cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Broadcast Feedback of Large-Scale, Distributed Stochastic Control Systems Inspired by Biological Muscle Control

This paper presents a broadcast feedback approach to the distributed stochastic control of an actuator system consisting of many cellular units. This control architecture was inspired by skeletal muscles comprising a vast number of tiny functional units, called sarcomeres. The output of the actuator system is an aggregate effect of numerous cellular units, each taking a bistable on-off state. A central controller "broadcasts" the error between the aggregate output and a reference input. Rather than dictating the individual units to take specific states, the central controller merely broadcasts the overall error signal to all the cellular units uniformly. In turn each cellular unit makes a stochastic decision with a state transition probability, which is modulated in relation to the broadcasted error. Stability conditions of the broadcast feedback system are obtained by using a stochastic Lyapunov function. It is demonstrated that, even in the absence of deterministic coordination, the ensemble of the cellular units can track a given trajectory stably and robustly.
Voices from the past: comparing the rapid prompting method and facilitated communication.

Objective: This article briefly reviews the history and damage caused by facilitated communication (FC) and highlights the parallels between FC and the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM).Background: FC involves a therapist (or facilitator) supporting the hand of a person with autism while a message is typed on a letter board. FC is widely acknowledged to be a pseudoscientific, unsafe, and unethical treatment for people with autism. RPM is a more recent intervention for people with autism that involves the facilitator holding and moving the letter board while the individual with autism moves their own hand. Those who espouse the perceived benefits of FC and RPM make strikingly similar claims of hidden intelligence and extraordinary communication abilities in people with autism following treatment.Conclusion: Clients, proponents, and practitioners of RPM should demand scientific validation of RPM in order to ensure the safety of people with disabilities that are involved with RPM.
Emergency contraception services for adolescents: a National Survey of Children's Hospital Emergency Department Directors.

Abstract Study Objective To assess emergency contraception (EC) counseling and prescribing practices of children's hospital emergency department (ED) directors and the use of EC protocols in these settings. Design Cross-sectional study of children's hospital ED directors responding to a 15-minute 44-item semi-structured survey during telephone interviews. Participants 50 of 96 eligible directors of children's hospital EDs in the United States. Main Outcome Measures EC protocols, EC counseling processes, EC prescribing practices. Results Most (80%) ED directors reported always offering EC as part of sexual assault care; 66% were more likely to provide onsite EC in these situations. Only 52% identified the progestin-only regimen as the EC dispensed in their ED, and most (96%) limited provision to fewer than 120 hours after sex. Although 58% of ED directors reported ever prescribing ongoing contraception when providing EC, none had prescribed EC for future use. Written ED protocols for providing EC were more common for sexual assault care (76%) than for non-sexual assault care (14%). Directors who worked at hospitals with a sexual assault program were less likely to discuss all the recommended topics for EC counseling. Conclusions The recommended standard of care for providing EC to adolescents in children's hospital EDs is not being met. Although risk of pregnancy following sexual assault and consensual unprotected sex is identical, discrepant practices emerged from this survey of pediatric ED directors. Increased education and policy initiatives within children's hospital EDs are needed to standardize EC services for adolescents in this setting.
The L-type calcium channel blocker nimodipine mitigates "learned helplessness" in rats.

We assessed the effect of nimodipine, an L-type calcium channel blocker, on the escape deficit induced by prior exposure to inescapable shock in rats in four experiments. In Experiment 1, we injected rats at each of three time points (i.e., before shock exposure, after shock exposure, and before shuttle escape testing) with one of four doses of nimodipine (0, 0.5, 2.5, 5.0 mg/kg). The 5.0-mg/kg dose was most effective, acting to reduce shuttle escape latencies of inescapably shocked rats to a level comparable with nonshocked controls. No benefit occurred in Experiment 2, however, when nimodipine was administered at only one of the three time points used in the first experiment. Moreover, escape performance did not improve when rats received injections of nimodipine on the 2 days prior the experiment, and then one additional injection at one of the three time points identified above in Experiment 3. Finally, administration of nimodipine at two of the three time points did improve escape responding, but only when injected immediately prior both to shock exposure and the shuttle escape test.
FINE STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM OF THE BULLFROG DURING METAMORPHOSIS

