cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Open COVID Pledge: Design, Implementation and Preliminary Assessment of an Intellectual Property Commons

Early during the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of widely-publicized incidents gave rise to concerns that holders of patents and other intellectual property (IP) rights could hinder the development, manufacture and distribution of essential medical devices, protective equipment and biomedical products. The global response to these concerns was swift and included the issuance of compulsory licensing orders by several national governments, as well as the proposal of a technology pool by the World Health Organization (WHO). Alongside these efforts, a group of scientific, engineering and legal experts created a lightweight, open framework under which IP holders could voluntarily pledge not to assert their rights against those responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort – known as the Open COVID Pledge (OCP) – attracted significant participation from some of the world’s largest IP holders, with nearly 500,000 patents and patent applications, as well as significant copyrighted material, pledged to date. The OCP has also been adopted as part of the framework of the WHO’s COVID Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a multinational initiative to make particular biomedical innovations more accessible around the world. This article describes the development of the OCP, including the design choices that shaped its legal structure and implementation. It also assesses the adoption of the OCP across market sectors including biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, protective equipment and digital innovations. It finds that while pledges in the biopharmaceutical sector have been infrequent, many other critical technologies in the fight against COVID-19 have been made broadly available to users through this and related pledging mechanisms, creating a favorable environment for open innovation, new market entry and equitable access to technology. As such, the OCP may both help to address the current pandemic and serve as a useful model for IP sharing platforms to address to future public health emergencies.
Faint-Hearted First Amendment Lochnerism

Free speech scholars have charged the Roberts Court with “First Amendment Lochnerism”: at the urging of powerful interests, following an antiregulatory agenda, and forgetting the lessons of the now-discredited Lochner v. New York decision, the Court is using the Constitution’s protection for speech to strike down a host of socioeconomic regulations. Opposing Justices have joined the charge, accusing their colleagues of “reawakening Lochner’s pre-New Deal threat of substituting judicial for democratic decisionmaking” in domains long thought to be free from constitutional scrutiny. Comparing modern free speech doctrine to Lochner, however, is problematic. It ignores the motivating concerns of Justice Holmes’ Lochner dissent, which were procedural rather than ideological. It elides the Speech Clause’s failure to categorize among kinds of speech, ignores that the line between commercial and noncommercial speech is too difficult to define for that distinction to serve as a level-of-scrutiny-setting rule, and denies that First Amendment theory cannot definitively justify lesser protection for commercial speech. This Article is the first to chart a middle path between an anti-Lochnerist First Amendment and a libertarian one. It proposes an approach it calls faint-hearted First Amendment Lochnerism — suspicion of any speech regulation, regardless of the identity of the speaker, or the nature of the speech — while still affirming the government’s ability to regulate economic activity and harmful speech. In analyzing the constitutionality of government information-forcing regulation, faint-hearted First Amendment Lochnerism looks to common law private right-based limitations in the law of torts and contracts to decide whether such regulations should be permissible. The Article then applies this methodology to the Court’s NIFLA v. Becerra decision, which drew charges of Lochnerism from its detractors, and shows how a foregrounding of relevant private law in First Amendment cases can preserve both i) the preference for private ordering that is part of the Constitution’s design, and ii) the government’s power to intervene in the traditional social and economic regulatory domains that those leveling the Lochnerism charge fear are most at risk.
Contemporary Analysis of Ureteral Reconstruction 30-Day Morbidity Utilizing the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Database: Comparison of Minimally Invasive Versus Open Approaches.

OBJECTIVES To characterize 30-day morbidity of upper ureteral reconstruction (UUR) and lower ureteral reconstruction (LUR) surgery by comparing open and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) approaches using a national surgical outcomes registry. METHODS The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was reviewed for patients who underwent UUR and LUR between 2007-2017. Primary endpoints included 30-day complications, transfusion, readmission, return to operating room (ROR), and prolonged postoperative length of stay (LOS). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to observe the association of MIS approach on 30-day outcomes. RESULTS 3042 patients were identified with 2116 undergoing UUR and 926 undergoing LUR. Of 2116 patients undergoing UUR, 1733 (82%) were performed via MIS approach. On multivariable analysis, open approach for UUR was associated with increased odds of any 30-day complication (odds ratio (OR) 1.6 [1.1-2.4]; p=0.014), major complication (OR 1.8 [1.04-3.0]; p=0.034), transfusion (OR 3.7 [1.2- 11.5]; p=0.025), ROR (OR 2.0 [1.0-3.9]; p=0.047), and prolonged LOS (OR 5.4 [3.9-7.6]; p<0.001). Of the 926 patients undergoing LUR, 458 (49%) were performed via a MIS approach. On multivariable analysis, open approach for LUR was associated with increased odds of any 30-day complication (OR 1.5 [1.1-2.1]; p=0.028), minor complication (OR 1.7 [1.1-2.6]; p=0.02), transfusion (OR 8.1 [2.7-23.7]; p<0.001), and prolonged LOS (OR 4.2 [2.4-7.3]; p<0.001). CONCLUSION Utilization of a national surgical database revealed an open approach was associated with increased 30-day morbidity across multiple postoperative outcome measures. These findings suggest a MIS approach should be considered, when feasible, for upper and lower ureteral reconstruction.
Suppression of CO2-induced relaxation of bovine retinal pericytes by angiotensin II.

