cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demonstrating Farrowing Alternatives for Small-Farms:Insulated Tents for Sows and Pigs, Project Summary

Farmers raising pigs for niche markets are usually prohibited from using farrowing crates and must provide bedding and greater space per sow than typical commodity production. Because current consumer expectations dictate that pigs be produced year-round, crate-free farrowing options for cold weather are necessary and many niche pork companies will not accept new producers into their program unless they agree to farrow pigs during winter months. Several crate-free farrowing systems for cold weather have been demonstrated in Iowa, however those alternatives generally require a permanent, well-insulated structure and/or tremendous amounts of energy to provide a suitable environment for the newborn pig. Beginning farmers often struggle to include livestock on their farms due to lack of investment capital and long-term leases or other forms of land permanency. A yurt is a circular (7.3 m diameter), insulated tent which might be suitable for farrowing small groups of pigs. Over the course of 2 years, four groups of 4 sows were farrowed in a modified yurt at the Allee Demonstration Farm, Newell Iowa. Ambient temperature within the yurt was consistently 10–15°C warmer than the outside temperature during winter farrowings. Thermal conditions were more variable in the summer and pre-wean mortality was 10% higher during summer farrowings than in winter. Pre-wean mortality rates were larger than typical in the U.S. Pork Industry, but were similar to other crate-free farrowing systems. The yurt is a semi-permanent modular structure that can be modified to farrow small groups of pigs. Wide-spread adoption of commercially manufactured yurts for farrowing pigs in Iowa is unlikely, but the pig management strategies and techniques developed during the course of this project will inform the continued on-farm refinement of crate-free farrowing systems for cold weather.
THE INFLUENCE OF LOAD PARAMETERS ON PRESSURE DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE HUMAN HIP JOINT

ABSTRACT Many researchers have investigated the mechanical behavior of articular cartilage in attempts to analyze the normal bearing action of synovial joints as a prerequisite to understanding the etiology of their failure in osteoarthritis. Most of the studies have been limited to descriptions of the viscoelastic behavior of isolated specimens, usually small plugs, of articular cartilage removed from the global synovial geometry that is so important to its behavior. The distribution of pressure across the intact joint is equally important in determining the state of local stress in the cartilage layer in situ. Using a instrumented Moore prosthesis and a hydraulically powered and computer-controlled hip simulator, a wide range of physiological loads can be applied to human hips in vitro . The resulting pressure distributions can be measured directly and examined for temporal and spatial variations and similarities under a variety of conditions. Previous work has demonstrated the influence of the cartilage geometry and shape on the resulting pressure distributions (Rushfeldt 1978). This work examines the influence of load variations on the pressures. Both the magnitude and direction of the load vector are important determinants of the resulting pressure distributions. The characteristic shape of the pressure distributions is greatly influenced by the magnitude of the load, as are the maximum and average pressures measured. Similarly, variations in the direction of the load vector have a great effect, not only on the shape of the pressure distributions, but also on the magnitudes of the maximum and average pressures as the contact area changes. Since both the magnitude and direction of the resultant load across the hip joint vary considerably during normal motion, as influenced by geometrical congruence accommodation (Tepic 1980), the contractile pattern of the numerous muscles across the joint, and dynamic inertial forces, as well as from subject-to-subject due to skeletal (ab)normalities, the stresses experienced by the cartilage during its life are a complex function of biological, physiological, and mechanical variables. The normal functioning of synovial joints would appear to depend upon a delicate equilibrium, subject to the constraints of joint geometry and function. Perhaps some deviation from the phylogenetic and ontogenetic “design” conditions can be tolerated and compensated, while significant variations lead to failure of the physiological bearing, characterized by osteoarthritis.
Design and Experimental Evaluation of a High Specific Power Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine

As a learning step to gain experience in designing high specific power electric machines for demanding applications such as aircraft propulsion, this paper presents research results in the design, fabrication, and experimental testing of a scaled-down 300-kW electric machine. With advanced structure and materials, this machine achieves an active-material specific power of 14.4 kW/kg and an electromagnetic efficiency of 99.2% under full load condition using finite element analysis. The mechanical integrity of the rotor is fully validated at the rated speed of 17, 000 rpm in finite element analysis. The fabricated machine prototype is mounted onto a 350-hp dynamometer for comprehensive performance characterization. The efficiency of the machine prototype is mapped based on the experimental measurements under various operating conditions. In this paper, the electromagnetic analysis, trade-offs at the design stage, mechanical stability considerations, and experimental testing results are summarized and presented in detail.
Associations between sleep and episodic memory updating.

