cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cumulative risk of Alzheimer-like dementia in relatives of autopsy-confirmed cases of Alzheimer's disease

The cumulative risk of Alzheimer-like dementia (AD) was investigated in first-degree relatives (n = 176) of 35 probands with autopsy-confirmed clinical diagnoses of Alzheimer''s disease. Seventeen of
Precisely targeted delivery of cells and biomolecules within microchannels using aqueous two-phase systems

Laminar and pulsatile flow of aqueous solutions in microfluidic channels can be useful for controlled delivery of cells and molecules. Dispersion effects resulting from diffusion and convective disturbances, however, result in reagent delivery profiles becoming blurred over the length of the channels. This issue is addressed partially by using oil-in-water phase systems. However, there are limitations in terms of the biocompatibility of these systems for adherent cell culture. Here we present a fully biocompatible aqueous two-phase flow system that can be used to pattern cells within simple microfluidic channel designs, as well as to deliver biochemical treatments to cells according to discrete boundaries. We demonstrate that aqueous two-phase systems are capable of precisely delivering cells as laminar patterns, or as islands by way of forced droplet formation. We also demonstrate that these systems can be used to precisely control chemical delivery to preformed monolayers of cells growing within channels. Treatments containing trypsin were localized more reliably using aqueous two-phase delivery than using conventional delivery in aqueous medium.
Medical education about human sexuality: the impact of film in the workshop setting.

Summary The current study uses a pre-test-post-test control group design in which students who were volunteer participants were randomly assigned, controlled for sex, to one of two 1-day human sexuality workshops (n=19, n=21) or a control group (n=17). The two workshops were identical in format and content. Each included four topic areas: homosexuality, psychosexual development of the male and female, masturbation, and the meaning of touch. After introduction to topic areas in large group sessions, small group discussions were held, led by trained teams of male and female co-leaders. The independent variable was the inclusion of films of explicit sexual behaviour in one workshop (film and discussion) during each of the large group sessions, while no films were used in the other workshop (discussion only). Post-test data from the attitude and knowledge sections of the SKAT test showed that participants in both the film and discussion and discussion-only workshops changed significantly more than the control group on the heterosexual relations (P < 0.05) and masturbation attitude scales (P<0.01). No significant changes occurred on the knowledge section. Comparisons of pre to post scores of experimental subjects with previous research indicates that the present SKAT results are comparable to those that have been interpreted as significant. However, an analysis of variance comparing pre to post SKAT scores of both experimental groups revealed only one SKAT scale differential between the groups, with discussion-only participants showing more change (masturbation, P < 0.05). Thus, the addition of explicit films to a workshop was not shown to have a significant effect on attitude change and knowledge scores as measured by the SKAT. Implications of the findings for future course planning are discussed.
Integrated design of Nb-based superalloys: Ab initio calculations, computational thermodynamics and kinetics, and experimental results

Abstract An optimal integration of modern computational tools and efficient experimentation is presented for the accelerated design of Nb-based superalloys. Integrated within a systems engineering framework, we have used ab initio methods along with alloy theory tools to predict phase stability of solid solutions and intermetallics to accelerate assessment of thermodynamic and kinetic databases enabling comprehensive predictive design of multicomponent multiphase microstructures as dynamic systems. Such an approach is also applicable for the accelerated design and development of other high performance materials. Based on established principles underlying Ni-based superalloys, the central microstructural concept is a precipitation strengthened system in which coherent cubic aluminide phase(s) provide both creep strengthening and a source of Al for Al2O3 passivation enabled by a Nb-based alloy matrix with required ductile-to-brittle transition temperature, atomic transport kinetics and oxygen solubility behaviors. Ultrasoft and PAW pseudopotentials, as implemented in VASP, are used to calculate total energy, density of states and bonding charge densities of aluminides with B2 and L21 structures relevant to this research. Characterization of prototype alloys by transmission and analytical electron microscopy demonstrates the precipitation of B2 or L21 aluminide in a (Nb) matrix. Employing Thermo-Calc and DICTRA software systems, thermodynamic and kinetic databases are developed for substitutional alloying elements and interstitial oxygen to enhance the diffusivity ratio of Al to O for promotion of Al2O3 passivation. However, the oxidation study of a Nb–Hf–Al alloy, with enhanced solubility of Al in (Nb) than in binary Nb–Al alloys, at 1300 °C shows the presence of a mixed oxide layer of NbAlO4 and HfO2 exhibiting parabolic growth.
Limited Knowledge and Limited Resources: Children's and Adolescents' Understanding of the Internet.

