cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Sodium Fluoride and/or Sodium Iodate on Blood Sugar Response to Thiopental in the Fasted Rabbit

The intraperitoneal administration of sodium thiopental, 40 mg./kg., to young male New Zealand white rabbits pre-treated for 2 days with either Philadelphia tap water, distilled water, or Springfield water ad libitum and fasted 24 hr. prior to glycemic determinations induced hyperglycemia. The most marked hyperglycemic response occurred in those animals pretreated with Philadelphia tap water, which contains sodium fluoride (0.92 mg./l.), to which sodium iodate had been added (0.2%). The addition of sodium fluoride to either distilled water or Springfield water, employed in the 2-day pretreatment period, resulted in greater hyperglycemia after thiopental than was noted when either type of water, devoid of fluoride, was utilized. Marked hypoglycemia occurred in response to thiopental in the group which received distilled water to which sodium iodate had been added. The presence of both halogens in the pretreatment liquid regimen, regardless of the kind of water used, resulted in hyperglycemia in response to thiopental.
Major basic protein and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin concentrations in nasal-lavage fluid after antigen challenge: Effect of systemic corticosteroids and relationship to eosinophil influx

The late-phase response to nasal challenge with antigen is associated with a mixed inflammatory cell influx in which the eosinophil demonstrates the earliest and greatest proportionate rise. We investigated the evidence for activation of the eosinophil during the late response by measuring the concentration of the eosinophil-derived mediator major basic protein (MBP) and the eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) in nasal-lavage fluids before and for 11 hours after antigen challenge in 13 subjects with seasonal allergic rhinitis. The subjects received oral prednisone (20 mg three times daily) or placebo in a double-blind, crossover manner for 2 days before each of two antigen challenges. After placebo pretreatment, significant increases over diluent baseline (4.5 +/- 0.4 ng/ml) occurred in the levels of MBP in nasal-lavage fluid during the early (9.8 +/- 2.9 ng/ml; p less than 0.005) and late (15.3 +/- 4.8 ng/ml; p less than 0.01) responses to antigen challenge. Significant increases (p less than 0.05) in the concentration of EDN also occurred during the late response to antigen that correlated with the levels of MBP (r = 0.48; p less than 0.001). The cumulative late-phase increase in MBP correlated closely (rs = 0.96; p less than 0.005) with the total influx of eosinophils. Oral prednisone pretreatment significantly reduced the mean of each subject's peak late-phase concentration of both MBP (30.7 +/- 5.8 ng/ml versus 13.3 +/- 4.3 ng/ml; p = 0.005) and EDN (885 +/- 659 ng/ml versus 71 +/- 41 ng/ml; p less than 0.05). These data provide evidence for eosinophil degranulation during the late response and inhibition of this response by prednisone, supporting its pathogenetic role.
A Stochastic Dominance Comparison of Reduced Tillage Systems in Corn and Soybean Production under Risk: Comment

In a recent AJAE article, Klemme examined stochastic dominance of efficient tillage systems for corn and soybeans. The results obtained with second-degree stochastic dominance indicated that "risk-averse farmers who place low values on soil losses may select tillage-intensive systems (conventional and chisel tillage) since they are generally stochastically dominant in the second degree (SSD) over no-till in the production of corn and soybeans" (p. 555). However, adding $10-$15 per acre to the cost of conventional tillage systems as a proxy for soil loss values eliminates all second-degree stochastic dominance by those systems. This soil loss value can be interpreted as the annualized present value (equivalent level annuity) of a subsidy required or a loss in income from yield reduction over a specified planning horizon. One of Klemme's objectives is to determine the annual percentage yield loss that is required to generate an annualized present value (annuity equivalent to the present value of the cost of yield loss) equivalent to the per acre difference in return from the tillage systems. He does this by assuming an annual percentage yield loss and a real corn price of $3.00 per bushel and calculating a net present value, based on a real discount rate of 3.5%. Klemme then amortizes the present value, using a nominal discount rate of 12%. This approach is useful for determining how much of a yield loss from additional soil erosion in the conventional tillage systems would be required to make the annualized net return difference zero and, therefore, essentially risk-preference indifferent by SSD criteria. However, because the present value estimates are in 1982 constant dollars, it is inappropriate to amortize with a nominal discount rate. The use of an inappropriate nominal amortization rate affects the interpretation of Klemme's results. The actual values, amortized using the real discount rates of 3.5% and 5.0%, and the original estimates represented by Klemme, are presented in table 1. Table 1 is essentially a reproduction of Klemme's table 4 with the corrected estimates inserted. To find his original values, a nominal discount rate of 12% must be assumed for finding an annuity equivalent to the total present cost of yield losses. Amortizing at 12% implies that the price is inflated at an 8.21% annual rate and discounted at a
Incorporation and redistribution of locally derived lithic fragments within a pyroclastic flow