Purpose To determine whether angiotensin II (Ang II), a vasoconstrictive peptide, changes the relaxation effect of elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PCO2) on pericytes. Methods The contractile tone of cultured bovine retinal pericytes was measured when the ambient PCO2 was elevated in the absence or the presence of Ang II. All experiments were performed in the bicarbonate-buffered solution at 37 degrees C. Results Ang II (10(-6) M) by itself did not increase the baseline tone of the pericytes. Raising the PCO2 from 5% to 20% acidified the solution (pH dropped 0.51 +/- 0.02 U) and caused a sustained and statistically significant 22.9% +/- 4.6% relaxation of pericytes within 5 minutes (n = 8). In the presence of Ang II (10(-6) M), the maximum relaxation induced by 20% PCO2 was only 12.6% +/- 4.5% (n = 6) at 3 minutes, and the relaxation was not sustained. The effect of Ang II was statistically significant. Pretreatment with the competitive Ang II receptor antagonist saralasin (10(-6) M) for 10 minutes completely abolished the effect of Ang II (10(-6) M) on the response of pericytes to 20% PCO2. Saralasin by itself had no effect. Conclusions Ang II attenuated the relaxing response of pericytes to elevated PCO2 through saralasin-sensitive Ang II receptors. Results suggest that some vasoactive agents, such as Ang II, could affect the pericyte responses to metabolic needs as signaled by local PCO2. This experimental design may permit further investigation of the altered physiology of local blood flow regulation.
An Unfinished Agenda: The Federal Fair Housing Enforcement Effort

"Federal fair housing enforcement effort," like such terms as "military justice" and "honest lawyer," is an oxymoron. There are isolated examples of federal fair housing enforcement efforts, but the federal government's historically dominant role in segregating the nation, resisting the dismantlement of apartheid, and ignoring pervasive patterns of housing discrimination eclipses these largely symbolic efforts.1 Critiques of the federal fair housing enforcement effort invariably focus on the incredibly low numbers of cases and complaints handled by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). From the 1968 passage of Title VIII2 until 1980, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department brought approximately 300 cases;3 by 1979 it was handling about 32 cases per year.4 However, in the early years of the Reagan Administration, the Justice Department filed no cases,5 and in 1987 the Department filed only 17 Title VIII cases.6 The other arm of federal enforcement, the HUD conciliation mechanism created by section 810 of Title VIII,
Robust Topology Optimization Under Random Load Locations

Recent years have seen the emergence of topology optimization as one of the most active research areas of structural optimization, with a broad range of promising applications in engineering design. Uncertainty is ubiquitous in real-world situations, which affects design solutions profoundly. This paper proposes a method to integrate topology optimization of static continuum structures with robust design optimization under uncertain load positions. To model the robust design problem, a multi-objective optimization formulation is posed, in which both the expectancy and the standard deviation of the structural compliance are minimized with weighting factors. Next a density based method, called Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization, and the Method of Moving Asymptotes are employed to output the robust structural topology. Numerical examples implemented in Matlab are then utilized to illustrate the proposed method, investigate outcomes of the robust design methodology against deterministic one, and confirm that the resulting designs are robust. Nodal displacements are compared between robust and deterministic solutions.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Craniosynostosis: diagnostic imaging with three-dimensional CT presentation.

PURPOSE To measure diagnostic performance and preference of two three-dimensional CT reconstruction modalities (voxel-gradient and surface-projection) displayed two ways (conventional and unwrapped) in craniosynostosis confirmed by surgical inspection and histologic analysis of resected sutures. METHODS High-resolution 2-mm contiguous CT sections were obtained and three-dimensional reconstruction images generated for 25 infants and children with skull deformities before surgical treatment of craniosynostosis. Two pediatric radiologists and two neuroradiologists first ranked images by their own preferences for diagnostic use. Then they diagnosed craniosynostosis from images presented in random order and blinded. The standard of reference was inspection during surgery and histologic evaluation of excised sutures. Finally, reviewers repeated their subjective preference tests. RESULTS The least experienced radiologist had 100% sensitivity for all imaging modalities and specificities ranging from 43% to 83%. The two most experienced radiologists performed nearly identically, with sensitivities of 96% and specificities of 100%. After performing diagnostic tasks using all image types, all radiologists preferred conventional surface projections. CONCLUSION Experienced readers can achieve nearly perfect diagnostic performance using the latest three-dimensional CT reconstruction images, making it a contribution to the diagnostic process. Although performance is nearly identical for all modalities, readers strongly prefer conventionally presented surface-projection images.
Applications of automatic identification technologies in manufacturing: a framework for implementation

