cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of glycolysis in the retina by oxidative stress: prevention by pyruvate

Intraocular generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with consequent oxidative stress has been shown to be a significant factor in the pathogenesis of many vision-impairing diseases such as cataracts and retinal degenerations. Previous studies have shown that pyruvate can inhibit such oxidative stress. This is attributable to its property of scavenging various ROS and consequently inhibiting many of the apparent toxic reactions such as lipid peroxidation and loss of tissue thiols. It is hence expected that ROS will have an adverse effect on tissue metabolism also. The present investigations were hence undertaken to study the possibility that while scavenging ROS, the compound could be effective also in preventing the inhibition of tissue metabolism as well. Since glycolysis constitutes the major bioenergetic source of the retina, the objective of the present studies was to ascertain if the effects of pyruvate are indeed reflected in the maintenance of this pathway even when the tissue is exposed to ROS. This hypothesis was examined by incubating retinal explants in ROS-generating medium in the absence and presence of pyruvate and measuring (3)H(2)O generated from 5-(3)H glucose. In addition, the lactate generated was also measured. As hypothesized, ROS-induced inhibition of glycolysis indexed by the decrease in (3)H(2)O as well as lactate formation was significantly prevented by pyruvate. This effect was also reflected by the elevation of NAD/NADH ratio, a major pacemaker of glycolysis.
Diazepam preference in males with and without an alcoholic first-degree relative.

The relationship between family history of alcoholism and risk for benzodiazepine abuse was examined by assessing the reinforcing and subjective effects of diazepam (DZ; 4-28 mg) in 14 normal (i.e., nonalcoholic) males with a first-degree alcoholic relative (family history positive; FHP) and in 13 control subjects without alcoholic relatives (FHN). Reinforcing effects were measured using a double-blind preference procedure in which subjects first sampled DZ and placebo (PL) and then chose the substance they preferred. Subjects were also allowed to select the dose of drug they preferred on each choice session. The subjective effects of DZ were assessed using standardized self-report questionnaires. Neither group chose the DZ more often than PL. The FHP group chose DZ slightly (but not significantly) more often than the FHN group (mean choices FHP 1.42 vs. FHN 1.15 out of 3 choice options), and they chose slightly (but not significantly) more doses of DZ within sessions (FHP 25 mg vs. FHN 18 mg). The groups did not differ in their responses to DZ on other measures (e.g., subjective drug effects or drug liking). To the extent that laboratory procedures such as the one used here provide a model for assessing the abuse liability of drugs, these results do not provide strong evidence that males with a family history of alcoholism have an elevated risk for developing benzodiazepine abuse or dependence.
Gold Superfill in Submicrometer Trenches: Experiment and Prediction

Bottom-up deposition of gold in fine trenches, also called "superfill," was recently demonstrated using a submonolayer coverage of preadsorbed, deposition-rate-accelerating lead followed by gold electrodeposition. The present study has used experiments on planar substrates to quantify the effect of Pb adsorption on the Au deposition rate and the rate at which the adsorbed Pb was consumed during the Au deposition process. The values obtained have been incorporated into the curvature enhanced accelerator coverage mechanism of superfill where they were used to quantitatively predict the nonconformal, bottom-up deposition observed during filling of the patterned features. The results indicate the potential of the process for damascene interconnect fabrication in GaAs, GaN, and related technologies.
Separation of Vapor-Phase Alcohol/Water Mixtures via Fractional Condensation Using a Pilot-Scale Dephlegmator: Enhancement of the Pervaporation Process Separation Factor

In pervaporation, a liquid mixture contacts a membrane surface that preferentially permeates one of the liquid components as a vapor. Our approach to improving pervaporation performance is to replace the one-stage condenser traditionally used to condense the permeate with a fractionating condenser called a dephlegmator. For example, pervaporation of 5 wt % aqueous ethanol yields a vapor containing 35 wt % ethanol. The separation factor for the process is 10. Condensation of this vapor in a dephlegmator yields a vapor product stream containing 90% of the permeating ethanol at a concentration of 85 wt % ethanol. The net result of the combined pervaporation−dephlegmation process is to transform the 5 wt % ethanol feed into an 85 wt % ethanol condensed product. For the overall process, the separation factor increases 11-fold to 108. Pilot-scale parametric experiments were performed with a plate−fin heat exchanger operated as a dephlegmator. The process was modeled with commercial process simulation software; ...
A Framework for Applying the Concept of Significant Properties to Datasets

