cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Update on inhaled corticosteroids: safety, compliance, and new delivery systems.

Since the introduction of inhaled beclomethasone, inhaled corticosteroids have revolutionized the treatment of asthma. Inhaled corticosteroids provide the most potent and consistently effective long-term control of asthma. They have become the mainstay of therapy for chronic disease and have been recommended for asthmatics of all severities. During the past two decades, after the introduction of beclomethasone, several new inhaled corticosteroids have been introduced. With more widespread use of these agents, particularly in pediatric patients, concerns about safety have risen. These concerns emanate from the use of higher dose inhaled corticosteroids and higher potency molecules. The side effects of most concern are those that are similar to those associated with systemic corticosteroids. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a class warning of potential growth suppression in some pediatric patients using inhaled corticosteroids. Patient compliance with inhaled corticosteroid therapy is problematic. Some patients think that all inhaled corticosteroid therapy is inherently dangerous because they confuse it with systemic corticosteroid or even anabolic steroid use. Most of the products are available only as metered dose inhalers. Use of these inhalers is difficult and often poorly taught to patients. The two newest inhaled corticosteroids, budesonide and fluticasone, are available as dry powder inhalers with new delivery systems.
Thylakoid photosystem II activity supported by the non-quinone acceptor Q400 and an ancillary quinone acceptor Aq

The reaction center of Photosystem II is photoactive when its primary electron acceptor, Qa, or one or more of its ancillary electron acceptors are oxidized. In this work two ancillary electron acceptors are distinguished. One of these ancillary acceptors is Q400. It was found to have no photoinduced absorption changes in the ultraviolet and so is not a quinone. An additional ancillary electron acceptor, Aq, was identified. Aq has the following characteristics: it is a quinone based on photoinduced absorption change in the ultraviolet, it has a midpoint potential of 318 mV that is independent of pH in the 6.5–8.0 range, the extent of its oxidation depends on pH and the concentration of ferricyanide, it has no C550 bandshift, and the stoichiometry of Aq:Q400:Qa is 0.38:0.54:1.00 based on the area above the chlorophyll a fluorescence rise curve. When Aq is oxidized it participates in double advancement in transitions of oxygen-evolution S-states. A contribution to double advancement solely by Q400 could not be found.
Differentiation and homing of IgA-secreting cells

Most antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) in mucosal tissues produce immunoglobulin A (IgA), the most abundant immunoglobulin in the body and the main class of antibody found in secretions. IgA-ASCs differentiate in the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues and are usually considered as a homogeneous population of cells. However, IgA-ASCs that travel to the small intestine have unique characteristics in terms of their migratory requirements. These IgA-ASCs require the homing molecules alpha4beta7 and CCR9 to interact with their ligands, mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 and CCL25, which are constitutively expressed in the small intestine. Indeed, recent work has shown that IgA-ASCs specific for the small bowel are generated under different conditions as compared with IgA-ASCs in other mucosal compartments. Moreover, the mechanisms inducing IgA class switching may also vary according to the tissue where IgA-ASCs differentiate. Here we describe the mechanisms involved in the differentiation of IgA-ASCs in mucosal compartments, in particular those involved in the generation of gut-homing IgA-ASCs.
Health, Wealth, and Charitable Estate Planning A Longitudinal Examination of Testamentary Charitable Giving Plans

Anticipated generational wealth transfers hold much potential for nonprofits. However, a weighted cross-sectional analysis of 18,469 respondents in the 2006 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and data from respondents dying between the 2004 and 2006 HRS waves indicated that 88% to 90.5% of donors (>$500/year) more than the age of 50 will die without a charitable bequest. Cross-sectional probit analysis of the 2006 HRS and longitudinal conditional fixed-effects logistic analysis of the 1995-2006 HRS indicated that charitable estate planning was positively associated with age, wealth, education, religious attendance, volunteering, charitable giving, and the absence of children or grandchildren. In all specifications, the absence of children was a dominant predictor of charitable estate planning.
Jogging gait kinetics following fatiguing lumbar paraspinal exercise

A relationship exists between lumbar paraspinal muscle fatigue and quadriceps muscle activation. The objective of this study was to determine whether hip and knee joint moments during jogging changed following paraspinal fatiguing exercise. Fifty total subjects (25 with self-reported history of low back pain) performed fatiguing, isometric lumbar extension exercise until a shift in EMG median frequency corresponding to a mild level of muscle fatigue was observed. We compared 3-dimensional external joint moments of the hip and knee during jogging before and after lumbar paraspinal fatigue using a 10-camera motion analysis system. Reduced external knee flexion, knee adduction, knee internal rotation and hip external rotation moments and increased external knee extension moments resulted from repetitive lumbar paraspinal fatiguing exercise. Persons with a self-reported history of LBP had larger knee flexion moments than controls during jogging. Neuromuscular changes in the lower extremity occur while resisting knee and hip joint moments following isolated lumbar paraspinal exercise. Persons with a history of LBP seem to rely more heavily on quadriceps activity while jogging.
Phase behavior of poly(ethylene-co-hexene-1) solutions in isobutane and propane