Abstract The Internet is a highly complex and newly emerged artifact. Building upon and going beyond two previous studies [Yan, Z. (2005). Age differences in children's understanding of complexity of the Internet. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 385–396.; Yan, Z. (2006). What influences children's and adolescents' understanding of the complexity of the Internet? Developmental Psychology, 42, 418–428.], children's and adolescents' understanding of the Internet was assessed and developmental sources of their understanding were analyzed. With 105 adults (M age = 24) as a reference group, 681 9- to 17-year olds were assessed for their understanding of the technical and social complexity of the Internet, and the internal and external developmental sources of their understanding were examined using structural equation modeling. The children and adolescents were found to have (a) limited understanding of the technical and social complexity of the Internet, showing perception-bounded knowledge rather than conceptually correct understanding, and (b) limited resources to develop their understanding, relying predominantly on one domain-general source rather than on various developmental sources of good quality. Developmental pathways of understanding of the Internet as an emergent and complex artifact are described, and implications for implementation of the Children's Internet Protection Act of 2000 are discussed.
Approximate multijet cross sections in QCD.

A method is given to approximate the matrix elements squared for all parton processes involving a quark-antiquark pair plus an arbitrary number of gluons. Detailed comparisons are made between the results of this method and the exact results which are known for the quark-antiquark plus-four-gluon-processes in four-jet production at hadron colliders. Together with Maxwell's approximate result for six-gluon processes an excellent agreement is found for the total cross section and shape of four-jet production at hadron colliders.
Opioid peptides selective for mu- and delta-opiate receptors reduce calcium-dependent action potential duration by increasing potassium conductance

We suggest that both mu- and delta-opiate receptors on dorsal root ganglion neuron somata are coupled to voltage- and/or calcium-dependent potassium channels since opioid peptide decreases of calcium-dependent action potential duration were: (1) not associated with a change of resting membrane potential or conductance; (2) accompanied by an increase in action potential after-hyperpolarization, and (3) blocked by intracellular injection of the potassium channel blocker cesium [18]. In contrast, norepinephrine [4] and cadmium [9], which have been reported to act on voltage-dependent calcium rather than potassium channels, shortened action potential duration and decreased after-hyperpolarization amplitude, an action not blocked by intracellular iontophoresis of cesium.
Temafloxacin Compared with Ciprofloxacin in Mild to Moderate Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Ambulatory Patients: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized Study

The efficacy and safety of oral temafloxacin (600 mg) and ciprofloxacin (500 mg) twice daily for seven days were compared in patients with mild to moderate lower respiratory tract infections. Fifty-eight of 64 (91 percent) patients who received temafloxacin and 63 of 67 (94 percent) patients who received ciprofloxacin had clinical cure or improvement; bacteriologic cure occurred in 61 (95 percent) and 63 (94 percent), respectively. All 14 patients with pneumonia were clinically cured or improved and bacteriologically cured; 11 had complete resolution of roentgenographic evidence of pneumonia. Both quinolones eradicated most major respiratory pathogens. In the ciprofloxacin group, organisms persisted in three of seven Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates and in one of eight Hemophilus parainftuenzae isolates; all these pathogens were eliminated with temafloxacin. Theophylline blood levels significantly increased by 25 percent in the ciprofloxacin group and decreased by 5 percent in the temafloxacin group. Adverse events, mostly dizziness, headache, and gastrointestinal effects, occurred in 43 percent of temafloxacin patients and in 31 percent of ciprofloxacin patients.
Dipylidium infection in a 6-month-old infant.