The concept of significant properties, properties that must be identified and preserved in any successful digital object preservation, is now common in data curation. Although this notion has clearly demonstrated its usefulness in cultural heritage domains its application to the preservation of scientific datasets is not as well developed. One obstacle to this application is that the familiar preservation models are not sufficiently explicit to identify the relevant entities, properties, and relationships involved in dataset preservation. We present a logic-based formal framework of dataset concepts that provides the levels of abstraction necessary to identify and correctly assign significant properties to their appropriate entities. A unique feature of this model is that it recognizes that a typed symbol structure is a unique requirement for datasets, but not for other information objects.
Emergency Department Arrival Times, Treatment, and Functional Recovery in Women with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract Background: Sex disparities have been well documented in patients with ischemic stroke. Previous studies have suggested that female sex is a risk factor for delay in arrival time to the emergency department (ED) and may contribute to ineligibility for thrombolytic therapy. With the increase in education efforts targeting women, we investigated whether ED arrival times, rates of thrombolytic use, and functional outcomes continue to differ in men and women with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: This study was a retrospective database analysis of patients with AIS (2001–2008). All AIS patients presenting within 24 hours with a known time of symptom onset and a documented admission National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were included. The Modified Barthel Index (MBI) assessed patients' functional status preadmission (historical), admission, and at 3 and 12 months poststroke. Results: Included in the analysis were 480 (50.6%) women and 468 (49.4%) men. Women were significantly older th...
Loss comparison of selected core magnetic materials operating at medium and high frequencies and different excitation voltages

Availability of new high-power semiconductor devices and the desire for developing power systems with higher penetrations of distributed generation have sparked significant research in power electronic converters. The non-sinusoidal nature of the current and voltage waveforms commonly present in power electronic converters makes it difficult to accurately evaluate the copper and core losses of components such as inductors and transformers operating at high and medium frequencies. The evaluation of the core losses for three soft magnetic materials (amorphous, ferrite and nanocrystalline) under different rectangular-voltage waveforms used in solid-state transformers, duty cycles and switching frequencies is the main aim of this work. The test setup comprises a 10 kVA Si IGBT-based three-level full-bridge converter used to generate the rectangular-voltage waveforms exciting the cores. The comparison based on the main material properties establishes criteria for proper core material selection when designing high-and medium-frequency transformers.
Understanding cultural experiences: a qualitative study of Kenyans in America

Socialization is the lifelong process of learning beliefs, norms, and values socially expected by members of a society or a particular social group. Socialization encourages individuals to learn their culture and naturally reproduce it. Socialization may be altered when an individual enters a different society. This study used a phenomenological approach to understand experiences and adapted or preserved cultural traits of Kenyans in America. Socialization aspects and agents change when Kenyans move to America. Kenyans experienced difficult transitions with food, diet, time, community, language, leisure, work schedules, financial duties, stereotyping, and racism while living in America. The most significant difficulties occur within the first year and then aspects of American culture are slowly adopted. Independent religious values, time, clothing style, individuality, heavy work schedules, and English language capabilities become second nature to Kenyans living in America for more than a year, whereas di...
Annealing effect on surface passivation of a-Si:H/c-Si interface in terms of crystalline volume fraction

Abstract We present post-deposition annealing results of intrinsic amorphous/n-type crystalline silicon heterostructure in terms of quantified crystalline volume fraction in the amorphous silicon thin film, calculated from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurement. Regardless of layer thickness and deposition parameters, heterostructures with under-10% crystallinity show greatly improved effective lifetime, while more-than 10%-crystalline heterostructures are detrimented by thermal annealing. Even under the same deposition condition, effective lifetime of annealed heterostructures differ to a great extent in terms of layer thickness, since the initial grown epitaxy is critical in surface passivation with device-level thickness. 0%-crystalline heterostructure with improved passivation via annealing was demonstrated. We suggest the rearrangement of mobile hydrogen atom and uptake of mobile hydrogen at the interface between crystalline phase and amorphous layer as the mechanism of this annealing behavior, based on subsequent analysis including FT-IR and HR-TEM.
APPLICATION OF WINDOW THEORY TO OPTIMIZATION OF FIBER BRAGG GRATINGS FOR WAVELENGTH-SELECTABLE ANTENNA BEAM STEERING

The profile of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) utilized in fiber grating prism and other wavelength-selective phased-array beamformers can be optimized using the results of window theory. In this paper, the window formalism is adopted to quantify the relationship between the FBG profile and its spectral selectivity. It is shown how application of optimum and suboptimum windows affects the reflectivity, bandwidth, and sidelobe level of FBG. Also, the impact of taper on the group-delay nonuniformity, an essential issue for true time delay processors, is discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 17: 161–164, 1998.
Efficacy of a program to encourage walking in VA elderly primary care patients: The role of pain

