cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneously Integrated InP\/Silicon Photonics: Fabricating Fully Functional Transceivers

Silicon (Si) photonics research and development started more than 30 years ago and has intensified in the last 15 years as levels of device functionality, photonic integration, and commercialization have all increased [1]. The key drivers for using Si in photonics arise from the quality of wafers and the superior processing capabilities developed and funded by the microelectronics industry. It has the promise to revolutionize the photonics industry in the same way that CMOS design and processing revolutionized the microelectronics industry, by driving down photonic chip cost while enabling higher levels of photonic integration and functionality. Commercialization, so far, has focused on optical communication (Telecom [2] and data center [3]) and biosensing [4], with a wealth of future application areas, including high-performance computing [5], automotive (lidar) [6], optical switches [7], and artificial intelligence [8].
Experimental Observation of the Bogoliubov Transformation for a Bose-Einstein Condensed Gas

Phonons with wave vector $q/\ensuremath{\Elzxh}$ were optically imprinted into a Bose-Einstein condensate. Their momentum distribution was analyzed using Bragg spectroscopy with a high momentum transfer. The wave function of the phonons was shown to be a superposition of $+q$ and $\ensuremath{-}q$ free particle momentum states, in agreement with the Bogoliubov quasiparticle picture.
Assessing Systemic Inequity: Teacher Perspectives, Solutions, and “Radical Possibilities”

We present analyses from focus group interviews with a geographically diverse set of experienced, urban teachers who point to systemic inequity as a major contributing factor to the problems they face in their schools and communities. To begin, we overview the literature relating to our development of this project, after which we outline the theoretical underpinnings of our analyses. Next, we outline our methods, process of analysis, and analytical approach. We then discuss our findings, highlighting how the teachers described the systemic nature of inequality, and the policy solutions they identified as potential avenues by which to address these inequalities.
Adhesion of Bimaterial Elastic Strips

The solution is presented in integral equation form for the end problem of a semi-infinite elastic strip. This solution is used to solve the tension problems of joined dissimilar strips for cases when the strips are of equal or unequal widths. The problems are reduced to systems of singular integral equations that are analyzed to determine the order of the stress singularities. The equations are solved numerically and the interface normal stress is exhibited graphically for many cases.
Why fears about municipal credit are overblown

Highly publicized predictions of 50-100 municipal defaults have caused anxiety among municipal bond investors. While there is some chance that negative investor sentiment will lead to further spread widening, the probability of the kind of widespread default that would be required to justify current municipal bond yields is low. In this paper we document the reasons why the fears of widespread municipal default during the current recession are overblown.
Phylogenetic relationships of Necrosuchus ionensis Simpson, 1937 and the early history of caimanines

Cranial fragments associated with the holotype of Necrosuchus ionensis reveal a dorsally shifted foramen aereum on the quadrate and a long, slender descending process of the exoccipital lateral to the basioccipital and approaching the basioccipital tubera. The former suggests that Necrosuchus is an alligatoroid and not a crocodylid, as first suggested; and the latter that it is a caiman. The scapulocoracoid shows evidence of early closure of the synchondrosis, further supporting a caiman affinity. Although we cannot yet pinpoint the phylogenetic placement of Necrosuchus amongst caimans, it nevertheless establishes a caimanine presence in South America by the Early Palaeocene. A review of other Palaeocene–Eocene caimans reveals a complex biogeographical history suggesting multiple dispersal events between North and South America, even if the modern caiman assemblage is monophyletic. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163, S228–S256.
An International Relations Theory of Technological Change

Why are some countries more technologically innovative than others? National technological capability plays an important causal role in theories of war, alliance formation, and patterns of international trade and finance. However, explanations for national differences in technological capabilities have had little place in theories of international politics. This gap is the result of assumptions made by most IR theorists that the rate and direction of technological change are either random, scientifically determined, or structured solely by domestic institutions. This paper will bring together recent findings about the political economy of technological innovation in order to show that much of this conventional wisdom about technology is incorrect. Instead it will be theorized that, due to the distributive nature of technological change, each nation's balance of internal versus external threats to security determines its technological trajectory. That is, ceteris paribus, states concerned more with domestic security (the maintenance of civil order between domestic interest groups) should innovate relatively less; states concerned more with external security threats (to strategic economic inputs or military capability) should innovate relatively more. Put more simply, this paper will show how international relations are as important as domestic institutions, if not more so, in determining national innovation rates.
Fertility and Culture in Eastern Europe: A Case Study of Riga, Latvia, 1867–1881

Recent research on the secular decline of fertility in historical Europe has focused on cultural explanations in the wake of the European Fertility Project's failure to confirm demographic transition theory. Using the city of Riga in present-day Latvia as a case study, the essay provides initial estimates of nuptiality and fertility for resident language and religious groups in 1867 and 1881, and reviews the prospects of future work. Despite obstacles, Eastern Europe offers researchers an exceptional opportunity to test major cultural and economic hypotheses about the fertility decline because sustained ethnic diversity coexisted with economic development.
Median Statistics, H0, and the Accelerating Universe

