cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interleukin-6: another piece of the endometriosis-cytokine puzzle.

Although there are many theories regarding the pathogenesis of endometriosis, the most widely supported model is implantation of endometrial cells shed into the peritoneal cavity at the time of menses. Because most women with patent fallopian tubes experience retrograde menstruation, the question remains, why don’t all women develop endometriosis? The sequelae of pelvic pain and infertility that may be associated with endometriosis are equally as puzzling. Even in the early stages, with absence of scarring or anatomic distortion, endometriosis has been associated with debilitating pain and infertility. How can a few spots of ectopic endometrium cause such severe discomfort and prevent pregnancy? Many investigators believe that answers to these questions can be found in the altered function of immune-related cells and their interaction with eutopic endometrium and endometriotic lesions. In the last 10 years, more than 300 articles have been published on this subject. To examine the role of immune cells in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, various methods of study have been undertaken. These include examination of immune cells and cytokines in peritoneal fluid (PF), testing peripheral blood (PB) lymphocyte and natural killer cell function, and comparison of immune cells and growth factors in eutopic endometrium in women with and without endometriosis as well as in endometriotic lesions.
Preparation of cell-free extracellular matrix from human peripheral nerve.

The extracellular matrix of human peripheral nerve, which is mainly basement membrane and fibrillar collagen, has been prepared by a procedure involving extensive detergent extraction of isolated endoneurium and perineurium obtained from various nerves. The ultrastructure of the isolated nerve extracellular matrix was indistinguishable from that seen in sections of intact nerve, indicating that the extraction procedure preserved the morphological integrity of these connective tissue components. The amino acid and carbohydrate compositions of the nerve extracellular matrix preparation were typically collagenous in nature containing a high content of glycine, proline, 4-hydroxyproline, and alanine and significant amounts of lysine and hydroxylysine. The preparations contained virtually no 3-hydroxyproline and a low content of glucose and galactose compared to pure basement membranes, indicating that interstitial rather than basement membrane collagens predominated. This preparation appears well hyphen;suited to both the ultrastructural and biochemical study of the extracellular matrix of peripheral nerve.
Does Women's Hair Signal Reproductive Potential?

This study explores the possibility that women's hair signals their reproductive potential. Evolutionary psychology and related approaches are considered as rationales for the belief that women's hair is a signal for mate selection and attraction. A sample of women were approached in public places and surveyed as to their age, hair quality, marital status, hair length, children, and overall health. A significant correlation between hair length and age indicated that younger women tend to have longer hair than older women. Hair quality was correlated with women's health. Consistent with the principle of intersexual selection, the results of this study indicate that hair length and quality can act as a cue to a woman's youth and health and, as such, signify reproductive potential. Future directions for research on women's hair are discussed.
A QSAR model for desorption of halogenated aliphatics from biosolids

Abstract Data collected from different wastewater treatment processes have provided statistically significant evidence that many toxic organic contaminants concentrate to several orders of magnitude greater than influent concentrations in industrial and municipal wastewater sludges. Because of the reversibility of sorption processes, it is possible for sorbed organic compounds to desorb at a later time, hence making disposal of these sludges a potential problem. Although a number of models have been developed to predict sorption parameters, they have all been based on empirically derived descriptors, the validity of which is seriously compromised by the variation in available data for these parameters. In this study, a reliable QSAR model based on theoretically derived molecular connectivity indexes has been developed to predict the release of halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds from activated sludge solids. Model development was conducted using a statistically designed training set of compounds.
Intrametropolitan location and environmental controls

In the absence of externalities and governmental intervention, land use patterns are determined by the unrestricted competition for sites among various households and firms. There are, however, externalities, and public goods which do lead to governmental intervention and the formation of "clubs" (spatially distinguishable political entities such as municipalities). These factors have a definite impact on the location decisions of economic units. In 1969 the federal government passed the National Environmental Policy Act; in 1970, the Clean Air Act Amendments; in 1972, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments. Standards were set to control smoke emissions, local solid waste disposal, discharges into streams, lakes, rivers, and so forth. Economic and legal problems related to environmental quality have been added to the burdens of local government. This paper is concerned with the economic effect of environmental regulations on the spatial structure of urban areas. Recent literature on environmental controls has been concerned with (i) the incidence among income groups of the burden of the national program (Dorfman [3]); (ii) the costs and benefits of various techniques used to achieve environmental quality (Freeman, Haveman, and Kneese [4]); (iii) spatial adaptation to pollution in urban areas (Strotz and Wright [12], Polinsky and Rubinfeld [8]). The spatial literature is based on the von Thiinen model of a core-dominated city with industry centralized, and residences lying in a ring surrounding the core. With this basic model, Strotz and Wright [12] and Oron and Pines [6] studied the effect of business pollution on urban spatial structure. Riley [9] and Goldstein and Moses [5] studied the effect of automobile pollution on urban areas. Strotz and Wright [12] find that, if the marginal utility of pollution is negative and if pollution is a declining function of distance from the core, we can get an equilibrium which diverges from Pareto optimality. The city is, under certain assumptions, more spatially dispersed in the former case. There is an interesting twist as well. If firms act as monopsonists in a restricted sense, that is, if they recognize the effect of their pollution on labor supply price via spatial dispersion and workers' transportation costs but do not recognize the effect on the supply price of labor of their decision as to how much labor to employ, then the resulting equilibrium is also a Pareto optimum. The example is that of a company town where workers can readily leave. Wages are determined nationally then, except for the travel premium necessary to move workers to and from work. Riley [9] studies the effect of a distance tax on commuters. He indicates that
The Guns of November Presidential Reelections and the Use of Force, 1947-1982

