cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrode architecture related to surface flashover of solid dielectrics in vacuum

A lateral test structure with metalized film electrodes is shown to have distinct advantages over a conventional solid electrode structure for studying the HV characteristics of solid insulators in vacuum. The paper presents results of streak photography and spectral analysis of surface discharge luminosity, and of preflashover activity using time-coordinated current, luminosity, and imaging of light activity emanating from the surface of the stressed dielectric. The preflashover activity, consisting of bursts of time-correlated current and light emission, is associated with randomly distributed emission spots on the surface. It is proposed that the above observations are related to charge trapping and detrapping processes at localized energy levels associated with insulator surface defects.
TDC-based frequency synthesizer for wireless applications

We analyze phase noise performance and further discuss details of an all-digital PLL that is used in a commercial 130 nm CMOS single-chip Bluetooth radio. The frequency synthesizer uses a digitally controlled oscillator with a digital loop filter and a time-to-digital converter that acts as a phase/frequency detector. When implemented in a deep-submicron CMOS, the presented architecture appears more advantageous over conventional charge-pump-based PLL, since it contains only two intrinsic phase noise sources and it does not rely on the fine voltage resolution of analog circuits. The measured close-in phase noise of -86.2 dBc/Hz and the rms phase error of 0.9/spl deg/ are adequate also for GSM applications.
Methodology for Efficiency Measurements of Electrically Small Monopoles for Animal Tracking

For tracking purposes, small migratory birds are outfitted with antennas and transmitters so that their daily movements and migration patterns can be observed. In order to improve the practice of tracking wildlife and to extend the ranges over which animals can be tracked, it is necessary to characterize and fully exploit the parameters of the antennas being attached to animals. These birds provide a challenging opportunity to study the antennas used in wildlife tracking because of their small size (~15 cm in length) and light weight (averaging 26 g). For the first time, the present study provides a measurement methodology that can be used to estimate the efficiency of an electrically small antenna mounted to an approximate bird model, utilizing the Wheeler cap method. Because the antenna is less than one-eighth of a wavelength long and does not have a well-defined ground plane, measurement techniques are carefully considered and carried out. The results indicate that the bird model acts as a lossy ground plane for the transmitting monopole antenna. The radiating efficiency of the antenna-bird model system is conditioned by the size of the antenna as well as the effective resistance of the bird model. New recommendations for antenna and tracking-system design are provided, based on this investigation.
Cleveland’s New Museum Celebrates Rock and Roll

(1995). Cleveland’s New Museum Celebrates Rock and Roll. The Historian: Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 29-34.
Attrition of Bystander CD8 T Cells during Virus-Induced T-Cell and Interferon Responses

Experiments designed to distinguish virus-specific from non-virus-specific T cells showed that bystander T cells underwent apoptosis and substantial attrition in the wake of a strong T-cell response. Memory CD8 T cells (CD8+ CD44hi) were most affected. During acute viral infection, transgenic T cells that were clearly defined as non-virus specific decreased in number and showed an increase in apoptosis. Also, use of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) carrier mice, which lack LCMV-specific T cells, showed a significant decline in non-virus-specific memory CD8 T cells that correlated to an increase in apoptosis in response to the proliferation of adoptively transferred virus-specific T cells. Attrition of T cells early during infection correlated with the alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β) peak, and the IFN inducer poly(I:C) caused apoptosis and attrition of CD8+ CD44hi T cells in normal mice but not in IFN-α/β receptor-deficient mice. Apoptotic attrition of bystander T cells may make room for the antigen-specific expansion of T cells during infection and may, in part, account for the loss of T-cell memory that occurs when the host undergoes subsequent infections.
Ignorance of law and duties of citizenship

Theoretical discussion of the question of whether and under what circumstances ignorance of law should be a defence from criminal liability has had a peculiar history in Anglo-American law. Commentators have been more convinced that ignorance oflaw should generally not serve as a defence than they have been persuaded by any particular rationale in favor of this rule. When one argument is shown to be unsound, another emerges to take its place, preserving the conclusion intact; the weight of scholarly opinion does not shift to embrace the position that ignorance of law should typically be a defence from criminal liability.
Sex differences in microRNA regulation of gene expression: no smoke, just miRs

Males and females differ widely in morphology, physiology, and behavior leading to disparities in many health outcomes, including sex biases in the prevalence of many neurodevelopmental disorders. However, with the exception of a relatively small number of genes on the Y chromosome, males and females share a common genome. Therefore, sexual differentiation must in large part be a product of the sex biased expression of this shared genetic substrate. microRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of up to 70% of protein-coding genes. The ability of miRs to regulate such a vast amount of the genome with a high degree of specificity makes them perfectly poised to play a critical role in programming of the sexually dimorphic brain. This review describes those characteristics of miRs that make them particularly amenable to this task, and examines the influences of both the sex chromosome complement as well as gonadal hormones on their regulation. Exploring miRs in the context of sex differences in disease, particularly in sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders, may provide novel insight into the pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets in disease treatment and prevention.
A high-density modular power processor for distributed military power systems