The lower Miocene Peach Springs Tuff exposed in the Newberry Mountains, California, was deposited within a paleovalley trending S65°W. Exposures within the paleovalley contain lithic breccia intercalated with ash-rich ignimbrite. The clast assemblage of the lithic breccias matches the rock types of the paleovalley walls, and therefore the clasts were not derived from a distant eruptive vent. Flow direction, breccia bed thickness, grain-size data, and sedimentary textures indicate that the lithic breccias were deposited from density currents within the pyroclastic flow that moved down tributaries and into the main paleovalley to be intermingled with the ash-rich pyroclastic flow. A model is proposed whereby a turbulent boundary layer at the base of the pyroclastic flow is induced by surface roughness of the substrate and incorporates loose material from the substrate to produce a high-density ground layer that decouples from the lower-density, ash-rich pyroclastic flow. After decoupling has occurred, the high-density, lithic-rich ground layer moves independently from the ash-rich pyroclastic flow. The lithic breccia horizons have many characteristics of proximal (lag) breccias, and caution must be used when inferring distance from vent in ancient ignimbrites based on the occurrence of coarse breccias.
The Beauty of the Ugly: Balthasar, the Crucifixion, Analogy and God

: In the first volume of The Glory of the Lord, Hans Urs von Balthasar asks how the crucified Christ can be considered an icon of a beautiful God. Because the crucifixion initially confronts us as morally and aesthetically ugly, no authentic analogy between worldly beauty and the beauty of divine revelation seems to obtain. In arguing to the contrary, Balthasar presents us with an original interpretation of Thomas Aquinas that yields fresh insights into the Christian doctrine of God. By placing the cross at the center of intramundane aesthetics, Balthasar forces us to rethink, not only the meaning of the divine simplicity, but the relation in God among being, beauty and love.
Down-regulation of HLA class I antigen processing molecules: an immune escape mechanism of renal cell carcinoma?

ABSTRACTPurpose: Proper HLA class I antigen processing and presentation is a prerequisite for the recognition of tumor cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. To date there exist only limited information on the expression of components of the HLA class I associated antigen processing machinery (APM) in surgically removed benign renal cell adenoma, and primary and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC).Materials and Methods: A total of 133 primary RCCs of different subtypes, 10 renal cell adenoma biopsies, 32 matched metastases of different localization and autologous normal kidney epithelium were immunohistochemically analyzed for the expression of HLA class I antigens, low molecular weight protein (LMP)2 and LMP7, the transporter associated with antigen processing subunit (TAP1) and β2-microglobulin (β2-m).Results: Normal kidney tissue showed strong cytoplasmic staining intensity for LMP2, LMP7 and TAP1, whereas β2-m and HLA class I heavy chains were detected on the cell surface. A low frequency of HLA class I ...
Thrombin Hydrolysis of V29F and V34L Mutants of Factor XIII (28−41) Reveals Roles of the P9 and P4 Positions in Factor XIII Activation†

In blood coagulation, thrombin helps to activate factor XIII by cleaving the activation peptide at the R37−G38 peptide bond. The more easily activated factor XIII V34L has been correlated with protection from myocardial infarction. V34L and V29F factor XIII mutant peptides were designed to further characterize substrate binding to thrombin. HPLC kinetic studies have been carried out on thrombin hydrolysis of FXIII activation peptide (28−41), FXIII (28−41) V34L, FXIII (28−41) V29F, and FXIII (28−41) V29F V34L. The V34L mutations lead to improvements in both Km and kcat whereas the V29F mutation primarily affects Km. Interactions of the peptides with thrombin have been monitored by 1D proton line broadening NMR and 2D transferred NOESY studies. The results were compared with previously published X-ray crystal structures of thrombin-bound fibrinogen Aα (7−16), thrombin receptor PAR1 (38−60), and factor XIII (28−37). In solution, the 34VVPR37 and 34LVPR37 segments of the factor XIII activation peptide serve a...
An agent-based approach to modeling yard cranes at seaport container terminals

Due to environmental concerns, terminal operators at seaport container terminals are increasingly looking to reduce the time a truck spends at the terminal to complete a transaction. For terminals that stack their containers, the solution may seem obvious: add more yard cranes to reduce trucks' wait time in the yard. However, the high cost of these cranes often prohibits terminal operators from freely buying more. Another reason is because there is no clear understanding of how the yard cranes' availability and service strategy affect truck turn time. This study introduces an agent-based approach to model yard cranes for the analysis of truck turn time with respect to service strategy. It is accomplished by modeling the cranes as utility-maximizing agents. This study has identified a set of utility functions that properly capture the essential decision making process of crane operators in choosing the next truck to provide service to. The agent-based model is implemented using NetLogo, a cross-platform multi-agent programmable modeling environment. Simulation results show that the distance-based service strategy produces the best results in terms of average waiting time and the maximum waiting time of any truck.
Efficient rendering of trimmed nurbs surfaces

