that can help them achieve their goals. Then, by applying concepts of social capital and network tie strength, students are encouraged to appropriately diversify their “Boards” to access resources they might otherwise fail to leverage. Used successfully with students as young as 7th grade, the Imaginary Board of Directors exercise cultivates theoretical and applied understandings of core network science concepts that students can immediately apply in their everyday lives.
Timing of Postoperative CSF Leak after Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Background There is little data regarding postoperative outcomes of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) undergoing skull base surgery. The purpose of this study is to determine an association between risk factors and proximity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak to surgery in patients with OSA undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery. Methods A retrospective review of neurosurgical inpatients, with and without OSA, at a tertiary care institution from 2002 to 2015 that experienced a postoperative CSF leak after undergoing endoscopic skull base surgery. Results Forty patients met inclusion criteria, 12 (30%) with OSA. OSA patients had significantly higher body mass index (BMI; median 39.4 vs. 31.7, p < 0.01) and were more likely to have diabetes (41.7 vs. 10.7%, p = 0.04) than non-OSA patients; otherwise there were no significant differences in clinical comorbidities. No patients restarted positive pressure ventilation (PPV) in the inpatient setting. The type of repair was not a significant predictor of the time from surgery to leak. Patients with OSA experienced postoperative CSF leak 49% sooner than non-OSA patients (Hazard Ratio 1.49, median 2 vs. 6 days, log-rank p = 0.20). Conclusion Patients with OSA trended toward leaking earlier than those without OSA, and no OSA patients repaired with a nasoseptal flap (NSF) had a leak after postoperative day 5. Due to a small sample size this trend did not reach significance. Future studies will help to determine the appropriate timing for restarting PPV in this high risk population. This is important given PPV's significant benefit to the patient's overall health and its ability to lower intracranial pressure.
A Comprehensive Comparison of Trust Management Systems for Federation

Federation becomes pervasive in information sharing and collabora-tions over distributed systems, ubiquitous systems, and the Internet. Trust management plays a critical role to smooth collaborations and information sharing across different trust domains. The federation of trust management is a new direction for these networked systems. In this paper, the requirements and a set of evaluation metrics for federated trust management systems are briefly examined, and then a comprehensive comparison of extant trust management systems is made against these metrics. The purpose of this paper is not to provide an ultimate comparison covering all necessary features; instead, its purpose is to initiate a discussion and to offer a context in which to evaluate current and future solutions, in order to encourage the development of proper models and systems for federated trust management.
Evaluation Techniques for Paired Ratio-Comparison Matrices in a Hierarchical Decision Model

A hierarchical decision model for the ranking of discrete alternatives has been proposed by T. Saaty. This procedure has achieved some popularity in the operations research community. Among the components of the model is the deduction of a vector of weights from a matrix of paired ratio comparisons. We consider several evaluation techniques for this purpose including the Perron-Frobenius right eigenvector which was recommended by Saaty. In the absence of any theoretical basis for choice of a particular evaluation technique, these techniques are subjected to a variety of numerical tests. Among the conclusions, there seems to be no basis for preference for the Perron-Frobenius right eigenvector. Thus, there is no reason to believe that use of the model as originally proposed is generating desirable solutions. However, a nonlinear least-squares fit, initialized with a heuristic evaluation technique, performs very well. Before reliable use can be made of the overall decision model, theoretical, numerical, and empirical development of all the components should be furthered.
Current and future trends in non-small cell lung cancer biomarker testing: The American experience

Biomarker testing in patients with advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer provides essential information that can be used to select the most appropriate therapy. The regular updates of guideline recommendations reflect the growing number of biomarkers that must be assessed, and as such signal the shift from single-gene assays to more comprehensive genomic profiling using next-generation sequencing modalities. Cytology and small biopsy specimens have proven to be more than adequate substrates for these types of ancillary molecular testing; however, other alternative testing substrates are beginning to emerge. These include so-called liquid biopsies as well the supernatant fluid from cytology specimens, both of which have demonstrated promise for use in the clinical realm. This review will briefly cover the current state of non-small cell lung cancer biomarker testing in the United States, with a focus on these novel nonconventional substrates that are increasingly being incorporated into testing paradigms.
New Approaches to the Adoptive Immunotherapy of Established Metastatic Cancer using Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cells and Recombinant Interleukin-2

The passive transfer of immune lymphocytes is capable of mediating the regression of established tumor in a variety Of animal tumor models (1,2). This approach to cancer therapy, commonly referred to as adoptive immunotherapy, has several advantages compared with more common methods of immunotherapy, which have been based on the stimulation of the host immune system by nonspecific adjuvants. Because patients with cancer are often immunosuppressed, it can be difficult to stimulate immune responses in these patients. The adoptive transfer of previously sensitized cells thus may provide the cancer-bearing host with needed components to mediate effective antitumor responses.
Medicare's Stewardship Role to Improve Care Delivery: Opportunities for the Biden Administration.

