cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diabetes in Individuals With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Treated With mTOR Inhibitors.

Abstract Background Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that is manifested in multiple body systems. A mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor (mTORi), either everolimus or sirolimus, is now routinely prescribed for multiple clinical manifestations of TSC, including subependymal giant cell astrocytoma and epilepsy. These medications are generally well tolerated. Side effects previously identified in well-designed clinical trials tend to be mild and readily manageable. Regulatory approvals for the treatment of TSC have expanded the use of everolimus and sirolimus clinically, enlarging clinician experience and enabling identification of potential treatment-related effects that are rarer than could be identified or recognized in previous clinical trials. Methods The medical records of clinical patients from our TSC center who were treated with an mTORi and later developed diabetes mellitus (DM) were analyzed and compared with those who were not treated with an mTORi. Eight individuals received detailed analysis, including laboratory results, concomitant medications, and body mass indices. Results Among the 1576 individuals with TSC, 4% taking an mTORi developed diabetes compared with 0.6% of those not on mTORi, showing a significant interaction between DM and mTORi (chi-square = 18.1, P Conclusions The long-term use of mTORi agents in TSC may contribute to a risk of diabetes. Early detection can be critical in management. Additional studies are need to further investigate a causal relationship, but clinicians should be aware of this possible association when initiating and monitoring ongoing treatment.
Familial eccrine spiradenoma: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Familial eccrine spiradenoma is a rare autosomal dominant condition that is characterized by slow-growing, benign adnexal tumors. OBJECTIVE We investigated a case of familial eccrine spiradenoma displaying an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. To our knowledge, only two previously reported cases of familial eccrine spiradenoma exist in the literature. METHODS A case report and review of the literature are given. RESULTS We report a case of familial eccrine spiradenoma in a mother and daughter and present successful treatment using surgical extirpation and CO2 laser ablation. CONCLUSION Familial eccrine spiradenoma is a benign autosomal dominantly inherited condition that is characterized by tender, slow-growing, adnexal tumors of the head and neck. Surgical tumor extirpation and CO2 laser ablation offer both an effective symptomatic and cosmetically elegant treatment option.
GRINS: Genetic elements that recode assembly-line polyketide synthases and accelerate their diversification

Assembly-line polyketide synthases (PKSs) are large and complex enzymatic machineries with a multimodular architecture, typically encoded in bacterial genomes by biosynthetic gene clusters. Their modularity has led to an astounding diversity of biosynthesized molecules, many with medical relevance. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that drive PKS evolution is fundamental for both functional prediction of natural PKSs as well as for the engineering of novel PKSs. Here, we describe a repetitive genetic element in assembly-line PKS genes which appears to play a role in accelerating the diversification of closely related biosynthetic clusters. We named this element GRINS: genetic repeats of intense nucleotide skews. GRINS appear to recode PKS protein regions with a biased nucleotide composition and to promote gene conversion. GRINS are present in a large number of assembly-line PKS gene clusters and are particularly widespread in the actinobacterial genus Streptomyces While the molecular mechanisms associated with GRINS appearance, dissemination, and maintenance are unknown, the presence of GRINS in a broad range of bacterial phyla and gene families indicates that these genetic elements could play a fundamental role in protein evolution.
Use of High-risk Medications Among Lonely Older Adults: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample

This cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between loneliness and high-risk medication use in adults older than 65 years.
ADAM17-Mediated Shedding of ACE2 in Pancreatic Beta-Cells

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) hydrolyzes angiotensin II. Our laboratory has previously shown that pancreatic ACE2 levels decrease as diabetes progresses and that pancreatic ACE2 gene therapy counteracts development of hyperglycemia in diabetic animal models. As a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) is an enzyme that can cleave enzymatically active ACE2 from the cell to the extracellular environment by so-called shedding, we hypothesize that increased levels of ADAM17 in pancreatic beta-cells lead to reduced cellular ACE2 levels. To this end, 832/13 cells (rat insulinoma cells derived from pancreatic beta-cells) were transfected with expression plasmids for ACE2, ADAM17, and a hydrolytically inactive E406A ADAM17 mutant. Using fluorogenic enzyme substrates, we measured shed ACE2 activity after a 24 h incubation as well as cell-associated ACE2 and ADAM17 activities. For a wide range of ACE2 expression levels, including the ACE2 expression level observed in pancreatic islets, a 4.6-fold incr...
Grid Business Models