The fine structural changes occurring in the columnar absorbing cells of the intestinal epithelium during metamorphosis of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, have been examined by phase contrast and electron microscopy. Tissue samples taken just posterior to the entrance of the hepatopancreatic duct were fixed in veronal acetate-buffered osmium tetroxide and embedded in methacrylate. Under the action of the metamorphic stimulus (thyroid hormone), specific and characteristic responses were given by differentiated larval cells and undifferentiated basal cells within the same epithelium. The functional larval cells underwent degenerative changes and were retained for a time within the metamorphosing epithelium. Dense bodies appeared and increased in number in association with the loss of normal cell structure. Because of their morphology and time of formation, these bodies have been tentatively identified as lysosomes. Early in metamorphosis the basal cells did not change, but they subsequently proliferated to form a new cell layer beneath the remaining degenerating cells that lined the lumen. After the dying cells were sloughed into the gut, the new epithelium differentiated to form the adult tissue. The columnar epithelial cells of the mature animal differed in their fine structural organization from their larval precursors. Therefore, their adult configuration was molded by the action of the metamorphic stimulus.
Stability of Plasma Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Determined by Gas Chromatography-Positive Ion Chemical Ionization-Mass Spectrometry

An effective method for the determination of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) in human plasma is described that utilizes a simple liquid-liquid extraction procedure and gas chromatography-positive ion chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-PCI-MS). The method has been used to study the stability of plasma GHB under several storage conditions. Following the extraction with acetonitrile, GHB and deuterated GHB (GHB-d(6)) were derivatized with N,O-bis[trimethylsilyl] trifluoroacetamide (BSFTA). After the separation on a capillary GC column, the derivatives were ionized with ammonia reagent gas and analyzed by MS. The lower limit of quantitation in 100 microL of plasma was 2.5 microg/mL, over a range from 2.5 to 250 microg/mL. The coefficients of variation did not exceed 3.9% and the mean measured concentrations did not deviate more than 8% from the target for both intra- and interassay precision and accuracy. Plasma GHB was found to be stable at -20 degrees C for up to 9 months, at room temperature for 48 h, and after 3 freeze/thaw cycles. It was also found to be stable in processed samples stored at room temperature for 5 days and for 15 days at -20 degrees C.
Spatial distributions and variability of suspended particulate matter in warm-core ring 82B

Spatial distributions and variability of suspended particulate matter (SPM) were determined optically during CTD/transmissometer surveys of warm-core ring (WCR) 82B and surrounding waters in June 1982. SPM distributions within 30 km of ring center from the surface to the depth of the 27.6 kg m−3 potential density surface at 800 m were different from surrounding waters. Waters within this core region of the ring had higher SPM concentrations between potential densities of 26.0 and 26.75 kg m−3 and had lower concentrations between 26.8 and 27.5 kg m−3 when compared to sorrounding waters. This result suggests that processes within WCR 82B (as opposed to lateral exchange processes with surrounding waters) were most important in governing particle distributions near ring center. Such isolation was not true for entrainment zone waters 70–80 km from ring center. In this region, waters shallower than 100 m showed a strong influence of waters from the continental shelf. In the entrainment zone, SPM concentrations between the 26.8 and 27.5 kg m−3 potential density surfaces (between 100 and 380 m) were higher compared with waters of similar density both within the ring and in the surrounding Slope Water. In addition, higher SPM concentrations were found in the region of offshore flow behind the ring than in the onshore flow ahead of the ring. This produces a net offshore transport of SPM by WCR 82B for entrainment zone waters of this potential density interval of between 2900 and 15,800 g SPM s−1. These results suggest that WCR's may be very important in the dispersal of resuspended continental slope sediments 100–200 km away from the continental margin.
The transcription factor lymphoid enhancer factor 1 controls invariant natural killer T cell expansion and Th2-type effector differentiation

Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT cells) are innate-like T cells that rapidly produce cytokines that impact antimicrobial immune responses, asthma, and autoimmunity. These cells acquire multiple effector fates during their thymic development that parallel those of CD4(+) T helper cells. The number of Th2-type effector iNKT cells is variable in different strains of mice, and their number impacts CD8 T, dendritic, and B cell function. Here we demonstrate a unique function for the transcription factor lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) in the postselection expansion of iNKT cells through a direct induction of the CD127 component of the receptor for interleukin-7 (IL-7) and the transcription factor c-myc. LEF1 also directly augments expression of the effector fate-specifying transcription factor GATA3, thus promoting the development of Th2-like effector iNKT cells that produce IL-4, including those that also produce interferon-γ. Our data reveal LEF1 as a central regulator of iNKT cell number and Th2-type effector differentiation.
Synthesis of shaped-beam radiation patterns using the iterative sampling method

The iterative sampling method is introduced for the synthesis of shaped-beam radiation patterns using either line sources or uniformly spaced arrays. Given an original pattern which is some approximation to the desired pattern, a series of correction patterns is added to it. Successive iterations are applied in this manner until the desired performance is achieved. The current distribution is found by a corresponding series of corrections. Several examples show that patterns with either low main-beam ripple and/or low sidelobe level or sharp cutoff from the main beam can be obtained. Unless there is significant ripple or sidelobe improvement, the complexity of the required source current is usually lower than that of the original pattern. For a ten-element array example with \pm 1 -percent error in the current amplitudes and phases about -40 dB, sidelobe and ripple performance was achieved. Furthermore, the iterative sampling method is simple to apply and converges rapidly.
A simple model of the World Trade Center fireball dynamics

