cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polymer Membranes for Fuel Cells

Polymeric membranes are a key component of hydrogen/air and direct methanol fuel cells. The desired properties of fuel cell membranes are (i) high proton conductivity, (ii) high mechanical strength, (iii) good oxidative and thermal stability, (iv) low fuel and oxidant permeability, and (v) low cost. The most important and most widely studied membrane polymers include perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs), poly(arylene ether)s, polyimides, polyphosphazenes, and polybenzimidazole. Membranes are fabricated via melt extrusion and, most frequently, by solution casting. Composite membranes offer improved mechanical strength and higher temperature stability. Typically, composite membranes are obtained by pore filling, layer-by-layer assembly, and electrospinning. The list of current fuel cell membrane manufacturers is relatively short. Most notable is E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co., which sells PFSA membranes under the trade name Nafion®. Other manufacturers are Solvay Solexis, FuMA-Tech, BASF, Tokuyama, and Asahi Kasei Chemical Corporation. Keywords: cation exchange membranes; anion exchange membrane; hydrogen/air fuel cell; direct methanol fuel cell; perfluorosulfonic acid; membrane manufacturers
Healthcare Theatre and Simulation: Maximizing Interprofessional Partnerships

Abstract Interprofessional collaboration not only improves our ability to offer high-quality patient care, but also offers unique, cost-effective opportunities to teach the next generation of health care providers to do the same. In 2011, the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) restructured the traditional model of health care delivery to improve safety, quality, and accessibility to care in a patient-centered climate. However, the path forward remains unclear and under-supported. Educators must take the initiative by bridging partnerships with clinical colleagues to create quality interprofessional learning experiences. Simulation is one such pedagogical tool, as it provides students a safe, controlled clinical setting in which to practice interprofessional communication and teamwork, while reinforcing skills learned in class. This philosophy gave rise to the University of Delaware's (UD) Healthcare Theatre program. Created in 2009 when the College of Health Sciences (Nursing, Physical Therapy, and Behavioral Health and Nutrition) partnered with the College of Arts and Sciences (Theatre and Medical Anthropology) and affiliated tertiary care hospitals, the program provides high-impact, low-cost educational opportunities that both students and teachers have found to be extremely valuable. This article will describe UD Healthcare Theatre to demonstrate how other schools of nursing could incorporate interprofessional education simulations without major curricular change or additional faculty hiring.
Model reference neurocontrollers based on feedback linearization

The authors report experimental results on learning of the feedback linearizing control laws for an inverted pendulum system based on an unsupervised learning control scheme. Only the case where no state transformation is required for linearizing the nonlinear system is considered. A method inspired by a direct adaptive control scheme was used to learn the linearizing law using artificial neural networks. The main advantage of feedback linearizing control laws is that after linearization, which is not exact due to errors in computation and learning of the control law, the nonlinearities lie in the range-space of the input. This is important since various robust control techniques can be implemented as an outer loop such that the desired performance is guaranteed. >
Unified Description of Plausible Cause and Effect of the Big Bang

Plausible cause and effect of the big bang model are presented without violating conventional laws of physics. The initial cosmological singularity is resolved by introducing the uncertainty principle of quantum theory. We postulate that, preceding the big bang at the end of the gravitational collapse, the total observed mass including all forms of energy of the universe condensed into the primordial black hole (PBH) in a state of isotropic and minimal chaos (i.e., nearest to the absolute zero temperature). The frozen energy of the collapsed state is quantized such that each quantum of frozen energy (the cosmic particle) is characterized by the fundamental constants of the general theory of relativity and of quantum theory. The minimum size and minimum lifetime of the cosmic particle are estimated within the framework of the uncertainty principle. It is considered that these cosmic particles are bosons with intrinsic spin zero. The minimum size and thermodynamic properties of the PBH are estimated within the framework of the Bose-Einstein statistics by taking into account the total observed mass of the universe. The mechanism of the big bang is given and the currently accepted Planck temperature at the beginning of the big bang is predicted. The critical mass density, the mean mass density, and the missing mass are calculated as a function of the Hubble time of expansion. Our calculations show that the universe is closed but expanding. However, the universe remains inside the event horizon of the primordial black hole. Subj-class: cosmology: theory - pre-big bang physics; post-big bang effect.
Dynamics of the Earth's magnetotail in substorms: Impact of kinetic effects

There are two current systems essential for substorms. In the ionosphere, one system has a current closure in the east-west direction while the other has a north-south current closure. The latter requires a dynamo in the magnetotail. A model with a kinetic instability known as the cross-field current instability generates both substorm current systems simultaneously. Supporting evidence for this process is found from in situ magnetotail measurements.
Cocaine induced secretion of ACTH, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone.

