cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Substance P-like immunoreactivity is present in the central nervous system of Limulus polyphemus.

The distribution of substance P-like immunoreactivity (substance P-li) in the central nervous system of Limulus polyphemus was studied by using indirect immunocytochemical techniques. Six bilaterally symmetrical pairs of cell clusters in the circumesophageal connectives and the subesophageal mass contain substance P-li. Two of those pairs are the source of a system of efferent fibers that is involved in the expression of circadian rhythms of photosensitivity by the lateral eye. Substance P-li-containing cells were also observed scattered along the length of the circumesophageal connectives, which contain abundant stained fibers and some terminals. Substance P-li fibers leave through the ventral and dorsal nerves of the posterior circumesophageal ring. The neuropil of the subesophageal mass contains an abundance of stained terminals. Immunoreactive fibers can be seen throughout the length of the two longitudinal connectives of the ventral cord, in discrete fiber tracts in the lateral edges of the interganglionic connectives, and in the dorsal and ventral nerves of abdominal ganglia 1–4. Each of these ganglia contains three pairs of 3ubstance P-immunoreactive cell body clusters: an anterolateral, a medial longitudinal, and a medial posterior cluster. Substance P-li fibers entering through the ventral (posterior) nerves form very distinctive fascicles in each side of the ganglia, giving off fibers throughout their length. The neuropil is filled with immunoreactive terminals distributed homogeneously. The anterolateral clusters of the abdominal ganglia may be involved in cardioregulation The six pairs of clusters in the posterior circumesophageal ring, and perhaps some of those in the abdominal ganglia, are believed to constitute a neurosecretory system, projecting to multiple targets throughout the organism. This system is postulated to modulate various sensory inputs and motor activity, and could be driven by a circadian clock, as well as by other systems responsible for integrated organismic responses.
Functional and genomic profiling of effector CD8 T cell subsets with distinct memory fates

An important question in memory development is understanding the differences between effector CD8 T cells that die versus effector cells that survive and give rise to memory cells. In this study, we provide a comprehensive phenotypic, functional, and genomic profiling of terminal effectors and memory precursors. Using killer cell lectin-like receptor G1 as a marker to distinguish these effector subsets, we found that despite their diverse cell fates, both subsets possessed remarkably similar gene expression profiles and functioned as equally potent killer cells. However, only the memory precursors were capable of making interleukin (IL) 2, thus defining a novel effector cell that was cytotoxic, expressed granzyme B, and produced inflammatory cytokines in addition to IL-2. This effector population then differentiated into long-lived protective memory T cells capable of self-renewal and rapid recall responses. Experiments to understand the signals that regulate the generation of terminal effectors versus memory precursors showed that cells that continued to receive antigenic stimulation during the later stages of infection were more likely to become terminal effectors. Importantly, curtailing antigenic stimulation toward the tail end of the acute infection enhanced the generation of memory cells. These studies support the decreasing potential model of memory differentiation and show that the duration of antigenic stimulation is a critical regulator of memory formation.
Contact stress assessment of conventional and highly crosslinked ultra high molecular weight polyethylene acetabular liners with finite element analysis and pressure sensitive film

Stress magnitude and distribution of both conventional polyethylene versus a crosslinked polyethylene in the liner of a total hip replacement (THR) were examined using finite element analysis and pressure sensitive film. Both types of polyethylene were assessed against head sizes of 22 and 28 mm with 5-mm thick polyethylene liners and head sizes of 28, 38, and 46 mm with 3-mm thick polyethylene liners. Liners with 5-mm conventional polyethylene represented successful combinations with long track records. Our hypothesis was that although the combination of the large head and the lower modulus of the highly crosslinked polyethylene would lead to lower stresses, the stresses would be excessive if the liner was extremely thin at 3 mm. Von Mises stresses at the articulating surface of the highly crosslinked liners were lower, when compared to conventional polyethylene, in every THR size examined. Specifically, however, the 38- and 46-mm inner diameter (ID) highly crosslinked polyethylene even at the extreme of only 3-mm thick had lower stresses than the 22-mm ID conventional liner of 5-mm thickness. These data indicate that the use of a large head against highly crosslinked material even at 3-mm thickness results in lower stresses than in an existing conventional 22-mm head and 5-mm thick combination. Obviously, other considerations will influence the minimum thickness to be recommended.
Nodular defect planarization for improved multilayer mirror laser resistance

Planarizing nodular defects with angle-dependent ion etching and uniform deposition increased the 1064 nm laser resistance of optical interference mirror coatings by greater than 20×.
Deuterium NMR lineshapes in polymer networks

