cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progress and Challenges in EcoDesign of Semiconductor Products

Considerable effort has been devoted to implementing design for environment principles in the manufacturing of semiconductors. These efforts have resulted in considerable progress that is demonstrated by among other things significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, amount of waste disposed, and amount of energy used in manufacturing processes. In addition, the products themselves have become considerably more energy efficient, and no longer contain lead, halogenated compounds and other materials of concern. Considerable challenges in further reducing the overall lifecycle impact of semiconductors remain however. Products become more complex and powerful over time, requiring additional layers and manufacturing steps which naturally drives an increased need for energy and resources in the manufacturing process. As computing power of the products increases, their energy use may increase as well and the list of material inputs needed may grow. In addition, while many semiconductor manufacturers have completed studies that identify the environmental impacts of their supply chain, efforts to reduce those impacts are still in the very early stages. This paper will evaluate historic trends in the overall energy and environmental impact of semiconductor manufacturing processes focusing on historical water and energy use, emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, and trends in waste reduction and recycle. It will also identify likely future trends in these areas and key drivers of those trends, and discuss potential solutions that can help reduce the environmental impact of future manufacturing processes. This will include new approaches being evaluated for water and energy conservation and techniques for reducing emissions and discharges of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. It will also evaluate historic trends in energy use and environmental impacts of the finished products and identify key challenges for reducing these impacts going forward. The paper will also review information on the overall lifecycle impact and identify those portions that are the largest contributors along with discussion of future efforts to reduce those impacts.
PROCESS SCHEDULING: Parallel Languages Versus Operating Systems

This paper deals with multiple processes performing a parallel program, how they are scheduled on physical processors, and their effectiveness in completing the total work to which the individual processes contribute. The current ideas in process scheduling have, to a large extent, grown out of operating systems research on scheduling relatively independent processes on one or a few processors, with the goal being maximal utilization of available resources, especially the processors. Multiprocessor parallel programs may trade processor utilization efficiency for decreased completion time and may employ very fine grained interaction among processes. This yields a different set of requirements on process scheduling than those arising from optimal use of shared resources among weakly dependent or independent tasks. It is argued that coscheduling specifications are a good way to coordinate the possibly conflicting requirements of parallel program completion and multiple job resource utilization. Coscheduling requirements specify the simultaneous availability of a set of resources, processors being the foremost example. Coscheduling requirements may be met by simultaneous assignment of the required number of units or by fine grained time multiplexing of fewer units.
Goals and challenges of future chassis developments – solving a multidimensional optimization problem

Designing a good chassis is never a trivial task. The problems already start with the fundamental question: What makes a good chassis in first place? In fact, the engineering goals keep changing as more and more influencing factors come in and have to be considered. In the early years the main focus was on the primary function of a chassis, which is to offer the best possible ride and handling performance. The reason for this narrow view was that neither ride nor handling scored very high and therefore a good chassis meant a significant advantage in the marketplace. For upper market vehicles or for performance cars the chassis is still a differentiator, but in general the technical progress has led to performance levels that exceed the expectations of many customers.
The Dynamics of Energy Usage

In the complex of changes that define the Industrial Transition, increasing energy use occupies a central position. An industrial society consumes massive amounts of fuels to transform massive amounts of materials into useful products, to transport large numbers of people and huge quantities of goods, and to maintain comfortable temperatures in living and work spaces. Extensive use of energy is a necessary condition for the wealth, variety, and mobility of an industrial society.
Comparison of rituximab and conventional adjuvant therapy for pemphigus vulgaris: A retrospective analysis.

Background Rituximab is a promising steroid sparing agent used in the treatment of moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris. Its exact place in the algorithm of pemphigus treatment, vis-a-vis other, conventional adjuvant therapy (CAT) is not known. Objective To describe and compare disease course outcomes and morbidity among patients with moderate to severe pemphigus who received rituximab therapy (RT) in addition to prednisone and CAT, versus those who were treated with prednisone and CAT alone. Methods A 16-year retrospective case control study was designed with adult patients who were seen at the Duke University Dermatology Immunodermatology clinic from 1999–2015, who had a diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris, and required prednisone and at least 1 systemic CAT. All patients had at least 6 months follow up from the initial visit. Interventions included RT, systemic CAT, and prednisone. The main outcome measured was prednisone intake. Secondary outcomes were complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR). Results 40 patients were included in the study. All initially received prednisone and at least 1 systemic CAT. 13/40 eventually went on to receive RT, while 27/40 remained on CAT (CAT-only). Patients in the RT group, pre-RT, had a median prednisone intake of 658.57 mg/month. Rituximab treatment significantly reduced this to 177.22 mg/month (p = 0.002). Median prednisone intake of the CAT-only group was 141.33 mg/month. This was significantly less than Pre-RT (p = 0.01) and on par with Post-RT intake (p = 0.58). 54% of patients in the RT group and 64% of those in the CAT-only group achieved CR. All patients in the RT group and 96% of those in the CAT-only group achieved at least PR. Conclusions 32.5% of our patients with moderate to severe pemphigus vulgaris failed prednisone and traditional CAT treatment and required rituximab therapy. Rituximab reduced the monthly prednisone intake in these patients by 73%. This suggests that a subset of patients with moderate to severe pemphigus may benefit from early institution of rituximab therapy. Rituximab significantly reduces the monthly prednisone requirement among CAT-resistant pemphigus vulgaris patients to levels on par with CAT-responsive patients.
Regulatory T Cells Promote Macrophage Efferocytosis during Inflammation Resolution.

