cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RNA aptamers for AMPA receptors.

Abstract RNA aptamers are single-stranded RNA molecules, and they are selected against a target of interest so that they can bind to and modulate the activity of the target, such as inhibiting the target activity, with high potency and selectivity. Antagonists, such as RNA aptamers, acting on AMPA receptors, a major subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors, are potential drug candidates for treatment of a number of CNS diseases that involve excessive receptor activation and/or elevated receptor expression. Here we review the approach to discover RNA aptamers targeting AMPA receptors from a random sequence library (∼1014 sequences) through a process called systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). As compared with small-molecule compounds, RNA aptamers are a new class of regulatory agents with interesting and desirable pharmacological properties. Some AMPA receptor aptamers we have developed are presented in this review. The promises and challenges of translating RNA aptamers into potential drugs and treatment options are also discussed. This article is part of the special Issue on ‘Glutamate Receptors – AMPA receptors’.
The Dynamic Equine Embryo from Postfixation (Day 17) to the End of the Embryo Stage (Day 40)

Abstract After the cessation of equine embryo mobility (fixation) on mean Day 16, the embryonic vesicle is rotated or oriented so that the pole with the embryo proper is opposite to the mesometrial attachment. Orientation involves massage of the vesicle by contractions of the turgid uterine horn and greater thickening of the vesicle at the pole with the embryo proper. Thickening of the dorsal endometrium (encroachment) especially on each side of the mesometrial attachment accounts for a guitar-pick shape of the vesicle when viewed in cross section of the uterine horn. On Days 21–40, the allantoic sac expands and the relative size of the yolk sac diminishes highlighted by carrying of the embryo proper to the dorsal aspect of the embryonic vesicle. There, the blood vessels from the embryonic vesicle meet at the mesometrial attachment to become the beginning of the umbilical cord. At the end of the embryo stage and beginning of the fetal stage (Day 40), the umbilical cord lengthens in association with the descent of the fetus to the bottom of the allantoic sac. After unilateral fixation of twins, a natural embryo reduction process frequently (∼ 85%) eliminates one of the embryos. The twins are massaged by the uterine contractions, and a critical proportion of the thicker wall of the doomed embryonic vesicle is forced into the thinner wall of the survivor. Natural embryo reduction does not occur for bilateral twins and reduction requires intervention from the theriogenologist.
Generation of SH-type motion by torsion-free sources

The problem of a spherical cavity in an infinite medium is re-examined. The spectral displacement and stress fields are derived when arbitrary tractions are prescribed over the surface of the cavity. This also yields the solution of the problem of the release of pre-existing stress within a spherical zone. The particular case when the radius of the cavity is small in comparison with the wavelength under consideration is discussed in detail. The nature of the tractions is obtained which, when applied at the surface of the cavity, yield the same displacement field as radiated by various point sources. Equivalent body forces are obtained for the release of pre-existing tensile and shear stresses within a spherical zone of small radius. In the course of the analysis, it is shown that an apparently torsion-free source is capable of generating SH -type motion.
Sharing Sensitive Student Information With Field Instructors

Student trust, ethical and legal responsibilities of faculty, and client risk are all at stake in decisions made about sharing sensitive student information with field instructors. This article describes a survey of practicum students, field liaisons, and field instructors at ten universities on what types of information they believed should be shared, what factors should be considered in sharing it, what school practices are followed, and what school policies should guide sharing this kind of information. Field instructors tended to want most types of information shared with them and students tended not to. A discussion explores how to assist schools in developing relevant policies in this area.
The mechanism and kinetic study of void migration in Cu vias under current flow by 3D X-ray computed tomography

Miniaturization and portability of consumer electronics is driving the substrate technology to enable packages with higher circuit density, smaller size, and lower Z height. Cu vias with large aspect ratio are being used for these next generation substrate technologies. Due to the relatively large aspect ratio of the Cu vias, voids could form during the electrolytic Cu filling process. To understand the void behavior under current flow, samples are subjected to high current at elevated temperatures. 3D X-ray computed tomography is used to characterize these voids in Cu vias before and during the test at intermediate readouts. These studies find that the voids accumulate and migrate preferentially to the applied bias polarity. The hypothesis of the void movement under current flow is discussed and the kinetics of the void migration is proposed with the estimations of activation energy and current density exponent.
Understanding the Benefits of Regional Integration to Trade : The Application of a Gravity Model to the Case of Central America