Abstract The deuterium NMR lineshapes in poly(dimethyl siloxane)-d6 networks may be quantitatively simulated. The inferred microscopic reorientational processes that the chain segments exercise average the quadrupolar interaction and are indicative of either dynamic heterogeneity (a distribution of segmental reorientation rates that differentially average a single-valued, static, residual quadrupolar interaction) or static heterogeneity (a distribution of intrasegment, pre-averaged, static interactions that are further averaged by a single rate process). In this paper, the static heterogeneity model, where ultrafast motional pre-averaging within chains segments leads to partially averaged quadrupolar interactions that are subsequently averaged by the slower chain dynamics is investigated. In this model differential pre-averaging, unlike the dynamical heterogeneity, does not require distinct segmental domains that are characterized by different rotational correlation times; one need only have intrasegmental differences that could, in principle, exist within a single chain. Under uniaxial extension, the fluid network is similar to an anisotropic liquid having macroscopically homogeneous (nematic-like) segmental orientational order that is characterized by a single order parameter for the SiCD3 bond.
Interaction between structures and bilinear fluids

Abstract As a mathematical model of fluids in which cavitation may occur, wave propagation in bilinear fluids is investigated. The principal difficulty is the determination of the a priori unknown and moving boundaries between the two stages of the fluid. A characteristic approach is used to study one-dimensional problems. Even in such relatively simple situations a considerable variety of cases may occur and a lengthy analysis is required. The paper discusses also the non-trivial questions of uniqueness and existence of solutions for the bilinear model. The procedure developed is applied to a typical example.
Changes in low molecular weight carbohydrates composition and chitin throughout the cultivation stages of Pleurotus ostreatus

Changes in contents of soluble low molecular weight carbohydrates and chitin in a sawdust-rice bran medium during mycelial growth ofPleurotus ostreatus in bottle cultivation were examined in relation to fruit-body yield of nine stocks. Glucose, mannitol, inositol, sucrose, and trehalose were detected in cultures after mycelial spreading. No significant correlation was observed between contents of soluble low molecular weight carbohydrate during mycelial growth and the fruit-body yield. Negative correlation was found between trehalose content in post-harvest cultures and the fruit-body yield. Chitin content in cultures decreased in the fruiting stage. Positive correlation was detected between chitin content of fruit-bodies and the decrement of chitin in post-harvest culture caused by fruit-body growth.
The functional unit of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP)--purification, characterization and preliminary crystallographic analysis.

To define the relationship between the structure and function of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) we seek to prepare crystals of IRBP suitable for X-ray crystallographic analysis. As recent studies suggest that each of IRBPs four homologous regions or modules possess ligand-binding activity, we here explore the feasibility of preparing crystals from an individual module. Xenopus laevis IRBP, which has a similar four-module structure as that of mammalian and avian IRBPs, was selected for these studies in view of the advantage of the Xenopus retina for cellular and transgenic approaches. In the present study we focused on the second module of Xenopus IRBP. This module was expressed as a thioredoxin/histidine-patch fusion protein to promote its soluble expression in Escherichia coli and subsequent purification. The ligand-binding properties of the fusion protein were determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. For the preparation of crystals, the module was enzymatically separated from the fusion tag. Crystals of the native and selenomethionine derivatized module were prepared by vapor diffusion in hanging drops. Module II of IRBP binds 1.57 +/- 0.041 and 1.49 +/- 0.15 equivalents of at all- trans retinol and 9-(9-anthroyloxy) stearic acid, respectively, with KDs in the 0.1 microM range. Crystals of this module had an elongated rectangular beam-like morphology. A complete dataset of a frozen selenomethionine crystal extending to 1.85 A resolution was collected. Focusing on the individual modules will likely provide an effective strategy to correlate biochemical and structural data to define the functional domains of IRBP. The quality and resolution of the data obtained suggests that it will be possible in the near future to solve the X-ray crystal structure of the IRBP modules.
Identification and characterization of a novel promoter of the mouse mu opioid receptor gene (Oprm) that generates eight splice variants.

Abstract Our previous studies isolated and characterized eight splicing variants containing exon 11 as the first coding exon. The location of exon 11 about 10 kb upstream from exon 1 dual promoters implied another promoter to drive expression of the exon 11 variants. I now identify the second promoter in the 5′-flanking region of exon 11. One major transcriptional start point was determined. Sequence analysis indicated that the 5′-flanking region of the exon 11 contained a putative TATA box, several CAAT boxes and a number of cis-acting elements. Functional analysis suggested that exon 11 promoter activity was most evident in neuronal-like cells. A basal core region containing the TATA box, a negative region and a positive region were identified. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with the nuclear extracts from NIE-115 cells revealed several protein complexes that likely contained TATA box-associated factors, NF-1-like and cMyc-Max-like proteins, respectively. It also showed that a TATA-binding protein specifically bound to the TATA box fragment. Mutation analysis suggested that the TATA box in the basal core region played a fundamental role in the exon 11 promoter, whereas the NF-1 site acted as a positive element.
Problems for the practicalist's justification of induction