Pain may be a barrier or a negative outcome of initiating and maintaining an exercise program in elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of pain in a program designed to increase walking for exercise in 181 veteran primary care patients (60 - 80 years). Self-reported physical activity (min-walked per week) and pain were assessed at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Walking for exercise increased over time without significant changes in pain. Analyses suggested that baseline pain was not a barrier to initiating or maintaining a walking exercise program, nor did increased walking influence reports of pain. These results suggest that patients can be encouraged to engage in physical activity, even if they are currently suffering from pain.
FLARe: a Fault-tolerant Lightweight Adaptive Real-time middleware for distributed real-time and embedded systems

An important class of distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) applications consists of periodic soft real-time tasks. Timeliness and availability are essential requirements for the correct operation of these applications. Conventional solutions to these challenges tend to use non-adaptive and load-agnostic fault tolerance solutions within a real-time system, which often end up making ad hoc fault tolerance (e.g., failover targets) decisions that can further overload already strained resources. Potential adverse consequences of these ad hoc actions include excessive delays for real-time tasks and cascades of resource failures.This paper presents FLARe, which is a middleware that provides adaptive fault tolerance for DRE systems. FLARe's resource management infrastructure monitors various system metrics, including CPU utilization, and makes informed, load-aware, and adaptive decisions about the application's fault tolerance configurations (e.g., failover targets, physical placement of replicas). FLARe also employs decision making algorithms to adapt these decisions at runtime as faults occur and provides trade-offs between timeliness, availability, and performance as resources get overloaded, removed, or added.
Nac-mediated repression of the serA promoter of Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli and related bacteria contain two paralogous PII-like proteins involved in nitrogen regulation, the glnB product, PII, and the glnK product, GlnK. Previous studies have shown that cells lacking both PII and GlnK have a severe growth defect on minimal media, resulting from elevated expression of the Ntr regulon. Here, we show that this growth defect is caused by activity of the nac product, Nac, a LysR-type transcription factor that is part of the Ntr regulon. Cells with elevated Ntr expression that also contain a null mutation in nac displayed growth rates on minimal medium similar to the wild type. When expressed from high-copy plasmids, Nac imparts a growth defect to wild-type cells in an expression level-dependent manner. Neither expression of Nac nor lack thereof significantly affected Ntr gene expression, suggesting that the activity of Nac at one or more promoters outside the Ntr regulon was responsible for its effects. The growth defect of cells lacking both PII and GlnK was also eliminated upon supplementation of minimal medium with serine or glycine for solid medium or with serine or glycine and glutamine for liquid medium. These observations suggest that high Nac expression results in a reduction in serine biosynthesis. beta-Galactosidase activity expressed from a Mu d1 insertion in serA was reduced approximately 10-fold in cells with high Nac expression. We hypothesize that one role of Nac is to limit serine biosynthesis as part of a cellular mechanism to reduce metabolism in a co-ordinated manner when cells become starved for nitrogen.
A Critical Review of Maternal Abuse and Infant Outcomes: Implications for Newborn Nurses

Abuse of women is endemic in the United States, with most violence occurring during childhood or the childbearing years. This article presents a summary of the physical and psychological adaptations that occur in women subsequent to abuse experience and the key physiologic changes that affect pregnancy for these women. Outlining these physiologic changes provides the basis for understanding and discussing the available evidence of newborn outcomes when the mother has been abused. The maternal-newborn relationship is explored in the context of abuse experiences. Long-term alterations in childhood growth and development are noted. Recommendations for nursing interventions to improve newborn outcomes when the mother has been abused are provided. Areas needing additional research include comparative descriptive designs exploring early maternal newborn relationships for abused as compared with nonabused mother-infant dyads and testing of interventions to decrease the stress response.
Learning to rank biological motion trajectories

Many feature transforms have been proposed for the problem of trajectory matching. These methods, which are often based on shape matching, tend to perform poorly for biological trajectories, such as cell motion, because similar biological behavior often results in dissimilar trajectory shape. Additionally, the criteria used for similarity may differ depending on the user's particular interest or the specific query behavior. We present a rank-based distance metric learning method that combines user input and a new set of biologically-motivated features for biological trajectory matching. We show that, with a small amount of user effort, this method outperforms existing trajectory methods. On an information retrieval task using real world data, our method outperforms recent, related methods by ~9%.
Assessing aspects of creativity in deaf and hearing high school students

To address the paucity of current research on the development of creativity in deaf students, and to extend existing research to adolescents, the present study investigated divergent thinking, a method of assessing creativity, in both deaf and hearing adolescents. We assessed divergent thinking in two domains, figural and verbal, while also adjusting the instructional method in written format, sign language, or spoken English. Deaf students' performance was equal to, or more creative than, hearing students on the figural assessment of divergent thinking, but less creative on the verbal assessment. Additional studies should be conducted to determine whether this was an anomalous finding or one that might contribute to hypotheses yielding effective interventions.
Electrophysiological Evidence for Use of the Animacy Hierarchy, but not Thematic Role Assignment, During Verb Argument Processing.