Abstract The effect of intraperitoneal administration of cocaine on the concentrations of hypothalamic corticotropin releasing factor like-immunoreactivity (CRF-LI), plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone was investigated. Groups of rats were injected with 20 mg/kg cocaine HCl or 0.9% NaCl and then killed 0, 10, 20, 30 or 60 minutes later. Hypothalamic CRF-LI, plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. A significant increase in plasma ACTH, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone concentrations was observed after cocaine administration. In contrast, cocaine had no significant effect on hypothalamic CRF-LI concentrations. Intravenous administration of 0.5 and 2.0 mg/kg cocaine to rats in which the endogenous release of CRF was blocked by chlorpromazine, morphine, and pentobarbital elicited a significant increase in plasma corticosterone concentrations. These results demonstrate that cocaine induces the release of ACTH, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone and suggest that this response is mediated at the pituitary level.
Duplicate pancreas meets gastric duplication cyst: A tale of two anomalies

INTRODUCTION Congenital anomalies are a rare cause of pancreatitis in adults. Gastric duplications are the least common duplication of the gastrointestinal tract and are even more uncommon in the setting of a duplicate pancreas.
Advocacy and influence: Lobbying and legislative outcomes in Wisconsin

Gauging the influence of organized interests in the American legislative process is undeniably a difficult undertaking. Interest groups and their lobbyists have little incentive to publicly reveal their goals and the extent of their efforts in pursuing those goals. Nationally, and in most states, lobbyists and interest groups are only required to publicly report their lobbying expenditures and the general policy areas in which they are interested in. Thus, it is extremely difficult to assess whether groups are successful in advocating for or against a particular bill. However, a few states have recently begun to require lobbyists and organized interests engaged in lobbying to report each specific bill they have lobbied and, in Wisconsin, whether they support or oppose the bill. These enhanced reporting requirements allow for a more systematic assessment of interest group influence in the legislative process. This study exploits this new data to address the question of lobbying efficacy by examining the outcomes of a random sample of bills introduced in the Wisconsin state legislature during the 2007–2008 session. By looking systematically at the extent to which lobbying and advocacy efforts affect the outcomes of introduced legislation, the analyses are able to show that these efforts, contrary to some of the recent research, have significant effects. Although contextual factors remain important, this study shows that advocacy efforts are influential in their own right. In addition, the analyses of this unique data reveal that several types of interest group activities (for example, campaign contributions) vary in their degree of influence at different points in the legislative process.
Tachyarrhythmias and Defibrillation

Although cardiac arrhythmias less commonly cause hemodynamic compromise in children than in adults, prompt recognition and treatment of arrhythmias remain an important part of pediatric resuscitation because of the availability of specific, effective therapies. This article summarizes the 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines for Pediatric Advanced Life Support regarding tachyarrhythmias, including treatment with antiarrhythmics and direct current countershock therapy, and provides an update of recent literature since the guidelines were published.
Deposition of silicon dioxide films with an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

A plasma jet has been developed which deposits silica films at up to at 760 Torr and 115 to C. The jet operates by feeding oxygen and helium gas between two coaxial electrodes that are driven by a 13.56 MHz radio frequency source at 40 to 500 W. Tetraethoxysilane is mixed with the effluent of the plasma jet and directed onto a substrate located 1.7 cm downstream. The properties of the silica films, as determined by infrared spectroscopy and capacitance measurements, are comparable to those of thermally grown silicon dioxide films at C.
Mineral chemistry of lunar samples.

Glass spherules, glass fragments, augite, ferroaugite, titanaugite, pyroxmangite, pigeonite, hypersthene, plagioclase, potassium feldspar, maskelynite, olivine, silica, ilmenite, TiO(2), "ferropseudobrookite," spinel, ulvospinel, native iron, nickel-iron, troilite, and chlorapatite were analyzed with the electron microprobe. There are no indications of large-scale chemical differentiation, chemical weathering, or hydrous minerals. Contributions of meteoritic material to lunar surface rocks are small. Rocks with igneous textures originated from a melt that crystallized at or near the surface, and oxygen fugacities have been low. Shock features indicate that at least some surface material is impact-produced.
Electro-mechanical detection of near infrared optical intensity modulation in silicon

We report chip-scale electro-mechanical detection of near-IR optical intensity modulation at 174.2MHz and 1.198GHz in silicon. This constitutes the first experimental demonstration of a photon to phonon translator in a CMOS compatible platform.
Do we have a rational treatment plan for stage D-1 carcinoma of the prostate?

