cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrodynamic characteristics of magnetically stabilized fluidized admixture beds of iron and copper particles

Hydrodynamic characteristics of fluidized beds of pure iron (1416 μm), copper (934 μ) and their admixture (25, 50 and 75 mass %) particles when exposed to a uniform magnetic field collinear with the gas flow are investigated. Bed pressure-drop data taken as a function of increasing and decreasing gas velocities (up to about 8 m/s) for different values of magnetic-field intensity over a wide range (0 to 17 272 A/m) are employed to determine the superficial minimum bubbling and fluidization gas velocities at ambient temperature and pressure. The minimum bubbling velocity is found to increase with an increase in the value of the magnetic-field intensity, as well as with the mass fraction of magnetizable particles in the bed. These data are correlated with an empirical relation, as well as with a semi-theoretical expression. The bed voidage data are also generated and analyzed, as also the bed quality fluidization in terms of interparticle magnetic forces. These hydrodynamic properties of magnetically stabilized fluidized-bed reactors are useful in their design and operation for a variety of chemical and biochemical applications. On a etudie les caracteristiques hydrodynamiques de lits fluidises de particules de fer pur (1416 um) et de cuivre pur (934 \im), puis de leur melange (25, 50 et 75% en masse) lorsqu'elles sont exposees a un champ magnetique uniforme colineaire avec le debit de gaz. On a employe des donnees de perte de charge de lit en fonction des vitesses de gaz croissant et decroissante (jusqu'a environ 8 m) pour une large gamme d'intensite de champ magnetique (0 a 17272 A/m) afin de determiner le bullage superficiel minimum et les vitesses de gaz de fluidisation a la temperature et a la pression ambiante. On a trouve que la vitesse de' bullage minimum augmentait avec la valeur de l'intensite du champ magnetique ainsi qu'avec la fraction de masse des particules magnetisables dans le lit. Ces donnees sont correlees a une relation empirique et a une expression semi-theorique. Les donnees de vide de lit sont egalement calculees et analysees tout comme la fluidisation de qualite de lit en termes des forces magnetiquement stabilises sont utiles dans leur conception et leur fonctionnement pour diverses applications chimiques et biochimiques.
Managing the interstitials, a System of Systems framework suited for the Ballistic Missile Defense System

Recent engineering experiences with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) highlight the need to analyze the BMDS System of Systems (SoS) including the numerous potential interactions between independently developed elements of the system. The term “interstitials” is used to define the domain of interfaces, interoperability, and integration between constituent systems in an SoS. The authors feel that this domain, at an SoS level, has received insufficient attention within systems engineering literature. The BMDS represents a challenging SoS case study as many of its initial elements were assembled from existing programs of record. The elements tend to perform as designed but their performance measures may not be consistent with the higher level SoS requirements. One of the BMDS challenges is interoperability, to focus the independent elements to interact in a number of ways, either subtle or overt, for a predictable and sustainable national capability. New capabilities desired by national leadership may involve modifications to kill chains, Command and Control (C2) constructs, improved coordination, and performance. These capabilities must be realized through modifications to programs of record and integration across elements of the system that have their own independent programmatic momentum. A challenge of SoS Engineering is to objectively evaluate competing solutions and assess the technical viability of tradeoff options. This paper will present a multifaceted technical approach for integrating a complex, adaptive SoS to achieve a functional capability. Architectural frameworks will be explored, a mathematical technique utilizing graph theory will be introduced, adjuncts to more traditional modeling and simulation techniques such as agent based modeling will be explored, and, finally, newly developed technical and managerial metrics to describe design maturity will be introduced. A theater BMDS construct will be used as a representative set of elements together with the interstitials representing the integration domain. Increased attention to the interstitial space of the overarching BMDS SoS construct and applying appropriate technical rigor and engineering due diligence with these added tools should greatly assist the BMDS in realizing its potential. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 14: 87–109, 2011
Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for perchloroethylene using tissue concentration-time data.

Abstract The tissue disposition of perchloroethylene (PCE) was characterized experimentally in rats in order to (1) obtain input parameters from in vivo data for the development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model, and (2) use the PBPK model to predict the deposition of PCE in a variety of tissues following inhalation exposure. For the derivation of model input parameters, male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single bolus of 10 mg PCE/kg body wt in polyethylene glycol 400 by ia injection through an indwelling carotid arterial cannula. Other male Sprague-Dawley rats inhaled 500 ppm PCE for 2 hr in dynamic exposure inhalation chambers. Serial samples of brain, liver, kidney, lung, heart, skeletal muscle, perirenal fat, and blood were taken for up to 72 hr following ia injection, during the 2-hr inhalation exposure, and for up to 72 hr postexposure. Blood and tissue PCE concentrations were analyzed using a gas chromatography headspace technique. Following ia administration, the tissues exhibited similar terminal elimination half-lives (t 1 2 ). As comparable tissue t 1 2 s are consistent with a blood-flow-limited model, tissue:blood partition coefficients were calculated for noneliminating compartments by division of the area under the tissue concentration-time curve (AUC) by the blood AUC. Liver PCE concentration versus time data were employed in the calculation of in vivo metabolic rate constants. A PBPK model was developed using these parameters derived from the ia data set and used to predict tissue PCE concentrations during and following PCE inhalation. Predicted tissue levels were in close agreement with the levels measured over time in the seven tissues and in blood. Tissue concentration-time data can thus provide valuable input for parameter estimation and for validation of PBPK model simulations, as long as independent in vivo data sets are used for each step.
WANDA: an end-to-end remote health monitoring and analytics system for heart failure patients

