cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A ‘frozen electric-field’ approach to simulate repetitively pulsed nanosecond plasma discharges and ignition of hydrogen-air mixtures

High-fidelity modelling of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges (NRPDs) is burdened by the multiple time and length scales and large chemistry mechanisms involved, which prohibit detailed analyses and parametric studies. In the present work, we propose a ‘frozen electric-field’ modelling approach to expedite the NRPD simulations without adverse effects on the solution accuracy. First, a burst of nanosecond voltage pulses is simulated self-consistently until the discharge reaches a stationary state. The calculated spatial distributions and temporal evolution of the electric field, electron density and electron energy during the last pulse are then stored in a library and the electrical characteristics of subsequent pulses are frozen at these values. This strategy allows the timestep for numerical integration to be increased by four orders of magnitude (from 10−13 to 10−9 s), thereby significantly improving the computational efficiency of the process. Reduced calculations of a burst of 50 discharge pulses show good agreement with the predictions from a complete plasma model (electrical characteristics calculated during each pulse). The error in species densities is less than 20% at the centre of the discharge volume and about 30% near the boundaries. The deviations in temperature, however, are much lower, at 5% in the entire domain. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with measured ignition delay times and temperatures in H2–air mixtures subject to dielectric barrier NRPD over a pressure range of 54–144 Torr with equivalence ratios of 0.7–1.2. The OH density increases with pressure and triggers low-temperature fuel oxidation, which leads to rapid temperature rise and ignition. The ignition delay decreases by a factor of 2, with an increase in pressure from 54 to 144 Torr. In contrast, an increase in the H2–air equivalence ratio from 0.7 to 1.2 marginally decreases the ignition delay by about 20%. This behaviour is attributed to the insensitivity of OH production rates to the variation in the equivalence ratio.
Depletion of the Bloom Syndrome Helicase Stimulates Homology-Dependent Repair at Double-Strand Breaks in Human Chromosomes

Mutation of BLM helicase causes Blooms syndrome, a disorder associated with genome instability, high levels of sister chromatid exchanges, and cancer predisposition. To study the influence of BLM on double-strand break (DSB) repair in human chromosomes, we stably transfected a normal human cell line with a DNA substrate that contained a thymidine kinase (tk)-neo fusion gene disrupted by the recognition site for endonuclease I-SceI. The substrate also contained a closely linked functional tk gene to serve as a recombination partner for the tk-neo fusion gene. We derived two cell lines each containing a single integrated copy of the DNA substrate. In these cell lines, a DSB was introduced within the tk-neo fusion gene by expression of I-SceI. DSB repair events that occurred via homologous recombination (HR) or nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) were recovered by selection for G418-resistant clones. DSB repair was examined under conditions of either normal BLM expression or reduced BLM expression brought about by RNA interference. We report that BLM knockdown in both cell lines specifically increased the frequency of HR events that produced deletions by crossovers or single-strand annealing while leaving the frequency of gene conversions unchanged or reduced. We observed no change in the accuracy of individual HR events and no substantial alteration of the nature of individual NHEJ events when BLM expression was reduced. Our work provides the first direct evidence that BLM influences DSB repair pathway choice in human chromosomes and suggests that BLM deficiency can engender genomic instability by provoking an increased frequency of HR events of a potentially deleterious nature.
Spin polarization in the electron gas by a magnetic impurity - Theory of the excess Knight shift

Abstract In the absence of an applied magnetic field a process whichwill permit the existence of a Fermi contact hyperfine interactionat the Cuba nucleus which does not average to zero when summedover the randomly oriented spins of N conduction electrons is thescattering of s-wave electrons from the long-ranged exchange poten-tial of an open-shell impurity atom located at a distance R fromthe Cu nucleus and then the Fermi contact interaction at the Cunucleus. This is a two-center analog of the virtual process whichis responsible for most of the Fermi contact hyperfine structureof open-shell atoms (polarization of the closed s core). The firstorder energy due to the Fermi contact interaction of the conductionelectrons at the Cu nucleus which have first exchange scatteredfrom the 3d electrons of Mn is calculated as a function of R.It is found to change sign between R=4.8299 (nearest neighbordistance), R-4.8299 and R=8, and R=8 and R-10 au, suggestingdependence on impurity concentration experiments and experimentsin which compression or expansion can change the lattice distances.The exchange potential is presented as a function of electronvelocity and R. For completeness the RKKY type spin densitywaves are presented as a function of the distance from the impurityfor several values of R. Also for R-0 an estimate is made of theexchange polarization potential due to the adiabatic polarizationof the impurity by the scattering electrons and found to be signi-ficant.2
A molecular genetic study of intracerebral hemorrhage