Liquid-liquid (LL) and solid-liquid (SL) transitions for poly(ethylene-co-hexene-1), EH for short, in isobutane and propane, are measured and calculated with copolymer statistical associating fluid theory. In the range of 4-15 wt %, the EH concentration effect is small. Isobutane is found to reduce the LL pressure but increase the SL temperature, relative to propane. As expected, increasing the EH density increases the SL transition temperature and the LL pressure.
Hydrogermylation of Alkenes and Alkynes on Hydride-Terminated Ge(100) Surfaces

Covalently bonded organic monolayers on semiconductor surfaces are potentially important for the fabrication of novel electronic devices and sensors. In contrast to the recent interest in and development of methods for monolayer formation on silicon surfaces, only one wet chemical route has been previously published for germanium surfaces. We present novel strategies to prepare organic monolayers on hydride-terminated Ge(100) surfaces utilizing the available Ge−H bonds as chemical handles. The new hydride-terminated Ge(100) surface was prepared by utilizing an efficient preparation method involving soaking in an aqueous 10% HF solution. Lewis acid mediated hydrogermylation of alkynes and alkenes on the hydride-terminated Ge(100) surfaces results in alkenyl and alkyl surfaces, respectively, bound through Ge−C bonds. Thermal treatment of hydride-terminated Ge surface with neat alkenes and alkynes, or solutions in mesitylene, also results in similar organic monolayers. Finally, these two approaches were cont...
Melting and crystallization behavior of an unusual compatible blend based on propylene copolymers

An unusual compatibility was observed with the melt blends of propylene/α-olefin copolymer with isotactic homopolypropylene. The simple binary blend exhibits a single glass-transition temperature, and, by differential scanning colorimetry, a single melting and crystallization temperature over the entire blending ratios examined. Depending on the compositions, the characteristic temperatures vary between those exhibited by the component polymers. Vigorous annealings failed to phase separate the components. The melting behavior of the annealed polymer sample suggests the crystalline components of the two polymers are cocrystallized in this unique compatible system.
Real space blends in spoken language: Evidence from “Mr. Roberts”

In analyzing the use of space in American Sign Language (ASL), Liddell (2003) argues convincingly that no account of ASL can be complete without a discussion of how linguistic signs and non-linguistic gestures and gradient phenomena work together to create meaning. This represents a departure from the assumptions of much of linguistic theory, which has attempted to describe purely linguistic phenomena as part of an autonomous system. It also raises the question of whether these phenomena are peculiar to ASL and other sign languages, or if they also apply to spoken language. In this paper, I show how Liddell’s approach can be applied to English data to provide a fuller explanation of how speakers create meaning. Specifically, I analyze Jack Lemmons’ use of space, gesture, and voice in a scene from the movie “Mr. Roberts”.
Babesia bigemina: Isolation and Characterization of Merozoite Rhoptries

Babesia bigemina apical membrane polypeptide p58, encoded by a multigene family with homologues in other Babesia spp. and sequence similarity to rhoptry proteins in other apicomplexan parasites, was identified within merozoite rhoptries using immunoelectron microscopy. To identify additional B. bigemina rhoptry proteins, rhoptries were isolated from French pressure cell-disrupted merozoites fractionated by differential centrifugation and isopycnic sucrose density gradient centrifugation. A fraction with a density of 1.16 g/ml contained club-shaped, electron-dense, membrane-bound organelles. Organelles were identified as rhoptries based on the following criteria: (1) density and morphology similar to those of rhoptries isolated from other apicomplexan parasites, (ii) dimensions similar to those of B. bigemina rhoptries in intact merozoites, and (iii) reactivity with an anti-p58 monoclonal antibody, but not with a monoclonal antibody against the merozoite outer membrane. Immunization of mice with isolated rhoptries induced antibodies that reacted with B. bigemina merozoites in an apical immunofluorescence pattern and bound the rhoptries in immunoelectron microscopy. Immunoprecipitation of [35S]methionine-labeled B. bigemina merozoites with the anti-rhoptry mouse serum identified at least seven putative rhoptry polypeptides including p58 (apparent molecular masses of > 225, 190, 76, 69, 58, 54, 36 kDa). The anti-B. bigemina rhoptry serum did not immunoprecipitate any proteins from [35S]methionine-labeled Babesia bovis merozoites consistent with previous observations that members of the Babesia rhoptry gene families do not encode B-cell epitopes conserved between species.
Anti-Fading Agents for Confocal Immunofluorescence: Colocalization of Nuclear Polypeptides

