cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An In-Depth Look at Congressional Committee Jurisdictions Surrounding Health Issues

Congress plays an important role in shaping U.S. health care policy, and within Congress, committees play the lead policy-making role. To determine the range and extent of committee involvement on health issues, I examine nine health issue categories over a fifteen-year period (1979-1993) to discover how both "legislative" and "nonlegislative" committee jurisdictions differ across three dimensions: congressional chambers, committees within those chambers, and specific health issue categories. Then, to capture differences across a fourth dimension, time, I also calculate annual measures of jurisdiction "concentration" for legislative and nonlegislative jurisdictions. Together, the jurisdiction differences across the four dimensions provide a comprehensive view of congressional committee jurisdiction arrangements surrounding health issues. I find that the differences in jurisdiction across each dimension follow general patterns resulting from institution-specific factors (e.g., rules, norms) and from issue-specific factors (e.g., salience, complexity). Recognizing these dimensions and their respective patterns helps us understand the power that committees exercise over health issues.
Thou Shall Not? The Influence of Religion on Beliefs of Stewardship and Dominion, Sustainable Behaviors, and Marketing Systems

This research explores the macro-level influences of religion on the marketplace by showing how religion influences beliefs of dominion and stewardship, which subsequently influence marketplace att...
Disparate prevalence of toxigenic and nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile among distinct adult patient populations in a single institution.

Clostridium difficile (CD) disease remains a costly and important hospital-associated infection. Although nontoxigenic CD is detected by some CD testing methods, can interfere with some detection algorithms and has been suggested as a treatment for CD disease, little is known about the relative occurrence of toxigenic and nontoxigenic CD in a single institution.We used both chromogenic and selective agar media to recover CD isolates and a molecular method to detect the toxin B gene from over 2400 fresh unformed stool specimens with isolates further tested for the toxin B gene. We recovered 74 nontoxigenic and 306 toxigenic CD isolates for which a collection site could be assigned.The frequency of recovery of toxigenic and nontoxigenic CD for each hospital location and the ratio of toxigenic to nontoxigenic CD were calculated. Although the overall prevalence of toxigenic and nontoxigenic CD was 12.7 % and 3.1 %, respectively, on some wards, 48 % of all CD were nontoxigenic, while on other wards, ≤5 % were nontoxigenic.The disparate ratios of nontoxigenic CD to toxigenic CD presented here for the various ‘groups’ within the adult veteran population are important to the ongoing discussion and reexamination of other published work on the occurrence of toxigenic and nontoxigenic CD, for evaluating the performance of CD detection tests, for designing infection control strategies and in ultimately understanding both CD carriage and disease.
Pritchard, Stephens, and Donnelly on Population Structure.

In essentially any species, genetic similarity among individuals is structured by the existence of subgroups and geographic isolation. For researchers, understanding this population structure can be of direct interest, a necessary waystation to further analyses, or a confounding nuisance. Regardless
Estimation of coverage probabilities for dependability validation of fault-tolerant computing systems

Dependability validation is a major step toward development of high-assurance computing systems. This paper addresses the problem of estimating the coverage probabilities by statistically processing the information collected through physical or simulated fault injection. 3-stage random sampling is employed to derive the means, variances and confidence intervals of the coverage probabilities. The statistical experiments are carried out in a 3D fault space that accounts for system inputs, fault injection times and fault locations. In the case of real-time systems, the inputs and the injection times also provide useful information about the workload to be executed. The proposed solution technique is tested against the data generated by a program that mimics a fault environment. Two application examples are considered. Several working rules for designing 3-stage random sampling experiments are also provided. >
Caspase-1 P20 Fragment, a Marker for Inflammasome Activation, is Elevated in Serum of Patients during Myocardial Infarction

AimsIncreased inflammation contributes to the development of myocardial infarction (MI) and impacts adversely infarct healing. Caspase-1 is an end effector of inflammasome activation and is an important mediator of systemic inflammation. Caspase-1 is cleaved to produce a 20 kDa peptide upon activation. We tested the hypothesis that the 20kDA peptide is elevated in patients during and after acute myocardial infarction. Methods and ResultsBetween 12/10/2007 and 8/10/2015 complete data for caspase-1, troponin, CK, and CKMB during the acute event and the post-MI period were obtained in 75 consecutive subjects with type 1 acute myocardial infarction. The average age was 61.8±14 years. Using a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the 20 kDa peptide was detected in serum during ST elevation and non-ST elevation MI and its peak level(166.2±11.2 pg/mL) was higher than the non-peak level(96.3±6.2 pm/mL, p=<0.0001) during the acute phase. The peak level was higher than the level after the acute MI (termed ...
EI Approaches to Treating Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Adolescents

This chapter explores the use of existential-integrative (EI) techniques in the treatment of adolescents experiencing symptoms consistent with a disruptive behavior disorder diagnosis. It begins with an overview of the clinical description, incidence, and prevalence of these disorders in adolescents, followed by a description of their etiology. The author then reviews established treatment approaches as well as specific EI techniques that one could apply to the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders. Also included is a conceptualization of disruptive behavior disorders from an EI framework. The chapter closes with a composite case example from the author’s own practice.
Broadened immunity and protective responses with emulsion-adjuvanted H5 COBRA-VLP vaccines.