Animacy is known to play an important role in language processing and production, but debate remains as to how it exerts its effects: (1) through links to syntactic ordering, (2) through inherent differences between animate and inanimate entities in their salience/lexico-semantic accessibility, and (3) through links to specific thematic roles. We contrasted these three accounts in two event-related potential (ERP) experiments examining the processing of direct object arguments in simple English sentences. In Experiment 1, we found a larger N400 to animate than inanimate direct object arguments assigned the Patient role, ruling out the second account. In Experiment 2, we found no difference in the N400 evoked by animate direct object arguments assigned the Patient role (prototypically inanimate) and those assigned the Experiencer role (prototypically animate), ruling out the third account. We therefore suggest that animacy may impact processing through a direct link to syntactic linear ordering, at least o...
Intraorganizational Ecology of Strategy Making and Organizational Adaptation: Theory and Field Research

This paper presents an intraorganizational ecological perspective on strategy making, and examines how internal selection may combine with external selection to explain organizational change and survival. The perspective serves to illuminate data from a field study of the evolution of Intel Corporation's corporate strategy. The data, in turn, are used to refine and deepen the conceptual framework. Relationships between induced and autonomous strategic processes and four modes of organizational adaptation are discussed. Apparent paradoxes associated with structural inertia and strategic reorientation arguments are elucidated and several new propositions derived. The paper proposes that consistently successful organizations are characterized by top managements who spend efforts on building the induced and autonomous strategic processes, as well as concerning themselves with the content of strategy; that such organizations simultaneously exercise induced and autonomous processes; and that successful reorientations in organizations are likely to have been preceded by internal experimentation and selection processes effected through the autonomous process.
CYCLINS AND CELL CYCLE CHECKPOINTS

The eucaryotic cell cycle is regulated by the periodic synthesis and destruction of cyclins that associate with and activate cyclin-dependent kinases. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, such as p21 and p16, also play important roles in cell cycle control by coordinating internal and external signals and impeding proliferation at several key checkpoints. Understanding how these proteins interact to regulate the cell cycle has become increasingly important to researchers and clinicians with the discovery that many of the genes that encode cell cycle regulatory activities are targets for alterations that underlie the development of cancer. Several therapeutic agents, such as DNA-damaging drugs, microtubule inhibitors, antimetabolites, and topoisomerase inhibitors, take advantage of this disruption in normal cell cycle regulation to target checkpoint controls and ultimately induce growth arrest or apoptosis of neoplastic cells. Other therapeutic drugs being developed, such as UCN-01, specifically inhibit cell cycle regulatory proteins.
Stress Factors and their Alleviation in Parents of High Risk Pre‐term Infants

Abstract Often severe stress is experienced by parents after the birth of a high risk premature infant. This review defines this type of parental stress as differentiated from the normal stress of transition to parenthood; reviews the literature which delineates a conceptual framework for relating pre‐term at‐risk birth to specific parental stressreactions; and proposes strategies that may assist in alleviating these reactions.
Semiparametric Estimation of Location and Other Discrete Choice Moments

Latent variable discrete choice model estimation and interpretation depend on the density function of the latent variable's unobserved random component. This paper provides a simple semiparametric estimator of the moments of this density. The results can be used as starting values for parametric estimators, to estimate the appropriate location and scaling for semiparametric estimators, for specification testing including tests of latent error skewness and kurtosis, and to estimate coefficients of discrete explanatory variables in the model.
100 GHz+ Gain-Bandwidth Differential Amplifiers in a Wafer Scale Heterogeneously Integrated Technology Using 250 nm InP DHBTs and 130 nm CMOS

Differential amplifiers incorporating the advantages of both Si and III-V technologies have been fabricated in a wafer scale, heterogeneously integrated, process using both 250 nm InP DHBTs and 130 nm CMOS. These ICs demonstrated gain-bandwidth product of 40-130 GHz and low frequency gain > 45 dB . The use of InP DHBTs supports a > 6.9 V differential output swing and a slew rate > 4 times 104V/mus to be achieved with as low as 40 mW dissipated power. A novel on-chip buffer circuit is used to facilitate the on-wafer characterization of these amplifiers. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a high performance IC building block in a heterogeneously integrated process technology.
Book reviews - Telecommunications and the computer