A high-density power processor in a SEM (standard electronic module) Format-E package is described. The power converter features a full-bridge PWM (pulse-width modulated) topology that uses transition resonance to achieve zero-voltage switching. The switching sequence of the phase-shifted topology simplifies the MOSFET drive circuitry. The converter's tolerance to low magnetizing inductance reduces the volume required for the power transformer. A low-bandwidth control loop regulates the output currents of parallel units, providing excellent DC load-sharing characteristics while allowing each unit to respond to dynamic loads with its own high-bandwidth loop. The parallel modules are self-synchronizing in frequency and can be synchronized to an external clock. A high-density packaging approach is used. >
Evaluation of purine nucleoside phosphorylase release as a measure of hepatic endothelial cell injury

With emerging data that endothelial cell (EC) injury is the limiting factor in liver preservation and hepatic function, a simple and reliable biochemical technique for monitoring EC injury is needed. Measurement of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) release into the circulation from perfused liver has been proposed as such a method. However, our experiments with perfused rat liver did not display a clear or direct relationship between PNP release and endothelial cell injury. Therefore, we re-examined the suitability of using PNP as a measure of nonparenchymal injury by measuring its distribution in purified populations of hepatocytes, ECs, and Kupffer cells (KCs) and correlating cell injury and enzyme release in short-term cultures at 37±C of each cell type. Purified cells were incubated (4 × 106 cells/mL) in oxygen or nitrogen saturated Wisconsin solution or Krebs buffer for 6 hours, with cell viability and PNP release assayed every 2 hours. ECs had the lowest specific activity (27 ± 9 U/mg protein; mean ± standard error of the mean [SEM]) compared with both hepatocytes (115 ± 15) and KCs (66 ± 18). Despite a decrement in EC and KC viability over time in each incubation solution, there was poor correlation between time of incubation and PNP release (r = 0.01 to 0.22), and between cell viability and PNP release (r = 0.01 to 0.16). In contrast, PNP release from incubated hepatocytes correlated with the length of incubation (r = 0.57 to 0.78) as well as cell injury (r = 0.63 to 0.77) in all four test solutions. This data suggest that PNP release is unlikely to specifically reflect EC injury in the intact liver. (Hepatology 1995;21:174–179).
Intravascular location of breast cancer cells after spontaneous metastasis to the lung.

In this study, we examined the hypothesis that early pulmonary metastases form within the vasculature. We introduced primary tumors in immunocompromised mice by subcutaneous injection of murine breast carcinoma cells (4T1) expressing green fluorescent protein. Isolated ventilated and perfused lungs from these mice were examined at various times after tumor formation by fluorescent microscopy. The vasculature was visualized by counterstaining with 1,1-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine (DiI)-acetylated low-density lipoprotein. These experiments showed that metastatic cells derived by spontaneous metastases were intravascular, and that early colony formation was intravascular. The location of the tumor cells was confirmed by deconvolution analysis. This work extends our previous study 1 that sarcoma cells injected intravenously form intravascular colonies to spontaneous metastasis and to a carcinoma model system. Many of the tumor cells seen were single implying that tumor cells may travel as single cells. These results support a model for pulmonary metastasis in mice in which 1) tumor cells can attach to lung endothelium soon after arrival; 2) surviving tumor cells proliferate intravascularly in this model; and 3) extravasation of the tumor occurs when intravascular micrometastatic foci outgrow the vessels they are in.
Unprincipled virtue—synopsis (of sorts)

The first thing I do in UNPRINCIPLED VIRTUE is to present some examples of agency of sorts that are largely absent in the agency theory literature, but are not particularly strange in real life. These cases involve good people with bad principles, people who deliberate in a cool hour but are very irrational, people who feel possessed by an alien emotion when to us they appear more themselves than ever, and some more ways in which an agent's mind or the nature of her action can be opaque to her in some way in the midst of performing morally significant actions. With such cases in mind, I set out to offer a theory of moral praiseworthiness and blameworthiness, to which I refer as "moral worth". I chose this term, with its Kantian overtones, because I rely a great deal on an intuition invoked by Kant in his story of the prudent grocer. The intuition is: an agent to is truly praiseworthy for a right action iff agent performs it from the reasons that make it right (thus, the prudent grocer is not praiseworthy for fair pricing because his reason for action is profit, and profitability is not what makes his action morally right). Perhaps unlike Kant, I hold that to perform an action for the reasons that make it right it is neither sufficient nor necessary to do it because one thinks it is right. If a person's idea of morality is something along the lines of "I must help people of my own ethnicity, and not the rest", that person can help someone because she thinks it is right, and yet at the same time, act for irrelevant reasons, because what makes it right to help the person is something like "because he is a person", but our nationalist acts from another reason "because we share an ethnicity". I also defend the view that it is possible to perform an action from the reasons that make it right while believing one's action to be wrong, and still, be praiseworthy, due to the fact that you act from the reasons that make your action right. The person who holds false views about morality is often regarded not as a bad person who accidentally does good things all the time, but as a good person who is bad at abstract thinking. I argue that it is wrong to reduce the virtue of such a person to something like Aristotelian "natural virtue" or Kantian "acting from mere inclination". I introduce cases of "Inverse
Mounding as a Technique for Restoration of Prairie on a Capped Landfill in the Puget Sound Lowlands