A number of challenges for developing a protective pre-pandemic influenza A vaccine exists including predicting the target influenza strain and designing the vaccine for an immunologically naive population. Manufacturing and supply of the vaccine would also require implementing ways to increase coverage for the largest number of people through dose-sparing methods, while not compromising the potency of the vaccine. Previously, our group described a novel hemagglutinin (HA) for H5N1 influenza derived from a methodology termed computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA). This report describes a strategy combining a COBRA-based HA vaccine with an oil-in-water emulsion, resulting in a dose-sparing, immunologically broadened, and protective response against multiple H5N1 isolates. Here, we show that an emulsion-based adjuvant enhances the magnitude and breadth of antibody responses with both a wild-type H5HA (H5N1 WT) and the H5N1 COBRA HA VLP vaccines. The H5N1 COBRA HA VLP, combined with an emulsion adjuvant, elicited HAI specific antibodies against a larger panel of H5N1 viruses that resulted in protection against challenge as efficiently as the homologous, matched vaccine.
Exploring the influence of land cover on weight loss awareness

Weight loss is regarded as a commitment for more and more individuals in the US, since obesity is a prevalent public health issue in this country. The geographic environment in which people live and self-awareness of weight status are believed to play an important role bodyweight management. Thus, understanding the association between geographic settings and the awareness of weight status is vital to sustaining or improving quality of life. With the emergence of vast geotagged social media data sources, the analysis of “geographical awareness” of weight status in the context of geographic settings leads to a new research avenue. In order to fully understand the awareness of weight status and the relation with the geographic environment, our analysis was based on weight loss related “tweets” (messages sent on Twitter) and National Land Cover Dataset. We present our findings obtained from modeling: (1) the geographic patterns of weight-loss-related tweets, and (2) how land cover changes impact the weight loss related cyberspace message activities using cross tabulation. The results of analysis are summarized with tables and graphics.
Spine deformity surgery in the elderly: risk factors and 30-day outcomes are comparable in posterior versus combined approaches.

Risk factors portending poor outcome following elective spine deformity fusion remain in need of characterization and stratification in the elderly population.Cases aged ≥60 years who underwent ele...
The Mathematics of Color Mixing.

ALMOST every secondary school math ematics course today includes a treatment of sets and set operations, as well as a study of the algebraic properties of the real num ber system. For better or worse, students spend a considerable amount of time find ing unions and intersections of sets, per forming number operations, identifying identity elements, and naming commuta tive, associative, and distributive proper ties. Various subsets of the real number system under ordinary addition and multi plication are important sources of examples used to illustrate these concepts. Often students who have been using the prop erties unconsciously for many years in computation are unimpressed to learn that a + b = b + is an important property and has a name. They seem to feel that the basic algebraic properties are trivial because they are almost always satisfied. There is an in creasing use in the classroom of less famil iar algebraic systems to illustrate the prop erties, systems in which the student is unable from his intuition alone to deter mine if a given property holds. In order to convince students that all the properties do not always hold, it is desirable to have ex amples from systems in which some proper ties do not hold. Illustrative examples are usually selected from modular systems, ar bitrary operation tables, systems of mat rices, and geometric transformations. Stu dents sometimes gain insight into the algebraic properties if the elements of the set under consideration are not numbers but are objects familiar enough to them to
CALOREE: Learning Control for Predictable Latency and Low Energy

Many modern computing systems must provide reliable latency with minimal energy. Two central challenges arise when allocating system resources to meet these conflicting goals: (1) complexity modern hardware exposes diverse resources with complicated interactions and (2) dynamics latency must be maintained despite unpredictable changes in operating environment or input. Machine learning accurately models the latency of complex, interacting resources, but does not address system dynamics; control theory adjusts to dynamic changes, but struggles with complex resource interaction. We therefore propose CALOREE, a resource manager that learns key control parameters to meet latency requirements with minimal energy in complex, dynamic en- vironments. CALOREE breaks resource allocation into two sub-tasks: learning how interacting resources affect speedup, and controlling speedup to meet latency requirements with minimal energy. CALOREE deines a general control system whose parameters are customized by a learning framework while maintaining control-theoretic formal guarantees that the latency goal will be met. We test CALOREE's ability to deliver reliable latency on heterogeneous ARM big.LITTLE architectures in both single and multi-application scenarios. Compared to the best prior learning and control solutions, CALOREE reduces deadline misses by 60% and energy consumption by 13%.
Understanding identity in Ukraine – and elsewhere

