cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardias

Abstract A “supraventricular” origin of a tachycardia implies the obligatory involvement of one or more cardiac structures above the bifurcation of the His bundle (HB), including atrial myocardium, atrioventricular node (AVN), proximal HB, coronary sinus, pulmonary veins, venae cavae, or abnormal atrioventricular (AV) connections other than the HB (i.e., bypass tracts). Narrow complex supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs) include sinus tachycardia, inappropriate sinus tachycardia, sinoatrial nodal reentrant tachycardia, focal atrial tachycardia (AT), multifocal AT, atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), junctional tachycardia, AVN reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), and AV reentrant tachycardia (AVRT). Paroxysmal SVT is the term generally applied to intermittent SVT other than AF, AFL, and multifocal AT, and describes a clinical syndrome characterized by the presence of a regular and rapid tachycardia of abrupt onset and termination. The major causes are AVNRT (approximately 50% to 60% of cases), AVRT (approximately 30% of cases), and focal AT (approximately 10% of cases). Most paroxysmal SVTs are generally benign and do not influence survival; therefore the primary indication for treatment is to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. The threshold for initiation of therapy and the decision to treat SVT with oral pharmacological therapy or catheter ablation depends on the frequency and duration of the arrhythmia, severity of symptoms, presence of concomitant structural heart disease, and patient preference. Given the high success rates and the low complication rate, catheter ablation is the treatment of choice in patients who desire to avoid or are unresponsive or intolerant to drug therapy.
A Trypanosoma brucei ORFeome-based Gain-of-Function Library reveals novel genes associated with melarsoprol resistance

Trypanosoma brucei is an early branching protozoan that causes Human and Animal African Trypanosomiasis. Forward genetics approaches are powerful tools for uncovering novel aspects of Trypanosomatid biology, pathogenesis, and therapeutic approaches against trypanosomiasis. Here we have generated a T. brucei ORFeome consisting of over 90% of the targeted genome and used it to make an inducible Gain-of-Function library for broadly applicable forward genetic screening. Using a critical drug of last resort, melarsoprol, we conducted a proof of principle genetic screen. Hits arising from this screen support the significance of trypanothione, a key player in redox metabolism, as a target of melarsoprol and implicate novel proteins of the flagellum and mitochondria in drug resistance. This study has produced two powerful new genetic tools for kinetoplastida research, which are expected to promote major advances in kinetoplastida biology and therapeutic development in the years to come.
Safety outcomes of apixaban in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and severe renal impairment

Apixaban is prescribed for stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in patients with varying degrees of renal dysfunction. While pharmacokinetic data support apixaban in severe renal impairment, clinical safety outcomes data are limited. This retrospective cohort analysis was conducted to evaluate the safety of apixaban in patients with NVAF and renal impairment. A total of 340 patients with NVAF receiving apixaban 5 mg or 2.5 mg twice daily were included for analysis; 287 preserved renal function (pRF: CrCl ≥ 25 ml/min and SCr ≤ 2.5 mg/dl) and 53 impaired renal function (iRF: CrCl 2.5 mg/dl). The primary endpoint was major bleeding in patients taking apixaban 5 mg. Secondary endpoints included major bleeding with apixaban 2.5 mg and minor bleeding in both groups. There was no difference in major bleeding events in the 5 mg pRF group (4.41%) versus iRF group (3.57%) (P = 0.66). Similar rates occurred between the 2.5 mg pRF and iRF groups. Minor bleeding events were similar regardless of renal function. The incidence of bleeding in the 5 mg group was 11.45% with pRF versus 10.71% with iRF (P = 0.6). In the 2.5 mg group, bleeding incidence was 10% with pRF versus 16% with iRF (P = 0.47). There were no observed differences in bleeding between groups with pRF or iRF, regardless of apixaban dose. Because patients with severe renal impairment were excluded from original trials, this study contributes clinical safety outcomes to the limited data for use of apixaban in this patient population.
Venetoclax and hypomethylating agents in FLT3‐mutated acute myeloid leukemia

FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations are prevalent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and their presence confers adverse risk. FLT3-mutated (FLT3m) AML is a challenging leukemia to manage, particularly in older and unfit patients as well as patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) disease. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 50 FLT3m AML patients (17 treatment-naive, 33 r/r) treated with venetoclax (VEN) and hypomethylating agents (HMA). The overall CR/CRi rate with VEN-HMA was 60% (94% in treatment-naive AML and 42% in r/r AML). Early (60-days) treatment related mortality was 2%. The r/r AML setting was an independent predictor of lower complete response (OR: 0.08; 95%CI: 0.00-0.60, P = .03). Cytogenetics-molecular risk, concurrent mutations, the type of FLT3 mutation (ITD vs TKD), the ITD allelic ratio, the type of HMA, age, prior exposure to HMA and receipt of prior allogeneic transplant did not independently impact response or leukemia-free survival (LFS). Concurrent IDH mutations were associated with lower CR/CRi (P = .01), while ASXL1 or TET2 mutations showed a non-significant association toward higher CR/CRi (P = .07, for both). However, none of the concurrent mutations were an independent predictor for response when adjusted to AML setting. In conclusion, VEN-HMA is associated with encouraging efficacy in FLT3m AML among both newly diagnosed unfit and r/r patients.
Mission-Driven Simulation of a Multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial System for Energy Consumption Analysis