Summary Regulatory T (Treg) cell responses and apoptotic cell clearance (efferocytosis) represent critical arms of the inflammation resolution response. We sought to determine whether these processes might be linked through Treg-cell-mediated enhancement of efferocytosis. In zymosan-induced peritonitis and lipopolysaccharide-induced lung injury, Treg cells increased early in resolution, and Treg cell depletion decreased efferocytosis. In advanced atherosclerosis, where defective efferocytosis drives disease progression, Treg cell expansion improved efferocytosis. Mechanistic studies revealed the following sequence: (1) Treg cells secreted interleukin-13 (IL-13), which stimulated IL-10 production in macrophages; (2) autocrine-paracrine signaling by IL-10 induced Vav1 in macrophages; and (3) Vav1 activated Rac1 to promote apoptotic cell engulfment. In summary, Treg cells promote macrophage efferocytosis during inflammation resolution via a transcellular signaling pathway that enhances apoptotic cell internalization. These findings suggest an expanded role of Treg cells in inflammation resolution and provide a mechanistic basis for Treg-cell-enhancement strategies for non-resolving inflammatory diseases.
Surgical Outcomes of Phacoemulsification Followed by iStent Implantation Versus Goniotomy With the Kahook Dual Blade in Patients With Mild Primary Open-angle Glaucoma With a Minimum of 12-Month Follow-up.

Purpose To study surgical outcomes after combined phacoemulsification with either iStent implantation or goniotomy using the Kahook Dual Blade (KDB) with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up. Patients and methods Patients with mild primary open-angle glaucoma who underwent phacoemulsification in combination with either iStent implantation or goniotomy using the KDB from 2011 to 2017 were included. Results In total, 48 eyes in the iStent group and 29 eyes in the KDB group were included with at least 12 months of follow-up. There was no difference in patient age, sex, previous surgery, preoperative or postoperative visual acuity or intraocular pressure (IOP) between the 2 groups. Mean preoperative IOP in the iStent group decreased from 17.6±4.8 to 15.9±2.9 mm Hg (P=0.01); mean preoperative IOP in the KDB group decreased from 17.4± 4.3 to 15.0±4.0 mm Hg (P=0.01). The overall percentage of IOP reduction was 14.3% in the iStent group and 12.6% in the KDB group at 12 months of follow-up. Mean topical glaucoma medication use decreased from 2.0±0.9 to 0.7±1.1 in the iStent group and from 2.2±1.0 to 1.6±1.3 in the KDB group. Multivariable linear regression accounting for age, sex, race, baseline IOP, and number of eyes treated as covariates indicated a significant reduction in IOP from baseline with both iStent (Wald χ=3.97, P=0.046) and KDB (Wald χ=4.65, P=0.031). Multivariable logistic regression accounting for age, sex, race, baseline IOP, and number of eyes treated as covariates indicated no significant difference in overall success between iStent and KDB (Z-test=0.92, P=0.359). Conclusions Phacoemulsification in combination with either iStent implantation or goniotomy using the KDB both achieved statistical significant reduction in IOP and number of glaucoma medications at 12 months of follow-up in patients with mild primary open-angle glaucoma with no complications.
Hole in One: Library Services on the Green

Abstract This chapter explains how a do-it-yourself mini golf course was used to create an interactive orientation event at Longwood University's Greenwood Library. The main goal of the event was to promote a positive, first-time experience for incoming freshmen, introducing them to the Library's services while navigating the building. Greenwood Library partnered with two other campus organizations Lancer Productions and Fraternity Life & Sorority Life, to plan a “Tailgate with the Lancers” party as part of the four-day welcome event for the Fall semester known as New Lancer Days. This chapter covers the planning, execution, and the assessment of the event.
Journal of Chiropractic Humanities: A Celebration of 25 Volumes.