Within Eurasian studies, survey responses have served as the main type of data for many scholarly works. This is especially true of research on Ukraine, where the juxtaposition between the country’...
Ethics Bowl: An Approach to Implementing Ethics Across the Curriculum

Ethics bowl is an academic competition combining a valuable and distinctive educational experience with the excitement and fun of a competitive game. Section “Format, Procedures, and Rules of the APPE-IEB” describes the format, procedures, and rules of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (APPE-IEB). Section “Brief History of the APPE-IEB (Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl)” summarizes the APPE-IEB’s origin and development. Section “Basic Educational Objectives and of the APPE-IEB” identifies and analyzes the APPE-IEB’s basic educational objectives, making apparent the close coincidence of these objectives with those of ethics across the curriculum. Finally, Sect. “Is the APPE-IEB Too Competitive?” discusses the apparent tension between the APPE-IEB’s basic educational objectives and its utilization of the desire for competitive success as a motivator.
A system for simultaneous bilateral tubal cannulation.

Objective ― The efficacy of a new system for simultaneous bilateral tubal cannulation under tactile impression was evaluted. Methods ― Two radiologically detectable selective salpingography catheters (Bard Gynecology and Urology, Covington, GA) were glued back to back in a T configuration similar to an intrauterine device. A sliding plastic sleeve contained the straightened catheters and the uterus was cannulated under tactile impression. The sleeve was then withdrawn and the catheters opened within the uterine cavity and wedged into the right and left tubal ostia simultaneously. Selective injection of water-soluble radiologic contrast material into the tubes resulted in selective salpingography and determined successful tubal cannulation. Withdrawal of the catheters back into the sleeve allowed injection of contrast material into the uterine cavity. Patients ― The system was evaluated in 14 consenting patients scheduled for hysterosalpingogram during infertility evaluation. Results ― Bilateral selective salpingography was achieved successfully under tactile impression in 12/14 (86%) patients. In two patients with either distorted or very small uterine cavity, the catheter tips embedded into the lateral uterine walls and did not selectively cannulate the tubal ostia. Reapplication of the system under fluoroscopy allowed bilateral selective salpingography of these two patients. Conclusion ― Simultaneous bilateral selective salpingography eliminated the need for cervical cannula, significantly reduced fluoroscopy time to seconds, and demonstrated that tactile cannulation is successful in normal uteri. Application of this system for simultaneous tubal cannulation is identical to intratubal uterine device insertion, a procedure familiar to all gynecologists. Therefore, this catheter system may further contribute to simplification of transcervical access into the fallopian tubes for diagnosis and treatment.
Performing inferences over recursive data bases

The research reported in this paper presents a solution to an open problem which arises in sys-tems that use recursive production rules to re-present knowledge. The problem can be stated as follows: "Given a recursive definition, how can we derive an equivalent non-recursive program with well-defined termination conditions". Our solution uses connection graphs to first detect occurrences of recursive definitions and then synthesizes a non-recursive program from such a definition.
Effects of nitric oxide and sulfide donors on stored platelet bioenergetics

Platelet adhesion and aggregation are involved in hemostatic maintenance of vascular tone, regulating blood flow turbidity, and inducing inflammatory immune responses to injury. Platelets have been found to secrete redox gasotransmitters, nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), to regulate their thrombolytic functions. High concentrations of NO can competitively inhibit oxygen binding to cytochrome c oxidase, suppressing oxidative phosphorylation. Nitric oxide can react with superoxide radicals (O2•–) to form peroxynitrite (ONOO•–), a potent oxidant that can damage mitochondrial electron transport proteins. Conversely, H2S can antagonize the deleterious effects of NO through inhibiting O2•– formation and scavenging ONOO•–. Previous work from our lab has found that platelet activation is primarily dependent on glycolysis, but oxidative phosphorylation plays a secondary role for normal functions. Therefore, we propose the presence of a gasotransmitter-mediated mechanism protecting against spontaneous platelet activation during the induction of ROS/RNS. In this study, DetaNONOate (an NO donor) in conjunction with diallyl disulfide (DADS), a H2S donor, was used to evaluate the potential roles of redox transmitters in platelet metabolism using the Seahorse Extracellular Flux Analyser. Our findings corroborated previous understandings of the mitochondrially toxic effects of NO, as elevated DetaNONOate inhibited oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that electron transport machinery was being suppressed or damaged; this dose-dependence was also found with DADS pre-treatment. Damage was reversed when platelets were pre-treated with DADS prior to DetaNONoate exposure; DADS resulted in increased glycolytic flux, leading to recovery of mitochondrial function. These data demonstrate the platelets’ abilities to compensate for acute damage to oxidative phosphorylation machinery using H2S.
Analytical Prediction of Gas Permeation through Graphene Nanopores of Varying Sizes: Understanding Transitions across Multiple Transport Regimes.