An analytical model of the initial expansion of a fireball is presented. The model is based on an exact solution of the low Mach number combustion equations in the form initially proposed by the authors. The equations consist of the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy with an isobaric equation of state. The heat release rate is a prescribed spherically symmetric function characterized by a flame expansion velocity, a flame brush thickness that increases with time, and a heat release rate per unit surface area. The introduction of a prescribed heat release rate obviates the need for an explicit turbulence model. Thus, the inviscid forms of the conservation equations can be used in the analysis. The velocity field is decomposed into a spherically symmetric expansion field and a solenoidal component determined by the buoyancy induced vorticity field. The expansion field together with the induced pressure rise and temperature fields are spherically symmetric. However, the buoyancy forces induce vorticity where the temperature changes rapidly and break the spherical symmetry of the velocity field. The solution is used to study the initial expansion of the fireballs generated in the attack on the World Trade Center south tower. Video images are used to estimate the expansion rate of the fireball. This information, when combined with the analysis, leads to an estimate of the fuel consumed in the fireball that is independent of any assumptions about either the initial fuel distribution or the state of the building following the crash. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Combustion Institute.
Object detection and classification using matched filtering and higher-order statistics

A method for signal detection and classification in the presence of additive Gaussian noise using higher-than-second-order statistics of the matched filter output is presented. Deterministic and random, nonGaussian distributed signals are detected via multiple correlations and cumulants, respectively. The detection algorithm is computationally simple, and, contrary to standard matched filtering, it is insensitive to signal shifts and does not require knowledge of the noise spectrum for prewhitening. The detector can be viewed as a likelihood radio test between sampled higher-order statistics, and its performance is evaluated using binary hypothesis testing. Signals are designed to have equal higher-order correlation energies and then classified based on higher-order statistics. Two-dimensional extensions of the one-dimensional algorithms are discussed briefly. Simulations illustrate successful performance of the detection and classification algorithms at low signal-to-noise ratio. >
LEISURE: A Framework for Load-Balanced Network-Wide Traffic Measurement

Network-wide traffic measurement is of interest to network operators to uncover global network behavior for the management tasks of traffic accounting, debugging or troubleshooting, security, and traffic engineering. Increasingly, sophisticated network measurement tasks such as anomaly detection and security forensic analysis are requiring in-depth fine-grained flow-level measurements. However, performing in-depth per-flow measurements (e.g., detailed payload analysis) is often an expensive process. Given the fast-changing Internet traffic landscape and large traffic volume, a single monitor is not capable of accomplishing the measurement tasks for all applications of interest due to its resource constraint. Moreover, uncovering global network behavior requires network-wide traffic measurements at multiple monitors across the network since traffic measured at any single monitor only provides a partial view and may not be sufficient or accurate. These factors call for coordinated measurements among multiple distributed monitors. In this paper, we present a centralized optimization framework, LEISURE (Load-EqualIzed measurement), for load-balancing network measurement workloads across distributed monitors. Specifically, we consider various load-balancing problems under different objectives and study their extensions to support different deployment scenarios. We evaluate LEISURE via detailed simulations on Abilene and GEANT network traces to show that LEISURE can achieve much better load-balanced performance (e.g., 4.75X smaller peak workload and 70X smaller variance in workloads) across all coordinated monitors in comparison to naive solution (uniform assignment) to accomplish network-wide traffic measurement tasks.
The Development of Speaking and Writing Proficiencies in the Spanish Language Classroom: A Case Study

An important task for foreign language (FL) instructors and researchers is to understand how the development of each language skill affects other aspects of language acquisition. This case study seeks to determine if speaking and writing proficiencies develop at similar rates among FL learners. Seventeen students enrolled in beginning, intermediate, and advanced Spanish courses at a mid-sized U.S. university were administered the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview and Writing Proficiency Test. Speaking and writing proficiency scores were then correlated. Results showed a fairly strong correlation between speaking and writing scores among experimental group participants, but much weaker correlations between proficiencies when each of the three groups was examined individually. Some students were more proficient writers than speakers, others better writers than speakers, and others equally proficient.
Organizational memory/knowledge effects on productivity, a longitudinal study