After a half century of endocrine therapy for metastatic prostate cancer, it appears that we might still lack an approach to the treatment of stage D-1 disease that is based on scientific study. Although recognized as flawed by most students of prostate cancer, the conclusions of the Veterans Administration Cooperative Urological Research Group (VACURG) studies may have molded our approach to hormonal therapy to a degree that is out of proportion to their scientific validity. Alternative approaches using early hormonal therapy alone or in combination with radical prostatectomy have been received with much more skepticism than the VACURG studies' conclusions. As we enter the era of “total androgen ablation”, it would seem appropriate to review our approach to the treatment of stage D-1 disease. Are we in a position to modify slightly our treatment of this disease, or does closer examination of the foundation of our treatment philosophy suggest that a more critical and systematic study of such patients is warranted?
The microtubule-associated tau protein has intrinsic acetyltransferase activity

Tau is a microbutule-associated protein that can form pathological aggregates in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Tau can undergo acetylation at lysine residues within its microtubule-binding repeats, a modification that impairs tau function and promotes its aggregation. Now tau is identified as an acetyltransferase able to modify itself.
Regulation of origin recognition complex conformation and ATPase activity: differential effects of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA binding.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae origin recognition complex (ORC) is bound to origins of DNA replication throughout the cell cycle and directs the assembly of higher-order protein–DNA complexes during G1. To examine the fate of ORC when origin DNA is unwound during replication initiation, we determined the effect of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on ORC. We show that ORC can bind ssDNA and that ORC bound to ssDNA is distinct from that bound to double-stranded origin DNA. ssDNA stimulated ORC ATPase activity, whereas double-stranded origin DNA inhibited the same activity. Electron microscopy studies revealed two alternative conformations of ORC: an extended conformation stabilized by origin DNA and a bent conformation stabilized by ssDNA. Therefore, ORC appears to exist in two distinct states with respect to its conformation and ATPase activity. Interestingly, the effect of ssDNA on these properties of ORC is correlated with ssDNA length. Since double-stranded origin DNA and ssDNA differentially stabilize these two forms of ORC, we propose that origin unwinding triggers a transition between these alternative states.
Affinity-Based Reverse Micellar Extraction and Separation (ARMES): A Facile Technique for the Purification of Peroxidase from Soybean Hulls

A new technique for the purification of proteins has been developed which combines the high selectivity of affinity interaction with the scalability and ease of operation of liquid-liquid extraction. The approach is called affinity-based reverse micellar extraction and separation (ARMES). The salient features of ARMES include the following: (1) intraphasic interaction between the ligand and ligate which provides for high ligand utilization; (2) no chemical modification of the ligand is needed; and (3) ease of operation and inherent scalability due to the use of liquid-liquid extraction. This technique has been used to purify the peroxidase from soybean hulls using the lectin concanavalin A (con A) as a sugar-binding affinity ligand. A purification factor of 30 is achieved to provide a nearly pure peroxidase solution (as determined by HPLC and SDS-PAGE) with nearly complete regeneration of the con A ligand. We propose that ARMES will be useful in the facile purification of complex biomolecules such as glycoform protein variants using lectins as affinity ligands and proteins of therapeutic importance using antibodies as affinity ligands.
“She doesn’t let age define her” 1 : Sexuality and motherhood in recent “middle-aged chick flicks”

This article explores Hollywood’s recent representation of older women as having a relatively more open and fluid sexuality than they were portrayed as having in earlier decades. While seemingly offering a liberatory vision of older women as sexual beings, there is nevertheless a subtext in many of these films that this newfound sexuality is disturbing to the stability of the nuclear family. The analysis also focuses on the “super-text” of how the actresses who portray these older women, such as Susan Sarandon and Diane Keaton, are themselves constructed in the popular press as being mutually sexy and “women of a certain age.” In this way, these popular cultural representations are trying to tap into the growing demographic of aging female bady boomers, both celebrating and marketing to this group as sexually embodied beings.
Use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment: a comprehensive review.

Purpose An estimated 45–80% of breast cancer patients use antioxidant supplements after diagnosis, and use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment is common. Dietary supplements with antioxidant effects include vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other natural products. We conducted a comprehensive review of literature on the associations between antioxidant supplement use during breast cancer treatment and patient outcomes. Methods Inclusion criteria were: two or more subjects; clinical trial or observational study design; use of antioxidant supplements (vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidant combinations, multivitamins, glutamine, glutathione, melatonin, or soy isoflavones) during chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and/or hormonal therapy for breast cancer as exposures; treatment toxicities, tumor response, recurrence, or survival as outcomes. Results We identified 22 articles that met those criteria. Their findings did not support any conclusions regarding the effects of individual antioxidant supplements during conventional breast cancer treatment on toxicities, tumor response, recurrence, or survival. A few studies suggested that antioxidant supplements might decrease side effects associated with treatment, including vitamin E for hot flashes due to hormonal therapy and glutamine for oral mucositis during chemotherapy. Underpowered trials suggest that melatonin may enhance tumor response during treatment. Conclusion The evidence is currently insufficient to inform clinician and patient guidelines on the use of antioxidant supplements during breast cancer treatment. Thus, well designed clinical trials and observational studies are needed to determine the short- and long-term effects of such agents.
Garnet-forming reactions in felsic orthogneiss: Implications for densification and strengthening of the lower continental crust