The paper identifies the impact of physical barriers to trade within Central America through the use of an augmented and partially constrained Gravity Model of Trade. Adjusting the Euclidian distance factor for Central America by real average transport times, the model quantifies the impact of poor connectivity and border frictions on the region's internal trade as well as its trade with external partners, such as the United States and Europe. In addition, the authors benchmark Central America's trade coefficients against those of a physically integrated region by running a parallel Gravity Model for the 15 core countries of the European Union. This allows for the estimation of potential intra-regional and external trade levels if Central America were to reduce border frictions and time of travel between countries and thus benefit from both the adjacency of each country's neighbors and the gravitational pull of the region's economies. The analysis is conducted for all of Central America's trade and is also disaggregated for three groups of products -- processed fruits and vegetables; steel and steel products; and grains -- by both volume and value. This differentiation tests the consistency of the results while providing insight into the differentiation in trading patterns and potential for these containerized, break-bulk, and bulk products. The results of the model include a potential doubling in intraregional exports if Central America could achieve the adjacency and time-distance factors of a truly integrated region. In addition, the region's combined exports to the European Union and the United States are projected to increase by more than a third compared with the current level, assuming European Union-level adjacency performance. Even more external trade benefits would accrue by reducing the economic penalty imposed by overland transport and border crossing inefficiencies.
Inner Experience and Worldly Revolt: Arendt’s Bearings on Kristeva’s Project

What is at stake when political revolt depends upon radical inner experience? Is the only route to cultural and political change, as Kristeva seems to argue, through personal introspection and revolt? If we want more from life than the freedom to channel surf, as she says, need the direction of inquiry be primarily inward? Need there be an either/or of psychical versus public life? Is the only answer to social and political dead ends really found by turning inward? Is the micropolitics of the couch the path to freedom? “Today,” Kristeva writes, “psychical life knows that it will only be saved if it gives itself the time and space of revolt: to break off, remember, re-form. From prayer to dialogue, through art and analysis, the crucial event is always the great infinitesimal emancipation: to be endlessly recommenced.” In this essay I ask whether we might move Kristeva’s “New Forms of Revolt” from the couch to the polis with the help of one of her major interlocutors, Hannah Arendt, who reminds us that thinking is always a plural affair. I develop a link between Arendt’s thinking and Kristeva’s revolt to show how thinking-as-revolt puts subjects in relation to each other and to the political. Such a political culture of revolt can engage in the work needed to move beyond adolescent fixations in melancholic times. And with it we might in fact create more meaning for our lives.
Galaxy Formation in a Violent Universe

Galaxies appear to have formed at a certain epoch, to display certain characteristic mass and size scales, and to have originated from quite small perturbations. A scenario is put forward to explain these facts which depends primarily on one assumption: the explosive energy released on the death of massive stars in forming stellar systems will propagate into the intergalactic medium. It then follows under certain circumstances, that a dense cooled shell will form with mass many times greater than the original “seed” system, whereupon gravitational instability and fragmentation of the shell can lead to the formation of new stellar systems. For z ≲ 5 and for masses 108 ⩽ M/M⊙ ⩽ 1012 a very large amplification of original perturbations is possible with galaxies naturally forming in small groups having velocity dispersions of order 100 km/s (the velocity at cooling of radiative shells). Explosions before z ≈ 5, which cool primarily due to the inverse Compton interaction with background radiation, will lead to production of very massive stars rather than galaxies.
Rectoanal Intussusception, Solitary Rectal Ulcer, and Sigmoidoceles

Intussusception is an epiphenomenon rather than a cause for evacuatory dysfunction and should be conservatively managed. Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome is a consequence of excessive chronic straining, and therapy should be geared toward restoration of normal defecatory habit. Surgical therapies described for SRUS are reserved for patients with severely refractory ulcers, particularly those with persistent hemorrhage. Optimal treatment of sigmoidoceles depends largely on symptomatology and associated conditions. Repair involves sigmoid resection with additional pelvic floor reconstruction for coexisting defects.
Evaluating quality and utility in digital mammography

Image quality and utility become crucial issues for engineers, scientists, patients, regulators, administrators, insurance companies, and lawyers whenever there are changes in the technology by which medical images are produced. Examples of such changes include analog-to-digital conversion, lossy compression for efficient transmission and storage, image enhancement, and computer-aided methodology for diagnosis that affects the appearances of images. This paper is a summary of some principles for designing protocols for clinical experiments to quantify the relative qualities and utilities of different images, here analog, digital, and lossy compressed digital mammograms. A talk supplemented this paper with a status report on the specific experiment described which is scheduled to be conducted during summer 1995.
Physical Properties of Soils

The physical properties of a soil give insight as to the identification of the soil and the determination of its characteristics and load response. These properties can be determined by performing a laboratory analysis on undisturbed soil samples obtained during the test boring process, as described in Article 3–6. The laboratory analysis should be performed in accordance with the following ASTM Standard: ASTM Designation D-854: Test Method for Specific Gravity of Soils
Preliminary results of the LLNL airborne experimental test-bed SAR system