This paper discusses a longitudinal study that explored the relationship between use of organizational memory and knowledge (OM/K) and knowledge worker productivity within the engineering group at a nuclear power plant. Three data points were taken over five yeas. An OM/K System (OM/KS) was identified that improved effectiveness/productivity of the organization. The basic components of the OM/KS remained the same over the study. A key and unexpected finding was that hew members of the organization did hot consider the OM/KS as effective as established members and tended hot to use the system until they became established members themselves. To explain the success of the OM/KS, DeLone and McLean's IS Success Model was adapted to OM/KS.
Glass transition as a key to identifying solid phases

The earlier suggested definition, “a solid is a condensed phase at a temperature below its glass transition,” has developed into the key to the understanding of macromolecular materials. Its importance and implications for the understanding of not only polymers but all materials are reviewed in this article. A macromolecular sample can be a system consisting of a single amorphous phase or be a molecularly coupled multiphase system of different degrees of order and metastability in its subsystems. It is well known that liquid crystals, plastic crystals, and conformationally disordered crystals are still ordered above the glass transition, but recently even the monoclinic crystals of poly (oxyethylene) have been shown to have an additional glass transition below the melting temperature. This supports the inference that in the delineation of the solid state, the glass transitions take preference to melting transitions. The main tools for recognizing the different equilibrium and nonequilibrium phases are differential scanning calorimetry and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry. Such calorimetry yields quantitative heat capacities to be interpreted in terms of molecular motion and latent heats. Separated into reversible and irreversible contributions, the entropy changes connected to ordering and disordering can be evaluated. The value of the recognition of phase transitions lies in the fact that materials must be pliable for being manufactured into a final shape but often need high modulus and strength in their applications. Near the glass transition, forming is easy, whereas below the glass-transition temperature, a high modulus is reached for properly oriented polymer molecules. By the identification of the glass transitions of materials with different states of order, a better understanding of the solid state of soft materials is reached. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 105: 49–59, 2007
Radar detection probabilities and their calculation

Most radar targets are complex objects and produce a wide variety of reflections. Different targets often require different models to characterize the varied statistical nature of these responses. Several commonly used statistical models and extensions to them are considered here along with techniques for reliably calculating the resulting probabilities of detection. Marcum (1960) and Swerling (1960, 1965, 1970) have provided us with expressions for constant and some fluctuating targets, respectively. Expressions for the probability of detection for cell-averaging constant false alarm rate (CFAR) have been given by Mitchell and Walker (1971), but only for clutter cells whose input to the receiver was assumed to be zero mean Gaussian clutter. These CFAR results have been generalized here for non-zero mean clutter. We have replaced the chi-square distribution for clutter with a noncentral chi-square distribution allowing for a non-zero mean. Other fluctuation models, such as log-normal, Weibull, and Ricean models, are considered for both target and clutter fluctuations. Methods for false alarm calculations are also given. Reliable algorithms for the computations of these detection probabilities are determined for the various models. Though reliability is primary, efficiency, generality and accuracy are also issues of concern. >
Maximum multipath diversity with linear equalization in linearly precoded OFDM systems

In this paper we show that a linear equalizer with no coding is capable of benefiting from maximum multipath diversity in linearly preceded OFDM systems Z. Wang et al., (2001), i.e. systems where the information symbols are mapped through a matrix transformation before the IFFT at the OFDM transmitter. We can conclude from this result that at sufficiently high SNRs precoded OFDM systems perform better over channels with more taps even with linear equalization, due to the increase in diversity order.
Rediversion salinity change in the Cooper River, South Carolina: Ecological implications

A 70% reduction in freshwater discharge through the Cooper River Basin, South Carolina, has provided a unique opportunity to study changes in estuarine plant communities in response to a system-wide increase in salinity. A one-dimensional tidal prism mixing model was used to simulate the changes in the longitudinal salinity distribution which have occurred in the Cooper River since a diversion in 1985 reduced the mean flow from 442 to 130 m3 s−1. Model simulations indicate that a salinity increase of 10–14‰ has occurred in the region of the river where the marsh plant community shifts from a virtual monoculture ofSpartina alterniflora to a more diverse brackish community. The flow reduction and associated salinity increase are expected to result in an increased dominance of the halophyte,S. alterniflora, and a progressive exclusion of the less halotolerant species which currently inhabit this region.
The Effect of Engaging Prior Learning on Student Attitudes toward Creationism and Evolution

Abstract American adults and K–12 students frequently report nonrationalist views about creationism and evolution. Efforts to force educators to include material on “intelligent design” theory are causing widespread concern in the science education community. I report here the effects of a modified approach to a majors-oriented college introductory biology course. The course was modified to connect with the experiences, knowledge, and beliefs that most students bring to college, with the intent of engaging prior learning about creationism and evolution and of emphasizing the nature of science. The effects of this approach on student creationist or evolutionist attitudes were compared with the effects of two other sections of the same course that were taught by different instructors during the same academic quarter. The modified approach produced more attitude change than the other approaches. It included some material whose use has been discouraged by science educators, including discussion of creation my...
It’s the Economy, not European Identity: The Effect of European Identity and Economic Considerations on Public Support for EU Membership in Turkey and Central and Eastern European Countries