Abstract This article reflects on the origins of the Journal of Chiropractic Humanities. The journal was born at a time when the chiropractic profession had few journals but needed a publication to capture evolving philosophical constructs.
Probing student reasoning in relating relative phase and quantum phenomena

Many undergraduate quantum mechanics students give intuitively appealing, but incorrect responses to quantum problems even though they are familiar with the formalism for determining quantum probabilities and are proficient with complex numbers.
The Developmental Psychopathology of Depression

Unlike anxiety that is a normal developmental experience and progression from infancy through adulthood, depression and other mood disorders are not typical and do not occur in all persons. Of course, all people have feelings of being “blue” or have depressive reactions to life events at times, most of which dissipate. Nearly all adolescents present as being “moody” and irritable at times, which is part of their biological, cognitive, social, and emotional development. For the most part, symptoms of depression are more severe manifestations of typical behaviors, such as feeling “down” or “blue,” which all persons experience at some time. The similarity between anxiety and depression is that a disorder emerges when typical behaviors become intense, chronic, or otherwise developmentally inappropriate and impair functioning. There is significant comorbidity between the conditions, and the severity of specific symptoms varies depending on whether the primary pattern is anxiety or depression. The primary distinction between them from a developmental perspective is that mood disorders are more episodic, which, over time, require smaller environmental stressors to serve as a stimulus for episodes to occur (Pennington, 2002). Conversely, anxiety disorders tend to develop more slowly over time and become relatively stable behavioral patterns and traits.
Multi-Fidelity Surrogate-Based Optimization for Electromagnetic Simulation Acceleration

As circuits’ speed and frequency increase, fast and accurate capture of the details of the parasitics in metal structures, such as inductors and clock trees, becomes more critical. However, conducting high-fidelity 3D electromagnetic (EM) simulations within the design loop is very time consuming and computationally expensive. To address this issue, we propose a surrogate-based optimization methodology flow, namely multi-fidelity surrogate-based optimization with candidate search (MFSBO-CS), which integrates the concept of multi-fidelity to reduce the full-wave EM simulation cost in analog/RF simulation-based optimization problems. To do so, a statistical co-kriging model is adapted as the surrogate to model the response surface, and a parallelizable perturbation-based adaptive sampling method is used to find the optima. Within the proposed method, low-fidelity fast RC parasitic extraction tools and high-fidelity full-wave EM solvers are used together to model the target design and then guide the proposed adaptive sample method to achieve the final optimal design parameters. The sampling method in this work not only delivers additional coverage of design space but also helps increase the accuracy of the surrogate model efficiently by updating multiple samples within one iteration. Moreover, a novel modeling technique is developed to further improve the multi-fidelity surrogate model at an acceptable additional computation cost. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is validated by mathematical proofs and numerical test function demonstration. In this article, MFSBO-CS has been applied to two design cases, and the result shows that the proposed methodology offers a cost-efficient solution for analog/RF design problems involving EM simulation. For the two design cases, MFSBO-CS either reaches comparably or outperforms the optimization result from various Bayesian optimization methods with only approximately one- to two-thirds of the computation cost.
Relations among classroom context, student motivation, and mathematics literacy: a social cognitive perspective

The purpose of the present study was to (a) determine relationships among teacher contextual variables including support and cognitive activation, student motivational beliefs, engagement, and mathematics literacy and (b) to examine whether different types of motivational and behavioral engagement variables act as viable mediators between the classroom context and student mathematics literacy. Data were extracted from the 2012 PISA, with a sample of N = 4978 students. Using structural equation modeling, the results indicated that students’ perceptions of teacher support had a positive effect on their motivational beliefs, behaviors, and mathematics literacy. In particular, perceived teacher cognitive activation had a positive direct effect and an indirect effect through student self-efficacy beliefs, and persistence on mathematics achievement. In addition, self-efficacy resulted in significant paths on their intention to pursue careers in mathematics and work ethic, but a negative path was found between work ethic and mathematics achievement. Implications for educational practice and future research directions are also discussed.
P53 Contribution of Plant-Based and Animal-Based Sources to Protein Foods Intakes Among US Adults by Sex and Age

Background Recent focus of dietary recommendations has greater emphasis of reliance on plant-based proteins. Before applying broad recommendations, it is important to assess current consumption patterns of plant-based and animal-based protein sources among the US population. Objective To identify the proportion of US adults who consumed protein types, and their contributions to overall protein source intakes among US adults by sex and age. Study Design, Setting, Participants This cross-sectional study examined 24-hour dietary recall data for 35,309 participants from 2005-2018 NHANES. Participants were stratified by sex and age category (20-35, 36-50, 51-70, 71+ years). Measurable Outcome/Analysis Dietary data from the day of intake were used to estimate intakes from protein sources using the Food Patterns Equivalents Database (FPED). Mean intakes of ounce equivalents were generated for FPED protein food categories, aggregated to identify the proportions of protein food sources. Data were weighted to produce nationally representative means and 95% confidence intervals. Results On the day of intake, 93% of all participants consumed meat, poultry, or seafood. More adults in the older age groups consumed eggs, nuts/seeds, and seafood high in n-3 fatty acids; whereas, fewer adults in the older age groups consumed meat, poultry, legumes, and soy. On the day of intake, males consumed greater quantities of all protein food categories than all strata. At least 70% of the day's protein food intakes were consumed from meat, poultry, or seafood for all groups. While the proportion of eggs were consistent across all groups, meat, poultry, and seafood ratios decreased across age categories whereas plant protein ratios increased. Conclusion Current protein food consumption patterns among US adults were highest from meat, poultry, and seafood rather than plant proteins. While animal-based intakes were slightly lower in older age groups, intakes of plant-based protein sources remain low. Promoting plant-based protein foods may be challenging for many adults with low or absent intakes.
Financial Burdens of Out-of-Pocket Spending Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries: Role of the "Big Four" Chronic Health Conditions.