A business model (BM) establishes a framework for the transformation of economic inputs (e.g. resources and technological knowhow) into economic outputs (e.g. goods and services) required by customers in a market (Chesbrough and Rosenbloom 2002). In simpler terms, a business model describes the way the business expects to make money by interacting with customers and other players in the market. Such a model can also be thought of as a mediator between technology development and value creation. The ultimate role of the business model is to ensure that the technological core delivers value to the customer. In order to achieve this, a number of factors and functions must be analysed and specified, such as the value proposition of the new product, the target market, the potential value chain for the delivery of the product or service, an estimation of the cost-structure, and profit potential (Peterovic et al. 2001, Weill and Vitale 2001). A well articulated BM is the foundation of the company’s business plan. The business plan serves as a decision-support tool and includes the additional level of detail that needs to be identified and proved (as well as can be prior to execution) in order for the business to attract money from potential investors. It specifies measurable goals, the reasons why they are believed to be attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals (Siegel et al. 1993, Wikipedia 2009a). It may also include background information about the company and a marketing plan. As it becomes apparent, both are to a great extent related and equally important; without a good business model, a business plan cannot be brought to effect and vice versa.
An Introduction to Enzyme Science

This chapter gives an introduction to enzymes, which work as catalysts. Metabolism is impossibly slow without enzymes. Enzymes are virtual on/off switches, with efficient conversion to products in an enzyme's presence and extremely low or no substrate reactivity in an enzyme's absence. When an uncatalyzed reaction is reasonably fast, an enzyme is required to assure that the reaction's pace is compatible with efficient metabolism under the full range of conditions experienced by that enzyme. Most enzymes also exhibit rate-saturation kinetics, meaning that velocity ramps linearly when the substrate concentration is below the Michaelis constant, and reaches maximal activity when the substrate is present at a concentration that is 10–20 times the value of the Michaelis constant. Biochemists recognize that substrate specificity is another fundamental biotic strategy for effectively organizing biochemical reactions into metabolic pathways. By controlling the relative concentrations of such enzymes, cells also avoid undesirable kinetic bottlenecks or the undue accumulation of pathway intermediates. Enzyme active sites can also harbor metal ions that attain unusually reactive oxidation states that rarely form in aqueous medium and even less often in the absence of side-reactions. The resilience of living organisms stems in large measure from the capacity of enzymes to specifically or selectively bind other ligands (e.g., coenzymes, cofactors, activators, inhibitors, protons, and metal ions). Enzymes are often altered conformationally via biospecific binding interactions with substrates and/or regulatory molecules to achieve optimal metabolic control. An additional feature is the capacity of multisubunit enzymes to exhibit cooperativity.
Case-based learning: Beyond classification of feature vectors

The dominant theme of case-based research at recent ML conferences has been on classifying cases represented by feature vectors. However, other useful tasks can be targeted, and other representations are often preferable. We review the recent literature on case-based learning, focusing on alternative performance tasks and more expressive case representations. We also highlight topics in need of additional research. This is a companion paper for the ECML-97 MLNet Workshop with the same title. See http://nathan.gmd.de/persons/dietrich.wettschereck/ecml97ws.html.
Persistent diarrhoea and occult vipomas in children.

Failure to recognise secretory diarrhoea leads to inappropriate gastrointestinal investigations, delayed diagnosis of a vipoma, and avoidable morbidity
Library statistics and outcomes assessment

The objective of collecting library statistics is "to assess the quality and effectiveness of services [and resources] provided by the library" (Poll, 2001,p.307). A review of the literature shows that measurement of electronic resources is a concern, that standards are necessary, and collaboration with publishers is required. As libraries spend more of their valuable resources to provide access to the electronic environment, they need to turn their attention to the effective measurement of electronic resources. In order to do this, libraries must determine relevant statistics (including those that can be collected internally by the library), request vendors to provide standardized statistics, and finally, evaluate the data in the context of their unique setting to enable sound decision-making. Libraries also need to utilize user surveys in addition to local and content-provider statistics, to get a clearer picture of their user's needs and satisfaction with library services and resources. Although the task is daunting, obtaining reliable statistics in the electronic environment is needed and continues to be another challenging area in academic libraries.This chapter will examine the various issues involved in gathering usage statistics for library electronic resources, including questions relating to why libraries collect statistics, what needs to be collected, and how data are collected. The chapter will also address the challenges encountered in collecting data, the perspective of content-providers, and the issues involved in data presentation. Finally, there will be a short review of several key initiatives on statistics for electronic collections.
The Magnitude of TCR Engagement Is a Critical Predictor of T Cell Anergy or Activation

Fast dissociation rate of peptide-MHC complexes from TCR has commonly been accepted to cause T cell anergy. In this study, we present evidence that peptides that form transient complexes with HLA-DR1 induce anergy in T cell clones in vitro and specific memory T cells in vivo. We demonstrate that similar to the low densities of long-lived agonist peptide-MHC, short-lived peptide-MHC ligands induce anergy by engagement of ∼1000 TCR and activation of a similar pattern of intracellular signaling events. These data strongly suggest that short-lived peptides induce anergy by presentation of low densities of peptide-MHC complexes. Moreover, they suggest that the traditional antagonist peptides might also trigger anergy by a similar molecular mechanism. The use of short-lived peptides to induce T cells anergy is a potential strategy for the prevention or treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Multi2Rank: Multimedia Multiview Ranking