Closed landfills create large open spaces that are often proposed as sites for restored or created ecosystems. Grasslands are probably prescribed most often because of the presumption that grass root systems will not breach the landfill cap. Capped landfills have a number of soil degradation problems, including compaction, decreased permeability, lack of organic material, diminished soil fauna, inappropriate texture, and lack of structure. In this study in the Puget Sound lowlands, Washington, U.S.A., mounding (low sandyloam mounds, about 20 cm high and 2 m in diameter), addition of fertilizer, and mulching with yard-waste compost were applied to landfill sites as treatments in a factorial-design experiment. Prairie plants (1,344 individuals, 7 species) were planted into 4-m 2 plots (n = 48), and plant growth and survival and the increase in weed biomass were monitored for 3 years. Mulching had no effect on plant survival or growth. Fertilization had a negative effect on Lupinus lepidus, a nitrogenfixing species. Mounding had a positive effect on growth and survival of Eriophyllum lanatum, Festuca idahoensis, and Aster curtus. Potentilla pacifica was indifferent to mounding, and Carex inops responded negatively. Mounds should probably be used as one element of a complex of habitats on restored landfills.
The effect of dietary protein level on performance characteristics of coccidiosis vaccinated and nonvaccinated broilers following mixed-species Eimeria challenge

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of starter diet protein levels on the performance of broilers vaccinated with a commercially available live oocyst coccidiosis vaccine before subsequent challenge with a mixed-species Eimeria challenge. Data indicated that an increasing protein concentration in the starter diet improved broiler performance during coccidiosis vaccination. Prechallenge performance data indicated that vaccination could decrease BW and increase feed conversion ratio. The time period most important for the observed effects appeared to be between 13 and 17 d of age. This reduction in performance parameters of vaccinated broilers compared with nonvaccinated broilers was eliminated by the conclusion of the experiments (27 d) in the diet groups with higher protein. Vaccination was effective at generating protective immunity against Eimeria challenge, as evidenced by increased (P < 0.05) BW gain, improved feed conversion, reduced postchallenge mortality, and reduced lesion development in vaccinated broilers compared with nonvaccinated broilers. These observations support numerous other reports that confirm live oocyst vaccination can be used effectively as a preventive against avian coccidiosis in commercially reared broilers. More important, these findings suggest that reduced protein concentration of starter diets can lead to significant losses in broiler performance when using a vaccination program to prevent coccidiosis.
Fibrin contributes to microvascular obstructions and parenchymal changes during early focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.

Ischemic cerebral injury is associated with activation of the blood coagulation cascade. To elucidate the contribution of fibrin formation to microvascular injury during focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, we have studied the time course and the localization of fibrin deposition in cerebral microvessels and the surrounding tissues during ischemia/reperfusion in a well-described nonhuman primate model. Cerebral tissues from adolescent male baboons were examined after 2-hour middle cerebral artery occlusion (n = 3) and after 3 hours of middle cerebral artery occlusion and 1-hour (n = 6), 4-hour (n = 3), and 24-hour (n = 4) reperfusion; tissues from control primates (n = 3) also were examined. Fibrin deposition was detected by immunohistochemical techniques using the fibrin-specific monoclonal antibody MH-1. The number and size distribution of microvessels associated with fibrin were quantified by video-imaging microscopy. Fibrin was associated with microvessels only in the ischemic zone where severe neuronal injury was documented, its frequency increasing with the reperfusion period (F4,26 = 3.80, P < .05). Extravascular fibrin deposition was significantly increased by 24-hour reperfusion compared with the other subjects (P < .05). Preischemia infusion of the anti-tissue factor monoclonal antibody TF9-6B4 resulted in significant reduction of intramicrovascular fibrin (P < .038 versus no intervention) at 1-hour reperfusion but had no effect on extravascular fibrin deposition. These results suggest that microvascular fibrin deposition accumulates in a time-dependent manner during focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and that exposure of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and that exposure of plasma to perivascular tissue factor is partially responsible for occlusion formation. During ischemia the large plasma protein fibrinogen extravasates and interacts with parenchymal tissue factor, forming significant extravascular fibrin by 24 hours of reperfusion.
TNFerade, an Adenovector Carrying the Transgene for Human Tumor Necrosis Factor α, for Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors: Surgical Experience and Long-Term Follow-Up