This book is a major revision of the first edition, published in 1969. Much has happened since then and Martin,as usual, does an excellent job on reporting these new developments with clarity and enthusiasm. This is not a book for specialists but it contains, in one place, so much useful typical experience data that the telecommunication systems designer will want to havae copy on his shelf. The treatment is never deep or exhaustive, but there is good balance and sufficient detail to whet the appetite for further study.
An Evolutionary Approach to Financial History

Financial history is not conventionally thought of in evolutionary terms, but it should be. Tra ditional ways of thinking about finance, dating back to Hilferding, emphasize the importance of concentration and economies of scale. But these approaches overlook the rich “biodiversity” that characterizes the financial world. They also overlook the role of natural selection. To be sure, natural selection in the financial world is not exactly analogous to the processes first described by Darwin a nd elaborated on by modern biologists. There is conscious adaptation as well as random mutation. Moreover, there is something resembling “intelligent design” in finance, whereby regulators and legislators act in a quasidivine capacity, putting dinosaurs on life support. The danger is that such interventions in the natural processes of the market may ultimately distort the evolutionary process, by gettin g in the way of Schumpeter’s “creative destruction.”
Biochemical studies of isolated glial (Müller) cells from the turtle retina.

A method has been developed for the preparation of large numbers of glial (Muller) cells from the turtle retina. After proteolytic dissociation of the retina, Muller cells were separated from retinal neurons by velocity sedimentation at unit gravity. Fractions containing >90 percent morphologically identifiable Muller cells were prepared by this procedure. Fractions containing only Muller cells were obtained by drawing selected cells individually into a micropipette under visual observation. Biochemical analyses of isolated Muller cells showed that (a) these cells did not synthesize and accumulate acetylcholine, γ-aminobutyric acid, or catecholamines when incubated with appropriate radioactive precursors; (b) the specific activities of choline acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.6), glutamate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.15), and tyrosine hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.2) in these cells were less than 2 percent of those found in the retina; (c) Muller cells, however, contained high activities of transmitter degrading enzymes-acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7) and γ-aminobutyrate- transamine (EC 2.6.1.19); and (d) the cells also possessed high levels of two presumably glial-specific-enzymes-glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2) and carbonic anhydrase (EC 4.2.1.1). These results, together with other findings, suggest that Muller cells are not capable of neurotransmitter syntheses but possess the enzymes necessary for two important roles in the retina: (a) the inactivation of certain transmitters after synaptic transmission by uptake and degradation, and (b) the maintenance of acid-base balance and the provision of a stable microenvironment in the retina by the removal of metabolic products such as carbon dioxide and ammonia.
The Impacts of Variety On the Costs and Profits of a Hotel Chain's Properties

In the hotel industry, undistributed operating expenses represent a significant portion of the operating costs for a hotel. Exactly how most of these expenses arise is not well under stood. Using data from more than 40 hotels operated by a major chain, the authors examine the links between the variety of a hotel's products and customers and its undistributed op erating expenses and revenues. Their findings show that undistributed operating expenses are related to the extent of the property's business and product-services mix. The results suggest that although increasing a property's product-service mix results in higher undis tributed operating expenses, the incremental costs are compensated for by higher reve nues. However, increasing business mix while increasing undistributed operating expenses does not result in higher revenues.
New developments in smoking cessation

Research on smoking has increased in the past several years, and many new therapeutic modalities have been developed. Primary intervention for smoking cessation begins with systematic identification of smokers and a formal diagnosis of nicotine dependence. Providing self-help brochures without clinical advice has marginal efficacy, but these can be useful as an adjunct to clinician intervention. Several large studies have shown that physician advice alone can lead to quit rates of up to 10%, and follow-up for patients trying to quit can double cessation rates. Behavioral therapy alone has demonstrated cessation rates of approximately 20% for those willing to participate. Drug therapy remains the most attractive method of smoking cessation for many patients. The standard approach has been nicotine substitution using one of the four forms of nicotine replacement (gum, patches, nasal spray, inhaler) currently available. The efficacy of nicotine replacement products is similar, with each agent providing a doubling of the cessation rate. Thus, the choice of agent depends on patient factors and preference. Bupropion is the first nonnicotine-containing agent approved for smoking cessation, with cessation rates ranging from 10.5 to 24.4%, depending on dose. One-year follow-up suggests a continued benefit with this agent. The combination of bupropion and transdermal nicotine has also been shown to be effective for smoking cessation in clinical trials. Effective approaches to smoking cessation should combine identification of smokers, provision of advice at each visit, and widespread availability of treatment.
The dirichlet form of a gradient-type drift transformation of a symmetric diffusion