While Medicare is the universal source of health care coverage for Americans aged 65 years or older, the program requires significant cost sharing in terms of out-of-pocket (OOP) spending. We condu...
A MILP Model for Water Level Sensor Placement with Multi-Sensor and Multi-Disaster Areas

A water level sensor is critical to measure water levels at strategic points in the river. The sensor location directly impacts the quality of the collected data sent to the flood early warning system. To prevent and minimize the risk of flooding, it is crucial to determine the optimal locations for water level sensor placement. This research proposes a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model for water level sensor placement considering multi-sensor and multi-disaster areas. In addition, this model was applied in a case study in Tikala River, Manado, Indonesia. The results indicated that all disaster areas could be covered by at least one single sensor. A sensitivity analysis was performed by running the model under several different budget scenarios. When the budget increases, the number of sensors and the coverage performance are getting larger. Thus, the proposed MILP model was able to determine the optimal locations for sensor placement under a limited budget.
IrisNet: an architecture for internet-scale sensing services

We demonstrate the design and an early prototype of IrisNet (Internet-scale Resource-Intensive Sensor Network services), a common, scalable networked infrastructure for deploying wide area sensing services. IrisNet is a potentially global network of smart sensing nodes, with webcams or other monitoring devices, and organizing nodes that provide the means to query recent and historical sensor-based data. IrisNet exploits the fact that high-volume sensor feeds are typically attached to devices with significant computing power and storage, and running a standard operating system. It uses aggressive filtering, smart query routing, and semantic caching to dramatically reduce network bandwidth utilization and improve query response times, as we demonstrate. Our demo will present two services built on Iris-Net, from two very different application domains. The first one, a parking space finder, utilizes webcams that monitor parking spaces to answer queries such as the availability of parking spaces near a user's destination. The second one, a distributed infrastructure monitor, uses measurement tools installed in individual nodes of a large distributed infrastructure to answer queries such as average network bandwidth usage of a set of nodes.
Hermenéutica de la democracia: el pensamiento de los límites y la diferencia colonial

Cuenta la historia que le preguntaron a Mohatma Gandhi que pensaba de la civilizacion. Gandhi respondio diciendo que la «civilizacion» era una buena idea. Lo mismo puede decirse de la «democracia». Este articulo propone una lectura de-colonial del concepto de «democracia» y sugiere la incompatibilidad entre democracia y economia capitalista. Concluye esbozando tres vias economicas (tratando de desacoplar economia de capitalismo) y sugiere la necesidad de economia o economias no-capitalistas sin las cuales organizaciones socio-economicas igualitarias y justas (con voto o sin voto), no seran posibles
A case study of forest change in the Swiss lowlands

This paper presents a regional case study of forest development and the history of forest use and management in the north-eastern lowlands of Switzerland during the 19th and 20th centuries. The analysis draws on historical documents related to forestry to consider the following aspects of forest change: forest types, growing stock, trees species composition and non-timber forest uses. Based on the data presented, three overlapping periods of forest use and management can be discerned. The ‘period of traditional multiple use’ lasted until the second half of the 19th century. From the mid 19th to the mid 20th century, a ‘period of primacy of timber production’ occurred. During the 20th century, the ‘period of modern multi-impact management’ has developed. For these three periods, groups of main actors, their needs and interests, and how they were causing the changes in the aspects under study were defined. This procedure of defining periods and the respective groups of main actors is a critical link between landscape ecology and history, as changes in demands of the society can be directly linked with changes in land-use and land-cover.
Who Benefits from Terrorism? The Common Interests of Terrorists and Governments of Terrorized Societies

This paper takes a hard look at the beneficiaries of terrorism worldwide and departs from academic questions of whether terrorism is successful from the vantage of terrorists. Rather it analyzes the growth of antiterrorism bureaucracies, homeland security budgets, and the deference given to antiterrorism agencies in the immediate aftermath of major terrorist events. It concludes that the primary beneficiaries of terrorism are the world’s governmental security bureaucracies, which benefit from their increased jurisdiction over domestic affairs in the wake of terrorist incidents. Thus, even if their substantive objectives differ greatly, terrorists and governments of terrorized populations share something of a common agenda.
Recent Trigonometric Parallaxes from Two Hemispheres

Both southern and northern hemisphere parallax results are reported for a number of stars including several white dwarfs, the central star of NGC7293, Barnard’s star, and several other red dwarfs. The 1 meter astrometric reflector of the McCormick Observatory is described and some preliminary results are briefly discussed.
Speech Production, Neural Basis of