Medicare initiatives have been instrumental in improving care delivery and payment, as exemplified by its role in broadly expanding the use of telehealth during the COVID pandemic. Medicare innovations have been adopted or adapted in Medicaid and by private payers, while Medicare Advantage plans successfully compete with TM only because their payment rates are tied by regulation to those in the traditional Medicare program. However, Medicare has not succeeded in implementing new, value-based payment approaches that also would serve as models for other payers, nor has Medicare succeeded in improving quality by relying on public reporting of measured performance. It is increasingly clear that burdensome attention to measurement and reporting distracts from what could be successful efforts to actually improve care through quality improvement programs, with Medicare leading in partnership with providers, other payers, and patients. Although Congress is unlikely to adopt candidate Biden's proposals to decrease the eligibility age for Medicare or adopt a public option based on Medicare prices and payment methods in the marketplaces, the incoming Biden administration has an opportunity to provide overdue, strategic direction to the pursuit of value-based payments and to replace failed pay-for-performance with provider-managed projects to improve quality and reduce health disparities.
Alternative differential mortality of the sexes concomitant to sex differentiation in host relations

With certain aphelinid parasites, the sexes develop in physiologically different hosts, one sex not completing its development in the host of the other. Alternative differential mortality of the sexes results from aberrational depesition of fertilized and unfertilized eggs. Mated females may prefer to oviposit in hosts unsuitable for female development, the egg so deposited being usually unfertilized.
Cross-Racial Agency: Exploring a New Form of Collaborative Practice to Support Men of Color in Higher Education:

Background/ContextMen of color have been the focus of a growing number of research studies, as educators and policy makers attempt to address educational equity gaps along the P–20 pipeline. Compar...
Cognitive and Adaptive Functioning in Youth With Retinoblastoma: A Longitudinal Investigation Through 10 Years of Age.

PURPOSETo describe the trajectory of cognitive and adaptive functioning in pediatric patients with retinoblastoma from diagnosis through age 10. This is an extension of a previous report that discu...
First year medical student perceptions of physician advocacy and advocacy as a core competency: A qualitative analysis.

Medical societies have embraced advocacy as a core professional competency, but little is known about how entering medical students view physician advocacy. This study examined how first year medic...
'You run out of hope': an exploration of low-income parents' experiences with food insecurity using Photovoice.

Objective Using an adaption of the Photovoice method, this study explored how food insecurity affected parents' ability to provide food for their family, their strategies for managing household food insecurity and the impact of food insecurity on their well-being. Design Parents submitted photos around their families' experiences with food insecurity. Afterwards, they completed in-depth, semi-structured interviews about their photos. The interviews were transcribed and analysed for thematic content using the constant comparative method. Setting San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Participants Seventeen parents (fourteen mothers and three fathers) were recruited from a broader qualitative study on understanding the experiences of food insecurity in low-income families. Results Four themes were identified from the parents' photos and interviews. First, parents described multiple aspects of their food environment that promoted unhealthy eating behaviours. Second, parents shared strategies they employed to acquire food with limited resources. Third, parents expressed feelings of shame, guilt and distress resulting from their experience of food insecurity. And finally, parents described treating their children to special foods to cultivate a sense of normalcy. Conclusions Parents highlighted the external contributors and internal struggles of their experiences of food insecurity. Additional research to understand the experiences of the food-insecure families may help to improve nutrition interventions targeting this structurally vulnerable population.
Abstract 1535: Omentin: A novel adipokine linking visceral obesity to ovarian cancer progression

