cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AB0231 Physician visual analog scale estimates for damage are higher than for inflammation in patients with osteoarthritis and also in patients with rheumatoid arthritis at all levels of clinical severity according to rapid3

Background A visual analog scale (VAS) to estimate the patient9s global status (DOCGL) often is the most efficient of all 7 RA core data set measures to distinguish active from control treatments in clinical trials 1 . DOCGL is designed to assess inflammatory activity, but it may be influenced variably in different doctors by irreversible joint damage and/or distress. Therefore, 3 additional 0–10 VAS have been developed to estimate levels of inflammation, damage, and distress that may impact DOCGL. Objectives To analyze 4 estimates for overall global, inflammation, damage and distress according to 4 RAPID3 (routine assessment of patient index data) severity categories in patients with RA or OA. Methods Patients seen at one academic clinical setting are assigned 4 0–10 VAS estimates: overall DOCGL, inflammation (reversible), damage (irreversible), and distress (symptoms explained by neither inflammation nor damage, eg, fibromyalgia). All patients complete a self-reported MDHAQ questionnaire as part of routine care. The MDHAQ includes 0–10 scores for physical function (FN), pain (PN), patient global estimate (PATGL), compiled into a 0–30 RAPID3. Patients with a primary diagnosis of RA or OA according to their rheumatologists were included. The percentage of RA and OA patients in each RAPID3 severity category was compared according to mean DOCGL and the 3 subscale estimates using chi-square and ANOVA. Results The study included 232 patients with RA and 274 with OA. Patients with OA were older than RA patients (66.5 versus 57.3, p Conclusions Physician VAS for inflammation, damage, and distress may supplement the overall physician global estimate as quantitative physician estimates of reversible findings, irreversible findings, and distress to support clinical management decisions. Estimates of joint damage are higher in OA than in RA, although higher than estimates of inflammation in both RA and OA, in patients in all 4 RAPID3 severity categories. References Pincus T, et al. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2014; 32 (Suppl. 85): S47-S54. Disclosure of Interest I. Castrejon: None declared, J. Chua: None declared, J. Block: None declared, T. Pincus Shareholder of: Health Report Services, Inc
Oncology navigators' perceptions of cancer-related financial burden and financial assistance resources.

As the cost of cancer treatment continues to rise, many patients are faced with significant emotional and financial burden. Oncology navigators guide patients through many aspects of care and therefore may be especially aware of patients’ financial distress. Our objective was to explore navigators’ perception of their patients’ financial burden and their role in addressing financial needs. We conducted a real-time online survey of attendees at an oncology navigators’ association conference. Participants included lay navigators, oncology nurse navigators, community health workers, and social workers. Questions assessed perceived burden in their patient population and their role in helping navigate patients through financial resources. Answers to open-ended questions are reported using identified themes. Seventy-eight respondents participated in the survey, reporting that on average 75% of their patients experienced some degree of financial toxicity related to their cancer. Only 45% of navigators felt the majority of these patients were able to get some financial assistance, most often through assistance with medical costs (73%), subsidized insurance (36%), or non-medical expenses (31%). Commonly identified barriers for patients obtaining assistance included lack of resources (50%), lack of knowledge about resources (46%), and complex/duplicative paperwork (20%). Oncology navigators reported a high burden of financial toxicity among their patients but insufficient knowledge or resources to address this need. This study underscores the importance of improved training and coordination for addressing financial burden, and the need to address community and system-level barriers.
Siblings as Caregivers of Elderly Parents

One of the developmental tasks of a sibling group in midlife is the care of aging parents during the parents’ decline and death (Goetting, 1986). The usual trajectory involving an aging parent is that the spouse provides needed help for as long as possible, with occasional help from adult children and others. With increasing frailty, illness, or death of the spouse, one or more adult children provide added help needed to maintain the parent in his or her own home. As the parent continues to decline, a pattern of regular caregiving by adult children is established. When the parent’s care needs become too great to be met in this manner, one of the adult children takes the parent into his or her home for care or the parent enters some kind of formal long-term care facility.
Fibrinogen in rat gastrointestinal lymph before, during and after intraduodenal administration of emulsified triglyceride: fibrinogen bound to chylomicrons in gastrointestinal lymph is functional.