Nanoporous graphene is a promising candidate material for gas separation membranes, due to its atomic thickness and low cross-membrane transport resistance. The mechanisms of gas permeation through graphene nanopores, in both the large and small pore size limits, have been reported in the literature. However, mechanistic insights into the crossover from the small pore size limit to the large pore size limit are still lacking. In this study, we develop a comprehensive theoretical framework to predict gas permeance through graphene nanopores having a wide range of diameters using analytical equations. We formulate the transport kinetics associated with the direct impingement from the bulk and with the surface diffusion from the adsorption layer on graphene and then combine them to predict the overall gas permeation rate using a reaction network model. We also utilize molecular dynamics simulations to validate and calibrate our theoretical model. We show that the rates of both the direct impingement and the surface diffusion pathways need to be corrected using different multiplicative factors, which are functions of temperature, gas kinetic diameter, and pore diameter. Further, we find a minor spillover pathway that originates from the surface adsorption layer, but is not included in our theoretical model. Finally, we utilize the corrected model to predict the permeances of CO2, CH4, and Ar through graphene nanopores. We show that as the pore diameter increases, gas transport through graphene nanopores can transition from being translocation dominated (pore diameter 4 nm). The various gas permeation mechanisms outlined in this study will be particularly useful for the rational design of membranes made out of two-dimensional materials such as graphene for gas separation applications.
Improved Time-of-Arrival Estimation Algorithm for Cellular Signals in Multipath Fading Channels

Positioning using the time-of-arrival (TOA) of cellular signals has emerged as a promising solution in global navigation satellite system (GNSS) challenged environments, such as in urban canyons and indoors. However, harsh multipath fading propagation condition remains as one of the key factors causing the detriment of the TOA estimation accuracy. This paper presents an improved TOA estimation algorithm for cellular signals in multipath fading channels. The proposed algorithm takes advantage of the super-resolution algorithm and multipath estimating delay lock loop for estimating the multipath parameter vector. The estimation results are constantly monitored to handle the multipath fading conditions. At the beginning of each update epoch, the proposed method performs a consistency check using the previous estimated parameter vector to determine whether to activate a reinitialization process or not. While at the end of each update epoch, the method examines the validity of the detected first arriving path to remove the estimation outliers. Simulation results considering a five-path fading channel are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and compare its performance to those of other existing approaches.
The Emergence of Pediatric Telehealth as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic

1 With this framework in mind, particularly given the ongoing efforts by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other organizations to encourage private insurance and Medicaid payments for telehealth visits to continue for at least 90 days after the public health emergency declaration expires,2 it is important to explore what tools might facilitate primary care through a telehealth medium To process this new virtual world, the AAP has provided a compendium of online resources offering general and technical information for pediatricians to help set up and incorporate telehealth into their practices 3 As the issue of future reimbursement for tele-health becomes clearer, it will also be important to consider implications for malpractice coverage for this new form of medical care 1 Only time will tell whether tele-health will maintain its current ubiquitous presence, but our patients have certainly taken notice Accessed June 26, 2020 https://www aap org/en-us/professional-resources/practice-transformation/telehealth/Pages/compendium aspx The author thanks Drs Lolita Alkureshi (Section of Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago), Benjamin Kornfeld (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine), and Bridget M Wild (Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, NorthShore University HealthSystem) for their contributions and suggestions to this editorial
Newly developed radioimmunoassay for Human Angiotensin-(1-12) measurements in plasma and urine.

Abstract The dodecapeptide angiotensin-(1–12) [Ang-(1–12)] functions as an intracrine/paracrine substrate for local production of angiotensin II. We developed a reliable and specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) method for the measurement of Ang-(1–12) in human plasma and urine using an affinity purified antibody fraction directed towards the C-terminus of the human Ang-(1–12) sequence. The RIA method was applied to quantify the Ang-(1–12) in plasma and urine collected from thirty-four human subjects (29 treated with antihypertensive medicines and 5 untreated patients). Plasma Ang-(1–12) level was significantly higher (P
Coronary Artery Disease

Cardiovascular disease, in particular coronary artery disease, is prevalent in patients infected with HIV. Research has shown that these patients are at higher risk when compared to the general population. Factors contributing to this risk include traditional risk factors as well as factors unique to this patient population. The increased risk is also reflective of lifestyle choices such as smoking and socioeconomic factors such as less access to healthy foods and opportunities for exercise and physical activity and preventive care.
Sleep Education for Elders Program (SLEEP): Promising Pilot Results of a Virtual, Health Educator-Led, Community-Delivered Sleep Behavior Change Intervention