We develop median statistics that provide powerful alternatives to χ2 likelihood methods and require fewer assumptions about the data. Application to astronomical data demonstrates that median statistics lead to results that are quite similar and almost as constraining as χ2 likelihood methods but with somewhat more confidence since they do not assume Gaussianity of the errors or that their magnitudes are known. Applying median statistics to Huchra's compilation of nearly all estimates of the Hubble constant, we find a median value H0 = 67 km s-1 Mpc-1. Median statistics assume only that the measurements are independent and free of systematic errors. This estimate is arguably the best summary of current knowledge because it uses all available data and, unlike other estimates, makes no assumption about the distribution of measurement errors. The 95% range of purely statistical errors is ±2 km s-1 Mpc-1. The high degree of statistical accuracy of this result demonstrates the power of using only these two assumptions and leads us to analyze the range of possible systematic errors in the median, which we estimate to be roughly ±5 km s-1 Mpc-1 (95% limits), dominating over the statistical errors. Using a Bayesian median statistics treatment of high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) apparent magnitude versus redshift data from Riess et al., we find the posterior probability that the cosmological constant Λ > 0 is 70% or 89%, depending on the prior information we include. We find the posterior probability of an open universe is about 47%, and the probability of a spatially flat universe is 51% or 38%. Our results generally support the observers' conclusions but indicate weaker evidence for Λ > 0 (less than 2 σ). Median statistics analysis of the Perlmutter et al. high-redshift SNe Ia data shows that the best-fit flat-Λ model is favored over the best-fit Λ = 0 open model by odds of 366 : 1; the corresponding Riess et al. odds are 3 : 1 (assuming in each case prior odds of 1 : 1). A scalar field with a potential energy with a "tail" behaves like a time-variable Λ. Median statistics analyses of the SNe Ia data do not rule out such a time-variable Λ and may even favor it over a time-independent Λ and a Λ = 0 open model.
A Dynamic Reservation-Based Call Admission Control Algorithm for Wireless Networks Using the Concept of Influence Curve

In this paper a dynamic channel reservation and call admission control scheme is proposed to provide QoS guarantees in a mobile wireless network using the concept of influence curve. The basic idea behind the proposed scheme is that a moving user, in addition to its requirements in the current cell, exerts some influence on the channel allocation in neighboring cells. Such an influence is related to the moving pattern of the users and is calculated statistically. Furthermore we developed a general analytical model to calculate the corresponding blocking probabilities for wireless networks with multiple platforms, which removes the commonly used assumption that new calls and handoff calls have same channel holding time. The numerical results demonstrate that our scheme outperforms traditional channel reservation schemes and can effectively adapt to the real time network conditions.
Carbon nanotube-immobilized super-absorbent membrane for harvesting water from the atmosphere

This paper describes the development of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-immobilized membrane for harvesting pure water from air. The CNTs were incorporated into a layer of super-absorbing poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) which was cast over a porous hydrophilized polypropylene support. The super-absorbing polymer tended to bind to the water molecules to form water clusters. The incorporation of CNTs led to the interruption of specific water–polymer as well as water–water interactions to generate more free water which permeated more easily through the membrane. The CNTs were functionalized with carboxylic groups to improve the dispersibility into the polymer matrix. The water vapor extraction efficiency reached over 50%, and the presence of CNTs led to an enhancement in water vapor removal by as much as 45% and in the mass transfer coefficient by 44%.
Timon of Ashes

In his Religio Medici, Sir Thomas Browne writes, "to call our selves a Microcosme, or little world, I thought it onely a pleasant trope of Rhetorick, till my neare judgment...told me there was a reall truth therein. For first we are a rude mass...next we live the life of plants, the life of animals, the life of men, and at last the life of spirits." This blurring of the boundaries between life forms, coupled with a disavowal of the notion that humans exist apart from other life forms, is what I wish to explore in Shakespeare's oft-overlooked tragedy, Timon of Athens. More specifically, this paper argues that, in terms of how Timon describes himself (or is described by others), we see a clear progression from man to beast to plant to dirt. As such, the play essentially reverses the sequence proposed by Sir Thomas Browne. The reason behind the reversal is straightforward enough: Timon wants to position himself as "Misanthropos" (IV.iii.52). But hating mankind proves insufficient for Timon and his anger eventually leads to a rejection of the mammalian system as a whole.
Structure of the gene encoding phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase (prsA) in Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract The Salmonella typhimurium gene prsA, which encodes phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase, has been cloned, and the nucleotide sequence has been determined. The amino acid sequence derived from the S. typhimurium gene is 99% identical to the derived Escherichia coli sequence and 47% identical to two rat isozyme sequences. Strains containing plasmid-borne prsA have been used to overproduce and purify the enzyme. The promoter for the S. typhimurium prsA gene was identified by deletion analysis and by similarity to the promoter for the E. coli prsA gene. The location of the prsA promoter results in a 416-base-pair 5' untranslated leader in the prsA transcript, which was shown by deletion to be necessary for maximal synthesis of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase. The S. typhimurium leader contains a 115-base-pair insert relative to the E. coli leader. The insert appears to have no functional significance.
The Proliferation of Dosage Thresholds in Opioid Prescribing Policies and Their Potential to Increase Pain and Opioid-Related Mortality.