Prior research shows that contextual reminders can reactivate hippocampal links to previously consolidated memories, rendering them susceptible to being updated with new information which then is reconsolidated. Studies implicate sleep in the reconsolidation of reactivated memories, but it is unknown what role sleep plays in updating of a previously consolidated trace with new information. We tracked participants' sleep during an episodic reconsolidation paradigm, first with actigraphy (Experiment 1) then with polysomnography (Experiment 2). Our paradigm involved two learning sessions and a retrieval session, each separated by 48 hr. We reminded participants of the first learning experience immediately prior to the second, which led them to update the earlier memory with elements of the later experience. In Experiment 1, less sleep after Session 1 and more sleep after Session 2 are associated with increased updating. In Experiment 2, N2 sleep spindles (SSs) after the reminder and new learning are associated with more updating, but primarily when spindle activity after Session 1 is low. Thus, total sleep time and N2 SSs contribute to sleep-dependent updating of episodic memory. This outcome is consistent with other work connecting SS activity to the integration of novel information into existing knowledge structures, extended here with the study of how variations in sleep over successive nights contribute to this process. We discuss some possible roles of spindles in the decontextualization of hippocampal memory over time. Although much work addresses the role of sleep in the consolidation of new memories, this work uniquely addresses the contribution of sleep to the updating of a previously consolidated trace with new information.
Volatile Organic Compound Emissions From Heated Synthetic Hair: A Pilot Study.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted from a variety of household and personal care products. Many VOCs are known to be potentially toxic or carcinogenic. Synthetic hair is used in hair-sty...
Flomosys: A Flood Monitoring System

The expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to numerous innovations in the industry, including improvements to existing systems. Disaster prevention and monitoring systems are a prime example of such systems. Every year, there are significant and preventable financial losses, not to mention the safety hazards caused by floods. To warn people ahead of time, we can deploy low-power wireless sensor nodes to send readings across any terrain to a cloud platform, which can perform pattern analysis, prediction, and alert forwarding to anyone’s cellular device. In this paper, we propose Flomosys, a low-cost, low-power, secure, scalable, reliable, and extensible IoT system for monitoring creek and river water levels. Although there are multiple competing solutions to help mitigate this problem, Flomosys fills a niche not covered by existing solutions. Flomosys can be built inexpensively with off-the-shelf components and scales across vast territories at a low cost per sensor node. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of this system as well as real-world test results.
66. A NOVEL MILESTONE-BASED SHIFT ASSESSMENT TOOL OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE (PEM) FELLOWS

Background Feedback is critical in training PEM fellows but often difficult in the emergency department (ED). We identified a need to develop a milestone-based feedback form to assess fellows’ performance after an ED shift. Objectives: Describe the development and implementation of an ED shift assessment tool including the frequency of assessments completed. Methods Using qualitative and quantitative data, a formative assessment tool was developed through a consensus survey completed by PEM faculty. We developed an on-demand feedback form on REDCapTM using the high-scored milestones results from the survey. After a 4-week pilot, the tool was implemented on smartphones from July 1-December 31, 2019. We used convenience sampling with the following steps: 1) fellow chose a milestone to be evaluated and submitted a request to a faculty member for feedback, 2) the faculty received an email in real-time to complete the form. Then, the fellow received an email with relative real-time feedback. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and partially applying open axial & selective coding procedures using grounded theory principles. Results Twenty-two (68.8%) faculty completed the consensus survey. Ten milestones scored as “Very Important” for the assessment tool with those related to Patient Care (PC) domain scoring the highest. Barriers to feedback included time management, faculty training, and difficulty in direct fellow observation. Fellows completed 57 assessments, and 17 faculty members provided feedback 46 times. The majority (52.6%) of assessments were completed by 1st year fellows. PC 4 was the most common milestone selected by fellows. Fellows most often self-assessed at an expected level of training, whereas faculty rated more favorably (expected level: 76.1%, above level: 23.9%). Conclusions The shift assessment tool was well-received by PEM faculty and fellows. We plan to investigate the impact of this tool in its practical value in providing formative feedback to our fellows as well as ways to improve this tool.
Azithromycin Suppresses Lipopolysaccharide Induced Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Injury Mediated by Microglia

Purpose of Study: There is a critical lack of information regarding the prevention and treatment of inflammation-induced brain injury in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPC) are the major cellular target of brain damage in VLBW infants during the critical period of injury. Our previous in vitro studies showed that the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced damage to OPCs was mediated by microglia. Macrolides inhibit the inflammatory response from systemic immune cells; whether they also inhibit the inflammatory response from microglia (the immune cells …
COSMIC EVOLUTION OF STAR FORMATION IN TYPE-1 QUASAR HOSTS SINCE z = 1