Abstract An algorithm for the interactive display of trimmed nurbs surfaces is presented. The algorithm converts the nurbs surfaces to Bezier surfaces, and nurbs trimming curves to Bezier curves. It tessellates each trimmed Bezier surface into triangles, and renders them using the triangle rendering capabilities common in current graphics systems. It makes use of tight bounds for the uniform tessellation of Bezier surfaces into cells and it traces the trimming curves to compute the trimmed regions of each cell. This operation is based on the tracing of trimming curves, intersection computation with the cells, and triangulation of the cells. The resulting technique also makes use of spatial and temporal coherence between successive frames for cell computation and triangulation. Polygonization anomalies such as cracks and angularities are avoided as well. The algorithm can display trimmed models described using thousands of Bezier surfaces at interactive frame rates on high end graphics systems.
Resistance to non-nucleoside inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase

Abstract Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are a structurally diverse group of compounds which function as inhibitors of HIV-1 replication in vitro and in vivo. Viral resistance is mediated through alterations in the amino acids which form the allosteric site on the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase to which NNRTIs bind. The rapid emergence of resistant viruses has limited the utility of NNRTI monotherapy; however, recent clinical studies have shown that potent NNRTIs can contribute to profound suppression of HIV replication when used in combination therapy. An understanding of the development of resistance to NNRTIs is critical to the effective use of this class of antiretroviral agents.
Gas sensing with long, diffusively contacted single-walled carbon nanotubes

A carbon nanotube thermal-conductivity-based pressure or gas sensor is described, which utilizes 5-10 microm long, diffusively contacted single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs). Low temperature electrical transport measurements for these tubes were suggestive of a thermally activated hopping mechanism for electron localization, where a hopping energy of approximately 39 meV was computed. A negative differential conductance regime was also detected in suspended tubes, released using critical point drying, at high bias voltages. The pressure or gas sensitivity increased more dramatically as the bias power was increased up to 14 muW, which was interpreted in the context of the high optical phonon density in the suspended SWNTs. Such devices are promising for use as pressure sensors, as well as for the chemical identification of species having differing gas thermal conductivities.
Human Platelet-Rich Plasma- and Extracellular Matrix-Derived Peptides Promote Impaired Cutaneous Wound Healing In Vivo

Previous work in our laboratory has described several pro-angiogenic short peptides derived from endothelial extracellular matrices degraded by bacterial collagenase. Here we tested whether these peptides could stimulate wound healing in vivo. Our experiments demonstrated that a peptide created as combination of fragments of tenascin X and fibrillin 1 (comb1) applied into cranial dermal wounds created in mice treated with cyclophosphamide to impair wound healing, can improve the rate of wound closure. Furthermore, we identify and characterize a novel peptide (UN3) created and modified from two naturally-occurring peptides, which are present in human platelet-rich plasma. In vitro testing of UN3 demonstrates that it causes a 50% increase in endothelial proliferation, 250% increase in angiogenic response and a tripling of epithelial cell migration in response to injury. Results of in vivo experiments where comb1 and UN3 peptides were added together to cranial wounds in cyclophosphamide-treated mice leads to improvement of wound vascularization as shown by an increase of the number of blood vessels present in the wound beds. Application of the peptides markedly promotes cellular responses to injury and essentially restores wound healing dynamics to those of normal, acute wounds in the absence of cyclophosphamide impairment. Our current work is aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying the stimulatory effects of these peptides as well as identification of the cellular receptors mediating these effects.
General Aviation Data Framework

The Flight Research Services Directorate at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) provides development and operations services associated with three general aviation (GA) aircraft used for research experiments. The GA aircraft includes a Cessna 206X Stationair, a Lancair Colombia 300X, and a Cirrus SR22X. Since 2004, the GA Data Framework software was designed and implemented to gather data from a varying set of hardware and software sources as well as enable transfer of the data to other computers or devices. The key requirements for the GA Data Framework software include platform independence, the ability to reuse the framework for different projects without changing the framework code, graphics display capabilities, and the ability to vary the interfaces and their performance. Data received from the various devices is stored in shared memory. This paper concentrates on the object oriented software design patterns within the General Aviation Data Framework, and how they enable the construction of project specific software without changing the base classes. The issues of platform independence and multi-threading which enable interfaces to run at different frame rates are also discussed in this paper.
The Quality and Strength of Evidence for Etiology: Example of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Purpose The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the quality and strength of scientific evidence supporting an etiologic relationship between a disease and a proposed risk factor using a scoring system based on the Bradford Hill criteria for causal association. Methods A quantitative score based on the Bradford Hill criteria (qBHs) was used to evaluate 117 articles presenting original data regarding the etiology of carpal tunnel syndrome: 33 (28%) that evaluated biological (structural or genetic) risk factors, 51 (44%) that evaluated occupational (environment or activity-related) risk factors, and 33 (28%) that evaluated both types of risk factors. Results The quantitative Bradford Hill scores of 2 independent observers showed very good agreement, supporting the reliability of the instrument. The average qBHs was 12.2 points (moderate association) among biological risk factors compared with 5.2 points (poor association) for occupational risk factors. The highest average qBHs was observed for genetic factors (14.2), race (11.7), and anthropometric measures of the wrist (11.3 points) with all studies finding a moderate causal association. The highest average qBHs among occupational risk factors was observed for activities requiring repetitive hand use (6.5 points among the 30 of 45 articles that reported a causal association), substantial exposure to vibration (6.3 points; 14 of 20 articles), and type of occupation (5.6 points; 38 of 53 articles), with the findings being much less consistent. Conclusions According to a quantitative analysis of published scientific evidence, the etiology of carpal tunnel syndrome is largely structural, genetic, and biological, with environmental and occupational factors such as repetitive hand use playing a minor and more debatable role. Speculative causal theories should be analyzed through a rigorous approach prior to wide adoption. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic III.
Behavior of intracellular glutathione during platelet thromboxane synthesis in diabetes