The past two decades have witnessed increases in opioid-related morbidity and mortality concomitant with increases in the prescribing of opioids to treat chronic pain. State policy-makers, under pressure to do something about the overdose rate, have intervened. One such intervention involves the adoption of daily opioid thresholds in state prescribing policies that, once reached, will trigger specific actions or recommendations. Although dosage threshold models continue to spread across the United States, these governmental interventions could have serious unintended outcomes in terms of increased pain and opioid-related injury and mortality. The following commentary highlights the evolution of dosage thresholds, their potential for unintended outcomes, and advocates for the evaluation of these models and the adoption of mandatory education-based alternatives, alternatives that would provide a balanced approach to the treatment of pain and the prevention of harm without interfering with the physician-patient relationship. An estimated 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain ⇓. Whether nociceptive or neuropathic, treatments and outcomes can vary depending on individual patient characteristics ⇓. Notwithstanding these variations, and the challenges associated with measuring the efficacy of long-term opioid therapy ⇓, prescription opioids have been used to help reduce pain and improve function for millions of people ⇓. At the same time, however, the use of prescription opioids has been associated with an alarming increase in substance abuse, injury, and death ⇓. Increased media attention on one side of the equation (overdose), has translated into increased involvement by drug policy entrepreneurs in the form of congressional inquiries, new laws ⇓, and even a petition to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration that sought a labeling change and limits on opioids ⇓. The state of Washington, however, took a different approach to reducing overdose. In 2007, Washington was the first to experiment with …
Turtle lymphocyte surface antigens in Chelydraserpentina as characterized by rabbit anti-turtle thymocyte sera

Abstract Spleen and thymus suspensions from the turtle, Chelybra serpentina were examined by indirect immunofluorescence with a rabbit anti-turtle thymocyte serum (RATT). After the species-specific antibodies had been absorbed out, the antisera labeled all lymphocytes in the thymus and spleen. The specificity of RATT for thymocytes was greater than the specificity for splenic lymphocytes. The presence of two antigens, one thymus specific, TS, and another shared by both thymocytes and splenic lymphocytes, LS, is suggested. The TS antigen was absent from a minor subpopulation of turtle thymocytes and may represent a mature population of T-like cells in the thymus.
Patents, Invalidity, and the Strategic Transmission of Enabling Information

The patent system encourages innovation and knowledge disclosure by providing exclusivity to inventors. Exclusivity is limited, however, because a substantial fraction of patents have some probability of being ruled invalid when challenged in court. The possibility of invalidity—and an ensuing market competition—suggests that when an innovator's capability (e.g., cost of production) is private information, there is potential value to an innovator from signaling strong capability via a disclosure that transfers technical knowledge to a competitor. We model a product-innovation setting in which a valid patent gives market exclusivity and find a unique signaling equilibrium. One might expect that as the probability that a patent will be invalid becomes low, greater disclosure will be induced. We do not find this expectation to be generally supported. Further, even where full disclosure arises in equilibrium, it is only the less capable who make full disclosures. The equilibrium analysis also highlights many of the novel and appealing features of enabling knowledge disclosure signals.
Parameter estimation for systems with binary subsystems

Consider a stochastic system of multiple subsystems, each subsystem having binary (“0 or 1”) output. The full system may have general binary or non-binary (e.g., Gaussian) output. Such systems are widely encountered in practice, and include engineering systems for reliability, communications and sensor networks, the collection of patients in a clinical trial, and Internet-based control systems. This paper considers the identification of parameters for such systems for general structural relationships between the subsystems and the full system. Maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is used to estimate the mean output for the full system and the “success” probabilities for the subsystems. The MLE approach is well suited to providing asymptotic or finite-sample confidence bounds through the use of Fisher information or bootstrap Monte Carlo-based sampling. Three examples are presented to illustrate the method.
PERFORMANCE OF MAGNETIC SUSPENSIONS FOR HIGH-SPEED VEHICLES OPERATING OVER FLEXIBLE GUIDEWAYS

This paper examines the performance of attraction (ferromagnetic) and repulsion (superconducting) MAG-LEV Suspensions suitable for use on high-speed ground vehicles. The effects of guideway roughness, guideway flexibility and of force nonlinearities are examined. It is concluded that for the particular cases examined here, MAG-LEV suspension systems for 300-mph vehicles which provide reliable tracking while meeting ride quality criteria can be designed. It is also apparent that a considerable effort is required to achieve MAG-LEV system optimization and refinement.
Lipopolysaccharide-driven Th2 cytokine production in macrophages is regulated by both MyD88 and TRAM.

Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activates macrophages by interacting with Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and triggers the production of various pro-inflammatory Th1 type (type 1) cytokines such as IFNγ, TNFα, and IL8. Though some recent studies cited macrophages as potential sources for Th2 type (type 2) cytokines, little however is known about the intracellular events that lead to LPS-induced type 2 cytokines in macrophages. To understand the mechanisms by which LPS induces type 2 cytokine gene expression, macrophages were stimulated with LPS, and the expression of IL-4 and IL-5 genes were examined. LPS, acting through TLR4, activates both type 1 and type 2 cytokine production both in vitro and in vivo by using macrophages from C3H/HeJ or C3H/HeOuJ mice. Although the baseline level of both TNFα and IL-4 protein was very low, TNFα was released rapidly after stimulation (within 4 h); however, IL-4 was released after 48 h LPS stimulation in secreted form. Silencing of myeloid differentiation protein (MyD88) and TRIF-related adaptor molecule (TRAM), using small interfering RNA abolished IL-4 induction induced by LPS whereas silencing of TRAM has no effect on TNFα induction, thereby indicating that LPS-induced TNFα is MyD88-dependent but IL-4 is required both MyD88 and TRAM. These findings suggest a novel function of LPS and the signaling pathways in the induction of IL-4 gene expression.
Reformation of the American Architectural Institution under the Ethos of Mass Production: The Institutional Project of ″The Architect and the Industrial Arts″ Exhibition (1929)

This dissertation looks into the institutional transition of American architecture implied in the 1929 exhibition ″The Architect and the Industrial Arts″ held by the Metropolitan Museum of New York. The establishment of an architectural institution by the Beaux–Arts movement in the late nineteenth century was one of academic professionalism, positioning the architect as master artist in the realm of high art. However, in the changed society of the early twentieth century marked by scientific management, ethos of mass production, and the emergence of industrial design, a different institutional model was on display in the Metropolitan show, which featured interior spaces fully furnished in the prevailing Exposition Style. Engaged in the design of everyday interior environments of urban life, in a fashionable style of the market and defining themselves in a pragmatic approach, architects brought forth to the public a new professionalism serving a broader culture market as arbiter of public demand, in the process revealing the possibilities and limits of such institutional reformation.
Ethical Considerations in Clinical Trials: An International Perspective

Ethical conduct of biomedical research involving human subjects is one of the critical elements for a successful outcome of a clinical trial. Many national and international guidelines and regulations have been established to address the ethical conduct of clinical trials. This paper will describe the roles and functions of the institutional review board and the involvement of the Office for Protection from Research Risks and the Food and Drug Administration in protecting human subjects involved in clinical trials in the United States. It will highlight the international ethical principles and guidelines. Comparison of the international ethical guidelines with United States regulations will also be provided, with emphasis on ethical review and informed consent.
Mobile security testing approaches and challenges

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are widely used for personal and business purposes. A mobile device may carry sensitive data and becomes an easy target for cyber criminals. Mobile security is thus important. Mobile security testing targets to detect vulnerabilities and malicious apps on a mobile device. In this paper, we present four testing approaches for mobile security: mobile forensic, penetration test, static analysis, and dynamic analysis. A mobile security testing network is further demonstrated in the paper to evaluate the effectiveness of the four testing approaches. Our testing results indicate that mobile security testing tools are still in their early development stages and efforts are desired to improve these tools. We conclude the paper with a summary of mobile security testing challenges and future directions.
Line-Based Structure from Motion for Urban Environments

We present a novel method for recovering the 3D-line structure of a scene from multiple widely separated views. Traditional optimization-based approaches to line-based structure from motion minimize the error between measured line segments and the projections of corresponding 3D lines. In such a case, 3D lines can be optimized using a minimum of 4 parameters. We show that this number of parameters can be further reduced by introducing additional constraints on the orientations of lines in a 3D scene. In our approach, 2D-lines are automatically detected in images with the assistance of an EM-based vanishing point estimation method which assumes the existence of edges along mutally orthogonal vanishing directions. Each detected line is automatically labeled with the orientation (e.g. vertical, horizontal) of the 3D line which generated the measurement, and it is this additional knowledge that we use to reduce the number of degrees of freedom of 3D lines during optimization. We present 3D reconstruction results for urban scenes based on manually established feature correspondences across images.
Water balance characteristics of pupae developing in different size maggot masses from six species of forensically important flies.