Recent advances in wireless sensors, mobile technologies, and cloud computing have made continuous remote monitoring of patients possible. In this paper, we introduce the design and implementation of WANDA, an end-to-end remote health monitoring and analytics system designed for heart failure patients. The system consists of a smartphone-based data collection gateway, an Internet-scale data storage and search system, and a backend analytics engine for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The system supports the collection of data from a wide range of sensory devices that measure patients' vital signs as well as self-reported questionnaires. The main objective of the analytics engine is to predict future events by examining physiological readings of the patients.We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed analytics engine using the data gathered from a pilot study of 18 heart failure patients. In particular, our results show that the advanced analytic algorithms used in our system are capable of predicting the worsening of patients' heart failure symptoms with up to 74% accuracy while improving the sensitivity performance by more than 45% compared to the commonly used thresholding algorithm based on daily weight change. Moreover, the accuracy attained by our system is only 9% lower than the theoretical upper bound. The proposed framework is currently deployed in a large ongoing heart failure study that targets 1500 congestive heart failure patients.
Perceived likeability and competence of simulated patients: influence on physicians' management plans.

Abstract The goals of this study were to define the psychological and personality characteristics that physicians attribute to their patients and to determine whether these attributions affect treatment decisions. A Physician Attribution Survey was developed to achieve the first goal, and demonstrated that likeability and competence were salient features of the physician-patient relationship. Videotapes were then created demonstrating patients with three different combinations of likeability and competence: likeable-competent (L-C), unlikeable-competent (U-C) and likeable-incompetent (L-I). After being pre-tested with several samples of health professional students, the tapes were shown to 93 primary care physicians. These physicians then completed both a Physician Attribution Survey and a Patient Management Problem describing their proposed treatment. There were significant differences in treatment on five of nine treatment dimensions, depending upon the characteristics of the patient. First, the L-C patient would be encouraged significantly more often to telephone and to return more frequently for follow-up than would the L-I or U-C patient. Second, the staff would educate the likeable patients significantly more often than they would the unlikeable patients. Third, the physician would offer significantly more patient education to incompetent patients than to competent ones. Fourth, the unlikeable patient would receive significantly more interviewing regarding the psychological aspects of care than would the likeable patients. Fifth, the L-C patient would receive augmented medication more frequently than either the U-C patient or the L-I patient. There were no differences in the use of the physical examination, referral to staff, frequency of return or hospitalization based on the personal characteristics of the patient, although some of these variables were significantly affected by the attributed disease. There were no interactions between patient characteristics and disease as determinants of management. These findings have implications for medical education, studies of medical decision-making, and assessments of physicians' quality of care of patients. The methods developed provide a basis for more extensive and detailed studies of the explicit and implicit theories physicians have regarding the relationship between the personality characteristics of their patients and treatment decisions.
Expression of Yeast Mitochondrial Aconitase in Bacillus subtilis

Expression of yeast mitochondrial aconitase (Aco1) in a Bacillus subtilis aconitase null mutant restored aconitase activity and glutamate prototrophy but only partially restored sporulation. Late sporulation gene expression in the Aco1-expressing strain was delayed.
Mature Driver Laws and State Predictors of Motor Vehicle Crash Fatality Rates Among the Elderly: A Cross-sectional Ecological Study.

Objective: State-level data have indicated that motor vehicle crash (MVC) fatality rates among the elderly vary widely across states. To date, the majority of states have implemented mature driver laws, which often require more frequent license renewals, in-person renewal, and vision testing for drivers above a certain age. We sought to evaluate the impact of mature driver laws on states’ MVC fatality rates among the elderly while examining other state-level determinants of MVC-related deaths.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional ecological study and modeled state MVC fatality rates for the population over age 65 as a function of state transportation policies and demographic, health system, population health, travel, and climate characteristics using a general linear model. Principal component analysis was used to reduce dimensionality of the data and overcome multicollinearity of state predictor variables.Results: Higher average temperature, higher gas prices, and a greater number of emergency medicine...
Change in classification level and the effects on research productivity and merit scores for faculty in a school of education

