cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distributed and lumped RC realization of a constant argument impedance

Abstract The driving-point properties of the distributed RC ( RC ) network are utilized for realizing an impedance approximating (jw) − 1 2 over a wide frequency range ω0 RC network and those of the terminating impedance. We show that with suitable termination, the value of ω0 can be reduced by a factor of ten from the value for open or short-circuit conditions. Thin film or semiconductor realization is possible for the resulting networks, but they can also be approximated by combinations of lumped R's and C's. Two types of lumped-element approximations are suggested: one employs a finite ladder to approximate the three-terminal RC network while the other is based on truncation of the partial-fraction expansion of the two terminal RC impedances. It is found that the former type of structure gives better results than the latter type.
Simultaneous SO(2n) generator measurement by spin-clifford algebra coupling

In this paper we generalize the theory of simultaneous spin-component measurement to an arbitrary SO(2n) algebra. Independent (meter) spin-1/2 particles are coupled to the generators of the corresponding SO(2n) Clifford algebra. Assuming all meter particles are aligned initially in they direction, it is shown that the measurement of the meterx components after system coupling results in a simultaneous measurement of the system SO(2n) operators.
The time evolution of the pair distribution function of polymeric systems

The stress tensor of a polymeric system, solution or melt, is the sum of “single molecule” terms which may be expressed as integrals involving the distribution function in the phase space of a single molecule and “intermolecular” terms which involve the distribution function in the configuration space of pairs of molecules. The evaluation of the single molecule terms is usually based on the solution of the “diffusion” equation in the configuration space of a single molecule. In the present development, an analogous “diffusion” equation in the configuration space of a pair of molecules is developed. The development is based on a generalization of the “time-smoothing” ideas introduced by Kirkwood. Expressions are obtained for the various friction coefficients as time correlation functions.
Fatal ethylene glycol intoxication. Report of a case and review of the literature

The authors describe a 27-year-old man with signs of acute ethylene glycol intoxication, including coma, absent pupillary reflexes, hypotonia, and hyporeflexia, plus laboratory evidence of a high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis, an osmolal gap, calcium oxalate monohydrate crystalluria, and elevated serum ethylene glycol levels. He failed to respond to sodium bicarbonate and ethanol therapy and died immediately before hemodialysis. The diagnosis, clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and treatment of acute ethylene glycol intoxication are reviewed.
Reconfiguring polylysine architectures for controlling polyplex binding and non-viral transfection

Poly(L-lysine) (PLL) is a cationic polyelectrolyte of interest for many applications, including in therapeutic biology for DNA complexation and transfection. Several non-lysine based polycations have been shown to afford more efficient transfection in live cells than has been achieved with PLL. We find that reconfiguring polylysine into short oligolysine grafts, strung from a hydrophobic polymer backbone, gives transfection reagents greatly superior to PLL, despite having the identical cationic functional groups (i.e., exclusively primary amines). Altering the oligolysine graft length modulates DNA-polymer interactions and transfection efficiency, while incorporating the PKKKRKV heptapeptide (the Simian virus SV40 large T-antigen nuclear localization sequence) pendent groups onto the polymer backbone led to even greater transfection efficiency over the oligolysine-grafted structures. Protein expression levels obtained with these novel polymer transfection reagents were higher than, or comparable to, expression seen in the cases of JetPEI™, FuGENE® 6 and Lipofectamine™ 2000, the later being notorious for cytotoxicity that accompanies high transfection efficiency. The relative strength of the polymer-DNA complex is key to the transfection performance, as judged by serum stability and PicoGreen analysis. Moreover, polyplexes formed from our graft copolymer structures exhibit low cytotoxicity, contributing to the therapeutic promise of these novel reagents.
Differential effects of inhibitors of purine metabolism on two trichomonad species

Abstract Tritrichomonas foetus and Trichomonas vaginalis are both incapable of de novo purine nucleotide synthesis. Previous studies indicated that T. foetus relies mainly on the salvage of hypoxanthine and subsequent conversion of IMP to AMP and GMP, whereas T. vaginalis depends on direct conversions of exogenous adenosine to AMP and guanosine to GMP without much interconversion between the two nucleotides. These two different types of purine salvage suggest the possibility of differential sensitivities between the two species of trichomonad flagellates toward different purine antimetabolites. Mycophenolic acid, hadacidin, 8-azaguanine, and formycin B inhibited the growth of T. foetus but had no effect on T. vaginalis . Mycophenolic acid acted by blocking conversion of IMP to GMP, hadacidin inhibited conversion of IMP to AMP, and 8-azaguanine was incorporated into the T. foetus nucleotide pool, likely via hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase. Formycin B was converted to 5'-monophosphate in T. foetus and inhibited the conversion of IMP to AMP. Its precise mechanism of action on T. foetus remains, however, to be elucidated. Alanosine, whose ribonucleotide derivative is a potent inhibitor of adenylosuccinate synthetase, had no effect on the growth or hypoxanthine incorporation in T. foetus , which may be due to the lack of converion of alanosine to the ribonucleotide because of the absence of de novo purine nucleotide synthesis in parasites. Four adenosine analogs, adenine arabinoside, tubercidin, sangivamycin, and toyocamycin, were found inhibitory to the growth of T. vaginalis but showed little effect on T. foetus growth. Further investigations suggested that these four compounds acted on T. vaginalis by blocking incorporation of adenosine into the adenine nucleotide pool.
Inferring precise polymorphic type dependencies in logic programs