The time-dependent relationship between the levels of the reduced form of glutathione (GSH) and thromboxane A2 (TXA2) synthesis, as measured by the accumulation of TXB2, in platelets from human diabetic and control subjects was investigated during aggregation. In platelets from control subjects, the GSH level decreased to 21% of the initial level within 30 sec in response to arachidonic acid (1.65 mm) and rapidly recovered to 91% by 1 min. In platelets from diabetic subjects, the GSH level decreased to 3% of the initial level within 30 sec and recovered to only 41% by 1 min. During collagen (20 ug/ml) aggregation, platelets from control subjects had a 15 sec lag phase which was followed by a decrease in the GSH level to 21% of the initial level within 1 min and a recovery to 74% by 2 min. Platelets from diabetic subjects in response to collagen showed no lag phase and decreased to 10% of the initial level within 1 min which was followed by a recovery to 34% by 2 min. In all aggregations, the initial GSH level was significantly (p<.001) lower in platelets from diabetic subjects and remained significantly (p<.01) lower than GSH in platelets from control subjects throughout the aggregation. The amount of TXB2 formed by platelets from control subjects reached a maximum in response to arachidonic acid and collagen by 1 min and 2 min, respectively, whereas, the TXB2 continued to increase up to 4 min when platelets from diabetic subjects were aggregated. These data indicate that TXA2 synthesis occurs during the decrease in GSH and ceases when the GSH level recovers. The continued synthesis of TXA2 by platelets from diabetic subjects coincides with the gradual recovery of the GSH level.
Current Sensorless Power Balance Strategy for DC/DC Converters in a Cascaded Multilevel Converter Based Solid State Transformer

This letter proposes a current sensorless controller for balancing the power in the dc/dc stage of a cascaded multilevel converter based solid state transformer. It is revealed that the equalization of the active power component of duty cycles in the cascaded multilevel rectifier stage can be a good indicator of power balance in the dc/dc stage. Additionally, the power balance of the dc/dc stage can guarantee the voltage balance in the rectifier stage if the differences among the power devices are negligible. Based on this principle, a novel power balance controller without sensing any current in the dc/dc stage is proposed. In the end, experimental results in a seven-level three-stage solid state transformer are provided for verifying the proposed method.
Abstract P2-18-12: Surgical management of breast cancer: Breast conserving surgery or mastectomy in the 2010 SEER registries by hormone receptor and HER2 status

Background Breast conserving therapy and mastectomy have been shown to have similar overall survival outcomes in large trials. After many years of decline, mastectomy rates are on the rise for a variety of reasons. In this context, there is increasing discussion that the risk of loco-regional recurrence is complex and varies by breast cancer subtype. Several, pre-trastuzumab-era, reports have shown that loco-regional recurrence is higher for HER2+ and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients who undergo breast conserving therapy (BCS) compared with women with hormone receptor positive (HR+) disease. Other literature has suggested that some breast cancer subtypes have better outcomes with BCS. To provide the most recent data on surgical choice by breast cancer subtype, we report BCS and mastectomy rates from 2010 SEER data. Surgical choice is presented for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancer. For women with invasive disease the subcategories of HR+, HER2+ and TNBC are reported. Methods SEER data were used to identify incident breast cancer patients diagnosed in 2010. Only pathologically confirmed cases were included. In addition, individuals were excluded if they were diagnosed at autopsy or by death certificate, did not receive surgery or if the type of surgery was unknown. Patients were categorized as having received BCS or mastectomy and, for invasive disease, by receptor subtype (HR+, HER2+ and TNBC). For invasive cancers, patients with unknown receptor subtypes were excluded. Results SEER data for 2010 included 65,598 women, 13,849 (21.1%) women had DCIS and 51,749 (78.9%) had invasive disease (Table 1). For invasive cancers after excluding 5,062 patients with unknown receptor status, 12.1% were TNBC, 14.4% were HER2+, and 83.5% were HR+. Overall, 43.5% of women underwent mastectomy (33.2% for DCIS). Mastectomy rate increased by stage at diagnosis: 33.5% for Stage I, 53.9% for Stage II disease and 77.8% for Stage III (OR = 0.49, p<0.001 for Stage 1 compared to other stages). By age, mastectomy rates were 69.0% for <30, 53.4% for 30-49, 43.3% for 50-59, 39.0% for 60-69, 39.4% for 70-79 and 41.1% for 80+ (OR = 2.90, p<0.001 for women under 30 compared to older women). Conclusions In this large, recent series, 43.5% of women underwent mastectomy. This rate is among the highest reported from population-based registries and suggests a continued trend of increasing mastectomy rates. Women with HER2+ and TNBC were younger and significantly more likely to have mastectomy than their HR+ counterparts. Women with HER2+ breast cancer, in this trastuzumab-era cohort, were the subtype most likely to choose to undergo mastectomy. Monitoring for relapse events could contribute to a better understanding of how loco-regional recurrence risk might vary by subtype and surgical choice. View this table: Table 1: Percent receiving BCS and mastectomy by subtype for invasive cancers Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-18-12.
FURTHER STUDIES ON THE SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF COPPER (II) WITH DITHIOCARBOXYLATE DERIVATIVES OF PYRAZOL