this is not so. A definition gives the correct use, it does not say that something is the correct use. A genuine example of such an empirical statement would be "English speaking people use 'Z' to mean that Z." Perhaps it was this difficult distinction between definitional tautologies and empirical statements about language which Wittgenstein was trying to make clear when he denied that statements about the use of an expression were to be called 'descriptions of reality.' It is perhaps significant that Moore confessed doubts about this point in Wittgenstein.5 A further reason G which inclines me to deny that "'Z' means that Z" is nontautological is this. It would, I think, be agreed that the statement "An oculist is an eye-doctor" is a tautology; but if the statement " 'Oculist' means eye-doctor" is not tautological, as Moore would have to say, then these two statements are not equivalent. And this seems strange. Moore thought that it was not self-contradictory but only absurd to say "'Z' does not mean that Z," and this "for the same reason for which it is absurd to say such a thing as 'I believe that he has gone out, but he has not.'" I think these statements are logically quite different.7
A general, efficient, convenient synthesis of chiral bis(terpenyl)haloborane reagents, valuable for asymmetric synthesis via organoboranes

Abstract The chiral, sterically-varied bis(terpenyl)haloboranes (Ter 2 BX; X = Cl, Br, and I), potentially important reagents for asymmetric synthesis, are conveniently prepared in essentially quantitative yield by the in situ tandem reduction-hydroboration under mild conditions of boron trihalide, trialkylsilane, and representative terpenes (Ter). Use of ethyl ether (EE) as solvent accelerates the formation of the sterically bulkier Ter 2 BCl derivatives. Typically the reaction is over in less than 2 h in comparison with the literature procedure requiring 36 h at room temperature.
Effects of alloy composition in alleviating embrittlement problems associated with the tantalum alloy T-111

The causes of aging embrittlement in T-111 (Ta-8W-2Hf) and the effects of alloy modification were investigated. Results showed that T-111 contains a critical combination of tungsten and hafnium that leads to loss of ductility at -196 C after aging near 1040 C. This appears to occur because tungsten enhances hafnium segregation to grain boundaries and this also leads to increased susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement. Aging embrittlement was not observed in tantalum alloys with reduced tungsten or hafnium contents; however, most of the alloys studied have lower strengths than T-111 and exhibit susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement.
Synaptophysin and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 immunostaining in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus in adult ferrets following unilateral cochlear removal: A densitometric analysis

In the present study, unilateral cochlear ablations were performed in adult ferrets to evaluate possible time-dependent modifications of synaptophysin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC). Using densitometric analysis, synaptophysin and IGF-1 immunostaining were assessed at 1 (PA1) and 90 (PA90) days after cochlear ablation. The results demonstrated that 1 day after the lesion there was an increase in the levels of synaptophysin immunostaining bilaterally in the CNIC compared to control animals. That increase was no longer present at 90 days after the ablation. Overall levels of IGF-1 immunostaining at PA1 were increased significantly within neurons and neuropil. However, at PA90, only IGF-1 immunostaining contralateral to the lesion was elevated compared to control animals, although elevation was less than that observed at PA1. These results suggest that cochlear ablation appears to affect synaptophysin and IGF-1 protein levels bilaterally in the CNIC.
Cavity QED: Photons in single file

A 'single-photon server', producing a steady stream of single-photon pulses for up to half a minute, has been created by confining, cooling and controlling a neutral atom inside a tiny optical cavity.
Ecdysone Receptor Acts in fruitless- Expressing Neurons to Mediate Drosophila Courtship Behaviors

In Drosophila melanogaster, fruitless (fru) encodes male-specific transcription factors (FRU(M); encoded by fru P1) required for courtship behaviors (reviewed in). However, downstream effectors of FRU(M) throughout development are largely unknown. During metamorphosis the nervous system is remodeled for adult function, the timing of which is coordinated by the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone) through the ecdysone receptor, a heterodimer of the nuclear receptors EcR (isoforms are EcR-A, EcR-B1, or EcR-B2) and Ultraspiracle (USP) (reviewed in). Here, we show that genes identified as regulated downstream of FRU(M) during metamorphosis are significantly overrepresented with genes known to be regulated in response to ecdysone or EcR. FRU(M) and EcR isoforms are coexpressed in neurons in the CNS during metamorphosis in an isoform-specific manner. Reduction of EcR-A levels in fru P1-expressing neurons of males caused a significant increase in male-male courtship activity and significant reduction in size of two antennal lobe glomeruli. Additional genes were identified that are regulated downstream of EcR-A in fru P1-expressing neurons. Thus, EcR-A is required in fru P1-expressing neurons for wild-type male courtship behaviors and the establishment of male-specific neuronal architecture.
An alternative version of the Pian–Sumihara element with a simple extension to non-linear problems