Turkey has long been characterized as “too big, too poor, too Muslim” to be a European country. This assertion permeated the political debates regarding Turkey’s accession to the Union in the early 2000s, leading to a Turkey versus the rest dichotomy: Other candidate countries are European, Turkey is not. A central dimension of this dichotomy was the juxtaposition of public attitudes toward EU membership in Turkey and Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). A frequently evoked claim during the fifth enlargement of the Union was that the Turkish public supports EU membership due to its expected economic benefits while citizens in CEECs desire membership because they identify as European. In this article, I show that this claim was empirically false. Using data from the Eurobarometer survey for candidate countries, I statistically demonstrate that both Turks and citizens of CEECs supported EU membership for economic reasons. European identity played a negligible role in shaping mass support for EU membership in Turkey and other candidate countries alike. This study makes a central contribution to the existing literature by analyzing the relative impact of European identity and economic considerations on public support for EU membership in Turkey and CEECs. The results fill an important void in the existing scholarship and contribute to ongoing political debates on Turkey’s EU membership
Structural motifs of Au(I)-Cu(I) N-heterocyclic carbene halide complexes

AbstractA series of Au(I)–Cu(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) halide complexes [AuCu2(im(CH2py)2)2X]2+ where X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3) was prepared by refluxing [AuCu2(im(CH2py)2)2(NCCH3)4]3+ with the appropriate halide in acetonitrile. The compounds were characterized by NMR, absorption, and fluorescence spectroscopy. They feature similar solution behavior and solid-state photoemissions. The solid-state structures feature a rhomboidal [AuCu2X]2+ core which is influenced by the type of halide. Compared to other Au(I)–Cu(I) NHC complexes, 1–3 comprise a new structural motif containing a bridging halide. The benzimidazolium analog of 1 was also characterized crystallographically. The structure of [AuCu2(benzim(CH2py)2)2Cl]2+(4) features different coordination modes of the NHC ligands with the carbenic carbon bonded to both gold and copper and the pyridyl groups bonded to the same copper(I) ion.
First-Approximation Landslide Inventory Maps for Northern Pakistan, using ASTER DEM Data and Geomorphic Indicators

The compilation of a landslide inventory is a good thing to do before undertaking more detailed work in landslide-prone areas. Remotely sensed data and geographic information system (GIS) software can be combined and manipulated to prepare reconnaissance-level landslide inventory maps at relatively low cost. The landslide mapping technique developed for this research began by constructing a stitched shaded topographic map of the Indus River watershed, using regional topographic maps with 40 m contours, combined with ASTER digital elevation model (DEM) data of 30 m resolution. Topographic recognition keys were then employed to aid in the visual identification and delineation of anomalous topography, suggestive of past land slippage. Hundreds of landslide-related features were mapped along the main stem of the Indus River in the Greater Himalaya Mountains, upstream of Tarbela Dam and Reservoir. Most of the mapped features appear to be composite and complex landslides, developed in the parent bedrock units. The hillshade topographic mapping technique helps geologists to identify and map active, dormant, and prehistoric landslide features on a regional scale. The main challenge for this landslide inventory map was the scarcity of available data for the region. The aim of this study was to provide a reconnaissance-scale hazard map intended to provide a qualitative, first-order inventory of landslides and related mass-wasting features that are subject to field verification.
A new key authenticated scheme for cryptosystems based on discrete logarithms

Protecting public keys against intruders is very important in public key cryptosystems.Most key authentication schemes require one or more authorities to authenticate keys.In this paper, a new scheme f or cryptosystems based on discrete logarithms is provided.It is simila r to the conventional certificate-based schemes,yet it requires no aut horities.The certificate of the public key of a user is a combination of his password and private key.The scheme is highly secure and authen tication process is very simple.
Modifying the Parameter of Turbine Valve Management

In this paper,the principle of modifying the parameter was discussed about valve management of turbine.The method and detail of test was given.
Stress Sensitivity of Low-permeability Sandstone Reservoir

In the time of low-permeability sandstone reservoir explored,effective stress rise gradually,stress sensitivity has happened,which cause permeability decline. Allowing to initial geostress,the study on Jilin oil field xin326 oil layer and made the rock core experiment are presented. The experimental results show that the stress sensitivity of this oil layer is small;the regularity of permeability changes is in accordance with exponential function .The stress sensitivity of high permeability core is larger than low permeability. Moreover,experiments and theoretical analysis shows that low permeability core has a smaller permeability loss than high permeability core in load and unload process. Load and unload process leads to elastic plastic deformation of rock,this is the major reason which permeability can not return completely.
A nascent market for contingency reserve services using demand response