This paper presents a high-frequency dynamic model of a multi-rotor unmanned aerial system (UAS) that simulates mission-specific energy consumption and power-plant performance. The full aircraft model is discretized in blocks that model the subsystems, including the rotational dynamics, the propellers, motors and battery. Motors draw current from the battery to generate torque, resulting in rotation of propellers, which in turn generate thrust. The sum of each propeller thrust defines the attitude and motion of the aircraft. Energy losses are calculated for each subsystem, in order to accurately predict energy consumption and battery state-of-charge evolution. The dynamic model allows the inclusion of a cubic payload, which affects the drag and inertia of the vehicle. A mission controller accepts waypoints in three dimensional space as an input and low-level controllers control the speed of each propeller in order to produce the desired thrust. The model outputs the energy required to fulfill the given mission, as well as the states of each of the subsystems along the mission. Factors such as air density, temperature and stochastic atmospheric turbulence are modeled throughout the mission to include the effect of the environmental conditions. The UAS model is set up to simulate an actual hexacopter, running hover and cruise missions with various payloads carried in a box underneath the main body of the aircraft. The simulation results are then compared with the energy consumption values from real-world experiments. In the hover test, simulation results are within 4% of the experimental values. In the cruise test, the predicted energy consumption was relatively close to the experimental value, with a maximum discrepancy of 10% for the heaviest payload. It is therefore shown that the proposed mathematical model is capable of predicting mission-specific energy consumption within a low relative error range.
Invidious Political Tactics

Jason Stanley’s important contribution to the literature on fascism in How Fascism Works is its focus on “fascist tactics as a mechanism to achieve power” (xiv). Those who use these tactics, partic...
Adverse Selection, Search Costs and Sticky Credit Card Rates

Several scholars of financial economics observed that during the 1980s, market interest rates declined continuously with little or no impact on credit card rates. Recently, Meyercord (1994), Sinkey and Nash (1993) and Sullivan and Worden (1995) recorded significant changes in the credit card market indicating an increased level of competition. This study represents an attempt to determine the sensitivity of credit card rates to the costs of funds in the U.S. economy. The evidence from the Johansen Cointegration test confirms that credit card rates and cost of funds possess a long-run equilibrium relationship with one another. Furthermore, the results of the error correction models are indicative of a sluggish rate at which credit card interest rates adjust to the costs of funds. Between 1982 and 1994, credit card rates adjust to changes in the cost of funds at about 15 percent per quarter. These results represent anecdotal evidence for the validity of adverse selection, search and switch costs explanations that have been discussed in the financial contracting literature.
NF-kB-dependent activation of STAT3 by H. pylori is suppressed by TFF1

BACKGROUND H. pylori infection is the main risk factor for gastric cancer. In this study, we investigated H. pylori-mediated activation of STAT3 and NF-κB in gastric cancer, using in vitro and in vivo models. METHODS To investigate the activation of NF-κB and STAT3 by H. pylori strains we used in vitro and in vivo mouse models, western blots, immunofluorescence, ChIP Assay, luciferase and quantitative real-time PCR assays. RESULTS Following infection with H. pylori in vitro, we found an earlier phosphorylation of NF-kB-p65 (S536), followed by STAT3 (Y705). Immunofluorescence, using in vitro and in vivo models, demonstrated nuclear localization of NF-kB and STAT3, following H. pylori infection. NF-kB and STAT3 luciferase reporter assays confirmed earlier activation of NF-kB followed by STAT3. In vitro and in vivo models demonstrated induction of mRNA expression of IL-6 (p < 0.001), VEGF-α (p < 0.05), IL-17 (p < 0.001), and IL-23 (p < 0.001). Using ChIP, we confirmed co-binding of both NF-kB-p65 and STAT3 on the IL6 promoter. The reconstitution of Trefoil Factor 1 (TFF1) suppressed activation of NF-kB with reduction in IL6 levels and STAT3 activity, in response to H. pylori infection. Using pharmacologic (BAY11-7082) and genetic (IκB super repressor (IκBSR)) inhibitors of NF-kB-p65, we confirmed the requirement of NF-kB-p65 for activation of STAT3, as measured by phosphorylation, transcription activity, and nuclear localization of STAT3 in in vitro and in vivo models. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest the presence of an early autocrine NF-kB-dependent activation of STAT3 in response to H. pylori infection. TFF1 acts as an anti-inflammatory guard against H. pylori-mediated activation of pro-inflammatory networks.
Regions of genetic divergence in depth-separated Sebastes rockfish species pairs: Depth as a potential driver of speciation