The stiffness matrix for the Pian–Sumihara element can be obtained in a different way than originally presented in Pian and Sumihara (1984). Instead of getting the element matrix from a hybrid stress formulation with five stress terms one can use a modified Hu–Washizu formulation using nine stress and nine strain terms as well as four enhanced strain terms. Using orthogonal stress and strain functions it becomes possible to obtain the stiffness matrix via sparse B¯-matrices so that numerical matrix inversions can be omitted. The advantage of using the mixed variational formulation with displacements, stresses, strains, and enhanced strains is that the extension to non-linear problems is easily achieved since the final computer implementation is very similar to an implementation of a displacement element.
Ostrich Slaughter and Fabrication: 1. Slaughter Yields of Carcasses and Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Post-Mortem pH

A commercial ostrich slaughter protocol was developed. Ostriches (n = 7 males and n = 7 females) averaged 95.54 kg live weight and yielded 55.91-kg carcasses. By-product yields were measured. The most significant by-products by weight were full viscera (8.29 kg), hide (6.71 kg), full gizzard and crop (5.80 kg), and abdominal fat (4.11 kg). Sex had no effect on slaughter yields. Post-mortem temperature declines were measured on five separate muscles and showed that chilling for 24 h was sufficient to adequately chill the deep muscle temperature to under 4 C. The effect of electrical stimulation on post-mortem pH decline also was investigated and had no effect.
Effects of initial medium pH on growth and metabolism ofCatharanthus roseus hairy root cultures —A study with31P and13C NMR spectroscopy

Hairy root cultures ofCatharanthus roseus were grown for 26 days in half-strength Gamborg's B5 liquid medium at different initial pH values of 4.2, 5.7, 6.5, and 7.3. Maximum growth was obtained for cultures with an initial medium pH 6.5. The lowest growth rate was found in cultures at initial pH values of 4.2 and 7.3. Roots in cultures at initial pH of 4.2 had a thickened and stunted morphology in contrast to the other cultures. Also, cultures at initial medium pH of 4.2 exhibited an increase in medium pH in the first few days instead of the characteristic acidification. All cultures maintained a cytoplasmic pH of 7.4 throughout the growth cycle. However, vacuolar pH was 5.1–5.2 in cultures of initial pH 4.2, as opposed to 5.4–5.5 for other cultures. Sucrose was hydrolyzed completely to glucose and fructose by day 26 except for cultures at initial pH of 7.3. Glucose was the preferred substrate throughout the growth cycle for cultures with initial pH values of 7.3 and 6.5, after day 20 for an initial pH of 5.7, and after day 26 for pH 4.2.
Difficult temperament, acute alcohol intoxication, and aggressive behavior

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a difficult temperament on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. Subjects were 330 (164 men and 166 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. Temperament was measured using the dimensions of temperament survey-revised (DOTS-R). Following the consumption of either an alcohol or a placebo beverage, subjects were tested on a modified version of the Taylor aggression paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggressive behavior was operationalized as the shock intensities administered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Of all the variables, provocation was the strongest elicitor of aggression. Overall, a difficult temperament was positively related to the aggression for all subjects. The finding of greatest importance was that alcohol only increased aggression for men with a difficult temperament. The results highlight the fact that alcohol consumption does not increase aggression in all persons and in all situations. An important goal for future research is to identify which individual difference and which contextual factors are most important in determining who will, and who will not, behave in an aggressive manner when intoxicated.
Reduction of Adverse Drug Events and Medication Errors in a Community Hospital Setting

Keys to success in reducing ADEs have included the support of administrative leaders through their visibility and emphasis on safety as an organizational priority, and financial support for safety projects. Administrative participation was also helpful in promoting safety efforts through the reinforcement of expectations when progress was sluggish. The use of rapid cycle change provided enough early success to serve in motivating staff to push ahead. It allowed staff the opportunity to analyze changes, make adjustments, and retest on a slightly larger scale. Other key success factors included the motivation of teams through continual sharing of progress and success stories; celebrations for achievements are held routinely. As an organization, SJMC has shared its success strategies with other organizations and promoted networking with other organizations to determine what strategies have worked elsewhere. This is helpful as it prevents time from being wasted on solutions that have been tried without success. Within the OSF Healthcare System, the following phrase has been adopted in regard to patient safety, "Safety is like peeling an onion; the more you look, the more you find, and each layer makes you cry."
Observations of Triboelectric Charging Effects on Langmuir-Type Probes in Dusty Plasma

[1] Investigation of Earth's mesosphere using sounding rockets equipped with a myriad of instruments has been a highly active field in the last 2 decades. This paper presents data from three separate instruments: an RF impedance probe, a DC fixed bias Langmuir probe, and an electric field probe, that were flown on a mesospheric sounding rocket flight investigating the presence of charged dust within and/or around a sporadic metal layer. The combined data set indicates a case of payload surface charging, the causes of which are investigated within this paper. A generic circuit model is developed to analyze payload charging and behavior of Langmuir-type instruments. The application of this model to the rocket payload indicates that the anomalous charging event was an outcome of triboelectrification of the payload surface from neutral dust particles present in the Earth's mesosphere. These results suggest caution in interpreting observations from the Langmuir class of instrumentation within dusty environments.
Vasoepididymostomy for Vasectomy Reversal: A Critical Assessment in the Era of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