Abstract Samples of gastrointestinal lymph were collected from fasted, male, Sprague–Dawley rats before, during and after intraduodenal administration of either a phospholipid-stabilized, triglyceride-rich emulsion or the dextrose–saline diluent of the emulsion. In lipid-treated rats, the triglyceride, total protein, and functional fibrinogen contents of lymph increased significantly during the 4 h of continuous lipid infusion, with all analytes returning to near baseline values by 20 h later. Levels of the same analytes changed little, if at all, in control animals. As assessed using immunoblotting, chylomicrons in gastrointestinal lymph are coated with fibrinogen. Fibrinogen-coated chylomicrons readily incorporate into solution phase clots and, in the presence of thrombin, adhere in heparin-preventable fashion to each other and to other fibrinogen-coated surfaces. Taken together, these data indicate that lipid feeding creates in gastrointestinal lymph a condition that is conducive temporally to the physical association of fibrinogen with newly ingested lipids before they reach the circulatory system.
A Quality-Configurable Approximate Serial Bus for Energy-Efficient Sensory Data Transfer

Mobile, wearable, and implantable devices integrate an increasing number and variety of sensors, such as microphones, image sensors, and accelerometers. These devices spend substantial amounts of time reading the sensors within them, incurring significant data transfer from the sensor to the processor. The high capacitance of sensor-to-processor interconnects, high data rates of modern sensors and frequent usage of applications that use sensors result in significant energy dissipation for sensory data transfer. The contribution of sensing to power consumption is only expected to increase as more and more high-performance sensors are embedded in a single device. To address this challenge, we propose AxSerBus, a quality-configurable approximate serial bus that exploits the locality of sensory data and the error resiliency of sensing applications to reduce energy dissipation. AxSerBus significantly reduces signal transitions by encoding the differences of sensory data in three encoding modes, depending on the magnitude of the differences: very small differences are zeroed out, incurring no energy dissipation; intermediate differences are encoded using special low-transition count patterns; and for high differences, the absolute value (not the difference) of the data is transmitted. Compared with previous schemes, the proposed multi-level encoding results in more data being encoded using low-energy patterns. In addition, in the intermediate difference encoding mode, the differences are encoded in an approximate manner, and the approximation bounds are proportional to the magnitude of the differences. Since small differences are more frequent than large differences in sensory data, the proposed encoding scheme also minimizes quality degradation. We demonstrate that AxSerBus achieves superior energy vs. quality trade-offs compared with previous schemes. We also present a low-overhead heuristic scheme for dynamic quality configuration. In an image processing application, AxSerBus reduces the signal transitions up to 90% with minor image quality degradation. In the context of an optical character recognition (OCR) application, AxSerBus achieves 79.4% reduction in dynamic power dissipation, while maintaining accuracy above 95%.
Order parameters in the diffusion of rods through two- and three-dimensional fixed scatterers

Characteristic diffusion in a Lorentz gas system and its extensions are typically described through a scale-free order parameter. The relative validity of possible order parameters for the diffusion of a thick tracer rod through spherical scatterers in two and three dimensions as a function of the rod length $L$ and scatterer density $\ensuremath{\rho}$ has been examined by simulation. We find that the often-used two-dimensional order parameter, $\ensuremath{\rho}{L}^{2}$, is accurate. However, its naive generalization to three dimensions, changing the exponent according to dimensionality, does not fit the observed results. A revised order parameter can be generated through a theory based on the behavior of the mean-free path of the tracer. We find that this generalized order parameter captures the multidimensional diffusive behavior.
Trends in Liver and Skin Tumor Prevalence in Brown Bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus) from the Anacostia River, Washington, DC, and Nearby Waters

The prevalence of liver and skin tumors in brown bullhead ( Ameiurus nebulosus) from the Anacostia River (Washington, DC) and nearby areas was determined in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The objectives were to (1) compare tumor prevalence across space and time; (2) analyze the 1992-2016 Chesapeake Bay Tumor Database to identify reference locations and test age, length, weight, and sex as covariates; and (3) explore whether changes in bullhead exposure to contaminants can explain the observed trends. With logistic regression, we reported large statistically significant decreases in liver tumor probabilities in bullheads from the Anacostia CSX Bridge (ANAC) area between 1996 and 2001 (merged: female, 77.8%; male, 48.6%), 2009 to 2011 (female, 42.5%; male, 16.6%), and 2014 to 2016 (female, 18.0%; male, 5.7%). Skin tumors decreased by a factor of six in both females and males. Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) initiate liver neoplasms and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and DDT compounds are promoters. The causes of skin tumors in bullhead are uncertain. Biomarker and tissue data show decreases in PAC-DNA adducts and PCB and DDT contamination in ANAC bullheads. It is likely that the decreased liver tumor prevalence is associated with decreased exposure to these contaminants.
Preventing Restenosis of Marsupialized Rathke Cleft Cysts Using a Nasoseptal Flap Lining.