We present a new analysis that infers polymorphic type dependencies in logic programs. The analysis infers more precise information than previous type dependency inference analyses. The improvement in precision is achieved by making use of set union as a type constructor and non-deterministic type definitions.
All triangulations of the projective plane are geometrically realizable inE 4

We say that a triangulationT of a manifold is geometriclaly realizable inE n provided there is a triangulationT′⊂E n isomorphic toT such that each simplex ofT′ is convex. A triangulation of the projective plane cannot be geometrically realizable inE 3 because it is not topologically realizable inE 3. We show that it is, however, geometriclaly realizable inE 4.
Use of a somatostatin analogue, octreotide acetate, in the management of acute gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease

Purpose Because the secretory diarrhea of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) of the gut induces serious metabolic and nutritional disturbances, this study was initiated to assess the use of a somatostatin analogue, octreotide acetate, as adjunctive therapy for severe GvHD of the gut with massive diarrhea. Patients and methods In a pilot study, six patients with biopsy-confirmed acute gut GvHD after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation received octreotide 50 to 250 μg three times a day subcutaneously. Results Three of the six treated patients had a prompt and dramatic reduction in stool volume within 1 to 3 days of initiation of octreotide therapy. Conclusions Somatostatin and its analogues have been used successfully in diarrheal states by antagonism of neuropeptide overproduction, although other potential therapeutic mechanisms include inhibition of fluid secretion, enhanced salt absorption, and inhibition of gut motility. Somatostatin and its analogues may be promising adjunctive agents in the treatment of gastrointestinal GvHD, although assessment in a controlled trial will be required to confirm their therapeutic efficacy.
Photoinitiated Cross-Linking of the Biodegradable Polyester Poly(propylene fumarate). Part II. In Vitro Degradation

This study investigated the in vitro degradation of both solid PPF networks and porous PPF scaffolds formed by photoinitiated cross-linking of PPF polymer chains. Three formulations of scaffolds of differing porosity and pore size were constructed by varying porogen size and content. The effects of pore size and pore volume on scaffold mass, geometry, porosity, mechanical properties, and water absorption were then examined. Throughout the study, the solid networks and porous scaffolds exhibited continual mass loss and slight change in length. Porogen content appeared to have the greatest effect upon physical degradation. For example, scaffolds initially fabricated with 80 wt % porogen content lost approximately 30% of their initial PPF content after 32 weeks of degradation, whereas scaffolds fabricated with 70 wt % porogen content lost approximately 18% after 32 weeks of degradation. For all scaffold formulations, water absorption capacity, porosity, and compressive modulus were maintained at constant val...
The association of antisocial personality symptoms with marijuana abuse/dependence. A monozygotic co-twin control study.

This study examines the association of symptoms of lifetime antisocial personality disorder (ASP) with marijuana abuse/dependence in Vietnam-era veteran male monozygotic twin pairs. In 1992, 1,874 monozygotic twin pairs responded to a structured psychiatric interview that obtained data on lifetime history of drug use and ASP. Among randomly selected individuals from each twin pair, 8 of 10 ASP symptoms were significantly more prevalent in persons with a lifetime history of marijuana abuse/dependence compared with those who had never abused any drug (p < .001). Among 99 marijuana discordant twin pairs, however, only two ASP symptoms, "failure to conform to social norms" (odds ratio, 2.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5 to 5.5) and "reckless regard of own or other's personal safety" (odds ratio, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 5.4) were significantly increased in marijuana abusing/dependent twins compared with their non-abusing/nondependent twin brother. After adjustment for conduct disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, and exposure to combat in Vietnam, only "failure to conform to social norms of lawful behavior" (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 5.21) remained significantly increased in twins with marijuana abuse/dependence.
A Promising Psychosocial Intervention: Next Steps Include Systematic Study and Creative Extension

Sloan and Marx (this issue) provide a comprehensive and thoughtful review of the written exposure paradigm, noting that it is a promising psychosocial intervention. They focus on possible explanatory theories and close their review by advocating for research aimed at understanding mechanisms of action. While this critically important research is being conducted by some investigators, it will be important for others to consider modifications or enhancements that might improve the efficacy and effectiveness of the written exposure paradigm and still others to consider the myriad of related intervention possibilities raised by the promising findings. That is, the emerging data on the written exposure paradigm have substantial heuristic value. There is insufficient psychosocial intervention research being conducted, and we have barely scratched the surface of possibilities related to this strategy.
Development and validation of an observational coding system for emotional overinvolvement