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Advanced stage serous ovarian cancer metastasizes preferentially to the omentum, which is a major site of intra-abdominal fat accumulation, suggesting that the omental microenvironment is a favorable niche for ovarian cancer cells. The 5-year survival drops to below 50% for the cancer cases that spread beyond the pelvis to the omentum. It has also become apparent that obesity contributes to a poor clinical outcome. The mechanisms by which omental adipose tissue promotes tumor growth and disease progression are not entirely clear. Using transcriptome profiling analysis on the microdissected adipose tissue from patients with benign gynecologic diseases and from patients with advanced high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), we found that a novel adipokine called omentin (Intestinal Lactoferrin Receptor ITLN1) was significantly down-regulated in ovarian cancer associated adipose tissue compared with the normal adipose tissue. Survival correlation studies demonstrated that patients with serum ITLN1 levels of >350 ng/mL at the time of first treatment experienced longer survival times than those with lower levels of ITLN1. We showed that ITLN1 suppressed the ovarian cancer cell migration ability and invasion potential in vitro. To delineate the underlying molecular mechanisms, RNA sequencing and pathway analyses were performed on ITLN1 treated ovarian cancer cells and we identified MMP1 as one of the potential mediators. It has been shown that MMP1 expression was induced by lactoferrin, which is abundant in ascites. We hypothesized ITLN1 could abrogate the effect of lactoferrin on ovarian cancer motility and invasion potential. Our preliminary data suggested that secreted ITLN1 may sequester lactoferrin in the ascites, thereby preventing it from binding to the low-density-lipoprotein-receptor-related-protein-1 (LRP-1) on ovarian cancer cell surface and thus inactivate downstream signaling pathways that control MMP1 expression. The study provides the first evidence that ovarian cancer cells modify the visceral adipose tissue through down-regulation of omentin to facilitate their growth in the omental microenvironment. Citation Format: Chi Lam Au Yeung, Ngai Na Co, Michaela Onstad, Tsz-Lun Yeung, Cecilia S. Leung, Rosemarie Schmandt, Karen H. Lu, Samuel C. Mok. Omentin: A novel adipokine linking visceral obesity to ovarian cancer progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1535. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1535
Correlation Between Spore Structure and Spore Properties in Bacillus megaterium

The spores of six strains of Bacillus megaterium were divided into two distinct groups on the basis of germination. Three of the strains germinated in a mixture of l-alanine and inosine (AL type spores), and three strains germinated in a mixture of glucose and potassium nitrate (GN type spores); recriprocal germination in the respective solutions did not occur. The AL spores and the GN spores were morphologically distinct. Other differences between the two spore groups included germination inhibition characteristics, dipicolinic acid content, hexosamine content, phosphorus and magnesium content, spore coat features, ion exchange properties, and heat resistance. A correlation appears to exist between spore morphology and certain other spore properties in strains of B. megaterium.
Enzymatic methods of analysis

Abstract The effect of fifteen different pesticides including carbamates, chlorinated hydrocarbons and organophosphurus compounds on cholinesterase from housefly, sugar boll weevll, fire ant and German cockroaches is reported. Since the cholinesterase from each source show different inhibition by various inhibitors, an increase in the specificity of enzyme systems for the determination of pesticides is possible.
Breast feeding reduces morbidity. The risk of HIV transmission requires risk assessment--not a shift to formula feeds.

Papers p 1316 It is time that doctors, and everyone else, accepted breast feeding as the biological norm, in terms of both feeding and caring for human infants. Exclusive breast feeding for six months provides the newborn with all the essential nutrients for health and growth and anti-infective properties not present in breastmilk substitutes.1 The American Academy of Pediatrics recently stated, “The breast fed infant is the reference or normative model against which all alternative feeding methods must be measured.”2 Therefore our vocabulary needs to change,3 and we should be saying that formula fed babies have more diseases and poorer psychological development than normal babies, rather than that breast fed babies have less disease and higher intelligence. This longstanding view is, however, under threat from the fact that HIV may be transmitted from mother to child through breast milk. For several decades we have known that artificially fed infants have much higher rates of morbidity and mortality than those who are breastfed. Breast milk contains immunoglobulins, phagocytes, T lymphocytes, enzymes such as lysozymes, and many other factors which help protect the infant against infections,4 including cells, antibodies, hormones, and other important constituents not present in infant formula. In this week's BMJ …
Toward Integrating Social Trust into Web Service Compositions

Web 2.0 helped bring about the development of social communities, Web services and a host of applications. Web service compositions traditionally utilize the functional and quality-of-service parameters of candidate services to decide which services to include in the composition. However, users of services often form an opinion of a service. User-driven composition techniques will form compositions that likely behave as stated in practice, and which are better received by the users. We develop a preliminary framework for integrating social trust in Web service compositions and experimentally validate the utility of our trust framework.
X-ray emission from radio-quiet quasars in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Early Data Release: The αOX dependence upon ultraviolet luminosity