Depth separation is a proposed driver of speciation in marine fishes, with marine rockfish (genus Sebastes) providing a potentially informative study system. Sebastes rockfishes are commercially and ecologically important. This genus encompasses more than one hundred species and the ecological and morphological variance between these species provides opportunity for identifying speciation-driving adaptations, particularly along a depth gradient. A reduced-representation sequencing method (ddRADseq) was used to compare 95 individuals encompassing six Sebastes species. In this study, we sought to identify regions of divergence between species that were indicative of divergent adaptation and reproductive barriers leading to speciation. A pairwise comparison of S. chrysomelas (black-and-yellow rockfish) and S. carnatus (gopher rockfish) FST values revealed three major regions of elevated genomic divergence, two of which were also present in the S. miniatus (vermilion rockfish) and S. crocotulus (sunset rockfish) comparison. These corresponded with regions of both elevated DXY values and reduced nucleotide diversity in two cases, suggesting a speciation-with-gene-flow evolutionary model followed by post-speciation selective sweeps within each species. Limited whole-genome resequencing was also performed to identify mutations with predicted effects between S. chrysomelas and S. carnatus. Within these islands, we identified important SNPs in genes involved in immune function and vision. This supports their potential role in speciation, as these are adaptive vectors noted in other organisms. Additionally, changes to genes involved in pigment expression and mate recognition shed light on how S. chrysomelas and S. carnatus may have become reproductively isolated.
Branding for Morale

Within the local government, practices once reserved for the private sector, such as branding, are increasingly more accepted within public administration. There are several elements that make up an organization’s brand. One such element that is traditionally underdiscussed but increasingly important in a changing public environment is the impact of morale. The purpose of this chapter is to offer an exploration of how morale is currently discussed in the context of branding and how cities are using it to improve their brand. This chapter specifically discusses the practice of branding from the purview of internal and external morale. Utilizing surveys and interviews from a sample of city managers and related public officials in charge of branding across Florida, this exploratory chapter brings into the forefront how municipalities are discussing morale and how the concept viewed internally and externally can enhance a city’s brand. Possible future research ideas are also provided on how scholars could examine morale in the context of branding, especially as practitioners seek to utilize branding in beneficial ways within their cities.
Determination of a Treatment Response Threshold for the Eosinophilic Esophagitis Endoscopic Reference Score.

Background and study aims: While endoscopic features of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are measured using the validated EoE Endoscopic Reference Score (EREFS), a threshold for treatment response has not been defined. We aimed to determine a cut-point for endoscopic response as measured by EREFS. Patients and Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial comparing budesonide slurry to swallowed fluticasone multidose inhaler for initial treatment of EoE. In the parent trial, EREFS was determined before and after treatment (score range 0-9), as were histologic findings and dysphagia symptoms. We performed tabular, flexible trend, and dependent mixture analyses of measures of treatment response to select the best clinical EREFS threshold. Results: In the 111 included subjects (mean age 39 years; 67% male; 96% white), an EREFS threshold of ≤2 was 80% sensitive (95% confidence limits 69 - 88%) and 83% specific (95% confidence limits 67 - 94%) for histologic response (peak of 75% at EREFS of 2 or 3. Conclusions: An EREFS of ≤2 was the best clinical threshold for endoscopic response to topical steroid treatment and was consistent with clinical and histologic response. Therefore, future studies can report a binary outcome of endoscopic response when EREFS is two or less.
The Anglican Communion and Bioethics

This essay describes developments in Anglican thinking on selected topics in bioethics that have appeared since 1992. It highlights a variety of documents published by the member churches of the Anglican Communion or their judicatories in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Wales.
SU-E-J-206: Adaptive Radiotherapy for Gynecological Malignancies with MRIGuided Cobolt-60 Radiotherapy