The Imaging and Detection Program (IDP) within Laser Programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in cooperation with the Hughes Aircraft Company has developed a versatile, high performance, airborne experimental test-bed (AETB) capability. The test-bed has been developed for a wide range of research and development experimental applications including radar and radiometry plus, with additional aircraft modifications, optical systems. The airborne test-bed capability has been developed within a Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior jet aircraft provided and flown by the Hughes Aircraft Company. The current test-bed payload consists of an X-band radar system, a navigation system, a high-speed data acquisition, and a real-time processing capability. The medium power radar system is configured to operate in a high resolution, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode and is highly configurable in terms of waveforms, PRF, bandwidth, etc. Antennas are mounted on a 2-axis gimbal in the belly radome of the aircraft which provides pointing and stabilization. Aircraft position and antenna attitude are derived from a dedicated navigational system and provided to the real-time SAR image processor for instant image reconstruction and analysis. This paper presents a further description of the test-bed and payload subsystems plus preliminary results of SAR imagery.
Adrenal insufficiency after glucocorticoid withdrawal in children with rheumatic diseases

?Glucocorticoids (GCs) are often used for the treatment of rheumatic disorders. However, doses are prescribed, which may suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. After GC withdrawal, recovery of the HPA axis may be delayed putting the patient at risk for adrenal insufficiency. We assessed adrenal function and factors influencing adrenal responsiveness after termination of GC therapy in paediatric patients with rheumatic diseases.
Calculations of 4278 Å artificial auroral airglow emissions resulting from powerful HF radio transmissions

Powerful HF electromagnetic waves transmitted into the ionosphere from the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facility in Alaska and the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) facility in Norway have induced artificial aurora with ground-measurable 4278 A wavelength emissions (B. Gustavsson et al., Ann. Geophys., 23, 1747–1754, 2005; T. B. Pedersen et al., Geophys. Res. Lett. 37, 2, L02106, 2010). This artificial “blue-line” emission can result from the electronic transition of an N 2 +(1N) ion to its ground state. The two main sources of N 2 +(1N) ions in the F region are photoionization and electron-impact ionization of N 2 molecules. Experimental and theoretical evidence suggests that impact ionization of N 2 molecules by electrons accelerated by wave-plasma interactions to energies exceeding 18 eV is responsible at least in part for artificial 4278 A wavelength emissions observed during ionosphere radio modification experiments at HAARP and EISCAT (H. C. Carlson et al., J. Atmos. Solar Terr. Phys., 44, 12, 1089–1100, 1982; A. V. Gurevich et al., J. Atmos. Terr. Phys., 47, 11, 1057–1070, 1985).
Coccidiosis: evaluation of anticoccidial drugs in floor-pen trials.

Abstract Methods of obtaining uniform and adequate exposure of chickens to coccidia in floor-pen experiments have been demonstrated in floor-pen trials designed for evaluation of anticoccidial drugs. Use of anticoccidial drugs kept birds susceptible to coccidia up to 4 weeks of age and partially susceptible for 6 weeks. Seeder chickens kept coccidia-free on wire-floored pens until inoculated at a predetermined time with measured doses of sporulated oocysts supplied sufficient exposure to cause mortality and depression of weight gains and feed conversion in withdrawal and nonmedicated controls. Scoring of lesions of a sample of chickens from each pen proved to be the most accurate indicator of coccidial exposure in several trials. The preferred procedure for obtaining exposure was found to be as follows: (a) use a drug to protect against immunity build up; (b) withdraw the drug at 2–3 weeks; (c) add approximately 5% seeder chickens (inoculated with 5× level Coccivac D) directly to the floor of each pen or suspended in cages over the pen; (d) keep litter moist and warm; and (e) lesion score at least 5 chickens per pen 2 weeks after seeder chickens are introduced. All experimental and reference drugs protected the chickens against the litter oocyst exposure, allowing greater body weight gains and better feed conversion than withdrawal or nonmedicated controls.
Novel Technique for Reconstructing High-Frequency Transient Rocket Chamber-Pressure Measurements