We investigate the X-ray properties of the color-selected, radio-quiet quasars (RQQs) in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Early Data Release using ROSAT, Chandra, and XMM-Newton data. In the 0.16–6.28 redshift range, 136 RQQs have X-ray detections (69 from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, RASS), while for 70 RQQs X-ray upper limits are obtained. The well-defined selection method used by the SDSS, coupled with the tight radio constraints from the FIRST and NVSS surveys, allows us to define a representative sample of optically selected RQQs whose broadband spectral energy distributions (characterized by means of the optical–to–X-ray spectral index, αox) can be studied as a function of rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) luminosity and redshift. A partial correlation analysis applied to the SDSS sample (including the upper limits, but excluding the biased subsample of RASS detections) shows that αox is a function of rest-frame UV luminosity (i.e., αox steepens at high UV luminosities); this correlation is significant at the 3.7 σ level. We do not detect a highly significant redshift dependence of αox. We also find a significant (7.8 σ level) correlation between UV and X-ray luminosity. This correlation, parameterized by LX ∝ L, extends previous results to the highest redshifts.
On the Mechanism of Detergent Modification of Myosin Structure and Function

The concentration dependences of the activation of myosin subfragment-1 (S1) Mg-ATPase by the detergents CHAPS and C12E8 were determined at 23 degrees C in 25 mM Tris (pH 7.0), 250 microM EDTA, 5 mM MgCl2, and 100 microM ATP. At detergent concentrations expected to bind hydrophobic S1 surface areas equally, C12E8 caused an 8.5-fold greater increase in activity than CHAPS, which suggests that detergent binding to the surface of S1 is not the mechanism of activation. At detergent concentrations above their critical micelle concentrations, C12E8 was also much more effective than CHAPS, suggesting that micelles are not involved. A series of n-alcohols (which do not form micelles) with from 3 to 10 carbons all increased S1 Mg-ATPase activity as much or more than C12E8. The largest increase (5.7-fold) was caused by n-hexanol. The more hydrophobic alcohols activated S1 at lower concentrations. A linear plot of the alcohol concentration that caused 50% of maximum activity versus the number of carbons in the alcohol, indicated the apparent free energy of binding per CH2-group was -0.60 +/- 0.03 kcal/mol. There were two indications that alcohol binding caused an S1 conformational change. The intrinsic fluorescence increase of S1 during steady-state activity was reduced from 17.5 to 12.8%, and the apparent hydrodynamic rotational mobility of fluorescently labeled S1 was decreased 25% by the present of n-hexanol. The data suggest that S1 activation by C12E8 and by n-alcohols is due to hydrophobic binding to S1 at non-surface sites, which causes an S1 structural change.
An implementation of the VIVA visual language on the NeXT computer

This paper describes a visual programming environment for image processing implemented on the NeXT computer. It is based upon the visual language VIVA (Visualization of Vision Algorithms). Iconic representations of image processing operations are placed and connected together into dataflow networks in a workbench window. The workbench includes a set of editing tools which facilitate algorithm development. Operator parameters can be interactively adjusted as algorithms are repeatedly executed to produce an optimized output. The optimized algorithm can then be saved and reused in subsequent programs. >
The role of the UPS in cystic fibrosis

CF is an inherited autosomal recessive disease whose lethality arises from malfunction of CFTR, a single chloride (Cl-) ion channel protein. CF patients harbor mutations in the CFTR gene that lead to misfolding of the resulting CFTR protein, rendering it inactive and mislocalized. Hundreds of CF-related mutations have been identified, many of which abrogate CFTR folding in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). More than 70% of patients harbor the ΔF508 CFTR mutation that causes misfolding of the CFTR proteins. Consequently, mutant CFTR is unable to reach the apical plasma membrane of epithelial cells that line the lungs and gut, and is instead targeted for degradation by the UPS. Proteins located in both the cytoplasm and ER membrane are believed to identify misfolded CFTR for UPS-mediated degradation. The aberrantly folded CFTR protein then undergoes polyubiquitylation, carried out by an E1-E2-E3 ubiquitin ligase system, leading to degradation by the 26S proteasome. This ubiquitin-dependent loss of misfolded CFTR protein can be inhibited by the application of ‘corrector’ drugs that aid CFTR folding, shielding it from the UPS machinery. Corrector molecules elevate cellular CFTR protein levels by protecting the protein from degradation and aiding folding, promoting its maturation and localization to the apical plasma membrane. Combinatory application of corrector drugs with activator molecules that enhance CFTR Cl- ion channel activity offers significant potential for treatment of CF patients.
Anorexia after adrenalectomy in gold thioglucose-treated obese mice: Role of adipose tissue mass