The present study investigated the reliability and construct validity of a behavioral observation coding system of emotional overinvolvement (EOI), an index of intrusive, excessively self-sacrificing, or exaggeratedly emotional behavior displayed by the relative of a psychiatric patient. Separate behavioral ratings of relatives' intrusiveness, excessive self-sacrifice, and exaggerated emotional response were generated from 10-min problem-solving interactions between adult outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder or panic disorder with agoraphobia and their relatives. The interrater reliability for the 3 scales was adequate to excellent, and the scales appeared to tap related, but distinct, aspects of the EOI construct. Results from a multitrait-multimethod matrix and a confirmatory factor analysis supported the measure's convergent validity but were equivocal with respect to its discriminant validity.
Guiding an HPSG Parser using Semantic and Pragmatic Expectations

Efficient natural language generation has been successfully demonstrated using highly compiled knowledge about speech acts and their related social actions. A design and prototype implementation of a parser which utilizes this same pragmatic knowledge to efficiently guide parsing is presented. Such guidance is shown to prune the search space and thus avoid needless processing of pragmatically unlikely constituent structures.
Structural Insight into AMPK Regulation: ADP Comes into Play.

Summary The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a sensor of cellular energy status found in all eukaryotes, responds to changes in intracellular adenosine nucleotide levels resulting from metabolic stresses. Here we describe crystal structures of a heterotrimeric regulatory core fragment from Schizosaccharomyces pombe AMPK in complex with ADP, ADP/AMP, ADP/ATP, and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β- D -ribofuranotide (AICAR phosphate, or ZMP), a well-characterized AMPK activator. Prior crystallographic studies had revealed a single site in the γ subunit that binds either ATP or AMP within Bateman domain B. Here we show that ZMP binds at this site, mimicking the binding of AMP. An analogous site in Bateman domain A selectively accommodates ADP, which binds in a distinct manner that also involves direct ligation to elements from the β subunit. These observations suggest a possible role for ADP in regulating AMPK response to changes in cellular energy status.
Efficient detection of channel predicates in distributed systems

This paper discusses efficient detection of global predicates in a distributed program. Previous work in this area required predicates to be specified as a conjunction of predicates defined on individual processes. Many properties in distributed systems, however, use the state of channels, such as “the channel is empty,” or “there is a token in the channel.” In this paper, we introduce the concept of alinearchannel predicate and provide efficient centralized and distributed algorithms to detect any conjunction of local and linear channel predicates. The class of linear predicates is fairly broad. For example, classic problems such as detection of termination and computation of global virtual time are instances of conjunctions of linear channel predicates. Linear predicates can be functions of the number of messages in the channel, or can be based upon the actual contents of the messages. The main application of our results are in debugging and testing of distributed programs. For these applications it is important to detect thefirststate where some predicate is true. We show that this first state is uniquely defined if and only if linear predicates are used.
Improving TEM Fixation with Additives

Attempts to fix the gregarine Pterospora floridiensis (a protozoan parasite found in marine bristle worms) for TEM using a conventional glutaraldehyde and osmium protocol produced poor preservation of the outer pellicular membranes and internal membranous structures. However, fixation success was achieved using the well-known fixative additives tannic acid and potassium ferrocyanide, which improved membrane preservation, cytoplasmic integrity, and contrast in both the unencysted feeding stage of P. floridiensis as well as the difficult-to-fix cyst stage. The longer fixation times (24 hours) needed for the cysts were compatible with the modified fixatives. Interestingly, both additives were needed to improve fixation.
Transdermal Nicotine and Drug Craving

The authors observed the effect of transdermally administered nicotine on the drug craving of 15 patients with nicotine dependence and recent cocaine abuse. Transdermal nicotine and placebo patches were applied in a crossover, double-blind design, and outcome was assessed by visual analog scales to measure drug craving. Nicotine patches significantly reduced craving for cigarettes without affecting cigarette use. There was a nonsignificant trend for nicotine patches to reduce cocaine craving more than placebo patches.
Graphene frequency doubler with record 3GHz bandwidth and the maximum conversion gain prospects

We report a 500nm graphene field-effect transistor operating at the Dirac point for frequency doubling with maximum output power of −23dBm and a record bandwidth of 3GHz, 2× higher than the state-of-the-art. The experimental device exceeds its f t and f max by about 50%. Contact resistance degrades the performance of the experimental GFET. In the limit of negligible non-idealities and maximum gate capacitance, the conversion gain approaches lossless frequency doubling. The record performance of the graphene doubler is enabled by the growth of high-quality graphene affording carrier mobilities as high as 5000cm2/V-s and 2200cm2/V-s on smooth quartz and flexible substrates respectively.
The Role of Theory in the Preparation of Professionals in Early Childhood Special Education