In this article we present results of an empirical study of the relationship between research productivity and research-related merit ratings over a 10-year period for tenured and tenure-track faculty in a school of education. The purpose of the study was to assess change in faculty productivity as a result of the institution's change in the Carnegie classification system. Results show that higher research expectations affected the productivity level of faculty in regard to increasing international conference presentations, national conference presentations, state conference presentations, and large unfunded grants. Furthermore, over time the variables that were important for merit scores changed and decreased in number.
Further Additions to the Algal Flora of St. Andrews, Fife

(1956). Further Additions to the Algal Flora of St. Andrews, Fife. Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh: Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 46-60.
Quasi-Elastic Electron Scattering from a Finite-Temperature Nucleus

An analytic formula is derived for quasi-elastic electron scattering from a compound nucleus. The nucleus is treated as a finite-temperature Fermi gas, although the formula can be used for any nuclear momentum distribution. Many-body correlations can be included by the use of an effective nucleon mass. The formula is good in the high-energy (several BeV) region, and can be used for estimating background. The Drell-Walecka form factors are calculated assuming the finite-temperature Fermi gas distribution.
Pigs, Dogs, Baboons, and Man: Lessons for Stenting from Animal Studies

A new era in interventional cardiology has arrived with the widespread use of intracoronary stents. These devices have not only markedly improved the safety of dilatation, but have also limited restenosis through achievement of a larger postprocedure lumen. Much work remains in furthering this technology, since two major limitations are thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia that still cause restenosis. Stent placement in animals provides insight into both of these areas. The volume of neointima is directly proportional to the depth of injury induced by the stent in at least three species: the pig, baboon, and dog. Across each species, a numerically different slope exists for the injury-neointimal thickness regression. Treatments to limit hyperplasia within a species do not change this slope, but instead alter the y-intercept. Stent thrombosis in animal models consists principally of platelet-rich thrombi. The time course of thrombus appears to differ across pigs and baboons. Antiplatelet agents limit, but do not eliminate the problem in animals, suggesting that newer and more potent antiplatelet agents may improve scent thrombosis in clinical trials. The future of stent technology lies in developing an antithrombotic device that also eliminates neointimal hyperplasia. Intense studies of animal models and improved understanding of their pathophysiology will facilitate this progress.
Toroidal heliac equilibrium

An expansion method is developed for long-wavelength heliac and stellarator equilibrium. Time-dependent equations of motion are solved numerically to give equilibria which can include magnetic islands and stochastic field regions. Analytic low-beta equilibria are found which are in good agreement with computations.
beta-Acyloxysulfonyl tethers for intramolecular Diels-Alder cycloaddition reactions.

β-Hydroxy sulfone-based tethers were employed for the first time to achieve thermally mediated intramolecular Diels−Alder cycloaddition. The reactions proceeded with complete regioselectivity and high (10/1) to complete endo/exo-selectivity and resulted in the preferential formation of one of the two possible endo-cycloadducts. The yields and stereoselectivities were proportional to the bulk of the R1 substituent on the β-acyloxysulfonyl tether.
Stabilization policies for united states feed grain and livestock markets

This paper studies economic policy toward feed grain and livestock markets by applying optimal control theory to a quarterly microeconometric model. The results indicate that: (1) farm prices and the retail cost of meat can be stabilized by optimal control relative to unregulated markets, (2) the support price for corn and beef import controls are the most effective instruments while management of corn stocks is neither necessary nor a substitute for other instruments, (3) beef import controls are essential to stabilize producer prices for livestock commodities and (4) there is a definitive limit to the stabilization gain that can be achieved by a more intensive use of the instruments.
Oscillations of drops in zero gravity with weak viscous effects

Nonlinear oscillations and other motions of large axially symmetric liquid drops in zero gravity are studied numerically by a boundary-integral method. The effect of small viscosity is included in the computations by retaining first-order viscous terms in the normal stress boundary condition. This is accomplished by making use of a partial solution of the boundary-layer equations which describe the weak vortical surface layer. Small viscosity is found to have a relatively large effect on resonant mode coupling phenomena.
Continued Help in Lending Direction: A Proposed Nurse to Nurse Communica Tion System

Continuity of care is dependent on effective patterns of communication. Currently useful patterns of communications are nonexistent between the nursing staffs of tertiary medical centers and community hospitals. Nurses in community hospitals have difficulty obtaining discharge data regarding a child's admission to the tertiary center. In order to promote continuity of care between health agencies, Continued Help in Lending Direction (C.H.I.L.D.) has been proposed to assure a statewide telecommunication system between nurses at tertiary centers and community hospitals. Through the use of the hot-line, nurses in outlying hospitals will immediately be able to obtain information from the pediatric tertiary center if a child is later seen in the emergency room or admitted to the community hospital.This article proposes a communication network that would allow nurses working in hospitals throughout a state or region to have direct contact with a pediatric medical center through the simple process of dialing the...
The optimization of peripheral nerve recovery using cortical reorganization techniques: A retrospective study of wrist level nerve repairs