Se ha estudiado la extraccion por solvente de Cu(II) con 4-alquilditio-carboxilatos derivados de pirazol (HDTC; alquil = bencil, alil, n-hexadecil, n-octadecil) en funcion del pH) Cu(II) es extraido eficientemente (³ 80% ) en el rango de pH estudiado y en todos los casos se ha encontrado que la especie extraida a la fase organica es del tipo Cu(DTC)2
Titration of Rabbit Kidney Vacuolating Virus by Its Interference With Vaccinia Virus in Tissue Culture

SummaryThe capacity of RKV virus to interfere with vaccinia virus infection in cultures of rabbit kidney cells provides an additional parameter for the characterization of this relatively new member of the papova-virus group. The titration of RKV virus based on its capacity to interfere with vaccinia virus is not only 100 times more sensitive but is also more rapid than direct titration by CPE.
Twentieth Annual Pezcoller Symposium: Molecular Biology of Cancer—20 Years of Progress Punctuated by the Pezcoller Symposia

This 20th Anniversary Symposium, which also honored the American Association for Cancer Research in its 100th Anniversary, was held in Trento, Italy, on June 11 to 13, 2008, and was co-chaired by Enrico Mihich, David Livingston (Dana-Farber Cancer institute, Boston, MA), and Marco Pierotti (Istituto
Ground states of a frustrated Ising model with one-, two- and three-body interactions

Abstract The “method of plaquettes” is used to examine the T = 0 solutions of an Ising model, first proposed by Widom, which includes one-, two- and three-body interactions. As in a previous paper, phases are classified as 1-, 2-, …, or n -magnetization states. The presence of odd interaction terms in the Hamiltonian ensures that the general ground state solutions be 2-magnetization phases in the physically relevant region for which nearest-neighbor couplings are ferromagnetic. The ground state phase diagram is illustrated as well as the various phase structures.
Attributions about Self and Others in Depression

The attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness model of depression (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978) holds that depression-prone individuals are characterized by a certain attributional style. Specifically, they are seen as making internal, stable, and global attributions for negative outcomes. One implication of the attributional model tested by the present study, is that depression-prone persons should not evince this attributional style for negative outcomes that occur to others. The data presented here supported this prediction. Depressed subjects made self-attributions for negative outcomes that were significantly more internal, stable, and global than those of nondepressed subjects, while no differences were observed when both groups made attributions for the negative outcomes of a target other. The implications of these results for the attributional model of depression are discussed.
Experiential Activities in Family Therapy: Perceptions of Caregivers and Youth

Novel and creative therapeutic modalities have been developed in an effort to increase motivation in family therapy for adolescents and families. Many of these approaches incorporate experiential activities or “family play”, which provides a supplemental approach to traditional talk therapy. Incorporating experiential activities into family therapy sessions has been shown to increase engagement and enhance participation in therapy. Therefore, to understand how families view experiential activities within family therapy, we interviewed nineteen adolescents (age 12–17) and their parents/caregivers who were receiving family therapy augmented with experiential activities. We asked a series of open-ended questions to understand the families’ experiences concerning how they initially felt about participating in family therapy and their perceptions of the experiential activities. The activities involved experiential interactions and skill-building exercises that elicited active participation from all family members and encouraged further discussions. Topics of these activities focused on problem areas the family had identified, such as anger management, problem-solving, improving communication, substance use, expressing feelings, coping, etc. Results showed that most caregivers and youth found the experiential activities helpful in creating positive family interactions and developing communication skills. Caregivers and adolescents noted that the activities increased their desire to participate in family therapy sessions and they were more motivated to engage in the treatment process. Clinicians using the methods discussed in this intervention should be aware of the study’s limitations. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.
A simple model for prediction of acid gas solubilities in alkanolamines