Background: Two forms of inherited intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are associated with an amyloid angiopathy caused by mutations in the genes for the amyloid precursor protein or cystatin C. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with sporadic ICH have mutations in the amyloid precursor protein or cystatin C genes. Methods: Consecutive patients with ICH admitted to the neurology or neurosurgery services at Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC, were studied. Using the polymerase chain reaction, we amplified exons 16 and 17 of the amyloid precursor protein and exon 2 of cystatin C and sequenced the products. Twenty-six men and 22 women were studied. The ICH location was deep in 29 patients, lobar in 16, cerebellar in two, and brain stem in one. There were 30 patients (63%) with a positive family history of stroke; seven of them (15%) had a family history of ICH. Conclusions: Mutations previously reported to cause familial forms of ICH were not found in this group of patients.
COMBINED EVIDENCE AND CLADISTIC RELATIONSHIPS OF WEST INDIAN TOADS (ANURA: BUFONIDAE)

Abstract Previous systematic studies of the Bufo peltocephalus Group based on morphology and one on molecular data support the monophyly of this lineage of West Indian toads. Herein, additional phylogenetic evidence supporting the monophyly of the group is presented. Osteological, external morphological, and DNA sequence data were examined and combined to estimate the phylogenetic relationships of the West Indian B. peltocephalus Group (B. cataulaciceps, B. empusus, B. fluviaticus, B. peltocephalus, B. fustiger, B. guentheri, B. gundlachi, B. longinasus, B. lemur, and B. taladai). To assess the hypothesis of monophyly and estimate the placement of these species within Bufo, parsimony analyses including proposed close relatives and a taxonomically diverse sample of congeners were conducted. The nearest relatives of the West Indian toads appear to be the Bufo granulosus Group from South America.
Coupled bending-bending-torsion flutter of a mistuned cascade with nonuniform blades

A set of aeroelastic equations describing the motion of an arbitrarily mistuned cascade with flexible, pretwisted, nonuniform blades is developed using an extended Hamilton's principle. The derivation of the equations has its basis in the geometric nonlinear theory of elasticity in which the elongations and shears are negligible compared to unity. A general expression for foreshortening of a blade is derived and is explicity used in the formulation. The blade aerodynamic loading in the subsonic and supersonic flow regimes is obtained from two dimensional, unsteady, cascade theories. The aerodynamic, inertial and structural coupling between the bending (in two planes) and torsional motions of the blade is included. The equations are used to investigate the aeroelastic stability and to quantify the effect of frequency mistuning on flutter in turbofans. Results indicate that a moderate amount of intentional mistuning has enough potential to alleviate flutter problems in unshrouded, high aspect ratio turbofans.
Forest bioenergy system to reduce the hazard of wildfires: White Mountains, Arizona

In an innovative effort, the USDA Forest Service is planning to reduce the long-term threat of catastrophic wildfires by inaugurating a series of forest thinnings for bioenergy. The start-up project is in the Nutrioso area of the Alpine Ranger District, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. ‘‘The Nutrioso Wildland/Urban Interface Fuels Reduction Project’’, under the authority of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, addresses the existing condition of the forest, defines the desired condition of the forest, and proposes actions that will result in a healthier forest and a reduced risk from wildfire. This project is part of larger-scale, small-diameter tree thinning covering an area of 607 km 2 over a 10-yr period. Although the Nutrioso Project encompasses 213 km 2 of mixed ownerships, only National Forest lands (79%) will be treated. A variety of thinning and fire prescriptions have been established depending on slopes, road access, and distance from private land. The mostly small-diameter (o12 cm) trees in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer stands are being removed under a ‘‘Stewardship Contract’’ for utilization in small power plants (o3 MW), and a wood-heating pellet manufacturing facility. The outlet for the wood fuel pellets is the growing market for house and business heating, and co-generation fuel in a 615 MW coal-fired power station. This paper examines the scope, costs, and environmental trade-offs of this pioneering and remarkably successful effort in forest bioenergy in the southwestern USA. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
An end-to-end pancreaticojejunostomy using a mechanical purse-string device

Pancreatic-jejunal anastomosis leaks are a major cause of morbidity and mortality after pancreaticoduodenectomy. We have used a mechanical purse-string device to secure the jejunum to the intussuscepted pancreatic stump in 17 patients. A major leak developed in 1 patient and minor leaks developed in 2 patients, all of which were managed nonoperatively. This technique is expeditious and safe.
Volatiles Emitted from Eight Wound-Isolated Bacteria Differentially Attract Gravid Screwworms (Diptera: Calliphoridae) to Oviposit