Purpose Sleep problems pose serious public health concerns, and evidence suggests that the problem is worsening. Both sufficient sleep quantity and quality are needed for optimal health, particularly among older adults, but access to sleep care can be difficult. This study examined the efficacy of a six-week sleep behavior change program designed for older adults that was delivered virtually by health educators. Participants and Methods This quasi-experimental pilot study (intervention n = 22; control n = 31) explored the effects of the Sleep Education for Elders Program (SLEEP) on sleep outcomes, which included: 1) sleep quality, measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); 2) sleep duration, extracted from the PSQI; 3) insomnia symptoms, measured by the Insomnia Severity Index; 4) sleep hygiene behaviors, obtained from the Sleep Hygiene Index; and 5) excessive daytime sleepiness, measured by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Results After SLEEP, the intervention group experienced significantly improved sleep quality (p < 0.001), a reduction in maladaptive sleep hygiene behaviors (p = 0.007), and reduced daytime sleepiness (p < 0.027) compared to the control group. Effect sizes for all five sleep measures were medium or large. In the intervention group, all changes were judged to be clinically meaningful (≥ 0.5 SD) except for improvements in daytime sleepiness. Conclusion These data support the efficacy of a group-based, virtual behavior change intervention in improving sleep outcomes among older adults.
Scope and Social Determinants of Food Insecurity Among Adults With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the United States

Background Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) results in high out‐of‐pocket healthcare expenditures predisposing to food insecurity. However, the burden and determinants of food insecur...
Highway to hell-thy meiotic divisions: Chromosome passenger complex functions driven by microtubules: CPC interactions with both the chromosomes and microtubules are important for spindle assembly and function.

The chromosome passenger complex (CPC) localizes to chromosomes and microtubules, sometimes simultaneously. The CPC also has multiple domains for interacting with chromatin and microtubules. Interactions between the CPC and both the chromatin and microtubules is important for spindle assembly and error correction. Such dual chromatin-microtubule interactions may increase the concentration of the CPC necessary for efficient kinase activity while also making it responsive to specific conditions or structures in the cell. CPC-microtubule dependent functions are considered in the context of the first meiotic division. Acentrosomal spindle assembly is a process that depends on transfer of the CPC from the chromosomes to the microtubules. Furthermore, transfer to the microtubules is not only to position the CPC for a later role in cytokinesis; metaphase I error correction and subsequent bi-orientation of bivalents may depend on microtubule associated CPC interacting with the kinetochores.
Interactions Between Acetylcholine and Dopamine in the Basal Ganglia

The distribution of brain dopamine (DA) is relatively restricted to several well defined neuronal projections, the most widely studied of which are the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, mesocortical, and tuberoinfundibular systems. The dopaminergic nigrostriatal and mesolimbic systems account for the fact that in mammalian brain approximately 80% of brain DA is located in the basal ganglia with greatest concentrations in the caudate nucleus and putamen (neostriatum), substantia nigra (SN), globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens, and amygdaloid complex (Hornykiewicz, 1973). The nigrostriatal pathway (Anden et al., 1964) originates in a dense collection of DA-containing cell bodies in the pars compacta of SN which project to the neostriatum where they arborize into a network of densely packed DA-containing nerve terminals. The mesolimbic pathway originates medial to SN from DA-containing cell bodies of the ventromedial interpeduncular nucleus and projects to a group of small midline nuclei including nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and interstitial nucleus of the stria terminalis (Anden et al., 1966).
Startup Financing Environment

I hope this chapter provides some of the rationale for the optimism expressed at the end of Chapter 1. Financing a startup is difficult. The financial crisis made this task all the more challenging. But, with the addition of the financing options allowed under the JOBS Act, I believe the task of financing a startup or existing business may be, at the margin, easier, and this is all most true entrepreneurs need—a little daylight.
The effect of antisense inhibition of urokinase receptor in human squamous cell carcinoma on malignancy.

Abstract Concomitant expression of urokinase type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its surface receptor (uPAR) has been shown to correlate strongly with a more invasive tumor cell phenotype. A highly malignant human epidermoid carcinoma cell line (HEp3) was transfected with a vector capable of expressing an antisense transcript complementary to 300 bases of the 5' end of uPAR, including the ATG codon. Six stably transfected antisense (AS-2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 12) and eight control clones were characterized. All clones produced high levels of uPA activity. Examination of collagenase production and doubling time showed that all of the clones tested produced similar activities. The antisense clones showed a 20-74% reduction in the uPAR sites; the uPAR mRNA level was also reduced. A test of the invasive ability of all clones in a modified chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) showed that invasiveness of the antisense-inhibited clones was directly proportional to the density of surface uPAR. The AS-2 clone, which expressed the lowest number of uPARs showed a significantly reduced level of invasion. The invasiveness of additional AS-inhibited clones was also reduced. Seven control and four AS-inhibited clones were tested for tumorigenicity on CAMs of chick embryos. Inoculation of control cells produced large tumors, while the As clones were non-tumorigenic. AS-2 did not produce tumors even if kept in vivo for up to 10 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cells, solutes, and growth: salt accumulation in plants reexamined.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the aspects of the behavior of cultured cells and tissues. It is a salient characteristic of mature living plant cells that their fluid contents are at a higher osmotic pressure than the ambient media in which they occur (that is, higher than the fluids from which their solutes were obtained or against which they are retained). The chapter presents experimental observations highlighting the features of solute accumulations in cells. The observations suggest that cells pass through evident phases during their development and their salt and water relations are a function of their exogenous requirements and endogenous capacities for further growth and development. Cells do not harness specific ion or solute pumps to specific solute concentrations; they rather function as water pumps, which control the local activity of water, create an internal aqueous volume, and regulate solute concentrations, which are in turn partitioned between different available substances. The total osmotic pressure of the cells determines whether or not the water will be absorbed or expelled.
Electron-Paramagnetic-Resonance Studies on Nitrogenase