Purpose: Even in the IMRT era, bowel toxicity and bone marrow irradiation remain concerns with pelvic irradiation. We examine the potential gain from an adaptive radiotherapy workflow for post-operative gynecological patients treated to pelvic targets including lymph nodes using MRI-guided Co-60 radiation therapy. Methods: An adaptive workflow was developed with the intent of minimizing time overhead of adaptive planning. A pilot study was performed using retrospectively analyzed images from one patient’s treatment. The patient’s treated plan was created using conventional PTV margins. Adaptive treatment was simulated on the patient’s first three fractions. The daily PTV was created by removing non-target tissue, including bone, muscle and bowel, from the initial PTV based on the daily MRI. The number of beams, beam angles, and optimization parameters were kept constant, and the plan was re-optimized. Normal tissue contours were not adjusted for the re-optimization, but were adjusted for evaluation of plan quality. Plan quality was evaluated based on PTV coverage and normal tissue DVH points per treatment protocol. Bowel was contoured as the entire bowel bag per protocol at our institution. Pelvic bone marrow was contoured per RTOG protocol 1203. Results: For the clinically treated plan, the volume of bowel receiving 45 Gy was 380 cc, 53% of the rectum received 30 Gy, 35% of the bladder received 45 Gy, and 28% of the pelvic bone marrow received 40 Gy. For the adaptive plans, the volume of bowel receiving 45 Gy was 175–201 cc, 55–62% of the rectum received 30 Gy, 21– 27% of the bladder received 45 Gy, and 13–17% of the pelvic bone marrow received 40 Gy. Conclusion: Adaptive planning led to a large reduction of bowel and bone marrow dose in this pilot study. Further study of on-line adaptive techniques for the radiotherapy of pelvic lymph nodes is warranted. Dr. Low is a member of the scientific advisory board of ViewRay, Inc.
The competing values approach to organizational effectiveness: A tool for agency administrators

Contemporary social work administrators Junction in a turbulent environment in which escalating costs of delivering services are coupled with diminished resources. This often requires them to make trade‐offs between efficiency and effectiveness, as well as among different effectiveness criteria. These criteria, however, are often not explicit. Furthermore, the question of effectiveness from whose perspective is seldom explicitly addressed. This paper describes a framework of organizational effectiveness, called the Competing Values Approach, that is useful both in assessing organizational effectiveness and in addressing the multiple constituency issue. An application of this framework to a longitudinal assessment of organizational effectiveness is examined.
Creation and evaluation of formal specifications for system-of-systems development

Studies have suggested that formal specifications and lightweight formal methods help improve the clarity and precision of the requirements specification. This paper describes a process to augment the current informal approaches to system-of-systems development by introducing temporal assertions to capture the safety-critical and mission-essential system requirements and runtime model checking to evaluate the system designs and implementation. The process allows users to develop and validate temporal assertions iteratively via simulation with multiple scenarios, and to use the assertions to automate the testing of the system-of-systems under development as well as armor-plating the target system against any unexpected behaviors at runtime.
Security evaluation of email encryption using random noise generated by LCG

Theoretically, using any Linear Congruence Generator (LCG) to generate pseudo-random numbers for cryptographic purposes is problematic because of its predictableness. On the other hand, due to its simplicity and efficiency, we think that the LCG should not be completely ignored. Since the random numbers generated by the LCG are predictable, it is clear that we cannot use them directly. However, we shall not introduce too much complication in the implementation which will compromise the reasons, simplicity and efficiency, of choosing the LCG. Thus, we propose an easy encryption method using an LCG for email encryption. To see how practical in predicting random numbers produced by an LCG, we implement Plumstead's inference algorithm [2] and run it on some numbers generated by the easiest congruence: Xn+1 = aXn+ b mod m. Based on the result, we confirm the theoretical fault of the LCG, that is, simply increasing the size of the modulus does not significantly increase the difficulty of breaking the sequence. Our remedy is to break a whole random number into pieces and use them separately (with interference from another source, in our case, English text). We use 16-bytes random numbers and embed each byte of the random number as noise in one text character. In such a way, we can avoid revealing enough numbers for the attacker to predict.
Northern Hemisphere winter climate variability: Response to North American snow cover anomalies and orography

[1] Links between autumn-winter snow anomalies over North America and winter climate parameters throughout the Northern Hemisphere are examined. GCM integrations are performed from September through February, with prescribed snow forcings over North America (NA) reflecting realistic, observed high/low autumn snow conditions. Forty-member ensemble differences reveal robust responses in surface air temperature and sea level pressure (SLP) fields. Over NA a negative temperature/positive SLP response occurs while over Europe a positive temperature/negative SLP response emerges. Additionally, a dynamic wave response occurs in the troposphere, across NA and extending downgradient into Eurasia. The contribution of North American (NA) orography is evaluated via an additional pair of experiments in which mountains are removed. The resulting climatic response is mitigated considerably, which suggests a nonlinear coupling of thermal and mechanical forcings. Finally, possible physical pathways for the remote response are hypothesized, involving dynamical mechanisms consistent with previous studies.
Third Party Effects of Groundwater Law in the United States

Abstract. Groundwater is an increasingly important component in the nation's total water supply. Although groundwater is one of this nation's most abundant resources, falling water tables and contamination episodes have caused localized water shortages. This has led to news media accounts describing water supply as our nation's next natural resource crisis. The problem with groundwater supply can be attributed in part to the current system of incomplete property rights. This, in combination with the common pool characteristics of underground water and other third party effects, has resulted in technical and allocative inefficiency. Groundwater hydrology, common property, contamination, and other third party effects are examined in seeking the causes of the current water crisis.
IS PAYMENT A BENEFIT