Summary A case of dipylidiasis (dog tapeworm) in a 6-month-old infant living in New England is reported. The patient was brought to the hospital because of anal excretion of proglottids. Quinacrine hydrochloride was successfully used for treatment.
Studies on the L. E. Phenomenon—Evolution of the Induced L. E. Inclusion Body

In the course of our studies (1) (2) on the induction of the L. E. phenomenon in normal leukocytes we have found (3) what appeared to us to be an inclusion body not previously reported. In our third communication (3) on this subject we stated that these objects may prove to be stages in the evolution of the typical L. E. body as described by Hargraves, Fig. 1. L. E. cell inclusion, earliest stage (X1530) Richmond and Morton (4) and by Haserick and Bortz (5). We now have found further evidence which seems to substantiate this hypothesis.
Sirtuins as potential targets for metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome threatens health gains made during the past century. Physiological processes degraded by this syndrome are often oppositely affected by calorie restriction, which extends lifespan and prevents disease in rodents. Recent research in the field of ageing has begun to identify important mediators of calorie restriction, offering the hope of new drugs to improve healthspan. Moreover, if metabolic syndrome and calorie restriction are opposite extremes of the same metabolic spectrum, calorie restriction mimetics might provide another therapeutic approach to metabolic syndrome. Sirtuins and other important metabolic pathways that affect calorie restriction may serve as entry points for drugs to treat metabolic syndrome.
Ascending projections of long descending propriospinal tract (LDPT) neurons

Abstract Ascending projections of long descending propriospinal tract (LDPT) cells were investigated using the technique of double retrograde labeling. In rat, injection of one fluorescent dye was made into either the reticular formation or the cerebellum and a second dye was injected into the lumbosacral enlargement (LSE). In cat, injections were made into the reticular formation and into the lumbosacral enlargement. Using fluorescence microscopy, observation of neurons in the cervical enlargement (CE) revealed single- and double-labeled cells which were either spinoreticular or spinocerebellar tract cells and/or LDPT cells. In both cat and rat, the locations of double-labeled LDPT-spinoreticular cells were in the ventromedial spinal gray matter of the CE and were coextensive with single-labeled LDPT and spinoreticular cells. The locations of double-labeled LDPT-spinocerebellar cells in rat were in the ventromedial gray and were coextensive with single-labeled LDPT cells, but not with single-labeled spinocerebellar cells. The latter group was located in central lamina VII and medial laminae V and VI. Overall, the mean number of double-labeled cells was 40% of rat and 7% of cat LDPT cells, indicating projections to either the brainstem reticular formation or cerebellum as well as to the lumbosacral enlargement. Thus, a subpopulation of LDPT cells apparently also serves as a spinoreticular (SR) and spinocerebellar (SC) projection system.
A Fast Electro-Optical Sensing System for Measuring Thermal Response of a Rotating Roll Without Generating Contact Noise

A non-contact sensing system has been developed to measure the temperature response of a rapidly rotating roll under spray cooling encountered in metal rolling processes. A thin-film sensor with a fast response time, on the order of microseconds, has been designed and fabricated to measure the roll surface temperatures. To eliminate contact noise, an electro-optical data acquisition system has been developed to provide fast acquiring rate without physical contact to the rotating roll. The system has been implemented on a roll simulator to demonstrate sensor reliability and system feasibility. Also, using the measured temperatures as boundary conditions, a numerical calculation has been performed to provide the temperature distributions of the roll and the corresponding heat transfer coefficients of the spray cooling. Results indicate that the cyclic peak value of the heat transfer coefficient varies from 75 to 100 kW/m2 -K directly under the impingement of the spray jet. These values are consistent with the existing literature.
The role of clouds in the surface energy balance over the Amazon forest