Abstract We have previously shown that following adrenalectomy, gold thioglucose (GTG)-treated hyperphagic obese mice exhibit anorexia, weight loss and a pronounced hypoglycemia which leads ultimately to their death. In the present study, we sought to determine whether the increased adipose tissue mass which is characteristic of GTG-treated obese mice exerted a role in the onset and development of anorexia after adrenalectomy. Accordingly, the effects of adrenalectomy on food intake, weight gain, plasma glucose and corticosterone levels were investigated in normal untreated controls, GTG-treated hyperphagic obese mice and GTG-treated non obese mice. The GTG-treated non obese mice were prepared by restricting their daily intake of chow (pair-feeding) to that consumed by normal untreated mice. After adrenalectomy, all mice were allowed free access to food. As expected, all GTG-treated hyperphagic obese mice exhibited anorexia and weight loss following adrenalectomy. In contrast, about half (52%) of the GTG-treated non obese mice exhibited anorexia and weight loss after adrenalectomy. The response of the GTG-treated non obese adrenalectomized mice was not due to differences in adrenal insufficiency since all adrenalectomized mice had blood levels of corticosterone of less than 0.5 μg%. These findings indicate that whereas the increased adipose tissue mass of the GTG-treated obese mice appears to be associated with an increased incidence of anorexia following adrenalectomy, increased adipose tissue mass alone does not appear to be essential for the occurrence of anorexia.
When networks can teach us about drug use.

Ideas and habits related to the use of legal and illegal drugs can spread from person to person to person
Effect of antithymocyte serum on collagen arthritis in rats: evidence that T cells are involved in its pathogenesis.

Abstract To assess the role of T cells in collagen arthritis, a heterologous T cell-specific antiserum (ATS) was administered intraperitoneally to female Wistar-Furth rats. ATS treatment on Day −1, 1, 3, and 5 and immunization with native chick type II collagen on Day 0 resulted in a decreased incidence of arthritis (5 of 19, 26%) compared to immunized rats given either nonimmune heterologous serum on these days (20 of 25, 80%) or ATS injected on Day 5, 7, 9, and 11 (17 of 20, 85%) ( P P
Practices of Implementation of Sexual Harassment Policies: Individual Versus Collective Strategies1

This article examines the implementation of sexual harassment law in the workplace in Germany and the United States. Both countries have developed different approaches to the issue, with certain trade-offs for the pursuit of gender equality and changes in gender workplace culture. Germany has developed a corporatist, collective strategy. Yet, few German employers have adopted policies and training programs. New policy approaches focus on sexual harassment as a group-based, but gender-neutral, issue in the context of general unfair workplace practices of “mobbing.” In contrast, sexual harassment is primarily understood as an individual rights issue in the U.S. This approach emphasizes individual (internal) redress. Social and organizational change comes at a high cost for individuals who have been harassed. Employers’ practices in both countries have turned sexual harassment into a gender-neutral issue. I conclude that a synthesis of both individual and collective approaches with an explicit focus on gender inequality would be desirable.
Pacemakers in patients with familial dysautonomia

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a genetic disease associated with a high incidence of sudden death. If fatal bradyarrhythmia is an etiological factor then the incidence of sudden death should decrease after pacemaker placement. Retrospective review of 596 registered FD patients revealed that 22 FD patients (3.7%) had pacemakers placed between December 1984 and June 2003. Clinical and electrocardiographic indications for placement and demographic data were assessed for 20 of the 22 patients (10 males, 10 females, ages 4 to 48 years). Two patients were excluded because of insufficient data. Prior to pacemaker placement, presenting symptoms were syncope and cardiac arrest, 16/20 (80%) and 6/20 (30 %), respectively. Asystole was the most frequent electrocardiographic finding and was documented in 17/20 patients (85 %). Other electrocardiographic abnormalities included bradycardia, AV block, prolonged QTc and prolonged JTc. The average duration of pacemaker utilization was 5.7 years (range 5 months to 14.5 years). Complications included infection (1 patient) and wire migration (2 patients). In the one patient with infection, the pacemaker was permanently removed. This patient then experienced multiple syncopal episodes and death. There were 7 other deaths. Three deaths occurred suddenly without preceding events, and 4 patients had non-cardiac causes of death. None of these 7 deceased patients had recurrence of syncope after pacemaker placement. In the 12 surviving patients, 6 had recurrence of syncope but none had cardiac arrest. Pacemaker placement may protect FD patients from fatal bradyarrhythmia and may decrease the incidence of syncope. However, data are limited and prospective analysis is needed.
Missile system design using a hybrid Evolving Swarm Algorithm