A number of recent studies have investigated relationships between the presidential election cycle and the implementation of various policies. This article falls in this tradition, and asks whether a link exists between the reelection efforts of presidents, and the visible use of military force by the United States. After outlining why, and under what conditions, such a connection can be expected, a multivariate statistical model is tested for the time period 1947-1982. Despite the presence of several control variables, the results indicate that there is a connection, with fewer visible uses of force associated with presidential reelections in peacetime, and a slight increase in uses of force associated with presidential reelections during wartime.
Structure and density of transition metal-metalloid amorphous alloys

Abstract By careful study of the Rhomb Unit Structural Model (RUSM), mathematical expressions for the peak positions rn in the G(r) curve, the size of the short-range order rs, η (packing density) and density ϱ of transition metal-metalloid (TM-M) amorphous alloys are given. With these expressions, γn, γs, η, ϱ of palladium-, nickel-, cobalt- and iron-based TM-M amorphous alloys are calculated. The results calculated from RUSM have been shown to agree reasonably well with those from experiments on real amorphous alloys. Furthermore, the successive characteristics of the arrangements of these molecular units which constitute the overall structure of the metal glass is discussed, which indicates that there is no possibility for the existence of the so-called low-density crystal boundary in amorphous alloys.
Responding to the Call for Technological Literacy

Technology education is vital if we are to take command of our future and manage change. Schools can no longer ignore the responsibility.
Exploring US textbooks’ treatment of the estimation of linear measurements

Learning to estimate a linear measurement is critical in becoming a successful measurer. Research indicates that the teaching of the estimation of linear measurement is quite open and that instruction does not make explicit to students how to carry out estimation work. Because written curriculum has been identified as one of the main sources affecting teachers’ instruction and students’ learning, this study examined how estimation of linear measurement tasks were presented to students in three US elementary mathematics curricula to see how much and in what ways these tasks were presented in an open manner. The principal result was that the length estimation tasks were frequently not explicit about which attribute of the object to measure and the requested level of precision of the estimate. Length estimation tasks were also left more open than other measurement tasks like measuring length with rulers.
WinWizard: Expanding Xen with a LibVMI Intrusion Detection Tool

Virtual machine introspection (VMI) has grown into a number of novel security measures in recent years. Virtualized environments provide isolation, which gives way to better security. This paper presents an extension, WinWizard, of LibVMI that creates a VMI-based intrusion detection system (IDS) with emphasis on memory introspection. WinWizard is able to detect rootkits that attempts to hide processes from the administrator. Rootkits are able to subvert traditional virus scanning services because they are able to run at the kernel level. Rootkit detection becomes difficult because if the operating system has been subverted, especially at the kernel level, then it is difficult to find unauthorized changes to itself or its components. Most anti-viruses and other rootkit detectors that work on infected systems are usually only effective against rookits that have a defect in their hiding techniques. Rootkit detection through VMI is one way to effectively detect rookits. VMI detection tools will also be useful in industry. Industry is beginning to advance in its usage of cloud based workspaces. Examples of companies include Amazons Workspaces and Citrix XenDesktop. They offer remote desktops for small and medium sized businesses. These workspaces offer a fully managed cloud-based desktop experience where users can access their work resources from a variety of devices. Many universities and small businesses use services like these to reduce the number of IT staff and ease administration of a large number of desktops. As this field becomes more accessible, rootkits are going to drastically affect the performance and security of not only one users desktop, but on entire cloud infrastructures. The main way to detect a rootkit inside of these workspaces would be through virtual machine introspection. WinWinzard has demonstrated to be successful in detecting these types of rootkits, while causing little additional overhead to other virtual machines being hosted on the same hypervisor.
Experimental investigation of multimode fiber bandwidth requirements for 5.2 GHz WLAN signal transmission