Bovine blood inoculated with bacteria isolated from screwworm [Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) ]-infested animal wounds was tested as an attractant for oviposition for gravid screwworms. Eight species of gram-negative coliform (Enterobacteriaceae) bacteria mixed with bovine blood singly or all species combined and incubated for various times produced volatiles that attracted gravid flies in a cage bioassay in varying numbers. In 15-min duration tests, volatiles from five species of bacteria (Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, and Providencia stuartii) attracted more females than volatiles of the three species (Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter sakazakii, and Serratia liquefaciens). In 1-h duration oviposition tests, volatiles from the substrate using the same five species of bacteria attracted more females to oviposit than the other three species. Volatiles from 24-h incubation period elicited least attraction and oviposition whereas volatiles from the 48- and 72-h incubation period resulted in significantly more attraction and oviposition. Attraction and oviposition decreased significantly when the substrates were incubated for 96 h. Volatiles from substrate with all species of bacteria combined attracted a significantly higher percentage of flies to land and oviposit than those from substrates prepared with single species. It is possible that multiple active chemicals present in volatiles of the all-species substrate may act as synergists resulting in greater response than those observed with volatiles from single-species substrate. Before oviposition flies took a bloodmeal from the oviposition substrate. It is possible that the oviposition is moderated by two different factors in screwworm—first, by using a chemical cue to land on a potential oviposition site and second, by using a bloodmeal to stimulate oviposition.
Evaluation of Largemouth Bass-Yellow Perch Communities in Small South Dakota Impoundments

Abstract Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and yellow perch Perca flavescens were sampled in eight small (0.9–27.9 hectares) South Dakota impoundments to evaluate community dynamics and determine whether the yellow perch can be used as a panfish for small-pond management. Largemouth bass catch per hour of electrofishing (CPUE) was positively correlated (r = 0.81, P = 0.02) with yellow perch proportional stock density (PSD = percentage of stock-length fish that are also quality length). Largemouth bass PSD was inversely correlated with yellow perch PSD (r = –0.82, P = 0.01). Mean relative weight (Wr = 100 × individual fish weight/standard weight) of yellow perch was inversely correlated (r = –0.71, P = 0.05) with relative stock density of preferred-length (RSD-P) largemouth bass (RSD-P = percentage of stock-length fish that are also preferred length). Yellow perch growth was inversely correlated with largemouth bass size structure. The highest correlation occurred between mean back-calculated length of...
Are fission tracks in meteorites from super-heavy elements?

Abstract The length distribution of binary fission tracks and the low ratio of ternary to binary fission tracks in several meteorites fit the original interpretation of a 244 Pu origin and are inconsistent with an interpretation that they were produced by fission of super-heavy elements.
On Kryachko's formula for the leaky aquifer function

Kryachko recently published in this journal a formula in which the incomplete Bessel function known as the leaky aquifer function is expanded in Legendre functions of the second kind. While Kryachko's analysis is ingenious, creative, and sound, it unfortunately contains errors that make its key result incorrect. The present contribution corrects and to some degree generalizes Kryachko's formula. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 81: 332–334, 2001
Behavior and the Excitable Membrane in Paramecium

(1978). Behavior and the Excitable Membrane in Paramecium. CRC Critical Reviews in Microbiology: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 53-108.
The use of polyelectrolyte-fractionated porcine factor VIII in the treatment of a spontaneously acquired inhibitor to factor VIII.

Abstract Polyelectrolyte-fractionated porcine factor VIII concentrate is a recent addition to the therapeutic choices for treatment of factor VIII inhibitor patients, but cross-reactivity of the inhibitor with porcine factor VIII limits its usefulness in some cases. Hemophilic patients with inhibitor titers ≥50 Bethesda units/ml often demonstrate sufficient cross-reactivity (10–20%) to prevent the achievement of a satisfactory plasma factor VIII level and a therapeutic response with porcine factor VIII. We have studied plasma from five women with high-titer, spontaneously acquired factor VIII inhibitors to determine the degree of cross-reactivity with porcine factor VIII. Four of the five had little or no detectable inhibitor to porcine factor VIII despite high titers to human factor VIII (26–143 Bethesda units/ml). One of these patients, with a titer of 53 Bethesda units/ml against human factor VIII, was treated successfully with porcine factor VIII concentrate, given for serious hemorrhagic complications. These studies and other reports support the conclusion that the majority of high-titer spontaneous factor VIII inhibitors exhibit little cross-reactivity with porcine factor VIII and can be treated successfully with this product.
Developing the Careers of Clinician-Educators in Psychiatry

Objective This article describes initial efforts by the newly developed Clinician-Educator Section (CES) of the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP) to support the career advancement of academic faculty within psychiatry. The CES provided its first workshop at the 2005 AAP annual meeting, focusing on early career development and academic promotion.
Transmission disequilibrium testing of arginine vasopressin receptor 1A ( AVPR1A ) polymorphisms in autism

Impairment in social reciprocity is a central component of autism. In preclinical studies, arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been shown to increase a range of social behaviors, including affiliation and attachment, via the V1a receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. Both the behavioral effects of AVP and the neural distribution of the V1a receptor vary greatly across mammalian species. This difference in regional receptor expression as well as differences in social behavior may result from a highly variable repetitive sequence in the 5′ flanking region of the V1a gene (AVPR1A). Given this comparative evidence for a role in inter-species variation in social behavior, we explored whether within our own species, variation in the human AVPR1A may contribute to individual variations in social behavior, with autism representing an extreme form of social impairment. We genotyped two microsatellite polymorphisms from the 5′ flanking region of AVPR1A for 115 autism trios and found nominally significant transmission disequilibrium between autism and one of the microsatellite markers by Multiallelic Transmission/Disequilibrium test (MTDT) that was not significant after Bonferroni correction. We also screened approximately 2 kb of the 5′ flanking region and the coding region and identified 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms.
Wind pollination and reproductive assurance in Linanthus parviflorus (Polemoniaceae), a self-incompatible annual.