OBJECTIVES Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) are rare, benign lesions formed from remnants of Rathke pouch during embryologic development. However, following marsupialization, maintaining tract patency remains a challenge. Several techniques for decreasing stenosis have been described, including free mucosal grafting, silastic spacing, and using steroid-eluting stents. Nasoseptal flaps (NSFs) have a reliable vascular supply and are widely utilized in skull base reconstruction. We present a novel technique to maintain patency of the marsupialized RCC cavity by lining it with an NSF to promote long-term drainage and re-epithelialization of the RCC cavity. METHODS Retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent surgery for symptomatic RCCs. These patients underwent endoscopic endonasal surgery between February 3, 2016, and June 12, 2018, with marsupialization followed by circumferential NSF lining. Primary outcomes include symptomatic control, surgical complications, and RCC cavity patency. RESULTS Seven patients underwent RCC marsupialization with no intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak, followed by circumferential lining of the marsupialized cavity with an NSF. In each case, no cyst re-accumulation or recurrent symptoms were noted, and the NSF lining provided long-term patency of the tract in all cases to a mean of 6.7 ± 10.1 months of follow-up, including one patient with sustained patency at 29 months follow-up. CONCLUSION Utilization of the NSF to "stent open" the RCC cavity following marsupialization is a safe and effective means to prevent restenosis. Advantages include sustained patency of RCC cavity for complete drainage and a dependable vascular supply. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 129:2258-2261, 2019.
The QT Interval in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection Treated with Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin

Abstract We report the change in the QT interval in 84 adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection treated with Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin combination. QTc prolonged maximally from baseline between days 3 and 4. in 30% of patients QTc increased by greater than 40ms. In 11% of patients QTc increased to >500 ms, representing high risk group for arrhythmia. The development of acute renal failure but not baseline QTc was a strong predictor of extreme QTc prolongation.
WNT974 Inhibits Proliferation, Induces Apoptosis, and Enhances Chemosensitivity to Doxorubicin in Lymphoma Cells by Inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

BACKGROUND Upregulation of the Wnt/s-catenin pathway has been demonstrated to promote tumor proliferation and chemoresistance in lymphoma. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of the Wnt/s-catenin pathway inhibitor WNT974 in lymphoma cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human lymphoma cell lines HUT-78 and BJAB were treated with or without 1 μM WNT974±0.15 μg/L doxorubicin (Dox). Cell viability and proliferation were evaluated by CCK-8 and colony formation assay. Expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), KI67, and apoptotic-related proteins including Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-caspase3, and cleaved-caspase9, together with Wnt pathway proteins Wnt, s-catenin, Axin2, and c-Myc, were detected by Western blot analysis. Flow cytometry was used to calculate the ratio of apoptotic cells. RESULTS In HUT-78 and BJAB cells, 1 μM WNT974 significantly reduced viability and colony formation. The expression of 2 markers of tumor cell proliferation, protein PCNA and KI67, was also reduced by WNT974. Treatment with 1 μM WNT974 for 48 h increased the rate of cell apoptosis, inhibited the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, and enhanced pro-apoptotic proteins Bax, cleaved-caspase3, and cleaved-caspase9 expression in both cell lines. After treatment with WNT974 plus Dox, cell viability was markedly decreased compared with Dox treatment alone. Mechanistically, WNT974 prevented the expression of Wnt, Axin2, s-catenin, and its target gene c-Myc. CONCLUSIONS WNT974 effectively treats lymphoma by inhibiting cell proliferation, inducing cell apoptosis, and enhancing chemosensitivity to Dox, and these effects are dependent on blocking Wnt/s-catenin signaling.
Genetic, textual, and archaeological evidence of the historical global spread of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp)

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) was originally domesticated in sub-Saharan Africa but is now cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. Utilizing archaeological, textual, and genetic resources, the spread of cultivated cowpea has been reconstructed. Cowpea was domesticated in Africa, likely in both West and East Africa, before 2500 BCE and by 400 BCE was long established in all the modern major production regions of the Old World, including sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, India, and Southeast Asia. Further spread occurred as part of the Columbian Exchange, which brought African germplasm to the Caribbean, the southeastern United States, and South America, and Mediterranean germplasm to Cuba, the southwestern United States and Northwest Mexico.
Modeling and experimental validation of rotary riffling method for nuclear material input accountancy

Abstract In establishing nuclear fuel input accountancy for electrometallurgical pyroprocessing treatment of used nuclear oxide fuel, a representative sampling method has been considered as a suitable alternative of methods pursuing homogenization of used nuclear oxide fuel feed such as mixing the pulverized fuels. In principle, the representative sampling method involves random particle selection from size-classified nuclear fuel materials to give quantified and controllable sampling uncertainty. For this purpose, the rotary riffling method is known to be superior in realizing sample randomization. To qualify the rotary riffling method as a tool to establish used nuclear fuel input accountancy, this paper first derives theoretical randomization performance tailored to the rotary riffling method and used nuclear fuel feed. The performance of an off-the-shelf rotary riffler was tested and validated with mixed alumina particle feeds of different sizes.
Migrants Can Make International Law