We present Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph observations of a complete sample of 57 Sloan Digital Sky Survey type-1 quasars at z ~ 1. Aromatic features at 6.2 and/or 7.7 μm are detected in about half of the sample and show profiles similar to those seen in normal galaxies at both low and high redshift, indicating a star formation origin for the features. Based on the ratio of aromatic to star formation infrared (SFIR) luminosities for normal star-forming galaxies at z ~ 1, we have constructed the SFIR luminosity function (LF) of z ~ 1 quasars. As we found earlier for low-redshift Palomar-Green (PG) quasars, these z ~ 1 quasars show a flatter SFIR LF than do z ~ 1 field galaxies, implying the quasar host galaxy population has on average a higher star formation rate (SFR) than the field galaxies do. As measured from their SFIR LF, individual quasar hosts have on average LIRG-level SFRs, which mainly arise in the circumnuclear regions. By comparing with similar measurements of low-redshift PG quasars, we find that the comoving SFIR luminosity density in quasar hosts shows a much larger increase with redshift than that in field galaxies. The behavior is consistent with pure density evolution since the average SFR and the average SFR/BH accretion rate in quasar hosts show little evolution with redshift. For individual quasars, we have found a correlation between the aromatic-based SFR and the luminosity of the nuclear radiation, consistent with predictions of some theoretical models. We propose that type-1 quasars reside in a distinct galaxy population that shows elliptical morphology but that harbors a significant fraction of intermediate-age stars and is experiencing intense circumnuclear star formation.
Coffee, Donuts, and Contracts: The Community Interplay of Business and Government Agencies and the Execution of Public Policy

Although management studies suggest that firms seek to enhance their outcomes by influencing government officials, evidence on the efficacy of their efforts is mixed. We propose that these inconsistent findings could result in part from research that has overlooked the role of the administrative state and how local community relations between firms and government agencies influence the implementation of government policy. Using government contract data from the United States Department of Defense, we examine how community embeddedness between firms and government agencies influences the outcomes of firms by increasing information exchange and enhancing rapport between firms’ employees and agency officials. The findings show that when firms and the contracting office are located in the same community (co-located), the relative size of awarded contracts increases; the results also reveal that this effect varies depending on the geographic distance between the firm and government agency, the similarity of community logics, and agency discretion.
A Spatial Approach for Ending the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Epidemic for the United States-A DC Model.

BACKGROUND Mode of transmission-based hotspots is a smart approach to HIV mitigation, yet remains poorly evaluated and implemented in the United States. The primary aim was to identifying mode of transmission-based hotspots and populations at risk of lower viral suppression to assist in targeted planning and implementation of programs. METHODS We implemented spatial statistics to identify global-local hotspots and regression analysis to find populations at risk of lower viral suppression within hotspots. Data were obtained from the District of Columbia's (DC's) active surveillance system, which were geocoded based on current residence address. RESULTS The analysis identified 6001 HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) and 6077 HIV-positive non-MSM (N = 12 078) living in DC at the end of 2018. The hotspots for MSM were central DC and non-MSM in south DC. Trends of viral suppression within MSM hotspots showed plateauing and, among non-MSM, showed decline. Regression analysis showed MSM aged 21-25 (RR: 3.199; 95% CI: 1.832-5.586) and not linked to care (8.592; 2.907-25.398) were at higher risk of being virally unsuppressed within the hotspots. For non-MSM we found those aged 12-18 (9.025; 3.314-2.581) and with unknown linkages (6.087; 3.346-13.848) were at higher risk of being virally unsuppressed within the hotspots. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis provides a model that may be used by other jurisdictions to identify areas of priority and plan treatment-adherence programs using surveillance data. Attaining viral suppression is crucial in reducing new diagnoses; a spatial approach can be an important tool in Ending the HIV Epidemic.
Integrating traditional practices into allopathic medicine

Although the popularity and demand for traditional medicine (TM) in Western countries has increased dramatically in the last several decades, allopathic healthcare practitioners in developed nations have largely avoided TM due to a lack of scientific evidence and controlled clinical trials supporting it. Unfortunately, the Western medical community’s aversion to TM has resulted in a lack of appreciation for its many supposed benefits and is representative of a challenge towards maintaining a high quality of care. The failure to recognize and integrate TM into modern medical practices can lead to adverse effects, such as dangerous drug-herb interactions due to the mixing of incompatible herbs and pharmaceuticals, and a deterioration of the patient-centered model of care due to the lack of TM communication between patients and practitioners. This paper seeks to investigate the current state of traditional medicine in American health care and policy, examine the factors that drive miscommunication between patients and practitioners and introduce solutions that can be implemented to address existing challenges. In addition, this paper highlights successful examples of integration of traditional and modern medicine systems in developing countries, which can serve as a model for the United States.
MRI Evaluation of Various Elbow, Forearm, and Wrist Neuropathies: A Pictorial Review.

Upper extremity entrapment neuropathies are common and can cause pain, sensory loss, and muscle weakness leading to functional disability. We conducted a retrospective review from January 2007 until March 2020 of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of intrinsic and extrinsic causes of wrist, forearm, and elbow neuropathies of 637 patients who received a diagnosis of neuropathy by means of clinical and electrodiagnostic testing. We discuss cases with varying intrinsic and extrinsic nerve pathologies, including postoperative examples, affecting the median, radial, and ulnar nerve. Our collection of cases demonstrates a diversity of intrinsic and extrinsic causative factors. Intrinsic pathologies include neuritis as well as tumors arising from the nerve. Extrinsic causes resulting in nerve entrapment include masses, acute and chronic posttraumatic cases, anatomical variants, inflammatory and crystal deposition, calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, and dialysis-related amyloidosis. Finally, we review postsurgical cases, such as carpal tunnel release and ulnar nerve transposition. Although upper extremity neuropathies tend to have a typical clinical presentation, imaging, particularly MRI, plays a vital role in evaluating the etiology and severity of each neuropathy and ultimately helps guide clinical management.
Neighboring Group Participation: General Principles and Application to Sulfur-Centered Reactive Species