Recent evidence has determined that numerous brain regions play a vital role in speech production. These regions include both cortical and subcortical areas, as well as white matter tracts. This article reviews research from studies in neurologic patients as well as functional neuroimaging studies with healthy individuals that delineate the neural networks underlying the planning and execution of articulatory movements.
Evidence for a far‐traveled thrust sheet in the Greater Himalayan thrust system, and an alternative model to building the Himalaya

The Galchhi shear zone underlies the Kathmandu klippe in central Nepal and has emerged as a key structure for discriminating competing models for the formation of the Himalayan orogenic wedge. New chronologic data from the Galchhi area suggest a new structural and orogenic interpretation. Zircons from quartzites and an orthogneiss restrict protolith deposition to between 467 + 7/ − 10 Ma and ~570 Ma, with metamorphic zircon growth at 23–29 Ma. Comparable data from the Greater Himalayan Sequence (GHS) at the intra-GHS Langtang thrust, north of Galchhi, similarly restrict GHS deposition to between 475 + 7/ − 3 and ~660 Ma. Undeformed pegmatites near Galchhi constrain movement of the Galchhi shear zone to ≥22.5 ± 2.3 Ma, long before slip of the Main Central Thrust in the region (≤17 Ma). Shear sense indicators in the Galchhi area indicate both top-to-the-south and top-to-the-north shears. The old age of movement, Neoproterozoic youngest detrital zircons, occurrence of top-to-the-south shear sense indicators, and intrusive Paleozoic granites, all suggest that the Galchhi shear zone is an intra-GHS top-to-the-south thrust, rather than either a thrust involving Lesser Himalayan rocks, or a top-to-the-north shear zone that juxtaposed Tethyan and GHS rocks during coeval movement of the Main Central Thrust. The GHS in Nepal was not emplaced as a single body of rock but consists of at least two ductile “thrust sheets,” present in both the hinterland at Langtang and toward the foreland at Galchhi. GHS thrust sheets sequentially underplated during southward propagation of the thrust belt.
South Florida Ocean Measurement Center (SFOMC) "a coastal ocean observatory"

The South Florida Ocean Measurement Center (SFOMC) is a coastal ocean observatory combining government, commercial, and academic resources, intellectual talents, and modern facilities to create a new global-interest center where high fidelity and cost effective experiments and studies can be conducted. The combined SFOMC in-water and shore facilities located in southern Florida provide a fully integrated observatory to archive measurements, provide ground truth to validate hydrographic survey systems, intercompare in situ data with emerging oceanographic instruments, and to disseminate environmental information supporting maritime operations. Specific accomplishments at SFOMC include installation of innovative environmental arrays and data analyses, a 4-dimensional current experiment, AUV operations and mine hunting experiments, adverse weather experiments, studies of fluctuations, coherence, and predictability of long range shallow water acoustic propagation, bio/geological inventories and assessments, and rehearsals for Fleet Battle Experiments. The implementation of SFOMC as a Government-University laboratory to observe littoral processes has been successful. SFOMC is being sustained through ongoing operations and experiments with established sponsorship from ONR, NSF, NOPP, NAVSEA, and DARPA as well as state and local government.
Nearly Sharp Complexity Bounds for Multiprocessor Algebraic Computations

The complexity lower bound of ?(logN) was obtained 12,14] for recognizing a semialgebraic set withNconnected components by some parallel computational models, like the accepting network or the algebraic PRAM. It is unknown whether a parallel computation has an advantage versus its sequential counterpart for this sort of problem, i.e., whether it could recognize a semialgebraic set faster than within complexityO(logN) (the complexity lower bound for sequential algebraic computation trees 1,15]). We introduce a computational model called the multiprocessor algebraic computation which extends the notions of accepting network and algebraic PRAM. For this model an ?(logN) complexity lower bound still holds. We design a multiprocessor algebraic computation which recognizes a linear complex in Rn(i.e., a set given by a Boolean combination ofNlinear inequalities) within the complexityO(logNloglogN) for smalln.
Low-dose propranolol and exercise capacity in postural tachycardia syndrome: A randomized study

Objective: To determine the effect of low-dose propranolol on maximal exercise capacity in patients with postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Methods: We compared the effect of placebo vs a single low dose of propranolol (20 mg) on peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 max), an established measure of exercise capacity, in 11 patients with POTS and 7 healthy subjects in a randomized, double-blind study. Subjects exercised on a semirecumbent bicycle, with increasing intervals of resistance to maximal effort. Results: Maximal exercise capacity was similar between groups following placebo. Low-dose propranolol improved VO 2 max in patients with POTS (24.5 ± 0.7 placebo vs 27.6 ± 1.0 mL/min/kg propranolol; p = 0.024), but not healthy subjects. The increase in VO 2 max in POTS was associated with attenuated peak heart rate responses (142 ± 8 propranolol vs 165 ± 4 bpm placebo; p = 0.005) and improved stroke volume (81 ± 4 propranolol vs 67 ± 3 mL placebo; p = 0.013). In a separate cohort of POTS patients, neither high-dose propranolol (80 mg) nor metoprolol (100 mg) improved VO 2 max, despite similar lowering of heart rate. Conclusions: These findings suggest that nonselective β-blockade with propranolol, when used at the low doses frequently used for treatment of POTS, may provide a modest beneficial effect to improve heart rate control and exercise capacity. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that a single low dose of propranolol (20 mg) as compared with placebo is useful in increasing maximum exercise capacity measured 1 hour after medication.
Spectral curves of periodic Fisher graphs