What I call 'the standard view' claims that IRBs should not regard financial payment as a benefit to subjects for the purpose of risk/benefit assessment. Although the standard view is universally accepted, there is little defense of that view in the canonical documents of research ethics or the scholarly literature. This paper claims that insofar as IRBs should be concerned with the interests and autonomy of research subjects, they should reject the standard view and adopt 'the incorporation view.' The incorporation view is more consistent with the underlying soft-paternalist justification for risk-benefit assessment and demonstrates respect for the autonomy of prospective subjects. Adoption of the standard view precludes protocols that advance the interests of subjects, investigators, and society. After considering several objections to the argument, I consider several arguments for the standard view that do not appeal to the interests and autonomy of research subjects.
Importance-Weighted Adaptive Search for Multi-Class Targets

In sparse target inference problems, it has been shown that significant gains can be achieved by adaptive sensing using convex criteria. We generalize this previous work on adaptive sensing to: a) include multiple classes of targets with different levels of importance and b) accommodate multiple sensor models. Optimization policies are developed to allocate a limited resource budget to simultaneously locate, classify and estimate a sparse number of targets embedded in a large space. Bounds on the performance of the proposed policies are derived by analyzing a baseline policy, which allocates resources uniformly across the scene, and an oracle policy which has a priori knowledge of the target locations/classes. These bounds quantify the potential benefit of adaptive sensing as a function of target frequency and importance. Numerical results indicate that the proposed policies perform close to the oracle bound when signal quality is sufficiently high. Moreover, the proposed policies improve on previous policies in terms of reducing estimation error, reducing misclassification probability, and increasing expected return. To account for sensors with different levels of agility, three sensor models are considered: global adaptive (GA), which can allocate different amounts of resource to each location in the space; global uniform (GU), which can allocate resources uniformly across the scene; and local adaptive (LA), which can allocate fixed units to a subset of locations. Policies that use a mixture of GU and LA sensors are shown to perform similarly to those that use GA sensors while being more easily implementable.
Developments in the clinical understanding of lupus

Advances in genetics and new understanding of the molecular pathways that mediate innate and adaptive immune system activation, along with renewed focus on the role of the complement system as a mediator of inflammation, have stimulated elaboration of a scheme that might explain key mechanisms in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Clinical observations identifying important comorbidities in patients with lupus have been a recent focus of research linking immune mechanisms with clinical manifestations of disease. While these advances have identified rational and promising targets for therapy, so far the therapeutic trials of new biologic agents have not met their potential. Nonetheless, progress in understanding the underlying immunopathogenesis of lupus and its impact on clinical disease has accelerated the pace of clinical research to improve the outcomes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
74. Cellular Immunity to Adeno-Associated Virus Capsid Attenuates Transgene Expression in the Liver

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors hold the potential to treat a variety of inherited and acquired human diseases. One of the confounding issues regarding the use of AAV in humans is the cellular immune response to the virus vector. While the ability of humoral immunity to interfere with AAV transduction is well-established, the ability of cellular immunity targeting the vector to ablate AAV transduction has only recently been identified. Our laboratory previously described the use of adenovirus expressing AAV capsid as a means to invoke a cellular immune response towards AAV in a mouse model system. These studies identified the immunodominant CD8 T-cell epitopes in Balb/C and C57Bl/6 mice immunized against AAV capsid of serotypes 2 and 8 (Mol Ther. 2005 Dec;12(6):1023|[ndash]|33). Cytolytic potential of these AAV capsid specific T-cells, however, was not investigated. In the current study, we seek to determine whether cellular immune responses reduce the efficiency of AAV transduction.
A model for quantifying uncertainty in the estimation of noise-contaminated measurements of transmissibility

Abstract System identification in the frequency domain is a very important process in many aspects of engineering. Among many forms of frequency domain system identification such as frequency response function analysis and modal decomposition, transmissibility (output-to-output relationship) estimation has been regarded as one of the most practical tools for its clear physical interpretation, its compatibility with output-only data, and its sensitivity to local changes of structural parameters. Due to operational and environmental variability in any real system, quantization and estimation error, and extraneous measurement noise, the computation of transmissibility may contain a significant level of uncertainty and variability, and these sources propagate to degrade system identification quality and in some cases to system mischaracterization. In this paper, the uncertainty of the magnitude of a transmissibility estimator via output auto-power density spectra is quantified, an exact probability density function for the estimates is derived analytically via a Chi-square bivariate approach, and it is validated with Monte Carlo simulation. Validation shows very consistent results between the observed histogram and predicted distribution for different estimation and noise conditions.
Human-like robots as platforms for electroactive polymers (EAP)