We investigate the specification requirements of MMF for 5.2 GHz WLAN signal transmission and show that at minimum 1400 MHz-km are required for EVM distortion <1%. Low-bandwidth 62.5 /spl mu/m MMF is not suited for this application.
Dissociation and recombination of oxygen atoms produced in a microwave discharge. Part I. Experiment

A microwave-initiated plasma (2.44 GHz) flow system has been developed to generate and detect atomic oxygen as a function of distance from the discharge exit. It was found that an increase in power or a decrease in pressure resulted in larger amounts of atomic oxygen at specific points downstream from the discharge. Flow rate had little effect on the production of atoms, but increasing the flow rate did result in increasing the yield of oxygen atoms. The largest dissociation measured was 70% at a pressure of 12 Torr, a flow rate of 0.4 cm3/sec, and 500 W of absorbed power.
In vitro amplification of scrapie and chronic wasting disease PrP(res) using baculovirus-expressed recombinant PrP as substrate.

Protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) is an in vitro simulation of prion replication, which relies on the use of normal brain homogenate derived from host species as substrate for the specific amplification of abnormal prion protein, PrPSc. Studies showed that recombinant cellular PrP, PrPC, expressed in Escherichia coli lacks N-glycosylation and an glycophosphatidyl inositol anchor (GPI) and therefore may not be the most suitable substrate in seeded PMCA reactions to recapitulate prion conversion in vitro. In this study, we expressed 2 PRNP genotypes of sheep, V136L141R154Q171 and A136F141R154Q171, and one genotype of white-tailed deer (Q95G96, X132,Y216) using the baculovirus expression system and evaluated their suitability as substrates in seeded-PMCA. It has been reported that host-encoded mammalian RNA molecules and divalent cations play a role in the pathogenesis of prion diseases, and RNA molecules have also been shown to improve the sensitivity of PMCA assays. Therefore, we also assessed...
The reaction of transition metal atoms with arenes: low temperature π-complex formation

Abstract Benzene, benzene- d 6 , and fluorbenzene were found to react with chromium, iron, cobalt, and nickel atoms upon co-deposition without diluents at 77 K or diluted in argon matrices at 10 K. Infrared studies of the co-condensation products indicate that the initial reaction of these transition metal atoms with an aromatic system is π-complex formation. Studies of concentration effects show that the chromium atom reaction is approximately second-order with respect to benzene, as expected, while the iron, cobalt, and nickel atom reactions appear to be first-order with respect to benzene concentration. The stoichiometry of these complexes was determined by co-deposition of the metal vapors with benzene/benzene- d 6 or benzene/fluorobenzene mixtures. Also, the relative strengths of the metalarene bonds were determined to be Cr τ Fe τ Co τ Ni. Manganese atoms were found not to react with benzene under these conditions.
Fast electron transfer reactions in a rigid matrix; Further evidence for quantum mechanical tunneling☆

Abstract Trapped electrons in aqueous 6M NaOH at 77°K are observed to react with solutes over the wide time range 10 −8 sec (and probably much shorter times) to minutes. The kinetics are in accord with a tunneling reaction mechanism.
A comparison of contributions to disease phenotype between damaging and benign non-synonymous SNPs

Non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs), also known as Single Amino acid Polymorphisms (SAPs), are likely to affect the function of the proteins accounting for susceptibility to complex disease for their altering the encoded amino acid sequence. Recent advances in genetic studies found that the non-synonymous variations locating in disordered regions are functionally important. We therefore considered predicting deleterious SAPs based on both protein interaction network and disordered protein property. We used one of functional prediction algorithms of nsSNPs, PolyPhen-2, to distinguish SAPs as damaging or benign. Four classifiers: naive Bayes, k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forests (RF) were used to classify SAPs. As a result, the prediction accuracies of four classifiers are all over 70%, and the three features (degree, clustering coefficient and disorder score) were found to be potential predictor variables to classify nsSNPs.
The Substance Abuse Pandemic: Determinants to Guide Interventions

The substance abuse pandemic calls for a comprehensive model from which nurses can organize the vast array of drug and alcohol knowledge required for practice in the community. The model health for all: a model for nursing's contributions provides a framework for organizing factors that affect health status into four determinants: biologic, sociocultural, medical-technologic-organizational, and environmental. The model serves as an organizing mechanism to present key information about alcohol and drug abuse.
Total-Reaction-Cross-Section Measurements for 30-60-MeV Protons and the Imaginary Optical Potential