The oxidation-reduction properties of azoferredoxin, molybdoferredoxin, and the inactive species of molybdoferredoxin, all iron-sulfur proteins purified from Clostridium pasteurianum, were studied by potentiometry combined with electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at low temperature. The technique, evaluated with spinach ferredoxin for which a midpoint potential of -446 mV was determined (pH 7.9, showed that azoferredoxin has a midpoint potential of -294 ± 20 mV (pH 7.5). In the presence of MgATP2−, azoferredoxin undergoes a negative shift of 110 mV in its oxidation-reduction potential. The resulting potential of approximately -400 mV is likely to be effective under physiological conditions. The potential shift is consistent with a proposed conformational change of the protein caused by the binding of two molecules of ATP to the protein (dimer). Molybdoferredoxin and its inactive species, which has an incomplete iron-sulfur and molybdenum centre, have midpoint potentials of approximately −20 mV and −395 mV, respectively, both at pH 7.5. All nitrogenase proteins are characterized by the transfer of one electron per redox step. Kinetic studies of the reduction of azoferredoxin and molybdoferredoxin by dithionite gave half times of <10 ms and 3–5 min, respectively. Hence, the latter process must be excluded from being part of the physiological reaction. The complex formation of ATP with azoferredoxin is a relatively slow process, which is markedly accelerated by molybdoferredoxin in the reconstituted nitrogenase system. Changes in the electron paramagnetic resonance signals of reconstituted nitrogenase were followed by a rapid-freeze technique as a function of mixing sequence and ratio of the two proteins. The observed signal changes were independent of the mixing sequence. The steady-state level of the molybdoferredoxin signal was also independent of the ratio of the two proteins and was less than 15% of the original resonance. The results indicate that the role of the azoferredoxin · ATP complex may not be confined solely to the function of an electron carrier for the nitrogenase reaction.
Intra-CMEA mineral cooperation: Implications for trade with OECD and third world countries

Abstract This study examines the relationship between intra-CMEA and East-West trade and how the former affects the latter. It shows how the CMEA has committed huge resources in the pursuit of mineral self sufficiency. In spite of this, the CMEA has still experienced mineral shortages and the USSR has been forced to ask its fellow CMEA members to share the costs of developing more distant and less economic mineral resources.
Data-driven assessment techniques to catalyze student learning (618.19)

As we rearticulate the undergraduate biochemistry curriculum to emphasize deep foundations in core biochemical principles and skills, we must also reconsider the assessment of student learning. Ass...
Cyberplagiarism and the Library: Issues and Solutions

Summary Plagiarism by students in academic institutions is an old but continuing problem facing teachers and librarians. Although studies disagree on the Internet's effect on student plagiarism, the easy availability of electronic information creates a challenge for librarians, who must be ready not only to detect and deter plagiarism, but also to educate their patrons about it. The purpose of this contribution is to summarize briefly the nature, extent, and causes of plagiarism in its academic aspect, especially as it has been influenced by electronic information sources, and to review measures of its detection and deterrence.
Numerical simulations of bedrock valley evolution by meandering rivers with variable bank material

Bedrock river valleys are fundamental components of many landscapes, and their morphologies—from slot canyons with incised meanders to wide valleys with strath terraces—may record environmental history. Several formation mechanisms for particular valley types have been proposed that involve changes in climatic and tectonic forcing, but the uniqueness of valley evolution pathways and the long-term stability of valley morphology under constant forcing are unknown and are not predicted in existing numerical models for vertically incising rivers. Because rivers often migrate more rapidly through alluvium than through bedrock, we explore the hypothesis that the distribution of bank materials strongly influences river meandering kinematics and can explain the diversity of bedrock river valley morphology. Simulations using a numerical model of river meandering with vector-based bank-material tracking indicate that channel lateral erosion rate in sediment and bedrock, vertical erosion rate, and initial alluvial-belt width explain first-order differences in bedrock valley type; that bedrock-bound channels can evolve under steady forcing from alluvial states; and that weak bedrock and low vertical incision rates favor wide, shallow valleys, while resistant bedrock and high vertical incision rates favor narrow, deep valleys. During vertical incision, sustained planation of the valley floor is favored when bedrock boundaries restrict channel migration to a zone of thin sediment fill. The inherent unsteadiness of river meandering in space and time is enhanced by evolving spatial contrasts in bank strength between sediment and bedrock and can account for several valley features—including strath terraces and underfit valleys—commonly ascribed to external drivers.
Micropatterned Oriented Zeolite Monolayer Films by Direct In Situ Crystallization