A hybrid particle swarm-genetic algorithm optimization scheme was combined with Nelder and Mead's simplex method to produce an experimental hybrid method that integrates the global search capabilities of evolutionary heuristics with the highly effective localized search ability of the simplex method. This algorithm was applied to various missile design problems where the goal is to design a missile that can match the given flight trajectory. Three different flight trajectories were analyzed for this work: a 117 km trajectory, a 164 km trajectory, and a 221 km trajectory. The efficiency and effectiveness of the performance of the simplex method was compared with the performance of the same algorithm using the pattern search method as the local search routine in lieu of the simplex method. Optimizer performance was evaluated according to two criteria: (1) “fitness function” accuracy (how closely solutions are able to match a given objective function), and (2) convergence speed (how many calls to the objective function are required in order to reach an acceptable solution). The pattern search proved to be a more robust and reliable algorithm for such a large and complex solution space, as it was always able to avoid getting lost in the solution space. Conversely, the simplex method would occasionally become trapped around a bad solution, typically while traversing regions of the solution space sensitive to discontinuities formed by mixed-variable conversions.
On the statistics of nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry

Abstract We suggest a statistical approach for determining parameters in nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry. The method obtains the optimum parameter set in addition to estimates of volume fractions associated with the basins of attraction of each locally optimum set. Relaxometry parameters for nuclear magnetic resonance applications as diverse as flow through permeable media and the spectroscopy of partially ordered materials may be obtained using such an approach.
Towards a definition of structured programming

In spite of the lack of a single agreed upon definition of structured programming, the term has been used more or less consistently to describe certain kinds of programming methodologies. Peter Denning has noted both the dangers of using an undefined term and the benefits that can accrue from a precise definition and has, therefore, asked if it is not time to define "structured programming" [Den 74]. On the other hand Zelkowitz [Zel 74] has argued that it is not yet time to define a not so well defined term. However, in the hopes that an attempted definition might be useful just for achieving this understanding, this paper offers some arguments for a particular proposed semantic definition of structured programming.
Measurements of gas filled halfraum energetics at the national ignition facility using a single quad

Gas filled halfraum experiments were conducted at the National Ignition Facility which provided an excellent test of the tools needed to understand halfraum energetics in an ignition relevant regime. The experiments used a highly shaped laser pulse and measured large levels of backscattered laser energy. These two components challenge the ability of radiation hydrodynamic simulations to model the experiments. The results show good agreement between experimental measurements and simulations.
Cosmology with a dark refraction index

We review Gordon's optical metric and the transport equations for the amplitude and polarization of a geometrical optics wave traveling in a gravity field. We apply the theory to the Friedmann-Lemaitre-Robertson-Walker cosmologies by associating a refraction index with the cosmic fluid. We then derive an expression for the accumulated effect of a refraction index on the distance-redshift relations and fit the Hubble curve of current supernova observations with a nonaccelerating cosmological model. We also show that some observational effects caused by inhomogeneities, e.g., the Sachs-Wolfe effect, can be interpreted as being caused by an effective index of refraction, and hence this theory could extend to other speed of light communications such as gravitational radiation and neutrino fluxes.
Peptidyl aldehyde inhibitors of calpain incorporating P2-proline mimetics.

Abstract Four new peptidyl aldehydes bearing proline mimetics at the P 2 -position were synthesized and studied as inhibitors of calpain I, cathepsin B, and selected serine proteases. The ring size of the P 2 -constraining residue influenced the inhibitory potency and selectivity of the compounds for calpain I compared to the other proteases.
Microscale determination of inorganic nitrogen in water and soil extracts

Abstract Rapid, sensitive analysis of NH4 ‐ NO3 ‐, and NO2 ‐ in 1–150 μL of soil extract or water was achieved using a modified indophenol blue technique adapted to microtiter plate format. The microplate technique was similar to conventional steam distillation in accuracy and precision. By varying aliquot volume, a wide linear dynamic range (0.05 to 1000 mg of NH4 +‐ or NO3 ‐‐NL‐1) was achieved without the need for sample dilution or concentration. High sample throughput (250–500 NH4 + analyses d‐1) was accomplished manually, but could be significantly increased by automation. Of considerable importance was the very low waste stream produced by the method. All equipment and supplies required are commercially available and need no modifications for this use. The microtiter plate format could be used for other soil colorimetric analyses with little or no down time for equipment setup, a major consideration for commercial soil‐testing laboratories. The method and equipment used are well suited to quality co...
Housing Market Search Behavior and Expected Utility Theory: 2. The Process of Search

This paper presents the second part of a study of an expected utility theory of housing market search. The basic disequilibrium theory of search is recapitulated, and a direct estimate of the stress function ψit is calculated from individual data on households during the process of search (the longitudinal sample) and households who had already bought a house (the retrospective sample). Although the tests are simple and approximate and are not without problems, we conclude that the direct test yields results which are in accordance with the theory. Additional explanatory analyses of the process of search focused on the interrelationship of household characteristics, housing attributes, search effort, and search strategy. The descriptive data on temporal and spatial search emphasize the importance of realtor involvement in search, the constraints (on search) of stage in the household life cycle, and the differences in search activities for new and ‘used’ housing.
Relationships between polymer interaction parameters