There are many ways in which a substituent can affect the reactivity of a functional group, such as electronic effects (resonance, hyperconjugation, inductive, and field effects), steric effects, conformational effects, and neighboring group participation. This review focuses on one of these ways: neighboring group participation.1
The Globular Cluster and Horizontal Branch Content of the Bulge and Halo

The radial variations (“gradients”) of three properties of the horizontal branch (hereafter HB) across the transition region (“edge”) between Halo and Bulge place modest constraints on the early history of these regions and possible interactions between them. The extant data are fragmentary, and the conclusions correspondingly uncertain. The observables are HB morphology, heavy element abundance, and space density. The data base is constrained by sampling techniques. According to current dogma HB stars are descendents of low-mass stars that grow degenerate He cores during post-main sequence evolution, so they are old. Unfortunately, we cannot sample the whole HB. In most parts of the Galaxy our knowledge of the field HB is limited to those species that are amenable to discovery by simple survey techniques, namely, the BHB and RR Lyr components. This is an annoyance, because it is the total HB that traces the density of its parent population (Preston, Shectman, and Beers 1991a) and the RHB component must be inferred by indirect methods. Furthermore, well above the Galactic plane, where nearly all searches have been conducted (see Preston et al 1991a for references), these two species occur only in that subset of the population for which [Fe/H]<-0.8 [a generalization, incidentally, that does not apply to RR Lyr stars in the solar neighborhood (Preston 1959) or in the Bulge (Walker & Terndrup 1991)]. So, bear in mind that our deductions flow from an incomplete sampling of the metal-poor component of the HB. Finally, by “edge” of the Bulge I refer to the intuitive boundary seen in maps of IRAS 12–25 micron point sources (Habing et al 1985, Harmon and Gilmore 1988) or, equivalently, to the FWHM of the areal distribution of M-giants (Blanco & Terndrup 1989), which define an elliptical region of enhanced density with axis ratio c/a ~ 0.7 and characteristic dimension ~ 1 kpc. I leave the assessment of Weinberg’s (1992) recent counter view to others at this symposium.
Client/Server Data Access With Java and XML

This text covers the following topics and discusses not only what they are and how to program, but also how different and competing technologies can work together: Java database access; JDBC, JSQL, ODMG mapping; object transaction processing; Microsoft's Viper, IBM's BOSS, BEA's Tuxedo/Iceberg; Java ORBS like JavaSoft's RMI, Visigenic's Java 3.0, JavaSoft's JOE, and DCOM for Java Web Database Access; Dynamic HTML, DataApplets, Data Beans, and Visual JavaScript; Java agents for database access; and mobile agents and data agents. There are also benchmarks and tests featuring tools from Sun, Symantec, IBM, Netscape, Oracle and Microsoft, General Magic and Visigenic.
Polypoid spindle-cell carcinoma (pleomorphic carcinoma). Report of a case occurring on tongue and review of the literature

A case of spindle-cell carcinoma (pleomorphic carcinoma), a rare polypoid tumor of the tongue, is reported. The characteristic clinical, gross, and microscopic features of this peculiar lesion and its common sites of location are presented. Origin and pathogenesis of the sarcoma-like elements of the lesion are discussed and the literature on the subject is reviewed. Sites of apparent transition between the spindle cell elements of the tumor and the overlying epithelium were observed in light microscopic sections, and the electron micrographs of the spindle-cell portion of the lesion demonstrated the presence of tonofilaments and desmosomes in many tumor cells. These findings support the concept that this group of lesions are pleomorphic variants of squamous-cell carcinoma with predominantly spindle-cell pattern. Current evidence in the literature also suggests that metaplastic transformation of the tumor cells into mesenchymal elements may take place in some of these lesions, and that "metaplastic carcinoma" may probably be a more proper designation for them.
13 Gene Transfer Systems for Obligately Anaerobic Thermophilic Bacteria

Publisher Summary This chapter explains methodological aspects of developing gene transfer methods with an emphasis on adapting microbiology protocols for use with these thermophilic anaerobes. Gene transfer protocols developed for C. thermocellum, T. saccharolyticum and T. thermosaccharolyticum are reported, and information relevant to developing such protocols for the hyperthermophilic species Thermotoga maritima and Thermotoga neapolitana are discussed. Most gene transfer protocols for Gram-positive bacteria developed in the past decade, and all such protocols for the organisms addressed in this chapter are based on ET. Optimization of ET conditions is undertaken for each particular strain. Biological variables that can impact ET efficiency include growth medium, conditions used for subculturing prior to pulse application, the temperature at which various manipulations (including ET and washing) are carried out, and handling, (including duration of incubation times) of washed cells prior to, during and after electric pulse application. Electrical variables that can impact ET efficiency include field strength and pulse shape, duration, and number of pulses. Two potentially useful plasmids are isolated from hyperthermophilic bacteria and are tested for use in genetic work: pMC24 from Tt. maritima and pRQ7 (isolated from the Azores).
Listeria monocytogenes Virulence Factors That Stimulate Endothelial Cells