Human-like robots, which have been a science fiction for many years, are increasingly becoming an engineering reality thanks to many technology advances in recent years. Humans have always sought to imitate the human appearance, functions and intelligence and as the capability progresses they may become our household appliance or even companion. Biomimetic technologies are increasingly becoming common tools to support the development of such robots. As artificial muscles, electroactive polymers (EAP) are offering important actuation capability for making such machines lifelike. The current limitations of EAP are hampering the possibilities that can be adapted in such robots but progress is continually being made. As opposed to other human made machines and devices, this technology raises various questions and concerns that need to be addressed. These include the need to prevent accidents, deliberate harm, or their use in crimes. In this paper the state-of-the-art and the challenges will be reviewed.
Reversal of magnetization of a single-domain magnetic particle by the ac field of time-dependent frequency

We report numerical and analytical studies of the reversal of the magnetic moment of a single-domain magnetic particle by a circularly polarized ac field of time-dependent frequency. For the time-linear frequency sweep, the phase diagrams are computed that illustrate the dependence of the reversal on the frequency sweep rate v, the amplitude of the ac field h, the magnetic anisotropy field d, and the damping parameter alpha. It is shown that the most efficient magnetization reversal requires a non-linear time dependence of the frequency, omega(t), for which an exact analytical formula is derived with account of damping. The necessary condition of the reversal is h > alpha d. Implementation of a small-scale magnetization reversal is proposed in which a nanomagnet is electromagnetically coupled to two weak superconducting links controlled by the voltage. Dynamics of such a system is analyzed with account of the back effect of the magnet on the superconducting links.
Transforming Households: Working-Class Women And Economic Crisis

This paper analyzes changes in the nature of household-based labor and the relationship between those changes and recent economic crises. I point out that the recessions of the 1970s and 1980s were considerably different than that of the 1930s mainly because, in contrast to earlier periods, consumer demand did not slacken. In spite of falling real wages and rising unemployment, the demand for goods and services continually increased. I argue that changes in the ordinary activities of working-class women were crucial in shoring up consumer demand and thus these changes are central to the operation of the political economy itself
Isometric muscle torque in children 5 to 15 years of age: normative data.

OBJECTIVE: To establish reference values of arm and leg muscle strength as measured by isometric torque production in healthy children. DESIGN: Measurement of isometric muscle strength in healthy children. SETTING: Public school. PARTICIPANTS: Healthy children (N=149; 76 boys, 73 girls) ages 5 to 15 years. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Isometric torque values of 12 arm and leg muscle groups of healthy children as measured by a handheld dynamometer. RESULTS: Normative data were obtained for children 5 to 15 years of age. There was an increase in torque with age and weight and a strong correlation with both age and weight. There were few differences between boys and girls. Equations for predicted torque taking into account age, weight, and sex were calculated. The agreement between examiners was excellent. CONCLUSIONS: Studies on growing children require comparison to healthy (normal) children to assess the amount of deviation from normal and to be able to draw conclusions of change over time. The reference values for torque in combination with a predicted value based on the child's age, weight, and sex make it possible to compare over time and between subjects and provide a tool for evaluation of physical status and efficacy of therapy.
Parametric Study of Motor/Shroud Heat Transfer Performance in an Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP)

A shroud is commonly used around the motor of an electrical submersible pump (ESP) to accelerate reservoir fluids past the motor for cooling. Standard practice has been to design the shroud/motor configuration relative to the casing using a minimum fluid velocity of 0.3048 m/s (I ft/s) rule of thumb as a production strategy. The increase in the use of ESPs to exploit heavy oil reservoirs has brought up the necessity of revising this rule in order to prevent motor burnouts. A parametric study has been conducted using the computational fluid dynamics software CFX4.2 to examine the heat transfer behavior of the shroud motor configuration as a function of motor/shroud standoff. The objective of this effort is to examine the validity of the historical rule of thumb for heavy oils. Results for a case study on an oil with a viscosity of 78 cp @ 320 K are presented. Further, to explore the possibility of enhancing the heat transfer characteristics, the flow configuration was modified by incorporating several openings on the shroud. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that fluid velocity should be kept around 0.85 m/s (2.8 ft/s) as opposed to 1 ft/s to assure proper cooling of the motor. Also, flow redistribution by proper placement of the slots on the shroud may produce better heat transfer between the oil and the motor wall.
Lattice approach to string theory

We construct a lattice version of dual string theory, which we hope will be useful in systematically analyzing the properties of that theory. Mass renormalization is discussed, and the familiar tachyon problem is seen to arise so long as counterterms are restricted to be local. The dual-loop expansion is discussed and the origin of the critical dimension elucidated. In the interacting theory, the critical dimension is required for Lorentz invariance, but it is also the only dimension for which the coupling-constant renormalization is finite. The choice of bare coupling constant, ${g}_{0}=1$, is seen to be particularly attractive. If we make this choice, the string interaction coupling constant is calculable in terms of the fundamental rest tension ${T}_{0}$. The instabilities associated with tachyons are discussed, and we propose a method for discovering whether the interactions stabilize the theory. Application of our ideas to the baryon three-string problem is also mentioned.
Diatom taphocoenoses in the coastal upwelling area off South West Africa