Migrants have the power to make international law as norm creators. The nation-state enjoys a monopoly on violence in domestic jurisgenesis, but international law’s constraint on the use of force provides non-state actors the opportunity to participate in the formation of international legal doctrine without the threat of violence. Scholars have overlooked this nonstate jurisgenerative potential, bound by a state-centric conception of law. This Article applies the claim that non-state actors have the power to influence international law to the transnational issue of climate-induced migration. Climate change intensifies slow- and sudden-onset events, and sudden-onset disasters already displace millions annually. Yet international law grants nation-states the right to largely exclude foreigners such that climate migrants have no right to enter another country, resettle, or be protected against forcible return when they are displaced across borders. While liberal scholars defend this right to exclude as necessary for the preservation of sovereignty, the majority of nation-states participate in free movement agreements—regional trade agreements that promote migration—demonstrating that sovereignty and exclusion are not mutually constitutive. Ultimately, I leverage the challenge of climate-induced migration to ask who has the power to change international law. My response proceeds in two parts. First, the Article challenges the state-centric focus of international law to call attention to non-state actors’ ability to create legal norms. Second, I draw on diasporic theory to argue that the Global South diaspora—Global Southerners living in the Global North—should leverage their hybrid positionality to create legal norms that reconstitute sovereignty through admission. International migration theorists reproduce the paradigmatic image of a Global North and Global South border contest, and foreclose the possibility of migrant’s jurisgenerative capacity. This Article intentionally shifts the frame to highlight the power that a territorially-unbounded Global South people have to shape international legal norms.
3HO/SIKH DHARMA

This paper reviews published literature on Yogi Bhajan/Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Yogiji and the main organizations that he founded in North America in the early 1970s – the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO) and the Sikh Dharma Brotherhood (now, simply, Sikh Dharma or Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere). I focus particularly on the way that Yogi Bhajan's and 3HO/Sikh Dharma's teachings, practices, and history intersect with wider Sikh teachings, practices, and history. Woven into the paper are suggestions on areas where further scholarly attention might be merited.
Stimulation of Taurodeoxycholate 7α-Hydroxylase of Rat Liver by Adenosine 3':5'-Monophosphate and Saturated Fatty Acids

Abstract 7α-Hydroxylation of taurodeoxycholic acid was demonstrated by incubation of tauro[24-14C]deoxycholate with rat liver microsomes. Following hydrolysis of the conjugated bile acids, radioactive cholic acid was identified as the major product of the reaction by reverse isotopic dilution, the preparation of methyl cholate and crystallization to constant specific activity. The taurodeoxycholate 7α-hydroxylase system required NADPH and molecular oxygen for activity. The activity was inhibited by CO and the inhibition could be reversed by light, suggesting the involvement of cytochrome P-450. Addition of the 105,000 x g supernatant to the microsomes stimulated 7α-hydroxylation of taurodeoxycholate. Adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (3':5'-AMP) also stimulated the 7α-hydroxylation, however, the amount of the nucleotide present in the supernatant fraction could account for only 30% of its stimulatory activity. The dialysate of the supernatant was fractionated, and the fraction containing fatty acids, but free of 3':5'-AMP, also possessed stimulatory activity. Gasliquid chromatography identified palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acids as the major fatty acids in this fraction. In separate tests, it was found that saturated fatty acids with chain lengths of C12 to C20 stimulated, while long chain unsaturated fatty acids inhibited the 7α-hydroxylation. The inhibition by unsaturated fatty acids could be reversed by saturated fatty acids. The stimulatory effects of 3':5'-AMP and palmitic acid on the 7α-hydroxylase activity were additive when their concentrations were less than that producing maximal stimulation, and the maximal stimulation of the hydroxylase activity by either 3':5'-AMP, palmitate, or the supernatant fraction was comparable. The fatty acid content of the 105,000 x g supernatant was sufficient to account for maximal stimulation.
Assessing Mental Retardation Using Standardized Intelligence Tests

Publisher Summary Mental retardation is a categorization for a heterogeneous group of individuals with concurrent deficits in intellectual and adaptive functioning. Mental retardation is a deviation in development that may increase the risk of mental disorder and be accompanied by medical issues. The combination of developmental, medical, and psychiatric factors makes treatment complicated. The chapter discusses various intelligence tests used in the assessment and diagnosis of mental retardation. These tests include the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition, the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, the Differential Ability Scales (DAS), the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III), the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-IV), the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Third Edition (WAIS-III), the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, (SB5), the original Leiter International Performance Scale, and the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised. Measures of intelligence play a crucial role in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of children and adolescents with mental retardation. Different tests emphasize various elements of the construct of intelligence. Awareness of the range of available tests allows using multiple assessment tools to derive the most accurate information regarding an individual's cognitive and adaptive ability. Adequate training, practice, and clinical supervision are the mainstays of competency standards for intelligence testing when confronted with the complex task of differentially diagnosing mental retardation from a host of similarly appearing developmental disorders and learning disabilities.
Integrity of airway epithelium in pediatric burn autopsies: Association with age and extent of burn injury.