Abstract Growth of garnet and pyroxene in orthogneiss from the Athabasca granulite terrane (AGT), northern Saskatchewan, provides a model for progressive densification and strengthening of the lower continental crust with implications for the recycling and long-term evolution of continental crust. Two distinct assemblages and textures are preserved in granitic and granodioritic gneiss. Low-strain orthogneiss displays igneous textures and assemblages of Opx+Kfs+Pl+Mag+Qz (± Bt, Hbl, Ilm). High-strain, dynamically recrystallized tectonites have additional garnet, clinopyroxene, and a more Na-rich plagioclase, along with relict orthopyroxene. The reaction (Opx+Ca-rich Pl=Grt+Cpx+Na-rich Pl+Qz) is informally called the “Mary reaction” after documented occurrences in the Mary granitoid batholith. The reaction represents the transition from medium-pressure to high-pressure granulite ( Green and Ringwood, 1967 ), but reaction progress was achieved in these deep crustal rocks along an isobaric cooling path at ca. 1 GPa (35–40 km-depth). Ambient P–T conditions were well within the product (low-T-side) stability field. The abundance of the product assemblage (Grt+Cpx+Na-rich Pl) increases with deformation. Metastable igneous assemblages are widely preserved in low-strain samples. With increasing strain, garnet occurs within recrystallized mantles of plagioclase porphyroclasts, and clinopyroxene occurs in the deformed tails of orthopyroxene crystals. Deformation is interpreted to aid in the breakdown of plagioclase and/or the nucleation of garnet and clinopyroxene. Garnet and pyroxene modes have been observed to exceed 10 vol% in the AGT, but larger amounts are possible because Ca-rich plagioclase and orthopyroxene remnants are widely preserved. Densities increase from ca. 2.6 to ca. 3.0 g / cm 3 and modeled P-wave velocities approach 7.0 km/s in felsic rocks. Densities in mafic rocks approach 3.4 cm 3 . The reaction occurred at least twice in the AGT, 2.6 and 1.9 Ga, and may have occurred at other times during long-term deep crustal residence. Thus, densification can occur incrementally and correspond with the time and intensity of tectonism and concomitant recrystallization. The reaction provides a mechanism for significant densification and strengthening of lower continental crust long after initial stabilization. It may explain the discrepancy between seismic velocities suggestive of mafic/intermediate compositions at lower crustal depths and the observed abundance of felsic rocks in exposed granulite terranes.
Failure of oesophageal acid control in candidates for Barrett's oesophagus reversal on a very high dose of proton pump inhibitor.

Background: Normalization of oesophageal acid exposure using high dose proton pump inhibitors in patients who are candidates for ablation therapy has been suggested to be essential for successful Barrett's reversal. However, the success rate for achieving pH normalization has not been determined. Methods: Patients with Barrett's oesophagus (2–6 cm in length) who were found to be eligible for ablation therapy using multipolar electrocoagulation were included in this prospective study. Patients underwent an upper endoscopy to determine Barrett's length and other anatomic characteristics. Biopsies were obtained to rule out dysplasia. Subsequently, patients were treated with omeprazole 40 mg b.d. Twenty-four hour oesophageal pH monitoring was performed after a mean period of 8.4 ± 0.6 days of therapy. Results: Twenty-five patients were enrolled into the study. The pH test was abnormal in four (16%) of the study subjects. An additional two (8%) patients had abnormal supine percentage time with pH less than 4. There was no significant difference in oesophageal acid control between patients with long vs. short segment Barrett's oesophagus. Elderly (> 60 years) patients tended to have less acid control than younger (≤ 60 years) patients. Conclusions: Failure of oesophageal acid control in candidates for Barrett's oesophagus reversal on very high dose of proton pump inhibitor is not uncommon. Our study suggests that ambulatory 24-h oesophageal pH monitoring should be considered in all candidates for Barrett's reversal who are treated with high dose proton pump inhibitor to ensure normalization of oesophageal acid exposure.
The effect of charged additives on the carrier concentrations in lone-pair semiconductors

Abstract The Street—Mott model of gap states, interpreted in terms of valence alternation defects, is used to calculate the temperature dependence of the carrier concentrations and of the conductivity as a function of the concentration of charged additives in chalcogenide semiconductors. When the charged additives are allowed to equilibrate with the valence alternation defects at elevated temperatures we find that the conductivity activation energy remains essentially unchanged although the conductivity may be increased by a few orders of magnitude for large concentrations of additives. Very much larger increases in conductivity result when the charged additives are prevented from equilibrating with the valence alternation defects. At high additive concentrations the chalcogenide material is expected to behave like a partially compensated and nearly degenerate semiconductor in agreement with observations of Ovshinsky (1977). The gradual unpinning of the Fermi level with increasing additive concentration i...
Automatic calibration of conceptual rainfall-runoff models: sensitivity to calibration data