Abstract The diatom floral composition of 124 sediment samples from the South East Atlantic records the influence of coastal upwelling on sediment composition off South West Africa. Inner shelf samples between 19° and 24°S are rich in diatom valves and the patterns of diatom species distribution in these samples are related to the coastal upwelling process. Comparison with recent phytoplankton data shows that the sediment assemblages preserve many of the important species of the diatom biocoenoses, including Chaetoceros (resting spores), Delphineis karstenii, Thalassiosira eccentrica, and Thalassionema nitzschioides. Delphineis karstenii, a pioneer species in enriched coastal water, occurs nearshore and Chaetoreros resting spores are widespread, with highest relative abundance values in some more offshore samples. The abundance of the Thalassiosira eccentrica group and of Thalassionema nitzschioides in sediment samples in and near Walvis Bay reflects the recurrence of intense upwelling off this part of the coast. An abundance of large centric species has been reported in hydrological conditions characteristic of newly upwelled waters and, correspondingly, Actinocyclus octonarius and some large Coscinodiscus species occur in the sediments in nearshore patches or belts.
The annual-average effect of the deposition-resuspension process on airborne contamination near the surface

Abstract Computational simulation of the diffusion-deposition-resuspension process has shown that the net effect of deposition and resuspension is, in general, a reduction in the annual-average ground-level airborne contamination. Thus an upper limit to the annual-average ground-level contamination can be calculated by ignoring both processes. This net reduction is found to be a direct consequence of the climatological mix of wind speeds and atmospheric stabilities; the contaminant is preferentially deposited during periods of limited vertical mixing and high ground-level airborne contamination and is resuspended during periods of greater average mixing and lower ground-level contamination.
Mixing of the sideband lines from an ESR absorption. Proposed technique of the modulation-frequency sweep curve

Abstract Experimental and theoretical studies have shown that a mixing occurs for the sideband-lines from a modulated ESR absorption. This suggested a new technique which enables one to measure the lifetime of the Zeeman state, or true T2 of the individual spin packet of an inhomogeneously broadened ESR line.
Perturbation Methods for Differential Equations

Preface Asymptotic Series and Expansions Regular Perturbation Methods The Method of Strained Coordinates/Parameters Method of Averaging The Method of Matched Asymptotic Expansions Method of Multiple Scales Miscellaneous Perturbation Methods References Answers to Selected Problems Index Permissions
Ex vivo characterization of human anti-porcine hyperacute cardiac rejection

Hyperacute rejection (HAR) currently precludes the use of discordant organs for human transplantation. In order to comprehensively evaluate HAR in a clinically applicable species combination, we have developed an ex vivo perfusion model utilizing a neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenator circuit; this model allows for functional and sequential biopsy studies of working piglet hearts sustained by human, single donor AB+ type blood. A detailed description of the methods employed is included. Hearts perfused by allogeneic pig blood sustained normal function throughout the study period, while those perfused with human blood lost organized ventricular contraction in 25-34 min with markedly attenuated function. Compared with biopsies from piglet hearts perfused with allogeneic blood and biopsies taken prior to human blood perfusion (t = 0), biopsies of hearts perfused with human blood at t = 15 and 30 min demonstrated significant inflammatory changes involving vessels (endothelial and myointimal swelling and reaction) as well as myocardium (injury and necrosis). By immunohistology, significant vascular deposition of IgM, IgG, fibrinogen, C3, and C1q was seen, along with infiltrates of human leukocytes consisting predominantly of neutrophils, macrophages, and T cells, with occasional B cells and NK cells. Sequential studies of circulating blood demonstrated the progressive consumption of human leukocytes and human anti-porcine antibodies, but no decrease in complement activity as measured by CH50. These findings indicate that the rapid loss of function seen in human anti-porcine cardiac HAR is associated with deposition of IgM and IgG xenoreactive antibody and early complement components and that extensive infiltration by inflammatory cells occurs within 15-30 min. This model provides a useful system for the study of human anti-porcine HAR.
Integrodifference equations, Allee effects, and invasions

Models that describe the spread of invading organisms often assume no Allee effect. In contrast, abundant observational data provide evidence for Allee effects. We study an invasion model based on an integrodifference equation with an Allee effect. We derive a general result for the sign of the speed of invasion. We then examine a special, linear–constant, Allee function and introduce a numerical scheme that allows us to estimate the speed of traveling wave solutions.
Absorption and vibrational spectra of the surface properties of molecular monolayers with large light-induced dipole alterations