In the past, automatic identification (AutoID) technologies were utilised primarily for data acquisition or for the automatic identification of products or objects in non–manufacturing operations and industries. They were also perceived as a suitable replacement for manual or keyboard data entry. However, the technologies have recently been applied in many other manufacturing operations, such as inventory control, shipping/receiving, security, preventive maintenance, personnel management, job scheduling, and shopfloor control. In light of the growing number of applications of AutoID technologies in the manufacturing area, a questionnaire survey and interviews with Silicon Valley companies were conducted to study the implementation of these new technologies in the manufacturing industry. The survey and interview results were presented herein, including an illustration of the current trend toward AutoID technology usage, its benefits, applications in manufacturing, implementation problems, and key elements deemed necessary for its successful implementation. Finally, a proposal outlining the planning and implementation of AutoID technologies within the manufacturing sector is presented.
Share Your Grief but Not Your Anger: Victims and the Expression of Emotion in Criminal Justice

Introduction This chapter focuses on the growing trend towards using the criminal justice system as a venue for the expression of emotion by crime victims and their families. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, crime victims and their families are being given the opportunity to address the court, to confront the defendant and to weigh in on how the case is being conducted. These innovations pose difficult questions for adversary systems, in which the trial has long been viewed as a two-way battle between the government and the accused. In order to define and regulate the increasingly powerful role of the victim, it is first necessary to determine what goals the victim's participation is meant to achieve. The legal context places the questions of this volume in sharp relief. Choices about who is permitted to express emotion in particular venues, and about what emotions may be expressed, have concrete consequences. In the criminal justice system, for example, the decision to afford victims a venue for expression has been linked to increased severity of sentence and increased likelihood of a death sentence. Ideally, a choice with such weighty consequences would be based on a considered judgement that permitting such expression will advance legitimate goals. Yet although the emotions of crime victims, and of murder victims’ family members (hereinafter survivors), have been afforded an increasingly powerful role in the criminal justice system in the past several decades, the justifications offered for that increased role have been poorly articulated and inconsistent. Without a coherent understanding of what role the communication of victim emotion is meant to serve, it is difficult to determine what form the communication ought to take, and what limits should be placed on the communication. It is also difficult to determine, as an empirical matter, whether the communication is serving any legitimate purpose in practice, or whether it is in fact interfering with important criminal justice goals. In the adversary system, the traditional view is that by representing the state, the prosecution adequately represents the interests of victims as well. Recently victims have been given increasing participation rights, but the rationale for providing that access has not been well articulated.
Heparin-binding-affinity-based delivery systems releasing nerve growth factor enhance sciatic nerve regeneration.

The controlled delivery of nerve growth factor (NGF) to the peripheral nervous system has been shown to enhance nerve regeneration following injury, although the effect of release rate has not been previously studied with an affinity-based delivery system (DS). The goal of this research was to determine if the binding site affinity of the DS affected nerve regeneration in vivo using nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) in a 13-mm rat sciatic nerve defect. These DSs consisted of bi-domain peptides that varied in heparin-binding affinity, heparin and NGF, which binds to heparin with moderate affinity. Eight experimental groups were evaluated consisting of NGF with DS, control groups excluding one or more components of the DS within silicone conduits and nerve isografts. Nerves were harvested 6 weeks after treatment for analysis by histomorphometry. These DSs with NGF resulted in a higher frequency of nerve regeneration compared to control groups and were similar to the nerve isograft group in measures of nerve fi...
Effects of Multidrug Resistance (MDR1) P-Glycoprotein Expression Levels and Coordination Metal on the Cytotoxic Potency of Multidentate (N4O2) (Ethylenediamine)bis[propyl(R-benzylimino)]metal(III) Cations

Enhanced mitochondrial transmembrane potentials in tumor cells have been proposed to confer tumor-selective-targeting properties to modestly lipophilic monocationic compounds. To explore the potential cytotoxic activity of lipophilic cationic metallopharmaceuticals containing a highly flexible hexadentate N4O2 Schiff-base phenolic ligand, we first synthesized precursors H3Mabi (1) and H3DMabi (2) by condensation of an appropriate linear tetraamine with substituted salicylaldehydes. The desired N4O2 ligands, (ethylenediamine)-N,N‘-bis[propyl[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)imino]] and (ethylenediamine)-N,N‘-bis[propyl[(2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxybenzyl)imino]] (R-ENBPI), were obtained by cleavage of the imidazolidine ring, and their corresponding monocationic complexes were produced by reaction with appropriate hydrated salts or acetylacetonates of Al(III), Fe(III), Ga(III), and In(III). All complexes were stable to neutral hydrolysis. In human epidermal carcinoma KB-3-1 cells, cytotoxic potencies of racemic mixtur...
A FAK scaffold inhibitor disrupts FAK and VEGFR-3 signaling and blocks melanoma growth by targeting both tumor and endothelial cells

