cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
2-(4,5,6,7-Tetrafluorobenzimidazol-2-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1- H-imidazole-3-oxide-1-oxyl, a hydrogen-bonded organic quasi-1D ferromagnet.

The title radical (F4BImNN) is a stable nitronylnitroxide that forms hydrogen-bonded NH... ON chains in the solid state. The chains assemble the F4BImNN molecules to form stacked contacts between the radical groups, in a geometry that is expected to exhibit ferromagnetic (FM) exchange based on spin polarization (SP) models. The experimental magnetic susceptibility of F4BImNN confirms the expectation, showing 1-D Heisenberg chain FM exchange behavior over 1.8-300 K with an intrachain exchange constant of Jchain/k = +22 K. At lower temperatures, ac magnetic susceptibility and variable field heat capacity measurements show that F4BImNN acts as a quasi-1-D ferromagnet. The dominant ferromagnetic exchange interaction is attributable to overlap between spin orbitals of molecules within the hydrogen-bonded chains, consistent with the SP model expectations. The chains appear to be antiferromagnetically exchange coupled, giving cusps in the ac susceptibility and zero field heat capacity at lower temperatures. The results indicate that the sample orders magnetically at about 0.7 K. The magnetic heat capacity ordering cusp shifts to lower temperatures as external magnetic field increases, consistent with forming a bulk antiferromagnetic phase below a Neel temperature of TN(0) = 0.72 K, with a critical field of Hc approximately 1800 Oe. The interchain exchange is estimated to be zJ/k congruent with (-)0.1 K.
Perovskite-type oxides: Oxygen electrocatalysis and bulk structure

Perovskite type oxides were considered for use as oxygen reduction and generation electrocatalysts in alkaline electrolytes. Perovskite stability and electrocatalytic activity are studied along with possible relationships of the latter with the bulk solid state properties. A series of compounds of the type LaFe(x)Ni1(-x)O3 was used as a model system to gain information on the possible relationships between surface catalytic activity and bulk structure. Hydrogen peroxide decomposition rate constants were measured for these compounds. Ex situ Mossbauer effect spectroscopy (MES), and magnetic susceptibility measurements were used to study the solid state properties. X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to examine the surface. MES has indicated the presence of a paramagnetic to magnetically ordered phase transition for values of x between 0.4 and 0.5. A correlation was found between the values of the MES isomer shift and the catalytic activity for peroxide decomposition. Thus, the catalytic activity can be correlated to the d-electron density for the transition metal cations.
The effects of thrombus, thrombectomy and thrombolysis on endothelial function.

Abstract Objective: this study was undertaken to examine and compare the effects of thrombus, thrombectomy, and thrombolysis on endothelial function as measured by endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation (EDR). Methods: adult, male New Zealand white rabbits underwent ligation of the left common iliac to femoral artery to induce thrombosis and were then randomly assigned to one of five groups, n=6 in each. Group A consisted of ligation and thrombosis for 4 h. Group B underwent similar ligation for 4 h, but without intraluminal thrombus present. Following 4 h of ligation and thrombosis, Group C underwent thrombectomy while group D was treated with urokinase (UK), 4000 U/min for 30 min. Group E underwent UK infusion alone. The right external iliac artery served as control vessel in each group. All arteries were removed and endothelial function was determined by measuring EDR. Results: the presence of thrombus reduced EDR by 50% (group A) compared to control. Vessels with interrupted flow, but not exposed to thrombus, retained normal EDR (group B). Thrombectomy decreased EDR significantly (group C) compared to thrombolysis (group D) and control. UK did not significantly alter EDR (groups D, E).Conclusions: exposure of endothelium to thrombus significantly decreases EDR. EDR was not affected by interruption of blood flow in the absence of thrombus. Thrombectomy appeared to cause a further additive insult to the endothelium. In contrast, thrombolysis with UK preserved residual endothelial function. These data suggest that it is important to differentiate the effects of thrombus on endothelium from effects due to thrombectomy or thrombolysis when evaluating treatment modalities for arterial thrombosis.
Legislative Engagement at the Chapter Level: Tips for Getting Involved

Legislative and advocacy efforts of locally organized groups of nurses can affect local, state and national health care issues. Ways to get involved include participating in AWHONN chapter and section meetings, local health fairs and letter-writing campaigns.
Current/pressure transducer application of model-based prognostics using steady state conditions