Wind pollination was experimentally demonstrated in Linanthus parviflorus (Polemoniaceae), a predominantly beeflypollinated, self-incompatible annual. Seed set in plants enclosed in mesh tents that excluded pollinators but allowed airborne pollen flow provided evidence for wind pollination, and the extent of seed set due to wind pollination was compared to that in open-pollinated controls and pollen-supplemented treatments. Additional controls were included to test for possible confounding effects of the mesh tent. Mean seed number in open-pollinated plants was 72.8‐81.1% of that in pollensupplemented plants, while wind pollination alone produced 49.5‐52.2%, a smaller but substantial proportion of seed set with pollen supplementation. Further evidence for wind pollination was found in a comparison of sites differing in the extent of wind exposure in two populations of L. parviflorus. Airborne pollen counts were higher in exposed sites than in protected sites, and the difference was marginally significant. Seed set was significantly pollen limited in protected sites, but not in exposed sites. Taken together, the data suggest that wind pollination provides some reproductive assurance in this obligately outcrossing species. Wind pollination is hypothesized to represent an alternative to selfing as an evolutionary solution to the problem of temporal or spatial variation in pollination visitation. In an obligately animal-pollinated species, visitation of pollinators is essential for reproductive success. Pollinator visitation rates have been found to vary both in space and time (Horvitz and Schemske, 1990; Primack and Inouye, 1993; Parker, 1997), and low visitation can limit reproduction in animal-pollinated species, despite considerable investment in floral displays. In a recent survey of the literature, female reproductive success was found to be significantly pollen limited in at least some years or sites in 62% of the 268 species studied (Burd, 1994). Though outcrossing predominates in the angiosperms, self-fertilization also is common and has evolved from outcrossing in numerous plant taxa (Stebbins, 1974). Selection for reproductive assurance is thought to be one of the major factors involved in the evolutionary transformation from animal pollination to self-fertilization (Stebbins, 1957). When pollinators are scarce or absent, plants that can self-fertilize autonomously (without the service of a pollinator) will produce more seeds than obligately outcrossing plants. If this increase in seed set outweighs any cost to offspring quality due to inbreeding depression, mutations that confer selfing will be favored. Selection for reproductive assurance is expected to be especially important for annual plant species that have only a single opportunity for reproduction (Stebbins, 1950; Baker, 1959). The observed association between selfing
Sent Seeking With Private Values

We study a rent-seeking contest in which the players'valuations of the prize are private information. We determinea Bayesian equilibrium and give conditions under which theequilibrium exists. Although players are ex ante symmetric,increased possibilities for ex post lopsidedness lead toless aggressive bidding. (Lopsidedness increases as players'values become less positively correlated or as the variationin possible values increases.) We also compare theprivate-information contest to a related public-informationcontest in which the realizations of values are commonknowledge. The contests are equally efficient and players areindifferent between the two, but risk-averse sellers of theprize are not.
Three-species monomer-monomer model: A mean-field analysis and Monte Carlo study

We study the phase diagram and critical behavior of a one-dimensional three-species monomer-monomer catalytic surface reaction model. Static Monte Carlo simulations are used to roughly map out the phase diagram consisting of a reactive steady state bordered by three equivalent unreactive phases where the surface is saturated with one monomer species. The transitions from the reactive phase are all continuous, while the transitions between poisoned phases are first order. Of particular interest are the bicritical points where the reactive phase simultaneously meets two poisoned phases. A mean-field cluster analysis fails to predict all of the qualitative features of the phase diagram unless correlations up to triplets of adjacent sites are included. Scaling properties of the continuous transitions and the bicritical points are studied using dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. The transition from the reactive to a saturated phase shows directed percolation critical behavior, while the universal behavior at the bicritical point is in the even branching annihilating random walk class. The crossover from bicritical to critical behavior is also studied.
Effective gravity theories with dilations

Inclusion of the dilation in the Einstein plus Gauss-Bonnet model removes the de Sitter ground state permitted in its absence; the generic case with higher order invariants is discussed. Spherically symmetric static solutions are considered and their asymptotic behavior established; they are nontrivial only for a nonvanishing dilaton field and are compatible with the existence of an horizon at which the dilaton is regular.
Optimal development of doubly curved surfaces