Multimedia retrieval is a search and ranking task defined over multiple modalities. These modalities include speech, image, and text, which provide different views of the multimedia object. Queries to a multimedia retrieval system often take the form of a text only query and return a ranked result set which combines these multiple views. The text only query includes multiple phrases which identify features of a specific view. This multiview problem presents a challenge in mapping these phrases into the correct view feature space. A second challenge for the multimedia retrieval system is in building a ranking model which considers the unique feature space of each view. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical multimedia multiview rank learning model, called Multi2Rank, to overcome the challenges of this unique ranking problem. The first layer of our model uses natural language processing techniques to identify view specific phrases and output a ranked mapping of the phrases into their respective views. Next, we model the individual feature space for each multimedia view and create a view specific model using gradient boosted regression trees. The ranked set from each unique view is then passed to the final layer of the hierarchy, where the model generates a final ranked result set. We show that our multiview rank learning approach is effective by evaluating the methods using a large internet video repository, queries, and ground truth, from the TRECVid evaluations.
The influence of oxidation on the structure and strength of graphite-I: Materials of different structure

Abstract Three graphites, POCO AXF-5Q, Great Lakes H-440 and Stackpole 2020 were oxidized in air, CO2 and H2O, and the resulting samples examined for microstructural changes and loss of compressive strength. The two conventional binder/filler graphites showed the greatest strength loss when oxidized in air, because of preferential loss of binder. AXF-5Q had its lowest strength loss in air because of a very small pore diameter (0.45 μm) which is apparently too small to be reactive. Two unusual observations are the development of scalloped edges on the layer planes of filler particles oxidized in CO2, and the burning out of quite large pores in AXF-5Q by air and H2O. It is believed that the latter is due to large amounts of V, Ni and Zn in this material locally catalyzing the reaction.
Classification of unseen examples under uncertainty

Very frequently machine learning from real-life data is affected by uncertainty. There are three main reasons for imperfection in data: incompleteness, imprecision (also called vagueness), and errors. In this paper the main emphasis is on classification of unseen examples using a rule set induced from imperfect data. The classification strategy of the machine learning system LERS is described in detail. Results of experiments with medical data sets are also reported.
The Impact of Nongray Thermal Transport on the Temperature of AlGaN/GaN HFETs

The hotspot temperature in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure FETs has been of great interest due to its effect on the reliability of these devices. Both the nanoscale heat transfer effects and complex energy transfer mechanism from electrons to lattice are factors affecting the hotspot temperature, which is not accounted for in continuum level thermal simulations. The effects of heat generation zone size and the energy transfer mechanism from electrons to the lattice on the hotspot temperature were analyzed using electrical and nongray ballistic-diffusive thermal transport simulations for devices operated at a fixed power, but different biasing conditions. Results show that hotspot temperatures are impacted from nanoscale effects but the complex energy scattering mechanisms from electrons to the lattice do not have a significant impact on the hotspot temperature due to the scattering and redistribution of the energy within the phonon population.
Requirement of a Functional Gene 32 Product of Bacteriophage T4 in UV Repair

A temperature-sensitive mutation in gene 32 was used to study the role of gene 32 protein in the repair of UV-damaged DNA of bacteriophage T4. It was possible to distinguish between repair and replication of DNA at 33 C. At this temperature, DNA replication continued, and the intracellular DNA was stable. In contrast, no significant repair of UV-damaged DNA was observed even 40 min after the irradiation. Therefore, it was concluded that the defect in the repair mechanism at this temperature is not a simple consequence of the defect in DNA replication but that gene 32 apparently has an independent role for DNA repair. It was reported previously that gene 32 product is required for both T4 DNA replication and genetic recombination. In addition to these findings, this study has given direct evidence that, in vivo, this protein is also essential for the UV repair mechanism.
Understanding the Relationship between the U.S. Constitution and the Conventional Rule of Recognition

Legal theorists specializing in constitutional theory have tended to regard positivism and other conceptual theories as irrelevant; the idea is that a theory of the concept of law cannot tell us anything that helps to solve difficult normative and descriptive substantive issues of constitutional theory. While there is something to this complaint, there is at least one substantive non-normative issue worth pursuing - and I attempt to pursue it here. In particular, I attempt to determine how the Constitution and rule of recognition are related by examining the practices of officials. This will not solve any interesting issues of constitutional theory, but it entails that judicial supremacy extends further than is commonly assumed, making the morally normative issues associated with this practice in a democratic system of governance even more difficult.
Community adjustment of released token economy patients