Background Over the last several years, attempts have been made to use the tumoricidal effects of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α to treat cancer. Many of these studies demonstrated dose-limiting systemic side effects from high concentrations of TNF-α. The recent focus has been on developing a local delivery system for TNF-α to minimize the systemic response.
The marathon: Dietary manipulation to optimize performance

Despite pronounced involvement of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems during the marathon, the limiting factor for this event revolves around the supply and utilization of intramuscular and extramuscular fuel reserves. The single most consistently observed factor contributing to fatigue at work intensities selected by marathon runners is the depletion of muscle's endogenous carbohydrate, glycogen. Dietary manipulations which reduce the rate of muscle glycogen degradation will, therefore, spare this important fuel and delay fatigue. The purpose of this paper will be to review dietary factors which are pertinent to fuel utilization in order to optimize marathon performance.
Structure of pp32, an acidic nuclear protein which inhibits oncogene-induced formation of transformed foci.

Abstract pp32 is a nuclear protein found highly expressed in normal tissues in those cells capable of self-renewal and in neoplastic cells. We report the cloning of cDNAs encoding human and murine pp32. The clones encode a 28.6-kDa protein; approximately two-thirds of the N-terminal predicts an amphipathic alpha helix containing two possible nuclear localization signals and a potential leucine zipper motif. The C-terminal third is exceptionally acidic, comprised of approximately 70% aspartic and glutamic acid residues; the predicted pI of human pp32 is 3.81. Human and murine pp32 cDNAs are 88% identical; the predicted proteins are 89% identical and 95% similar. Although the structure of pp32 is suggestive of a transcription factor, pp32 did not significantly modulate transcription of a reporter construct when fused to the Gal4 DNA-binding domain. In contrast, in cotransfection experiments, pp32 inhibited the ability of a broad assortment of oncogene pairs to transform rat embryo fibroblasts, including ras + myc, ras + jun, ras + E1a, ras + mutant p53, and E6 + E7. In related experiments, pp32 inhibited the ability of Rat 1a-myc cells to grow in soft agar, whereas it failed to affect ras-induced focus formation in NIH3T3 cells. These results suggest that pp32 may play a key role in self-renewing cell populations where it may act in the nucleus to limit their sensitivity to transformation.
Subclavian-axillary vascular trauma

Traumatic vascular injuries to the subclavian and axillary vessels are often associated with permanent neurologic impairment either by direct injury to the brachial plexus or by compression from an expanding hematoma. Prompt decompression of the plexus by evacuation of the hematoma may avoid permanent neurologic damage and decrease the morbidity of these injuries. We reviewed our experience with these injuries with particular reference to the effect of early decompression of the brachial plexus. From 1963 to 1984 we treated 40 patients. The causes of the injuries were penetrating trauma in 85% and blunt trauma in 15%. The results of arterial repair were excellent with only two failed repairs; neither resulted in severe ischemia. Two patients were suspected of having thrombosed venous repairs. Among the 12 patients with direct injury to the brachial plexus (partial or complete transection), only six had subsequent improvement of their neurologic dysfunction. In contrast, six of seven patients in whom there was only compression of the plexus by hematoma but no direct injury, had neurologic improvement following evacuation of the hematoma. This finding suggests that prompt decompression of the brachial plexus following these injuries may reduce the amount of neurologic impairment and reduce the morbidity of these injuries.
Adult Stem Cells in Teeth

Stem cells hold enormous interest for basic and translational scientists because of their ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple cell types. These properties have led stem cell biology to emerge as an important field of biomedical research over the past few decades, and a large effort to identify the locations of adult stem cells has been under way. Teeth and tooth-supporting structures house important adult stem cell niches in the body. In this chapter, we describe the known populations of adult dental stem cells. We focus on the location, stemness, and differentiation potential of these cells. In addition, we discuss recent advances in the applications of adult stem cells to the field of regenerative medicine.
Adrenal Cholesterol Ester Fatty Acid Composition of Different Species.

SummaryThe fatty acid composition of adrenal cholesterol ester fraction has been determined by gas-liquid chromatography in 7 species. Characteristic CEFA patterns for each type of animal were apparent. Rat and dog had the highest content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the adrenal cholesterol ester fraction. The remaining species had considerably less of those acids and the major CEFA of dog, man, goose, chicken and rabbit was oleic acid. In the dog, rat and human, an acid tentatively identified as a C22 tetraenoic acid was found in the adrenal CEFA. The significance of these results in relation to hormone synthesis and polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism is discussed.
Density Functional Theory Study of an Oxygen Reduction Reaction on a Pt3Ti Alloy Electrocatalyst