We evaluated the performance of four anti-fading agents during acquisition of multiple optical sections near the widest diameter of Drosophila accessory gland nuclei using indirect immunofluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Two commercially available agents, Vectashield® and SlowFade® showed anti-fading properties that alleviated fluorochrome fading associated with the acquisition of multiple fluorescent optical Z-series from a single specimen by a confocal laser scanning system. Using these reagents, we were able to colocalize polypeptides through immunostained whole Drosophila nuclei.
Systemic accumulation of specific mRNAs in response to wounding in poplar trees

Abstract cDNAs for several transcripts that accumulate systemically in response to mechanical wounding in a hybrid poplar have been cloned. The corresponding mRNAs become abundant in the unwounded upper leaves of poplar trees whose lower leaves have been damaged. Two of the cDNA clones have been characterized by Northern and Southern blotting, and their nucleotide sequences have been determined. These clones, designated win6 (wound-inducible) and win8, are members of multigene families encoding proteins with a high degree of similarity to chitinases from bean, tobacco, and barley. This initial demonstration of a systemic response to wounding in trees provides an approach to study defense mechanisms in woody plants at the biochemical, physiological, and ecological levels.
Monitoring Abiotic Inputs and Outputs

Green roof monitoring is critical to understand and improve the design, implementation, and management of green roof ecosystems. Creating resilient, less resource intensive living roofs fitting their larger eco-regional context, specific local setting, and unique project objectives means understanding inputs and outputs. This chapter addresses monitoring abiotic inputs and outputs related to green roof hydrology (precipitation and irrigation, storage, outflow, and evapotranspiration), water quality, energy fluxes, temperatures, meteorological conditions (wind), and gas/carbon exchange. This chapter presents monitoring approaches and equipment needs from literature and researcher interviews detailing several relevant examples. Important design, educational, and management opportunities relating to effective monitoring programs are discussed.
Benign Diseases Associated with Human Papillomavirus Infection

This chapter summarizes the clinical and diagnostic features, treatment, and prognosis of common Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. It discusses benign HPV-associated warts that occur exclusively on skin, on mucosa and adjacent skin, and in syndromes. These include: Butcher’s Wart, Cystic Wart (Plantar Epidermoid Inclusion Cyst), Filiform Wart, Verruca Plana (Flat Wart), Verruca Vulgaris (including Oral Verruca Vulgaris, Verruca Plantaris, Mosaic Wart, and Periungual Wart), Bowenoid Papulosis, Condyloma Acuminatum (Genital Wart), Conjunctival Papilloma, Focal Epithelial Hyperplasia (Heck’s Disease), Laryngeal Papillomatosis (Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis), Sinonasal Papilloma (Inverted, Fungiform, and Oncocytic types), and verricoses in congenital immunodeficiency diseases including Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis, Netherton Syndrome, WHIM Syndrome, WILD Syndrome, and Generalized Verrucosis.
Conjoint and Extended Neural Networks for the Computation of Speech Codes: The Neural Basis of Selective Impairment in Reading Words and Pseudowords

The computation of speech codes (i.e. phonology) is an important aspect of word reading. Understanding the neural systems and mech- anisms underlying phonological processes provides a foundation for the investigation of language in the brain. We used high-resolution three-dimensional positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate neural systems essential for phonological processes. The burden of neural activities on the computation of speech codes was maximized by three rhyming tasks (rhyming words, pseudowords and words printed in mixed letter cases). Brain activation patterns associated with these tasks were compared with those of two baseline tasks involving visual feature detection. Results suggest strong left lateralized epicenters of neural activity in rhyming irrespective of gender. Word rhyming activated the same brain regions engaged in pseudoword rhyming, suggesting conjoint neural networks for phonological processing of words and pseudowords. However, pseudoword rhyming induced the largest change in cerebral blood flow and activated more voxels in the left posterior prefrontal regions and the left inferior occipital–temporal junction. In addition, pseudoword rhyming activated the left supramarginal gyrus, which was not apparent in word rhyming. These results suggest that rhyming pseudowords requires active participation of extended neural systems and networks not observed for rhyming words. The implications of the results on theories and models of visual word reading and on selective reading dysfunctions after brain lesions are discussed.
Mechatronic design of a modular self-reconfiguring robotic system

Design and implementation of I-Cubes, a modular self-reconfigurable robotic system, is discussed. I-Cubes is a bipartite collection of individual modules that can be independently controlled. The group consists of active elements, called links, which are 3-DOF manipulators capable of attaching to/detaching from the passive elements (cubes) acting as connectors. The cubes can be oriented and positioned by the links. Using actuation and attachment properties of the link and the cubes, the system can self-reconfigure to adapt to its environment. Tasks such as moving over obstacles, climbing stairs can be performed by changing the relative position and connection of the modules. The links are actuated using servomotors and worm gear mechanisms. Mechanical encoders and rotary switches provide position feedback for semi-autonomous control of the system. The cubes are equipped with a novel mechanism that provides inter-module attachment. Design and hardware implementation of the system as well as experimental results are presented.
Identification and characterization of rat orbicularis oculi motoneurons using confocal laser scanning microscopy