*† ‡ , An algorithm for reconstructing transient rocket chamber pressures from attenuated time histories is presented. This method is presented as an alternative to traditional methods where motor pressures are sensed by transducers mounted in-situ to the motor casing. This in-situ installation presents several significant measurement issues including potential structural weakening of chamber walls, overheating of the pressure sensing element, motorcase strain-biasing of the sensing element, and resonance within the measurement port. A less complex, and consequently less risky, installation is to tap the case at desired locations using very small pressure ports, and then transmit pressure from the port to a pressure transducer using a significant length of pneumatic transmission tubing. This installation allows the transducer to be mounted in a controlled environment, and virtually eliminates any sensing errors due to motor case strain. Very small pressure taps are far easier to integrate with motor case walls, and allow multiple longitudinal measurements to be obtained without significantly reducing structural integrity of the motor case. The method, based on optimal deconvolution theory, amplifies attenuated pressure signals while rejecting additive noise. The method is validated using laboratory-derived data, and then applied to reconstructing transient chamber pressure for a small scale solid rocket motor.
Orbital Involvement in Acute Sinusitis Lessons from 24 Childhood Patients

The possibility of acute bacterial sinusitis should be considered in any child with sudden swelling about the orbit. Management is determined by the stage of the disease as well as by the sinus predominantly involved. Extraocular movements and proptosis are the best guidelines for therapy. When there is no proptosis and extraocular mobility is normal, conservative therapy with intravenous antibiotics and nasal deconges tants is usually effective. When ocular mobility is impaired or proptosis develops, intranasal or external surgical drainage are usually required.Of 24 patients summarized in this paper, the ethmoid was the predominantly involved sinus in 12, the frontal in 7, the maxillary in 5. Only 4 of the 12 with predominant ethmoiditis required surgery. Of the 5 with predominant maxillary sinusitis, 2 required surgery. All 7 were pre dominant frontal involvement needed surgical drainage.
Analytical approximation for the MOSFET surface potential

Abstract Surface-potential-based models are among the most accurate and physically based compact MOSFET models available today. However, the need for iterative computations of the surface potential limits their computational efficiency, which is critical in CAD applications. The existing closed-form approximations for the surface potential are based on empirical smoothing functions and have the accuracy of about 2–3 mV which is not always adequate for an accurate modeling of MOSFET characteristics, especially transconductances and transcapacitances. In this work, we present and verify an extremely accurate and computationally efficient closed-form approximation, which can serve as a basis for advanced surface-potential-based MOSFET models.
A method of diet analysis

Summary Balance studies are impractical as a means of studying the nutrition of groups of children living under reasonably normal circumstances. This is especially true when it is necessary to follow changes in diet over a number of years. Dietary histories can serve certain research purposes with considerable satisfaction if taken by properly qualified persons and if certain precautions are followed. A technique has been described for obtaining such histories and forevaluating them without resort to elaborate mathematical calculations. This method of approach is not new. It is believed, however, that the technique which has been developed for its application has contributed to the reliability of the data recorded and to the consistency of the ratings. The significance of this method of evaluation, as expressed in the five-point scale, is readily appreciated. More detailed assessment of the records is probably not justified by the nature of the information which they contain. This technique has been found of great assistance in the studies being conducted at the Center for research at the Harvard School of Public Health. Examples of the application of the method to the study of nutritional differences between children and between pregnant women have been presented and show that a correlation exists between the dietary ratings and the objective measures of various nutritional states. A modification of this technique of dietary study could unquestionably be applied in pediatric practice. The casual method of inquiring about a child's diet, commonly relied upon by physicians, is not sufficient to justify conclusions as to whether a diet is or is not adequate in its provision of all assentials. The adoption of a simple but sufficiently accurate method of diet analysis, such as the one described, would lead to a wider and more exact appreciation of the present knowledge of nutrition in its application to preventive medicine.
Solar and anthropogenic forcing of tropical hydrology

[1] Holocene climate proxies suggest substantial correlations between tropical meteorology and solar variations, but these have thus far not been explained. Using a coupled ocean-atmosphere-composition model forced by sustained multi-decadal irradiance increases, we show that greater tropical temperatures alter the hydrologic cycle, enhancing the climatological precipitation maxima in the tropics while drying the subtropical subsidence regions. The shift is enhanced by tropopause region ozone increases, and the model captures the pattern inferred from paleoclimate records. The physical process we describe likely affected past civilizations, including the Maya, Moche, and Ancestral Puebloans who experienced drought coincident with increased irradiance during the late medieval (∼900–1250). Similarly, decreased irradiance may have affected cultures via a weakened monsoon during the Little Ice Age (∼1400–1750). Projections of 21st-century climate change yield hydrologic cycle changes via similar processes, suggesting a strong likelihood of increased subtropical drought as climate warms.
A comparison of the patient and surgeon opinion on the long-term aesthetic outcome of reduction mammaplasty