Prognostics is the process of predicting a system's future states, health degradation/wear, and remaining useful life (RUL). This information plays an important role in preventing failure, reducing downtime, scheduling maintenance, and improving system utility. Prognostics relies heavily on wear estimation. In some components, the sensors used to estimate wear may not be fast enough to capture brief transient states that are indicative of wear. For this reason it is beneficial to be capable of detecting and estimating the extent of component wear using steady-state measurements. This paper details a method for estimating component wear using steady-state measurements, describes how this is used to predict future states, and presents a case study of a current/pressure (I/P) Transducer. I/P Transducer nominal and off-nominal behaviors are characterized using a physics-based model, and validated against expected and observed component behavior. This model is used to map observed steady-state responses to corresponding fault parameter values in the form of a lookup table. This method was chosen because of its fast, efficient nature, and its ability to be applied to both linear and non-linear systems. Using measurements of the steady state output, and the lookup table, wear is estimated. A regression is used to estimate the wear propagation parameter and characterize the damage progression function, which are used to predict future states and the remaining useful life of the system.
If at first you don’t succeed, ganbare, ganbare, ganbare

Au Japon il est courant de penser que tout le monde peut reussir; il suffit de faire preuve de la plus tenace perseverance et rien n’est impossible. Cette etude a fait une enquete sur les reflexions, d’enfants japonais, de parents et d’educateurs au sujet du phenomene culturel du “ganbare” (continuite) que impregne la societe japonaise a tous les niveaux. Des enfants qui frequentent une ecole maternelle axee sur l’organisation en groupes, leurs educateurs et des specialistes universitaires de l’education prescolaire ont ete interviewes. Les meres des enfants ont repondu par ecrit a des questions sur leur conception de la persistance “ganbare”. Les resultats de cette etude a indique que cette continuite etait interpretee par les enfants comme un encouragement heureux et positif. Les adultes utilisent spontanement ce mot comme l’expression d’un encouragement pour enseigner aux enfants l’importance de la perseverance dans leur vie, bien que certains adultes ont emis l’hypothese qu’une trop forte accentuation de la perseverance aupres des enfants pourrait creer chez eux une trop forte pression. L’etude a revele que l’introduction de la continuite chez les enfants est de premiere importance dans las culture japonaise.
THE GEOGRAPHY OF POST‐COLONIAL AFRICA: SPACE, PLACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN SUB‐SAHARAN AFRICA (1960–93)1

This overview of human geographic studies of sub Saharan Africa begins with the contributions made by West European geographers to the colonial service, and the growing interest in post-war ‘development’ and to the anti-imperial movements in the late colonial period (1945–60). The paper provides an intellectual map of the contributions by European and African geographers to the broad array of development problems which emerged after 1960. North American geographers made significant contributions to the debate somewhat later, particularly in association with the growing involvement of U.S. development agencies in the 1970s. Particular emphasis is given to geographic studies in fields such as agrarian change, ecological degradation, industrialization, human mobility and patterns of urbanization and settlement.
Capitalizing on children’s spirituality: parental anxiety, children as consumers, and the marketing of spirituality

Children’s spirituality has become a significant for‐profit enterprise in North American consumer culture. This article explores the marketing of children’s spirituality as an aspect of the larger construction of children as consumers in the context of late globalized capitalism. Playing off of parental anxieties over the need to avail their children of every advantage that can foster the child’s well‐being, mainstream secular markets such as discount department stores in the USA and online retailers now offer a wide array of products purporting to aid in children’s spiritual growth. The article concludes with an analysis of the effects of commodifying children’s spirituality upon children.
Maternal involvement in the development of cardiovascular phenotype.

Over the past 20 years, laboratory studies of genetically defined animal models of human essential hypertension have provided valuable information on the pathophysiology of this disturbance in cardiovascular regulation. Relatively fewer studies have examined the impact of preweaning factors on the developing cardiovascular system of hypertensive animals. In our laboratory studies, we have utilized two inbred genetically hypertensive models: the spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rat and its Wistar/Kyoto (WKY) normotensive control strain as well as the Dahl hypertension-sensitive (SS/Jr) and hypertension-resistant (SR/Jr) strains. To manipulate the preweaning maternal environment, we have employed the technique of reciprocal cross-fostering of litters between hypertensive and matched normotensive mothers. Our findings to date point to the maternal environment as a powerful influence on the development of high blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats. In general, hypertensive rats reared by normotensive foster mothers have significant reductions in arterial blood pressure in adulthood. Thus, the progression of hypertinsive disease is not strictly predtermined by genotypic factors. Rather, a genetic predisposition to hypertension interacts with preweaning environmental factors to determine an animal's cardiovascular phenotype in adulthood.
What Really Prevents Proton Transport through Aquaporin? Charge Self-Energy versus Proton Wire Proposals