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the community adjustment of token economy graduates and to compare their adjustment to that of a comparable group of patients released from other programs in the hospital. Community adjustment questionnaires were sent to the 98 graduates of the first 25 months of the token program and to a comparable group released from other parts of the hospital over the same time period. Recidivism over the 25- month period was significantly lower for the released token economy patients. Questionnaire data indicated that the released token economy patients were doing as well as, and possibly better than the released control patients in terms of community adjustment outside the hospital.
Imaging polarimeters for optical metrology

Two configurations of imaging polarimeters are described that are designed for polaimetric optical metrology. The first is a Stokes imaging polarimeter which measures the polarization response of optical systems to spherical or planar waves of known polarization. The output is images of the degree of polarization, orientation, and eccentricity of polarization ellipses, or Stokes parameters displayed as a function of either the exit pupil or image coordinate of the optical system. The second configuration is a Mueller imaging polarimeter which measures the Mueller matrix of an optical system on a ray-by-ray basis. Calibration issues involved in building the instruments are addressed along with a brief discussion on polarization aberration mechanisms.
Physical properties of a polar coronal hole from 2 to 5 solar radii

Observations with a white-light coronagraph aboard Skylab are used to determine the boundaries of a coronal hole in the northern polar region and the three-dimensional density structure within the hole between heights of 2 and 5 solar radii. The boundary of the hole is found to be essentially axisymmetric about the polar axis, nearly radial from 3 to 6 solar radii, and located near 25 deg latitude at these heights. The radiances arising from the hole are interpreted as resulting from an axisymmetric density distribution whose logarithmic radial gradient is independent of position within the hole and whose magnitude increases with angular distance away from the hole's axis. The velocity distribution within the hole is obtained from the continuity equation by assuming that the particle flux flowing outward in the hole is similar to that measured for high-speed solar-wind streams at 1 AU, and it is shown that the transition from subsonic to supersonic flow occurs between 2.2 and 3 solar radii.
The Physician as Private Attorney General

A physician whose patient suffered permanent injuries due to a prescribed theophylline-based medication successfully sued the drug manufacturer under the Washington State Consumer Protection and Product Liability Acts. He claimed damages for injury to his professional reputation and for his personal physical and emotional distress. Evidence showed that the drug company had engaged in deceptive trade practices by concealing from physicians information about the risks associated with use of theophylline. On appeal, the Washington Supreme Court affirmed the physician's claim under the Consumer Protection Act but reversed the award of damages under the Product Liability Act. The court decided that, although the Consumer Protection Act normally applies to the ultimate user of a product, physicians are appropriate parties under the act in the case of medication injuries due to the special relationship between physicians and drug manufacturers, in which manufacturers deal directly with the prescriber, not with the patient. The prescribing physician may be a "private attorney general" under the act because the manufacturer caused harm to his professional reputation. The physician, however, could not recover damages for personal distress after injuries experienced by his patient because such damages are available only under the Product Liability Act, a law that applies to parties directly injured by a product, their relatives, and certain bystanders witnessing the injury.
Comparison of abundance and habitat usage for common bottlenose dolphins between sites exposed to differential anthropogenic stressors within the estuaries of southern Georgia, U.S.A

The health of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) within southern Georgia estuaries is of particular concern due to high levels of anthropogenic contaminants in their tissues. Dolphins in this region have the highest polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations recorded for any marine mammal and these concentrations correlate to distance from a Superfund point-source in the Turtle/Brunswick River Estuary (TBRE). Currently, little is known about the population structure of dolphins in this region. This study identifies and compares baseline data on abundance, habitat use, site-fidelity, and ranging patterns of dolphins across two adjacent field sites; Brunswick, including the TBRE, and Sapelo, including the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Sapelo is relatively undeveloped and was selected for comparison to the more contaminated TBRE. Dolphin densities increased with tributary size in both sites but dolphin density and total abundance were significantly higher in Sapelo than in Brunswick. Anthropogenic stressors within the TBRE may be an important factor contributing to the differences in abundance, density, and habitat use observed in this study.
Processing of alumina and zirconia nano-powders and compacts