Abstract The identification of hydrologic models requires that appropriate data be selected for model calibration. In the research presented here, the shuffled complex evolution (SCE-UA) global optimization method was used to calibrate the NWSRFS-SMA conceptual rainfall-runoff flood forecasting model of the US National Weather Service, using a 40-year record of historical data. Based on 344 calibration runs using different lengths of data from different sections of the historical record, we conclude that approximately 8 years of data are required to obtain calibrations that are relatively insensitive to the period selected. Further, the reduction in parameter uncertainty is maximal when the wettest data periods on record are used. A residual analysis is used to compare the performance of the daily root mean square (DRMS) and heteroscedastic maximum likelihood error (HMLE) objective functions. The results suggest that the factor currently limiting model performance is the unavailability of strategies that explicitly account for model error during calibration.
Survival after Resection of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Results from a Single Institution over Three Decades

Randomized trials have demonstrated a benefit associated with adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer, and retrospective studies have demonstrated improvements in postoperative mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether these improvements could be identified in a cohort of patients who underwent resection for pancreatic cancer at a single institution over three decades. Short- (30 days), intermediate- (1 year), and long-term survival were compared between decades. Long-term survival focused on patients who survived at least 1 year to minimize the effects of perioperative mortality and patient selection. Between 1983 and 2009, 1147 pancreatic resections were performed for ductal adenocarcinoma, including 123 resections in the 1980s, 399 in the 1990s, and 625 in the 2000s. The 30-day mortality rates were 4.9%, 1.5% (P = 0.03 vs. 1980s), and 1.3% (P = 0.007 vs. 1980s). The 1-year mortality rates were 42%, 31% (P < 0.001 vs. 1980s), and 24% (P < 0.001 vs. 1980s and 1990s). In the group of patients who survived 1 year, the overall survivals were 23.2 months, 25.6 months (P = 0.6 vs. 1980s), and 24.5 months (P = 0.2 vs. 1980s). In a multivariate analysis adjusted for pathologic features, the decade of resection was not a significant predictor of long-term survival (hazard ratio = 1.1, P = 0.3). Patients who underwent resection for pancreatic cancer between 2000 and 2009 experienced improved operative mortality and 1-year survival compared to those who underwent resection in the 1980s, while the long-term survival was similar over all three decades. These results underscore the need for early detection strategies and more effective adjuvant therapies for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Constrained local likelihood estimators for semiparametric skew-normal distributions

SUMMARY A local likelihood estimator for a nonparametric nuisance function is proposed in the context of semiparametric skew-normal distributions. Constraints imposed on such functions result in a nonparametric estimator with a different target function for maximization from classical local likelihood estimators. The optimal asymptotic semiparametric efficiency bound on parameters of interest is achieved by using this estimator in conjunction with an estimating equation formed by summing efficient scores. A generalized profile likelihood approach is also proposed. This method has the advantage of providing a unique estimate in cases where an estimating equation has multiple solutions. Our nonparametric estimator of the nuisance function leads to an estimator of the semiparametric skew-normal density. Both the estimating equation and profile likelihood approaches are applicable to more general skew-symmetric distributions.
The echocardiogram after pericardiectomy.

Many factors may affect the interventricular septal motion. This study measures the effect of pericardiectomy on septal motion in 9 patients who were evaluated 1 week to 58 months after pericardiectomy. Echocardiography was performed with the patient in recumbent position with the special care to record motion of the muscular septum and not that of the aorta. No patient had left bundle branch block, angina, myocardial infarction, pericardial effusion or right ventricular volume overload. Septal motion was paradoxical in 7, normal in 1 and could not be evaluated in 1 patient. The mean value of the right ventricular internal dimension was normal. Two of 9 patients had technically satisfactory echocardiograms preoperatively. Septal motion was normal in both, and both developed paradoxical septal motion postoperatively. We conclude that paradoxical septal motion follows pericardiectomy, but in contrast with other causes of this finding right ventricular internal dimension remains normal.
Self-Consistent Solution of the Anderson Model

The Anderson model is studied by means of retarded double-time Green's functions in the limit $U\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$. Using a truncation procedure and solving self-consistently for the averages, an integral equation for the transition matrix is derived. The exact solution to this equation can be found by analytic methods and is very similar to the solution to the $s\ensuremath{-}d$ exchange model. The known perturbation result for high temperatures is also obtained from our integral equation.
Resuscitation of canine hemorrhagic hypotension with large-volume isotonic crystalloid: impact on lung water, venous admixture, and systemic arterial oxygen saturation.