Abstract Absorption and surface-enhanced Raman spectra of monolayers of retinal and styryl pyridinium dyes were obtained. The results have yielded new information on the absorption properties of these highly polarizable molecules. Information on the structure of the monolayer films have been deduced from the vibrational spectra. Enhancement mechanisms have been characterized and vibrational assignments have been made for the surface-enhanced Raman spectra of these monolayers.
Experimental and Analytical Studies of a Horizontally Curved Steel I-Girder Bridge during Erection

A series of studies on an experimental, full-scale curved steel bridge structure during erection are discussed. The work was part of the Federal Highway Administration’s curved steel bridge research project (CSBRP). The CSBRP is intended to improve the understanding of curved bridge behavior and to develop more rational design guidelines. The main purpose of the studies reported herein was to assess the capability of analytical tools for predicting response during erection. Nine erection studies, examining six different framing plans, are presented. The framing plans are not necessarily representative of curved bridge subassemblies as they would be erected in the field; however, they represent a variety of conditions that would test the robustness of analysis tools and assess the importance of erection sequence on initial stresses in a curved girder bridge. The simply supported, three I-girder system used for the tests is described and methods for reducing and examining the data are discussed. Comparisons...
Finding EPS-graphs

An efficient algorithm is presented for finding an EPS-graph in a connected bridgeless graph.
Plasma protein binding interaction of prednisone and prednisolone

Abstract The plasma protein binding interaction of prednisone and prednisolone were characterized by equilibrium dialysis. Prednisone and prednisolone are bound equally but weakly to human albumin (affinity constant, K ≈ 1 × 10 3 M −1 ). Transcortin affinity for prednisolone is 10-fold greater (51.3 × 10 6 M −1 ) than that for prednisone (4.3 × 10 6 M −1 ). In competition under pharmacologie conditions, prednisolone inhibits prednisone bining to transcortin producing linear binding averaging 55%. Prednisone does not affect prednisolone binding and does not complicate pharmacokinetic studies of the latter.
Purification and properties of the extracellular metallo-proteinases of Chromobacterium lividum (NCIB 10926).

Abstract Four extracellular proteolytic enzymes (I–IV) (EC 3.4.22.—) were identified in static cultures of Chromobacterium lividum (NCIB 10926) by agar gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Proteinases I–III were freed of nonenzymic protein by chromatography on TEAE-cellulose and CM-cellulose. The enzyme mixture was then fractionated in a pH gradient by isoelectric focusing. All three enzymes were shown to be heat-labile metallo-enzymes. Optimal activity occurred at pH 5.6 for enzyme I and at pH 6.2 for enzymes II and III. Remazolbrilliant Blue-hide powder was a sensitive substrate for these enzymes. Proteinase I was also shown to degrade haemoglobin and casein effectively, but not myoglobin, ovalbumin or bovine serum albumin. Proteinases I–III exhibited molecular weight values of 75 000, 72 000 and 67 000 by exclusion chromatography and 71 000 and 66 000 by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis for enzyme I and II, respectively. The amino acid compositions of enzymes I and II were somewhat similar. Proteinase I was inhibited by EDTA, 1,2-di(2-aminoethoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid or 1,10-phenanthroline and both Ca2+ and Co2+ were required for maximal activity. Mg2+ could substitute for Ca2+ or Mn2+ for Co2+. The interrelationship of proteinases I–III is discussed.
A probit analysis program for the personal computer

Application software for economical and convenient calculation of median effective doses, confidence limits, potency ratios and slopes of quantal dose-response curves using a microcomputer is presented. The PASCAL language program is stored on diskette and it is compatible with many commercially available microcomputer systems. The program will simultaneously calculate the parameters for up to 20 different treatments and a total of 100 doses. Comparisons between the results of calculations of the LD50 of thiopental in mice using the PASCAL program, a modem-accessed commercially available probit analysis program and three, widely accepted manual calculation methods are made. The results of calculations of parallelism and the potency ratio between thiopental and phenobarbital-induced death in mice are shown.
Measuring the stiffness of concrete shear walls during dynamic tests

Results from a series of experiments designed to measure the stiffness of low-aspect-ratio, reinforced-concrete shear walls subjected to simulated seismic inputs on a shake table are reported. The geometry of the test structures allows them to be modeled as single-degree-of-freedom systems. Forces were estimated from accelerometer measurements on masses attached to the structures. Dynamic relative-displacement measurements were obtained from groups of strain gages wired in series to act as one continuous gage. Because this method measures relative displacements, potential sources of error associated with unspecified base motion are avoided. tiffness values determined from the relative displacement measurements were compared with stiffness values determined indirectly from frequency-response functions. Measured, accelerometer data were used to calculate the frequency-response functions. The stiffness values determined from the relative-displacement measurements gave results similar to those given by mechanics-of-materials beam theory that accounts for shear deformation. The stiffness values determined from the frequency-response functions were considerably less than those from the theory.