Melanoma has the highest mortality rate of all skin cancers and a major cause of treatment failure is drug resistance. Tumors heterogeneity requires novel therapeutic strategies and new drugs targeting multiple pathways. One of the new approaches is targeting the scaffolding function of tumor related proteins such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK). FAK is overexpressed in most solid tumors and is involved in multiple protein-protein interactions critical for tumor cell survival, tumor neovascularization, progression and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of the FAK scaffold inhibitor C4, targeted to the FAK-VEGFR-3 complex, against melanomas. We compared C4 inhibitory effects in BRAF mutant vs BRAF wild type melanomas. C4 effectively caused melanoma tumor regression in vivo, when administered alone and sensitized tumors to chemotherapy. The most dramatic effect of C4 was related to reduction of vasculature of both BRAF wild type and V600E mutant xenograft tumors. The in vivo effects of C4 were assessed in xenograft models using non-invasive multimodality imaging in conjunction with histologic and molecular biology methods. C4 inhibited cell viability, adhesion and motility of melanoma and endothelial cells, specifically blocked phosphorylation of VEGFR-3 and FAK and disrupted their complexes. Specificity of in vivo effects for C4 were confirmed by a decrease in tumor FAK and VEGFR-3 phosphorylation, reduction of vasculogenesis and reduced blood flow. Our collective observations provide evidence that a small molecule inhibitor targeted to the FAK protein-protein interaction site successfully inhibits melanoma growth through dual targeting of tumor and endothelial cells and is effective against both BRAF wild type and mutant melanomas.
The dilative intake of poroelastic inclusions an alternative to the Mandel–Cryer effect

This study examines the time-dependent poromechanics behavior of a fluid-saturated spherical inclusion embedded inside a fluid-saturated porous medium with different poroelastic properties. Both media comprise compressible constituents with distinctively defined poroelastic parameters. It is assumed that the inclusion is subjected to a fluid source at the center. The problem is formulated and solved using Biot theory of poromechanics. The contrasts in inclusion and the medium matrix stiffnesses and their respective hydraulic conductivities can be recognized as two competing factors, which affect the inclusion’s rate of expansion during fluid injection. Findings show a certain type of behavior that the inclusion exhibits at the onset of fluid injection when having greater stiffness than the medium matrix, where the inclusion experiences some decrease in the pore pressure. Compared to what announced as the stress redistribution due the Mandel–Cryer effect in earlier researches on dilation of free spheres, this study shows that the associated phenomenon would be likewise attributed to the coupled nature of pressures and deformations in the theory of poroelasticity. However, it is a consequence of the inclusion-matrix stiffness contrast where a dilating free sphere can be regarded as a special case of this new problem. The asymptotic expansions of pressure terms verify the existence of such an effect. The results of this study would put forward very good insight in some engineering applications.
PVT of amorphous and crystalline polymers and their nanocomposites

The Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) of polystyrene (PS), polyamide-6 (PA-6) and their clay-containing polymeric nanocomposites (CPNC) were determined at T= 300-600 K and P = 0.1―190 MPa, thus in the molten, glassy and semicrystalline phase. The melt and glass behavior was interpreted following the Simha-Somcynsky (S-S) cell-hole free volume theory while that of the semicrystalline phase using S-S and the Midha-Nanda-Simha-Jain (MNSJ) cell theory describing crystalline quantum interactions. The theoretical analysis yielded two sets of the interaction parameters, one from the S-S and the other from the MNSJ model. The derivative properties: the compressibility, K , and thermal expansion coefficient, α, were computed as functions of T, P and clay content, w. These functions, crossing several transition regions, were significantly different for the amorphous PS than for the semicrystalline PA-6. The isobaric PS plots of K and α vs. T detected secondary transitions at T β /T g = 0.9 ± 0.1 and at T c / Tg = 1.2 ± 0.1. Addition of clay severely affected the vitreous phase (physical aging). In PA-6 systems the behavior was distinctly different than in PS, viz. κ = K (T) followed a similar function across the melting zone, while α = α(T) dependencies were dramatically different for the solid and molten phase. The theoretical functions in reduced variables κ= κP * = κ(T, P); α= aT * = α(T,P) provided good basis for explanation of the observed dependencies.
Ingested mineral fibers: elimination in human urine

Sediment in human urine examined by transmission electron microscopy contains amphibole fibers which originate from the ingestion of drinking water contaminated with these mineral fibers. The ingestion of filtered water results in the eventual disappearance of amphibole fibers from urine. These observations provide the first direct evidence for the passage of mineral fibers through the human gastro-intestinal mucosa under normal conditions of the alimentary canal.
State Policy Innovation in Perspective: Courts, Legislatures, and Education Finance Reform