Deforestation in the Amazon region will initially impact the energy balance at the land surface through changes in land cover and surface hydrology. However, continuation of this human activity will eventually lead to atmospheric feedbacks, including changes in cloudiness which may play an important role in the final equilibrium of solar and terrestrial radiation at the surface. In this study, the different components of surface radiation over an undisturbed forest in the Amazon region are computed using data from the Amazon region micrometerological experiment (ARME). Several measures of cloudiness are defined: two estimated from the terrestrial radiation measurements, and one from the solar radiation measurements. The sensitivity of the surface fluxes of solar and terrestrial radiation to natural variability in cloudiness is investigated to infer the potential role of the cloudiness feedback in the surface energy balance. The results of this analysis indicate that a 1% decrease in cloudiness would increase net solar radiation by ca. 1.6 W/m 2 . However, the overall magnitude of this feedback, due to total deforestation of the Amazon forest, is likely to be of the same order as the magnitude of the decrease in net solar radiation due to the observed increase in surface albedo following deforestation. Hence, the total change in net solar radiation is likely to have a negligible magnitude. In contrast to this conclusion, we find that terrestrial radiation is likely to be more strongly affected; reduced cloudiness will decrease net terrestrial radiation; a 1% decrease in cloudiness induces a reduction in net terrestrial radiation of ca. 0.7 W/m 2 ; this process augments the similar effects of the predicted warming and drying in the boundary layer. Due to the cloudiness feedback, the most significant effect of large-scale deforestation on the surface energy balance is likely to be in the modification of the terrestrial radiation field rather than the classical albedo effect on solar radiation fields. The net effect of clouds is to reduce net radiation; a 1% increase in cloudiness induces a reduction in net radiation of ca .1W /m 2 . The implications of this negative feedback on large-scale land-atmosphere interactions over rainforests are discussed. © 1998 Royal Meteorological Society.
Resonances in a two-dimensional electron waveguide with a single δ -function scatterer

We study the conductance properties of a straight two-dimensional electron waveguide with an s-like scatterer modeled by a single $\ensuremath{\delta}$-function potential with a finite number of modes. Even such a simple system exhibits interesting resonance phenomena. These resonances are explained in terms of quasibound states both by using a direct solution of the Schr\"odinger equation and by studying the Green's function of the system. Using the Green's function we calculate the survival probability as well as the power absorption, and show the influence of the quasibound states on these two quantities.
Having it all: the professional mother's dilemma.

Abstract The notion that professional women can “have it all”—career and children—has been disputed in the current popular literature. A brief review of recent findings presents evidence that many couples successfully manage the dual challenge of work and family. Clinical vignettes from a group of professionals/mothers are presented with suggested “rules” for success. We have come a long way from the days when it was taken for granted (mostly by our grandfathers) that women's place is only in the home.
Aspirin insensitive thrombophilia: Transcript profiling of blood identifies platelet abnormalities and HLA restriction

Aspirin is the most widely used antiplatelet agent because it is safe, efficient, and inexpensive. However, a significant subset of patients does not exhibit a full inhibition of platelet aggregation, termed ‘aspirin resistance’ (AR). Several major studies have observed that AR patients have a 4-fold increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and other thrombotic events. Arachidonic acid-stimulated whole blood aggregation was tested in 132 adults at risk for ischemic events, and identified an inadequate response to aspirin therapy in 9 patients (6.8%). Expression profiling of blood RNA by microarray was used to generate new hypotheses about the etiology of AR. Among the differentially expressed genes, there were decreases in several known platelet transcripts, including clusterin (CLU), glycoproteins IIb/IIIa (ITGA2B/3), lipocalin (LCN2), lactoferrin (LTF), and the thrombopoetin receptor (MPL), but with increased mRNA for the T-cell Th1 chemokine CXCL10. There was a strong association of AR with expression of HLA-DRB4 and HLA-DQA1. Similar HLA changes have been linked to autoimmune disorders, particularly antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), in which autoantibodies to phospholipid/protein complexes can trigger platelet activation. Consistent with APS, AR patients exhibited a 30% reduction in platelet counts. Follow-up testing for autoimmune antibodies observed only borderline titers in AR patients. Overall, these results suggest that AR may be related to changes in platelet gene expression creating a hyperreactive platelet, despite antiplatelet therapy. Future studies will focus on determining the protein levels of these differential transcripts in platelets, and the possible involvement of HLA restriction as a contributing factor.
Review: carbon nanotube dispersal mechanisms in the fabrication of powder metallurgy metal matrix composites and effects on mechanical properties