The nature of the control of water/proton selectivity in biological channels is a problem of a fundamental importance. Most studies of this issue have proposed that an interference with the orientational requirements of the so-called proton wire is the source of selectivity. The elucidation of the structures of aquaporins, which have evolved to prevent proton transfer (PT), provided a clear benchmark for exploring the selectivity problem. Previous simulations of this system have not examined, however, the actual issue of PT, but only considered the much simpler task of the transfer of water molecules. Here we take aquaporin as a benchmark and quantify the origin of the water/proton selectivity in this and related systems. This is done by evaluating in a consistent way the free energy profile for transferring a proton along the channel and relating this profile to the relevant PT rate constants. It is found that the water/proton selectivity is controlled by the change in solvation free energy upon moving the charged proton from water to the channel. The reason for the focus on the elegant concept of the proton wire and the related Grotthuss-type mechanism is also considered. It is concluded that these mechanisms are clearly important in cases with flat free energy surfaces (e.g., in bulk water, in gas phase water chains, and in infinitely long channels). However, in cases of biological channels, the actual PT mechanism is much less important than the energetics of transferring the proton charge from water to different regions in the channels.
Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in healthy subjects aged ten to eighteen years.

We abtained normative data for plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone concentration from a biracial sample of 195 healthy, normotensive children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. The sample Included 119 boys and 76 girls, of whom 103 were black and 92 were white. The mean PRA value (±SD) was 2.52±1.95ng/ml per hour, with minimal and maximal values of 0.1 and 13.50 ng/ml per hour. The mean plasma aldosterone concentration was 12.56±8.59 ng/ml, with minimal and maximal values of 1.6 and 50.1 ng/ml. We also examined the effects of subject characteristics and electrolyte intake. The slope relating sodium excretion to PRA was negative and highly significant (slope=−0.01; p p
An Application of the AXIS Solution Framework to Multiple Objective Aggregate Production Planning

This paper provides data on the first application of a prototype of the AXIS solution framework. AXIS (algorithms combined with knowledge systems in an interactive sequence) is a framework for interactively combining structured algorithms that seek a best solution with knowledge-based expert systems that seek expert heuristic solutions. This paper tests the framework using an interactive multiple objective integer programming algorithm combined with heuristics taken from the domain of aggregate production planning. The results indicate the AXIS framework can be successful in generating high quality solutions, in vastly reduced solution times compared to the structured algorithms, at much lower costs compared to the expert heuristics working alone.
Preparation of CI-1027 glucuronide : Metabolite of a remarkable lipid-modulating agent

Abstract The preparation of the 1β‐glucuronide of the diacid, CI‐1027, is described. The key synthetic steps are coupling of the mono‐protected acid with bromoglucuronide, deacetylation, and enzymatic hydrolysis.
The effect of lightning return stroke speed on Earth-Ionosphere waveguide excitation

Model predictions of lighting event characteristics such as the lighting current waveform and lightning return stroke speed are modeled and evaluated with attention to their effects on Earth-Ionosphere waveguide excitation. The ability to infer source characteristics using observations at great distances may prove to greatly enhance the understanding of lightning processes that are associated with the production of transient luminous events (TLEs) as well as other ionospheric effects associated with lightning. The modeling of the sferic waveform is carried out using a modified version of the Long Wavelength Propagation Capability (LWPC) code developed by the Naval Ocean Systems Center over a period of many years. LWPC is an inherently narrowband propagation code that has been modified to predict the broad-band response of the Earth-Ionosphere waveguide to an impulsive lightning flash while preserving the ability of LWPC to account for an inhomogeneous waveguide. Modeling performed in the ELF range provides the use of single (QTEM) mode characteristics when attempting to establish model parameters and functionality such as mode coupling and field summation along an inhomogeneous waveguide. ELF observations performed in Alaska, California, Antarctica, and Greenland may prove useful in the examination of the lighting characteristics predicted by this model in comparison to the lightning waveform signature and return stroke speed observed during rocket-triggered lightning experiments at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing (ICLRT) located at Camp Blanding, Florida. The lighting current waveforms directly measured at the base of the channel (at the ICLRT) can be used together with photometric measurements of the optical return stroke speed to provide experimental evidence of the lighting return stroke speed's effect on Earth-Ionosphere waveguide excitation. This paper critically evaluates the model predictions of the modified LWPC code with the goal of determining the minimum ELF peak current and the minimum ELF return stroke speed that produces detectable ELF sferics at great distances (>1 Mm).
Gaussian laser beam profile shaping

A method for converting single-mode Gaussian beams into beams with uniform irradiance profiles is described. The design is based on a Fourier transform relation between the input and output beam functions. The efficacy of the solution is shown to depend on a parameter that contains the product of the widths of the input and output beams. Problems associated with errors in system alignment and scale are discussed. Numerical illustrations and experimental results are presented. {copyright} {ital 1996 Society of Photo{minus}Optical Instrumentation Engineers.}
E1 Mutants Identify a Critical Region in the Trimer Interface of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein

The alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) uses a membrane fusion reaction to infect host cells. Fusion of the virus and cell membranes is triggered by low pH in the endosome and is mediated by the viral membrane protein E1. During fusion, E1 inserts into the target membrane, trimerizes, and refolds into a hairpin conformation. Formation of the E1 homotrimer is critical to membrane fusion, but the mechanism of trimerization is not understood. The crystal structure of the postfusion E1 trimer shows that an aspartate residue, D188, is positioned in the central core trimer interface. D188 is conserved in all reported alphavirus E1 sequences. We tested the contribution of this amino acid to trimerization and fusion by replacing D188 with alanine (D188A) or lysine (D188K) in an SFV infectious clone. These mutations were predicted to disrupt specific interactions at this position and/or change their pH dependence. Our results indicated that the D188K mutation blocked SFV fusion and infection. At low pH, D188K E1 inserted into target membranes but was trapped as a target membrane-inserted monomer that did not efficiently form the stable core trimer. In contrast, the D188A mutant was infectious, although trimerization and fusion required a lower pH. While there are extensive contacts between E1 subunits in the homotrimer, the D188K mutant identifies an important “hot spot” for protein-protein interactions within the core trimer. In an aqueous environment, phospholipid bilayers are stable structures that do not spontaneously fuse. Fusion is inhibited by high energy barriers that oppose both the initial mixing of the outer membrane leaflets and the subsequent merger of the inner leaflets that forms a stable fusion pore joining the two membrane compartments (18). Enveloped viruses have developed efficient strategies to promote fusion between the virus and cellular membranes to deliver the viral genome into the host cell (reviewed in references 19 and 40). Such virus-membrane fusion reactions are mediated by transmembrane fusion proteins in the virus envelope. These proteins rearrange from a metastable prefusion conformation to a stable target membrane-inserted postfusion conformation. The energy released by these conformational changes acts to induce local bending of the membranes, destabilizing the bilayers and lowering the activation energy for fusion (8, 18). The refolding from the
Excited-State Electronic Structure with Configuration Interaction Singles and Tamm-Dancoff Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory on Graphical Processing Units.

Excited-state calculations are implemented in a development version of the GPU-based TeraChem software package using the configuration interaction singles (CIS) and adiabatic linear response Tamm–Dancoff time-dependent density functional theory (TDA-TDDFT) methods. The speedup of the CIS and TDDFT methods using GPU-based electron repulsion integrals and density functional quadrature integration allows full ab initio excited-state calculations on molecules of unprecedented size. CIS/6-31G and TD-BLYP/6-31G benchmark timings are presented for a range of systems, including four generations of oligothiophene dendrimers, photoactive yellow protein (PYP), and the PYP chromophore solvated with 900 quantum mechanical water molecules. The effects of double and single precision integration are discussed, and mixed precision GPU integration is shown to give extremely good numerical accuracy for both CIS and TDDFT excitation energies (excitation energies within 0.0005 eV of extended double precision CPU results).
“Parent teams” and the everyday interactions of co‐parenting in stepfamilies

Family scholars have yet to explore substantially the day‐to‐day interactions of stepfamily systems. Our focus was on the everyday interactions of parent teams, adults who are co‐parenting within different stepfamily households, describing the characteristics of their communication. Twenty‐two parents, stepparents, and partners (N = 22) kept diaries for two weeks, each time they interacted with an adult in the other household. Results detail the frequency, timing, location, and length of interactions; initiator, channel, and topics; and reasons for interaction. Interactions were short, everyday encounters rather than extended, planned meetings. The majority of the interactions were via telephone, followed by face‐to‐face and electronic mail. Participants cited convenience and proximity as reasons for choosing these channels. The majority of topics discussed involved issues surrounding the children, involved little conflict, and adults were moderately satisfied with the interactions. Results suggest that t...
Walking abnormalities are associated with COPD: An investigation of the NHANES III dataset

Research on the peripheral effects of COPD has focused on physiological and structural changes. However, different from muscular weakness or decreased physical activity, mechanical abnormalities of the muscular system, e.g. walking, have yet to be investigated. Our purpose was to utilize the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset to determine whether walking abnormalities are associated with COPD severity. To determine if walking abnormalities were independently associated with COPD severity, our analysis aimed to investigate the association of physical activity levels with COPD severity and with walking abnormalities. The NHANES III dataset that contains data for 31,000 persons that were collected from 1988 to 1994, was used to explore the association of COPD severity on gross walking abnormalities, i.e. limp, shuffle, etc. Logistic regression models were created using FEV(1)/FVC ratio, age, gender, BMI, and smoking status as predictors of walking abnormalities and physical activity in persons aged 40 to 90 years old. Results demonstrated a significant correlation between the presence of walking abnormalities and severe COPD (odds ratio: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.1 to 3.5). This suggests that disease severity can contribute to mechanical outcomes of patients with COPD. In addition, decreased physical activity levels were significantly associated with all COPD severity levels with the exception of mild COPD. The association between altered gait and COPD status may be due to the presence of physical inactivity that is present in patients with COPD. Future research directions should include investigating more closely the mechanical outcomes of persons with COPD.
Another Look at the Effects of Age Cohort, Job Family and Task Variety on Industrial Accident Rates