Why and when courts will change policy has been the subject of significant scholarly attention, but there has been little effort to integrate this research within the existing research of determina...
T2‐weighted thin‐section imaging with the multislab three‐dimensional RARE technique

A novel three-dimensional (3D) RARE (rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement) sequence was implemented on a clinical imager. In this technique, multiple slabs are excited in the same way as in the multisection spin-echo sequence, and each slab is further phase encoded into eight sections along the section-slab direction. With a 16-echo RARE sequence, 128 excitations cover the 256 × 256 × 8 3D k space. With a TR of 2.500 msec, 10 slabs can be excited sequentially at each TR, yielding 80 sections in 5 minutes. Slabs were overlapped to give contiguous sections after discarding of the aliased sections at slab edges. This relatively fast sequence makes contiguous thin-section T2-weighted imaging possible, an impractical achievement with the much longer spin-echo method. Compared with 3D Fourier transform gradient-echo imaging, the sensitivity of 3D RARE sequences to magnetic susceptibility is reduced. The clinical potential of T2-weighted 3D imaging is illustrated with high-resolution brain, spine, and temporomandibular joint images.
Herpes Simplex Infections of the Nervous System

Dramatic progress has been made recently in diagnosing and treating herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). Advances in imaging technology have greatly enhanced our ability to diagnose the illness noninvasively. Acyclovir is of proven efficacy and is generally well-tolerated. The major clinical management problem is that the pathologic process in the brain is usually well-advanced before the patient presents, and the symptoms, particularly in newborns or infants, are often initially nonspecific. This, plus a too frequent failure to recognize the nature and seriousness of the process, results in further delay in diagnosis and treatment. Physicians need to develop an increased awareness of the early signs and symptoms of the presentation of HSVE, and of the imperative for early treatment.
Abstract 3205: Identification of senescence-inducing microRNAs in normal human epithelial cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are novel epigenetic regulators of eukaryotic gene expression and play key roles in many cellular processes. However, the contribution of miRNAs to replicative senescence remains largely unexplored. To understand the role of miRNA in replicative senescence of normal human epithelial cells, we examined the expression profiles of 847 miRNAs in non-senescent (young) and senescent (old) normal human oral keratinocytes (NHOKs). We identified 126 senescence-associated miRNAs (SA-miRs) whose expression was altered greater than 2-fold with senescence. Among SA-miRs, 117 miRNAs (93%) were up-regulated and 9 miRNAs (7%) were down-regulated in senescent NHOKs compared to non-senescent NHOKs. miR-137 and miR-668 were consistently up-regulated with senescence of three independent NHOK cultures and with ionizing irradiation, a premature senescence inducer of NHOKs. Overexpression of miR-137 and miR-668 significantly increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-gal) activity and senescence markers, p16INK4A and p53 in non-senescing NHOKs, indicating that they are senescence-inducing miRNAs. Furthermore, we found that these senescence-inducing miRNAs were frequently downregulated in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Since senescence is considered as a tumor suppressor mechanism, the newly identified senescence-inducing miRNAs need to be considered for therapeutic application for cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3205.
The ionization potential and electron affinity of PF and PF2

Abstract A highly accurate complete basis set ab initio study was performed with the target being to evaluate the ionization potential and the disputable electron affinity values for PF and PF 2 . To demonstrate the accuracy of this method, both the ionization potential and the electron affinity for phosphorus and fluorine atoms were calculated and compared with the experimental data. For both PF and PF 2 , an identical electron affinity of 0.72 eV was suggested.
Human Isoionic Hemoglobin: Preparation and Kinetic Properties

Abstract Much of the data on hemoglobin-gas interactions which have accumulated in the literature is difficult to interpret because the hemoglobin preparations contained extraneous ligands and salts. In order to obtain hemoglobin which is completely free of 2, 3-DPG and other ionic substances, we have developed a method for isolating isoionic hemoglobin. These data serve as a baseline against which other data obtained with added ligands and salts can be compared. Specifically, isoionic hemoglobin had these properties: Second-order rate constant for combination with 02: 2.2 × 107 M−1S−1; p50 at 20[ddot] was 0.87mm Hg at heme concentration of 10−4 M.
Electric Field-Enhanced Coalescence of Liquid Drops

Abstract A fundamental understanding of drop coalescence and growth is of importance to separations and materials processing. Under external driving forces, drops dispersed in an immiscible fluid collide and coalesce with each other due to their relative motion. As a result of drop coalescence, the average drop size in the dispersion increases over time, improving the separation process. Collision and coalescence of spherical, conducting drops bearing no net charge in dilute, homogeneous dispersions are considered theoretically under conditions where drop motion results from gravity settling and electric field-induced attraction. A trajectory analysis is used to follow the relative motion of two drops and predict pairwise collision rates. A population dynamics equation is then solved to predict the time evolution of the size distribution and the average size of drops. The results show that the rate of drop collision and growth can be increased significantly by applying an electric field, in accord with fu...
Biomechanical strength versus spinal trabecular bone strucure assessed using contact radiography and texture analysis