The aim of this study was to assess the difference in opinion between patients and surgeons regarding the aesthetic outcome of reduction mammaplasty. A total of 34 women, who were more than 1 year post surgery, attended an outpatient clinic to assess their opinion of the aesthetic outcome of their breast reduction. A questionnaire was used to standardise their responses. Photographic slides were taken to record the frontal, left oblique and recumbent view of their torso. These slides were assessed by four consultant plastic surgeons who completed the same questionnaire, and were blinded as to the surgeon and patient. The majority of patients rated the aesthetic outcomes of their surgery significantly higher than the consultants. Scarring was the most frequent cause of dissatisfaction for both surgeons and patients. The consultants considered the scarring following Lejour reduction to be significantly better than that following the inferior mound reduction. The nipple was considered to be too high on the breast by 12% of women but they did not request correction of this. However, consultants thought this was a problem in 27% of cases. The aesthetic outcome of reduction mammaplasty was acceptable to the patients although surgical assessment indicates that there is scope for improvement. The main area of aesthetic dissatisfaction remains the postoperative scarring.
Decomposition of Nonlinear Delayed Networks around Cluster States with Applications to Neurodynamics

The dynamics of networked systems with delayed coupling are analyzed in this paper. Two theorems are stated which give conditions for decomposability of the dynamics in the vicinity of cluster states based on the intracluster and intercluster connectivity. Moreover, a decomposition method is presented that allows the derivation of delayed modal equations about cluster states even when heterogeneity is introduced into the linearized system due the nonlinearities in the coupling. Analytical tools are applied to these modal equations to derive exact stability conditions: the D-subdivision method is used to study the stability of equilibria, while the stability of periodic orbits is investigated using Floquet theory. The coexistence of multiple stable and unstable steady and oscillatory cluster states is investigated in a system of type II neurons where weakly and strongly asymmetric cluster oscillations are discovered.
Correlated vector model of multiple-spin systems

A vector model correctly predicts the correlated motion of weakly coupled spins. The model is semiclassical when the spins are interacting and fully classical when all spins are transverse and not interacting. A simple two-pulse experiment and the Heteronuclear Multiple Quantum Coherence (HMQC) experiment are analyzed. The model is extended to the relativistic limit and discussed in the context of the Einstein, Rosen, Podolsky gedanken experiment and the twin paradox.
Phase engineering of a-Si:H solar cells for optimized performance

Abstract Until recently, the advances in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cell performance and stability have been achieved materials prepared with hydrogen dilution following primarily empirical approaches. This paper discusses the recently obtained insights into the growth, microstructure and nature of these materials. Such protocrystalline Si:H materials are more ordered than the a-Si:H obtained without dilution and evolve with thickness from an amorphous phase into first a mixed amorphous–microcrystalline and subsequently into a single microcrystalline phase. The development of deposition phase diagrams, characterize their microstructural evolution during growth which can be used to guide the fabrication of solar cell structures in a controlled way. Examples are presented and discussed of their application in solar cell fabrication to obtain a fundamental understanding of the properties of the phase transitions as well as the systematic optimization of cell performance.
Student Attendance at University Co‐curricular Activities

Over 18,000 students at Michigan State University reported their attendance at 46 campus events. Student characteristics were analyzed in terms of student attendance patterns. The 46 events were grouped into 4 independent categories that were attended by students with different characteristics. Students who attended cultural events were mostly single upperclassmen majoring in liberal arts; musical events were attended mostly by music majors; those attending athletic events tended to be single male undergraduates from the more applied disciplines; and social events were attended mostly by undergraduate girls.
Delivery and protection of adenoviruses using biocompatible hydrogels for localized gene therapy.

Localized gene delivery for repair of bone defects requires appropriate carriers for the gene therapy vectors. The objective of this study was to determine if hydrogels can control temporal and spatial delivery of adenovirus for localized gene therapy. Adenovirus expressing β-galactosidase was suspended in liquid or fibrin or collagen gels of varied concentrations and incubated prior to testing its bioactivity. The bioactivity of the virus was determined by exposing fibroblasts to the medium, the gels, or the elution medium from the gels. Bioactivity of adenovirus suspended in medium or collagen decreased to half-maximal activity after 15 h of incubation. In contrast, virus suspended in fibrin exhibited a threefold extension of bioactivity and did not reach half-maximal activity for 45 h. Bioactivity of adenovirus in hydrogels was determined to be a function of the gel concentration. In vivo experiments involved intramuscular implantation of BMP-7-expressing adenovirus in collagen, fibrin, or liquid in nude mice for 1, 2, or 4 weeks. Bone formation was observed only after 4 weeks, with bone formation occurring in 80% of muscles implanted with fibrin or collagen and 50% of muscles implanted with liquid. Fibrin gel also led to significantly larger ossicles, indicating that fibrin may offer protection from loss of infectivity both in vivo and in vitro. These results demonstrated that hydrogels may be used as carriers to control delivery of the virus and resultant tissue regeneration.
Human red cell galactose 1-phosphate uridylyltransferase: effects of site-specific reagents on catalytic activity.