Over the past several years a general pattern of aging has been prevalent in the American work force, and it is felt that if industry is to cope it must become aware of age's effects on human performance. A study conducted by Schmidt and Petree (1984) demonstrated that age, job and task were all significant factors that effect the number of accidents experienced by workers, and more importantly they interact with one another, indicating that some jobs and tasks impact older/younger workers more favorably than others. The present effort is an extension of that work that incorporates additional data which serve to more clearly define the earlier reported relationships and distinguish their practical application.
Adverse Effects of Bevacizumab During Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Objective : Bevacizumab has been increasingly used in combination chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic or recurrent colorectal cancer. The aim of this report is to underline the possible risks associated with bevacizumab use. Methods : Between July 2005 and March 2013, a total of 130 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received oxaliplatin as first-line chemotherapy were divided into 2 groups those treated with bevacizumab (group A) and those without (group B), and compared. The primary endpoint was to clarify the profile of bevacizumab - induced adverse effects. Secondary endpoints examined therapeutic effects, including overall survival (OS). Results : The incidence of major side effects was almost equivalent, except for bleeding, between the 2 groups. With regard to the therapeutic effects, 1 patient in group A showed complete disappearance of multiple lung metastases without any evidence of recurrence. The median OS was 926 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 756 - 1257) in group A and 534 days (95% CI, 421 â€“ 621) in group B ( p < 0.01). Conclusion : The results demonstrate that bevacizumab prolonged survival in these patients although there was an increased risk of clinically significant bleeding.
Gas-Phase Acidities of Tetrahedral Oxyacids from ab Initio Electronic Structure Theory

Density functional calculations have been performed on several protonation states of the oxyacids of Si, P, V, As, Cr, and S. Structures and vibrational frequencies are in good agreement with experimental values where these are available. A reasonably well-defined correlation between the calculated gas-phase acidities and the measured pKa in aqueous solution has been found. The pKa/gas-phase acidity slopes are consistent with those derived from previous molecular mechanics calculations on ferric hydrolysis and the first two acidity constants for orthosilicic acid. The successive deprotonation of other HnTO4 species, for a given tetrahedral anion T are roughly consistent with this slope, but not to the extent that there is a universal correlation among all species.
Fatigue behavior of type 316 stainless steel under simulated body conditions

The fatigue-crack propagation behavior of Type 316 stainless steel was studied under simulated body conditions. The fatigue specimens were immersed in circulating Ringers Solution at a temperature of 98°F. Cyclic loading was accomplished at a frequency and load waveform that corresponded to normal level walking. The concepts of linear elastic fracture mechanics were used to evaluate the fatigue behavior, and it was found that the crack-growth rate was higher under simulated body conditions than for a corresponding test conducted under ambient air conditions.
A 2-d Life cycle test with the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus

A 2-d life cycle test using the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus is described for assessing chronic toxicity. The end point for this test is r, the intrinsic rate of increase, which has high ecological relevancy because it measures the growth potential of a population. The test is multi-generational because two-thirds of the reproduction is attributable to parental females and one-third to F1 females. Despite its brevity, the rotifer test includes 30% more of test animal life span than a 7-d Ceriodaphnia test. Test protocol is simple to execute, with test animals obtained by hatching cysts and the algal food obtained from petri dish cultures. A small volume of test solution (120 ml) is required for a test, making the rotifer test potentially useful for conducting chronic toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs), in which test solution availability and exposure duration can be important. Analysis of the person hours required to execute a test shows that the rotifer test requires 70% less effort than 7-d Ceriodaphnia or fathead minnow tests. The simplicity of the rotifer test contributes to its excellent reproducibility; C.V.s are commonly <10%. The comparative sensitivity of the rotifer life cycle test is not yet fully characterized, but for the five compounds compared in both Ceriodaphnia and Brachionus, the chronic values of four were within a factor of six of one another. At the chronic value concentrations of 11 toxicants tested in rotifers, there was on average a 33% reduction in r as compared to controls.
TRANSPORTATION NETWORK EQUILIBRIUM, DESIGN AND AGGREGATION: KEY DEVELOPMENTS AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract This paper surveys recent developments in transportation network equilibrium, network design and network aggregation, and describes the basic research which must be conducted to advance these fields.
Coronary atherosclerosis with vulnerable plaque and complicated lesions in transplant recipients: new insight into cardiac allograft vasculopathy by optical coherence tomography