Abstract The increased presence of variable renewable generation drives a greater need for authorities to procure more ancillary services (AS) for grid balance. One of these services is contingency reserve (CR), which is used to regulate the grid frequency in contingencies. Many Independent System Operators (ISO) are structuring the rules of AS markets such that demand response (DR) can participate along side traditional supply-side resources. The available capacity of the generators can be used more efficiently for power production which they were designed for and not CR; cutting costs, and reducing pollution. As the ratio of inverter-based generation compared to conventional generation increases, the mechanical inertia used to stabilize frequency decreases. When coupled with the sensitivity of inverter-based generation to transient frequencies, the provision of ancillary services from other sources than generators becomes increasingly important. This paper provides a method to use AS for providing CR using DR to ensure system stability for a set of credible contingencies, while also satisfying economic and market goals. In the AS market, optimal power flow (OPF) is used to find the optimal offers/bids and transient behavior of frequency is considered. Our model separates DR into two categories—faster and slower—based on the deviation from the normal frequency of grid power. In a standard numerical example, we show that the proposed model can clear energy and ancillary service bids simultaneously while minimizing the total operating cost and satisfying transient frequency requirements.
Drug Interactions with Benzodiazepines: Epidemiologic Correlates with Other CNS Depressants and In Vitro Correlates with Inhibitors and Inducers of Cytochrome P450 3A4

The benzodiazepines are a class of a relatively large number of drugs that share a common chemical structure and have anxiolytic to sedative action on the central nervous system (CNS). They are chemically diverse, but share a classic structure that consists of a benzene fused to a seven-membered diazepine ring. Benzodiazepines are noted to have both pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug interactions. The former can be most devastating, and usually arise from co-exposure to another CNS depressant (e.g., ethanol, opioids, barbiturates, anesthe­tics). These have been associated with enhanced impairment and mortality, usually from respiratory depression. Pharmacodynamic interactions occur with all benzodiazepines and are not related to their structure. Pharmacokinetic interactions, on the other hand are highly structure dependent, as most arise from either inhibition or induction of the cytochrome P450s involved in the metabolism of the benzodiazepine. Numerous examples of pharmacokinetic interactions that alter the pharmacokinetics of the benzodiazepine have been reported and these are herein described for an assortment of drug. These interactions may have sufficient changes to significantly reduce efficacy (induction of metabolism), but toxicity from inhibition of metabolism was rarely seen at the therapeutic doses used in clinical studies. These consequences, however, could be magnified in the overuser. Numerous drug interactions between benzodiazepines and other drugs do occur; those with other CNS depressants are of greatest concern.
Characterizing the relationship between increases in the cost of nicotine and decreases in nicotine content in adult male rats: implications for tobacco regulation

A large reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes may benefit public health by reducing the rate and the prevalence of smoking. A behavioral economics framework suggests that a decrease in nicotine content may be considered an increase in the unit price of nicotine (unit price = reinforcer cost/reinforcer magnitude). Increasing the price of cigarettes (i.e., increasing reinforcer cost) would be considered an equivalent change in unit price to reducing nicotine content (i.e., reducing reinforcer magnitude). The goal of the present experiments was to characterize the relationship between increases in nicotine cost and decreases in nicotine dose. A rat self-administration model was used to assess this relationship across three experiments, with an emphasis on very low nicotine doses to model a potential nicotine reduction policy. Cost was manipulated via changes in the number of responses required to earn an infusion. Results show that increases in the cost of nicotine and decreases in nicotine content were not equivalent manipulations. Nicotine consumption was more sensitive to nicotine dose than to nicotine cost. Nicotine consumption was also not equivalent across a variety of cost and dose combinations forming a single unit price. Results of the present studies suggest that nicotine reduction is likely to have a large impact on nicotine exposure from cigarettes.
Western Living Sunset Style in the 1920s and 1930s: The Middlebrow, the Civilized, and the Modern

In the 1920s and 1930s, Sunset Magazine created images of the West and westerners that exerted considerable social power. By imbuing depictions of the civilized and the modern with prescriptions about social order, this middlebrow lifestyle magazine offered the white middle-class components for fashioning a collective identity that reinforced their regional dominance.
Inclusion and point defect characteristics of Marange graphite-bearing diamonds after high temperature annealing