In the context of a symmetric diffusion process X, we give a precise description of the Dirichlet form of the process obtained by subjecting X to a drift transformation of gradient type. This description relies on boundary-type conditions restricting an associated reflecting Dirichlet form.
Hooking up and risk behaviors among first semester college men: What is the role of precollege experience?

Some scholars assert that a hookup culture exists on college campuses and that individuals who attend college are socialized into a hookup script. This study examines hooking up among first-semester college men (N = 158), with specific attention to precollege heavy episodic drinking (i.e., binge drinking) and precollege hookup experience. We found that freshman men begin a pattern of hooking up well before attending college. After controlling for known correlates of hooking up, men had more hookup partners during their first semester at college if they engaged in greater levels of precollege binge drinking and had greater precollege hookup experience. Men were also more likely to have penetrative sex hookups (i.e., oral sex and/or intercourse) if they had done so prior to college. Precollege binge drinking and precollege hookup experience were also associated with unplanned sexual activity when drinking, and men were more likely to have unprotected sex when drinking during their first semester if they eng...
Reproduction, Development, and Growth

Reproductive efficiency concerns the capacity of the dam or sire to effect a conception and bear and rear offspring. Changes in this capacity might be due to alterations in behavior, physiology, or morphology.
Medication Management in Chronic Diseases

Over the past two decades a significant portion of the biotechnological advances in health care has involved pharmaceuticals. With the combination of the use of novel medications for new and existing indications, and the increasing number of new indications for older medications, prescription drug use and costs continue to be among the fastest growing segments of health care. In fact, over the past decade the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increased substantially the number of new drug approvals and has created a fast-track system for pharmaceutical manufacturers to expedite the approval process. This, however, has not come without a price tag from both the financial and utilization perspectives. Financially, there have been double-digit increases in pharmaceutical expenditures, while at the same time prescription drug coverage for individuals appears to be shrinking, thus increasing out-of-pocket expenditures. From the utilization perspective, with more drugs available and more indications for drugs, there has been an increase in polypharmacy, which can place the patient at risk for adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, and medication errors. With the passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA 2003), Medicare will be offering an outpatient prescription drug benefit for the first time in its 40-year history beginning in 2006.
Public Servants as Pragmatists in a Policy Environment of Absolutes

Public servants often operate in a policy environment of absolutes; whether those absolutes enjoin them to guarantee the security of the community they serve, to consult with citizen groups before making momentous decisions or to raise taxes only as an absolute last resort. Unfortunately, the opposite of absolutism, pragmatism, has come under assault for licensing broad exercises of bureaucratic discretion and strategic compromise. This assault has led many of pragmatism’s defenders to rename their position principled pragmatism, rather than beat a hasty retreat. In this essay, I argue that a more philosophically robust form of pragmatism can helpfully inform practices of public management and policy administration. The first section outlines three versions of pragmatism: generic, classic and new. In the second section, I examine a debate in the pages of Administration & Society, both between and among public administration scholars and practitioners, concerning whether pragmatism can improve public administration practice. The third section introduces two case studies - regulating dwarf tossing in Illinois and reforming affirmative action policies in California - to test the soundness of this more philosophical robust pragmatism as a guide to public administration practice. I close by articulating some of the limitations and possibilities of philosophical pragmatism as a theoretical resource for public servants in a policy environment of absolutes.
Electrochemical, Spectroscopic, and Density Functional Theory Characterization of Redox Activity in Nickel-Substituted Azurin: A Model for Acetyl-CoA Synthase.

Nickel-containing enzymes are key players in global hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane cycles. Many of these enzymes rely on NiI oxidation states in critical catalytic intermediates. However, due to the highly reactive nature of these species, their isolation within metalloenzymes has often proved elusive. In this report, we describe and characterize a model biological NiI species that has been generated within the electron transfer protein, azurin. Replacement of the native copper cofactor with nickel is shown to preserve the redox activity of the protein. The NiII/I couple is observed at −590 mV versus NHE, with an interfacial electron transfer rate of 70 s–1. Chemical reduction of NiIIAz generates a stable species with strong absorption features at 350 nm and a highly anisotropic, axial EPR signal with principal g-values of 2.56 and 2.10. Density functional theory calculations provide insight into the electronic and geometric structure of the NiI species, suggesting a trigonal planar coordination en...
Quinacrine sterilisation revisited.