We study the spectral curves of dimer models on periodic Fisher graphs obtained from periodic ferromagnetic Ising models on ℤ2. The spectral curve is defined by the zero locus of the determinant of a modified weighted adjacency matrix. We prove that either they are disjoint from the unit torus (T2={(z,w):z=1,w=1}) or they intersect &#x1d54b;2 at a single real point.
Surgical Treatment of Internal Derangements of the Temporomandibular Joint: A Long-term Study

• A long-term surgical follow-up study of 176 patients (211 joints) with documented internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint was carried out. Arthrograms and tomograms were used in all cases. Forty of the patients (49 joints) were nonsurgical control patients. Diagnostic staging of the cases was accomplished as previously published. A clinical/radiologic assessment index was derived, which included seven measured parameters. Surgical patients, grouped by diagnostic stages and selected operations, were compared with each other and with control patients over the follow-up period (average, 8.1 years; range, 5 to 14 years). The surgical procedures included meniscectomy, reconstructive arthroplasty, and arthroplasty with temporary Silastic (Dow Corning Wright, Arlington, Tenn) implant. The overall success rate for surgical cases with all stages and procedures was 93.8%. In contrast, the control group demonstrated significant clinical and radiographic progression. The surgical results were stage dependent for the same operative procedure. Significantly better success rates were obtained in early-stage cases (96.9%) than in late-stage cases (89.4%). With respect to comparison of operative procedures, it was found that reconstructive arthroplasty provided results superior to those of meniscectomy. There was no significant difference between results obtained by meniscectomy and those by arthroplasty with a temporary Silastic implant. Long-term stability was excellent in most cases. Follow-up radiographie changes for the surgical group were less than expected. On the other hand, radiographie analysis of the control group demonstrated progressive degenerative changes in 73.5% of cases. Complications over the entire study were rare. It was concluded that surgery can provide successful long-term results in the treatment of internal derangements. ( Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg . 1991;117:64-72)
Etiology of increased albumin synthesis in old rats

Abstract We have investigated albumin synthesis and excretion of albumin into the urine in young and old rats. Evidence is provided to suggest that the higher rate of excretion of albumin into the urine in old rats is not responsible for the increased synthesis. Albumin synthesis in young and old animals was determined after partial hepatectomy, injection of serum protein into the tail vein, and after aminonucleoside puromycin induced nephrosis. For several weeks after partial hepatectomy, an operation that should not effect nephrosis in old rats, albumin synthesis in old rats is decreased. Injection of serum does not decrease albumin synthesis but causes an increase in the amount of albumin excreted into the urine. Aminonucleoside puromycin induced nephrosis does not stimulate albumin synthesis to a significant extent. It is concluded that the rate of excretion of albumin into the urine is a function of the albumin levels in the serum and that synthesis of albumin is not regulated to a great extent by the rate of excretion.
Cobalt-catalysed growth of carbon nanotubes with single-atomic-layer walls

CARBON exhibits a unique ability to form a wide range of structures. In an inert atmosphere it condenses to form hollow, spheroidal fullerenes. Carbon deposited on the hot tip of the cathode of the arc-discharge apparatus used for bulk fullerene synthesis will form nested graphitic tubes and polyhedral particles. Electron irradiation of these nanotubes and polyhedra transforms them into nearly spherical carbon 'onions'. We now report that covaporizing carbon and cobalt in an arc generator leads to the formation of carbon nanotubes which all have very small diameters (about 1.2 nm) and walls only a single atomic layer thick. The tubes form a web-like deposit woven through the fullerene-containing soot, giving it a rubbery texture. The uniformity and single-layer structure of these nanotubes should make it possible to test their properties against theoretical predictions.
Studies of Brunner's glands in the opossum. II. Postnatal development.