Abstract A simple model has been created for predicting acid gas vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) in alkanolamines. The model is simple enough to use in a hand held calculator, but its structure is derived from theory. Model parameters were obtained by regression of experimental VLE data. The model is valid for total gas loadings from 0.003 to 0.8 and over a wide range of temperatures and amine concentrations. Partial pressure predictions are shown to agree with a more complex model over seven orders of magnitude in pressure. Heat of absorption values derived from the model are also shown to agree with literature sources. Parameters are given for the MDEA-H 2 O-H 2 S-CO 2 and DEA-H 2 O-H 2 S systems.
Tracking the DJs: Vinyl Records, Work, and the Debate over New Technologies

> DJs can stop hauling crates full of vinyl from gig to gig thanks to this innovative system [Final Scratch] that gives you exactly the same controls you’d have on a turntable when playing mp3, WAV and AIFF files from a hard drive. > > ([Morgenstern 2003][1])This essay, a sketch for a longer
PEDAGOGICAL CHALLENGE: TEACHING INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT COURSES

There should be two distinctly different pom introductory courses (or even tracks) for MBAs. Course one (called pom) would consist of traditional pom materials emphasizing domestic POM course materials. Course two, called international production and operations management (ipom), would focus on international aspects of pom, emphasizing cross-boundary operations. Training of instructors differs significantly for the two courses. ipom accentuates operations crossing borders where different languages, cultures and currencies apply. The ipom syllabus employs cases and examples based on companies and/or divisions located in a great variety of countries. Three important drivers of the international pom curriculum should be recognized: (1) supply chain management with ipom responsible for coordinating sources-of materials as well as making and delivering goods and services across global boundaries, (2) portfolio management because ipom can reduce risks by geographically diversifying operations, and (3) capabilities management because ipom must spot, develop and implement special global opportunities. Teaching how these three international drivers interact challenges the pom field to provide proper curriculum development and instructor methodology.
Crafting a system-wide response to healthcare-associated infections

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 20 Americans admitted to hospitals is infected while receiving treatment for another condition. More than 48,000 people die each year of infections that are acquired in healthcare settings (1). And each year, 18,650 deaths follow infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a pathogen that is now easily transmitted in both community and healthcare settings (2). MRSA bacteremia significantly increases the length of hospital stays, the charges per patient, and hospital costs per case (3). According to a large-cohort study at Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC), MRSA in surgical wounds resulted in more than a 12-fold increase in mortality vs. that in uninfected patients and more than a 3-fold increase vs. that in patients infected with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA). The average total cost of treatment for a patient with an MRSA infection was ∼$40,000 more than for a patient with an MSSA infection and ∼$84,000 more than for an uninfected patient (4).
Foundations of Continuum Mechanics

Last week Mr. Noll presented a new, compact, and general theory of space-time structure for Euclidean continuum mechanics. In mathematical science organization can be effected at various levels. For example, we may construct the real numbers from the integers, or we may take axioms for the real numbers themselves as our starting point. Mr. Noll’s space-time structure furnishes a foundation for the theory of constitutive equations he formulated some years ago, but it does not change that theory or render it either more or less precise. Along with deepening the foundations, mathematical science strives also to broaden the structure. The great clarity gained from the abstract approach to constitutive equations for purely mechanical phenomena has made it possible to extend the structure of rational mechanics so as to include thermo-energetic effects in comparable generality. Thermostatics, now a century old, was never intended to apply to problems of deformation and motion; the linear “irreversible thermodynamics”, which rests on applying classical thermostatics to volume elements, has fallen so far behind recent views on mechanics as to put it quite out of the running, and the new thermodynamics, developed by Mr. Coleman, makes no use of its concepts or apparatus.
A human inspired collision avoidance strategy for moving agents

This paper presents an approach for controlling collision avoidance among a group of moving multi-agents such that they are not able to communicate with each other and hence, cannot share information. The basics and key features of our collision control algorithm are discussed to include practical examinations. Our approach is based on multi-agent systems and help moving agents to pursue their goals using collision free routes. In terms of validating our solution, we plan to apply into a configuration set of agents located in our experimental space. We also explain our solution algorithm that we have developed, along with the examination that we subjected it to, as well as sketching some of the most important challenges that remain to be addresses in our future researches.
The Embryonic Ciliated Band of the Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus Derives from Both Oral and Aboral Ectoderm