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that theory-based research plays in educational practices in early childhood special education. Knowledge generated through basic research must be t...
AGE DIFFERENCES IN CHILDREN'S PERCEPTIONS OF MESSAGE INTENT Responses to TV News, Commercials, Educational Spots, and Public Service Announcements

Children four through eleven years old viewed informational (excerpts from network news), persuasive (child-oriented and adult-oriented commercials), educational (excerpts from instructional spots), and mixed (child-oriented public service announcements) messages. They were then interviewed about message content, type, intent, believability, and belief criteria. Comprehension of narrative content was high, even among the youngest children. Most young children were able to identify messages for which common labels exist (news; commercials), but few attached labels to educational spots or public service announcements. Correct articulation of message intent occurred primarily among older children; few under age eight correctly identified the intent of any message type. There was an age-related trend toward the use of functional cues to aid in message identification, and toward reality testing as the appropriate basis for evaluation of message believability. The evidence indicates that young children may inte...
High efficiency, reliable low frequency sound source for acoustical oceanography

A new concept of at low frequency (below 1000 Hertz) underwater sound source has been developed and tested. The oscillation of a rigid body and an arrangement for converting a dipole oscillation of the rigid body to a monopole pulsation are used in this source. This arrangement allows the authors to generate practically unlimited displacement of the radiating surfaces without deformation of material. A reaction force concept to power the source has been implemented. To prove the concept, a small version of the electric-powered source has been built. A full-scale version of the source promises to be reliable, inexpensive, highly efficient, and powerful. >
Use of short-pulse laser for optical tomography of tissues

This paper analyzes the short pulse laser propagation through tissues for development of a time-resolved optical tomography system for detection of tumors and inhomogeneities in tissues. Traditional method for analyzing optical transport in tissues is the parabolic or diffusion approximation in which the energy flux is assumed proportional to the fluence (intensity averaged over all solid angles) gradients. The inherent drawback in this model is that it predicts infinite speed of propagation of the optical signal. In this paper accurate hyperbolic or wave nature of transient radiative transfer formulation is used to overcome such drawbacks. The transmitted and reflected intensity distributions are obtained using hyperbolic P1 and discrete ordinates method and the results are compared with the parabolic diffusion P1 approximation. Parametric study of tissue thickness, pulse width, scattering and absorption coefficients of tissues, tumor location, size and properties, and scattering phase function distribution is also performed to analyze their effect on the transmitted and reflected optical signals.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF MYOFIBRILLAR PROTEINS IN BEEF, POULTRY, AND FISH

The myofibrillar proteins myosin, actin, tropomyosin, and troponin are involved in the contraction of muscle. They are also an integral part of the unique, highly organized structure of muscle tissue. The chemistry and biochemistry of these proteins has been studied both in vivo and in vitro by scientists from many different fields. The same proteins are of great importance to food scientists because of their role in meat and meat products. This review summarizes some of the important physicochemical and biochemical properties of these proteins that may be important for food scientists.
3K: The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation

Preface 1. Cosmology 2. The early history of CBR studies 3. Radio astronomy 4. The spectrum of the CBR 5. What we learn from observations of the CBR spectrum 6. Searches for anisotropy in the CBR on large angular scales 7. Searches for anisotropy in the CBR on small angular scales 8. What do we learn from the angular distribution of the CBR? Appendices Index.
Race and Gender Bias in Three Administrative Contexts: Impact on Work Assignments in State Supreme Courts

Do certain types of administrative processes better inhibit race and gender prejudices that may surface in the public workplace? We compare the effects of three distinct administrative settings on race, gender, and other biases in the workload assignments of state supreme court justices—important public policy making settings that have been understudied in public administration. In particular, we model the extent to which majority opinion– writing assignment processes exhibit prejudice in states that use randomized assignments, rotated assignments, or fully discretionary assignments, respectively. Our findings confirm that administrative process matters. We use theories of status characteristics and administrative oversight to explain the relationship between administrative context and workload assignment patterns. Based on data from all 50 states, we discover that prejudice exists but that certain administrative processes serve better than others to suppress race and gender biases.
Effect of Growth Pressure and Gas-Phase Chemistry on the Optical Quality of InGaN/GaN Multi-Quantum Wells