Abstract Magnesia–doped alumina and yttria–doped zirconia nano-powders were synthesized using sucrose as a chelating agent and template material from the aqueous solutions of aluminium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, ytrrium nitrate and zirconyl nitrate, respectively. Synthesis parameters were optimized with varying sucrose to metal ion ratio, calcinations time, and temperature to produce these nano-powders. As-synthesized powders were characterized by room temperature X-ray diffraction, BET surface area analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. Y 2 O 3 –ZrO 2 nano-powders had particle size in the range of 80–200 nm with specific average surface area of 119 m 2 /g and for MgO–Al 2 O 3 powders, particle sizes were 30–200 nm with the specific average surface area of 250 m 2 /g. Our results indicate that this synthesis method is a versatile one and can be applied to a variety of oxide-based materials to form nano-powders. Nano-powders were compacted uniaxially and densified in a muffle furnace. Sintered discs were used for hardness testing and density measurements, as well as for microstructural characterization.
A mixed-flux equilibrium asynchronous coupling scheme for accelerating convergence in ocean-atmosphere models

A coupled atmosphere/mixed-layer ocean energy balance model of intermediate complexity is used to examine the feasibility of a technique to accelerate the model's convergence rate while using equilibrium asynchronous coupling (EAC). EAC consists of an iterative sequence of integrations of an atmospheric model driven to equilibrium with fixed SSTs, the output of which is used to drive an ocean model to equilibrium. In an attempt to accelerate a radiatively perturbed climate to its final equilibrium state, we superimpose on the EAC scheme a mixed-flux condition, in which a portion of the turbulent air-sea heat flux from the most recent atmospheric leg is used in the present oceanic integration. In sensitivity tests using enhanced insolation, this mixed-flux approach strongly hastens the model's convergence rate, whose acceleration is regionally dependent: the tropics show the strongest sensitivity to the mixed-flux condition, while polar regions are least affected. This geographic variation stems from the presence of polar sea-ice, which promotes a temperature inversion and thereby causes a seasonal change in the sign of the total turbulent air-sea heat flux. Potential applications and limitations of this accelerated EAC method are also discussed.
Study of heat sink thermal protection systems for hypersonic research aircraft

The feasibility of using a single metallic heat sink thermal protection system (TPS) over a projected flight test program for a hypersonic research vehicle was studied using transient thermal analyses and mission performance calculations. Four materials, aluminum, titanium, Lockalloy, and beryllium, as well as several combinations, were evaluated. Influence of trajectory parameters were considered on TPS and mission performance for both the clean vehicle configuration as well as with an experimental scramjet mounted. From this study it was concluded that a metallic heat sink TPS can be effectively employed for a hypersonic research airplane flight envelope which includes dash missions in excess of Mach 8 and 60 seconds of cruise at Mach numbers greater than 6. For best heat sink TPS match over the flight envelope, Lockalloy and titanium appear to be the most promising candidates
Specificity of cervical spine radiography: Importance of clinical scenario

Knowledge of the sensitivity and specificity of relevant imaging studies is critical to the design of cost-effective clinical algorithms. In developing a cost-effectiveness analysis for cervical spine injuries, we encountered a paucity of data on the specificity of plain radiographs for the detection of cervical spine fracture. Therefore, we measured the specificity of cervical spine radiography in trauma patients at various levels of risk for fracture. A random sample of trauma patients who underwent cervical spine radiography were selected for each of several clinical scenarios. The numbers of false-positive and true-negative studies were determined from radiology records, and specificity was calculated. Specificity ranged from a low of 72% in patients who sustained a pelvic fracture from a fall to a high of 96% in all patients who sustained nonpenetrating trauma. In patients at high risk for cervical spine fracture, the specificity of radiography was relatively low. Understanding of radiographic specificity can aid in the development of imaging guidelines.
INDUSTRY RESOURCE ALLOCATION TO BASIC RESEARCH UNDER NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED BENEFITS

The failure of a free market system to attain socially optimal allocation of resources to research and development (R&D) is a generally recognized problem. However, we are just beginning to understand the types of R&D activities that receive relatively serious underinvestment from specific types of industries and the types of governmental intervention strategies that are likely to be effective and efficient in the correction of that underinvestment. Recently, Joglekar and Hamburg [16] [17] sought answers to these types of questions using models of the resource allocation behavior of firms considering investment in basic research related to their industry. It was assumed that the firms' benefits were exponentially distributed. In the present article, such benefits are assumed to be normally distributed, and an attempt is made to verify the earlier conclusions and policy implications of [16] and [17]. The results are similar for these two substantially different types of distribution, but the earlier conclusions and policy implications are clarified, qualified, and extended.
Concord grape juice reverses the age-related impairment in latent learning in rats.