The postnatal development of Brunner's glands in the opossum has been traced, using 170 specimens divided into 21 groups according to snout-rump length. The newborn opossum has a well developed small intestine, possessing villi and a differentiated intestinal epithelium with concentrations of PAS-positive material in the apical cytoplasm. The ducts of the glands begin to develop within 24 hours after birth and, as they proliferate, two cell types appear. A tall, columnar cell type lines the excretory duct whereas the intralobular duct system is lined by pyramidal cells. Intralobular ducts undergo differentiation by the 50 mm stage and, after this event, secretory units appear as outgrowths from the intralobular duct system. Development continues into early adulthood. Duodenal glands appear to evaginate simultaneously at localized foci, resulting in the formation of a duodenal sinus between glandular elements. The glands evaginate from the mucosa in the most proximal portion of the duodenum, involving both intestinal and gastric mucosal elements. That portion of mucosa lying between the forming glands is submerged and forms the floor of the duodenal sinus. Excretory duct epithelium often lines the sinus in part. The development of Brunner's glands in the opossum is completely independent both of pyloric and intestinal glands.
Adhesion of glow discharge polymers to metals and polymers

Adhesion of glow discharge polymers to metals and polymers in an adhesive joint was measured by lap-shear test and immersion in hot water of 70°C °C for an extended time. A glow discharge polymer was deposited onto polymers [polyethylene and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)] and metals (aluminum and stainless steel) prior to when the polymer and metal were joined. It is found that the lap-shear strength is enhanced by coating the surfaces of these substrates with plasma film produced from methane, ethylene, and acetylene, and that deterioration of the adhesive bonding part, when immersed in hot water of 70°C, is strongly dependent on the gas used as well as operational conditions where a polymer film is formed. The adhesion of a polymer produced from methane on the polymer and metal is strong enough to apply for durable, adhesive joints.
Rifampicin inhibition of protein synthesis in mammalian cells

Rifampicin produces a dose-dependent decrease in protein synthesis in rat thymocytes. At concentrations up to 200 micrograms per milliliter, rifampicin does not alter rat thymic transcription. Rifampicin causes a direct inhibition of protein synthesis in rat thymic and hepatic microsomes, and in cadaveric human hepatic microsomes. Protein synthesis inhibition could explain the toxicity of rifampicin in man.
Anticryptococcal Activity of NK Cell-Enriched Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes from Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Subjects: Responses to Interleukin-2, Interferon-γ, and Interleukin-12

Anticryptococcal activity of highly purified NK cells from patients with either early asymptomatic or late-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection proved to be markedly impaired; activity was reproducibly restored to normal levels by in vitro addition of exogenous interleukin-12 (IL-12). For these highly purified NK cells, responses to IL-2 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) among HIV-infected patients were variable, with only 2 of 8 exhibiting significant responses to IL-2 or IFN-gamma. In contrast, IL-2 and IFN-gamma consistently enhanced anticryptococcal activity of mixed lymphocyte populations, cells that more closely approximate the network likely to be operational in vivo.
CRL4Cdt2 Regulates Cell Proliferation and Histone Gene Expression by Targeting PR-Set7/Set8 for Degradation

Summary PR-Set7/Set8 is a cell-cycle-regulated enzyme that monomethylates lysine 20 of histone H4 (H4K20). Set8 and monomethylated H4K20 are virtually undetectable during G1 and S phases of the cell cycle but increase in late S and in G2. We identify CRL4 Cdt2 as the principal E3 ubiquitin ligase responsible for Set8 proteolytic degradation in the S phase of the cell cycle, which requires Set8-PCNA interaction. Inactivation of the CRL4–Cdt2-PCNA-Set8 degradation axis results in (1) DNA damage and the induction of tumor suppressor p53 and p53-transactivated proapoptotic genes, (2) delayed progression through G2 phase of the cell cycle due to activation of the G2/M checkpoint, (3) specific repression of histone gene transcription and depletion of the histone proteins, and (4) repression of E2F1-dependent gene transcription. These results demonstrate a central role of CRL4 Cdt2 -dependent cell-cycle regulation of Set8 for the maintenance of a stable epigenetic state essential for cell viability.
Nano and microelectromechanical systems courses

This paper reports the developments of modular courses and curricula in nano- and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). We design a Nano Science, Engineering and Technology (NanoSET) course as well as MEMS curriculum. The MEMS curriculum consists of three courses, e.g., MEMS Design, MEMS Fabrication and MEMS Evaluation. The role and implication of quantum mechanics, nanotechnology, microscopic systems, molecular engineering, microelectronics and MEMS are examined. We discuss the integration of quantum physics, electronics, microsystems and nanotechnology in engineering and science curricula. Coherent, cohesive and consistent courses' coverage spans from the first principles and basic fundamentals to design, analysis, fabrication, testing, characterization and evaluation of macroscopic devices and systems. The developed courses ensure the overall educational, professional and curriculum objectives and goals.
Some Characteristics of Collagenase Activity in Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Its Relationship to Gingival Diseases in Humans

Collagenase activity in human gingival fluid was measured using a radioactive collagen fibril assay. The activity was positively correlated with the severity of gingival disease. The fluid collagenase seemed to be controlled by α2-macroglobulin, based on its activation by NaSCN, and to be present solely in the extracellular fraction. Examination of the collagen breakdown products by acrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the fluid collagenase was of tissue rather than bacterial origin.
The YfiD protein contributes to the pyruvate formate-lyase flux in an Escherichia coli arcA mutant strain