Abstract Study design Retrospective case series. Introduction Outcomes following peripheral nerve repairs have not significantly improved over the past few decades. A new protocol using cortical reorganization techniques was developed with the goal of improving nerve recovery in the hand. Purpose of the study To determine if early sensory re-education using cortical reorganization techniques improved sensory outcomes in the hand after repair of wrist-level nerve injuries. Methods A retrospective study was completed of wrist-level peripheral nerve repairs in patients who underwent a sensory re-education protocol which included cutaneous anesthesia, tactile stimulation, and sensory and motor imagery. Data for static 2-point discrimination, Semmes Weinstein monofilament assessments and the shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) scores were collected. Results At four months post-repair, three of seven of the median nerve lacerations had static 2-point discrimination of 7 mm or less in at least one digit. Using the Semmes Weinstein monofilaments, 9 of 11 nerve repairs felt the 4.31 filament (protective) or better by eleven months with five able to perceive the 2.83 filament (normal) in that time frame. Conclusions This limited retrospective study suggests that early sensory re-education using cortical reorganization techniques may improve sensory outcomes. A larger scale study is indicated to confirm our findings. Level of evidence IV
Why Do Firms Divest

In this paper, I examine how lower-cost production and new market opportunities influence the divestment decisions of firms. I argue that lower-cost production and new market opportunities in foreign markets can provide a better use of existing firm resources and posit that these opportunities are likely to influence firm divestment of home-country operations. The empirical results from a panel of 190 U.S. firms over a 20-year period (1981--2000) show that lower-cost production and new market opportunities influence the divestment decisions of firms. However, the results also reveal several interesting moderating influences on the hypothesized trade-offs and differences across the growth strategies of firms in low-and high-research and development intensive industries. By considering how and when investment in lower-cost production and new market opportunities impacts firm divestment decisions, this study examines divestment not only as a choice managers make when dealing with poor or struggling operations, but also as a response to better opportunities for firm resources in other markets. By focusing on the trade-offs managers make across product and geographic markets, this paper examines the role divestment can play in firm growth and expansion strategies.
Project management maturity of selected organizations in Croatia

Project management maturity models (PMMM) are a part of the PM development process, and present a relatively new concept. PMMMs are used to assess and plan strategically the PM development and required resources in an organization. Maturity models can also be used as a performance benchmark among different organizations and industries. Our fieldwork assessed the average PM maturity level of Croatian organizations, correlated the maturity with the basic organization characteristics, like ownership, market, size and industry, and explored the relation between PM process maturity and PM environment maturity. Croatian organizations are at low maturity levels (mostly 1 and 2 out of 5, average 1.75). There are differences in maturity among industries and the different sizes and markets in which organizations operate. The differences indicate that there is a link between the higher performance of an organization and its PM maturity level. The research showed that there is a very high correlation between the maturity of the PM processes and PM environment, and maturity can almost be considered the same from both perspectives. There is high recognition and high expectation regarding the development of PM practice within organizations. However, declining budgets and closed approach to maturing in PM might indicate hesitation. PM alone cannot improve the competitiveness of Croatian organizations, but its promotion should be an important element in the overall business environment
Diversity in Everyday Discourse: The Cultural Ambiguities and Consequences of "Happy Talk"

>> Few words in the current American lexicon are as ubiquitous and ostensibly uplifting as diversity. The actual meanings and functions of the term, however, are difficult to pinpoint. In this article we use in-depth interviews conducted in four major metropolitan areas to explore popular conceptions of diversity. Although most Americans respond positively at first, our interviews reveal that their actual understandings are undeveloped and often contradictory. We highlight tensions between idealized conceptions and complicated realities of difference in social life, as well as the challenge of balancing group-based commitments against traditional individualist values. Respondents, we find, define diversity in abstract, universal terms even though most of their concrete references and experiences involve interactions with racial others. Even the most articulate and politically engaged respondents find it difficult to talk about inequality in the context of a conversation focused on diversity. Informed by critical theory, we situate these findings in the context of unseen privileges and normative presumptions of whiteness in mainstream U.S. culture. We use these findings and interpretations to elaborate on theories of the intersection of racism and colorblindness in the new
Extremum-seeking control strategy for ABS system with time delay

In this paper, an improved extremum-seeking control is developed via sliding mode to apply to systems with time delay and to avoid the problem of excessive oscillation. With such a control strategy, systems are kept working near the peak value of their performance index without priori knowledge of the performance index function. Stability for such controller design is investigated. The proposed method is applied to a pneumatic Anti-lock brake system (ABS) example to achieve better braking performance and avoid the lock-up phenomenon.
Silicon nanowire photovoltaics