This review outlines recent developments carried out by researchers in the fabrication of carbon nanotube metal matrix composites (CNT/MMCs) and their resulting material properties. More specifically, this review focuses on various CNT dispersal mechanisms in the fabrication of CNT/MMCs via the powder metallurgy method (PM). PM techniques have emerged as an attractive fabrication route for composite mixtures with constituents on the sub-micron to nano scale. The state and quality of CNT dispersion in the starting composite powder mixture is crucial to gain full advantage of subsequent consolidation/thermal processing phases in the PM fabrication route. Current review shows comprehensive approaches, undertaken globally, in obtaining optimal CNT dispersions in metal matrix systems utilising a variety of techniques. The present review brings into focus the critical issues which affect the mechanical performances of CNT reinforced MMCs that include: CNT dispersal , CNT/metal transition layer, compatibility of CNTs in metal systems, and CNT strengthening mechanisms.
δ-Aminolevulinic acid dehydratase of Spirillum itersonii and the regulation of tetrapyrrole synthesis☆

Abstract δ-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) dehydratase has been purified 160-fold from Spirillum itersonii by a combination of ammonium sulfate fractionation and chromatography on calcium phosphate gel and Sephadex G-200. The enzyme requires magnesium or manganese ions for activity as well as a sulfhydryl agent. The Km for δ-aminolevulinic acid is 0.1 m m . Levulinic acid is a competitive inhibitor of the enzyme, with a Ki of 1.8 m m . Hemin (0.1 m m ) and protoporphyrin (0.2 m m ) are only slightly inhibitory. The specific activity of ALA dehydratase in crude cell extracts is less than that of ALA synthetase, and the level of dehydratase activity is similar in cells grown under high and low aeration. Growing cultures of the organism do not accumulate ALA or porphyrins but accumulation of ALA occurs upon addition of levulinic acid. It is concluded that ALA synthetase has a major role in regulating tetrapyrrole synthesis in S. itersonii despite the relatively low activity of the dehydratase.
Inversion of triton moments

We use the formalism of hyperspherical harmonics to calculate several moments for the triton photoeffect, for a Volkov spin-independent potential. First, we improve the accuracy of Maleki's calculations of the moments sigma/sub 2/ and sigma/sub 3/ by including more terms in the hyperspherical expansion. We also calculate moments sigma/sub 0/ and sigma/sub 1/ for a Serber mixture. We find reasonable agreement between our moments found by sum rules and those found from the cross sections calculated by Fang et al. and Levinger-Fitzgibbon. We then develop a technique of inversion of a finite number of moments by making the assumption that the cross section can be written as a sum of several Laguerre polynomials multiplied by a decreasing exponential. We test our inversion technique successfully on several model potentials. We then modify it and apply it to the five moments (sigma/sub -/1 to sigma/sub 3/) for a force without exchange, and find fair agreement with Fang's values of the cross section. Finally, we apply the inversion technique to our three moments (sigma/sub -/1, sigma/sub 0/, and sigma/sub 1/) for a Serber mixture, and find reasonable agreement with Gorbunov's measurements of the /sup 3/He photoeffect.
Are Students Keeping Up with the E-book Evolution? Are E-books Keeping Up with Students’ Evolving Needs?: Distance Students and E-book Usage, A Survey