Abstract This paper presents algorithms for optimal development (flattening) of a smooth continuous curved surface embedded in three-dimensional space into a planar shape. The development process is modeled by in-plane strain (stretching) from the curved surface to its planar development. The distribution of the appropriate minimum strain field is obtained by solving a constrained nonlinear programming problem. Based on the strain distribution and the coefficients of the first fundamental form of the curved surface, another unconstrained nonlinear programming problem is solved to obtain the optimal developed planar shape. The convergence and complexity properties of our algorithms are analyzed theoretically and numerically. Examples show the effectiveness of the algorithms.
Comment on enhanced Raman scattering from adsorbates on semiconductor surfaces

Abstract A recently published model of surface enhanced Raman scattering from adsorbed molecules on semiconductor surfaces is compared to our experimental results for amorphous carbon on PbTe. The model fails to account for the major features of the observed scattering.
Gravity model determination from the GRACE mission

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) is a collaborative NASA and DLR mission whose satellites were launched on March 17, 2002 as the first of the Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) Missions. The purpose of the GRACE mission is to characterize the spatial and temporal variations in the Earth’s mass, through precise measurements of its gravity field. This is accomplished by using micron level inter-satellite range measurements to determine monthly solutions for the Earth’s global gravity field. The GRACE mission has provided 82 monthly solutions that have led to unprecedented improvements in the mean gravity field accuracy and a seven-year record of monthly gravity signals associated with the global mass flux. This continuous, multi-year record of monthly measurements supports investigations that characterize the seasonal cycle of mass transport between the oceans, land, and atmosphere; observes its inter-annual variability; and monitors the secular trends in mass transport. In the following discussion, the overall mission concept is described, the approach to the gravity model determination is discussed, and the mission progress is partially summarized.
A general approach to lagrange multiplier model diagnostics

Abstract A diagnostic test can be formulated by taking the current model as the null hypothesis and a particular form of misspecification as the alternative. The general approach of this paper is to calculate the score for some alternative and base a test on its distribution under the null. This distribution is derived in two theorems corresponding to different models. Such a test is a Langrange Multiplier test and is asymptotically optimal. these tests can be formulated as ways of looking at the residuals for particular types of non-randomness. The tests are simple to calculate even when the alternative may be very complicated. Examples are given of tests for omitted variables and block-recursive structures.
Functional SLITRK1 var321, varCDfs and SLC6A4 G56A variants and susceptibility to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Functional SLITRK1 var321, varCDfs and SLC6A4 G56A variants and susceptibility to obsessive-compulsive disorder
Magneto‐transport studies of single ferromagnetic nanowire

The magnetotransport properites of individual ferromagnetic nanowires (e.g. Ni, Co 23 Ni 77 , Ni 85 Fe 15 ) with 200 nm diameters were investigated. The ferromagnetic nanowires were successfully electrodeposited within an anodized alumina by controlling solution composition, temperature, and current density. Using a magnetic assembly technique, single nanowire was successfully bridged across microfabricated gold elecrodes. The temperature coefficient of resistance for ferromagnetic nanowires was lower than the bulk because of a larger residual resistance from increased electrical scattering in one-dimensional structures. The ferromagnetic nanowires showed typical anisotropic magnetoresistance where the magnetoresistance ratio was lower than bulk values.
Being unfriended on Facebook: An application of Expectancy Violation Theory

This study considered being unfriended on Facebook as an expectancy violation that could vary in valence, importance, and expectedness according to a number of relationship and Facebook involvement characteristics. Facebook users who had been unfriended responded to a variety of quantitative scales via an online survey. Being unfriended constituted a moderately expected and negative, and moderately-to-highly important, expectancy violation. Whether ties with the unfriender were close versus weak best predicted valence and importance and the extent to which the unfriended individual used Facebook to connect with existing contacts best explained violation expectedness. Violation importance also predicted whether or not the unfriended individual contacted the former friend about being unfriended. Results supported Expectancy Violation Theory and extended knowledge about Facebook unfriending.
Update on therapeutic vascularization strategies