AbstractPurpose: We compared vasoepididymostomy to microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration and intracytoplasmic sperm injection for treatment of epididymal obstruction secondary to vasectomy.Materials and Methods: Results in patients who underwent vasoepididymostomy for vasectomy reversal at our institution were compared to those reported previously for microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration and intracytoplasmic sperm injection performed for obstructive azoospermia. The pregnancy rates, delivery rates, complications, cost per procedure and cost per delivery were compared. A cost per newborn analysis was performed using pregnancy and delivery rates, and reported cost estimates for the complications of assisted reproductive techniques.Results: A total of 55 men underwent 58 vasoepididymostomies in an attempt to restore fertility after vasectomy. Median followup was 19 months (range 0 to 115). Median obstructive interval was 12 years. There were no major complications. The patency rate after 6 months wa...
Orthogonal functionals of independent-increment processes

In analogy with the Wiener-Ito theory of multiple integrals and orthogonal polynominals, a set of functionals of general square-integrable martingales is presented which, in the case of independent-increments processes, is orthogonal and complete in the sense that every L^{2} -functional of the independent-increment process can be represented as an infinite sum of these elementary functionals. The functionals are iterated integrals of the basic martingales, similar to the multiple iterated integrals of Ito and can be also thought of as being the analogs of the powers 1,x,x^{2}, \cdots of the usual calculus. The analogy is made even clearer by observing that expanding the Doleans-Dade formula for the exponential of the process in a Taylor-like series leads again to the above elementary functionals. A recursive formula for these functionals in terms of the basic martingale and of lower order functionals is given, and several connections with the theory of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces associated with independent-increment processes are obtained.
“The Least Vaccinated of Any Civilized Country”: Personal Liberty and Public Health in the Progressive Era

Epidemic disease, like war, is the health of the state. Since the dawn of the American Republic, state and local governments have wielded powers both plenary and plentiful to defend the people against smallpox, yellow fever, cholera, and other pestilences. Individual liberty and property rights melted away before the state's power—indeed its inherent legal duty—to protect the population from peril. Under the broad authority of the police power, state and local governments in the nineteenth century confined suspected disease-carriers against their will, established armed quarantines on land and at sea, seized private homes for smallpox pest houses, and enacted, in the approving words of the U.S. Supreme Court, “health laws of every description.”
Functional and pharmacological analysis of cardiomyocytes differentiated from human peripheral blood mononuclear-derived pluripotent stem cells

Advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology have set the stage for routine derivation of patient- and disease-specific human iPSC-cardiomyocyte (CM) models for preclinical drug screening and personalized medicine approaches. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are an advantageous source of somatic cells because they are easily obtained and readily amenable to transduction. Here, we report that the electrophysiological properties and pharmacological responses of PBMC-derived iPSC CM are generally similar to those of iPSC CM derived from other somatic cells, using patch-clamp, calcium transient, and multielectrode array (MEA) analyses. Distinct iPSC lines derived from a single patient display similar electrophysiological features and pharmacological responses. Finally, we demonstrate that human iPSC CMs undergo acute changes in calcium-handling properties and gene expression in response to rapid electrical stimulation, laying the foundation for an in-vitro-tachypacing model system for the study of human tachyarrhythmias.
KaBOB: ontology-based semantic integration of biomedical databases.

The ability to query many independent biological databases using a common ontology-based semantic model would facilitate deeper integration and more effective utilization of these diverse and rapidly growing resources. Despite ongoing work moving toward shared data formats and linked identifiers, significant problems persist in semantic data integration in order to establish shared identity and shared meaning across heterogeneous biomedical data sources. We present five processes for semantic data integration that, when applied collectively, solve seven key problems. These processes include making explicit the differences between biomedical concepts and database records, aggregating sets of identifiers denoting the same biomedical concepts across data sources, and using declaratively represented forward-chaining rules to take information that is variably represented in source databases and integrating it into a consistent biomedical representation. We demonstrate these processes and solutions by presenting KaBOB (the Knowledge Base Of Biomedicine), a knowledge base of semantically integrated data from 18 prominent biomedical databases using common representations grounded in Open Biomedical Ontologies. An instance of KaBOB with data about humans and seven major model organisms can be built using on the order of 500 million RDF triples. All source code for building KaBOB is available under an open-source license. KaBOB is an integrated knowledge base of biomedical data representationally based in prominent, actively maintained Open Biomedical Ontologies, thus enabling queries of the underlying data in terms of biomedical concepts (e.g., genes and gene products, interactions and processes) rather than features of source-specific data schemas or file formats. KaBOB resolves many of the issues that routinely plague biomedical researchers intending to work with data from multiple data sources and provides a platform for ongoing data integration and development and for formal reasoning over a wealth of integrated biomedical data.
Stable multi-domain spectral penalty methods for fractional partial differential equations