The ciliated band of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus embryo consists of a columnar epithelium, 3-5 cells wide, which gives rise to a small number of neuroblasts. It arises late in development, as a border separating the squamous epithelial cells of the oral and aboral ectoderm. To determine the lineage origins of this structure, we performed double labeling experiments at the 2-cell stage and the 16-cell stage, which were designed to reveal clonal boundaries in the ciliated band. The ciliated band forms in a region of the ectoderm derived from descendants of the following blastomeres: No, VO, Na1u, Na2u, right and left NL1u, and right and left NL2u. In contrast to the lineage contributions of the embryonic territories established early in development, lineage origins of the ciliated band are variable. Specification of the ciliated band thus depends on intercellular interaction rather than lineage.
Das Ende der D-Generation

„Nach dieser Operation habe ich funf Beine. Ich kann ihren Sinn nicht erkennen. Ich will sofort meinen Biologen sprechen. Hallo! – Hallo!“ Stille.
Chemistry of magnetic recording disk surfaces with intermittent asperity contacts

Since many of the newer disk drive products incorporate load/unload to avoid starting and stopping on the disk surface, a new low-velocity accelerated life test was developed to simulate the tribology at ultra-low flying height with asperity contacts. Surface chemical analysis of the tested regions detects lubricant removal by desorption, and fragments with a carboxylic acid end group and their organic amine salts. An increase in the water adsorption on the tested regions is attributed to the hydrophilic carboxylic acid groups.
Resilient Hispanic Youths' Self-Concept and Motivational Patterns

This is a study of 36 Hispanic youths taken from a pool of 123 Hispanic youths. It examines the role of self-concept, motivation, and environmentalfacilitation in ameliorating risk and promoting resiliency. For the purposes of this study, high school sophomore youths from impoverished, stressful backgrounds with grade point averages of 2.75 or above were considered academically resilient. This study differs from traditional and contemporary studies of resilience in that itfocuses on academic competence rather than on social competence. Self-concept and motivation are measured by the High School Assessment of Academic Self-Concept and the Assessment of Personal Agency Beliefs. The findings of this study indicate that resilient youths'self-concepts differfrom the nonresilient youths'self-concepts in the cognitive and belongingness areas. Findings also show that the school environment is supportive of theyouths'personal and social needs. However, it does not support their cognitive, belongingness, and extrac...
Comparing weighted and unweighted analyses applied to data with a mix of pooled and individual observations.

Smaller organisms may have too little tissue to allow assaying as individuals. To get a sufficient sample for assaying, a collection of smaller individual organisms is pooled together to produce a simple observation for modeling and analysis. When a dataset contains a mix of pooled and individual organisms, the variances of the observations are not equal. An unweighted regression method is no longer appropriate because it assumes equal precision among the observations. A weighted regression method is more appropriate and yields more precise estimates because it incorporates a weight to the pooled observations. To demonstrate the benefits of using a weighted analysis when some observations are pooled, the bias and confidence interval (CI) properties were compared using an ordinary least squares and a weighted least squares t-based confidence interval. The slope and intercept estimates were unbiased for both weighted and unweighted analyses. While CIs for the slope and intercept achieved nominal coverage, the CI lengths were smaller using a weighted analysis instead of an unweighted analysis, implying that a weighted analysis will yield greater precision. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1168–1171. © 2010 SETAC
Full analytical sensitivities in NURBS based isogeometric shape optimization

Abstract Non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) has been widely used as an effective shape parameterization technique for structural optimization due to its compact and powerful shape representation capability and its popularity among CAD systems. The advent of NURBS based isogeometric analysis has made it even more advantageous to use NURBS in shape optimization since it can potentially avoid the inaccuracy and labor-tediousness in geometric model conversion from the design model to the analysis model. Although both positions and weights of NURBS control points affect the shape, until very recently, usually only control point positions are used as design variables in shape optimization, thus restricting the design space and limiting the shape representation flexibility. This paper presents an approach for analytically computing the full sensitivities of both the positions and weights of NURBS control points in structural shape optimization. Such analytical formulation allows accurate calculation of sensitivity and has been successfully used in gradient-based shape optimization. The analytical sensitivity for both positions and weights of NURBS control points is especially beneficial for recovering optimal shapes that are conical e.g. ellipses and circles in 2D, cylinders, ellipsoids and spheres in 3D that are otherwise not possible without the weights as design variables.
All-photonic clock: Laser-atomic oscillator

Laser-atomic oscillator is a newly developed method for simultaneously generating stable optical and electrical modulations with only a few components. It requires a semiconductor laser, a vapor cell, and maybe a few optical components. No photodetector and electronic feedback are needed. In this new system, the ground-state hyperfine coherence of alkali-metal atoms is spontaneously generated. The modulated laser light with a spectrum of a small optical comb is automatically produced, and the spacing between the comb teeth is photonically locked to the hyperfine frequency. The charge carriers in the semiconductor laser are also modulated at the hyperfine frequency. A well-designed laser-atomic oscillator can be thought as an ldquoall-photonic clock,rdquo a new kind of active atomic clock. The system is like an active maser in photonic version. It does not need a local oscillator and the assistance of microwave circuitry, and it consumes less power for the operation compared to passive, vapor-cell atomic clocks. Besides, laser-atomic oscillator can be very compact due to its simple structure. Recently, small or miniature atomic clocks have been considered to have many applications, and passive atomic clock is the main approach of making miniature atomic clocks. Complexity and the power consumption are still the major challenges. We believe that the technique of laser-atomic oscillator can bring some advantages in manufacturing small atomic clocks.
Loss of mismatch repair activity in simian virus 40 large T antigen-immortalized BPH-1 human prostatic epithelial cell line.