Arrays of hundreds of parallel silicon nanowire p-n junction diodes, 20 nm in diameter and separated from each other by 14 nm, were fabricated using a variant of nanoimprint lithography. Bulk film diodes were also fabricated adjacent to the arrays as controls. Dark I–V curves from the nanowire arrays and bulk films suggest that performance is currently limited by surface states.
The association of folate, zinc and antioxidant intake with sperm aneuploidy in healthy non-smoking men

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the effect of paternal nutrition on aneuploidy in sperm. We investigated the association of normal dietary and supplement intake of folate, zinc and antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E and b-carotene) with the frequency of aneuploidy in human sperm. METHODS: Sperm samples from 89 healthy, nonsmoking men from a non-clinical setting were analysed for aneuploidy using fluorescent in situ hybridization with probes for chromosomes X, Y and 21. Daily total intake (diet and supplements) for zinc, folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and b-carotene was derived from a food frequency questionnaire. Potential confounders were obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: After adjusting for covariates, men with high folate intake (>75th percentile) had lower frequencies of sperm with disomies X, 21, sex nullisomy, and a lower aggregate measure of sperm aneuploidy (P � 0.04) compared with men with lower intake. In adjusted continuous analyses, total folate intake was inversely associated with aggregate sperm aneuploidy (‐3.6% change/100 mg folate; 95% CI: 26.3, 20. 8) and results were similar for disomies X, 21 and sex nullisomy. No consistent associations were found between antioxidant or zinc intakes and sperm aneuploidy. CONCLUSIONS: Men with high folate intake had lower overall frequencies of several types of aneuploid sperm.
Clean Thoughts and Dirty Minds; The Politics of Porn

Various justiftcations are givenfor regulating sexually explicit material, including that it causes social harm by eroding behavioral norms or violating basic civil rights. Theories ofmorality politics and policy, however, suggest that regulation of sexually explicit material is driven by attempts to redistribute values, i.e., by groups/vho seek to use the coercive power ofthe state to impose their moral codes on others. The analysis here tests for relationships predicted by morality policy theory and generally finds patterns consistent with the argument that policing pornography is driven primarily by attempts at value redistribution.
Cardiac gap junction remodeling by stretch: is it a good thing?

Cardiac cells contract and are also normally exposed to the mechanical events in their surroundings. It is now well established that both cardiac gene expression and protein synthesis are subject to regulation by mechanical forces, including stretch. For example, mechanical stretch is known to be one of the most important stimuli leading to cardiac hypertrophy,1 2 3 4 5 and recent studies indicate that cardiac myocyte hypertrophy is stimulated in vitro by specific directions and degrees of stretch.6 Similarly, certain stretch-sensitive sarcolemmal ion channels and exchangers have been found in cardiac myocytes7 and have been implicated in the mechanism of stretch-induced arrhythmias.8 However, whereas signal transduction induced by mechanical stretch involves activation of a wide variety of second messenger systems,9 it remains to be determined which molecules are directly affected by stretch and which are the processes whereby mechanical stimuli trigger intracellular signaling pathways to activate protein kinase cascades and produce changes in function. The process of filling and ejecting blood subjects the cells of the heart to repetitive pulsatile stress. Our understanding of the basic electrophysiology underlying the cardiac action potential and its propagation across cells is largely on the basis of patch clamp data and isolated tissue experiments in the absence of mechanical stress. On the other hand, whole-heart electrophysiological mapping studies are often carried out in in situ functioning hearts. In either case, the role of mechanical stress in impulse initiation and propagation has not been adequately addressed. In addition, although stretch is thought to play an important role in cardiac remodeling that is associated with heart failure, very little is known about its role in normal electrical function. The study by Zhuang et al10 in this issue of Circulation Research , which is the result of a successful collaboration between …
Numerical simulation of borehole acoustic logging in the frequency and time domains with hp-adaptive finite elements

Accurate numerical simulation of borehole acoustic measurements is of great relevance to improving the efficacy of acoustic logging techniques and to computationally estimating elastic formation properties. Such simulations require sound physical modeling combined with accurate and efficient numerical discretization and solution techniques. The objective of this paper is to concomitantly model acoustic wave propagation in a fluid-filled borehole coupled with elastic wave propagation both in the probed rock formation and in the elastic logging tool. To ensure the accuracy and efficiency of our simulations, we use a self-adaptive finite-element discretization method enhanced with Perfectly-Matched-Layer spatial-domain truncation. This work constitutes the first application of automatic hp-adaptivity to a coupled multi-physics problem, which requires the non-trivial capability of propagating refinements between acoustics and elasticity subdomains through their common interface. Computations are carried out in the frequency domain. Subsequently, using an inverse Fourier transform, frequency-domain solutions are transformed into the time domain to obtain waveforms at the receiver positions. Numerical results are presented for monopole and dipole sources with and without the presence of the logging tool, and for a layered formation. To validate our method, we compare our results to published reference data and to results obtained using an in-house finite-difference code. Convergence to a user-specified tolerance for the discretization error confirms the accuracy delivered by our method in the presence of complex geometrical and physical conditions and indicates its potential for the simulation of borehole acoustic measurements.
Magainin-2 releases histamine from rat mast cells.