The ability to exploit angiogenesis and vascularization as a therapeutic strategy will be of enormous benefit to a wide range of medical and tissue-engineering applications. Angiogenic growth factor and cell-based therapies have thus far failed to produce a robust healing response in clinical trials for a variety of ischemic diseases, while engineered tissue substitutes are still size-limited by a lack of vascularization. The purpose of this review is to investigate current research advances in therapeutic vascularization strategies applied to ischemic disease states, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Recent advances are discussed that focus on better regulation of growth factor delivery and attempts to better mimic natural processes by delivering combinations of multiple growth factors, cells and bioactive materials in the right spatial and temporal setting. Some unconventional approaches and novel therapeutic targets that hold significant potential are also discussed.
Efficacy and tolerability of celecoxib versus naproxen in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of celecoxib versus naproxen in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. METHODS: This 6-month, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial was conducted at 47 centres in the USA. Patients with OA of the knee were randomized to receive 200 mg celecoxib orally once daily or 500 mg naproxen orally twice daily. The primary endpoint was defined as a 20% improvement from baseline to 6 months in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) OA total score. RESULTS: A total of 586 out of 589 randomized patients received at least one dose of celecoxib (n = 294) or naproxen (n = 292). The primary endpoint (6-month response rate) was achieved by 52.7% and 49.7% of patients in the celecoxib and naproxen treatment groups, respectively. Significantly fewer discontinuations due to gastrointestinal adverse events occurred in patients receiving celecoxib than in those receiving naproxen (4.1% versus 15.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Over the 6-month study per...
Indomethacin blocks gonadotropin stimulation of ovarian ornithine decarboxylase activity by inhibiting protein synthesis

Abstract Both gonadotropins and prostaglandins stimulate the ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity of porcine granulosa cells in vitro (1,2). To investigate a possible intermediary role of prostaglandins in this gonadotropin action, the effects of indomethacin on gonadotropin-induced ODC activity were studied. Indomethacin had no effect at concentrations lower than 10−5 M; at higher concentrations indomethacin exerted a dose-dependent suppression of LH-stimulated ODC activity which was essentially complete at 5 × 10−4 M. The effects of PGE2 and 8-Bromo-cAMP, potent stimulators of ODC, were also blocked by indomethacin (5 × 10−4 M). This effect did not represent direct inhibition of enzyme activity, but appeared to be due to inhibition of protein synthesis by the drug. Thus, incorporation of 14C-leucine into proteins by these cells was blocked by indomethacin with a dose-response curve similar to that for ODC suppression. This distal effect of indomethacin may complicate the interpretation of some experiments if the inhibitor is assumed to act only at the prostaglandin synthetase step.
Predictive spatial niche and biodiversity hotspot models for small mammal communities in Alaska: applying machine-learning to conservation planning

Changing global environmental conditions, especially at northern latitudes, are threatening to shift species distributions and alter wildlife communities. We aimed to establish current distributions and community arrangements of small mammals to provide important baselines for monitoring and conserving biodiversity into the future. We used 4,408 archived museum and open-access records and the machine learning algorithm, RandomForests, to create high-resolution spatial niche models for 17 species of rodents and shrews in Alaska. Models were validated using independent trapping results from 20 locations stratified along statewide mega-transects, and an average species richness curve was calculated for field samples. Community cluster analyses (varclus) identified geographic patterns of sympatry among species. Species models were summed to create the first small-mammal species richness map for Alaska. Species richness increased logarithmically to a mean of 3.3 species per location over 1,500 trap-nights. Distribution models yielded mean accuracies of 71 % (45–90 %), and maps correctly predicted a mean of 75 % (60–95 %) of occurrences correctly in the field. Top predictors included Soil Type, Ecoregion, Landfire Land-cover, December Sea Ice, and July Temperature at the geographic scale. Cluster analysis delineated five community groups (3–4 species/group), and species richness was highest (11–13 species) over the Yukon-Tanana Uplands. Models presented here provide spatial predictions of current small mammal biodiversity in Alaska and an initial framework for mapping and monitoring wildlife distributions across broad landscapes into the future.
Insulin and endothelial function: A brief review

Abstract Background: In recent years, the novel effects of insulin beyond control of glucose metabolism have been appreciated, especially those that impact vascular function. A better understanding of insulin's protective interactions with the endothelium has provided clinicians with a justification for more aggressive use of insulin—not only to control glucose levels, but also to potentially reduce the progression of atherosclerosis and its pathogenic sequelae. Objective: In this brief review, we provide a snapshot of the available research and clinical findings signifying beneficial effects of insulin on the endothelium. Methods: We conducted a MEDLINE search of articles published in English from 1965 through 2007 using the search terms insulin, endothelium, and anti-inflammatory. Articles with a focus on “insulin resistance” per se were excluded from this review. Results: The literature search identified 200 articles that addressed the effects of insulin on endothelium and the interaction between insulin and the vasculature. Conclusions: In addition to mitigating hyperglycemic toxicity, insulin has multiple beneficial interactions with the endothelium in physiologic and disease states. The anti-inflammatory actions of insulin confer beneficial effects in preventing and minimizing morbidity and mortality due to atherosclerosis, especially in acute settings like myocardial infarction.
Academic specialization and contemporary university humanities centers

Given the academic specialization endemic today in humanities disciplines, some of the most important work of humanities centers has become promoting education about the humanities in general. After charting the rise of humanities centers in the US, three characteristics of centers that enable their advancement of larger concerns of the humanities as a whole are discussed: location, flexibility, and broadened perspective. Independence from departmental demands and responsibilities allows humanities centers to reach diverse public audiences, to explore new paradigms and alternative structures for knowledge, and to overcome the intellectual divisions created by organizational structures of the contemporary university.
Use of Analyticity in the Calculation of Nonrelativistic Scattering Amplitudes