Taking advantage of the weak attraction forces between gold surface and silica zeolite colloids, selective growth of zeolite on silicon wafer over gold was exploited to fabricate continuous micropatterned b-oriented zeolite MFI monolayer film with excellent adhesion.
Development of nanosized lanthanum strontium aluminum manganite as electrodes for potentiometric oxygen sensor

Abstract Nanocrystalline La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Al 0.9 Mn 0.1 O 3 (LSAM) was synthesized by a microwave-assisted citrate method, and characterized by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Electrical behavior of LSAM was investigated by impedance spectroscopy and activation energy of conduction was obtained. Joining of sintered bodies of LSAM and yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (YTZP), an extensively studied oxygen ion conducting electrolyte, was examined by isostatic hot pressing methods. Characteristics of the joining region were evaluated with microprobe Raman spectroscopy, and products formed at the interface, primarily strontium zirconate, was confirmed by examination of high temperature chemical reaction between LSAM and YTZP powders. The electrical properties of the LSAM were exploited for development of a high temperature oxygen sensor in which LSAM functioned as the electrode and YTZP as electrolyte.
Nurses' reasoning in the assessment of family violence.

This is a report of the reasoning related to family violence by health professionals but specifically by 241 surveyed and 9 interviewed nurses. Using survey and interviewing techniques, this study explored factors that influence clinicians' choice to intervene in family violence and compared the differences in reasoning of health professionals. Findings from both the survey and interviews are discussed. It is recommended that content about family violence be integrated in curricula and that different approaches to clinical reasoning emphasized. Language: en
Approximation schemes for propagation of fronts with nonlocal velocities and Neumann boundary conditions

The convergence of schemes for propagation of fronts in a bounded domain moving with normal velocities is studied. The velocities considered depend on the principal curvatures, the normal direction, the location, as well as some nonlocal properties of the front. Most of the schemes considered are in essence threshold dynamics type approximation schemes, modified for Neumann boundary conditions and nonlocal terms. The existence and uniqueness of appropriately defined viscosity solutions of the level-set equations describing the nonlocal motions is also shown.
Selectivity and Toxicity of Antiarrhythmic Drugs: Molecular Interactions with Ion Channels

Disorders of cardiac rate and rhythm, the arrhythmias, represent major causes of mortality and morbidity in the developed world. Sudden cardiac death, defined as death within 1 hour of a sudden and unexpected change in cardiovascular status, kills more than 300,000 each year in the United States (1). Nonlethal arrhythmias account for additional disability. Atrial fibrillation, which is a major cause of cerebrovascular accidents, occurs in more than 1% of patients over the age of 60, and as many as 10% in those over 70 years of age (2). The most effective strategy to deal with sudden cardiac death is obviously prevention, whereas for chronic arrhythmias that are not life-threatening, therapeutic goals are less clear. In atrial fibrillation, treatment includes conversion to sinus rhythm and rate control, as well as anticoagulation to prevent stroke. Management of other arrhythmias, notably paroxysmal tachycardias and premature systoles, is more problematical because, as discussed below, drug therapy for nonlethal arrhythmias can increase the likelihood of a lethal arrhythmia. Only a few years ago, the goals of both arrhythmia prevention and arrhythmia treatment were met largely by the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. It is both good and bad news, however, that use of this once-common approach to therapy has been seriously curtailed in recent years. The good news is that advances in ablation therapy allow a growing number of arrhythmias to be cured permanently, and that implantation of cardiac defibrillators can prevent sudden death in patients at high risk for lethal arrhythmias. The bad news, however, is that antiarrhythmic drugs are far more dangerous than had been believed. Especially dramatic was the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) (4), which examined several antiarrhythmic drugs, each of which reduced the frequency of premature ventricular beats known to herald a high risk of subsequent lethal arrhythmia. In this trial, not only did these drugs not prevent sudden death, but in the highrisk population studied, all dramatically increased total mortality. The present article addresses the mechanisms responsible for these important clinical findings, and seeks to explain why a given drug can, at the same time, be both antiarrhythmic and proarrhythmic. As emphasis is on basic mechanisms rather than clinical practice, the article begins with a discussion of the ion channels responsible for the heart’s electrical activity. The molecular structures of these membrane proteins are described, after which interactions between antiarrhythmic drugs and ion channels are reviewed. This information is then analyzed in an effort to explain why a given drug can, on the one hand, suppress some arrhythmogenic mechanisms while at the same time increase the risk of other, and often more dangerous, arrhythmias.
Integrated sensor cross-sensitivity analysis