Benagiano of the World Health Organizations (WHO) Special Program of Research Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) stresses that the high standards of safety demanded in the testing and use of contraceptives should apply whether the subjects recruited to the studies are from developed or developing countries. The author of this commentary however with particular regard to transcervical quinacrine pellet research for nonsurgical female sterilization criticizes the ethical and professional stand of Benagiano and HRP. He instead argues that the only sensible global standard for contraceptive research is a risk-benefit one which will vary according to the circumstances of the country involved in the research. Benagianos September 3 letter is criticized as omitting an historical perspective and failing to discuss the differences of opinion concerning the appropriateness of proceeding with current and expanded clinical trials concurrently with additional toxicology testing. The author argues that in applying a developed country standard for contraceptive research to a developing country HRP is making a value judgement based upon neither science nor logic. To support his argument the author points to a difference between HRP guidelines and those of the WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Disease (TDR). TDR unlike HRP favors a risk-benefit guideline which takes account of the circumstances in which research is conducted. Although both programs follow accepted procedures for phase I II and III clinical studies TDR is more likely to encourage these to proceed concurrently when the benefits seem to outweigh the risks of the trial. Feminist concerns discussed in Geneva the self-imposed regulations of donor agencies such as the US Agency for International Development the use of quinacrine as an anti-malarial drug and North-South differences in contraception research are discussed.
Combined algal processing: A novel integrated biorefinery process to produce algal biofuels and bioproducts

Abstract The development of an integrated biorefinery process capable of producing multiple products is crucial for commercialization of microalgal biofuel production. Dilute acid pretreatment has been demonstrated as an efficient approach to utilize algal biomass more fully, by hydrolyzing microalgal carbohydrates into fermentable sugars, while making the lipids more extractable, and a protein fraction available for other products. Previously, we have shown that sugar-rich liquor could be separated from solid residue by solid–liquid separation (SLS) to produce ethanol via fermentation. However, process modeling has revealed that approximately 37% of the soluble sugars were lost in the solid cake after the SLS. Herein, a Combined Algal Processing (CAP) approach with a simplified configuration has been developed to improve the total energy yield. In CAP, whole algal slurry after acid pretreatment is directly used for ethanol fermentation. The ethanol and microalgal lipids can be sequentially recovered from the fermentation broth by thermal treatment and solvent extraction. Almost all the monomeric fermentable sugars can be utilized for ethanol production without compromising the lipid recovery. The techno-economic analysis (TEA) indicates that the CAP can reduce microalgal biofuel cost by $0.95 per gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE), which is a 9% reduction compared to the previous biorefinery scenario.
Year in Review 2015: Neonatal Respiratory Care

Neonatal respiratory care practices have changed with breathtaking speed in the past few years. It is critical for the respiratory therapist and others caring for neonates to be up to date with current recommendations and evolving care practices. The purpose of this article is to review papers of particular note that were published in 2015 and address important aspects of newborn respiratory care.
98-0527 TRANSONIC MISSILE DRAG AREA-RULE AND AFTERBODY-ROLE VERIFICATION WITH CFD

In complex configurations, combining the area rule with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has the potential of saving attractive amounts of computer effort. When properly applied, the area rule could introduce substantial shortcuts toward minimum drag designs. We show that the average slope of the afterbody region (the region of decreasing cross-sectional area in the flow direction) correlates with the drag coefficient. The drag increases with the magnitude of this slope. When interference effects between components are present, the fine details of a missile afterbody region are subordinated and often get blurred by the boundary layers. Euler calculations are a sufficient relative indicator of minimum drag with Navier-Stokes calculations necessary only to refine the numbers.
Lupulon, an antibiotic extracted from the strobiles of Humulus lupulus.