Cubic specimens (N equals 26, 12 mm multiplied by 12 mm multiplied by 12 mm) of human vertebrae were cut along three orthogonal anatomical orientations, i.e. superior-inferior (SI), medial-lateral (MI) and anterior-posterior (AP). Contact radiographs of the bone cubes along these orientations were obtained and digitized using a laser scanner with a pixel size of 50 mm. A standardized digital image processing procedure was designed to assess trabecular bone structure. Global gray level thresholding and local thresholding algorithms were used to extract the trabecular bone network. Apparent trabecular bone fraction (ABV/TV), apparent trabecular thickness (I.Th), mean intercept separation (I.Sp), and number of nodes (N.Nd) were measured from the extracted trabecular network. Box counting based fractal dimension (Fr.D) of the trabecular bone pattern was also measured. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) was then used to obtain bone mineral density (BMD). The specimens were further tested in compression along the same orthogonal orientations, and the corresponding Young's modulus (YM) were calculated. Paired t-test showed that the mean value of texture parameters (except ABV/TV) and YM along the SI orientation were significantly different (p less than 0.05) from those along the ML and AP orientations. In comparison, the mean values along ML and AP orientations were not significantly different. Correlation coefficients from linear regression and non-parametric correlation between YM, BMD and texture parameters showed a wide range, but they differed depending on the orthogonal plane of radiographic projection and the direction of biomechanical testing. In conclusion, trabecular texture parameters correlated significantly with BMD and YM. Trabecular texture parameters reflect the anisotropy or trabecular structure.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Challenging the Carbon Star Dust Condensation Sequence: Anarchist C Stars

There have been several investigations of the evolution of the mid-infrared (IR) dust features in carbon star spectra based on IRAS LRS data, but these studies are somewhat contradictory. In order to understand these differences in interpretations and to develop an understanding of the carbon star dust sequence, we have reexamined 26 IRAS LRS spectra of carbon stars that have also been observed spectroscopically by ISO SWS. The low resolution and narrow wavelength coverage of the IRAS LRS data hinder determination of the effect of molecular absorptions in these spectra. This has led to incorrect estimations of the continuum levels in these spectra, which has a huge effect on the continuum-divided and continuum-subtracted spectra used to analyze trends in the shape, strength, and position of the mid-IR features. The higher resolution and broader wavelength coverage of the ISO data allow more accurate fitting of the underlying continuum. We have reassessed the trends in shape, strength, and position of the ~11 μm silicon carbide (SiC) feature and the apparent emergence of the ~9 μm feature. We find that there are no correlations between the spectral parameters. We also investigate whether any of these parameters correlate with the strength of the molecular bands; no correlation was found. Moreover, we show that the apparent 9 μm feature is probably an artifact. We discuss the implications of this study in terms of both a carbon star condensation sequence and the application of this study to the larger IRAS data set.
Comparative second harmonic generation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the UV creation and O2 healing of Ti3+ defects on (110) rutile TiO2 surfaces

SHG studies on polished and etched (110) rutile TiO2 single-crystal surfaces suggest that above band gap, low-energy (4.7 eV) ultraviolet photons create stable Ti3+ surface defects in UHV. Such defects can be healed by subsequently exposing the surface to O2 gas. These results are similar to recently reported measurements on polished and etched (001) rutile single-crystal surfaces. Observations on the (001) surfaces were interpreted as the photodesorption and re-adsorption of molecular oxygen bound loosely to Ti3+ defects on the surface as a Ti4+:O−2 complex. For the current (110) study, XPS was used to confirm the defect type and to quantify the density of Ti3+ defects created. Defects on the surfaces studied using XPS were generated using photons of even lower energy (3.4 eV), indicating that the oxygen species removed was very loosely bound. The same defect creation and healing processes were also observed on a nearly defect-free thermally annealed single-crystal surface using XPS. Whether bridging oxygen ions on the (110) surface or O−2 ions are the photo-labile species has yet to be determined. Transient photodesorption of O2 at high oxygen pressure also was observed using SHG. SHG has proven to be a sensitive probe of surface defects, consistent with XPS results, under conditions ranging from UHV to atmospheric.
Effects of intelligence on the speed and frequency of problem solution in concept learning

The relationship of intelligence to speed and frequency of problem solution in concept learning was evaluated. Differences in intelligence were found to predict the frequency but not the speed of concept solution in mediated learning. No relationship between intelligence and speed or frequency of concept solution was found in nonmediated learning.
Calculating a potential increase in hospital margin for elective surgery by changing operating room time allocations or increasing nursing staffing to permit completion of more cases: a case study.