The eyeblink reflex is one of the most extensively studied behaviors in mammals. The active downward force that causes lid closure is controlled by the orbicularis oculi (OO) muscle. To augment our studies on the neurophysiology and plasticity of the rat eyeblink circuit, here we present the first anatomical paper to focus exclusively on identifying and characterizing the OO motoneurons of the rat facial motor nucleus (FMN). One thousand and twenty-nine cells from four animals were retrogradely labeled by injecting the OO muscle with HRP and were imaged conventionally. One hundred and one cells from five animals were labeled by injecting the OO muscle with a 3000 mol. wt. fluorescent dextran and were imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The latter method resulted in little tissue shrinkage, bright labeling, and excellent resolution of the soma, dendrites, and axon. Furthermore, it is a histologically simple alternative to HRP for retrograde labeling from the neuromuscular junction. Both methods revealed that the OO motoneurons were distributed over the entire length of the FMN, that they were concentrated along the dorsal crest of the nucleus, and that they were less numerous in the extreme rostral and caudal regions. As measured using the CLSM method, cell body areas were highly variable, ranging from 317 to 1500 μm2, but there was no size gradient along the rostrocaudal extent of the FMN. The neurons exhibited seven primary dendrites on average, which gave rise to bifurcating and even trifurcating secondary dendrites. Using the HRP method, the estimated area of OO motoneurons ranged from 161 to 1381 μm2. The combined methods furnished a detailed characterization of the number, spatial distribution, and morphology of rat OO motoneurons. Moreover, these methods provide a useful way to analyze the circuitry that modulates the rat eyeblink.
Assessment of aflatoxins in pigmented rice using a validated immunoaffinity column method with fluorescence HPLC

Abstract The determination of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in a variety of rice types was carried out using an immunoaffinity column (IAC) clean-up procedure followed by liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection. The sample was blended at high speed to form a fine powder and a test portion was extracted with methanol–water (60 + 40) using a high-speed blender. The filtered sample extract was diluted with 15% Tween 20 in phosphate buffered saline solution, and applied to an immunoaffinity column. Tween 20 is an essential part of the method to improve recoveries which were otherwise adversely affected by pigments in the rice. Aflatoxins were removed with neat methanol, and then directly analysed by reversed-phase LC with fluorescence detection using post-column bromination (Kobra cell). Test portions of black and polished rice were spiked with a mixture of aflatoxins, giving recoveries for individual and total aflatoxins ranging from 75.2 to 94.7%. Triplicate inter-day analysis at two levels gave relative standard deviations for repeatability (RSDr) averaging 1.6% for total aflatoxins and 1.8% for aflatoxin B1. A small survey of rice obtained from local markets in China found only one sample of red kojic rice which contained 2.9 μg/kg of aflatoxin B1.
Shielding of antenna parameters in scattering environments using electromagnetic cloaking

An application of electromagnetic cloaks to shielding the radiation and circuit parameter characteristics of an antenna from other objects and antennas in highly scattering environments has been presented. The blockage and loading effects of scatterers on an antenna can be eliminated by enclosing them in cloaks designed to operate at the transmitting frequency of the antenna. In multiple-antenna radiation environments, each antenna can be enclosed in an electromagnetic cloak, which is designed to operate at the frequencies of other antennas and become transparent at the operating frequency of the enclosed antenna.
Occurrence of wildfire in the northern Great Lakes Region: Effects of land cover and land ownership assessed at multiple scales

Risk of wildfire has become a major concern for forest managers, particularly where humans live in close proximity to forests. To date, there has been no comprehensive analysis of contemporary wildfire patterns or the influence of landscape-level factors in the northern, largely forested parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, USA. Using electronic archives from the USDA Forest Service and from the Departments of Natural Resources of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, we created and analysed a new, spatially explicit data set: the Lake States Fire Database. Most of the 18 514 fires during 1985-1995 were smaller than 4 ha, although there were 746 fires larger than 41 ha. Most fires were caused by debris burning and incendiary activity. There was considerable interannual variability in fire counts; over 80% of fires occurred in March, April, or May. We analysed the relationship of land cover and ownership to fires at two different fire size thresholds across four gridded spatial scales. Fires were more likely on non-forest than within forests; this was also true if considering only fires larger than 41 ha. An area of National or State Forest was less likely to have experienced a fire during the study period than was a forest of equal size outside National or State Forest boundaries. Large fires were less likely in State Forests, although they were neither more nor less likely to have occurred on National Forests. Fire frequency also varied significantly by forest type. All results were extremely consistent across analysis resolutions, indicating robust relationships.
Interactions between chondroitin-6-sulfate and poly-L-lysine in aqueous solution: Circular dichroism studies