The magainins are basic 23 amino acid peptides with a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Their bactericidal effect has been attributed to their capacity to interact with lipid bilayer membranes. We observed histamine release by magainin-2 amide from rat peritoneal mast cells (ED50 = 13 micrograms/ml) but not from human basophils. This histamine-releasing reaction from peritoneal mast cells was due to a secretory rather than cytolytic effect, i.e., release occurred without concomitant liberation of lactic dehydrogenase. Furthermore, the pretreatment of mast cells with magainin-2 amide did not desensitize cells against subsequent challenge with other secretagogues. Maximum histamine release occurred in less than a minute at 25 and 37 degrees C. The addition of Ca2+ was not required for histamine release, although release was enhanced by the addition of 0.3-1 mM Ca2+. The addition of 3 mM Ca2+ or Mg2+ was markedly inhibitory. The presence of Na+ or Cl- ions in the medium was not required for release. Therefore, histamine release is not due to the formation of anion-selective channels in the membrane of mast cells. The results indicated that the characteristics of histamine secretion induced by magainin-2 amide were unlike IgE-mediated release but were similar to the mechanism of release attributed to some other basic peptides and to compound 48/80.
Evaluation of Process Degradation of Polymer Formulations Utilizing High‐Throughput Preparation and Analysis Methods

Polymers exhibir comples degradation mechanims during their procesing and end use. High-throughput develoment of new polymer formlations requires new methods for material preparation and measurement of properties. We explore various approaches to increase the throughput and decrease the sample size for evaluating the relative effectiveness of process stabilizers for 'poly(propylene). Our several measurement methods for rank ordering stabilizer effectivencess are attractive for rapid identification of high performance stabilizers.
Is There A Place for Me? Role Models and Academic Identity among White Students and Students of Color

Role models have long been thought to play an important role in young peoples’ development. The present study explores the ways that race- and gender-matched role models can provide young people with a greater sense of the opportunities available to them in the world. A longitudinal study of young adolescents ( N 5 80) revealed that students who reported having at least one race- and gender-matched role model at the beginning of the study performed better academically up to 24 months later, reported more achievement-oriented goals, enjoyed achievement-relevant activities to a greater degree, thought more about their futures, and looked up to adults rather than peers more often than did students without a race- and gender-matched role model. These effects held only for race- and gender-matched role models—not for non-matched role models. Finally, the results held irrespective of the educational achievements of the specific role model. Data are discussed in terms of their implications for our understanding of the ways that young people become invested in academic pursuits and the means by which we might be able to assist goal development among young people.
No Evidence for Female Association with High-Performance males in the Green Anole Lizard, Anolis carolinensis

Sexual selection theory suggests that females may gain significant indirect fitness benefits from mating with males expressing good genes, particularly in animal species where the males provide no parental care. Whole-organism performance abilities have previously been shown to enhance both survival and reproductive success in a range of taxa, and females who mate with high-performance males might therefore gain significant indirect performance benefits. We tested the hypothesis that females associate preferentially with high-performance males in the green anole lizard Anolis carolinensis in laboratory trials using multivariate statistical techniques. Our results indicate that male performance abilities do not influence female mating preferences, either in isolation or as a combined suite of traits. Thus, any indirect performance benefits that a female might gain for her offspring are likely not a result of a female choice process.
Observations of IMF and seasonal effects in high‐latitude convection

Strong interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and seasonal effects in the convection of nightside ionospheric plasma are described. The findings are based on a statistical analysis of observations made with the Johns Hopkins University/ Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) HF radar located at Goose Bay, Labrador. For positive sign of the IMF dusk-dawn component, By greater than 0 the dawn cell is more crescent shaped and the dusk cell more round while for BY less than 0 these pairings of size and shape are reversed. The more extreme crescent /round cell dichotomy is obtained for BY greater than 0. The return flows associated with the crescent-shaped cell dominate at midnight MLT (magnetic local time); the reversal in the zonal velocity in the 67 deg-69 deg lambda (magnetic latitude) interval occurs 2.5 hr earlier in summer than in winter. The maximum effects are obtained on the nightside for the pairings By greater than 0, summer and BY less than 0, winter; the first produces the more structured cell in the morning, the second in the evening, and this cell dominates the return flow at midnight. The difference in the zonal flow reversals for these pairings exceeds 4 hr in MLT.
Leukocyte esterase strip test: matched for musculoskeletal infection society criteria.