Administrators routinely seek to increase contribution margin (revenue minus variable costs) to better cover fixed costs, provide indigent care, and meet other community service responsibilities. Hospitals with high operating room (OR) utilizations can allocate OR time for elective surgery to surgeo
Local application of platelet-activating factor induces cervical ripening accompanied by infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in rats.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of locally applied platelet-activating factor on cervical ripening and leukocyte infiltration. Study Design: Timed-pregnant rats were treated vaginally twice each day on days 14 and 15 of gestation with platelet-activating factor 5 × 10−8 mol/L (low-dose), 5 × 10−7 mol/L (high-dose), or solvent and were killed on day 16. Cervical ripening was assessed by cervical resistance-to-stretch and light-induced autofluorescence of cross-linked collagen. Longitudinal sections of the cervix were hematoxylin and eosin stained, and the number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in eight high-power fields was determined. Results: Cervical resistance-to-stretch and light-induced autofluorescence were decreased in rats that were treated with high-dose platelet-activating factor compared with controls (0.4375 ± 0.0126 N/mm vs 0.5528 ± 0.0294 N/mm, and 2.739 ± 0.150 N/mm vs 3.475 ± 0.236 N/mm; P
Emergy and co-emergy

Abstract We introduce a method of calculating emergy that requires only ordinary algebra without any reliance on special rules to account for co-production. This is accomplished by using an intermediate computation “co-emergy”, and treating co-production as a problem of scale. In addition, we compare emergy calculations using inputs to the system with emergy calculations using what was used up in the system. It is shown that this can lead to slightly different results. We show how these methods can be used to compute emergy in systems at steady state, with imports and exports and with changes in stocks. These techniques allow direct comparison of competitive species, industries, or technologies using standard methods of linear algebra. It also enables us to include the efficiencies of various processes explicitly, which can help in the formulation and testing of conjectures about the relationships between emergy and local and system-wide efficiencies.
A Matrix Method for the Design of Relay Circuits

IN THIS PAPER we shall be concerned first with multiple-output combinational relay switching circuits, that is, circuits which may be represented symbolically as in Fig. 1. The n coils X1, X2, ?, Xn determine respectively the conditions x1, x2, ?, xn of the contacts in the box. We call x1, x2, ?, xn the input variables of the circuit. The output variables are the interconnections between the terminals 1, 2, ?, p resulting from energization of certain of the coils. It is assumed that the coils are controlled independently of the circuitry in the box. It is this absence of feedback that makes the circuit ?combinational.?
Conformation of the TAR RNA-arginine complex by NMR spectroscopy

The messenger RNAs of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) have an RNA hairpin structure, TAR, at their 5' ends that contains a six-nucleotide loop and a three-nucleotide bulge. The conformations of TAR RNA and of TAR with an arginine analog specifically bound at the binding site for the viral protein, Tat, were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Upon arginine binding, the bulge changes conformation, and essential nucleotides for binding, U23 and A27.U38, form a base-triple interaction that stabilizes arginine hydrogen bonding to G26 and phosphates. Specificity in the arginine-TAR interaction appears to be derived largely from the structure of the RNA.
Enhancing wireless medical telemetry through dynamic spectrum access

Wireless Medical Telemetry Systems (WMTS) currently operate on FCC designated bands for transmitting critical patient health information to distant receivers within hospitals. However, the current devices experience intermittent interference from digital TV transmissions in neighboring channels; are prohibited from transmitting multimedia data; and must operate with a secondary access priority in portions of the WMTS band, also shared with utility metering. We propose a fundamentally new communication paradigm for medical telemetry through dynamic spectrum access technology that adheres to the access rules in the WMTS band, and yet addresses the above concerns. The contributions of the paper are as follows: (i) we undertake a spectrum measurement study at hospital locations in the Boston area to model spectrum usage and activities in the medical band, (ii) we formulate the channel and power allocation task as an optimization problem under constrains of permissible electromagnetic interference to sensitive medical equipment, and latency, bandwidth thresholds of the medical data. Simulation results reveal the potential benefit of the use of dynamic spectrum access to improve medical telemetry and promises long-term improvement in the healthcare domain.
Nitrite-NO bailout for a NOS complex too big to fail.

Cellular production of nitric oxide (NO) by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the face of limiting pools of arginine requires the intracellular citrulline-to-NO pathway, catalyzed by the enzyme argininosuccinate lyase (ASL). People with the urea cycle disorder argininosuccinic aciduria, caused by a deficiency of ASL, have systemic NO deficiency, which can be rescued by the use of an alternative, NOS-independent, nitrite-to-NO pathway.
ON ISOMETRIC STABILITY OF COMPLEMENTED SUBSPACES OF Lp

We show that the Rudin-Plotkin isometry extension theorem inL pimplies that whenX andY are isometric subspaces ofL pandp is not an even integer, 1≤p<∞, thenX is complemented inL pif and only ifY is; moreover, the constants of complementation ofX andY are equal. We provide examples demonstrating that this fact fails whenp is an even integer larger than 2.
Histone deacetylase inhibitor FK228 is a potent inducer of human fetal hemoglobin