The interactions between chondroitin-6-sulfate (chondroitin sulfate C) and poly-L-lysine have been studied as models for investigation of possible complex formation between fibrous proteins and mucopolysaccharides. Results obtained using circular dichroism spectroscopy show that poly-L-lysine adopts the α-helical conformation in dilute aqueous salt solution at pH 7 when mixed with chondroitin-6-sulfate, rather than the “charged-coil” observed in the absence of this mucopolysaccharide. This conformation-directing interaction is at a maximum when the ratio of lysine to disaccharide residues is 1 : 1. Changes in the CD spectrum of a 1 : 1 mixture following increase in the salt concentration, or addition of non-polar solvents, indicate that the interaction is ionic in nature. No such effects are observed for non-sulfated mucopolysaccharides mixed with poly-L-lysine, suggesting that, for chondroitin-6-sulfate, it is the sulfate groups rather than the carboxyls which interact with the amine groups of the polypeptide. Elevation of the temperature leads to disruption of the interactions between the polypeptide and polysaccharide species. A sharp melting transition occurs at 47.0 ± 1.0°C, when the poly-L-lysine reverts to the “charged-coil” conformation. The sharp transition suggests that regular ionic bonds are formed between the polypeptide and polysaccharide. These results suggest that a conformation-directing interaction may occur between sulfated mucopolysaccharides and the polar regions of collagen and other fibrous proteins.
If You Want to Be a Good Fill-in-the-Blank Manager, Be a Good Plain-Vanilla Manager

This lecture was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC, September 3, 2010.
Suppression of Cell Proliferation and Signaling Transduction by Connective Tissue Growth Factor in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a secreted protein that belongs to CCN family. The proteins in this family are implicated in various biological processes, such as angiogenesis, adhesion, migration, and apoptosis. In this study, we explored the roles of CTGF in lung tumorigenesis. The expression levels of CTGF in 58 lung cancer samples were reduced by >2 fold in 57% of the samples compared with matched normal samples using real-time reverse transcription-PCR. These results were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining for CTGF in normal lung epithelia and lung cancer. Cellular proliferation was inhibited in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines NCI-H460, NCI-H520, NCI-H1299, and SK-MES-1 by CTGF overexpression. Partially purified CTGF suppressed lung cancer cell growth. The growth inhibition caused by CTGF overexpression was associated with growth arrest at G0-G1 and prominent induction of p53 and ADP ribosylation factor. Most interestingly, overexpression of CTGF suppressed insulin-like growth factor-I–dependent Akt phosphorylation and epidermal growth factor–dependent extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation. In summary, NSCLC cells expressed decreased levels of CTGF compared with normal lung cells; this lower expression has an effect on lung cancer cell proliferation and its cellular response to growth factors. Our data suggest that CTGF may behave as a secreted tumor suppressor protein in the normal lung, and its expression is suppressed in many NSCLCs. (Mol Cancer Res 2006;4(8):591–8)
Simulation of a fire-sensitive ecological threshold: a case study of Ashe juniper on the Edwards Plateau of Texas, USA.

A model was developed to represent the establishment of a fire-sensitive woody species from seeds and subsequent survival and growth through five size classes. Simulations accurately represent structural changes associated with increased density and cover of the fire-sensitive Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei, Buckbolz) and provide substantial evidence for multiple steady states and ecological thresholds. Without fire, Ashe juniper increases and herbaceous biomass decreases at exponential rates until a dense-canopy woodland is formed after approximately 75 years. Maintenance of a grass-dominated community for 1.50 years requires cool-season fires at a return interval of less than 25 years. When initial cool-season fires are delayed or return intervals are increased, herbaceous biomass (fuel) decreases below a threshold and changes from grassland to woodland become irreversible. With warm-season fires, longer return intervals maintain grass dominance, and under extreme warm-season conditions even nearly closed-canopy stands can be opened with catastrophic wildfires.
Object recognition and pose determination in multisensor robotic systems

The authors describe research efforts directed towards the development of sensor-driven robotic systems for performing various inspection and manipulation tasks. Emphasis is on modules designed for analyzing vision and range sensor data for object recognition and pose estimation. The object recognition system uses a model-based approach. Pose estimation by vision sensor includes derivation of an image-to-world coordinate transformation module. Range data analysis includes modules for preprocessing, segmentation, and 3-D primitive extraction. Experiments are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the analysis modules using a laboratory-based robotic testbed. >
Drop‐size distributions produced by turbulen pipe flow of immiscible liquids

Drop-size distributions in turbulently flowing dispersion of immiscible liquids were investigated. The observed drop-size distributions were actually a composite of two superimposed distributions. One is the distribution produced by the injection nozzle and the other is that produced by breakup in the turbulent flow field. A mathematical model was developed which predicted both the shape of the observed distributions and kinetics of the droplet breakup process for the distribution produced by the turbulent flow field. The flowing dispersion composed of water and insoluble organic phase was photographed at 27, 209, 421, and 576 pipe diameters below the mixing jet and at distances of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.4 diam. from the wall. Average flow rates varied from 14 to 20 ft./sec. in the 0.750-in. I.D. tube. Three organic phases were studied at concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 10% by volume. Dispersed phase viscosity and interfacial tension varied from 1 to 18 cp. and 13 to 40 dynes/cm. No distribution law with any theoretical basis could be found which correlated experimental distributions. The stochastic model describing the breakup process postulates that each breakup event leads to two daughter drops with uniformly distributed volume ratios and a very small satellite droplet. An empirical correlation exists to predict only one of the three parameters of the model.
Dickson charge pump circuit design with parasitic resistance in power lines