Abstract Experimental methods that determine binary polymer-polymer χ interaction parameters may probe the mixture's free energy, its first derivative, or its second derivative. In general, there are four different χ parameters that are required to describe a binary polymer mixture, but if one is determined experimentally, the other three can be calculated. This allows for the determination of both the spinodal and two-phase coexistence curves. Theoretical Henry's law constants that govern gas sorption in polymers are derived which can be used to facilitate the determination of polymer-polymer interaction parameters by inverse gas chromatography.
A Cell-permeable Stat3 SH2 Domain Mimetic Inhibits Stat3 Activation and Induces Antitumor Cell Effects in Vitro

Given the role of constitutively active Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (Stat) 3 in human tumors, Stat3 inhibitors would be useful as novel therapeutics and as tools for probing Stat3-mediated tumor processes. We herein report that a 28-mer peptide, SPI, derived from the Stat3 SH2 domain, replicates Stat3 biochemical properties. Studies show SPI and Stat3 (or Stat3 SH2 domain) bind with similar affinities to known Stat3-binding phosphotyrosine (pY) peptide motifs, including those of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the high-affinity, IL-6R/gp130-derived pY-peptide, GpYLPQTV-NH2. Consequently, SPI functions as a potent and selective inhibitor of Stat3 SH2 domain:pTyr interactions and disrupts the binding of Stat3 to the IL-6R/gp130 peptide, GpYLPQTV-NH2. Fluorescence imaging and immunofluorescence staining/laser-scanning confocal microscopy show SPI is cell membrane-permeable, associates with the cytoplasmic tail of EGFR in NIH3T3/hEGFR, and is present in the cytoplasm, but strongly localized at the plasma membrane and in the nucleus in malignant cells harboring persistently active Stat3. Moreover, SPI specifically blocks constitutive Stat3 phosphorylation, DNA binding activity, and transcriptional function in malignant cells, with little or no effect on the induction of Stat1, Stat5, and Erk1/2MAPK pathways, or on general pTyr profile at the concentrations that inhibit Stat3 activity. Significantly, treatment with SPI of human breast, pancreatic, prostate, and non-small cell lung cancer cells harboring constitutively active Stat3 induced extensive morphology changes, associated with viability loss and apoptosis. Our study identifies SPI as a novel molecular probe for interrogating Stat3 signaling and that functions as a selective inhibitor of Stat3 activation with antitumor cell effects.
Conformational Changes in Salivary Proline-Rich Protein 1 upon Adsorption to Calcium Phosphate Crystals

Conformational analyses of PRP1, a proline-rich acidic salivary protein and major component of the acquired enamel pellicle, have been carried out in solution and upon binding to two enamel prototypes, hydroxyapatite (HA) and carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA), using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in attenuated total reflection (ATR) mode. We have shown for the first time that, in solution, large portions of PRP1 adopt the hydrated polyproline type II (PPII) helical structure in addition to the random coil structure, with the maximum absorbance of the amide I band around 1620 cm-1. Upon binding to HA or CHA, the protein undergoes significant conformational changes, loosing a considerable portion of hydrated PPII and random coil domains with a shift in the maximum absorbance to 1666 cm-1, indicating that a large fraction of the protein is composed of β turns. A small fraction of PPII in a calcium-bound or anhydrous form (∼1642 cm-1) was also observed in the HA- and CHA-bound proteins, which co...
A non-equilibrium Monte Carlo renormalization-group approach based upon the microscopic master equation applied to the three-state driven lattice gas

We present a general position-space renormalization-group approach for systems in steady states far from equilibrium and illustrate its application to the three-state driven lattice gas. The method is based upon the possibility of a closed form representation of the parameters controlling transition rates of the system in terms of the steady state probability distribution of small clusters, arising from the application of the master equations to small clusters. This probability distribution on various length scales is obtained through a Monte Carlo algorithm on small lattices, which then yields a mapping between parameters on different length scales. The renormalization-group flows indicate the phase diagram, analogous to equilibrium treatments. For the three-state driven lattice gas, we have implemented this procedure and compared the resulting phase diagrams with those obtained directly from simulations. Results in general show the expected topology with one exception. For high densities, an unexpected additional fixed point emerges, which can be understood qualitatively by comparing it with the fixed point of the fully asymmetric exclusion process.
Electric breakdown of a poly(ethylene terephthalate)/glass composite