Summary and ConclusionsLupulon, an antibiotic extracted from hop resins, was found to be effective against Gram-positive bacteria in vitro but inactive against Gram-negative organisms. The antibiotic had no demonstrable effect on a numlber of pathogenic and nonpathogenic molds and actinomycetes.Lupulon displayed no activity in the presence of horse serum. In the absence of serum the antibiotic exhibited its greatest activity against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. This may have, been due to the fact that the tubercle bacillus was cultivated in a mineral medium with only an appreciable amount of interfering organic matter whereas the other organisms were grown, in a medium containing peptone. The addition of serum to both media completely inactivated the antibiotic.Lupulon is slowly inactivated in the presence of air and more rapidly in the presence of serum. Because of its inactivation by serum, the antibiotic is not suitable for clinical administration.
Metallization Behavior in Aluminum Nitride Electronic Packages

Characteristics such as CTE close to that of silicon, high thermal conductivity, and good dielectric properties make aluminum nitride (AIN) an excellent dielectric for packaging silicon-based high density multichip interconnects. However, there remains many aspects of its behavior that have not been characterized. One such example is the behavior of the various metallizations used within a package. As with A1 2 O 3 , these metallizations must contribute toward a hermetic seal separating the die from the environment. However, the chemical behavior of the metallization systems used for A1 2 O 3 may not be compatible with non-oxide ceramics such as AIN. Consequently, these chemical interactions are investigated in view of the requirements for each application within electronic packages. Hermeticity testing results are also included in the discussion.
Metrication of clinical laboratory data in SI units.

Lehmann, H. Peter: Metrication of clinical laboratory data in SI units. The development and general concepts of the Systeme International d’ Unites (SI units) are discussed. The basic and derived quantities and units of the SI used for clinical laboratory data are reviewed. Ranges of normal values for a number of body fluid constituents are given in the units in current general use and in SI units, with the corresponding conversion factors.
Performance and Optimization of a Refrigerant Distributor

This paper studied the distribution performance of a reservoir distributor with complex inlet tube under different conditions.The result shows that the performance is improved with the increase of mass flow rate or the decrease of quality.The average STD is 2.8%.A simulation modeling was made.A new double-barrels distributor was proposed to reduce the influence of the complex inlet tube.The average STD is 2.36%,which is 15.7% better than the original sample.
Under balance pressure drilling technology and coalbed gas development

It is discussed that the feasibility and necessity of under balance pressure drilling technology using in coalbed gas development in China,considering the characteristics of coalbed gas reservoir and coalbed gas well in China.
Responsive drug delivery systems.

Applying micromachining, biosensors, telemetry, and other techniques at the interface of analytical chemistry and bioengineering to revolutionize drug delivery.
Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation has emerged as an appropriate treatment for patients with HIV infection and standard indications for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The early experience before combination antiretroviral therapy and modern supportive measures was disappointing. However, in recent years, many successful transplants have been reported. In one case, HIV cure has been reported (in a patient with an HIV-resistant donor). In other patients maintained on antiretroviral therapy throughout the peritransplant period, substantial decreases in the long-term HIV reservoir have been documented. An interdisciplinary management team and attention to the details of the antiretroviral regimen used are important considerations. Regimens that avoid ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitors will minimize drug-drug interactions. The injectable antiretroviral enfuvirtide can be used to temporarily maintain antiretroviral coverage during periods of mucositis, nausea, or vomiting that may interfere with oral antiretroviral therapy. Symptomatic HIV rebound is a concern for patients whose antiretroviral therapy is interrupted after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. This may in part reflect the naivete of the donor immune system with regard to HIV. Therefore, patients whose therapy is interrupted should be monitored especially closely.
Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: contemporary diagnosis and management

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are neoplasms that arise from the hormone producing cells of the islets of Langerhans, also known as pancreatic islet cells. PNETs are considered a subgroup of neuroendocrine tumors, and have unique biology, natural history and clinical management. These tumors are classified as 'functional' or 'non-functional' depending on whether they release peptide hormones that produce specific hormone- related symptoms, usually in established patterns based on tumor subtype. This manuscript will review pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor subtypes, syndromes, diagnosis, and clinical management.
On the renormalization method: a different outlook, and the energy-momentum tensor in the gφ4 theory

Abstract An alternate method of renormalizing a quartic self-interacting boson theory has been developed. We find that one can obtain finite renormalized expressions for the perturbation theory contributions to the Green's function without carrying out limiting procedures. As a consequence of the analysis, one is able to renormalize explicitly the field energy-momentum tensor to all orders. There exists a one-parameter family of renormalized tensors. The method will allow for a simple determination of the asymptotic “zero-mass” theory.
Impact Investment Indicators: A Critical Assessment

Commercial investing and philanthropy have traditionally been separate enterprises, with different regulations, policies, and moral justifications pertaining to each. Increasingly, however, with the emergence of innovative forms of investment such as “impact investing,” the re-labeling of donors as “social investors,” and the creation of hybrid corporate forms that adopt “double bottom line” business models, the distinction between commerce and philanthropy is being simultaneously blurred and bridged. This piece discusses how recently developed social impact indicators -- GIIRS and IRIS -- serve as bridging devices that both commercialize philanthropy and socialize investment.