Electronic books are evolving at a dizzying pace, challenging academic librarians to keep patrons informed about the growing number of features of these resources and their various and varied limitations. It sometimes seems as if students are pleasantly surprised by the ease with which electronic books are accessible as often as they are frustrated by e-book features that do not satisfy their needs. Librarians receive such feedback readily from local students; distance students’ perspectives are more difficult to keep track of. Pepperdine University Librarians surveyed graduate distance students about their experiences and preferences regarding electronic books. Findings reflect prior studies’ data in terms of desired features, despite the fact that such features actually are available to a great extent. Surprisingly, participants ranked book topic areas and usage preferences identically for both electronic and print books. Answers to the questions posed in the article title are mixed: yes and no.
Intracellular production of superoxide radical and of hydrogen peroxide by redox active compounds.

Several compounds have been found capable of diverting the electron flow in Escherichia coli and thus causing increased intracellular production of O2− and H2O2. One indication of this electron-shunting action was increased cyanide-resistant respiration and one cellular response was increased biosynthesis of the manganese-containing superoxide dismutase and of catalase. Blocking cytochrome oxidase with cyanide or azide increased the electron flow available for reduction of paraquat and presumably of the other exogenous compounds tested and thus increased their biological effects. Paraquat, pyocyanine, phenazine methosulfate, streptonigrin, juglone, menadione, plumbagin, methylene blue, and azure C were all effective in elevating intracellular production of O2− and H2O2. The effect of alloxan appeared paradoxical in that it increased cyanide-resistant respiration without significantly increasing the cell content of the manganese-superoxide dismutase and with only a small effect on the level of catalase. The alloxan effect on cyanide-resistant respiration was artifactual and was due to an oxygen-consuming reaction between alloxan and cyanide, rather than to a diversion of the intracellular electron flow. With paraquat as a representative electron-shunting compound, the increase in biosynthesis of the manganese-superoxide dismutase was prevented by inhibitors of transcription or of translation, but not by an inhibitor of replication. The increase in this enzyme activity, caused by paraquat and presumably by the other compounds, was thus due to de novo enzyme synthesis activated or derepressed at the level of transcription.
Plasmonic electrodes for bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaics: a review

Here, we review recent progress on the integration of plasmonic electrodes into bulk-heterojunction organic photovoltaic devices. Plasmonic electrodes, consisting of thin films of metallic nanostructures, can exhibit a number of optical, electrical, and morphological effects that can be exploited to improve performance parameters of ultrathin photovoltaic active layers. We review the various types of plasmonic electrodes that have been incorporated into organic photovoltaics such as nanohole, nanowire, and nanoparticle arrays and grating electrodes and their impact on various device performance parameters. The use of plasmonic back electrodes can impact device performance in a number of ways because the mechanisms of performance improvements are often a complex combination of optical, electrical, and structural effects. Inverted bulk heterojunction device architectures have been shown to benefit from the multifunctionality of plasmonic back electrodes as they can minimize space-charge effects and reduce hole carrier collection lengths in addition to providing improved light localization in the active layer. The use of semi-transparent plasmonic electrodes can also be beneficial for organic photovoltaics as they can exhibit a variety of optical properties such as light scattering, light localization, extraordinary transmission of light, and absorption-induced transparency, in addition to providing an alternative to metal oxide–based transparent electrodes.
Synchrotron photoemission studies of the Sb-passivated Si surfaces: Degenerate doping and bulk band dispersions