Aims Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major limitation to long-term survival following cardiac transplantation. Conventional imaging modalities such as angiography and intravascular ultrasound fail to characterize CAV plaque morphology. Our aim was to characterize CAV in vivo using the high spatial resolution of intracoronary optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods and results We prospectively enrolled 53 cardiac transplant patients to undergo OCT of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in addition to annual CAV screening by coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). The proximal 30 mm of the LAD was divided into three segments of 10 mm each ( n = 156). Segments with CAV plaque on IVUS were analysed by OCT for specific CAV morphological characteristics within the framework of three groups according to follow-up time after heart transplantation: (i) 0–3 months ( n = 18), (ii) 12–36 months ( n = 55), and (iii) ≥48 months ( n = 83). The prevalence of atherosclerotic characteristics such as eccentric plaques, calcification, and lipid pools increased from 6, 0, and 6% in group 1 to 78, 42, and 61% in group 3, respectively (all P < 0.001). The prevalence of vulnerable plaque features such as thin-cap fibroatheroma, macrophages, and microchannels increased from 0% in group 1 to 12, 29, and 33% in group 3, respectively ( P = 0.19, P = 0.006, and P = 0.003). Complicated coronary lesions such as intimal laceration, intraluminal thrombus, and layered complex plaque increased from 0% in group 1 to 18, 19, and 57% in group 3 ( P = 0.009, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001). Plaque rupture was identified in 4% of group 3 segments. Conclusion The current study gives new insight into CAV that extends far beyond the current concept of concentric and fibrosing vasculopathy, that is, the development of atherosclerosis with vulnerable plaque and complicated coronary lesions.
An Organization Device for Visualizing Mechanisms and Regiochemistry Rationales in Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution

Design and testing of a hand-held device, consisting of two sheets of card stock, presenting electrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) data in an organized fashion, and designed to facilitate learning electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions is reported. The device includes a large amount of information with similar data grouped, and the groups are juxtaposed in order to facilitate pattern recognition and differentiation. This, in turn, facilitates visualization, retention, understanding, and use of the data presented. One sheet is placed over the other in order to visualize the mechanism between the substituted aromatic compound selected and the chosen reagent. It shows two aspects of EAS on separate pages and, then, demonstrates interactively how they interrelate. The two aspects are (1) the substitution itself, including the identity of the electrophile, the reagent(s) needed to generate it, and the substituent in the product and (2) the electronic effects of the groups in the aromatic compounds upon the intermediate(s) and the structure of the product. The effect of the use of the Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution Tool (also known as EAS-at-a-Glance) on the test performance of students enrolled in undergraduate organic chemistry was determined by a post-test-only control-group study. The subject samples were assigned to a control group and three device groups, differing with respect to use of the device. Results show that the EAS Tool enabled a better student performance (by 12.3% to 17.3%, depending upon the method of use), and that the best method of use is as an out-of-class supplement.
Tracing conceptual change in preservice teachers

Abstract This article reports on a study examining changes in preservice teachers' conceptions of teacher planning associated with a year-long course on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. Changes were measured by pre and post concept maps. Conceptions of planning on pre-maps differed significantly by certification level (elementary or secondary). Conceptions on post maps differed significantly by course instructor (three sections). Qualitative shifts in responses on pre and post maps are also noted. A new method is described for determining group patterns of response, and depicting them graphically. This method makes analysis of concept maps more practical for educators (less time consuming), and thus may contribute to further program evaluation studies.
Pedagogical content knowledge circa 1907 and 1987: a study in the history of an idea

Abstract Since the 1980s in the US, teacher education has undergone consistent scrutiny and faces frequent attack by politicians and policy makers concerned with the quality of education. Responses to these attacks have varied, but most often they have centered on the need to professionalize teaching. Doubts about the value of teacher education have resulted in efforts to make a case for teaching as a unique intellectual enterprise involving special forms of knowledge and skill. The concept of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has been central to this argument. The author explores PCK against the backdrop of efforts in the early part of the 20th century to professionalize teaching and considers problems with the concept that have limited its influence.
Neurotoxic Effect of Acamprosate, N-Acetyl-Homotaurine, in Cultured Neurons

Acamprosate (AC), N-acetyl-homotaurine, has recently been introduced for treating alcohol craving and reducing relapses in weaned alcoholics. AC may exert its action through the taurine system rather than the glutamatergic or GABAergic system. This conclusion is based on the observations that AC strongly inhibits the binding of taurine to taurine receptors while it has little effect on the binding of glutamate to glutamate receptors or muscimol to GABAA receptors. In addition, AC was found to be neurotoxic, at least in neuronal cultures, triggering neuronal damage at 1 mM. The underlying mechanism of AC-induced neuronal injury appears to be due to its action in increasing the intracellular calcium level, [Ca2+]i. Both AC-induced neurotoxicity and elevation of [Ca2+]i can be prevented by taurine suggesting that AC may exert its effect through its antagonistic interaction with taurine receptors.
Temperature dependence of Lorentz air-broadening and pressure-shift coefficients of (12)CH4 lines in the 2.3-micron spectral region