Abstract The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that after hemorrhagic hypotension, reinfusion of the shed blood with threefold that volume of lactated Ringer's (LR) solution will significantly increase lung water and venous admixture and hence decrease systemic arterial oxygen saturation. A prospective, randomized, fixed-volume hemorrhage laboratory study was performed at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center on 18 anesthetized mongrel dogs. After 40 mL/kg of blood were withdrawn through a femoral artery catheter, the dogs were randomized either to the control group (n = 9) that received a reinfusion of the shed blood, or to the LR treatment group (n = 9) that received an intravenous mixture of the shed blood with 120 mL/kg of LR. After fluid resuscitation, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure (PAOP) and cardiac output (CO) were significantly increased in the LR group compared with control animals (PAOP, 18.7 ± 1.1 vs 13.4 ± 2.9 mm Hg; CO, 8.14 ± 1.08 vs 4.59 ± 0.47 L/min; P 2 were similar between groups. In this fixed-volume hemorrhage model, hemodiluting the reinfused shed blood with threefold the volume of LR did not significantly influence lung water, venous admixture, or systemic arterial oxygen saturation.
Death and Television: Terror Management Theory and Themes of Law and Justice on Television

Based on terror management theory, it was hypothesized that media choices may be affected by the salience of death-related thoughts. Three experiments with samples of undergraduate students were conducted to investigate whether such a process would affect preferences for law and justice television programming. In the first experiment (n = 132), individuals for whom mortality had been made salient through experimental induction preferred more programs with law and justice themes than individuals for whom mortality had not been made salient. In the second experiment (n = 761), this effect was observed regardless of trust in law enforcement and only for participants induced to think about death, not those induced to think about pain. In the third experiment (n = 163), participants for whom mortality was salient who watched a crime drama that showed justice being carried out showed a diminished self-enhancing bias compared to participants who watched a version of the same program in which justice was thwarted. Results indicate that entertainment choices are influenced by thought of death beyond simply seeking distraction and that entertainment programming emphasizing justice can effectively ameliorate existential anxiety that arises from thoughts of death.
Assessment of mine drainage remediated streams using diatom assemblages and biofilm enzyme activities

A legacy of pre-regulation coal mining in many areas has been acid mine drainage (metal-rich, low pH water). Today, numerous remediation strategies may be implemented, but there is little data on efficacy in restoring biological condition. Two alkaline doser projects in Ohio were assessed using diatom assemblages, and biofilm extracellular enzyme activities (EEA). In one stream, water quality steadily increased downstream of the doser; pH increased from 3.8 to 7.2 and Fe decreased from 107 to 0.42 mg l−1. Likewise, the periphyton biomass (chl a 7.15–12.77 mg m−2) increased and periphyton index scores (4–27) improved. As well, EEA data showed greater activity for phosphorus, nitrogen, and one carbon acquisition enzyme. For the other stream, the conductivity remained high (>720 μS cm−1) and pH and alkalinity decreased downstream. Biological data, including EEA, varied along the stream length with higher numbers in the middle reach, such as chlorophyll a (0.56 to 87.75 to 2.77 mg m−2), and index scores (7 to 29 to 11). The first remediation site showed positive results in chemistry, biological community and measures of ecosystem function. The second stream was highly variable in these parameters suggesting further AMD inputs are hampering recovery.
Analgesic synergy and improved motor function produced by combinations of μ-δ- and μ-κ-opioids

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of intrathecal administration of a low-analgesic dose of the selective μ-agonist DAMGO co-administered with sequentially increasing doses of either the selective δ-agonist DPDPE or the selective κ-agonist, U50,488H on mechanical nociceptive thresholds in the rat. Potent analgesic synergy was observed with both combinations. Since an elevation in nociceptive threshold can result from motor deficits, as well as true analgesia, we also evaluated the effects of the combination regimens on motor coordination using a rotarod apparatus. The combination regimens produced significantly less motor deficits than those observed when DPDPE and U50,488H were administered as single agents. These findings of enhanced analgesia with decreased motor side-effects associated with administration of fixed μ/δ or μ/κ combinations suggest that co-administration of opiates that act at different receptors may constitute a superior approach to the treatment of pain.
Linearization of efficient harmonically-injected PAs

This paper presents a technique for improving the linearity of a power amplifier using external second harmonic injection at the output. The amplifier is biased in class-A mode with no harmonic terminations in the output network and 50 % drain efficiency at 1 dB compression point. External second harmonic injection at the output is used to shape the drain voltage and current waveforms to minimize the odd order harmonic content produced by the amplifier, simultaneously reducing the total DC power dissipation. Both CW and two-tone measurements with 1 MHz tone spacing are performed on a 2.45 GHz 6-W GaN PA with harmonic injection at one of the two harmonic tones. The lower or upper sidebands for the IMD3 and IMD5 are reduced by > 15 dB and 10 dB respectively along with a 6% increase in the total drain efficiency.
Solubility of semi-fluorinated and nonfluorinated alkyl dichlorobenzoates in supercritical CO2