Abstract The impact of maggot mass size on body water content, net transpiration rate, and dehydration tolerance of fly pupae was examined in six species of necrophagous flies. Species that spent more time on food as larvae, produced pupae with high body water contents. Dehydration tolerance limits of pupae were modest, matching the moisture-rich conditions of decaying carrion for larvae. Protophormia terraenovae pupariates on food as it dries, and this was reflected by pupae having the highest body water content and lowest net transpiration rate. Megaselia scalaris featured the lowest body water content and highest dehydration tolerance, implying that this species is arid-suited, which matches its ability to feed and colonize on post-decay carrion. Lucilia illustris was the most sensitive to larval overcrowding, resulting in a dramatic decrease in pupal size, early dispersal from food, fed less and had fast net transpiration rates. By contrast, Lucilia sericata was the most resistant, by showing no pupal size decrease and no change in net transpiration rate. Other species were between these extremes, requiring larger maggot mass sizes to produce the effect of decreasing pupal size and increasing net transpiration rate. We conclude: (1) the pupa’s response to overcrowding and water balance profile are species-specific, varying according to pupal size and net transpiration rate as independent characteristics; (2) water balance profile of the pupae reflects the behavior and microhabitat of the larva; and (3) danger of lethal desiccation to smaller-sized pupae is circumvented by a faster developmental rate rather than enhanced water conservation.
Recognition and sensing of low-epitope targets via ternary complexes with oligonucleotides and synthetic receptors

Oligonucleotide-based receptors or aptamers can interact with small molecules, but the ability to achieve high-affinity and specificity of these interactions depends strongly on functional groups or epitopes displayed by the binding targets. Some classes of targets are particularly challenging: for example, monosaccharides have scarce functionalities and no aptamers have been reported to recognize, let alone distinguish from each other, glucose and other hexoses. Here we report aptamers that differentiate low-epitope targets such as glucose, fructose or galactose by forming ternary complexes with high-epitope organic receptors for monosaccharides. In a follow-up example, we expand this method to isolate high-affinity oligonucleotides against aromatic amino acids complexed in situ with a nonspecific organometallic receptor. The method is general and enables broad clinical use of aptamers for the detection of small molecules in mix-and-measure assays, as demonstrated by monitoring postprandial waves of phenylalanine in human subjects.
The Impact of Child Abuse History, PTSD Symptoms, and Anger Arousal on Dating Violence Perpetration Among College Women

Preliminary research suggests that child abuse is indirectly associated with female-perpetrated intimate partner violence via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and anger. To date, however, no known studies have investigated these relationships for physical and psychological dating violence within a female college sample. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of child abuse history, PTSD symptoms, and anger arousal on female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence. Female undergraduates (N = 496) completed measures of child abuse, PTSD symptoms, anger arousal, and dating violence perpetration as part of a larger trauma and violence study. Results indicated that child abuse directly predicted female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence and indirectly impacted female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence via PTSD symptoms and anger arousal. The direct relationships between PTSD symptoms and female-perpetrated physical and psychological dating violence were nonsignificant after controlling for the effect of anger arousal.
Regional Control of Head and Neck Melanoma With Selective Neck Dissection

Importance Historically, patients with cervical metastases from melanoma of the head and neck were treated with a radical neck dissection. This study evaluates the efficacy of limiting the extent of lymphadenectomy in this high-risk population. Objectives To determine whether limiting the extent of lymphadenectomy for patients with biopsy-proven melanoma has a negative effect on regional control. Our hypothesis was that performing a more limited lymphadenectomy does not have a negative impact on regional control. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective, single-cohort study was performed using a prospectively collected database of patients with head and neck melanoma with histopathologically positive lymph nodes after modified radical (MRND) or selective neck dissection (SNDs) performed at a high-volume, academic, tertiary care center. Interventions Lymphadenectomy was performed as clinically indicated. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary end points were regional recurrence and regional recurrence free survival. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted using multiple patient characteristics. Results Forty-one patients underwent SND or MRND from 2001 through 2010. The median number of positive nodes was 1 (range, 1-16). Twenty-six patients (63%) received adjuvant radiation and 23 patients (56%) received adjuvant immunotherapy or chemotherapy. The median follow-up time was 17 months (range, 1-116 months). Regional control was achieved in 29 patients (71%). Median regional recurrence-free survival was 21 months (range, 1-116 months). Age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26), total number of nodes examined (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.10), and number of sentinel lymph nodes examined (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.01-2.09) were all significantly associated with increased recurrence-free survival. Tumor depth, extracapsular spread, number of nodes positive, prior SLNB, extent of lymphadenectomy, and adjuvant therapy were not significant. Conclusions and Relevance Limiting the extent of lymphadenectomy with frequent use of adjuvant radiation therapy is effective in achieving regional control of head and neck melanoma with cervical metastases.
Tacrolimus (FK 506)