Blue light-emitting diodes (LED’s), utilizing InGaN-based multi-quantum well (MQW) active regions deposited by organometallic chemical vapor epitaxy (OMVPE), are one of the fundamental building-blocks for current solid-state lighting applications. Studies [1,2] have previously been conducted to explore the optical and physical properties of the active MQW’s over a variety of different OMVPE growth conditions. However, the conclusions of these papers have often been contradictory, possibly due to a limited data set or lack of understanding of the fundamental fluid dynamics and gas-phase chemistry that occurs during the deposition process. Multi-quantum well structures grown over a range of pressures from typical low-pressure production processes at 200 Torr, up to near-atmospheric growth conditions at 700 Torr, have been investigated in this study. At all growth pressures, clear trends of gas-phase chemical reactions are observed for increased gas residence times (lower gas speeds from the injector flange and lower rotation rates) and increased V/III ratios (higher NH3 flows). Confocal microscopy, excitation-dependent PL (PLE), and time-resolved photo-luminescence (TRPL) have been employed on these MQW structures to investigate the carrier lifetime characteristics. Confocal emission images show spatially-separated bright and dark regions. The bright regions are red-shifted in wavelength relative to the dark regions, suggesting microscopic spatial localization of high indium content regions. As the growth pressure and gas residence times are reduced, a larger difference in band-gap between bright and dark regions, longer lifetimes, and higher average PL intensities can be obtained, indicating that higher optical quality material can be realized. Optimized MQW’s grown at high pressure exhibit higher PLE slope intensities and IQE characteristics than lower pressure samples. Results on simple LED structures indicate that the improvement in MQW optical quality at high pressures translates to higher output power at a 110 A/cm2 injection current density.
A Chemical Screen Probing the Relationship between Mitochondrial Content and Cell Size

The cellular content of mitochondria changes dynamically during development and in response to external stimuli, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. To systematically identify molecular probes and pathways that control mitochondrial abundance, we developed a high-throughput imaging assay that tracks both the per cell mitochondrial content and the cell size in confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We screened 28,786 small molecules and observed that hundreds of small molecules are capable of increasing or decreasing the cellular content of mitochondria in a manner proportionate to cell size, revealing stereotyped control of these parameters. However, only a handful of compounds dissociate this relationship. We focus on one such compound, BRD6897, and demonstrate through secondary assays that it increases the cellular content of mitochondria as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy, mitochondrial protein content, and respiration, even after rigorous correction for cell size, cell volume, or total protein content. BRD6897 increases uncoupled respiration 1.6-fold in two different, non-dividing cell types. Based on electron microscopy, BRD6897 does not alter the percent of cytoplasmic area occupied by mitochondria, but instead, induces a striking increase in the electron density of existing mitochondria. The mechanism is independent of known transcriptional programs and is likely to be related to a blockade in the turnover of mitochondrial proteins. At present the molecular target of BRD6897 remains to be elucidated, but if identified, could reveal an important additional mechanism that governs mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover.
An investigation of the polymerization of furfuryl alcohol with gel permeation chromatography

Several series of furfuryl alcohol resins, made by the polymerization of furfuryl alcoho with a variety of catalysts and having viscosities as high as 7 × 106 cpoise, were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). A series-by-series comparison of the GPC curves of the resins was made, to determine the effects of catalyst type and concentration on resin molecular structure as elucidated by GPC. Furfuryl alcohol resins were produced not only by thermal polymerization but also by catalysis with Imaleic anhydride, 86% phosphoric acid, γ alumina, and anhydrous magnesium sulfate. The gel permeation chromatograms of the resins made by catalysis with maleic anhydride were found to be nearly identical with those catalyzed with 86% phosphoric acid. Moreover, catalyst concentration did not affect the GPC curves of the resins catalyzed by maleic anhydride. These observations are consistant with an initial reaction mechanism, of which the rate-controlling step is a function of pH. The chromatograms of the resins made by catalysis with γ alumina showed a shift of the peak maximums of the lower molecular weight species to lower elution volumes, indicating that esterification of the free hydroxyl groups with levulinic acid and other related acids may have taken place. The resins polymerized by thermal catalysis and by catalysis with anhydrous magnesium sulfate exhibited GPC curves that fell between those of the resins catalyzed by acids and those of the resins made by catalysis with γ alumina.
Occurrence of gout in rheumatoid arthritis: it does happen! A population-based study.

Aim: It has been a popular belief that gout does not typically occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Our aim was to assess the occurrence, prevalence, clinical presentation and possible risk factors for gout in patients with RA. Patients & methods: We retrospectively reviewed a population-based incidence cohort of patients who fulfilled 1987 ACR criteria for RA between 1980 and 2007. The cumulative prevalence of gout in RA adjusted for the competing risk of death was estimated. Results: Among the 813 patients with RA, six were diagnosed with gout prior to RA incidence and 22 patients developed gout during a total of 9771 person-years of follow-up. Nine out of 22 patients had crystal-proven gout. The 25-year cumulative prevalence of gout diagnosed by clinical criteria in patients with RA was 5.3%. Conclusion: Gout does occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, however, at a lower rate than in the general population.
Effect of short‐chain branching on the morphology of LLDPE‐oriented thin films