Parasitic resistance in power and ground lines is considered for Dickson charge pump circuit designs, and its equivalent model is modified for low voltage IC designs. When the optimization is done for maximized output current or for minimized rise time, it is not necessary to increase the number of stages, but it is necessary to increase the pumping capacitors. The impact of the parasitic resistance in addition to the parasitic capacitance on charge pump circuit performances is discussed. The analytical results are compared with the SPICE simulation and the model has a sufficient accuracy within a typical error of 10%.
Lab Dynamics: Management Skills for Scientists. Carl M. Cohen and Suzanne L. Cohen. Woodbury, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2005, 176 pp., $59.00, hardcover. ISBN 0-87969-741-5.

As scientists, we are adept at optimizing efficiency and performance in our experimental methods, technology development, analytical and numerical models, and business systems, but we are often blind to the huge impact that social dynamics and inadequate interpersonal skills have on our time and effort, staff retention, collaboration, and interaction with management. Lab Dynamics is a highly understandable and practical book that equips the reader with the basics for developing the requisite “soft skills” that can significantly enhance technical productivity and promote career satisfaction and advancement. The authors speak from experience and authority, one being a scientist and leader from academia and the private sector, and the other a professional psychologist. Accompanying each chapter are relevant case studies, exercises, and experiments drawn from the authors’ personal experiences in …
VIRULENCE AND MUTATION OF THE BACILLUS OF RABBIT SEPTICEMIA.

Type D, bacillus of rabbit septicemia, exhibits marked fixity of the character of virulence. This is true for cultures that are regularly transplanted on serum agar or in broth. It is also to be observed when organisms of this variety are subjected to unfavorable conditions; e.g ., remaining for 9½ days without transplant in plain broth. Under such conditions no decrease in virulence was observed. G forms which arose in the same culture during this time exhibited characteristic lack of invasibility. Different individuals of a given culture of Type D do not vary to a noticeable extent in virulence. This was ascertained by test of virulence of cultures arising from six individuals fished from Type D cultures by Barber pipette. A Type D culture subjected to passage in plain broth undergoes D → G mutation. Type D and G individuals can be demonstrated to be present in the same culture. The virulence of such a mixed culture is proportional to the relative member of Microbes D and G present. This throws light on certain mechanisms of attenuation. The virulence of Type G can be raised to a considerable titer by animal passage. Such organisms do not, however, lose their characteristic of granular growth. This last, on the other hand, appears to intensify by animal passage. The acid agglutination zone of Type G strains which have been passed through animals shows a marked broadening. Microbe D owes its superior invasive power at least in part to its antiphagocytic activity, a property apparently not possessed by Microbe G.
An Empirical Investigation of the Campbell‐Cochrane Habit Utility Model

This paper tests whether the Campbell and Cochrane (1999) habit utility model generates a valid stochastic discount factor for the 25 Fama-French size/book-to-market and size/momentum sorted portfolios. Campbell and Cochrane (1999) derive a consumption based habit utility asset pricing model and calibrate it to aggregate US stock market data. However, they do not test whether their model is consistent with a larger cross section of asset returns. We test their model using the methodology of Hansen and Jagannathan (1991) and Burnside (1994). In contrast to previous studies, we find that for reasonable parameter values, the model's stochastic discount factor is inside the Hansen-Jagannathan bounds and therefore satisfies the necessary conditions for a valid stochastic discount factor. We trace the difference between our results and previous studies to the method used to estimate the model's parameters and the parameter values themselves. The behavior of consumption, and investors' response to it, has a profound effect on asset returns. Consumption based asset pricing models formally link the agent's consumption decisions to the equilibrium price of assets. These models are based on the proposition that there exists a stochastic discount factor such that the expected value of the product of any asset return with the stochastic discount factor equals one. The discounted ratio of marginal utilities in two successive periods is taken as the stochastic discount factor (SDF) and the agent's first order conditions for optimal consumption and portfolio choices are then used to link asset returns to consumption. A standard approach to link returns to consumption is by modeling investors' utility with the power utility function. The power utility function is quite tractable and links three distinct attributes, namely, intertemporal substitution, risk aversion and precautionary savings. This link is unique to the power utility function and is not present in more general functions. Unfortunately, the link blurs the relationship
Mandatory Livestock Traceability as a Catalyst for Knowledge Intensive Services in Uruguay