Background: The presence of leukocyte esterase in the synovial fluid has recently been proposed as a marker for periprosthetic joint infection. However, the sensitivity and specificity of leukocyte esterase has not been determined when matched for the current, most inclusive Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) criteria for periprosthetic joint infection. Methods: The presence of leukocyte esterase was prospectively evaluated in synovial joint aspirates from hips and knees from May 2009 to May 2013. The cohort consisted of 189 hip and knee aspirations (fifty-two positive and 137 negative for infection). If the aspirate was bloody, a centrifuge was used to precipitate red blood cells and obtain clear synovial fluid. A standard chemical test strip (graded as negative, trace, +, or ++) was used to detect the presence of leukocyte esterase. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the leukocyte esterase strip test were calculated using ++ and ++/+ as two positive strip result scenarios. Results: Synovial fluid was obtained from 221 joints that underwent revision total hip or total knee arthroplasty for either mechanical failure or periprosthetic infection. Due to the lack of adequate criteria for MSIS criteria classification, thirty-two joints were excluded. The leukocyte esterase test with a threshold of +/++ had a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 79.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 65.9% to 89.2%), 80.8% (95% CI, 73.3% to 87.1%), 61.8% (95% CI, 49.2% to 73.3%), and 90.1% (95% CI, 84.3% to 95.4%), respectively. Using the ++ as a positive leukocyte esterase result, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 66.0% (95% CI, 51.7% to 78.5%), 97.1% (95% CI, 92.6% to 99.2%), 89.7% (95% CI, 75.8% to 97.1%), and 88.0% (95% CI, 81.7% to 92.7%), respectively. Conclusions: When matched to the current MSIS criteria, the leukocyte esterase strip test yielded a high specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and moderate sensitivity. These results demonstrate that leukocyte esterase is an accurate, effective marker of periprosthetic joint infection as defined by the MSIS criteria. The leukocyte esterase strip test is a valuable tool that can be used in conjunction with the current battery of diagnostic tests available. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Level II. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
An inconvenient truth about tunneled authentications

In recent years, it has been a common practice to execute client authentications for network access inside a protective tunnel. Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks on such tunneled authentications have been discovered early on and cryptographic bindings are widely adopted to mitigate these attacks. In this paper, we shake the false sense of security given by these so-called protective tunnels by demonstrating that most tunneled authentications are still susceptible to MitM attacks despite the use of cryptographic bindings and other proposed countermeasures. Our results affect widely deployed protocols, such as EAP-FAST and PEAP.
A Psychometric Examination of the Africentric Scale Challenges in Measuring Afrocentric Values

For at least three decades, Black psychologists have devoted their lives to undo the racist and maleficent theory and practice of mainstream or European-centered psychological practice. Nobles (1986) succinctly surveys the work and conclusions of prominent European-centered psychologists and concludes that the Europeancentered approach to inquiry as well as the assumptions made con
Public penance in Anglo-Saxon England

In a sermon for Ash Wednesday, after general exhortations to prayer, church-going, and almsgiving during Lent, Wulfstan discusses what is to be done with those guilty of ‘high’ sins:And sume men syndon eac Þe nyde sculan of cyricgemanan Þas halgan tid ascadene mid rihte weorðan for healican synnan, ealswa adam wearð of engla gemanan Þa ða he forworðe Þa myclan myrhðe Þe he on wunode aer ðam Þe he syngode … Leofan men, on Wodnesdaeg, Þe byð caput ieiunii, bisceopas ascadað on manegum stowan ut of cyrican for heora agenan Þearfe Þa ðe healice on openlican synnan hy sylfe forgyltan. And eft on Ðunresdaeg aer Eastran hy geinniað into cyrican Þa ðe geornlice Þaet Lencten heora synna betað, swa swa hym man wissað; Þonne absolutionem bisceopas ofer hy raedað [agus] for hi Þingiað [agus] mid Þam heora synna Þurh Godes mildheortnesse myclum gelyhtað. And Þaet is Þearflic gewuna, ac we his ne gymað swa wel swa we scoldan on ðisse Þeode, [agus] hit waere mycel Þearf Þaet hit man georne on gewunan haefde.
The plus-strand leader RNA of VSV inhibits DNA-dependent transcription of adenovirus and SV40 genes in a soluble whole-cell extract.