First-principles density functional theory calculations were performed to investigate the pathway of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on a Pt surface-segregated Pt3Ti(111) surface. Our calculation results indicate that the ORR intermediates (H, O, OH, O2, OOH, and H2O) would bind weakly on the Pt3Ti(111) surface compared to those on the pure Pt(111) surface. The possible ORR mechanism on the Pt3Ti(111) surface is elucidated by calculating the activation energies for all of the possible elementary reaction steps in ORR. We predict that the ORR on the Pt3Ti(111) surface proceeds via a H2O2 dissociation mechanism. Importantly, the activation energy for the rate determining step in the H2O2 dissociation mechanism on the Pt3Ti(111) surface is significantly lower than the corresponding value on the pure Pt(111) surface. This provides an explanation for the experimentally observed superior ORR performance of Pt3Ti electrocatalyst in comparison to pure Pt electrocatalyst. Furthermore, we studied the degradation be...
Interdependent Expenditures on R&D and Marketing in the Pharmaceutical Enterprise

The activities of pharmaceutical companies in developing, pricing and marketing their products continues to be controversial, and literatures exist on each subject, but very little has been published modeling their joint determination. Using standard micro-economic assumptions of profit-maximization we develop a model of the decision-making process which yields an interior equilibrium, solve the model and conduct a comparative statics analysis. We find strong relationships between marketing and research expenditure. Marketing and research are not substitutes, but complements. Exogenous changes in the research environment which lead to an increase in research will lead to a more than one-for-one increase in marketing. Increasing shares of pharmaceutical costs paid directly by consumers will lead to a decrease in marketing. We conclude that empirical studies of firm behavior may yield biased results if they do not consider the simultaneous nature of the firm's decisions.
Creating a Research Center: Space for Collaborations and Conversations

ABSTRACTThis report describes the creation of a library research center, where a team of librarians provide flexible, convenient, and personalized research assistance to students. A research center creates a positive user experience for students and places collaboration—both among librarians and students—at its core. Next-generation reference models must provide spaces and environments for students and librarians to engage in meaningful and deep information literacy conversations as outlined in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.
Lifetime of Flow-Induced Precursors in Isotactic Polypropylene

Brief intervals of strong flow stretch chains in a semicrystalline polymer melt to form flow-induced precursors, which accelerate crystallization kinetics and transform the morphology. Using commercial isotactic polypropylene, the persistence and lifetime of flow-induced precursors were investigated, focusing on the effects of specific work and annealing time and temperature. Precursors were formed by shearing polypropylene in a rotational rheometer and then quenching to a desired temperature. The crystallization time and crystallization temperature of the sheared samples were investigated using novel rheology and DSC experiments. For sufficiently large shear rates, the appearance of flow-induced precursors is controlled by the applied work. A qualitative change in many properties related to precursors takes place at a critical work value Wc, about 7 MPa for our iPP material. To erase the persistent “memory” of flow-induced nuclei, samples must be annealed for a very long time below 210 °C (>3000 min) or ...
The economic imagination

To apply the term ‘magical’ to modern economic thought is to suggest that there remains within it an unassimilated and unexamined residue of irrational thought. Further, it is to hold that this remnant persists despite the discipline’s century long attempt to “submit the abstract laws of theoretical political economy or ‘pure’ economics to experimental and quantitative verification, and thus to the extent possible to constitute pure economy as a science in the narrow sense of the term” (Frisch, 1926: 1, our translation). The specific instance of irrationality to which we refer is perfectly visible but systematically overlooked because it exists in economics’ most basic assumptions: not only the assumptions about the causal mechanisms that determine human action, but even more in what is increasingly acknowledged to be the theoretical Achilles heel of economics, the concept of the market itself.
Impact of Patient Photographs on Radiologists' Visual Search of Chest Radiographs

Rationale and Objectives To increase detection of mislabeled medical imaging studies, evidence shows it may be useful to include patient photographs during interpretation. This study examined how inclusion of photographs impacts visual search. Materials and Methods Ten radiologists participated. Average age was 43.00 years and average years Board-certified was 9.70, with 2 residents, 1 general, 2 abdominal, 4 cardiothoracic, and 1 pediatric radiologist. They viewed 21 portable chest radiographs with and without a simultaneously acquired photograph of the patient while visual search was recorded. Their task was to note placement of lines and tubes. Results Presence of the photograph reduced the number of fixations (chest radiograph only mean 98.68; chest with photograph present 80.81; photograph 10.59; p Conclusion Photographs may help with certain image interpretation tasks and may help personalize the reading experience for radiologists without increasing interpretation time.
Development and Application of Equipment Inspection Robot for Smart Substations

The application of the equipment inspection system based on the outdoor mobile robot used in the smart substation or automatic substation is described.With the video camera,thermal infrared imager,microphone and other sensors,the robot has realized optimal path planning and two-way movement based on the magnetic track to patrol devices by autonomous or remote control to detect thermal problems and abnormal appearances.By image processing and pattern recognition,this robot system can identify the opening/closing state of breaker and isolator.When executing device operation by remote control or sequence control,the mobile robot can replace operating people to check the state of a controlled device.By practical experience,this mobile robot provides an innovative means of detection and monitoring for the smart substation and unmanned substation.
Social Security in Portugal: harmonizing for Europe 1992.