Abstract Inactivation studies with the group-specific reagents p-chloromercuribenzoate, iodoacetic acid, and diethylpyrocarbonate (ethoxyformic anhydride) have been performed on purified human red cell galactose 1-phosphate Uridylyltransferase. The enzyme is rapidly inactivated by all three reagents at 17 °C. Complementary substrate protection studies using UDP-glucose, UDP-galactose, and galactose 1-phosphate show that none of these substrates exerts any detectable protective effect against inactivation by p-chloromercuribenzoate, but the UDP-hexose substrates specifically shield the enzyme against inactivation by iodoacetic acid and diethylpyrocarbonate. Whereas the protection afforded to the enzyme by treatment with 1 m m amounts of the UDP-hexose substrates is only partial against inactivation by diethylpyrocarbonate, the protection against alkylation by iodoacetic acid is dramatic and complete at a substrate concentration between 25 to 50 μ m . However, the extent of alkylation is dependent upon the presence of dithioerythritol and in the absence of this reducing agent, only about 30% inactivation is possible. Dithioerythritol is also necessary for maximal catalytic activity. It is concluded that the enzyme contains both cysteinyl and histidyl residues within the active center of the enzyme and that these residues are essential for catalytic activity. It is presumed that the requirement for dithioerythritol is to reduce a disulfide bridge at or near the UDP-hexose binding site and expose an essential cysteinyl residue which is required for productive catalysis.
Hydrogen production from used lubricating oils

Abstract Used lubricating oils (lube oils) are generated throughout the year and collected in central locations in many communities. Disposing lube oil in an improper manner contaminates environment to a great degree. Used lube oil can be valuable as a re-refined lubricant or as an energy source. Lube oil is a complex mixture of aliphatic and polycyclic hydrocarbons formulated to withstand high service temperatures in internal combustion engines. Both synthetic and mineral oils contain a high concentration of hydrogen (about 13–14 wt%). At the Florida Solar Energy Center, we have developed a process that converts lube oils to hydrogen and other valuable low molecular weight hydrocarbons. The lube oil reformation experiments were carried out using several commercially available dehydrogenation catalysts at a range of reactor temperatures and pressures, residence times and steam to carbon ratios. In this paper, the data obtained to date and the results are presented and discussed.
Harnessing information for development: A proposal for a world bank group vision and strategy∗

Abstract Revolutionary advances in information technology reinforce economic and social changes that are transforming business and society. A new kind of economy ‐ the information economy ‐ is emerging where trade and investment are global and firms compete with knowledge, networking and agility on a global basis. A corresponding new society is also emerging with pervasive information capabilities that make it substantially different from an industrial society: more competitive, more democratic, less centralized, less stable, better able to address individual needs, and friendlier to the environment. These changes dictate, for all countries, a major adjustment to harness information for economic and social development. This adjustment requires urgent new policies, regulatory and institutional reforms, and investments. Through this adjustment, countries must achieve macroeconomic balance, political stability, and growth amidst global information flows, competition, trade, and investment. Advanced countries...
Single and multi-cell scheduling in coordinated multi-point distributed antenna systems

Multi-cell coordination is a technique for interference mitigation in cellular systems. For joint-transmission (JT), the received signal power is boosted by diversity combining of signals from multiple transmission points. This however results in reduced frequency-reuse ratio and cell-splitting order, which may subsequently degrade the network-level throughput. In order to strike a balance between the diversity combining gain and frequency-reuse ratio, in this paper we propose a dynamic scheduling algorithm that adaptively schedules users in single-cell or multi-cell transmission mode to maximize the system sum throughput. Furthermore, basestation association for each user is meticulously addressed to avoid negatively impacting the frequency-reuse gain. The proposed algorithm is evaluated with system-level evaluation tools fully compliant with 3GPP LTE specification, thereby providing a realistic assessment on the gain of multi-cell coordination in terms of system capacity and coverage.
Electronics and power. The joining of an uneasy partnership

One of the old stalwarts of power engineering, the screw terminal, is still going strong and has been adapted to get around the thorny problem of interfacing electronic and power circuitry
Stress and the aging hippocampus.