In 2006 Uruguay's Parliament voted to establish a system of individual livestock traceability that would initially be mandatory for bovine populations, and in future stages will encompass all domestic animals for sale and consumption. Besides attaching electronic eartags to each individual carrying unique identifier information, the system has the capacity to generate individual level databases and customized reports, with the government's compliance controls acting as completeness guarantees. The amount and other characteristics of the data being accumulated would suggest that there would be space for innovators to come up with alternative uses of those inputs to generate new lines of business or strengthen the competitive advantage of the livestock industry. This exploratory paper describes key features of two firms and a multi-member consortium that are taking advantage of the traceability system to produce valuable services to the industry and are considering ideas for future developments that would deepen the synergies. Prior to that, but implicit in the whole discussion, is the issue about the nature of the traceability system as a good. While the adoption of a strong public good rhetoric and logic was key to the successful implementation of traceability nationally, the proliferation of profitable spinoffs may bring up the issue of financing the system and dealing differently with public good and for profit services based on it.
Testing Positivity Theory: What Roles do Politicization and Legal Realism Play in Shaping U.S. Supreme Court Legitimacy?

Perhaps the most widely accepted view of how the Supreme Court acquires and maintains its legitimacy is Positivity Theory, which claims that the Court’s legitimacy is protected from dissatisfaction with its rulings by the legitimizing symbols of judicial authority. While research has shown that belief in legal realism does not threaten the Court’s legitimacy, Positivity Theory recognizes that portrayals of the Court as “just another political institution” can undermine institutional legitimacy. Missing from extant literature is a reconciliation of how ideological dissatisfaction, legal realism, and perceptions of judicial politicization structure judicial legitimacy. Understanding the difference between perceptions of a “political” court versus a “politicized” court is our central purpose. We discover that the greatest threats to legitimacy lie in beliefs that judges are just ordinary politicians (not from ideological dissatisfaction). We conclude by drawing out the implications of these findings for highly politicized battles over nominations to the high bench.
Focal digital pressure for the management of posterior chamber tube shunts: a novel technique

Glaucoma affects 2–3 millions of Americans and is a leading cause of blindness.1 The only proven intervention to slow disease progression is to reduce the intraocular pressure which can be done with medications, lasers and surgery.1 Glaucoma drainage implants (GDI) are useful adjuncts in surgical management.2 Several types of implants are currently available and vary in surface area, shape, material composition, and presence or absence of a flow-restricting valve. GDIs may be placed in the anterior chamber, ciliary sulcus or pars plana.3 The location of the tube is determined by the surgeon and often depends on several factors. Visibility of the anterior chamber tube is one clear advantage over a posteriorly placed tube. However, tube erosion and extrusion as well as corneal decompensation are presumably less common in a sulcus and …
Screening of Copper Open Metal Site MOFs for Olefin/Paraffin Separations Using DFT-Derived Force Fields

Efficient processes for adsorptive separation of light olefin/paraffin mixtures are likely to have many advantages over traditional separation techniques for these commodity chemicals. Although some metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have been studied experimentally for this process, a large-scale computational screening study has not been reported due to the inherent difficulty in describing the critical role of interactions of olefins with open metal sites (OMS). In this paper, we introduce new density functional theory (DFT) derived force fields (FFs) that accurately describe adsorption of C2 and C3 olefins and paraffins in CuBTC. Using detailed DFT calculations for MOF-505 and PCN-16, we show that the energetics predicted by our FFs are transferable to other related MOFs that contain Cu OMS. Next, we evaluate the performance of 94 distinct Cu–OMS MOFs for the industrially important propylene/propane separation and identify 18 MOFs predicted to have attractive properties as adsorbents. Finally, we show th...
Tight bounds on indefinite separable singly-constrained quadratic programs in linear-time

Non-convex knapsack separable quadratic optimization with compact box constraints is an NP-hard problem. We present tight lower and upper bounding procedures that are computationally-efficient as the problem size grows. The lower bound is based on Lagrangian relaxation, and it is computed in linear-time. When the bound is not an exact global solution, a worst-case bound-quality measure is developed. Moreover, the lower bounding (LB) solution is improved to construct a feasible solution, leading to an upper bound (UB) on the given problem. The UB is based on fixing the convex variables and a subset of non-convex and linear variables at the LB solution, and considering the remaining problem, which is always feasible. The UB is computable with linear-time complexity, and it is the global optimum in certain verifiable cases when the duality gap is zero. In our limited computational experiments, the UB has very small relative gap with an exact global optimum solution when there is a nonzero duality gap. Performance of the bounds is demonstrated through a broad range of randomly generated problem instances and comparisons with existing global and non-global solvers. The proposed method on these indefinite problems of extremely large size is an order of magnitude faster than the alternative solvers, including IBM's commercial software Cplex12.6.
Cancer genomics: Spot the difference

A molecular analysis of human oesophageal cancers reveals abnormalities that might be targetable by existing drugs, and indicates that the current stratification of these tumours into subtypes is incomplete. See Article p.169
Exceptional points in an optomechanical system