Listeria monocytogenes infection of endothelial cells upregulates surface expression of adhesion molecules and stimulates neutrophil adhesion to infected cell monolayers. The experiments presented here tested the roles of specific bacterial virulence factors as triggers for this inflammatory phenotype and function. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers were infected with wild-type L. monocytogenes or L. monocytogenes mutants; then surface expression of E-selectin and neutrophil adhesion were measured. The results showed that delta hly and prfA mutants were the most crippled, requiring 100-fold more mutant bacteria than wild-type bacteria for analogous stimulation. By comparison, L. monocytogenes mutants with deletions of actA, inlA, inlB, inlAB, plcA, and plcB resembled their parent strains, and a delta plcA delta plcB mutant displayed decreased intracellular growth rate but only a minor decrease in stimulation of E-selectin or neutrophil adhesion. Other experiments showed that cytochalasin D-treated HUVEC monolayers bound bacteria, but internalization and increased surface E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression were profoundly inhibited. However, cytochalasin D had no effect on the HUVEC response to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor alpha. These data suggest that listeriolysin O production by infecting L. monocytogenes contributes to increased expression of surface E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1, but neither it nor intracellular replication are directly responsible for this event. Nonetheless it is possible that listeriolysin O potentiates the effect(s) of an other molecule(s) that directly triggers this response. Additionally, cellular invasion by L. monocytogenes appears to be critical for initiating the HUVEC response, potentially by providing a signal which results in upregulation of the necessary bacterial genes.
Nous in Aristotle's De Anima

I lay out and examine two sharply conflicting interpretations of Aristotle's claims about nous in the De Anima (DA). On the human separability approach, Aristotle is taken to have identified reasons for thinking that the intellect can, in some way, exist on its own. On the naturalist approach, the soul, including intellectual soul, is inseparable from the body of which it is the form. I discuss how proponents of each approach deal with the key texts from the DA, focusing on four of the most important and interesting topics in this area. Two of these topics concern the activity of understanding (noesis): first, what does Aristotle mean when he claims that the intellect cannot have a bodily organ and, secondly, what role does Aristotle think phantasmata (“images” or “representations”) play in understanding something? Two of the topics concern DA 3.5, one of the most difficult passages in Aristotle's corpus: first, what is the nature and role of the productive intellect (nous poietikos) introduced there and, secondly, what are this chapter's implications for the question of whether the intellect or intellectual soul can exist apart from the body? I conclude by identifying areas where further research is necessary.
Anti-herpesvirus activity of adenine arabinoside analogues in tissue culture and a genital infection of mice and guinea pigs

Four analogues of adenine arabinoside (ara-A) were compared for activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV) in tissue culture and in a genital infection of mice and guinea pigs. These analogues, 5'-monophosphate (ara-AMP), 5'-valerate ester (ara-AV), 2'3'-diacetate ester (ara-ADA), and 2',3',5'- triacetate ester (ara-ATA) have greater water and lipid solubility and resistance to deamination than ara-A. In mouse embryo fibroblast cells, similar viral inhibitory levels were noted with ara-A, AMP, and ara-Av, while ara-ADA and ara-ATA were 6-10 time less active. In mice infected intravaginally with HSV type 2 (HSV-2), intravaginal treatment with 10% concentrations of each of the compounds beginning 3 h after viral challenge, had no effect on infection rates, titers of virus in vaginal secretions, mortality rates or the mean day of death as compared with placebo-treated controls. In the HSV-2 genital infection of guinea pigs, treatment with 10% vaginal creams or placebo vehicle was initiated 6 or 24 h after viral inoculation. In animals treated at 6 h with ara-A, ara-AMP and ara-AV, there was complete inhibition of viral replication in the vaginal tract and development of external genital lesions. When treatment with these three drugs was delayed 24 h after infection, there was no effect on vaginal virus titers, but lesions severity was reduced by ara-A or ara-AMP therapy. Ara-ATA was ineffective whether begun at 6 or 24 h. The greater solubility in water and lipid as well as the resistance to deamination of ara-AMP and ara-AV did not appear to enhance their antiviral activity over that of ara-A. Additionally, ara-ADA and ara-ATA exhibited less activity both in tissue culture and in the experimental genital infections.
A sequential double-label autoradiographic method that quantifies altered rates of regional glucose metabolism.