The "glucocorticoid cascade hypothesis" of hippocampal aging has stimulated a great deal of research into the neuroendocrine aspects of aging and the role of glucocorticoids, in particular. Besides strengthening the methods for investigating the aging brain, this research has revealed that the interactions between glucocorticoids and hippocampal neurons are far more complicated than originally envisioned and involve the participation of neurotransmitter systems, particularly the excitatory amino acids, as well as calcium ions and neurotrophins. New information has provided insights into the role of early experience in determining individual differences in brain and body aging by setting the reactivity of the hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system. As a result of this research and advances in neuroscience and the study of aging, we now have a far more sophisticated view of the interactions among genes, early development, and environmental influences, as well as a greater appreciation of events at the cellular and molecular levels which protect neurons, and a greater appreciation of pathways of neuronal damage and destruction. While documenting the ultimate vulnerability of the brain to stressful challenges and to the aging process, the net result of this research has highlighted the resilience of the brain and offered new hope for treatment strategies for promoting the health of the aging brain.
Effects of vacancies on phonon entropy of B2 FeAl

The phonon density of states (DOS) and phonon entropy of B2 FeAl were determined as functions of the Fe site vacancy concentration using several scattering techniques and were computed from first principles. Measurements at elevated temperature and pressure were performed to explore volume effects, test the usefulness of the quasiharmonic (QH) approximation, and provide comparison for the first-principles calculations. The average temperature and pressure dependencies of phonons were consistent with the QH model. The decrease in specific volume associated with the introduction of vacancies causes a stiffening of the DOS that was captured well with the experimentally determined Gruneisen parameter. Features associated with vacancies in the DOS are not well explained by this model, however, especially in the gap between the acoustic and optic branches. First-principles calculations indicated that these modes are primarily associated with vibrations of Al atoms in the first-nearest-neighbor shell of the vacancy, with some vibration amplitude also involving the second-nearest-neighbor Fe atoms. At the vacancy concentrations of study, the phonon entropy of vacancy formation was found to be approximately −1.7k_B/atom, about half as large and of opposite sign as the configurational entropy of vacancy formation.
Beef feedlots in southwestern Kansas: local change, perceptions, and the global change context

Abstract Cattle feedlots, some of which have a capacity of tens of thousands of head, have become a major driving force in the local economy and changing landscape of southwestern Kansas. The feedlot industry also is one of the region's most important sources of carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases. Changes to the beef industry are described, and the perceptions and attitudes of feedlot operators regarding climatic change issues and industrial change are analyzed based on a 1998 survey. The results indicate that a majority of feedlot respondents believe ‘global warming’ is mostly an unproven theory, and efforts to mitigate it are unwarranted.
Age independence of the difference in duration of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow and transmitral A-wave flow in normal subjects

Aging influences pulmonary venous flow and mitral inflow velocities. The duration of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow exceeds that of the mitral inflow A wave in patients with left ventricular end-diastolic pressures greater than 15 mm Hg. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of age on the difference between the duration of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow and that of the mitral inflow A wave in a large number of normal individuals. Pulsed wave Doppler transthoracic echocardiograms of the pulmonary venous flow and the transmitral inflow with respiratory monitoring were made of 72 normal volunteers (40 women) ranging in age between 23 and 84 years. The differences in the durations of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow and mitral inflow A wave were measured and their correlation with age assessed. Age was not highly correlated with the duration of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow (r = 0.25) nor the duration of the mitral inflow A wave (r = 0.33). The duration of pulmonary venous atrial reversal flow exceeded the duration of the mitral inflow A-wave flow only in three (4%) of 72 subjects, and age was not related to the index in this group (r = -0.16; p = 0.19). The difference in durations was not significantly affected by the phase of respiration. Men had higher values on all measurements than women. The difference between the pulmonary venous atrial reversal duration and the mitral inflow A-wave duration is independent of age and thus may be used as a reliable index of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, even in elderly patients.
Professional MBA programmes: New directions and challenges

After several years in the doldrums, the number of working adults enrolling in Fully Employed MBA (FEMBA) programs worldwide is growing. This growth is being fuelled, in part, by globalisation, technology, and changing demographics. To meet these challenges, the traditional classroom model for delivering non-residential business education is giving way to a more holistic learning paradigm. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the characteristics of and to outline a process for designing world-class FEMBA programs. The analysis shows that curriculum age and selectivity are inversely related to ranking.
What controls the relief of rocky headlands

Rocky headlands are a common feature of coastlines but vary in their cross-shore “relief” (i.e., how far a headland extends offshore from the coastline), causing some coastlines to be more sinuous and others smoother. What controls headland relief? Most models of headland relief are qualitative and focus on the relationship between wave energy and rock strength but leave out other factors.
Chloroquine concentrations in the eye of dogs given chloroquine, primaquine, or p,p′-sulfonyl-bisformanilide, alone or in combination