We have measured total reaction cross sections for 30-, 40-, 49.5-, and 60.8-MeV protons incident on thin, separated isotopes covering the range from $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ to $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$. Our results are consistent with previous data at 30 MeV, but disagree with earlier data at 60 MeV. We find a strong dependence of the reaction cross section on neutron excess for a series of Fe and Ni isotopes. Little, if any, such dependence is observed for the $N=28$ isotones. The data are well represented by the relation ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{R}}=\ensuremath{\pi}{({r}_{0}{A}^{\frac{1}{3}}+\overline{\ensuremath{\lambda}})}^{2}$ with ${r}_{0}=1.23\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.01$ F. When analyzed with the conventional optical model, our data require the volume absorption to increase and the surface absorption to decrease with increasing proton energy ${E}_{p}$. The analysis reveals a striking $\frac{(N\ensuremath{-}Z)}{A}$ dependence for the product ${W}_{D}{a}^{\ensuremath{'}}$. Using the Oak Ridge parameters for the real and spin-orbit potentials, we arrive at the following parametrization for the imaginary potential: volume absorption potential, ${W}_{0}=(1.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09{E}_{p})$ MeV; surface absorption potential, ${W}_{D}=[4.2\ensuremath{-}0.05{E}_{p}+15.5\frac{(N\ensuremath{-}Z)}{A}]$ MeV; imaginary diffusivity, ${a}^{\ensuremath{'}}=[0.74\ensuremath{-}0.008{E}_{p}+1.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\frac{(N\ensuremath{-}Z)}{A}]$ F.
Chaos and reliability in balanced spiking networks with temporal drive.

Biological information processing is often carried out by complex networks of interconnected dynamical units. A basic question about such networks is that of reliability: If the same signal is presented many times with the network in different initial states, will the system entrain to the signal in a repeatable way? Reliability is of particular interest in neuroscience, where large, complex networks of excitatory and inhibitory cells are ubiquitous. These networks are known to autonomously produce strongly chaotic dynamics---an obvious threat to reliability. Here, we show that such chaos persists in the presence of weak and strong stimuli, but that even in the presence of chaos, intermittent periods of highly reliable spiking often coexist with unreliable activity. We elucidate the local dynamical mechanisms involved in this intermittent reliability, and investigate the relationship between this phenomenon and certain time-dependent attractors arising from the dynamics. A conclusion is that chaotic dynamics do not have to be an obstacle to precise spike responses, a fact with implications for signal coding in large networks.
Remarks on the Geometry of Visibles

I offer an explication of Reid's claim (discussed recently by Yaffe and others) that the geometry of the visual field is spherical geometry. I show that the sphere is the only surface whose geometry coincides, in a certain strong sense, with the geometry of visibles.
Women, Epic, and Transition in British Romanticism

This uneven monograph has attractively strong ideas about, and impressive patience with, a set of book-length narrative poems that were written in Romantic-era Britain by or about women in crisis. ...
Vibrotactile pattern-discrimination and communality at several body sites

In a series of experiments, the effects of spatial layout on vibrotactile pattern perception were explored by testing the ability to discriminate between two sequentially presented patterns that share active elements in the same spatial locations. Two-dimensional displays were used in order to examine the functional relationship between discrimination performance and patterncommunality, defined as the sharing elements, on different body sites. Accuracy of discrimination judgments was inversely proportional to communality, regardless of the number of pattern elements. For compact arrays fitted to the finger, palm, and thigh, the effects of communality appeared equivalent. The similarity between finger and thigh functions is remarkable, considering the dramatic differences between these sites in receptor components and structure. When these data were compared with those from arrays with distributed contactors, performance was substantially better with well-separated pattern elements. Such findings help to explicate how information from apposed patterns can best be delivered to the skin through tactile communication systems.
Out-of-band sensing scheme for dynamic frequency hopping in satellite communications

This paper makes preliminary steps at exploring a novel application of cognitive radios (CRs) for reliable satellite communications. We propose the use of dynamically adjusted frequency hopping (FH) sequences for satellite transmissions. Such sequences are more robust against smart eavesdropping and targeted interference than fixed FH sequences. In our approach, FH sequence is adjusted according to the outcome of out-of-band sensing, carried out by a CR module that resides in the satellite itself or at the receiving ground station. Our protocol, called OSDFH, relies on exploiting the spectrum sensing capabilities of CRs for proactive detection of channel quality. We analyze the characteristics of the proposed OSDFH using a finite state Markov chain (FSMC) framework. Level crossing rate (LCR) analysis is used to determine the transition probabilities of the Markov chain. These probabilities are then used to measure the “channel stability,” a metric that reflects the freshness of sensed channel interference. We use simulations to study the effects of different system parameters on the performance of our proposed protocol.
The desorption of TiD2 films formed during simulated tokamak gettering cycles