Here, we investigate exceptional points in a cavity optomechanical system. We demonstrate the predicted topology of the eigenvalues, as well as non-reciprocal energy transfer via closed adiabatic cycles.
Navigating Limited and Uncertain Access to Subsidized Housing After Prison

AbstractAn emerging literature has documented the challenges that formerly incarcerated individuals face in securing stable housing. Given the increasingly unaffordable rental market, rental subsidies represent an important and understudied source of stable housing for this population. The existing literature has described substantial discretion and a varied policy landscape that determine former prisoners’ access to housing subsidies, or subsidized housing spaces that are leased to members of their social and family networks. Less is known about how former prisoners themselves interpret and navigate this limited and uncertain access to subsidized housing. Drawing on data from repeated qualitative interviews with 44 former prisoners, we describe the creative and often labor-intensive strategies that participants employed to navigate discretion and better position themselves for subsidized housing that was in high demand, but also largely out of reach. Our findings also illustrate the potential costs assoc...
The link between power flow control technologies: Topology control and FACTS

In order to make better use of the existing transmission system, different approaches can be adopted. Previous research shows that both topology control and flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) can enhance the transfer capability over the existing transmission network and reduce congestion costs. In previous studies, potential cost savings from performing line switching and utilizing FACTS control were investigated separately. This paper studies the interdependence between transmission switching and FACTS device control through integration of both technologies in the optimal power flow (OPF) problem. A comprehensive model for transmission systems with both line switching and FACTS was established; simulation results showed that simultaneous optimization of FACTS set point, FACTS location, and transmission switching would result in a more cost-effective operation than exclusive utilization of each technology. The results also demonstrate that topology control changes the optimal location of the FACTS devices, which is particularly important for the FACTS planning problem.
When nature’s robots go rogue: exploring protein homeostasis dysfunction and the implications for understanding human aging disease pathologies

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Proteins have been historically regarded as ‘nature’s robots’: Molecular machines that are essential to cellular/extracellular physical mechanical properties and catalyze key ...
Astigmatism induced by intraocular lens tilt evaluated via ray tracing

Purpose To evaluate astigmatism induced by aspheric and toric intraocular lens (IOL) tilt using a ray-tracing model. Setting Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods Ray-tracing eye models with aspheric IOLs (16.0 diopters [D], 22.0 D, and 28.0 D) and toric IOLs (16.0 D, 22.0 D, and 28.0 D each with toricities of 1.50 D, 3.75 D, and 6.00 D) were used. The IOLs were tilted from 1 to 10 degrees horizontally around a 90-degree vertical meridian. Toric IOLs were aligned at 90 degrees and 180 degrees to correct with-the-rule (WTR) and against-the-rule (ATR) corneal astigmatism, respectively. Astigmatism at the corneal plane induced by IOL tilt was calculated. Results Induced astigmatism increased with increasing IOL tilt and power. Horizontal tilt around a vertical meridian induced ATR astigmatism. For 5 degrees of tilt, induced astigmatism was 0.08 D, 0.11 D, and 0.14 D for 16.0 D, 22.0 D, and 28.0 D aspheric IOLs, respectively. Ten degrees of IOL tilt produced 0.33 D, 0.44 D, and 0.56 D of induced astigmatism for 16.0 D, 22.0 D, and 28.0 D aspheric IOLs, respectively. Tilting toric IOLs aligned at 90 degrees around a vertical meridian increased the magnitude of induced ATR astigmatism. Tilting toric IOLs aligned at 180 degrees decreased the magnitude of induced WTR astigmatism. Conclusions Tilting aspheric IOLs horizontally around a vertical meridian induced ATR astigmatism. Tilting toric IOLs aligned at 90 degrees increased ATR astigmatism, resulting in overcorrection. Tilting toric IOLs aligned at 180 degrees decreased WTR astigmatism, producing undercorrection.
2-Dimensional Measurement of the Solvent Intermolecular Response in Solvation

The solvent intermolecular response in solvation is studied by 2-D polarizability response spectroscopy. The isotropic and anisotropic solvent response spectra of Coumarin 153 in CH3CN, measured during solvation, reveal comparable translational vs. orientational dynamics.
A New Dual Algorithm for Digital Process Control

Abstract This paper describes a new algorithm suitable for direct digital process control using a microprocessor. The algorithm uses conventional PID control when in regulator mode and bang-bang control with a limited slew rate when in servo mode. The switching time for the bang-bang controller is re-estimated continuously and the single parameter used in the estimation updated adaptively. The algorithm shows an improvement in performance index over that for an optimally tuned PID controller of around 20%.
Statutory and Effective Tax Rates: Part 1

In the first article of a two-part series, Viard argues that a tax system’s work disincentives depend not only on statutory wage tax rates but also on the tax treatment of the consumption and saving for which wages are used.