Abstract Isopleths and solution densities, from ∼25 to 100 °C, are reported for mixtures of CO 2 with semi-fluorinated and nonfluorinated propyl, butyl, octyl, and decyl 2,5-dichlorobenzoates. The maxima in the pressure–composition ( P – x ) isotherms for the alkyl 2,5-dichlorobenzoates range from 70 to 600 bar and the maxima increase with increasing alkyl chain length at each temperature. When the alkyl side chains are semi-fluorinated, the P – x maxima range from 60 to 175 bar over the same temperature range as with the nonfluorinated analogs. The P – x maxima of the semi-fluorinated 2,5-dichlorobenzoates in CO 2 , first decrease as the benzoate alkyl chain is increased from propyl to butyl, but then increase as the alkyl chain length is further increased from butyl to octyl to decyl, although the differences in the maxima at a given temperature between these four semi-fluorinated benzoates are not as great as that observed with the nonfluorinated analogs. Also, the alkyl 2,5-dichlorobenzoate–CO 2 mixtures exhibit three-phase, liquid–liquid–vapor (LLV), equilibria near the vapor pressure curve and critical point of CO 2 whereas three phases are not observed for the semi-fluorinated analogs.
Tendril and glomerular collaterals of climbing fibers in the granular layer of the rat's cerebellar cortex.

Rapid Golgi preparations show that two kinds of collaterals issue from the climbing fiber in its course through the granular layer. The first resembles the tendrils found in the molecular layer and consists of globose varcosities connected by a very fine thread. In electron micrographs these varicosities in the granular layer contain dense aggregates of round synaptic vesicles at least 520 A in diameter and the connecting threads contain numerous microtubules. The varicosities synapse on the somata of Golgi II cells and on the shafts of dendrites belonging to both Golgi II and granule cells. The second type of collateral emerges from the main stem of the climbing fiber as a stout branch that sprays out abruptly into a large efflorescence. In electron micrographs this terminal appears as the central stellate structure in a glomerulus and is packed with round synaptic vesicles like those in the tendril varicosities. Granule cell dendrites encircle the terminal and occasionally synapse with it. Often the terminal in the glomerulus also forms an extensive junction—a synapse en marron—with the some of Golgi II cell. In this region the surface of the cell is wrinkled like a Spanish chestnut and the glomerular terminal is reciprocally ridged and furrowed to match. Synaptic complexes occur only in the furrows of the cell surface. A broad subsynaptic zone is filled with a fine filamentous matrix. This study provides the first morphological identification and description of climbing fiber terminations in the granular layer, the existence of which has been suggested by earlier Golgi studies and postulated by neurophysiologists. The fact that climbing fibers synapse on both granule cells and Golgi II cells complicates the analysis of the way in which the cerebellar cortex operates, because these two cells have postsynaptic effects of opposite sign. The climbing fiber is known to evoke a complex discharge from the Purkinje cell, consisting of a large primary spike and smaller secondary potentials. It is suggested that when a climbing fiber volley traverses the granular layer, the granule cells on which it synapses are induced to excite stellate and basket cells in the molecular layer which in their turn inhibit the secondary spikes of the climbing fiber response in the Purkinje cell. Meanwhile the Golgi II cells, stimulated by the same climbing fiber volley, suppress the granule cells and thus transsynaptically limit the duration of the inhibitory effects exerted by the interneurons in the molecular layer.
Accounting for High Stress Gradient by a Modified Weibull Failure Theory

A high stress gradient occurs in a component when the stress, due to external loading, rises asymptotically. The Weibull failure theory overestimates the probability of failure for components with high stress gradients generated due to the geometric irregularities, material mismatch, thermal mismatch, and contact loading. A modified Weibull failure theory is proposed in this paper. The method is based on the weight function method. The modified Weibull failure theory was applied to two specimens, and the results showed the ability of the proposed theory to handle high stress gradients. The theory considers variable equivalent stress intensity factors along the faces of cracks; hence, it considers the strength of a specimen to be dependent on the stress field.
Preparation of stoichiometric γ″-LiV2O5 bronze crystals from YVO4 doped LiVO3 flux for investigation of γ″-γ′ phase relation

Abstract Recently the γ lithium vanadium bronzes have been ranked as the most promising cathode materials for nonaqueous and solid state rechargeable lithium batteries. In spite of their advantageous properties, relationships between the two basic kinds of γ-Li-V bronze phases have not been investigated. Since these bronzes can easily form various oxygen and Li/V stoichiometries in the complex Li-V-O system, stoichiometric LiV 2 O 5 bronze by solid state preparation techniques is difficult to achieve. From the V 2 O 5 -Li 2 O-V 2 O 3 ternary system it was also recognized that the basic relation of γ[prime]-Li 1+ x V 3 O 8 and γ″-LiV 2 O 5 phases is connected to their oxygen stoichiometry. Crystallized γ″-LiV 2 O 5 bronze powder was prepared from a YVO 4 -doped LiVO 3 solvent system. This flux crystallization technique can produce better quality stoichiometry γ″-LiV 2 O 5 bronze phase (than previously reported methods) having more accurate crystallographic data, a=9.6719 A , b=3.5992 A , c=10.6591 A . During melting and subsequent solidification the incongruent melting γ″-LiV 2 O 5 transforms into γ′-Li 1+ x V 3 O 8 +LiVO 3 phases.
SOURCES OF CAREER SUPPORT FOR UNIVERSITY FACULTY