We propose stable multi-domain spectral penalty methods suitable for solving fractional partial differential equations with fractional derivatives of any order. First, a high order discretization is proposed to approximate fractional derivatives of any order on any given grids based on orthogonal polynomials. The approximation order is analyzed and verified through numerical examples. Based on the discrete fractional derivative, we introduce stable multi-domain spectral penalty methods for solving fractional advection and diffusion equations. The equations are discretized in each sub-domain separately and the global schemes are obtained by weakly imposed boundary and interface conditions through a penalty term. Stability of the schemes are analyzed and numerical examples based on both uniform and nonuniform grids are considered to highlight the flexibility and high accuracy of the proposed schemes.
Veterans' experience in using the online Surgeon General's family health history tool.

Aim: To assess veterans’ experience and satisfaction in using the Surgeon General’s (SG) online family health history (FHH) tool, and determine the perceived facilitators and barriers to using the online SG-FHH tool. Materials & methods: A mixed-method using both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed in this study. A total of 35 veterans at the VA Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, USA were invited to enter their FHH information using the online SG-FHH tool, complete the study’s satisfaction survey and participate in a short semi-structured interview. The goal of the semi-structured interviews was to assess participants perceived facilitators and barriers to using the online SG-FHH tool. All participants were also provided with a printed copy of their pedigree, which was generated by the SG-FHH tool and were encouraged to share it with their relatives and providers. Results: The majority of participants (91%) said that they had access to a computer with internet capability and 77% report...
Endoscopic therapy with 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate for the treatment of gastric varices.

Gastric variceal bleeding is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and limited endoscopic therapeutic options. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of endoscopic therapy with 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate in patients with gastric variceal bleeding. A single-center retrospective review of patients receiving endoscopic therapy for gastric variceal hemorrhage. Patient demographics, laboratory, and procedural data were collected. Patients were followed to death, liver transplantation, or last follow-up. Success rates were defined as immediate control of bleeding; early re-bleeding (1–7 days), short-term re-bleeding (1–12 weeks), overall survival, and serious procedure complications. A total of 41 patients (39 with cirrhosis) underwent 54 cyanoacrylate injections during study period. Mean age was 57 and 73 % were males. Twenty-four (58.5 %) patients had failed or were deemed ineligible for transjugular intra-hepatic portosystemic shunt, and 5 % were done for primary prophylaxis. Immediate hemostasis was achieved in five active bleeders. During a median survival time of 117 days, early re-bleeding was seen in 1 (2.4 %), short-term re-bleeding in five patients (12 %), and varices were eradicated in 15 (46.8 %) patients on follow-up. Mean MELD score at the time of the first injection was 17.1 ± 7.8. Mean volume injected was 3.4 cc and median number of varices injected per session was one. Eight patients died during the long-term follow-up: metastatic cancer (2), infections (3), liver failure (1), and re-bleeding (2). There were no serious procedure-related complications. Endoscopic cyanoacrylate therapy appears effective and safe for treatment of patients with bleeding from gastric varices or high-risk stigmata.
Do Digital Homes Dream of Electric Families? Consumer Experience Architecture as a Framework for Design

If we are designing for digital homes then we are not designing for humans ? How do we truly design for real people? consumer Experience Architecture (CEA) provides an actionable framework for the development, design, and production of products and services specifically centered around human needs, desires and frames of understanding. This chapter dismantles CEA into its essential components, exploring real-world examples and illustrations. Finally the chapter challenges the reader to expand current development practices by looking toward science fiction or other cultural inputs as possible laboratories or inspirations for future designs.
Isolation and characterization of nuclear microsatellite loci in the tropical tree Corythophora alta (Lecythidaceae)

Studies of tropical plant population structure and gene flow are needed to estimate genetic repercussions of tropical deforestation. Twelve microsatellite loci were isolated for Corythophora alta (Lecythidaceae), a canopy tree at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, near Manaus, Brazil. These microsatellites will be used to estimate population structure and infer seed paternity. Loci were isolated with a subtractive hybridization method. Loci averaged 10.7 alleles per locus with high levels of heterozygosity. Four loci had significant deficits and one locus had a significant excess of heterozygotes compared to Hardy–Weinberg expectations. Many loci had high average probabilities of paternity exclusion.
Cubical homology and the topological classification of 2D and 3D imagery

There are a number of tasks in low level vision and image processing that involve computing certain topological characteristics of objects in a given image including connectivity and the number of holes. We combine a new combinatorial topology method to compute the number of connected components and holes of objects in a given image with fast segmentation methods to extract the objects.
Epigenetics, Wnt signaling, and stem cells: the Pygo2 connection.