Abstract This study examines the structural integrity of the airway epithelium in autopsy tissues from pediatric burn subjects. Methods A semi-quantitative score for the degree of airway epithelial integrity was made for seventy- two pediatric burn autopsies. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression was performed to identify relationships between epithelial integrity and conditions related to tissue fixation, time of death after injury, age, total body surface area burn (TBSA), extent of 3rd degree burn, presence of inhalation injury, ventilator days and pneumonia. Results No significant difference in epithelial integrity scores was identified between burn only cases and those with inhalation injury. Significant correlations with bronchiolar epithelial integrity scores were identified for age, p = 0.02, and percent 3rd degree burn, p = 0.02. There was no significant relationship between epithelial integrity and time between death and autopsy, p > 0.44. Conclusions Airway epithelial loss seen in autopsy tissue is not simply an artifact of tissue fixation. The degree of compromise correlates most strongly with age and degree of burn. Further studies are needed to identify physiological or critical care factors following burn injury that contribute to compromise in the structural and functional properties of the airway epithelium.
Parameters Affecting the Association of Vibrios with the Intestinal Surface in Experimental Cholera

Intestinal antibody (coproantibody) significantly reduced the adsorption of heat-killed Vibrio cholerae to the mucosa of in vivo isolated ileal loops of adult rabbits. This suggests a direct effect of coproantibody on adsorption, which appears to function in addition to the antibacterial mechanism described earlier. When antivibrio serum was administered passively into intestinal loops, it showed a predilection for the intestinal mucosa. In vivo adsorption of vibrios appeared to parallel their viability, i.e., vibrios killed by heat or in the presence of neomycin adsorbed significantly less than live vibrios. In contrast, in vivo adsorption was only slightly affected in the presence of bacteriostatic concentrations of tetracycline. Adsorption of Salmonella senftenberg and V. cholerae to slices of rabbit ileum in Krebs-Ringer solution appeared to involve different mechanisms, in that the former was strongly removed from the intestinal tissues by sodium lauryl sulfate, whereas vibrios were not affected by this agent. Triton X-100 increased the adsorption of vibrios, whereas rabbit bile and changes in pH had no effect.
Exact electromagnetic scattering of an E-polarized plane wave by a double trihedral reflector with a semi-infinite slot

A dihedral metallic corner reflector is bisected into two octants by a metal plane perpendicular to the edge of the reflector and touching one of the reflector sides while having a gap with the other side. The scattered field due to an H-polarized plane wave incident in one of the octants is determined exactly, in the phasor domain.
Spiers memorial lecture. Organic electronics: an organic materials perspective.

This Introductory Lecture is intended to provide a background to Faraday Discussion 174: “Organic Photonics and Electronics” and will consist of a chronological, subjective review of organic electronics. Starting with “ancient history” (1888) and history (1950–present), the article will take us to the present. The principal developments involved the processes of charge carrier generation and charge transport in molecular solids, starting with insulators (photoconductors) and moving to metals, to semiconductors and ending with the most popular semiconductor devices, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field effect transistors (OFETs) and organic photovoltaics (OPVs). The presentation will be from an organic chemistry/materials point of view.
Mach-Number Measurement with Laser and Pressure Probes in Humid Supersonic Flow

Mach-number measurements using a nonintrusive optical technique, laser-induced thermal acoustics (LITA), are compared to pressure probes in humid supersonic airflow. The two techniques agree well in dry flow (-35 C dew point), but LITA measurements show about five times larger fractional change in Mach number than that of the pressure-probe when water is purposefully introduced into the flow. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.
Environmental Tax Policy in the United States: Alternatives to the Polluter Pays Principle

Environmental taxation is becoming widely accepted as a policy tool for promoting environmental goals. The “polluter pays principle,” whereby taxes and fees are charged for polluting behaviours, do...
Simplified technique for syllabic companding in log-domain filters

It is shown that when syllabic companding is applied to log-domain filters using dynamic biasing, their large signal linearity can be exploited to eliminate the state variable compensation circuit. Owing to its simplicity, the proposed technique has several advantages over previous approaches.
Photoemission studies of organic phosphors doped in electron and hole transport hosts

Using a combination of ultraviolet and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (UPS, XPS), we have studied the relative energy level alignment of two phosphorescent guest molecules, 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-21H,23H-porphine platinum (PtOEP) and tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium (Ir(ppy)3), doped in an electron transport host, tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (III) (Alq3), and in a hole transport host, 4,4'-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP). In each of the guest-host systems, we find that the vacuum levels of the guest and the host molecules align, and that the position of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the phosphorescent guest is independent of the guest molecule concentration (0.8 - 56% by mass) in the composite films. These results are used to shed light on possible electroluminescence mechanism(s) in the emissive layer of an organic light-emitting device utilizing the studied guest-host structures.
Charge flow model for atomic ordering in nonisovalent alloys