An autoradiographic sequential double-label variant of the deoxyglucose method for measurement of local glucose utilization has been developed. This technique takes advantage of the short half-life of the positron emitter, LSF (t~ = 110 min) relative to that of I~C. Sequential injection of [lSF]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 14C-labeled FDG allows the production of two separable autoradiograms, each of which represents the same 20-/~m brain slice, but under potentially different cerebral metabolic states. We have used this technique to demonstrate that ibotenic acid-lesioned rat striatum is selectively refractory to the depressing effects of barbiturate anesthesia upon brain glucose utilization. The described method has applicability to the analysis of small changes in regional cerebral metabolism in localized brain regions and represents a solution to the problem of intersubject variability inherent in conventional approaches to the deoxyglucose method.
Measurement of the sodium concentration in CIGS solar cells via laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

The control of sodium in CIGS solar cells is critical to achieve high efficiency devices, but to date composition measurement techniques either cannot detect the sub-one atomic percent levels (for example, x-ray fluorescence (XRF)) or are expensive, time consuming, and destructive (examples include SIMS, XPS/ESCA). We employed an inexpensive, fast, and minimally destructive method to measure the concentration of sodium in CIGS solar cells fabricated at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI). Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used to determine the relative concentration of sodium. Two different analysis methods of the LIBS data were explored: the first assumes local thermal equilibrium (LTE) of the plasma and is calibration-free while the second employs comparison of relative peak heights after calibration to determine the concentration. Analysis is presented for solar cells produced on thin titanium foils where sodium fluoride is included in the deposition process to incorporate sodium into the CIGS layer.
Femtosecond optical Kerr shutter using lead-bismuth-gallium oxide glass

Abstract A femtosecond Kerr shutter was demonstrated using a lead–bismuth–gallate oxide glass. The optical gating time was measured to be less than 350 fs and the peak Kerr transmittance was found to be 2.3 times larger than that of the standard Kerr CS 2 liquid medium, giving nonlinear Kerr coefficient n 2 =4.4×10 −11 esu.
The prognostic significance of nocturnal gastric secretion in ulcer patients.

1. Total night gastric secretion was studied in 28 patients with duodenal ulcer and 15 controls; hourly studies were done in 13 patients with duodenal ulcer and nine controls. 2. The volume and acidity were significantly higher in the ulcer cases throughout the night. The majority of ulcer patients secreted more than 600 cubic centimeters of gastric fluid containing more than 1,000 milligrams of hydrochloric acid; whereas, most of the controls secreted less than 600 cubic centimeters of fluid and less than 1,000 milligrams of hydrochloric acid. 3. A direct relationship apparently exists between the severity of symptoms and the degree of nocturnal acidity. 4. In cases where multiple nocturnal aspirations reveal persistent extreme hyperacidity (above 3,000 milligrams of hydrochloric acid), medical management may be expected to fail. Such hyperacidity may afford an additional prognostic guide in the management of patients with duodenal ulcer.
Hypoxia in microscopic tumors.

Tumor hypoxia has been commonly observed in a broad spectrum of primary solid malignancies. Hypoxia is associated with tumor progression, increased aggressiveness, enhanced metastatic potential and poor prognosis. Hypoxic tumor cells are resistant to radiotherapy and some forms of chemotherapy. Using an animal model, we recently showed that microscopic tumors less than 1 mm diameter were severely hypoxic. In this review, models and techniques for the study of hypoxia in microscopic tumors are discussed.
Maternal family history of Alzheimer's disease predisposes to reduced brain glucose metabolism

Having a parent affected with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a risk factor for developing AD among cognitively normal subjects. We examined whether cognitively normal subjects with a parental family history of AD show cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRglc) reductions consistent with AD as compared with those without a family history and whether there are parent gender effects. Forty-nine 50- to 80-year-old normal subjects were examined who received clinical, neuropsychological, and 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-positron emission tomography examinations, including 16 subjects with a maternal (FHm) and eight with a paternal (FHp) family history of AD and 25 with no family history (FH(-)). FH groups were comparable for demographic and neuropsychological measures. As compared with both FH(-) and FHp groups, FHm subjects showed CMRglc reductions in the same regions as clinically affected AD patients, involving the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus, parietotemporal and frontal cortices, and medial temporal lobes (P < 0.05, corrected for multiple comparisons). These effects remained significant after accounting for possible risk factors for AD, including age, gender, education, apolipoprotein E genotype, and subjective memory complaints. No CMRglc differences were found between FHp and FH(-) subjects. This study shows a relationship between reduced CMRglc in AD-vulnerable brain regions and a maternal family history of AD in cognitively normal individuals.
Kelemen receives 2004 N. L. Bowen Award

Peter Kelemen received the Bowen Award, presented by the Volcanology, Geochemistry, and Petrology Section at the 2004 Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California, last December. The unabridged versions of this citation and response are available at http://vgp.agu.org/bowen04cit_kelemen.html.
A polycrystal plasticity model of strain localization in irradiated iron