Objective The focus of this review is to summarize the mechanism of action, animal and clinical studies, and adverse effects of tacrolimus (FK 506) in treatment after solid organ transplantation and in treatment of autoimmune diseases. Data Sources A detailed search of the literature was done. Both human and animal studies considered relevant and important were used. Study selection Material was taken only from peer reviewed journals. Results FK 506 is a macrolide lactone antibiotic with potent immunosuppressive activity. It acts primarily on CD4+ T helper lymphocytes by inhibiting the production of lymphokines, which are required for cell growth and differentiation, principally interleukin-2, at the transcriptional level. It was first clinically used in patients after liver transplantation. Tacrolimus-based immunosuppression has been proven to be beneficial in prolonging the survival of liver, kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, pancreatic islet, and intestinal allografts. Autoimmune diseases in which the immunosuppressive efficacy of tacrolimus has been tested experimentally include arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, uveitis, type-1 diabetes, thyroiditis, autoimmune renal disorders, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, myocarditis, myasthenia gravis, colitis, and alopecia areata. Tacrolimus has been used for treatment of selected human diseases, such as psoriasis, uveitis, corticosteroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome, recalcitrant pyoderma gangrenosum, new onset type 1 diabetes, autoimmune chronic active hepatitis, pediatric autoimmune enteropathy, Crohn's disease and atopic dermatitis. Conclusion Tacrolimus is a potent immunosuppressive drug in treatment of patients after solid organ transplantation and in selected autoimmune diseases. Further studies are necessary to better understand intracellular mechanism of action and specify therapeutic indications.
Disproportionation of Nitric Oxide Promoted by a Mn Tropocoronand

The synthesis and characterization of the divalent tropocoronand, [Mn(THF)(TC-5,5)] (1), are described. Compound 1 reacts with NO to afford a discrete mononitrosyl [Mn(NO)(TC-5,5)] (2), which was isolated and shown formally to contain the {MnIIINO-}2+ fragment by infrared spectroscopy, normal coordinate analysis, X-ray crystallography, and SQUID susceptometry. The Mn center in 2 has idealized trigonal bipyramidal geometry with the NO ligand occupying a coordination site in the equatorial plane. The Mn−N−O bond angle is nearly linear, 174.1(3)°. Compounds 1 and 2 react with excess NO to afford N2O and [Mn(NO2)(TC-5,5)] (3). The X-ray structure of 3 reveals coordination of the nitrito ligand through one oxygen atom, the Mn−O bond length being 2.09(4) A. The other oxygen atom interacts weakly with the manganese center at a distance of 2.61(5) A. Quantitation by gas chromatographic analysis of released N2O confirms that 1 equiv forms for each molecule of 2 which converts to 3. Infrared spectroscopic experimen...
A 91-Year-Old Woman With Difficult-to-Control Hypertension: A Clinical Review

Importance Hypertension is common among people older than 65 years, affecting nearly two-thirds of men and three-fourths of women by age 75 years. Treatment goals and medication selection for this population may differ from those for younger patients. Objective To discuss the presentation, pathophysiology, and optimal treatment of hypertension among elderly persons. Evidence Review MEDLINE was searched from 1990 to 2013. A hand search of bibliographies from guidelines and review articles from 2000 to 2013 was also used to identify studies of hypertension treatment in patients older than 65 years. Findings Hypertension in elderly people differs from that in younger people in that (1) hypertension is predominantly systolic because of vascular stiffness; (2) it is associated with reduced baroreflex sensitivity, which increases blood pressure variability and vulnerability to hypotension during common daily activities; (3) it is associated with cognitive and functional decline as well as adverse cardiovascular outcomes; and (4) hypertension may be beneficial in frail people older than 85 years. Treatment of healthy patients up to age 85 years with most antihypertensive medications reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and possibly cognitive and functional decline. Conclusion and Relevance Although patients in their 90s have not been studied, any ambulatory and independent patient older than 80 years should have multiple blood pressure measurements taken during their usual daily activities, and if these show persistent hypertension, these patients should be treated judiciously.
Radar History: The Need for Objectivity

The shortcomings of sources of historical accounts of radar are discussed. It is believed that an objective account of its technological evolution would be of benefit to students presently entering aerospace engineering.
Masking effects of social desirability response set on relations between psychosocial factors and sport injuries: a methodological note.