High-density polyethylene and randomly branched linear low-density polyethylene of varying branch length and content were used to produce oriented thin films. Sample morphology was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMA). Gelation studies suggested that the film preparation technique may have involved gel-drawing. DSC characterization of samples with approximately equal average branch content revealed very different melting behavior, suggesting differences in crystal size distributions. This was attributed to variations in the distribution of branches within samples. For similar branching distributions, the average melting temperature (and, similarly, crystal size) generally decreased as branch content increased. This was corroborated by TEM, with which crystal thickness was found to decrease as branch content increased. TEM further revealed that the lateral alignment of mosaic blocks and the resultant lamellar character of the thin films was obscured as branch content increased, a result of reduced crystal size, crystallinity, and possibly increased interphase content. DMA of compression-molded material revealed the presence of a beta peak in branched samples only. Moreover, the alpha transition temperature shifted to lower temperatures as branch content increased.
Treatment of Hypertension With Chronotherapy Is It Time of Drug Administration

Objective: To review evidence for dosing antihypertensives at bedtime and possible cardiovascular risk reduction. Data Sources: A PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Controlled Trials database literature search (1990-September 2014) limited to human subjects was performed using the search terms hypertension, chronotherapy, ambulatory blood pressure, morning administration, evening administration, and antihypertensives. Additional references were identified from literature citations. Study Selection: All prospective studies assessing cardiovascular outcomes or comparing morning to evening administration of antihypertensives were selected. Data Synthesis: Compared with morning administration, dosing one or more antihypertensive medications at bedtime helps induce a normal circadian blood pressure pattern and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in individuals with hypertension. Similar results have been reported in high-risk individuals with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and resis...
Automatic removal of eye movement and blink artifacts from EEG data using blind component separation

Signals from eye movements and blinks can be orders of magnitude larger than brain-generated electrical potentials and are one of the main sources of artifacts in electroencephalographic (EEG) data. Rejecting contaminated trials causes substantial data loss, and restricting eye movements/blinks limits the experimental designs possible and may impact the cognitive processes under investigation. This article presents a method based on blind source separation (BSS) for automatic removal of electroocular artifacts from EEG data. BBS is a signal-processing methodology that includes independent component analysis (ICA). In contrast to previously explored ICA-based methods for artifact removal, this method is automated. Moreover, the BSS algorithm described herein can isolate correlated electroocular components with a high degree of accuracy. Although the focus is on eliminating ocular artifacts in EEG data, the approach can be extended to other sources of EEG contamination such as cardiac signals, environmental noise, and electrode drift, and adapted for use with magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data, a magnetic correlate of EEG.
Use of Artificial Streams for Toxicological Research

A review of the literature pertaining to the use of artificial streams as research tools in both toxicant and nontoxicant studies was conducted. This document summarizes that review and provides an assessment of the value of artificial streams in toxicological research. Descriptions are presented of the major types of artificial streams including considerations for the physical design of those streams based on their intended use. Research representative of nontoxicant behavioral, productivity, and trophic relationship studies is summarized to provide a background for the more in-depth discourse on toxicant research. Toxicant research is reviewed in relation to environmental factors such as physical type of artificial stream, light, water, and substrate and experimental conditions including biota tested, method of biota introduction, measured parameters, and toxicant. Comparisons and assessment are presented concerning the use of the appropriate artificial system for addressing various types of toxicant research emphasizing simple vs. complex systems.
Actin Cytoskeletal Organization in Drosophila Germline Ring Canals Depends on Kelch Function in a Cullin-RING E3 Ligase

The Drosophila Kelch protein is required to organize the ovarian ring canal cytoskeleton. Kelch binds and cross-links F-actin in vitro, and it also functions with Cullin 3 (Cul3) as a component of a ubiquitin E3 ligase. How these two activities contribute to cytoskeletal remodeling in vivo is not known. We used targeted mutagenesis to investigate the mechanism of Kelch function. We tested a model in which Cul3-dependent degradation of Kelch is required for its function, but we found no evidence to support this hypothesis. However, we found that mutant Kelch deficient in its ability to interact with Cul3 failed to rescue the kelch cytoskeletal defects, suggesting that ubiquitin ligase activity is the principal activity required in vivo. We also determined that the proteasome is required with Kelch to promote the ordered growth of the ring canal cytoskeleton. These results indicate that Kelch organizes the cytoskeleton in vivo by targeting a protein substrate for degradation by the proteasome.
Dopaminergic modulation of inhibitory glutamate receptors in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion.