The product of yfiD gene is similar to pyruvate formate-lyase (PFL) activase and it has been reported to activate PFL by replacing the glycyl radical domain. To quantitate the effect of YfiD on the cell metabolism in microaerobic cultures, glucose-limited chemostat cultures were conducted with Escherichia coli yfiD mutant and yfiDarcA mutant strains. The microaerobic condition was controlled by purging the culture media with 2.5% O2 in N2. The intracellular metabolic flux distributions in these cultures were estimated based on C-13 labeling experiments. By comparing with the flux distributions in wild-type E. coli and the arcA mutant, it was shown that YfiD contributes to about 18% of the PFL flux in the arcA mutant, but it did not contribute to the PFL flux in wild-type E. coli. It was also shown that the cell used both PFL and pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) to supplement the acetyl-coenzyme A (AcCoA) pool under microaerobic conditions. The flux through PDH was about 22–30% of the total flux toward AcCoA in the wild-type, the yfiD mutant and yfiDarcA mutant strains. Relatively higher lactate production was seen in the yfiDarcA mutant than the other strains, which was due to the lower total flux through PFL and PDH toward AcCoA in this strain. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;97:138–143. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Treatment seeking for depression in Canada and the United States.

Objective: Cross-country comparisons of patterns of mental health treatment seeking provide insights into the impact of contextual factors on mental health service use. This study aimed to compare prevalence and predictors of mental health treatment seeking among adults with major depression in Canada and the United States. Methods: Data for 751 participants with a probable major depressive episode in the past 12 months were drawn from the 2002–2003 Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health: 304 were from Canada and 447 were from the United States. Probable major depressive episodes were ascertained by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview–Short-Form. Patterns of contacts with mental health and general health providers for mental health reasons were compared. Results: Prevalence of contacts with any provider for mental health problems was similar among participants with a probable major depressive episode in Canada and the United States (181 Canadians, or 56 percent, compared with 245 Americans, or 52 percent). Canadian participants were more likely than those in the United States to seek treatment for mental health problems from family doctors and general practitioners, and among participants who sought such treatment, Canadians were more likely to also seek treatment from mental health professionals. In both countries, racial or ethnic minorities were less likely than Caucasians to seek treatment. Depression severity was more closely associated with treatment seeking in Canada than in the United States. Conclusions: Although studies from the early 1990s showed higher rates of treatment seeking for depression in Canada than in the United States, the more recent data presented here do not show such a gap. However, differences persist in the use of various providers. Compared with the United States, Canada had a closer match between depression severity and treatment, which suggests more efficient allocation of mental health care resources for treatment of depression in Canada. (Psychiatric Services 57:631–639, 2006)
Scientific literacy, PISA, and socioscientific discourse: Assessment for progressive aims of science education

In this article, we explore the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) with a lens informed by the socioscientific issues (SSI) movement. We consider the PISA definition of scientific literacy and how it is situated with respect to broader discussions of the aims of science education. We also present an overview of the SSI framework that has emerged in the science education community as a guide for research and practice. We then use this framework to support analysis of the PISA approach to assessment. The PISA and SSI approaches are seemingly well aligned when considering general aims. Both approaches emphasize preparing students for life and citizenship, complex reasoning and reflective practices, and robust understandings of the nature of science particularly as it is practiced in society. However, as the focus of comparison moves from the conceptual to more specific, the connections between PISA and the SSI movement become more tenuous. For instance, many of the PISA test items, at least those that have been released publicly, seem quite removed from the intent of the SSI movement. The article concludes with a discussion of recent trends in research associated with SSI, which may provide alternative avenues for assessing progressive aims of The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) represents a new approach, as compared to national and international assessment initiatives, for the assessment of student progress in science education.OneoftheuniqueandnotablefeaturesofPISAisthearticulationofscientificliteracythatservesas aconceptualunderpinningfortheproject.Thisvisionforscientificliteracy,whichhighlightslearners'useof science in real-life contexts, invites comparisons to progressive movements in science education. Within the last decade, science educators with progressive goals have increasingly focused on socioscientific issues (SSI) as learning contexts. In this article, we explore ways in which PISA and the socioscientific issues movement overlap and diverge. We begin with an overview of scientific literacy and a discussion of the diverse ideas that the construct has come to represent and then describe how PISA frames scientific literacy. Next,weintroduce thesocioscientificissuesmovementand offersocioscientific Discourseand development of student identities that support these Discourses as normative aims for science education. We then explore the push for standards, assessment, and accountability, which has become a central feature of modern education and the backdrop against which PISA has emerged. We introduce the PISA approach to assessment, and the framework used for developing its assessment instrument. Next, we present specific competenciesprioritized byPISA and sample itemsthat addressthese competencies as a means ofexploring ways in which PISA supports the socioscientific issues movement and ways in which the two initiatives diverge. We conclude the article by reviewing other strategies for assessment to support progressive aims of