Abstract In an attempt to determine the mechanism (or mechanisms) by which vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) kills cells, products of VSV transcription were tested in a cell-free system for their capacity to inhibit transcription of SV40 DNA and plasmids containing adenovirus late promoter and adenovirus-associated RNA genes. VSV RNA transcripts and other RNAs were compared for their capacity to suppress transcription of these DNA templates by RNA polymerases and cofactors present in the HeLa-cell extract system. Relatively low concentrations of the plus-strand leader RNA made in vitro from the 3′ end of the wild-type VSV genome were found to inhibit initiation of transcription catalyzed by both RNA polymerase II and RNA polymerase III. Polyadenylated VSV messengers and other natural and synthetic RNAs also caused some inhibitory effects on in vitro transcription from DNA templates, but only at extremely high concentrations. Compared with the wild-type plus-strand RNA leader, the leader RNA synthesized in vitro by defective-interfering VSV showed only limited capacity to inhibit RNA synthesis on adenovirus and SV40 DNA templates and only at concentrations at least 30 times greater than that of the wild-type leader. The existence of nucleotide sequences in wild-type leader RNA, not present in defective-interfering leader RNA, that could recognize and block promoters, polymerases or protein cofactors is discussed.
A black hole attack model using topology approximation for reactive ad-hoc routing protocols

This paper examines one particular network degradation attack, the Black Hole attack, to determine if an analytical model can be used to predict the impact of this attack on ad-hoc networks. An analytical Black Hole attack model is developed for reactive ad-hoc network protocols dynamic source routing DSR and ad-hoc on-demand distance vector AODV. Hypercube topologies are used to approximate prototypical ad-hoc topologies to derive the hopdistance density function for selected topology classes. An experiment is conducted to compare the expected packet loss of the analytical model against simulated Black Hole attacks on a variety of topology classes. The results show that the model describes the general order of growth for packet loss as a function of the number of Black Holes in a given network. ANOVA tests identify that the relative location of the Black Hole, source, and destination within a topology significantly impacts the packet loss performance of a Black Hole attack.
Injection Treatment for Lower Back Pain in Older Adults with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Dissertation

Background: Lower back pain is one of the most common health-related complaints in the adult population. Thirty percent of Americans 65 years and older reported symptoms of lower back pain in 2004 1. With an aging population, the proportion of people over the age of 65 is expected to reach 20% by the year 2030. Because of this increase in older adults, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) associated with arthritic changes will also likely increase. In older adults, lower back pain is most often caused by degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Stenosis is the narrowing ofthe spinal canal, causing pressure on the nerve roots and is frequently treated surgically. Lumbar spinal stenosis is one of the most common reasons for back surgery in patients 65 years and older 2. However, risks associated with surgery increase with age 3-5 and older patients may choose non-surgical treatment for their lower back pain, including injection treatment. Injection treatment, usually consisting of anti-inflammatory medications and analgesics, has improved since the mid-1990's when fluoroscopic guidance was developed 6. Information about injection treatment for lower back pain is limited, especially in the older population. An extensive review of published literature regarding injection treatment revealed a paucity of information about older adults diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis 6-13. In this study, three aims were designed to gain more information about the effectiveness of injection treatment in older patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. In the first (retrospective) study, information about receipt of second
Translocation of Transfected GLUT2 to the Apical Membrane in Rat Intestinal IEC-6 Cells

In this study, we transfected the full length cDNA of glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2) into IEC-6 cells (which lack GLUT2 expression) to investigate GLUT2 translocation in enterocytes. The purpose of this study was to investigate cellular mechanisms of GLUT2 translocation and its signaling pathway. Rat GLUT2 cDNA was transfected into IEC-6 cells. Glucose uptake was measured by incubating cell monolayers with glucose (0.5–50 mM), containing 14C-d-glucose and 3H-l-glucose, to measure stereospecific, carrier-mediated and passive uptake. We imaged GLUT2 immunoreactivity by confocal fluorescence microscopy. We evaluated the GLUT2 inhibitor (1 mM phloretin), SGLT1 inhibitor (0.5 mM phlorizin), disrupting microtubular integrity (2 μM nocodazole and 0.5 μM cytochalasin B), protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors (50 nM calphostin C and 10 μM chelerythrine), and PKC activator (50 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate: PMA). In GLUT2–IEC cells, the K m (54.5 mM) increased compared with non-transfected IEC-6 cells (7.8 mM); phloretin (GLUT2 inhibitor) inhibited glucose uptake to that of non-transfected IEC-6 cells (P < 0.05). Nocodazole and cytochalasin B (microtubule disrupters) inhibited uptake by 43–58% only at glucose concentrations ≥25 and 50 mM and the 10-min incubations. Calphostin C (PKC inhibitor) reproduced the inhibition of nocodazole; PMA (a PKC activator) enhanced glucose uptake by 69%. Exposure to glucose increased the GFP signal at the apical membrane of GLUT-1EC cells. IEC-6 cells lacking GLUT2 translocate GLUT2 apically when transfected to express GLUT2. Translocation of GLUT2 occurs through glucose stimulation via a PKC-dependent signaling pathway and requires integrity of the microtubular skeletal structure.
Undiagnosed shrapnel of the tongue

A case of a large metal fragment in the tongue is reported in a soldier injured in Operation Desert Storm. The fragment was not diagnosed for 57 days as the patient was evacuated through multiple U.S. Army medical facilities for other injuries. Diagnosis and treatment of the case are discussed. Language: en