Cleland, Thomas A. and Allen I. Selverston. Dopaminergic modulation of inhibitory glutamate receptors in the lobster stomatogastric ganglion. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3450–3452, 1997. The intrinsic rhy...
CAPLET: A Highly Parallelized Field Solver for Capacitance Extraction Using Instantiable Basis Functions

Parallelization of traditional accelerated techniques for integral equation solvers has been shown to be inefficient and to scale poorly with the number of parallel computing nodes. This is because traditional methods typically represent the solution using piecewise constant (PWC) basis functions, resulting in gigantic systems of linear equations to solve. In this paper, we propose instantiable basis functions, which generate smaller systems than PWC basis functions for the same accuracy. Furthermore, they redistribute computation from the system solving step to the embarrassingly parallelizable system setup step, hence enabling highly scalable and efficient parallelization. In the examples, we tested, our new solver is six to ten times faster than FASTCAP in serial execution and achieves 90% parallel efficiency in a ten-core distributed-memory system. We developed a toolkit that automates a complete extraction flow from GDSII layout files to capacitance matrices. Our code has been released in the public domain.
Determination of 6pyrethroids pesticides in fruits and vegetables by SPE/GC

Objective:A method for the determination of 6 Pyrethroids pesticides in fruits and vegetables by SPE/GC.Methods: The samples were extracted by acetonitrile solution,after the extract was purified through florisil column.The collected solution was analyzed by using GC-ECD.Results: The limits of detection for the six kinds pyrethroids ranged from 0.0011 mg/kg～0.0035 mg/kg.The recoverieswith standard addition ranged from 83.6%～105.7%.Conclusion: The method is simple,effective purification and high recovery.It is suitable for the sample shape full of fruits and vegetables.
Outbreak management in health care facilities

An outbreak of healthcare-associated infection is a disastrous event. Thus, it is essential to understand an overview of outbreak management. Cautious management is needed especially for cancer patients, due to their high risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections. An outbreak is defined as a healthcare-associated infection when its frequency clearly exceeds normal expectancy. The early detection of an outbreak through appropriate surveillance and collections of sentinel events is a primary step in its management. After detection, infection prevention and control measures must be rapidly implemented. An epidemiological investigation is concurrently conducted to clarify the overall picture, estimate the source and route of infection, and establish recommendations. In addition, the stress of healthcare providers, relationships with public health officials, and risk communication must be considered. However, the capacities of epidemiological investigations are generally limited due to insufficient healthcare resources for outbreak management. Basic infection prevention measures and early response are the most efficient approaches for preventing future outbreaks.
Nonlinear time-domain soil–structure interaction analysis of embedded reactor structures subjected to earthquake loads

Abstract A generalized time-domain method for soil–structure interaction analysis is developed, based upon an extension of the work of the domain reduction method of Bielak et al. The methodology is combined with the use of a simple hysteretic soil model based upon the Ramberg–Osgood formulation and applied to a notional Small Modular Reactor. These benchmark results compare well (with some caveats) with those obtained by using the industry-standard frequency-domain code SASSI. The methodology provides a path forward for investigation of other sources of nonlinearity, including those associated with the use of more physically-realistic material models incorporating pore-pressure effects, gap opening/closing, the effect of nonlinear structural elements, and 3D seismic inputs.
Evidence for sterol-independent regulation of low-density lipoprotein receptor activity in Hep-G2 cells.

The relationship between the serum factor(s)-mediated induction of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity and changes in cellular cholesterol metabolism was examined in the human hepatoma cell line Hep-G2. Relative to incubation with serum-free media [Eagle9s minimal essential medium (MEM) control], short-term (less than 8 h) incubation with medium containing 15% of either calf serum (MEM + serum) or the d greater than 1.25 fraction of calf serum (MEM + d greater than 1.25) produced a time- and concentration-dependent increase in the uptake of 125I-LDL. Immunoblotting with anti-(LDL receptor) antibodies demonstrated that this was correlated with a 2-fold increase in the amount of the mature 136,000 Da LDL receptor protein in detergent-solubilized Hep-G2 cell membranes. Incubation with MEM + serum, but not MEM + d greater than 1.25, increased the efflux of radiolabelled cholesterol from Hep-G2 cells. However, the induction of 125I-LDL uptake by MEM + d greater than 1.25 (2.3-fold) and MEM + serum (2.2-fold) was virtually identical. Addition of the d less than 1.063 lipoproteins of calf serum to MEM + d greater than 1.25 at their original or three times their serum concentration decreased the induction of 125I-LDL uptake by MEM + d greater than 1.25 by only 20-30%. Together, these results suggest that the stimulation of 125I-LDL uptake was not due to the presence of high-density lipoprotein, the absence of LDL or the stimulation of cholesterol efflux. MEM + serum stimulated 125I-LDL uptake in cells cholesterol-loaded by incubation with rat very-low-density lipoprotein with beta electrophoretic mobility (beta-VLDL). Compared to incubation with the MEM control, either MEM + serum or MEM + d greater than 1.25 produced time-dependent increases in the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase which also occurred in cholesterol-loaded cells. However, cholesterol biosynthesis, whether measured from 3H2O, [14C]acetate or [3H]mevalonic acid, was not increased. Incubation with MEM + serum or MEM + d greater than 1.25 did not affect [3H]oleate incorporation into cellular cholesteryl esters, hydrolysis of intracellular [3H]cholesteryl esters or the cellular mass of unesterified or esterified cholesterol. Incubation with MEM + serum or MEM + d greater than 1.25 produced a transient increase in the level of LDL receptor mRNA, reaching a maximum of 5-10-fold by 2 h and decreasing to near baseline levels by 4 h. Actinomycin D blocked the serum-factor-mediated induction of LDL receptor mRNA.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Implementing a culturally appropriate birthing policy: Ethnographic analysis of the experiences of skilled birth attendants in Peru