Abstract This study gives an analysis of the effect of low-pressure, high-temperature annealing on the infrared, Raman, and photoluminescence (PL) features, as well as the inclusion characteristics, of cubo-octahedral diamond plates from the Marange deposits in Zimbabwe. The samples showed strong inclusion-related zoning which consists of micron-sized particles identified as graphite and these grew noticeably larger with annealing at temperatures of 300 °C to 1700 °C. Within the natural diamonds, the graphite inclusions (detected by Raman spectroscopy) had a grain size of approximately 1 μm, which increased to 3 μm after 1200 °C and 14 μm after 1700 °C annealing and their hexagonal morphology was discernible. From the geometry of these grains, we determined that they were oriented within the {111} family of planes. The infrared absorption and PL spatial maps were collected after every temperature step to study the effects of annealing on the defects, and photomicrographs and Raman spectra were collected to study the graphite inclusions. The graphitic inclusions grew much larger as the stressed diamond surrounding them converted to graphite. Many nitrogen-related optical centers, including NV − and H3 are no longer detected after high temperature annealing within the cuboid regions as these may have been transformed to hydrogen-bearing complexes such as NVH and N 2 VH. The presence of CH 4 is detected in the unannealed Marange diamonds, but was no longer observed in Raman spectra after 1200 °C annealing. This CH 4 disappearance along with changes in inclusion morphology could provide a method to detect heat treatment if these mixed-habit samples are sourced to create treated black gem diamond.
The 2017 IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award Winners [Guest Editorial]

This special section honors he 2017 recipients of the IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award in Solid-State Circuits: Dr. Takao Nishitani and Dr. John Thompson. The late Prof. Pederson pioneered the semiconductor industry as we know it today, not only through many generations of Berkeley students but also through seminal work on computer aided design tools (especially SPICE) that made it possible to handle the ever-growing complexity of ICs, without which, Moore’s law notwithstanding, we may never have been able to scale the design effort and design complex chips. It is therefore befitting that we honor two pioneers of a key segment on the IC industry, which we take for granted today, the digital signal processing industry.
Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease Prognosis: Are Biomarkers Ready for Preemptive Clinical Trials?

Although many factors are known to influence hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT)2 outcomes, including the age of the recipient, comorbidity, conditioning intensity, donor source, donor–recipient human leukocyte antigen (HLA) compatibility, conditioning regimen, and posttransplant graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis, they incompletely predict results. Biomarkers promise to further refine our ability to risk-stratify individual patients for the likelihood of a certain event's occurrence. It is important to define the clinical context of the use of biomarker(s) of interest and the outcome data that will be captured to assess a clinical endpoint, for example, grade II acute GVHD (aGVHD) or 6-month nonrelapse mortality (6m-NRM). Once the biomarkers are validated, risk stratification may allow prevention of complications via a biomarker-based personalized treatment approach. To develop the best biomarkers, the 2014 NIH Chronic GVHD Consensus Biomarker Working Group, which included world experts in the field and U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisors, defined the different types of biomarkers and summarized an ideal framework for biomarker development (1). The group defined 4 types of GVHD markers: (a) diagnostic biomarkers that are used to identify patients at the onset of clinical disease, (b) prognostic biomarkers that are used to categorize patients by degree of risk for disease occurrence, (c) predictive biomarkers that are used to categorize patients by their likelihood of response or outcome to a particular treatment when measured before the treatment, and (d) response biomarkers to treatment that are measured after initiation of therapy and serve as a substitute for a clinical efficacy endpoint. One important recommendation the group made was the verification of a potential GVHD marker in at least 2 independent cohorts (each having sufficient power for statistical significance), which would support its use in GVHD clinical trials and patient management. One promising marker is STimulation-2 (ST2), the interleukin (IL)-33 receptor. Of note, …
Nonvolatile holographic storage in photorefractive materials

We review methods of nonvolatile storage in photorefractive materials, namely thermal and electrical fixing, two-lambda readout, two photon recording, and periodic refreshing. For each method, we briefly review the physical processes that are responsible for counteracting photorefractive erasure, and present recent experimental results.
Working fluid parametric analysis for regenerative supercritical organic Rankine cycles for medium geothermal reservoir temperatures

Abstract The conversion efficiency of geothermal energy is very low. For low-temperature resources, such as geothermal energy, a supercritical organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has been shown to be more efficient than an ORC. Regenerative supercritical ORCs have been proven to yield even higher efficiencies for cases where the heat source is limited above the ambient temperature. Most studies on these cycles have focused on turbine inlet temperatures between 80 and 130˚C. Only a few studies have explored other working fluids between 180 and 350˚C but did not analyze optimum turbine inlet pressures. Turbine inlet temperatures ranging from 170 to 240˚C were tested with the heat source provided by a medium temperature geothermal reservoir. A parametric analysis was performed for various turbine inlet pressures and temperatures. The fluids tested included cis-butene, pentane, isopentane, butane, isobutane, carbon dioxide, neopentane, propylene, and propane. Temperatures and pressures were selected for each tested fluid to achieve maximum first law efficiency, second law efficiency, cycle effectiveness, and net work.
Memory access during incremental sentence processing causes reading time latency