High-resolution (0.01/cm) absorption spectra of lean mixtures of CH4 in dry air were recorded with the McMath-Pierce Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) of the National Solar Observatory on Kitt Peak at various temperatures between 24 and -61 C. The spectra have been analyzed to determine the values at room temperature of pressure-broadened widths and pressure-induced shifts of more than 740 transitions. The temperature dependence of air-broadened widths and pressure-induced shifts was deduced for approx. 370 transitions in the nu(sub 1) + nu(sub 4), nu(sub 3) + nu(sub 4), and nu(sub 2) + nu(sub 3) bands of (12)CH4 located between 4118 and 4615/cm. These results were obtained by analyzing a total of 29 spectra simultaneously using a multi-spectral non-linear least-squares fitting technique. This new technique allowed the determination of correlated spectral line parameters (e.g. intensity and broadening coefficient) better than the procedure of averaging values obtained by fitting the spectra individually. This method also provided a direct determination of the uncertainties in the retrieved parameters due to random errors. For each band analysed in this study the dependence of the various spectral line parameters upon the tetrahedral symmetry species and the rotational quantum numbers of the transitions is also presented.
1H NMR investigation of solvent effects in aromatic stacking interactions

One of the marquis challenges in modern Organic Chemistry concerns the design and synthesis of abiotic compounds that emulate the exquisite complex structures and/or functions of biological macromolecules. Oligomers possessing the propensity to adopt well-defined compact conformations, or foldamers, have been attained utilizing hydrogen bonding, torsional restriction, and solvophobic interactions.1 In this laboratory, aromatic electron donor−acceptor interactions have been exploited in the design of aedamersfoldamers that adopt a novel, pleated secondary structure in aqueous solution. Herein is reported detailed 1H NMR binding studies of aedamer monomers that were carried out in solvents and solvent mixtures covering a broad polarity range. Curve-fitting analysis of the binding data using a model that incorporated the formation of higher order and self-associated complexes yielded a linear free energy relationship between the free energy of complexation and the empirical solvent polarity parameter, ET(30)...
X-ray absorption spectroscopy

This review gives a brief description of the theory and application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy, both X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), especially, pertaining to photosynthesis. The advantages and limitations of the methods are discussed. Recent advances in extended EXAFS and polarized EXAFS using oriented membranes and single crystals are explained. Developments in theory in understanding the XANES spectra are described. The application of X-ray absorption spectroscopy to the study of the Mn4Ca cluster in Photosystem II is presented.
Association Between Sleep Hygiene and Sleep Quality in Medical Students

The aim of this study was to determine whether subjective sleep quality was reduced in medical students, and whether demographics and sleep hygiene behaviors were associated with sleep quality. A Web-based survey was completed by 314 medical students, containing questions about demographics, sleep habits, exercise habits, caffeine, tobacco and alcohol use, and subjective sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Correlation and regression analyses tested for associations among demographics, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality. As hypothesized, medical students' sleep quality was significantly worse than a healthy adult normative sample (t = 5.13, p < .001). Poor sleep quality in medical students was predicted by several demographic and sleep hygiene variables, and future research directions are proposed.
Regulation of pathogenic IL-17 responses in collagen-induced arthritis: roles of endogenous interferon-gamma and IL-4

Introduction Interleukin (IL)-17 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and the mouse model collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Interferon(IFN)-γ and IL-4 have been shown to suppress Th17 development in vitro, but their potential immunoregulatory roles in vivo are uncertain. The goals of this study were to determine the relationship between Th17 responses and disease severity in CIA and to assess regulation of IL-17 by endogenous IFN-γ and IL-4.
Epidemiologic Methods in Immunization Programs

its safety and efficacy in phased clinical trials. Postlicensure, continued close monitoring of the vaccine's safety and effectiveness is needed, especially early on. But equally important to a vaccine's ultimate success is the close monitoring of the immunization program itself. Surveillance for vaccine coverage, disease incidence, and adequacy of the cold chain provide the benchmarks for an immunization program to judge its progress. Rigor in design, conduct, and analyses of epidemiologic studies to understand the risk factors for nonvaccination, vaccine failure, and cold chain failure permits development of accurate and timely adjustments to immunization programs and policies to ensure their ultimate success. This review will discuss the epidemiologic methods used in the various phases of an immunization program drawing largely, though not exclusively, on the experience in the United States.
Direct band gap tensile-strained Germanium

We report up to 2.3% biaxial tensile-strained Ge layers grown on InGaAs/GaAs buffer layers. Low-temperature photoluminescence shows a dramatic intensity increase for ≫2% tensile strained Ge, confirming the existence of a direct band gap Ge.
Caffeine modulates heat shock induced apoptosis in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60