Nonisovalent alloys, also known as aliovalent alloys, are formed by mixing two semiconductors of different valences for both cations and anions. These alloys exhibit many interesting properties and have found applications in optoelectronics, refractory materials, photovoltaics, photocatalytic splitting of water, etc. For example, the alloy of GaN and ZnO has a surprisingly large band gap bowing, enabling visible light absorption and overall water splitting at a record quantum efficiency. The understanding of the properties of nonisovalent alloys, however, is hindered by the lack of knowledge of the detailed atomic structures. We recently developed a charge flow model which can predict the total energy of different atomic configurations of nonisovalent alloys. In this work, we extend this model and apply it to a number of alloy systems---GaN/ZnO, GaAs/ZnSe, InP/CdS, AlN/ZnO, AlN/MgO, and AlN/SiC in wurtzite, zinc blende, and/or rocksalt structures. Good agreement between the model-predicted and ab initio results is found. We also employ the charge flow model in parallel tempering Monte Carlo simulations to calculate the thermodynamic properties of nonisovalent alloys of wurtzite structure. A phase transition between the phase separated and alloying regions is found and a general phase diagram is obtained. This model could be used to guide the design and synthesis of new nonisovalent alloy materials.
Neutralization and Tax Evasion: How Effective Would a Moral Appeal Be in Improving Compliance to Tax Laws?

The failure of individuals to pay their taxes in full is a serious budgetary problem for the federal government. Existing research (Schwartz and Orleans, 1967; Grasmick and Scott, 1982) suggests that efforts to increase the guilt feelings experienced for tax evasion might improve compliance. However, neutralization theory (Sykes and Matza, 1957) predicts that guilt feelings can be reduced by neutralization strategies which justify guilt-producing behavior, compromising the inhibiting effect of guilt feelings. Our research shows that through the use of neutralization strategies which justify tax evasion the inhibiting effect of guilt feelings is sharply reduced. The implications of this finding for tax compliance programs based on appeals to the moral obligation of paying taxes are discussed.
Waveform-Sampling Electronics for a Whole-Body Time-of-Flight PET Scanner

Waveform sampling is an appealing technique for instruments requiring precision time and pulse-height measurements. Sampling each photomultiplier tube (PMT) waveform at oscilloscope-like rates of several gigasamples per second enables one to process PMT signals digitally, which in turn makes it straightforward to optimize timing resolution and amplitude (energy and position) resolution in response to calibration effects, pile-up effects, and other systematic sources of waveform variation. We describe a system design and preliminary implementation that neatly maps waveform-sampling technology onto the LaPET prototype whole-body time-of-flight PET scanner that serves as the platform for testing this new technology.
Involvement of c-Src and protein kinase Cδ in the inhibition of Cl-/OH- exchange activity in Caco-2 cells by serotonin

Abstract Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) is an important neurotransmitter and intercellular messenger regulating various gastrointestinal functions, including electrolyte transport. To date, however, no information is available with respect to its effects on the human intestinal apical anion exchanger Cl-/OH- (). The present studies were therefore undertaken to examine the direct effects of serotonin on OH- gradient-driven 4,4′-diisothiocyanato-stilbene-2, 2′-disulfonic acid-sensitive 36Cl- uptake utilizing the post-confluent transformed human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco-2. Our results demonstrate that serotonin inhibits Cl-/OH- exchange activity in Caco-2 cells via both tyrosine kinase and Ca2+-independent protein kinase Cδ-mediated pathways involving either 5-HT3 or 5-HT4 receptor subtype. The data consistent with our inference are as follows. (i) The short term treatment of cells with 5-HT (0.1 μm) for 15-60 min significantly decreased Cl-/OH- exchange (50-70%, p < 0.05). (ii) The specific agonists for 5-HT3, m-chlorophenylbiguanide, and 5-HT4, 3-(4-allylpiperazin-1-yl)-2-quinoxaline chloronitrile, mimicked the effects of serotonin. (iii) Tropisetron dual inhibitor for both the 5-HT3/4 receptor subtypes significantly blocked the inhibition, whereas specific 5-HT3 (Y-25130) or 5-HT4 receptor (RS39604) antagonist failed to block the inhibitory effects of 5-HT. (iv) The Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl ester) had no effect on the serotonin-induced inhibition. (v) The specific protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors chelerythrine chloride or calphostin C completely blocked the inhibition by 5-HT. (vi) The specific inhibitor for PKCδ, rottlerin, significantly blocked the inhibition by 5-HT. (vii) The specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, herbimycin, or Src family kinase inhibitor, PP1, abolished the 5-HT-mediated inhibition of Cl-/OH- exchange activity. (viii) 5-HT stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Src kinase and PKCδ.
Episodic ectopic ACTH syndrome associated with pulmonary infarctions.