AbstractObjectiveTwo experiments were conducted to determine if dietary supplementation with Concord grape juice could reverse the latent learning impairment normally observed in middle-aged male rats.MethodsBoth experiments utilized the latent cue preference (LCP) task, in which water-replete rats sample water in one compartment of a three-compartment box, and are subsequently given a compartment preference test when water-deprived to determine if they remember the compartment cue previously associated with water. In the first experiment, 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats (9, 10, 11, or 12 months old) were used to determine the age of onset of the impairment. In the second experiment, 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats (11 months old) were given daily access (10 ml/day) to 50% Concord grape juice, 50% white grape juice, or a calorically-equivalent sugar solution daily for 5 weeks prior to training.ResultsThe first experiment revealed that the latent learning impairment begins to manifest at 10 months of age in the ma...
A theoretical analysis of permeation of small hydrophobic solutes across the stratum corneum based on Scaled Particle Theory

The barrier properties of skin originate from its lipid bilayers whose ordered structure retards solute transport. The objective of this study is to develop a mathematical model that can predict skin permeability to small (MW < 500 Da), hydrophobic solutes based on the fundamental transport properties of skin lipid bilayers. We developed a mathematical model to predict two major transport properties (i.e., partition and diffusion coefficients) using important structural properties of lipid bilayers and molecular properties of the solute. The predictions are based on Scaled Particle Theory that calculates these properties using statistical mechanics of lipid chains. The calculations predict that solute partition coefficients in lipid bilayers are of the same order as those measured in isotropic solvents, such as octanol (K(o/w)). On the other hand, solute diffusion coefficients decrease exponentially with solute cross-sectional area. The resulting equation to predict skin permeability is given by P = 5.6 x 10(-6)K(0.7)(o/w)exp(-0.46r(2)(A1)--where r is solute molecular radius in Angstroms (A) and P is in cm/s. The predicted skin permeabilities compare well with the experimental data.
Stability and inertia

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of matrix stability and inertia theory. A few applications of inertia and stability theorems, and a nonspectral implicit matrix equation method for determining stability and inertia of a nonhermitian matrix are also presented. Inter-relationships between different theorems are explicitly stated, whenever appropriate. The paper concludes with some problems for future research in this area.
Exit, Voice, and Ethics

Hirschman's (1970) exit, voice, and loyalty framework draws attention to both economic and political behavior as instruments for organizational change. The framework is simple but powerful; it has stimulated much cross-disciplinary analysis and debate. This paper extends this analysis by examining normative implications of Hirschman's basic premise: that exit and voice are primarily mechanisms for enhancing organizational (vs. individual) well-being.
A nonuniform hardening plasticity model for concrete materials

Abstract For the most part, the developments of constitutive models for for the concrete by the theory of plasticity have in the past been made to scarch for a suitable failure surface. The initial yield surface is usually assumed to have the same shape as the failure surface but with a reduced size. The subsequent loading surfaces are then obtained by the uniform expansion of the initial one. This approach is found generally inadequate in predicting the deformational behavior of concrete for a wide range of loading conditions. The present non-uniform hardening plasticity model adopts the most sophisticated failure model of Willam-Warnke or Hsieh-Ting-Chen as the bounding surface; assume an initial yield surface with a shape that is different from the failure surface; proposes a nonuniform hardening rule for the subsequent loading surfaces with a hydrostatic pressure and Lode-angle dependent plasticity modulus; and utilizes a nonassociated flow rule for a general formulation. The work-hardening stress-strain behaviors of concrete based on the present model are found in good agreement with experimental results involving a wide range of stress states and different types of concrete material. The important features of inelastic behavior of concrete, including brittle failure in tension; ductile behavior in compression; hydrostatic sensitivities; and volumetric dilation under compressive loadings can all be represented by this improved constitutive model.
Consumer Attitudes toward Health and Health Care: A Differential Perspective.

Measures of attitudes of health care consumers toward their own health behaviors and health care institutions reveal the overall pattern of their views as well as their segmented views. Results suggest that some consumers may take a more scientific approach to health care and prevention than others and that demographics, health status, and health consciousness are partial predictors of that consumer approach. Policy makers for health care should formulate and target programs with different segments of the population in mind.
Organization of the commissural projection to the dentate gyrus is unaltered by heavy ethanol exposure during gestation.

Abstract The anterograde horseradish peroxidase method was used to determine if prenatal exposure to ethanol affected the development of the characteristic afferent lamination pattern of the commissural projection to the dentate gyrus. Mean ethanol consumption for the ethanol-consuming dams was 12.7 g/kg ± 0.3 g per day. Adult offspring of rats that consumed a liquid diet containing 35% ethanol-derived calories during days 1–21 of gestation, and both pair-fed and normal controls were examined. Brain weights and volumes of the ethanol and pair-fed control rats did not differ significantly from normal controls. However, body weights of ethanol-exposed rats were significantly reduced compared to normal controls. Computer-assisted image analysis of the HRP-labeling revealed that in spite of the heavy ethanol exposure there was no evidence of alterations in the spatial distribution of the commissural terminal field.
The void nucleation strengths of the Cu–Ni–Nb- based nanoscale metallic multilayers under high strain rate tensile loadings