We investigated the induction of the human fetal globin gene using five potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors: FK-228, HC-Toxin, Trichostatin, MS-275, and Apicidin, using in vitro assays and cultures of primary human erythroblasts. The results showed that FK228 is the most potent inducer of fetal hemoglobin and exhibits its effects in picomolar concentrations. FK228 should be considered as a potential therapeutic for induction of fetal hemoglobin in patients with beta chain hemoglobinopathies.
Comparison of Four ChIP-Seq Analytical Algorithms Using Rice Endosperm H3K27 Trimethylation Profiling Data

Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput DNA Sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for genome wide profiling of the binding sites of proteins associated with DNA such as histones and transcription factors. However, no peak calling program has gained consensus acceptance by the scientific community as the preferred tool for ChIP-Seq data analysis. Analyzing the large data sets generated by ChIP-Seq studies remains highly challenging for most molecular biology laboratories.Here we profile H3K27me3 enrichment sites in rice young endosperm using the ChIP-Seq approach and analyze the data using four peak calling algorithms (FindPeaks, PeakSeq, USeq, and MACS). Comparison of the four algorithms reveals that these programs produce very different peaks in terms of peak size, number, and position relative to genes. We verify the peak predictions using ChIP-PCR to evaluate the accuracy of peak prediction of the four algorithms. We discuss the approach of each algorithm and compare similarities and differences in the results. Despite their differences in the peaks identified, all of the programs reach similar conclusions about the effect of H3K27me3 on gene expression. Its presence either upstream or downstream of a gene is predominately associated with repression of the gene. Additionally, GO analysis finds that a substantially higher ratio of genes associated with H3K27me3 were involved in multicellular organism development, signal transduction, response to external and endogenous stimuli, and secondary metabolic pathways than the rest of the rice genome.
Gonadal steroids regulate behavioral responses to pheromones by actions on a subdivision of the medial preoptic nucleus

Mating behavior in male hamsters is initiated by pheromones, detected by two chemosensory systems which converge on the medial nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Neurons in these areas project to the medial preoptic nucleus. All three of these areas contain androgen receptors. Using Fos as a marker of stimulation we have found that pheromones stimulate neurons in all three areas in intact males but fail to stimulate the magnocellular division of the medial preoptic nucleus of castrates. As this area plays a critical role in the regulation of male mating behavior our results suggest that steroids regulate mating by maintaining the responsiveness of the magnocellular division of the medial preoptic nucleus to pheromones.
Children's sensitivity to circular explanations.

The ability to evaluate the quality of explanations is an essential part of children’s intellectual growth. Explanations can be faulty in structural ways such as when they are circular. A circular explanation reiterates the question as if it were an explanation rather than providing any new information. Two experiments (N = 77) examined children’s preferences when faced with circular and noncircular explanations. The results demonstrate that a preference for noncircular explanations is present, albeit in a fragile form, by 5 or 6 years of age and that it appears robustly by 10 years of age. Thus, the ability to evaluate the quality of explanations based on structural grounds appears to develop rapidly during the elementary school years.
A political history of football in Iran

(2002). A political history of football in Iran. Iranian Studies: Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 371-402.
Mechanism‐based isocoumarin inhibitors for serine proteases: Use of active site structure and substrate specificity in inhibitor design

Isocoumarins are potent mechanism-based heterocyclic irreversible inhibitors for a variety of serine proteases. Most serine proteases are inhibited by the general serine protease inhibitor 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, whereas isocoumarins containing hydrophobic 7-acylamino groups are potent inhibitors for human leukocyte elastase and those containing 7-alkylureidogroups are inhibitors for procine pancreatic elastase. Isocoumarins containing basic side chains that resemble arginine are potent inhibitors for trypsin-like enzymes. A number of 3-alkoxy-4-chloro-7-guanidinoisocoumarins are potent inhibitors of bovine thrombin, human factor Xa, human factor XIa, human factor XIIa, human plasma kallikrein, porcine pancreatic kallikrein, and bovine trypsin. Another cathionic derivative, 4-chloro-3-(2-isothiureidoethoxy) isocoumarin, is less reactive toward many of these enzymes but is an extremely potent inhibitor of human plasma kallikrein. Several guanidinoisocoumarins have been tested as anticoagulants in human plasma and are effective at prolonging the prothrombin time. The mechanism of inhibition by this class of heterocyclic inactivators involves formation of an acyl enzyme by reaction of the active site serine with the isocoumarin carbonyl group. Isocoumarins with 7-amino or 7-guanidino groups will then decompose further to quinone imine methide intermediates, which react further with an active site residue (probably His-57) to form stable inhibited enzyme derivatives. Isocoumarins should be useful in further investigations of the physiological function of serine proteases and may have future therapeutic utility for the treatment of emphysema and coagulation disorders.