The etiology of the ectopic ACTH syndrome, associated with certain tumors, is unclear. The ectopic ACTH syndrome was diagnosed in our patient by the characteristic clinical and laboratory findings. Shortly after admission, pulmonary infarctions were documented by lung scans and computed tomography. After treatment with anticoagulants, his plasma ACTH level and its suppressibility became normal. There was no evidence of a tumor. The ectopic ACTH syndrome recurred one year later in conjunction with another episode of pulmonary infarctions. During anticoagulant therapy his infarctions cleared and his plasma ACTH level normalized. In the five years since the onset, no tumor has been found, and plasma ACTH level remains normal and suppressive. We propose that our patients pulmonary infarctions stimulated pulmonary ACTH production, leading to Cushings syndrome.
Air Sampling Instruments

(1989). Air Sampling Instruments. Applied Industrial Hygiene: Vol. 4, Conference on Occupational Health Aspects Advanced Composite Technology in the Aerosoace Industry, pp. F-14-F-22.
Endolysosome involvement in LDL cholesterol-induced Alzheimer's disease-like pathology in primary cultured neurons

Abstract Aims Elevated levels of circulating cholesterol are extrinsic factors contributing to the pathogenesis of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). We showed previously that rabbits fed a cholesterol-enriched diet exhibited blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, increased accumulation of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) in brain neurons, and endolysosomes in brain had disturbed structures and functions. These effects were linked to increased amyloid beta (Aβ) production, increased tau-pathology, and disrupted synaptic integrity. Because pathological changes to endolysosomes represent a very early event in sporadic AD, we determined here the extent to which ApoB-containing LDL cholesterol altered the structure and function of endolysosomes and contributed to the development of AD-like pathology in primary cultured neurons. Main methods Cholesterol distribution and endolysosome morphology were determined histologically. Endolysosome pH was measured ratio-metrically with LysoSensor dye. Endolysosome enzyme activity was measured for acid phosphatase, cathepsins B and D, and beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE-1). AD-like pathologies, including increased production of Aβ, increased tau-pathology, and disrupted synaptic integrity were determined using ELISA, immunoblotting, and immunostaining techniques. Key findings Treatment of neurons with ApoB-containing LDL cholesterol increased endolysosome accumulation of cholesterol, enlarged endolysosomes, and elevated endolysosome pH. In addition, ApoB-containing LDL cholesterol increased endolysosome accumulation of BACE-1, enhanced BACE-1 activity, increased Aβ levels, increased levels of phosphorylated tau, and decreased levels of synaptophysin. Significance Our findings suggest strongly that alterations in the structure and function of endolysosomes play a key role in the exhibition of pathological features of AD that result from neuronal exposure to ApoB-containing LDL cholesterol.
FROSTY: a program for fast extraction of high-level structural representation from circuit description for industrial CMOS circuits

This paper presents FROSTY, a computer program for automatically extracting the high-level structural representation of a large-scale digital CMOS circuit from its transistor-level netlist and a library of subcircuit descriptions. To handle the complexity and diversity of industrial circuits, FROSTY combines traditional structural recognition and pattern matching methods into a two-step extraction process. First, logic structures based on channel-connected-components are recognized from a circuit netlist and from all library subcircuits, and are condensed into "macro devices" or called logic gates. This leads to hybrid netlists that contain the recognized logic gates and remaining transistors. Then annotated graphs representing the connectivity and properties of logic gates and remaining transistors are constructed. Compared to transistor-level netlists, these hybrid graphs are much smaller in size, more distinguishable in structure, and are thus more suitable for labeling-based pattern matching. An efficient pattern matching algorithm is then applied to extract the high-level structural representation from these condensed circuit graphs. FROSTY has demonstrated to be orders of magnitude faster than the pattern matching-based extraction program SubGemini, and can extract entire industrial designs with several hundreds of thousands of transistors in a few minutes on a modern Sun workstation. Furthermore, the FROSTY algorithm scales well with the size of a circuit.
Atovaquone inhibits the glucuronidation and increases the plasma concentrations of zidovudine

The pharmacokinetic interaction between atovaquone, a 1,4-hydroxynaphthoquinone, and zidovudine was examined in an open, randomized, three-phase crossover study in 14 patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Atovaquone (750 mg every 12 hours) and zidovudine (200 mg every 8 hours) were given orally alone and in combination. Atovaquone significantly increased the area under the zidovudine concentration-time curve (AUC) (1.82 +/- 0.62 micrograms.hr/ml versus 2.39 +/- 0.68 micrograms.hr/ml; p < 0.05) and decreased the oral clearance of zidovudine (2029 +/- 666 ml/min versus 1512 +/- 464 ml/min; p < 0.05). In contrast, atovaquone tended to decrease the AUC of zidovudine-glucuronide (7.31 +/- 1.51 micrograms.hr/ml versus 6.89 +/- 1.42 micrograms.hr/ml; p < 0.1) and significantly decreased the ratio of AUC zidovudine-glucuronide/AUC zidovudine (4.48 +/- 1.94 versus 3.12 +/- 1.1; p < 0.05). The maximum concentration of zidovudine-glucuronide was significantly lowered by atovaquone (5.7 +/- 1.5 versus 4.57 +/- 0.97 micrograms/ml; p < 0.05). Zidovudine had no effect on the pharmacokinetic disposition of atovaquone. Atovaquone appears to increase the AUC of zidovudine by inhibiting the glucuronidation of zidovudine.
A New Twist on Nanowire Formation: Screw-Dislocation-Driven Growth of Nanowires and Nanotubes