The voltage lifetime of a poly(ethylene terephthalate)/glass composite is measured for two different orientations of short fiber with respect to the applied electric field (perpendicular and parallel). The difference in the voltage lifetime between two configurations is attributed to the microstructural features at the (fiber/matrix) interface, particularly microvoids. The morphological observations by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), and optical microscopy reveal the presence of microvoids as well as the crazed matrix and consequent erosion channel. The tree initiation site is identified and the nature of tree propagation is explained. A theoretical model based on such microstructural features is constructed, which explains the voltage lifetime vs fiber orientation in a relative framework. It is concluded that the graseous discharge at microvoids is the main mechanism for electrical breakdown and the site of such gaseous discharge is the (fiber/matrix) interface. Therefore, the orientation dependence of the electrical breakdown is the geometrical effect of the interface voiding with respect to the direction of the applied electric field.
Brand-usage networks: a demand side approach to brand architecture

Brands represent the outcomes of marketing investment and are an important component of the market value of the firm. Managing a brand portfolio requires an understanding of the role or function of each brand; this critical analysis yields the brand architecture. Typically this involves supply side analysis of a company's owned brands. Using an approach modeled on market structure analysis, we propose simultaneously capturing the interdependence of brands within the portfolio as well as competitive positioning. In this paper we advocate the use of network analysis to provide metrics on brand relationships in the market place. This demand side approach examines the interaction between brands and usage, and provides behavioral insights into the brand architecture that can be used to develop brand portfolio strategies. An example using data from the US car rental industry demonstrates brand-usage interactions as separate and distinct entities in a relational structure. Strategic utility is demonstrated by us...
An atomistic modeling survey of the shear strength of twist grain boundaries in aluminum

A computational survey of the shear strength of 343 unique grain boundaries was performed. For each boundary, the strength was surveyed as a function of shear direction. The results suggest that: (1) the shear strength cannot be comprehensively predicted by common grain boundary descriptors, (2) the shear strength depends significantly and simply on shear direction due to the faceted geometry of boundary planes, and (3) grain boundary shear strengths in an ordinary material can be represented by a simple statistical distribution.
Clickable Stars by Combination of AROP and Aqueous AGET ATRP

A series of star-shaped poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with azide groups at the end of each arm were synthesized by combination of anionic ring-opening polymerization (AROP) and aqueous activators generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP). First, α-azido, ω-hydroxy heterofunctional PEOs were prepared by AROP of ethylene oxide (EO) using tetrabutylammonium azide as initiator and triisobutylaluminum as catalyst. Then, a clickable PEO ATRP macroinitiator, α-azido, ω-bromoisobutyryl heterofunctional PEO, was synthesized by an esterification of the ω-hydroxy end group with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide. Finally, an AGET ATRP of ethylene glycol diacrylate (EGDA) was carried out in water using the α-azido, ω-bromoisobutyryl heterofunctional PEOs as macroinitiator and surfactant. The absolute molecular weights of the products were characterized by static laser light scattering in water. Azide PEO stars with Mw = 6.58 × 106 and average 309 arms were obtained using azide PEO macroi...
Ocular status of boys with fragile X syndrome: A prospective study

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the high rates of ocular problems described in previous retrospective reports of individuals with fragile X syndrome were present in a prospective sample of young boys. Fragile X syndrome is currently considered the leading hereditary cause of mental retardation, with prevalence estimates of 1:2500 to 1:5000 males. Methods: Forty-eight boys with fragile X syndrome between the ages of 2.5 and 11 years were evaluated for ocular abnormalities. They received complete ophthalmic evaluations including assessment of visual acuity, cycloplegic refraction, ocular motility assessment, and dilated fundus examination. Results: Approximately 25% of the children had clinically significant ocular findings that included refractive errors (17%, primarily hyperopia and astigmatism) and strabismus (8%). Of the 42 children with quantifiable visual acuities, only 1 child, with diagnoses of nystagmus and hyperopia, had a Snellen visual acuity that was not within normal limits for his age. Three of the 5 children with gross measures of visual acuity had clinically significant findings: 2 had hyperopia greater than 3.5 diopters and 1 had esotropia. The other 2 children with gross measures of acuity and the 1 child without visual acuity assessment had cycloplegic refractions of +1.25 to +1.5 and ocular motility appeared normal. Conclusions: These results suggest that previous reports of high rates of vision problems, particularly strabismus, in boys with fragile X syndrome may have resulted from selection bias. Although we did observe a higher prevalence of strabismus than that found in the general population (8% vs 0.5% to 1%), the proportion of children having strabismus in our sample was much smaller than that reported in other studies of children with fragile X syndrome (30% to 40%). However, 17% of the sample did have significant refractive errors. In addition to evaluating the ocular motility of children with fragile X syndrome, cycloplegic refraction should also be performed to determine whether refractive problems are present.