Policies about skilled birth attendants (SBA) need to account for cultural acceptability of care rendered by SBAs. Few studies have assessed these policies from the perspective of SBAs. I identify challenges and analyze the experiences of SBAs implementing a culturally appropriate birth care policy in Peru. I collected data during 15 months of ethnographic research: conducting semi-structured interviews and informal conversations with 5 SBAs in 2 villages and with health officials. I compared interview results with my observations of consultations and of labor and delivery. Weak institutional support, lack of training, negative perceptions of the policy inhibited implementation, as did detrimental effects on future personal and professional opportunities. SBAs in Peru face many challenges when trying to establish intercultural birth care. My recommendations include provision of focused training, promoting a more diverse workforce, and increasing community engagement.Journal of Public Health Policy advance online publication, 19 May 2016; doi:10.1057/jphp.2016.19.
In pursuit of excellence: a model of collaboration for nurses at Hawaii State Hospital.

Abstract In 1989 the Hawaii Medical Journal devoted an issue to the status of mental health in Hawaii and mental health leaders in the State criticized the lack of involvement by the University of Hawaii. This paper is written in response to the challenge and will discuss a dynamic model based on collaboration between the Hawaii State Hospital (HSH) and the School of Nursing of the University of Hawaii (SoN), that was implemented in September 1990. Since the publication of Magnet Hospitals. Attraction and Retention of Professional Nurses there has been much interest by service organizations in defining the factors that build excellence.
Global Analysis of Cellular Protein Flux Quantifies the Selectivity of Basal Autophagy

In eukaryotic cells, macroautophagy is a catabolic pathway implicated in the degradation of long-lived proteins and damaged organelles. Although it has been demonstrated that macroautophagy can selectively degrade specific targets, its contribution to the basal turnover of cellular proteins has not been quantified on proteome-wide scales. In this study, we created autophagy-deficient primary human fibroblasts and quantified the resulting changes in basal degradative flux by dynamic proteomics. Our results provide a global comparison of protein half-lives between wild-type and autophagy-deficient cells. The data indicate that in quiescent fibroblasts, macroautophagy contributes to the basal turnover of a substantial fraction of the proteome at varying levels. As contrasting examples, we demonstrate that the proteasome and CCT/TRiC chaperonin are robust substrates of basal autophagy, whereas the ribosome is largely protected under basal conditions. This selectivity may establish a proteostatic feedback mechanism that stabilizes the proteasome and CCT/TRiC when autophagy is inhibited.
Some Special Topics Relevant to Electrosynthesis

In this chapter we overview some special topics of importance to organic electrosynthesis. Only a very brief general discussion of each topic is possible within the space of this book.
Multiphase Formation Damage by Fines Migration

Most reservoirs contain multiphase fluid systems. Formation damage processes in such reservoirs are more complex because of the effects of the relative wettabilities of fine particles and formation, interface transport, relative permeability, and capillary pressures, and the alteration of these properties by various processes. There are only a few models available for multiphase systems. These models have been developed for and tested with two-phase laboratory core flow data. This chapter discusses the additional processes on top of those involving single-phase formation damage that need to be considered for multiphase formation damage by fines migration. A systematic analysis and formulation of the relevant processes involving fines migration and formation damage during two-phase fluid flow through sedimentary formations are presented, as well as applications to typical laboratory core damage tests. The formulation can be readily extended for the multiphase and multidimensional systems and the actual fluid conditions existing in reservoir formations.
Analysis of Proportional Odds Models With Censoring and Errors-in-Covariates

ABSTRACTWe propose a consistent method for estimating both the finite- and infinite-dimensional parameters of the proportional odds model when a covariate is subject to measurement error and time-to-events are subject to right censoring. The proposed method does not rely on the distributional assumption of the true covariate, which is not observed in the data. In addition, the proposed estimator does not require the measurement error to be normally distributed or to have any other specific distribution, and we do not attempt to assess the error distribution. Instead, we construct martingale-based estimators through inversion, using only the moment properties of the error distribution, estimable from multiple erroneous measurements of the true covariate. The theoretical properties of the estimators are established and the finite sample performance is demonstrated via simulations. We illustrate the usefulness of the method by analyzing a dataset from a clinical study on AIDS. Supplementary materials for thi...