One of the most important aspects of the pending free market of the European Community of 1992 is the free movement of labor among the 12 Member States. Without a fairly even level of social security development, such free movement of workers could produce large social and economic dislocations due to the unevenness of economic development within the Community. Portugal, one of the lesser developed member nations of the European Community, has been in the vanguard in revamping social legislation in order to meet the demands of the European free market. Among the more important Portuguese legislative actions are those dealing with unemployment insurance and the role of social security authorities in the supervision of private pensions. These issues and other aspects of the modernization of Portugal’s social insurance and welfare programs are reviewed along with brief descriptions of the overall Portuguese social security program and the form and function of the social dimension of the European Community.
Quantitative Fluorescence Measurements with Multicolor Flow Cytometry

Multicolor flow cytometer assays are routinely used in clinical laboratories for immunophenotyping, monitoring disease and treatment, and determining prognostic factors. However, existing methods for quantitative measurements have not yet produced satisfactory results independent of flow cytometers used. This chapter details a procedure for quantifying surface and intracellular protein biomarkers by calibrating the output of a multicolor flow cytometer in units of antibodies bound per cell (ABC). The procedure includes the following critical steps: (a) quality control (QC) and performance characterization of the multicolor flow cytometer, (b) fluorescence calibration using hard dyed microspheres assigned with fluorescence intensity values in equivalent number of reference fluorophores (ERF), (c) compensation for correction of fluorescence spillover, and (d) application of a biological reference standard for translating the ERF scale to the ABC scale. The chapter also points out current efforts for implementing quantification of biomarkers in a manner which is independent of instrument platforms and reagent differences.
Assessment of the safety and efficacy of the DUETT vascular hemostasis device: final results of the safe and effective vascular hemostasis (SEAL) trial.

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of the novel DUETT vascular hemostasis device in comparison with standard manual compression after diagnostic and interventional coronary procedures. BACKGROUND Vascular hemostasis devices are increasingly used to improve patient comfort and speed mobilization after coronary and peripheral vascular procedures. Currently available devices have certain limitations, however. METHODS At 16 clinical sites, 630 patients who underwent diagnostic or interventional coronary procedures were randomized 5:3 to the DUETT sealing device or standard manual compression. The primary study end points were time to hemostasis and ambulation and the incidence of major vascular complications at 30 days. RESULTS Time to hemostasis from the completion of the procedure (catheter removal; median) was 14 minutes (interquartile range [IQR], 10, 17 minutes) in the DUETT group and 195 minutes (IQR, 46, 351 minutes) in the standard compression group (P <.001), and time from sheath removal (median) was 7 minutes (IQR, 6, 8 minutes) and 20 minutes (IQR, 15, 30 minutes) for the 2 groups, respectively (P <.001). Time to ambulation from catheter removal (median) was 338 minutes (IQR, 223, 526 minutes) in the DUETT group and 705 minutes (IQR, 400, 1120 minutes) in the standard compression group (P <.001). Major complications occurred in 3.6% of the DUETT group and 1.7% of the standard compression group (P =.22), with a diminishing risk of complications in the DUETT group as experience was accrued. Similar benefits from DUETT use were seen in patients who underwent both diagnostic and interventional procedures. CONCLUSION The DUETT sealing device allows immediate arterial sheath removal after both diagnostic and interventional procedures, dramatically reducing time to hemostasis and patient ambulation without compromising patient safety in comparison with standard compression techniques.
Ca(2+)-induced inhibition of 45Ca2+ influx and Ca2+ current in smooth muscle of the rat vas deferens

The present study investigates how changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration modulate the influx of 45Ca2+ in isolated rat vasa deferentia. Raising extracellular K+ concentration ([K+]0) to > or = 32 mM increased 45Ca2+ influx during the 1st min in solutions containing 0.03-1.5 mM extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]0). During the 6th min in [K+]0 > or = 50 mM, 45Ca2+ influx was less than during the 1st min. This decline in 45Ca2+ influx occurred for [Ca2+]0 > or = 0.4 mM. Procaine potentiated K(+)-stimulated 45Ca2+ influx in 1.5 mM [Ca2+]0 and eliminated the decline of 45Ca2+ influx in low [Ca2-]0. Ryanodine and norepinephrine reduced K(+)-stimulated 45Ca2+ influx. 45Ca2+ content changed with time in accordance with the changes observed in 45Ca2+ influx. In isolated cells, voltage-dependent inward currents inactivated more rapidly with 1.5 mM Ca2+ as the charge carrier than with 1.5 mM Ba2+, and the steady-state inactivation relationship was shifted in the hyperpolarizing direction. Inward current was reduced with either caffeine, ryanodine, or norepinephrine. The inhibitory effects of norepinephrine were abolished by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that K(+)-stimulated 45Ca2+ influx declines with time due to Ca(2+)-induced inhibition of Ca2- channels. Ca(2+)- and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-induced releases of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum appear to play an important role in this process.
Empirical and Metaphysical Anti-Representationalism