Abstract The ability of caffeine to modulate hyperthermia induced apoptosis was investigated in the human promyelocytic cell line HL60. Mild hyperthermia has been shown to be a strong inducer of apoptosis in many cell lines of lymphoblastoid lineage. In this investigation HL60 cells were simultaneously exposed to caffeine (concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 mM), and a brief hyperthermic treatment (43°C) for 1 h and then allowed a recovery time of 12 h. Approximately 50% of a cell population receiving the hyperthermia treatment died by apoptosis within 12 h, as determined by the comet assay, whereas cells that received concomitant treatments of caffeine with heat shock displayed an apparent suppression of apoptotic induction and enhanced cell survival.
Narrowband and Wideband Metamaterial Antennas Based on Degenerate Band Edge and Magnetic Photonic Crystals

Historically, antennas and microwave devices relied on isotropic media. This provided for limited degrees of freedom (one for dielectric and another for magnetic) in the design process. In contrast, anisotropic media introduce several more degrees of freedom (at least three more for dielectrics and three additional ones for magnetic) opening a new direction in designing radio-frequency (RF) communication devices and wireless systems. A focus of the paper is the introduction of anisotropic media parameters emulated using simple printed, but highly coupled, transmission lines (TRLs). The paper begins by introducing the equivalence between in-plane anisotropy and coupled TRLs to realize degenerate band edge (DBE) and magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) modes. This is followed by the design of miniature antenna elements via dispersion engineering, demonstrating their performance on small finite substrates. The second part of the paper is focused on concatenating DBE and MPC antenna elements to realize smaller size wideband arrays. Such arrays exploit the current sheet antenna (CSA) concept to achieve the coveted goal of small wideband metamaterial arrays. For example, by constructing an array of antenna elements ~ λ/10tλ/10 in size, highly conformal (very thin) apertures delivering 5 : 1 bandwidth are demonstrated while avoiding grating lobes. In contrast to transitional approaches, the proposed method exploits (rather than suppressing) the metallic ground plane inductance. Instead, the capacitance of the tightly coupled antenna elements is used to cancel the inductance over wide bandwidths. By further employing small size array elements, large bandwidths can be achieved using a smaller footprint.
Distributed power allocation for parallel relay networks

We investigate power allocation strategies for distributed decode-and-forward (DF) parallel relay networks. We first propose a distributed decision mechanism for the relay nodes to make decisions on whether to forward the source data. Specifically, we identify the optimum distributed power allocation strategy that minimizes the total transmit power while providing a target signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the destination with a target outage probability. We also consider two simple distributed power allocation models, where the source does not contribute to the relay selection in the first model, and single relay is employed in the second model. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed distributed power allocation schemes, and the considerable power savings they provide with respect to random relay selection.
Perfusion MRI of Acute Stroke

Perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PWI) describes MRI techniques that visually depict hemodynamic conditions at the microvascular level. This is in contrast to other vascular MR imaging techniques, notably magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) that depict the flow of blood in larger, macroscopically visible vessels. Ischemic damage to brain tissue is caused most directly by impairments in microvascular perfusion, rather than by events occurring in large vessels. Therefore, PWI offers the ability to guide acute stroke therapy by identifying regions of brain tissue that are directly threatened by impaired perfusion, though not yet irreversibly damaged, and consequently may be rescued by timely initiation of thrombolytic or neuroprotective therapy.
Least-squares policy iteration

We propose a new approach to reinforcement learning for control problems which combines value-function approximation with linear architectures and approximate policy iteration. This new approach is motivated by the least-squares temporal-difference learning algorithm (LSTD) for prediction problems, which is known for its efficient use of sample experiences compared to pure temporal-difference algorithms. Heretofore, LSTD has not had a straightforward application to control problems mainly because LSTD learns the state value function of a fixed policy which cannot be used for action selection and control without a model of the underlying process. Our new algorithm, least-squares policy iteration (LSPI), learns the state-action value function which allows for action selection without a model and for incremental policy improvement within a policy-iteration framework. LSPI is a model-free, off-policy method which can use efficiently (and reuse in each iteration) sample experiences collected in any manner. By separating the sample collection method, the choice of the linear approximation architecture, and the solution method, LSPI allows for focused attention on the distinct elements that contribute to practical reinforcement learning. LSPI is tested on the simple task of balancing an inverted pendulum and the harder task of balancing and riding a bicycle to a target location. In both cases, LSPI learns to control the pendulum or the bicycle by merely observing a relatively small number of trials where actions are selected randomly. LSPI is also compared against Q-learning (both with and without experience replay) using the same value function architecture. While LSPI achieves good performance fairly consistently on the difficult bicycle task, Q-learning variants were rarely able to balance for more than a small fraction of the time needed to reach the target location.