Abstract At low to intermediate homologous temperatures, the degradation of structural materials performance in nuclear environments is associated with high number densities of nanometric defects produced in irradiation cascades. In polycrystalline ferritic materials, self-interstitial dislocations loops are a principal signature of irradiation damage, leading to a mechanical response characterized by increased yield strengths, decreased total strain to failure, and decreased work hardening as compared to the unirradiated behavior. Above a critical defect concentration, the material deforms by plastic flow localization, giving rise to strain softening in terms of the engineering stress–strain response. Flow localization manifests itself in the form of defect-depleted crystallographic channels, through which all dislocation activity is concentrated. In this paper, we describe the formulation of a crystal plasticity model for pure Fe embedded in a finite element polycrystal simulator and present results of uniaxial tensile deformation tests up to 10% strain. We use a tensorial damage descriptor variable to capture the evolution of the irradiation damage loop subpopulation during deformation. The model is parameterized with detailed dislocation dynamics simulations of tensile tests up to 1.5% deformation of systems containing various initial densities of irradiation defects. The coarse-grained simulations are shown to capture the essential details of the experimental stress response observed in ferritic alloys and steels. Our methodology provides an effective linkage between the defect scale, of the order of one nanometer, and the continuum scale involving multiple grain orientations.
Cytochrome P450-Mediated Epoxidation of 2-Aminothiazole-Based AKT Inhibitors: Identification of Novel GSH Adducts and Reduction of Metabolic Activation through Structural Changes Guided by in Silico and in Vitro Screening

A 2-aminothiazole derivative 1 was developed as a potential inhibitor of the oncology target AKT, a serine/threonine kinase. When incubated in rat and human liver microsomes in the presence of NADPH, 1 underwent significant metabolic activation on its 2-aminothiazole ring, leading to substantial covalent protein binding. Upon addition of glutathione, covalent binding was reduced significantly, and multiple glutathione adducts were detected. Novel metabolites from the in vitro incubates were characterized by LC-MS and NMR to discern the mechanism of bioactivation. An in silico model was developed based on the proposed mechanism and was employed to predict bioactivation in 23 structural analogues. The predictions were confirmed empirically for the bioactivation liability, in vitro, by LC-MS methods screening for glutathione incorporation. New compounds were identified with a low propensity for bioactivation.
Inhibition of adherence of Candida albicans to human epithelial cells.

A mannose-specific lectin, Concanavalin A, was used to pretreatCandida albicans before using the yeats in anin vitro adherence assay. Adherence to buccal cells was inhibited but could be restored by preincubation of the lectin with a specific haptenic sugar, a-D-methylmannopyranoside, prior in the assay but not by using D-galactose, D-ribose and D-raffinose, sugars which the lectin does not recognize.
Low NO Concentration Dependence of Reductive Nitrosylation Reaction of Hemoglobin

The reductive nitrosylation of ferric (met)hemoglobin is of considerable interest and remains incompletely explained. We have previously observed that at low NO concentrations the reaction with tetrameric hemoglobin occurs with an observed rate constant that is at least 5 times faster than that observed at higher concentrations. This was ascribed to a faster reaction of NO with a methemoglobin-nitrite complex. We now report detailed studies of this reaction of low NO with methemoglobin. Nitric oxide paradoxically reacts with ferric hemoglobin with faster observed rate constants at the lower NO concentration in a manner that is not affected by changes in nitrite concentration, suggesting that it is not a competition between NO and nitrite, as we previously hypothesized. By evaluation of the fast reaction in the presence of allosteric effectors and isolated β- and α-chains of hemoglobin, it appears that NO reacts with a subpopulation of β-subunit ferric hemes whose population is influenced by quaternary state, redox potential, and hemoglobin dimerization. To further characterize the role of nitrite, we developed a system that oxidizes nitrite to nitrate to eliminate nitrite contamination. Removal of nitrite does not alter reaction kinetics, but modulates reaction products, with a decrease in the formation of S-nitrosothiols. These results are consistent with the formation of NO2/N2O3 in the presence of nitrite. The observed fast reductive nitrosylation observed at low NO concentrations may function to preserve NO bioactivity via primary oxidation of NO to form nitrite or in the presence of nitrite to form N2O3 and S-nitrosothiols.
Caregiver Burden and Alcohol Use in a Community Sample

Little attention has been paid to the relationship between caregiver burden and alcohol use. It is important to examine the particular aspects of caregiver burden that most influence alcohol use. A mail survey was conducted using a representative sample of 998 employed Chicago residents who provided informal care for at least one person. Ordinary least squares regression models were computed to examine the relationship between caregiver burden and drinking outcomes. Findings suggest that caregivers who experience social and emotional burdens related to caregiving are at risk for problematic alcohol use and warrant attention from health care and mental health service professionals.
Prevention of type 2 diabetes: risk status, clinic, and community.