Stem cells use both transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms to control gene expression and regulate tissue development and homeostasis. In this issue, Gu et al. (Gu, B., P. Sun, Y. Yuan, R.C. Moraes, A. Li, A. Teng, A. Agrawal, C. Rheaume, V. Bilanchone, J.M. Veltmaat, et al. 2009. J. Cell Biol. 185:811–826) reveal an important link between these two mechanisms in mammary epithelial stem cells by showing that transcriptional activation of β-catenin downstream of Wnt signaling can be regulated epigenetically through a chromatin remodeling factor, Pygo2.
A comparison of two techniques for arthrocentesis of the equine metacarpophalangeal joint.

Summary Because arthrocentesis of the metacarpophalangeal joint through the proximal palmar pouch may induce synovial haemorrhage, this study evaluated arthrocentesis through the lateral collateral sesamoidean ligament. The proximal palmar pouch and collateral sesamoidean ligament approaches were used in contralateral forelimbs to obtain paired initial synovial fluid samples from 16 horses 12 to 15 h before being killed. Synovial fluid samples also were collected from the same joints at necropsy and the subcutis, synovium and articular cartilage were evaluated. Metacarpophalangeal joint arthrocentesis through the collateral sesamoidean ligament yielded fewer haemorrhagic synovial fluid samples with less subcutaneous and synovial inflammation, and also yielded 2 ml of synovial fluid more often than arthrocentesis through the proximal palmar pouch.
Normal values for sincalide cholescintigraphy: comparison of two methods.

PURPOSE: To establish normal gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) values for two sincalide (cholecystokinin [CCK]) infusion dose rates, 0.01 μg per kilogram of body weight infused for 3 minutes and 0.01 μg/kg infused for 60 minutes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty healthy subjects were examined. GBEFs were calculated for the 3-minute infusion and for each 15-minute interval for the 60-minute infusion. Normal values were determined by using the mean ± 2 SDs and a more rigorous statistical analysis. RESULTS: With the 3-minute infusion, GBEFs were significantly more variable than with the 45- and 60-minute values for the 60-minute infusion (P < .01, .002). With intervals including 95% of the population, the GBEF lower normal range was 16.8% for the 3-minute infusion but 31% and 41% for the 45- and 60-minute values, respectively. GBEFs of less than 35% were noted in six (30%) of 20 healthy subjects with the 3-minute infusion but in only one with the 60-minute infusion. Hepatobiliary ultrasonography was performe...
Assessing Tourism Development from Sen’s Capability Approach

The purpose of this study is to assess tourism development in the context of Sen’s capability approach. The study developed a model to investigate the relationship between tourism development and human development while focusing on two countries, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The study applied a cointegration technique based on the Granger representation theorem. Overall, tourism development and human development reveals a tenuous relationship in both cases, reflecting some threshold effect. The importance of tourism growth is merited in the distribution of its benefits and the extent that tourism receipts are allocated to support human development (public health, education, safety, etc.). Rising incomes will not necessarily translate into human development performance, thereby rendering support to Sen’s contention that well-being should not be measured by its instrumental antecedents (such as income) alone. Private incomes through tourism expansion seem to matter most at lower levels of human development.
A comparative heat inactivation study of indigenous microflora in beef with that of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella serotypes and Escherichia coli O157: H7

Aims: Thermal inactivation of a mixture of five strains of Listeria monocytogenes, four strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and eight serotypes of Salmonella were compared with that of indigenous microflora in 75% lean ground beef. Methods and Results: Inoculated meat was packaged in bags that were completely immersed in a circulating water bath and held at 55, 57·5 and 60°C for predetermined lengths of time. The surviving cell population was enumerated by spiral plating heat-treated samples onto tryptic soya agar supplemented with 0·6% yeast extract and 1% sodium pyruvate. D-values, determined by linear regression, in beef were 77·49, 21·9, and 10·66 min at 55, 57·5, and 60°C, respectively, for indigenous microflora (z = 5·81°C). When either of the three pathogens were heated in beef, their D-values calculated were significantly lower (P < 0·05) than those of indigenous microflora at all temperatures. The slope of the thermal death time curve for L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and indigenous microflora were similar. Using a survival model for nonlinear survival curves, the D1-values at all temperatures for L. monocytogenes were significantly higher (P < 0·05) compared with those for Salmonella serotypes, E. coli O157:H7 or indigenous microflora. However, higher recovery of a subpopulation of the indigenous microflora in beef exposed to heating at 55, 57·5 or 60°C resulted in significantly higher (P < 0·05) D2-values at all three temperatures, compared with those of the three pathogens at the same test temperatures. Conclusions: If the thermal process is designed to ensure destruction of indigenous microbial flora, it should also provide an adequate degree of protection against L. monocytogenes, Salmonella serotypes or E. coli O157:H7. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of this study will assist the retail food industry in designing acceptance limits on critical control points that ensure safety, without introducing pathogens in a retail food environment, against L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in cooked ground beef.
Electrical Contacts to Ion Cleaned N-Type Gallium Arsenide