Abstract The desorptions of titanium deutero-tritide films formed during TFTR (Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor) operation were simulated by the decompositions of essentially clean titanium deuteride films at 523K. A simulated desorption cycle consisted of the deposition of a 0.09 μm film followed by deuteriding and isothermal desorption. This thickness film would correspond to that anticipated after ~30 discharge/gettering cycles in TFTR. Two series of experiments were run: In one, the deposition/desorption cycle was repeated four times with fully deuterided films, resulting in the formation and desorption of films between 0.09 μm to 0.36 μm thick. In the second series, partially deuterided films between 0.09 μm to Q.72 μm thick were deposited and desorbed. All the observed data were in agreement with a simple model which predicted the desorption rates to be determined solely by the average film D Ti ratios: These results showed that rapid decomposition occurred between D Ti ratios of 2→1.5 followed by a constant, lower desorption rate between D Ti ratios of 1.5 to 0.1. This rate, which was independent of film thickness, was ~2.2 × 1012D2 molecules mm−2 s−1. At D Ti ratios D Ti ~0. The data indicate that desorption of essentially clean, radiation damage-free films as thick as 1.2 μm could occur in ≲4 × 104s at 523K.
The founding and early years of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, one of America's first such institutions, was founded on October 1, 1824, and incorporated on February 23, 1827, by Edward Reynolds, John Jeffries, and a group of charity-minded Bostonians. The Boston men looked, as did the founders of other early U.S. eye infirmaries, to John Cunningham Saunders' London Eye Infirmary for guidance. During its first years the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary knew economic insecurity, but once it earned in the Boston community the reputation of being a worthy charity, its fiscal affairs ceased to be a pressing problem, and it went on to know a growth worthy of the motives of its founders.
The prediction of political evaluation and voting preference: A multidimensional analysis ☆

Two separate studies, using college students in a political behavior class, tested the relationship between evaluation and voting preferences on the one hand and the dimensions emerging from a multidimensional scaling of similarity judgments for a set of nationally known political figures. Both studies found that political evaluation and voting preferences were highly predictable from three major dimensions underlying political perception. In Study I (n = 64), the subjects' self-ratings of liberal-conservatism yielded individual differences in the predictability of activity and potency from the political dimensions as well as differences in the relationships among evaluation, activity, and potency. In Study II (n = 51), the subjects' own authoritarianism indicated differences in the manner in which political figures were perceived in the multidimensional space.
Super-large raindrops

[1] Raindrops similar or greater in size to the largest ever observed, with maximum dimensions of at least 8.8 mm and possibly 1 cm, have been measured in rainshafts beneath cumulus congestus clouds spawned by a biomass fire in Brazil and in very clean conditions in the Marshall Islands. It is proposed that the super-large raindrops were produced by the rapid growth of drops colliding with each other within narrow regions of cloud where liquid water contents were unusually high. In Brazil, the initial growth of super-large raindrops might have been initiated by condensation onto giant smoke particles.
Electrophysiological fundamentals of neurostimulation

The parameters used in electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves depends on the specific characteristics of the tissue. The fundamental principles used to produce depolarization of the nerve and generation of the action potentials are reviewed. Stimulation parameters should be based on the knowledge of membrane characteristics. This will improve and preserve the efficacy of response with long-term stimulation.
Somal action potential duration differs in identified primary afferents.

In the present study we examined action potentials recorded from somata in the cat L7 and S1 dorsal root ganglia. We found (i) that there is a characteristic spike duration for each receptor type (e.g. Golgi tendon organ, D-hair) and (ii) that, for a given peripheral fiber conduction velocity, somata whose axons supply low-threshold cutaneous receptors exhibit spikes with shorter durations than those innervating high-threshold cutaneous receptors. These results suggest that there may be significant differences in somal membrane composition which are specific to the physiological receptor types innervated.
Structural transitions in a fluorescent DNA duplex decamer

Incorporation of 2-aminopurine (2AP) for adenine in DNA gives an optical probe of local and global DNA conformation, since 2AP does not seriously disturb the B-DNA structure. The temperature dependence of the absorption of the double-stranded d[CTGA[2AP]TTCAG]2 DNA decamer shows that the helix melts in an all-or-none fashion. Absorbance at wavelengths of 260 nm and 330 nm monitor, respectively, the `average' normal base conformation and the 2AP base local conformation. The 2AP base locally melts at a temperature 0.5 degree(s)C or less below the other bases. Temperature dependence of the longest fluorescence decay time of the decamer also shows the melting transition, with the transition curve shifted a few degrees higher. Temperature dependent fluorescence spectral shifts, on the other hand, suggest the environment of the 2AP base changes about 10 degree(s)C below the primary melting temperature. The data suggest a premelting transition purely dynamic in nature--transient 2AP exposure to water increases but the average conformation remains B helical. A summary of conformational information extractable from 2AP fluorescence measurements is presented.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Impressions of alcoholics anonymous (AA) group cohesion: A case for a nonspecific factor predicting later AA attendance.