A new method of calculating nonrelativistic scattering amplitudes is presented. The scattering amplitude is first calculated as a function of the complex energy below the scattering threshold, and the numerical results are then analytically continued to the physical region. The method is used to calculate two-body and two-channel scattering amplitudes. The numerical analytic continuation is accomplished by a rational-fraction representation similar to the Pad\'e method. Several techniques of numerical analytic continuation by rational fractions are described, and some examples are discussed.
Factors influencing the infectivity of isolates of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus against diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella.

Paecilomyces fumosoroseus isolate 1576 was isolated from an insect, but is avirulent against larvae of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, and several other species. Isolate 1576 grew faster and produced more conidia than isolate 4461 on potato dextrose agar. Pregermination of conidia failed to increase the infectivity of isolate 1576, but the procedure did increase the infectivity of isolates 3682, 4461, and 4482. Isolates 1576 and 4461 were both more infective when moisture was high during incubation of inoculated larvae. Starved Pl. xylostella larvae were more susceptible than fed larvae to isolate 1576 (40 and 10% mortality, respectively), but starved and fed larvae were similar in susceptibility to isolate 4461. These results show that isolate 1576 grows vigorously in aerial culture and is capable of infecting stressed Pl. xylostella larvae. Further tests are needed to characterize its pathogenicity toward its original host or closely related species.
Bismuth titanate from nanocomposite and sol-gel processes

Abstract Phase pure bismuth titanate was prepared at 750 °C from the corresponding hydroxide precursors. Sintering behavior of this powder was evaluated in comparison with powder obtained from a sol-gel process. A maximum of about 87% of the theoretical density was achieved for sintered ceramics processed from powders prepared by the above two methods. Microstructural studies revealed large grains as well as grains less than 1 μm in size, the latter forming typical platelets characteristic of bismuth titanate.
Effect of particulate fillers on thermal expansions and other critical performances of polycarbonate-based compositions

Influence of different inorganic particulate mineral fillers on polycarbonate composites was explored. Among all the fillers assessed here only boron nitride and mica could appreciably reduce the thermal expansion of polycarbonate, particularly along the direction of flow. While measured in the normal to flow (cross-flow) direction, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) values decreased marginally in presence of boron nitride and mica as compared to the unfilled specimen. The anisotropicity in CTE is presumable due to preferential orientation of boron nitride and mica along the direction of flow in the injection molded samples. The effectiveness of fillers in reducing CTE of the polycarbonate composites was correlated to the dispersion of fillers in the polymer matrix. Better dispersion of boron nitride and mica, as observed through SEM, ensured their improved interaction with the matrix and thereby reducing the CTE. It was observed that in presence of particulate fillers the impact performance of the composites decreased appreciably with an increase in tensile modulus, in general. The flow behavior of the composites was by large dependent on the types of fillers used. In presence of some of the fillers such as BaSO4, ZnO, ZnS, TiO2, and alumina, flow of the composites increases significantly, primarily associated to appreciable reduction in molecular weights of the polycarbonate. On the other hand, with boron nitride flow remained almost unchanged upon its addition of 5 vol %. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Unarmed Prophets? A review of Tomorrow's Teachers†

† Tomorrow's Teachers, by The Holmes Group (J. E. Lanier, Chair), Holmes Group, East Lansing, MI (1986), 97 pp. $6‐50
The art of serendipity: killing of Caenorhabditis elegans by human pathogens as a model of bacterial and fungal pathogenesis.

The nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, has been used to develop a facile model system of host–pathogen interactions to identify basic evolutionarily conserved pathways associated with microbial pathogenesis. The model involves the killing of Caenorhabditis elegans by a variety of human pathogens. Several virulence-related genes in a variety of pathogens previously shown to be involved in mammalian infection have also been shown to play a role in Caenorhabditis elegans killing. Screening of large numbers of microbial mutants for attenuation in a mammalian model would require thousands of mice, rats or rabbits. In contrast, the Caenorhabditis elegans model allows rapid identification of mutants in microbial genes associated with pathogenesis and then these phenotypes can be confirmed in a relevant mammalian model.
Innate response to focal necrotic injury inside the blood-brain barrier.