Simian virus 40 large T antigen (SVLTAg) has been used to immortalize cells; however, the mechanism leading to immortalization is still unclear. We hypothesize that DNA mismatch repair (MMR) activity is important during SVLTAg-induced immortalization. To test this hypothesis, we used the SVLTAg-immortalized cell line BPH-1 derived from human benign prostate epithelial cells to analyze MMR activity and the expression of MMR genes (hMLH1, hPMS1, hPMS2, hMSH2, hMSH3, and hMSH6). The results demonstrated that BPH-1 cells were deficient in repairing G:T, A:C, and G:G mispairs in bacteriophage M13mp2. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments indicated MMR genes (hMSH3, hMSH6, and hPMS1) were expressed at a low level in BPH-1 cells. In contrast, all six MMR genes were expressed in human benign prostate hyperplasia tissues. Downregulation of hMSH3, hMSH6, and hPMS1 genes is not a result of the hypermethylation mechanism because demethylation with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine did not restore expression of these genes. Although the hMLH1 gene is expressed in BPH-1 cells, western blotting and exon analyses demonstrated that hMLH1 was mutated and/or deleted in BPH-1 cells. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Limited feedback beamforming for temporally correlated MIMO channels with other cell interference

Limited feedback beamforming improves link reliability with a small amount of feedback from the receiver to the transmitter. The performance of such a closed loop MIMO system is unknown in interference limited cellular environments, when the base stations have limited or no coordination. This paper establishes the degradation in throughput due to uncoordinated other cell interference and delay on the feedback channel. Under a Markov channel assumption, the paper shows that the throughput gain of cell edge users decays doubly exponentially as the delay increases. Numerical results illustrate how the decay rate decreases when the codebook size increases.
Mechanisms of Blood–Brain Barrier Disintegration in the Pathophysiology of Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the human brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord, which commonly leads to irreversible neurological disability. The etiology and cure of MS remain far from our reach. However, we are making slow, but persistent progress in our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying MS pathophysiology. A prominent step in the pathophysiology of MS is anatomic and physiologic failure of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which in turn leads to transendothelial migration of activated immune cells and other mediators of neuroinflammation from the periphery to the central nervous system environment. The latest findings on the pathophysiologic mechanisms of the BBB disruption in the context of MS are discussed.
Voltammetric Studies on the Kinetics and Mechanism of Catecholamine Transporters

The plasma membrane transporters for the catecholamine neurotransmitters norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) are integral membrane proteins whose primary function appears to be the removal of respective transmitters from the extracellular fluid, terminating action. The role of NE in depression and other physiological processes has made its transport a subject of intense study (Bunney et al, 1965; Willner, 1985). The clear role that dopamine transporter plays as a target for the abused drugs cocaine and amphetamine has made it heavily studied. The recent developments in the cloning and expression of catecholamine transporters have created new opportunities to better understand the kinetics and mechanism of these transporters. In addition to the advances in the molecular biology of these transporters, a recent innovation in electrochemistry allows detailed observation of the kinetics of these transporters for a very wide range of substrates, without the need for radioactive labeling.
Crime Places in Context: An Illustration of the Multilevel Nature of Hot Spot Development

The present study provides an illustration of a statistical test of the Brantinghams’ theory about the formation of hotspots and the effects that nodes, paths, and environmental backcloth have on their development. We used multilevel Poisson regression analysis to explain variation in the count of incidents at each address. Place-level proximity to nodes and paths was measured by using the Euclidian distance from each location to the closest carry-out liquor store, on-premises drinking establishment, and bus route. The broader environmental backcloth was represented by various census block-group characteristics, including density of commercial land use. A three-way place-level interaction as well as a cross-level interaction involving all four key independent variables were used to estimate the Brantinghams’ concept of the overlay of nodes, paths, and backcloth. The three-way interaction involving the distance to the closest on-premises liquor establishment, the distance to closest carry-out liquor facility, and the distance to the closest bus route was significantly and negatively related to place-level crime incidents. This three-way interaction had effects which varied across neighborhood contexts, with stronger negative effects on crime occurring in neighborhoods characterized by high levels of commercial density. This study supported the notion of a multilevel theory of crime places and has implications for more effectively addressing crime. In particular, those places with multiple nodes and paths in their proximal environments and dense commercial land within their broader environments likely need additional crime prevention measures to get the same benefit relative to places with multiple nodes and paths in the proximal environments yet little commercial density within their broader environment.