Abstract The mechanical behavior of Cu–Ni–Nb- based nanoscale metallic multilayers (NMM) under high strain rate loadings is investigated in this work using molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations of NMMs with various individual layer thicknesses under uniaxial tensile strains at two different controlled strain rates (109/s and 1010/s) are performed. This type of loading condition generates a stress state necessary for void nucleation commonly observed under shock loading. The mechanisms for void nucleation in the NMMs are examined and identified; the void nucleation strengths (VNS) of the NMMs and their variations with respect to increasing individual layer thickness as well as available nucleation sites (affected by addition of interfacial disconnections) are obtained and explained. It is discovered that the void always nucleate from within the Cu layers, where the partial dislocations intersect with each other or with existing stacking faults. The void nucleation strength of the NMMs is closely related to the density of available sites for void nucleation. By introducing interfacial steps into the incoherent interfaces of the NMMs the abundance of dislocation sources is changed, thus more (less) sites for void nucleation are produced which decrease (increase) the void nucleation strength of the NMMs.
Symmetrical conjoined twins: an analysis of the birth records of twenty-two sets.

Twenty-two sets of symmetrical conjoined twins have been analyzed with the birth records of the New York State Department of health as a source of cases. Examination of the birth certificates in these cases reveal a marked predominance of females, an excess of stillbirths, a marked tendency toward prematurity and low combined birth weight, a maternal history of previous fetal loss, and a tendency toward seasonal, geographic, and temporal aggregation of such births.
Motion artifacts associated with in vivo endoscopic OCT images of the esophagus

3-D optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been extensively investigated as a potential screening and/or surveillance tool for Barrett’s esophagus (BE). Understanding and correcting motion artifact may improve image interpretation. In this work, the motion trace was analyzed to show the physiological origin (respiration and heart beat) of the artifacts. Results showed that increasing balloon pressure did not sufficiently suppress the physiological motion artifact. An automated registration algorithm was designed to correct such artifacts. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated in images of normal porcine esophagus and demonstrated in images of BE in human patients.
The Inflammatory Reflex and the Role of Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies

The body's first defense against invading pathogens or tissue injury is the innate immune system. Since excessive immune responses can be damaging, anti-inflammatory mechanisms function to control the pro-inflammatory response and prevent injury. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is a neural mechanism that suppresses the innate inflammatory response. Knowledge concerning innervation of the immune system offers a unique opportunity to explore previously unrecognized techniques to treat disease. It also enables consideration of the neurological basis of complementary and alternative medical therapies, such as meditation and acupuncture. This evolving area of research has implications for the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory conditions including inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions of excessive cytokine release.
Constrained cell recognition peptides engineered into streptavidin

Streptavidin is widely used as an adaptor molecule in diagnostics, separations, and laboratory assay applications. We have here engineered cell adhesive peptides into the three-dimensional scaffolding of streptavidin to convert streptavidin into a functional protein. The mutations did not alter refolding or tetramer assembly and the slow biotin dissociation rate of wild-type streptavidin was retained. The peptide targets were hexapeptide sequences derived from osteopontin and fibronectin that contain the RGD cell adhesion sequence. Cell binding assays directly demonstrated that rat aortic endothelial cells and human melanoma cells adhered to surfaces coated with either of the two RGD streptavidin mutants in a dose-dependent fashion. Wild-type streptavidin displayed no significant cell binding activity. Inhibition studies with soluble RGD peptides confirmed that the cell adhesion was RGD mediated. Further inhibition studies with antibodies directed against alphavbeta3 demonstrated that the RGD-streptavidin interaction was primarily mediated by this integrin with melanoma cells. These results demonstrate that peptide recognition sequences can be engineered into accessible surface regions of streptavidin without disrupting biotin binding properties. This approach to introducing secondary functional activities into streptavidin may improve streptavidin's utility in existing applications or provide new technology opportunities.
Adhesion measurements using telephone cord buckles

Thin film adhesion energies can be calculated using buckles with the telephone cord geometry. The buckles can be measured through the point of inflection of the buckle or through the center of the buckle and modeled as a straight buckle of uniform width and height. In the tungsten-silica system, a unique delamination morphology involved a transition from the straight to telephone cord buckle. This structure was used to compare various measurement techniques. The stability range between the straight and telephone cord morphology has been shown to be broader than previously described and exhibits a smooth transition from the straight to telephone cord structure. Measurements of the straight-sided buckles produce adhesion energies which are within 15% of the values calculated when approximating the telephone cord as a straight-sided structure at the inflection point of the buckle.
Rubik's cube: A toy, a galois tool, group theory for everybody