Studies on the role of memory as a predictor of reading time latencies (1) differ in their predictions about when memory effects should occur in processing and (2) have had mixed results, with strong positive effects emerging from isolated constructed stimuli and weak or even negative effects emerging from naturally-occurring stimuli. Our study addresses these concerns by comparing several implementations of prominent sentence processing theories on an exploratory corpus and evaluating the most successful of these on a confirmatory corpus, using a new self-paced reading corpus of seemingly natural narratives constructed to contain an unusually high proportion of memory-intensive constructions. We show highly significant and complementary broad-coverage latency effects both for predictors based on the Dependency Locality Theory and for predictors based on a left-corner parsing model of sentence processing. Our results indicate that memory access during sentence processing does take time, but suggest that stimuli requiring many memory access events may be necessary in order to observe the effect.
Cluster Preface: Alkene Halofunctionalization

Jeffrey N. Johnston is a 1992 graduate of Xavier University where he completed his B.S. Chemistry degree (Honors, summa cum laude ). With summer research stints in medicinal, polymer, and inorganic pigment chemistry under his belt, he transitioned to synthetic organic chemistry at The Ohio State University where he worked with Leo Paquette for his graduate work (PhD 1997). He completed postdoctoral studies with ­David Evans at Harvard University (USA) and was supported by an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship. His independent career began in 1999 at Indiana University, where he was promoted to Professor of Chemistry before moving to Vanderbilt University in 2006. He is currently a Stevenson Professor of Chemistry. The commitment of his students and postdoctoral scholars to the discovery and development of new reactions and reagents, particularly in enantioselective catalysis, have led to numerous honors, including the Cope Scholar Award, a Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, a Swiss Chemical Society Lectureship, and an Eli Lilly Grantee Award. It was graduate student Mark Dobish's discovery of the chiral proton-catalyzed enantioselective iodolactonization reaction ( J. Am Chem. Soc. 2012 , 134 , 6068) that began his group's exploits of alkene halofunctionalization reactions for the good of chemical synthesis. Tomislav Rovis was born in Zagreb in former Yugoslavia but was largely raised in southern Ontario, Canada. He earned his PhD degree at the University of Toronto (Canada) in 1998 under the direction of Professor Mark Lautens. From 1998–2000, he was an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University (USA) with Professor David A. Evans. In 2000, he began his independent career at Colorado State University and was promoted in 2005 to Associate Professor and in 2008 to Professor. His group’s accomplishments have been recognized by a number of awards including an Arthur C. Cope Scholar, an NSF CAREER Award, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a ­Katritzky Young Investigator in Heterocyclic Chemistry. In 2016, he moved to Columbia University where he is currently Professor of Chemistry.
Helping a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder Cope with Divorce.

CASE Aaron is an 11-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with cognitive and language skills in the above-average range, whose parents have recently separated. Aaron's mother initiated the separation when she learned that Aaron's father had maintained a relationship with a woman with whom he has a 10-year-old daughter. When Aaron's mother discovered this relationship, she demanded that Aaron's father leave their home.Aaron's father has moved in with his long-term girlfriend and keeps in contact with Aaron by calling once a day. Neither Aaron's father nor mother has discussed the reason for their separation with Aaron. So far, they have explained their separation by telling Aaron that they are "taking a break."Aaron's mother has been deeply hurt by Aaron's father's infidelity and does not want to reconcile with him. Aaron's father recognizes this but would like to continue to have a close relationship with his son. He would also like Aaron to get to know his half-sister.Aaron's mother seeks guidance regarding how to talk to Aaron about the separation and his father's second family. Given Aaron's diagnosis of ASD, she is particularly concerned about his ability to cope with this unexpected change in circumstances. What is your advice?
Building the Biodiversity Commons

Provision of free, universal access to biodiversity information is a practical imperative for the international conservation community — this goal should be accomplished by promotion of the Public Domain and by development of a sustainable Biodiversity Information Commons adapting emergent legal and technical mechanisms to provide a free, secure and persistent environment for access to and use of biodiversity information and data.
Central Nervous System, Overview

The central nervous system consists of the cerebral hemispheres, containing the basal nuclei (also called the basal ganglia) and internal capsule; the brainstem, consisting of the midbrain, pons, and medulla; the cerebellum; and the spinal cord. With the exception of olfaction, optic, and the accessory nerves, all cranial nerves originate from the brainstem. The brain receives extensive and varied sensory inputs via cranial nerves and the spinal cord, which creates responses that are mediated through motor circuits. Generally, lesions manifest themselves as a wide variety of motor and sensory deficits in combination.