Although the idea of preventing type 2 diabetes has been articulated since the discovery of insulin, only in the past decade have clinical trials demonstrated that diabetes can be prevented or delayed. These trials found lifestyle intervention reduces diabetes incidence by over 50% and is more efficacious than metformin. Evidence from prevention trials comes from persons with “pre-diabetes” in which blood glucose levels are elevated but not yet in the diabetes range. In normoglycemic persons, lifestyle or drug intervention has little impact on diabetes incidence. Prevention programs are often conducted outside the clinical sector where participants’ glycemic status is usually unknown; these programs may include many normoglycemic participants, which greatly reduces cost-effectiveness. An economically sustainable system for diabetes prevention will require effective partnerships among the clinical sector, community-based lifestyle programs, and third-party payers to ensure that limited resources for diabetes prevention are focused on persons at high risk of diabetes.
Chemotherapy of vinyl chloride‐associated hepatic angiosarcoma

The use of systemic chemotherapy was studied in a group of four patients who had hepatic angiosarcoma in association with exposure to vinyl chloride. All of the patients received Adriamycin 60 mg/m2 i.v. q3-4 weeks and in three patients this was combined with Cytoxan 600 mg/m2 and methotrexate 20 mg/m2. Three patients had an objective response lasting four, nine, and ten months. One patient had stable disease for ten months. Responding patients maintained an excellent performance status during therapy. Following evidence of progressive disease, patients died in three, four, and six months. Survival from the time of diagnosis was 11, 13, 15 and 53+ months. Sufficient data are not available from these patients to recommend a specific drug or combination for use in hepatic angiosarcoma, but our data indicate that chemotherapy can improve quality and duration of survival.
The infrared spectra of HCOF and DCOF

Abstract This paper treats the infrared absorption spectra of HCOF and DCOF as observed from 500 cm −1 to 5000 cm −1 by means of a prism-grating spectrometer. Nine bands for HCOF (five of them fundamentals) and thirteen bands for DCOF (six of them fundamentals) have been resolved and are discussed. Analyses of bands of both molecules, mainly below 2500 cm −1 , have yielded the following average rotational constants in cm −1 : for HCOF, B ″ = 0.3673, A ″ - B ″ = 2.661; and for DCOF, B ″ = 0.3649, A ″ - B ″ = 1.806. By choosing the CH(CD) distance = 1.080 A and varying the CF, and CO distances and the FCO angle within the error limits set by the electron diffraction experiment, a set of rotational constants which agree with the above experimental set within the errors of the infrared experiment was calculated. Molecular parameters consistent with both electron diffraction and infrared measurements are: r (CH or CD) = 1.080 A, r (CF) = 1.3428 A, r (CO) = 1.1857 A, FCO (angle) = 122° 14′.
Conditional mutations of Salmonella typhimurium that are suppressed by anaerobic or aerobic environments

Abstract Mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium were isolated that grew on a minimal medium only in an aerobic environment or only in an anaerobic environment. Mutants that grew only anaerobically were induced by mutagens such as deoxybromouridine and deoxyiodouridine that promote AT → GC transitions whereas those that grew only aerobically were induced by mutagens such as N -methyl- N ′-nitro- N -nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) that promote GC → AT transitions. This mutagen selectivity and the ability of mutant strains to grow on minimal medium in one environment suggested that the changes in DNA occurred outside the coding regions of genes. These results provide a means to investigate the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to, or are restricted by, their environment.
Interaction Study between Digoxin and a Preparation of Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha)

Hawthorn, an herbal supplement, is currently being evaluated for the treatment of heart failure. The flavonoid components of hawthorn may be responsible for hawthorn's beneficial effects in the treatment of heart failure. However, these components may also affect P-glycoprotein function and cause interactions with drugs that are P-glycoprotein substrates, such as digoxin, which is also used to treat heart failure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effect of hawthorn on digoxin pharmacokinetic parameters. A randomized, crossover trial with 8 healthy volunteers was performed evaluating digoxin 0.25 mg alone (D) for 10 days and digoxin 0.25 mg with Crataegus special extract WS 1442 (hawthorn leaves with flowers; Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals) 450 mg twice daily (D + H) for 21 days. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed for 72 hours. There were no statistically significant differences in any measured pharmacokinetic parameters. The AUC0-infinity, Cmax-Cmin, Cmin, and renal clearance for the D group were 79 +/- 26 mcg.h/L, 1.4 +/- 0.7 mcg/L, 0.84 +/- 0.2 mcg/L, and 74 +/- 10 mL/min versus 73 +/- 20 mcg.h/L, 1.1 +/- 0.1 mcg/L, 0.65 +/- 0.2 mcg/L, and 81 +/- 22 mL/min for the D + H group, respectively (p > 0.05). Following 3 weeks of concomitant therapy, hawthorn did not significantly alter the pharmacokinetic parameters for digoxin. This suggests that both hawthorn and digoxin, in the doses and dosage form studied, may be coadministered safely.
Inverse Compton Scattering as the Source of Diffuse Extreme-Ultraviolet Emission in the Coma Cluster of Galaxies

We have examined the hypothesis that the majority of the diffuse EUV flux in the Coma Cluster is due to inverse Compton scattering of low-energy cosmic-ray electrons (0.16 < < 0.31 GeV) against the 3 K blackbody background. We present data on the two-dimensional spatial distribution of the EUV flux and show that these data provide strong support for a nonthermal origin for the EUV flux. However, we show that this emission cannot be produced by an extrapolation to lower energies of the observed synchrotron radio emitting electrons and that an additional component of low-energy cosmic-ray electrons is required.