We have studied the initial innate immune response to focal necrotic injury on different sides of the mouse blood-brain barrier by two-photon intravital microscopy. Transgenic mice in which the promoter of the myeloid isoform of lysozyme drives GFP were used to track granulocytes and monocytes. Necrotic injury in the meninges, but not the brain parenchyma, recruited GFP + cells within minutes that fully surrounded the necrotic site within a day. Recently, it has been suggested that microglial cells and astrocytes cooperate to mount a distinct response to laser injury behind the blood-brain barrier. We followed the microglial response in heterozygous knockin mice in which GFP replaces CX 3 CR1 coding sequence. Prior to injury, microglial cell bodies were immobile over days, but moved to the laser injury site within 1 day. We followed astrocytes, which have been proposed to cooperate with microglial cells in response to focal injury, using transgenic mice in which glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter drives GFP expression. Before injury fine astrocyte processes permeate the parenchyma. Astrocytes polarized toward the injury in an ATP, connexin hemichannels, and intracellular Ca 2+ -dependent process. The astrocytes network established a cytoplasmic Ca 2+ gradient that preceded the microglial response. This is consistent with astrocyte-microglial collaboration to mount this innate response that excludes blood leukocytes.
A note on applications of adaptive finite elements to elastohydrodynamic lubrication problems

SUMMARY Adaptive methods are applied to improve the finite element solutions for highly nonlinear elastohydrodynamic lubrication problem. A refinement scheme is developed which is based on the idea of equidistribution of local errors. Numerical experiments on the line contact problem show that the adaptive method is very effective in obtaining good approximations. Adaptive methods for point contact problems with light loads are also examined.
Nutrition and the regulation of egg production in the Calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa

The nutritional composition of the copepod diet is determined by the feeding response, often through complex interactions with the food environment. On the time scales at which studies of copepod feeding and egg production are typically conducted (hours to weeks), variations in the nutritional composition of the food supply may be responsible for considerable variability in egg production. A substantive portion of this variability can be accounted for when the nutritional composition of the diet is known. In a laboratory study in which we measured the amino and fatty acids in the diet of Acartia tonsa in six “food environments,” we detected differences in egg production that were apparently associated with amino acid deficiency, differences in the proportions and types of fatty acids in the diet, and differences in the kinds of food organisms taken from a mixture and in the effort required to capture a ration. Egg production varied systematically with the concentrations of 3 fatty acids (of 18 present in the diet) and 4 amino acids (of 16 present) in the diet.
Errors of a Time-Division Active Power Converter with a Natural Sampling Pulse-Width Modulator

Errors of a time-division active power converter under sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal conditions are calculated by computer simulation and measured experimentally. The paper shows that if the sampling frequency is not synchronized with the input signal frequency then systematic errors of this converter, due to its principle of operation, are negligible. The experimental results demonstrate that a converter built for sinusoidal operation only can exhibit large errors, when operating under nonsinusoidal conditions.
Tumor necrosis factor-α-induced leukocyte adhesion and microvessel permeability

The objective of this study was to investigate whether leukocyte adhesion and/or emigration are critical steps in increased microvessel permeability during acute inflammation. To conduct this study...
Grid-search molecular accessible surface algorithm for solving the protein docking problem

An algorithm for solving the protein docking problem is presented. Many tentative dockings are first generated by requiring a hole on the surface of one protein to match a knob on the surface of the other. All the tentative dockings are then applied. The initial configurations thus generated are further optimized. The optimization is facilitated by giving a discrete representation to the protein interior and a double-layer discrete representation to the protein surface. The algorithm presented correctly predicts the association of trypsin with its inhibitor as well as that of the α and β subunits in hemoglobin.
The association of race, comorbid anxiety, and antidepressant adherence among Medicaid enrollees with major depressive disorder.

Abstract Background Depressed patients often have comorbid anxiety. African-Americans with depression are less likely to adhere to antidepressant treatment. Knowledge of the association between race, comorbid anxiety, and adherence among Medicaid enrollees with depression is limited. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of race, comorbid anxiety, and antidepressant adherence, and persistence among Medicaid enrollees with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods The MarketScan ® Multi-State Medicaid Database (Thomson Reuters, Ann Arbor, MI) was used in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Medicaid enrollees aged between 18 and 64 years, with MDD but without bipolar disorders, and with a newly initiated antidepressant between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2006 were identified. An index date was assigned corresponding to the newly initiated antidepressant. Patients having claims for any antidepressant refills during the 12 months before the index date were excluded. Eligible patients were then followed-up for 12 months after the index date. Adherence was measured by a modified medication possession ratio. Adherence was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Persistence was assessed based on treatment discontinuation and examined by Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox-propositional hazard regression models. Results A total of 3083 Medicaid patients with MDD were included. Approximately, 25% of patients had comorbid anxiety. The odds of adhering to antidepressants were 40% lower among African-Americans than Caucasians, adjusting for covariates (AOR [adjust odds ratio]=0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.51-0.72, P P P Conclusions Among Medicaid enrollees with MDD, race and comorbid anxiety disorders are significantly associated with antidepressant adherence and persistence. Physicians need to recognize comorbid anxiety and race as 2 important determinants of antidepressant use behaviors when they encounter Medicaid patients with MDD.