We discuss a nanowire and nanotube formation mechanism in which axial screw dislocations provide self-perpetuating steps to enable one-dimensional (1D) crystal growth, unlike previously understood vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) or analogous metal-catalyzed growth. We initially found this mechanism in hierarchical pine tree PbS nanowires with helically rotating branches. We further applied it to ZnO, demonstrating that screw dislocations can drive the spontaneous formation of nanotubes, and used classical crystal growth theory to confirm that their anisotropic 1D growth is driven by dislocations. Dislocation-driven growth should be general to many materials grown in vapor or solution and is underappreciated. It will create a new dimension in the rational synthesis of nanomaterials. The resulting complex hierarchical nanostructures can be useful for solar energy conversion, and our understanding will allow large-scale synthesis of 1D nanomaterials for practical applications.
Optimization of Pulse and Digital Circuits by Use of the Lagrange Multiplier Technique

Equations are derived for the optimal design of a frequency divider circuit, and optimal design equations are presented for other typical pulse circuits: a timing circuit, a gating circuit and a clipping circuit. The Lagrange Multiplier Technique used in this paper has also been applied successfully for the optimal design of switching amplifiers [1]. For each of the circuits considered, the reliability and the performance of the circuit are enhanced by adjusting circuit elements so as to maximize or minimize a specified variable of the circuit when the circuit is in one of its several states; when in other of its states, however, the circuit is required to perform in accordance with specified relationships which act as constraints on the optimization procedure.
Signal, noise, and resolution in correlated fluctuations from snapshot small-angle x-ray scattering.

It has been suggested that the three-dimensional structure of one particle may be reconstructed using the scattering from many identical, randomly oriented copies ab initio, without modeling or a priori information. This may be possible if these particles are frozen in either space or time, so that the conventional two-dimensional small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) distribution contains fluctuations and is no longer isotropic. We consider the magnitude of the correlated fluctuation SAXS (CFSAXS) signal for typical x-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) beam conditions and compare this against the errors derived with the inclusion of Poisson photon counting statistics. The resulting signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is found to rapidly approach a limit independent of the number of particles contributing to each diffraction pattern, so that the addition of more particles to a ``single-particle-per-shot'' experiment may be of little value, apart from reducing solvent background. When the scattering power is significantly less than one photon per particle per Shannon pixel, the SNR grows in proportion to incident flux. We provide simulations for protein molecules in support of these analytical results, and discuss the effects of solvent background scatter. We consider the SNR dependence on resolution and particle size, and discuss the application of the method to glasses and liquids, and the implications of more powerful XFELs, smaller focused beams, and higher pulse repetition rates for this approach. We find that an accurate CFSAXS measurement may be acquired to subnanometer resolution for protein molecules if a 9-keV beam containing ${10}^{13}$ photons is focused to a $\ensuremath{\sim}$100-nm spot diameter, provided that the effects of solvent background can be reduced sufficiently.
Expanding the Ig Superfamily Code for Laminar Specificity in Retina: Expression and Role of Contactins

Bipolar, amacrine, and retinal ganglion cells elaborate arbors and form synapses within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the vertebrate retina. Specific subsets of these neuronal types synapse in one or a few of the ≥10 sublaminae of the IPL. Four closely related Ig superfamily transmembrane adhesion molecules--Sidekick1 (Sdk1), Sdk2, Dscam, and DscamL--are expressed by non-overlapping subsets of chick retinal neurons and promote their lamina-specific arborization (Yamagata and Sanes, 2008). Here, we asked whether contactins (Cntns), six homologs of Sdks and Dscams, are expressed by and play roles in other subsets. In situ hybridization showed that cntn1-5 were differentially expressed by subsets of amacrine cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that each Cntn protein was concentrated in a subset of IPL sublaminae. To assess roles of Cntns in retinal development, we focused on Cntn2. Depletion of Cntn2 by RNA interference markedly reduced the ability of Cntn2-positive cells to restrict their arbors to appropriate sublaminae. Conversely, ectopic expression of cntn2 redirected neurites of transduced neurons to the Cntn2-positive sublaminae. Thus, both loss- and gain-of-function strategies implicate Cntn2 in lamina-specific neurite targeting. Studies in heterologous cells showed that Cntn2 mediates homophilic adhesion, but does not bind detectably to Sdks, Dscams, or other Cntns. Overexpression analysis showed that Cntns1 and 3 can also redirect neurites to appropriate sublaminae. We propose that Cntns, Sdks, and Dscams comprise an Ig superfamily code that uses homophilic interactions to promote lamina-specific targeting of retinal dendrites in IPL.