Abstract An assay procedure for chloroquine (CQ) was adapted to vitreous humor and eye tissues. Eye tissues without cornea were minced, digested overnight in 10% KOH, and homogenized before assaying. The presence of primaquine (PQ) slightly increased the recovery of CQ. Both the vitreous humor and the eye tissues of dogs receiving CQ, contained the compound. The concentration of CQ accumulated in the eye after prolonged administration and was proportional to the dose. The eye tissues contained 50–448 times more CQ than did the vitreous humor. In one study, simultaneous administration of DFD increased CQ concentrations in both the vitreous humor and the eye tissues. However, this effect was not observed in two other studies. The vitreous humor and the eye tissues of dogs receiving PQ alone, or PQ plus DFD, contained small but measurable readings in the CQ assay. We believe that these small readings of CQ were actually due to the presence of PQ, suggesting that PQ was also absorbed after oral administration and was present in the eye.
Integrated Dynamic Thermo-Mechanical Modeling of High Speed Spindles, Part 2: Solution Procedure and Validations

This paper presents a new solution procedure for an integrated thermo-dynamic spindle model and validation results. Based on the model presented in Part I of this paper, a computer program has been developed to generate comprehensive solutions for high speed spindle-bearing systems, such as bearing stiffness, contact load and temperature, spindle dynamic characteristics and response, temperature distributions, and thermal expansions. The model and the solution procedure are modular such that solutions for different spindle set-ups can be easily generated by combining a given spindle model with different toolholder models. Validation test results for thermal and dynamic predictions are presented for four different spindle systems, including the thermal and dynamic validation tests on a specially constructed spindle testbed. The validation results show the model has accurate predictive capabilities for a wide range of operating conditions and various spindle designs.
Managing chronic myeloid leukemia patients intolerant to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy

The outcomes for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia have improved dramatically with the development and availability of BCR–ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) over the past decade. TKI therapy has a superior safety profile compared with the previous standard of care, interferon-α, and most adverse events (AEs) observed with front-line and second-line TKI treatment are managed with supportive care. However, some patients are intolerant to TKI therapy and experience AEs that cannot be managed through dose reduction or symptomatic treatment. Careful management of AEs helps patients to remain adherent with treatment and increases their chances for successful outcomes. Proactive vigilance for potential AEs and treatment strategies that reduce symptom burden will help to minimize patient intolerance. This review discusses the most common AEs associated with intolerance to TKI therapy and treatment strategies to help manage patients at risk for or experiencing these events.
Site distribution and aliasing effects in the inversion for load coefficients and geocenter motion from GPS data

Precise GPS measurements of elastic relative site displacements due to surface mass loading offer important constraints on global surface mass transport. We investigate effects of site distribution and aliasing by higher-degree (n greater than or equal 2) loading terms on inversion of GPS data for n = 1 load coefficients and geocenter motion. Covariance and simulation analyses are conducted to assess the sensitivity of the inversion to aliasing and mismodeling errors and possible uncertainties in the n = 1 load coefficient determination. We found that the use of center-of-figure approximation in the inverse formulation could cause 10- 15% errors in the inverted load coefficients. n = 1 load estimates may be contaminated significantly by unknown higher-degree terms, depending on the load scenario and the GPS site distribution. The uncertainty in n = 1 zonal load estimate is at the level of 80 - 95% for two load scenarios.
Validity of mortality analysis based on retrospective smoking information

We assess the validity of mortality analysis based on retrospective reporting of smoking habits by subjects and proxies after a time lag of approximately ten years. The analysis is based on 2855 subject respondents and 615 proxy respondents to the NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Survey (NHEFS), a national followup study of persons examined in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). Persons 45–77 years of age at baseline were selected for analysis. Using three categories of smoking at baseline (current, former, never), the retrospective classification (NHEFS) matched the NHANES I classification for 89 per cent of the subject respondents and 83 per cent of the proxy respondents. Agreement levels were higher for women (92 per cent of subjects and 89 per cent of proxies) than for men (85 and 80 per cent). We used Cox regression models to assess the use of retrospective smoking information in an analysis of the relationship between selected risk factors and mortality for persons 45–64 years of age. There were few substantive differences in results with use of NHEFS smoking data versus NHANES I smoking data. In particular, the effects of age, systolic blood pressure, education; and race on mortality were not sensitive to the source of the smoking data (NHANES I or NHEFS) or the form of the smoking variable (two-, three-, or six-level categorization). The effects of body mass index on mortality were sensitive to the form of the smoking variable but results based on NHANES I and NHEFS were quite similar. These results suggest that smoking information obtained from proxy respondents is adequate for analyses of the risk of total mortality associated with smoking and other risk factors. Further assessment is needed to determine the adequacy of such data for analyses of mortality from specific causes that are sensitive to amount smoked or duration of smoking.