Social support for abstinence in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been reported to be a consistent factor accounting for AA benefit. However, the nonspecific or unintended effects of such support remain poorly understood and rarely investigated. This prospective study investigated how one nonspecific factor—perceived AA group cohesiveness—predicted increased practice of AA-related behaviors. Findings indicated that impressions of AA group cohesion predicted increased AA attendance, the practice of prescribed AA activities, and self-reported AA usefulness. It appears that a sense of belongingness predicts subsequent engagement in the AA social network that, in turn, is predictive of increased abstinence.
Angiotensin AT1/AT2 receptors: regulation, signalling and function.

Angiotensin II (Ang II), the biologically active component of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), acts through two receptor subtypes, the AT1 and the AT2 receptor. All classic physiological effects of Ang II, such as vasoconstriction, aldosterone and vasopressin release, sodium and water retention and sympathetic facilitation, are mediated by the AT1 receptor. Ang II, via its AT1 receptor, is also involved in cell proliferation, left ventricular hypertrophy, nephrosclerosis, vascular media hypertrophy, endothelial dysfunction, neointima formation and processes leading to athero-thrombosis. Recent investigations have established a role for the AT2 receptor in cardiovascular, brain and renal function as well as in the modulation of various biological processes involved in development, cell differentiation, tissue repair and apoptosis. This review summarizes new insights in the regulation, signalling and (patho-) physiological functions of AT1 and AT2 receptors. An extensive review on angiotensin receptors has b...
Controlled drug release from contact lenses: A comprehensive review from 1965-present

This review covers the progress within the field of drug releasing contact lenses since 1965. It highlights the enormous potential of controlled release mechanisms and offers a comprehensive, comparative review of lenses, drugs, methods, drug loading, drug delivery rate, and release duration. Methods have included molecular imprinting as well various forms of mediated release via carriers, surfactants, inclusion complexes, and molecular barriers. Drug-soaked lens were the earliest releasing lenses, but they offer very little control over the release profile with low drug loading, are characterized by decaying, Fickian release rates, and typically reach completion in a very short amount of time. Molecular imprinting is consistently one of the most promising and versatile methods of enhanced drug loading and extended release with tailorable control over release rate when factors are balanced such as lens thickness, material, and release media and conditions.
Interband cascade infrared photodetectors with long and very-long cutoff wavelengths

Abstract We report our recent studies of interband cascade infrared photodetectors (ICIPs) with 100% cutoff wavelengths of 16.0 μm and 9.2 μm at 78 K. The very-long-wavelength infrared (VLWIR) detectors were able to operate at temperatures up to 143 K. Relatively high dark current densities were observed from these VLWIR detectors. This was attributed to the very narrow bandgap and possibly to defects in the materials. In addition, the photo-response of these detectors was strongly dependent on bias, indicating that further research and device optimization are necessary. Two-stage ICIPs in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectrum (8–12 μm) were able to operate at higher temperatures (up to 250 K) with an extended cutoff wavelength of ∼12 μm. At 78 K, these LWIR detectors had a bias-independent photocurrent, with an R0A of 115 Ω cm2. This corresponded to a Johnson-noise-limited D∗ of 3.7 × 1010 cm Hz1/2/W at 8.0 μm.
Linear Programming Model for Estimating High-Resolution Freeway Traffic States from Vehicle Identification and Location Data

The estimation of traffic state on freeway segments is widely studied as a complex nonlinear and stochastic estimation problem. A unified representation with a parsimonious explanation for traffic observations under free-flow, congested, and dynamic transient conditions is developed by capturing the essential characteristics of forward and backward wave propagation through cumulative flow count variables. New formulations are presented to use Bluetooth vehicle identification records and GPS vehicle location data on a freeway corridor with a merge and diverge. With the addition of nonnegativity and maximum discharge rate constraints, a computationally efficient linear programming model is constructed to estimate traffic states (i.e., density and traffic flow) from cumulative flow counts at each second. The proposed model is implemented and tested systematically on the basis of a real-world next generation simulation (NGSIM) data set.
First-year Pharmacy Students' Self-Assessment of Communication Skills and the Impact of Video Review

Objectives. To determine the ability of first-year students to self-assess communication skills and measure the impact of video review on students' self-assessment. Design. Students participated in a digital video-recorded, counseling-simulation exercise and completed self-assessment before and after viewing their video. A faculty member evaluated the students using the same counseling assessment tool. Assessment. Correlation between the students' self-assessment scores and the faculty member's scores were poor (pre-video: r = 0.38, post-video: r = 0.46). The largest portion of the students overestimated their skills in comparison to the faculty member's evaluations (47.1% pre-video and 67.9% post-video). Those in the lowest quartile overestimated their skills, while those in the upper quartile underestimated their skills (pre-video). Video review brought about an increase in the self-assessment scores for nearly two-thirds (62.1%) of the students. Conclusion. First-year pharmacy students had difficulty s...
A very broad band analysis of the Michoacan, Mexico, Earthquake of September 19, 1985