Anti-representationalism is in the air. In the last few years, many philosophers and cognitive scientists have considered or even embraced the claim that cognition is not representational, often without giving explicit consideration to what exactly this means. The point of this essay is to try to make some sense of claims that cognitive science can do without representations by proposing a taxonomy for them. In what follows, I will make a distinction between two different varieties of anti-representationalism. And, with this distinction in hand, I will consider some actual scientific work that has led to claims that cognitive science can do, at least in part, without representations.
Tapered Cantilevered Bimorphs for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting: Characterization with Impedance Spectroscopy

Cantilevered piezoelectric bimorphs resonating in the fundamental mode have previously been explored for energy harvesting, where it has been reported that tapering the geometry into triangular shapes provides a constant strain distribution over the surface of cantilevered bimorphs, unlike conventional rectangular geometries with a large tip mass. This enhances the k31 electromechanical coupling coefficients in the devices, an aspect which is studied using impedance spectroscopy in this paper; a tool that can measure the exact values for the optimal load resistance which can be applied to maximize power output from piezoelectric bimorphs. It is found that tapering the devices into triangular geometries lowers the internal impedance of the device at the resonance frequency; and increases the impedance of the device at the anti-resonance frequency when compared to rectangular counterparts with the same device volume. The peak value for the phase angle shift is also larger in triangular bimorphs, indicating a larger dielectric loss at the median of the resonance and anti-resonance frequencies; implying that the devices here would be more compliant, i.e. provide a wider resonance frequency bandwidth. Therefore, the advantages provided by altering geometry to improve the strain distribution in the devices are reflected here from an electronic standpoint.
2Characterization of surface morphology of carbonate stone and its effect on surface uptake of SO

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the study conducted to evaluate the role of receptor surface variables in the dry deposition process. It focuses on the effect of surface variables on SO 2 uptake in ambient outdoor conditions. Experiments were undertaken in a custom-built re-circulating environmental deposition chamber. The primary components of this project included development of a surface characterization methodology and evaluation of the deposition velocity of SO 2 onto limestones. Four U.S. domestic limestones (Salem, Cordova Cream, Cottonwood Top Ledge, and Tennessee Pink) and one imported limestone (Monks Park, GB) were utilized in this study. Both polished and simulated weathered surfaces were examined to gauge the effect over a range of surface variables. Preliminary investigations suggested that deposition increases with increasing roughness and the characteristics of porosity are paramount factors in the deposition process. The understanding of the role of surface morphology in the pollutant uptake process from this study is used to develop a methodology to assess the long-term effects of surface treatments of buildings and the outdoor sculptures.
Enteric nervous system development: A crest cell's journey from neural tube to colon

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is comprised of a network of neurons and glial cells that are responsible for coordinating many aspects of gastrointestinal (GI) function. These cells arise from the neural crest, migrate to the gut, and then continue their journey to colonize the entire length of the GI tract. Our understanding of the molecular and cellular events that regulate these processes has advanced significantly over the past several decades, in large part facilitated by the use of rodents, avians, and zebrafish as model systems to dissect the signals and pathways involved. These studies have highlighted the highly dynamic nature of ENS development and the importance of carefully balancing migration, proliferation, and differentiation of enteric neural crest-derived cells (ENCCs). Proliferation, in particular, is critically important as it drives cell density and speed of migration, both of which are important for ensuring complete colonization of the gut. However, proliferation must be tempered by differentiation among cells that have reached their final destination and are ready to send axonal extensions, connect to effector cells, and begin to produce neurotransmitters or other signals. Abnormalities in the normal processes guiding ENCC development can lead to failure of ENS formation, as occurs in Hirschsprung disease, in which the distal intestine remains aganglionic. This review summarizes our current understanding of the factors involved in early development of the ENS and discusses areas in need of further investigation.
Response to the ASA’s Statement on p-Values: Context, Process, and Purpose

The ASA’s statement on p-values: context, process, and purpose (Wasserstein and Lazar 2016) makes several reasonable practical points on the use of p-values in empirical scientific inquiry. The sta...
Optical cryo-imaging reveals a heterogeneous distribution of mitochondrial redox state in the ex-vivo guinea pig heart and its alteration during ischemia and reperfusion

RationaleOxidation of substrates to generate ATP in mitochondria is mediated through the redox reactions of reducing equivalents, NADH and FADH2, via the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Car...
Generalized Determination of Device Noise Parameters

This paper presents a rigorous analysis to determine the noise parameters of linear noisy microwave networks with any number of ports. The analysis expands a well-established approach for the determination of the noise parameters of a linear two-port network to any linear $N$ -port networks and enhances the understanding of its measurement procedure as a particular case of this analysis. A thorough discussion of the results of this analysis identifies constraints and highlights practical requirements for a successful noise characterization setup of any $N$ -port networks. The analysis is then applied to the measurement of four-port networks. The determination of passive network’s noise parameters allows the experimental validation of the theory, while the determination of an active four-port network’s noise parameters is of particular interest, because its differential noise figure can be determined directly from its noise parameters without the use of external baluns.
Dynamics of Charge Injection and Charge Recombination in DNA Mini-Hairpins.