Social desirability has long been viewed as a potential source of error variance in self-report measures. We suggest that social desirability (whether in the form of impression management or self-deception) has the capacity to mask relations between psychosocial variables and sport-related outcome or criterion measures that are not measured by self-report. To illustrate what can occur, we present data from a longitudinal study in which life stress and psychological coping skills were studied as predictors of behaviorally-defined athletic injuries. When data from the entire sample of 352 athletes were analyzed, virtually no injury variance was accounted for by life stress, psychological coping skills, or their interaction. In contrast, deletion from the sample of athletes with high social desirability response set scores resulted in significant predictive relations involving both life stress and coping skills, as well as a significant moderator effect for coping skills. We propose that social desirability masking effects can significantly increase the likelihood of Type II errors in sports medicine research that involves self-report measures, and that social desirability responding needs to be controlled or minimized.
Mucus secretion by the epithelium of the bronchioles of cigarette smokers

Abstract Pieces of tissue were obtained from lungs removed surgically from patients who were long-term cigarette smokers. The lung tissue was placed in culture medium containing 35 SO 4 or 3 H glucosamine and exposed to 95% O 2 and 5% CO 2 at 37°C for varying periods of time. The tissue was then fixed and autoradiographs prepared. Autoradiographs performed after four hours' incubation with the radio-isotope demonstrated a large number of grains in the lumen of the bronchioles with a lesser number of grains over the epithelial cells. Pulse chase studies showed migration of the labelled material from a paranuclear location to the lumen during the four-hour period of incubation. The study provides evidence for mucus secretion by the epithelium of the bronchioles of cigarette smokers.
Preparation, structure, and properties of copolyester‐ether elastic filaments

Elastic filaments have been produced by melt spinning poly(tetramethylene terephthalate)/poly(tetramethylene ether glycol)-terephthalate (PTMT/PTMEG-T) copolymers of various hard segment contents (HSC). Some of these copolymers are difficult to spin because of their elastic nature and sluggish crystallization kinetics. Differential scanning calorimetry studies show that both the crystallization rate and temperature decrease as HSC decreases. When spinning into air, the filaments low in HSC do not crystallize on-line and are too tacky and soft to be taken up with a conventional constant tension winder. The elastic nature of these filaments prevents them from being taken up at speeds high enough for “stress-induced crystallization” to cause appreciable crystallization on-line. Spinning into a water bath allows the filaments to be taken up without a “sticking” problem. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the water-quenched filaments were found to be strongly dependent on composition and processing conditions. Small-angle and wide-angle x-ray techniques (SAXS and WAXD) indicate that the hard segment domains are lamellar-like crystallites which become preferentially oriented perpendicular to the fiber axis at high spin-draw ratios. As HSC decreases, the lamellae become more widely spaced. High levels of crystalline orientation can be produced using the water quench technique without creating appreciable levels of amorphous orientation. These are desirable features for obtaining high elastic recovery. Birefringence results indicate that these filaments continue to crystallize for up to 10 minutes after spinning. The relative degree of phase separation (DPS) decreases as HSC increases, but the actual level of crystallinity exhibits a maximum with respect to composition. Not coincidentally, the filaments that reach the highest crystallinity are the easiest to spin. The modulus of these filaments depends primarily on HSC and DPS, while the tenacity and ultimate elongation depend more on the degree of orientation developed during spinning. Elastic recovery increases as HSC decreases and as crystalline orientation increases.
System design and technology development for the Terrestrial Planet Finder infrared interferometer

This paper describes the technical program that will demonstrate the viability of two mid-infrared nulling interferometer architectures for the Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) to support a mission concept downselect in 2006 between a nulling interferometer and a visible coronagraph. The TPF science objectives are to survey a statistically significant number of nearby solar-type stars for radiation from terrestrial planets, to characterize these planets and to perform spectroscopy for detection of biomarkers. A 4-telescope, 36-m Structurally-Connected Interferometer using a dual-chopped Bracewell nuller will meet the minimum science requirement to completely survey at least 30 nearby stars and partially survey 120 others. A Formation-Flying Interferometer is being designed to meet the full science requirement to completely survey at least 150 stars, and involves a trade between dual-chopped Bracewell, degenerate Angel Cross, and the Darwin bow-tie configuration. The system engineering trades for the connected structure and formation-flying architectures are described. The top technical concerns for these architectures are mapped to technology developments that will retire these concerns prior to the project downselect.
The use of technetium-99m as a radioisotopic label to assess cell-mediated immunity in vitro☆☆☆

Abstract We have developed a radioisotopic microassay of cell-mediated immunity employing target cells prelabeled with technetium-99m ( 99m Tc), a high specific activity metastable gamma emitter. Labeling kinetics, release and reutilization, subcellular localization, and effects of 99m Tc on DNA and protein synthesis have been investigated. Target cells were optimally labeled with 10 mCi of 99m Tc at 37 °C for 10 min. Cyclic freezing and thawing released less than 10% of total bound radioisotope. Spontaneous leakage of 99m Tc by monolayer cells was negligible over 48 hr and that which was released appeared to be nonreutilizable. Cell fractionation revealed that nuclear, mitochondrial, and microsomal fractions all were labeled with 99m Tc. The incorporation of 3 H-thymidine and 3 H-amino acids was not impaired in 99m Tc-labeled cells. The alloimmune reactivity of C57BL/6 mice which had received A/J skin allografts was studied by means of the 99m Tc microcytotoxicity assay. Cell-mediated immunity was clearly evident at 7 days postgrafting, peaked at 14 days, and had declined to background levels by 21 days. These findings correlated well with initial acceptance and ultimate rejection of the allografts. The rapid labeling time without dependence upon cell division for incorporation, high specific activity, low spontaneous release, and nonreutilizability are important advantages of 99m Tc over other radionuclides which have been employed in in vitro assays of cell-mediated immunity.
Development of parenteral formulations of experimental cytotoxic agents. I. Rhizoxin (NSC-332598)