Abstract Rubik's cube is a most useful tool for the group-theoretician because of the wide range of concepts which can be demonstrated on it. These include subgroups, generators, order, equivalence relations, orbits, systems of imprimitivity and conjugacy. Inevitably consideration of the orbit table of some basic turns leads to a straightforward prescription for restoring a scrambled cube to its original conformation. A logical system of numbering the squares is also presented.
Cover Picture: Arresting, Fixing, and Separating Dimers Composed of Uniform Silica Colloidal Spheres (Adv. Funct. Mater. 12/2006)

In colloidal suspensions of silica, particles undergo constant collisions. By controlling various parameters, the repulsive barrier can be reduced, thereby substantially increasing the number of collision-induced dimerization events. Xia and co-workers report on p. 1627 that the dimers could be arrested and then permanently fixed by introducing a small amount of fresh tetraethylorthosilicate into the colloidal suspension, with monodisperse dimer yields of up to 50 %. This yield could be increased to 80 % by centrifugation in a density gradient medium. When fresh tetraethylorthosilicate is introduced into a colloidal suspension of silica spheres, it hydrolyzes and condenses in situ to arrest and fix the dimers resulting from constant collisions between the spheres. By optimizing the experimental parameters (including the length of aging time) and the diameter of the silica spheres, as well as the concentrations of counterions, water, and ammonia, it is possible to routinely produce monodisperse dimers with a yield as high as 50 %. When combined with centrifugation using a density gradient medium, the yield of such dimers could be further increased to 80 %. It is believed that this method will provide a simple and versatile approach to the high-volume production of dimers from spherical colloids composed of different materials. These dimers may find widespread use in a range of applications such as fabrication of photonic crystals and fundamental studies related to colloidal science.
Cations decrease specific [3H]-spiroperidol binding in human prefrontal cortex.

Abstract Ligand binding at many physiologically relevant receptors is regulated by divalent cations. To determine whether [ 3 H]-spiroperidol binding sites in prefrontal cortex might be physiologically relevant receptors, we examined the effect of ions on the binding of this ligand in postmortem human prefrontal cortex. Our results indicate that several cations decreased [ 3 H]-spiroperidol binding in a dose-dependent fashion. Of these, Cd ++ and Zn ++ were the most able to decrease [ 3 H]-spiroperidol binding with IC 50 of 5.5.5 +/− 2.4 × 10 −6 M and 5.6 +/− 1.1 × 10 −5 M respectively. These findings indicate that [ 3 H]-spiroperidol may bind at physiologically relevant receptors in human prefrontal cortex.
Engineered reactive cosputtered Sm x Zr 1– x O y thin films as buffer layers for YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ coated conductors

This study shows that biaxially textured SmxZr1−xOy (SZO) with a wide range of compositions (0.06 < x < 0.75) can be grown directly on ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) MgO template using reactive cosputtering. The SZO crystal structure can be changed, and the lattice parameter can be tailored (from 5.23 to 5.49 A) by changing the composition. We have developed a simplified high-temperature superconducting coated conductor using SZO as the buffer layer. YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) films grown by pulsed laser deposition on the SZO buffered IBAD MgO have self-field critical current densities (Jc) in the 2–4 MA/cm2 range. The in-field measurements demonstrate that high-quality YBCO films can be grown on SZO buffered IBAD MgO. The present results are especially important because they were obtained on coated conductors with the simpler architecture by eliminating the additional homoepitaxial layer of MgO. This translates in faster production and lower manufacturing cost.
Analysis of the ramp compensation approaches to improve stability for buck converters with constant on-time control

This study presents new sub-harmonic analysis for constant on-time control with ramp compensation. Ramp compensation of constant on-time control can be fulfilled by either directly feeding back a sensed inductor current signal as an internal ramp or using an external compensation ramp with a fixed slope during the off time and a fixed level during the on time. Based on the inductor current information and the charge variations of the output capacitor, the sub-harmonic mechanism is analysed in detail for constant on-time control with ramp compensation. Also, as well as explaining the benefits of using sensed inductor current signal, the effects of the sensed inductor current signal and the external compensation ramp are quantitatively compared. It is revealed that the external compensation ramp requires a lower ramp to avoid sub-harmonic oscillation. Based on the detailed theoretical analysis, experimental results demonstrate the stability criterion for constant on-time control with ramp compensation.
Wilson's theory of police behavior: A replication of the constraint theory

This paper re-examines James Q. Wilson's theory that police behavior is constrained by political culture. Using 1975 FBI arrest data and data published in the International City Management Association's Municipal Yearbook, Wilson's test of his theory is replicated. In addition to comparing mean arrest rates, some considerable attention is paid to intercity arrest rate variability. While the comparison of mean arrest rates confirms Wilson's empirical findings, examination of variability leads to the conclusion that Wilson's theory is a theory of central tendency, not a theory of constraints.