Steady state spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (fsTA), and femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS) of DNA mini-hairpins possessing a diphenylacetylenedicarboxamide (DPA) linker and 1–3 adenine–thymine (A-T) or guanine–cytosine (G-C) base pairs have been investigated. Ultraviolet and circular dichroism (UV and CD) spectra are consistent with ground state conformations that are predominantly base-paired and π-stacked for conjugates possessing two or three base pairs; however, they offer no information concerning the conformation of conjugates possessing a single base pair. fsTA spectra are indicative of π-stacked structures excepted in the case of the conjugate possessing a single G-C base pair. All of the conjugates display transient absorption bands characteristic of the DPA–. anion radical. Conjugates possessing two or three G-C base pairs display a transient absorption band characteristic of the short-lived G+• cation radical. The mini-hairpins with 1–3 A-T base pairs ...
The Hanford Reach: A Land of Contrasts, Susan Zwinger (Ed.). The University of Arizona Press, Tucson (2004), 79, US$13.95 paper. ISBN 0-8165-2376-2

Book Review: The Hanford Reach: A Land of Contrasts, Susan Zwinger. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson (2004).
BODIPY labeled Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCs) Induces Il-1β secretion and Antioxidant Response in a Mitochondrial ROS-independent Manner

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are rod-like nanomaterials that can be easily obtained via acidic hydrolysis of native cellulose. There has been a growing interest in modifying CNCs for biomedical purposes, including bioimaging. This emerging interest in CNCs lead us to synthesize a functionalized CNCs with a green-fluorescent BODIPY. Since needle-like molecules as well as fluorophores may induce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and these aspects are associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation, the goal this study was to investigate whether CNCs-BIODIPY increases mitochondrial ROS leading to increases in the intracellular antioxidant defense and inflammatory response. Mouse macrophage-like cells (J774A.1) and PMA-stimulated human monocyte cells (THP-1) were treated with different concentrations of CNCs-BIODIPY, in presence or absence of LPS. After treatment, J774A.1 cells were harvested and intracellular levels of inflammatory proteins (NLRP3 and IL-1β) and the antioxidant enzymes (PrxSO3, Catalase and SOD1) were analyzed by western blotting in cell lysates. Mature IL-1β levels were analyzed by ELISA in cell supernatants and lysates from both cell lines and mitochondrial ROS by MitoSox in J774A.1 cells. The results indicated that levels of NLRP3 and pro-IL-1 β were increased in non LPS-stimulated cells as well as the antioxidant enzymes catalase and oxidized peroxiredoxins, PrxSO3. However, no significant changes in mitochondrial ROS production was found, in comparison to control conditions. Overall, our results revealed that CNCs-BIOPIDY increased antioxidant enzymes and NLRP3 inflammasome pathway suggesting that it may not be suitable to systemic biomedical applications in the tested concentrations.
"These African stories": Life, labor, and dying in northern Zambia.

Abstract This paper analyzes the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the social worlds of people living with HIV and ART (PLHA) in rural northern Zambia. Studies have demonstrated high rates of ART adherence over a range of sites in southern Africa. Drawing on a year of ethnographic research conducted in Zambia's Mukungule chiefdom between 2006 and 2008, this study investigates expectations of this exemplary adherence, and experiences of treatment failure. Motivated by the life and AIDS-related death of a Mukungule resident, Grace, it moves beyond asking “what made initial cohorts of African PLHA exceptionally adherent?” to raise the pressing question of “what happens next?” Previous scholarship addressing this question has analyzed how PLHA navigate the competing moral and political economies of local kinship and social networks and global HIV/AIDS initiatives. Scholars have emphasized the afterlives of access and adherence, looking beyond survival to what “the good life” means for PLHA, and placing PLHA at the center of action and analysis. This paper flips that script, by focusing on the stories that Grace's death spurred Mukungule residents to share. It shows how attention to and analysis of stories told not just about, but by members of PLHA's kinship and social networks, are critical to developing a more robust understanding of exemplary adherence and treatment failure. Such understanding critically depends on paying more attention to how those living with and caring for PLHA (and especially their families) facilitate PLHA's pursuit of good and “normal” lives – not just while, but also through, pursuing their own.