Long-period seismograms from the GDSN, RSTN, and IDA network are used in a centroid-moment tensor analysis of the September 19, 1985 Michoacan, Mexico, earthquake (Ms=8.1). The long-period data are also used together with broad band displacement P-waveforms in a joint very broad band inversion for the moment tensor and the moment rate distribution in time and space. Results are that the earthquake had a total scalar moment of 1.1×1028 dyne-cm and that the moment release occurred mainly in two subevents, the second of which was located approximately 70 km southeast of the first. Observations of Earth's normal modes at ultra long periods (600 to 2000 sec) are shown to be consistent with the obtained scalar moment and source mechanism.
Measuring the relative importance of different pollinators to plants

THE development of a predictive theory of pollinator–plant coevolution requires a means of assessing and comparing quantitatively the costs and benefits of different pollinator foraging strategies and plant flowering strategies. Although there are quantitative data for pollinator strategies1–3, the relative benefits to the plant of alternative pollinators, in terms of pollen transferred, ovules fertilised, and seeds set, have never been quantified for field conditions. Likewise, reference to the most effective pollinator4 of a plant species is often based on estimates of the abundance of alternative pollinators. Demonstrations that various pollinators can cause seed set in caged plants5 and that pollinators transfer pollen in different amounts6,7 are difficult to relate to natural conditions. We have developed a quantitative approach for comparing the relative importance of alternative pollinators in terms of the quantity, level of out-crossing and efficiency of pollen transferred. We have used this approach to investigate the pollination of evening primroses, Oenothera fruticosa L. (Onagraceae), by two principal pollinators, European honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and soldier beetles, Chauliognathus marginatus Fab.
Fitting human exposure data with the Johnson S(B) distribution.

Exposure evaluations for epidemiological investigations and risk assessments may require estimates of background concentrations and peak exposures, as well as the population mean and variance. The SB distribution is a theoretically appealing probability function for characterizing ratios, and random variables bound by extremes, such as human exposures and environmental concentrations. However, fitting the parameters of this distribution with maximum likelihood methods is often problematic, and some alternative methods are examined here. Two methods based on percentiles, a quantile estimator, and a method-of-moments fitting procedure are explored. The quantile and method-of-moments procedures are based on new explicit expressions for the first four moments of this distribution. The fitting procedures are compared by simulation, and with actual data sets consisting of measurements of human exposure to airborne contaminants.
Method for obtaining formula for eigenvalue bounds

Abstract A method for obtaining formulae for eigenvalue bounds for the Schrodinger equation is introduced by applying it to obtain lower bounds for all states for the nearest-neighbor interaction V(x) = ω2x2/2 + λ|x|2m on a d-dimensional simple cubic lattice.
Thickness estimation of marine oil slicks with near-infrared MERIS and MODIS imagery: The Lebanon oil spill case study

The detection of marine oil slicks using satellite sun-glittered optical imagery has been recently assessed. As the nature of the imaging mechanism involves the altered features of the wind-roughened oil-covered sea surface, it is expected that the radiation reflected from the oil-water system carries information about the physical properties of the floating oil layer. In this paper, we report an investigation on the capability to retrieve the average thickness of thin marine oil slicks by using the sun-glittered component of the solar radiation in the near-infrared (NIR) bands of MERIS and MODIS images. The developed procedure exploits the Cox and Munk model to compute sun glint reflectance at the sea surface level for both clean and oil polluted sea surface as well. It is assumed that the Fresnel reflection coefficient of the oil-water system carries the relevant optical dependence on oil layer thickness and oil type. The expected oil-water system reflectance is computed by taking into account the non-uniform spatial distribution of the oil volume. This is achieved by considering a pdf of oil thicknesses that matches the observations on controlled oil slicks already reported in the scientific literature. MERIS and MODIS images gathered during the Lebanon oil spill occurred on July and August 2006 were selected as case study. When available, colocated SAR imagery was also considered to corroborate NIR-detected oil slicks.
The existence and density of generalized complexity cores

If C is a class of sets and A is not in C, then an infinite set H is a proper hard core for A with respect to C, if H ⊆ A and for every C e C such that C ⊆ A, C C H is finite. It is shown that if C is a countable class of sets of strings that is closed under finite union and finite variation, then every infinite set not in C has a proper hard core with respect to C. In addition, the density of such generalized complexity cores is studied.
Myriad phases of the Checkerboard Hubbard Model

The zero-temperature phase diagram of the checkerboard Hubbard model is obtained in the solvable limit in which it consists of weakly coupled square plaquettes. As a function of the on-site Coulomb repulsion U and the density of holes per site, x, we demonstrate the existence of at least 16 distinct phases. For instance, at zero doping, the ground state is a novel d-wave Mott insulator (d-Mott), which is not adiabatically continuable to a band insulator; by doping the d-Mott state with holes, depending on the magnitude of U, it gives way to a d-wave superconducting state, a two-flavor spin-1/2 Fermi liquid (FL), or a spin-3/2 FL.
Policy Shaping: Integrating Human Feedback with Reinforcement Learning