Rhizoxin (NSC-332598), is a macrocyclic lactone with antifungal and cytotoxic activity. To better evaluate the clinical potential of this poorly water-soluble (12 μg/ml), chemically unstable agent, a parenteral dosage form containing 1 mg/ml rhizoxin was desired. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the solubility and stability charteristics of rhizoxin and explore various strategies for the development of a dosage form with the desired stability and concentration goal. In aqueous solution rhizoxin appeared to degrade primarily via hydrolytic reactions resulting from cleavage of the lactone rings and the epoxide groups. In the solid state, there were some indications that rhizoxin cleavage might be oxidative in nature. Rhizoxin can be formulated for parenteral use at 1 mg/ml by preparing freeze-dried vials containing rhizoxin and mannitol (0.5%) from a 40% t-butanol/water solvent. The vials can be reconstituted with a solvent of 40% propylene glycol/10% ethanol/water. Optimization of the freeze-dried formulation is needed if a 2 year shelf-life at ambient temperatures is desired. The t90% of the reconstituted solution was 18 h. Dilution (<1:100) of the reconstituted solution with D5W and NS for intravenous infusion resulted in precipitation of rhizoxin. Dilution of the reconstituted solution with a commercial 10% soybean oil parenteral emulsion, Intralipi, appeared to be an alternative method of administering rhizoxin if parenteral infusion is desired. The t90% of rhizoxin diluted in the emulsion was similar to that in water.
The Influence of a Dc Bias on Streamers Produced by Step Voltages in Transformer Oil and over Solid-Liquid Interfaces

Using shadowgraphic techniques in conjunction with an Imacon camera, measurements of streamer velocities and minimum voltage required for streamer propagation (MVP) have been made with and without dc superimposed on voltage steps (1.2 ?s rise time). This has been done in point-plane geometries and semi-uniform fields in a transformer oil alone as well as with pressboard barriers. Velocities and MVP have also been measured for streamers propagating on the surface between cylindrical electrodes perpendicular to insulating sheets having a ground plane on the opposite side. Again the influence of superimposed dc was assessed. The solid materials used were polymethylmethacrylate and pressboard. Measurements with the latter material were made using an optical multichannel analyzer to follow the light emission from the propagating streamer. In most cases both streamer velocities and MVP depend upon the arithmetic sum of the step and dc voltages. With pressboard, however, marked departures from the additivity rule were found for positive streamers. These results will be discussed in terms of space charge due to the dc potential.
COOH-terminal disruption of lipoprotein lipase in mice is lethal in homozygotes, but heterozygotes have elevated triglycerides and impaired enzyme activity

The role of the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in atherosclerosis is uncertain. To generate an animal model of LPL deficiency, we targeted the LPL gene in embryonic stem cells with a vector designed to disrupt the COOH terminus of the protein and used these cells to generate LPL-deficient mice. Germ line transmission of the disrupted LPL allele was achieved with two chimeric males, and offspring from each of these animals were phenotypically identical. Pups homozygous (-/-) for LPL deficiency died within 48 h of birth with extreme elevations of serum triglycerides (13,327 mg/dl) associated with essentially absent LPL enzyme activity in heart and carcass. Newborn heterozygous (+/-) LPL-deficient pups had lower LPL enzyme activity and higher triglycerides (370 versus 121 mg/dl) than wild type (+/+) littermates. Adult heterozygotes had higher triglycerides than wild type mice with ad libitum feeding (236 mg/dl for +/- versus 88 mg/dl for +/+) and after fasting for 4 h (98 mg/dl for +/- versus 51 for +/+) or 12 h (109 mg/dl for +/- versus 56 mg/dl for +/+). Triglycerides were present as very low density lipoprotein particles and chylomicrons, but high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were not decreased in +/- animals. Plasma heparin-releasable LPL activity was 43% lower in +/- versus +/+ adult animals. LPL activity, mRNA, and protein were lower in the tissues of +/- versus +/+ mice. Homozygous LPL deficiency caused by disruption of the COOH terminus of the enzyme is lethal in mice. Heterozygous LPL deficiency caused by this mutation is associated with mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia without affecting static HDL cholesterol levels. Heterozygous LPL-deficient mice could be useful for determining if hypertriglyceridemia, independently or in combination with other discrete defects, influences atherosclerosis.