We present data and analysis of sensor cross-sensitivities to a range of environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, light intensity, air flow, magnetic field, and acceleration. We used previously developed multifunctional integrated sensors (MFISes) with ten functions on a single chip as the test platform. We quantify the effect of test conditions on sensor offset and sensitivity, examine the fundamental mechanisms of the cross-sensitivities, and compare the performance of different transduction principles. The data and analysis is key to enabling the use of multifunctional sensors and is applicable to general sensor design and operation.
Biomechanical analysis of upper extremity risk in Sign Langauge Interpreting.

Upper extremity cumulative trauma distorders (UECTD) have been identified as an occupational health problem in professional Sign Language Interpreters (SLI). A previous study of UECTD in SLI has indicated significant differences between interpreters working with pain and those working without pain. This earlier research focused on gross measures of hand/wrist movement, work/rest cycles, and deviations from an optimal work envelope. The present paper describes a detailed biomechanical analysis of wrist and forearm activity associated with SLI. This assessment included forearm (flexion and extension) and wrist (flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation) measures of movement frequency, counts of individual motion, joint movement velocities and accelerations as well as range of motion. The analyses revealed that the postures required for interpreting result in the signing hand frequently held in a fully pronated position, with the palm facing out. The wrist was most frequently in an ulnar deviation and/or extension while the elbow was flexed more than 90° and held in close to the body with the fingers pointing up. The frequency of motions for the forearm and wrist were observed to be 270 per minute (4.5 Hz), which is equivalent to 13,600 per 50 minute lecture hour. The mean absolute joint movement velocity and acceleration values were relatively high in contrast to industrial jobs with wrist and forearm accelerations between 34,754 degreees/sec2 and 36,046 degrees/sec2, respectively. The findings from this biomechanical analysis indicates that SLI can involve highly repetitive, awkward movements with significant accelerations of the hand and wrist. Such job characteristics may predispose interpreters to upper extremity CTD-related disorders.
N = 2 supergravity theory with a gauged central charge

Abstract A free, massive N = 2 scalar-spinor multiplet, whose supersymmetry algebra contains a central charge, is coupled to N = 2 supergravity. The resulting theory is locally invariant under supersymmetry and the central transformation, the latter being gauged by the vector field of the supergravity multiplet.
An Overview of NASA's Integrated Design and Engineering Analysis (IDEA) Environment

Historically, the design of subsonic and supersonic aircraft has been divided into separate technical disciplines (such as propulsion, aerodynamics and structures), each of which performs design and analysis in relative isolation from others. This is possible, in most cases, either because the amount of interdisciplinary coupling is minimal, or because the interactions can be treated as linear. The design of hypersonic airbreathing vehicles, like NASA's X-43, is quite the opposite. Such systems are dominated by strong non-linear interactions between disciplines. The design of these systems demands that a multi-disciplinary approach be taken. Furthermore, increased analytical fidelity at the conceptual design phase is highly desirable, as many of the non-linearities are not captured by lower fidelity tools. Only when these systems are designed from a true multi-disciplinary perspective, can the real performance benefits be achieved and complete vehicle systems be fielded. Toward this end, the Vehicle Analysis Branch at NASA Langley Research Center has been developing the Integrated Design and Engineering Analysis (IDEA) Environment. IDEA is a collaborative environment for parametrically modeling conceptual and preliminary designs for launch vehicle and high speed atmospheric flight configurations using the Adaptive Modeling Language (AML) as the underlying framework. The environment integrates geometry, packaging, propulsion, trajectory, aerodynamics, aerothermodynamics, engine and airframe subsystem design, thermal and structural analysis, and vehicle closure into a generative, parametric, unified computational model where data is shared seamlessly between the different disciplines. Plans are also in place to incorporate life cycle analysis tools into the environment which will estimate vehicle operability, reliability and cost. IDEA is currently being funded by NASA?s Hypersonics Project, a part of the Fundamental Aeronautics Program within the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The environment is currently focused around a two-stage-to-orbit configuration with a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) first stage and a reusable rocket second stage. IDEA will be rolled out in generations, with each successive generation providing a significant increase in capability, either through increased analytic fidelity, expansion of vehicle classes considered, or by the inclusion of advanced modeling techniques. This paper provides the motivation behind the current effort, an overview of the development of the IDEA environment (including the contents and capabilities to be included in Generation 1 and Generation 2), and a description of the current status and detail of future plans.