The electrical current through silver contacts evaporated onto n-type gallium arsenide as a function of surface treatment is reported. Contacts to untreated gallium arsenide exhibit the expected high resistance. Surface cleaning by argon ion bombardment reduces the resistance by three orders of magnitude. The electrical resistance beyond 850 eV increases rapidly with ion bombardment energy. The resistance minimum at 850 eV is explained semiquantitatively in terms of a balance between cleaning and surface damage. This type of contact is appropriate for addition to a finished material whose properties are to be investigated, but may not be adequately ohmic for use on production devices.
Dosimetric experience with 2 commercially available multilumen balloon-based brachytherapy to deliver accelerated partial-breast irradiation

The purpose of this work was to report dosimetric experience with 2 kinds of multilumen balloon (MLB), 5-lumen Contura MLB (C-MLB) and 4-lumen MammoSite MLB (MS-MLB), to deliver accelerated partial-breast irradiation, and compare the ability to achieve target coverage and control skin and rib doses between 2 groups of patients treated with C-MLB and MS-MLB brachytherapy. C-MLB has 5 lumens, the 4 equal-spaced peripheral lumens are 5 mm away from the central lumen. MS-MLB has 4 lumens, the 3 equal-spaced peripheral lumens are 3 mm away from the central lumen. In total, 43 patients were treated, 23 with C-MLB, and 20 with MS-MLB. For C-MLB group, 8 patients were treated with a skin spacing 0.05. Although the geometric design of C-MLB is different from that of MS-MLB, both applicators have the ability to shape the dose distribution and to provide good target coverage, while limiting the dose to skin and rib. No significant difference was observed between the 2 patient groups in terms of target dose coverage and dose to organs at risk.
Ventilatory efficiency and aerobic capacity predict event-free survival in adults with atrial repair for complete transposition of the great arteries.

The evolution of the surgical treatment of complete d-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) is an important and fascinating story of man's ingenuity in dealing with a lethal congenital anomaly. Although survival of patients beyond infancy with transposition with associated atrial and/or
The Non-Aligned Movement: A Struggle for Global Relevance

The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) forms a powerful bloc in the United Nations and associated technical agencies. The movement was created during the height of the Cold War in response to tension between the Eastern and Western blocs with the goal of buffering NATO and the Warsaw Pact. However, the end of the Cold War did not bring about the end of the NAM – indeed, by some measures, the movement is stronger now than it was during the Cold War. Few researchers have endeavored to explain why this is the case. This thesis examines the puzzling persistence of the NAM, first telling a narrative history of the movement from its inception to the present, then presenting data as evidentiary proof of the NAM’s maintenance of cohesion, and finally analyzing this data and this narrative using international relations theory to explain the maintenance of NAM power. This thesis argues that the Non-Aligned Movement has persisted due to a rise in counterhegemonic ideology among NAM states, combined with pressure from radical NAM hawks and increased institutionalization.
Third harmonic current injection to reduce the pulsating torque of a five-phase SPM machine

Five-phase Surface-mounted Permanent Magnet (SPM) machine offers the possibility of using the third harmonic of current to improve the average torque. In this paper, the use of third harmonic to compensate the pulsating torque and thus to reduce the vibrations transmitted to the shaft is explored. According to the multimachine theory, the torque of a five-phase star-connected SPM machine is distributed among two virtual machines: the Main Machine (MM) that corresponds to the fundamental of the current and the virtual Secondary Machine (SM) that corresponds to the third harmonic of the current. With this approach, it is shown that the first harmonic of the electromagnetic torque can be almost eliminated for a particular level of third harmonic current injection: this ratio depends on the back-emf spectrum and the resulting control makes the SM operating as generator to absorb the vibrations due to the MM operating as motor. This method is evaluated for the design specifications of a marine propeller where very low ripples at low speed are required. According to Finite Elements analysis, the expected significant reduction of the torque ripple factor is confirmed: more than two times with reference to the sinus control of the MM for the same average torque. The time simulations of the drive show the positive effect of this damping control strategy.
The Effects of Size and Strategy on Performance in the Air Express Service Industry

This study investigated the relationships between size and profitability and strategy and profitability in a service industry. Data was collected on asset size and performance (ROA) for the five major companies in the air express service industry. An analysis of the data indicated support for the V-shaped relationship between size and profitability. It was also found that firms pursuing one of Porter’s (1980) three generic strategies outperformed those that did not. Implications for pricing and product differentiation strategies were discussed.