A survey of faculty at a research-oriented public university in the midwest identified four major sources of support for faculty. These are off-campus personal supports including spouse or significant other, family, friends, a former professor, and the religious community; colleagues within the academic unit; professional supports outside the unit such as administrators, colleagues on campus with common research interests, and national and international networks; and a minority network including minority faculty in the unit and on campus and other ethnic or cultural groups off campus. The primary source of support for faculty was a spouse or significant other. Differences in types of career supports were examined for women and men and for faculty at different ranks.
Effect of information at different stages of users' training

To operate a computer software system computer users need to obtain information about the system at five levels of abstraction, from concrete to abstract: physical, logical, functional, conceptual, and objective. The five levels of information may be presented at different stages of users' training, with each stage involving only a certain kind of information. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of physical + logical information versus functional + conceptual information given at different stages on users' performance. Subjects with no prior knowledge of a computer database received two stages of training to learn how to construct queries of the computer database. At the preliminary stage, only one kind of information was provided. After two stages, the subjects were asked to perform query tasks using the database. The statistical analysis of subjects' accuracy showed no significant effects of information at either stage and no significant interaction. Explanations of this finding are p...
Strategic Culture, Representations of Nuclear (In)Securities, and the Government of India: A Critical Constructivist Perspective

Abstract In this article, I use Alastair Johnston's concept of strategic culture re-visited through a critical constructivist perspective to analyze the representations of India's strategic culture and nuclear policy choices. In doing so, I explore how the representational practices of (and the mutually-constitutive relation between) India's nationalist identity/Self and its strategic environment, facilitated via its political leaders’ ideological lenses, have produced shifting representations of India's strategic environment to justify the nation's nuclear policy choices. In exploring this representational linkage between India's strategic environment and its nuclear (in)securities, I am cognizant that anarchy is a challenge facing India's task of nation-making and thus realism serves as a partially valid explanation for understanding the logic proliferation. Yet, my study demonstrates how culturally guided interpretations of what constitutes the Indian Self have divergently re-interpreted India's strate...
Reliability and endorsement rates by an american sample to the smith quick measure of achievement motivation

Item endorsement rates and reliability of the Smith (1973) Quick Measure of Achievement Motivation were studied in a sample of American college students. Of the 10 items, 7 were found to have high endorsement rates. Extreme scale scores were found in only 6% of the sample, with 94% scoring between 4 and 8. Reliability was lower than that reported by Smith, due mainly to a high negative interim-item correlation with one item. It was concluded that the scale may have too little variance to discriminate American college students on achievement motivation, and that for American students one item may be inappropriately keyed.
Gating Mechanism of KATP Channels: Function Fits Form

Based initially on their prominence in the squid giant axon, their useful pharmacology, and subsequently on being the first cloned K channels, voltage-gated K (Kv) channels have received the lion's share of attention to their biophysical properties. Kv and Ca-activated K channel kinetics and gating
Somatic mosaic approaches and the aging brain.

Elucidating the function of neural pathways in the aging mammalian brain is a formidable task. Mechanisms that underlie aging and pathogenesis in specific brain circuits have been particularly elusive. However, animal models have been exploited in studies related to normative and pathogenic aging. Traditional transgenic animals represent permanent germ-line alterations in gene expression; changes that are present during development, remain indefinitely and likely invoke compensatory changes in the animal. In contrast, conditional transgenic animals combined with somatic gene delivery afford precise temporal and spatial gene regulation. In this review, we will detail current somatic mosaic approaches to study networks involved in the recognition, interpretation and recall of spatial representations, the septohippocampal pathway. We will also highlight potential uses for this approach in Alzheimer's disease, a complex pathophysiological state involving changes in many cellular pathways.
Coke characterization by temperature programmed techniques

Abstract The use of a temperature programmed (TP) technique in coke characterization is discussed. Oxygen is one of the gases most often used in the TP technique (TPO) to infer coke types and coke locations on the catalyst. Additional information about the morphology of the coke deposits can be obtained when TPO is coupled with a kinetic model. This is because coke deposits with a tridimensional structure exhibit a coke reaction order increasing from close to 0 to approaching 1 as the oxidation reaction proceeds. The change in the coke reaction order can be observed with a properly designed partial burn TPO experiment. When the TP technique is used with an inert gas (TPI), one expects any product being generated would be hydrocarbon molecules. However, gasification of coke deposits to CO and CO2 was observed in the absence of external oxygen. It has been found that the oxidation products are the results of a direct reaction of the alumina surface hydroxyl groups with the coke deposits. Because of this, the maximum amount of coke that can be eliminated corresponds to the amount of hydroxyl groups on the alumina surface.