A long term goal of Interactive Reinforcement Learning is to incorporate nonexpert human feedback to solve complex tasks. Some state-of-the-art methods have approached this problem by mapping human information to rewards and values and iterating over them to compute better control policies. In this paper we argue for an alternate, more effective characterization of human feedback: Policy Shaping. We introduce Advise, a Bayesian approach that attempts to maximize the information gained from human feedback by utilizing it as direct policy labels. We compare Advise to state-of-the-art approaches and show that it can outperform them and is robust to infrequent and inconsistent human feedback.
A Study of Labor Allocation Strategies in Cellular Manufacturing

Current research studies in cellular manufacturing have considered environments constrained only by the machine resource, when in fact the flexibility of manufacturing cells is derived mainly from its allocation of the labor resource. This research specifically examines the labor resource in cellular manufacturing, also known as group technology (GT), through a series of simulation experiments on a hypothetical GT shop and recommends conditions under which different labor allocation strategies may be appropriate. The effects of various product routings and scheduling policies on labor allocation are also examined.
Kawasaki Disease: Sudden Death in Early Infancy from Accelerated Late Sequelae of Coronary Artery Aneurysms

Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limited illness of young children (most commonly under 4 years of age) that may result in significant cardiovascular sequelae in about 20% of the patients 10 to 20 years later, mostly from occlusive coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. Early mortality occurs in about 2% of children under the age of 2 years as the result of acute coronary vasculitis, with or without myocarditis, and of complications from coronary aneurysms. To our knowledge, fatal late sequelae of "healed" or "regressed" coronary aneurysms with occlusive intimal fibrocellular proliferation occurring in children under 1 year of age, have not been reported. We describe one such rare example in an 11-month-old infant.
Cardiac-Specific Inducible and Conditional Gene Targeting in Mice

Mouse genetic engineering has revolutionized our understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of heart development and disease. This technology involves conditional tissue-specific and temporal transgenic and gene targeting approaches, as well as introduction of polymorphisms into the mouse genome. These approaches are increasingly used to elucidate the genetic pathways underlying tissue homeostasis, physiology, and pathophysiology of adult heart. They have also led to the development of clinically relevant models of human cardiac diseases. Here, we review the technologies and their limitations in general and the cardiovascular research community in particular.
Molecular Genetic Evidence for the Role of SGT1 in the Intramolecular Complementation of Bs2 Protein Activity in Nicotiana benthamiana

Pepper plants (Capsicum annuum) containing the Bs2 resistance gene are resistant to strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv vesicatoria (Xcv) expressing the bacterial effector protein AvrBs2. AvrBs2 is delivered directly to the plant cell via the type III protein secretion system (TTSS) of Xcv. Upon recognition of AvrBs2 by plants expressing the Bs2 gene, a signal transduction cascade is activated leading to a bacterial disease resistance response. Here, we describe a novel pathosystem that consists of epitope-tagged Bs2-expressing transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants and engineered strains of Pseudomonas syringae pv tabaci that deliver the effector domain of the Xcv AvrBs2 protein via the TTSS of P. syringae. This pathosystem has allowed us to exploit N. benthamiana as a model host plant to use Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transient protein expression in conjunction with virus-induced gene silencing to validate genes and to identify protein interactions required for the expression of plant host resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that two genes, NbSGT1 and NbNPK1, are required for the Bs2/AvrBs2–mediated resistance responses but that NbRAR1 is not. Protein localization studies in these plants indicate that full-length Bs2 is primarily localized in the plant cytoplasm. Three protein domains of Bs2 have been identified: the N terminus, a central nucleotide binding site, and a C-terminal Leu-rich repeat (LRR). Coimmunoprecipitation studies demonstrate that separate epitope-tagged Bs2 domain constructs interact in trans specifically in the plant cell. Coimmunoprecipitation studies also demonstrate that an NbSGT1-dependent intramolecular interaction is required for Bs2 function. Additionally, Bs2 has been shown to associate with SGT1 via the LRR domain of Bs2. These data suggest a role for SGT1 in the proper folding of Bs2 or the formation of a Bs2-SGT1–containing protein complex that is required for the expression of bacterial disease resistance.
Nanometer Patterning with Ice

Nanostructures can be patterned with focused electron or ion beams in thin, stable, conformal films of water ice grown on silicon. We use these patterns to reliably fabricate sub-20 nm wide metal lines and exceptionally well-defined, sub-10 nanometer beam-induced chemical surface transformations. We argue more generally that solid-phase condensed gases of low sublimation energy are ideal materials for nanoscale patterning, and water, quite remarkably, may be among the most useful.