Synchrotron photoemission of the Sb-covered Si(001), Si(111), and Si(110) surfaces revealed that the Fermi-level position crosses the conduction-band minimum (CBM) of Si for Sb coverages approaching a one-monolayer saturation limit. Momentum-resolved photoemission of the Sb-saturated Si(001) and Si(110) surfaces showed the existence of an occupied initial state located near the CBM. The photoemission intensity of the state has been examined as a function of photon energy with constant initial-state difference spectroscopy which showed various resonances occurring due to transitions to different final states from the CBM. The metallic character of the surface is shown to be due to degenerate doping in the near-surface region. Core-level spectroscopy of Sb/Si(111) and Sb/Si(001) revealed that the Si atoms in the near-surface region are converted to exhibit a bulklike arrangement after Sb coverage. The Sb saturation of Si(111) and Si(001) was found to allow the measurement of the bulk band-dispersion relations along the high-symmetry \ensuremath{\Gamma}-\ensuremath{\Lambda}-L and \ensuremath{\Gamma}-\ensuremath{\Delta}-X directions over a wide photon-energy range (37--153 eV). Strain-reduction mechanisms in the near-surface region are discussed. The measured CBM-state resonances and the Si(001) bulk band transitions indicate that the effective mass of the free-electron-like final band changes for varying photon energies.
Children of parents with unipolar depression: A controlled 1-year follow-up

An earlier cross sectional study indicated that children's health and adjustment is at risk when their parents are depressed. Here, we report the associated longitudinal changes in children and families when parental depression either remits or continues. Comparisons are made among three groups established at a 1 year follow up: (a) previously depressed parents whose symptoms have remitted (N=34 remitted parents), (b) previously depressed parents who continue to be depressed (N=23 nonremitted parents), and (c) sociodemographically matched control families (N=95). Although remitted parents and their family social environments improved, their children were still functioning more poorly than children of controls. Both the children and the families of nonremitted parents continued to function more poorly than controls. A social environmental framework indicates that parents' functioning as well as family stressors and resources are concurrently and predictively linked to children's health.
Arthropods in dermatology

Arthropods are important in medicine for a multitude of reasons. Their bites and stings may induce allergic reactions, ranging from annoying to life-threatening. Many arthropod products are also capable of inciting allergic responses in sensitized persons. In recent years, bites and stings have gained greater attention owing to increased concern about disease transmission. A common hypersensitivity response to arthropod bites, stings, and products is papular urticaria. This eruption occurs primarily in children, who eventually "outgrow" this disease, probably through desensitization after multiple arthropod exposures. Papular urticaria is most often caused by fleas or bedbugs, but virtually any arthropod is capable of inducing such a reaction. Two arthropod classes of medical importance are the Arachnida (spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites) and the Insecta (lice, fleas, bedbugs, flies, bees, and ants). Animals in these two classes are probably responsible for more morbidity and mortality worldwide than are any other group of venomous creatures. In general, the diagnosis of arthropod bites and stings is dependent on maintenance of a high index of suspicion and familiarity with the arthropod fauna not only in one's region of practice, but also in the travel regions of one's patients. Learning objective At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with the clinical manifestations caused by a variety of arthropods as well as the treatment and possible sequelae of arthropod attacks.
In situ 13C and 23Na magic angle spinning NMR investigation of supercritical CO2 incorporation in smectite-natural organic matter composites

This Article presents an in situ NMR study of clay–natural organic polymer systems (a hectorite–humic acid [HA] composite) under CO2 storage reservoir conditions (90 bar CO2 pressure, 50 °C). The 13C and 23Na NMR data show that supercritical CO2 interacts more strongly with the composite than with the base clay and does not react to form other C-containing species over several days at elevated CO2. With and without organic matter, the data suggest that CO2 enters the interlayer space of Na–hectorite equilibrated at 43% relative humidity. The presence of supercritical CO2 also leads to increased 23Na signal intensity, reduced line width at half height, increased basal width, more rapid 23Na T1 relaxation rates, and a shift to more positive resonance frequencies. Larger changes are observed for the hectorite–HA composite than for the base clay. In light of recently reported MD simulations of other polymer–Na–smectite composites, we interpret the observed changes to be due to an increase in the rate of Na+ s...
Carbon aerogel: a new nonreflective material for the infrared.

We present directional hemispherical reflectance (DHR) and bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements of a carbon aerogel in the 2.5–14.3-µm infrared spectral region. The measured DHR is 1.0–1.2 ± 0.2% throughout the 2.5–14.3-µm infrared wavelength region. When the incidence angle is increased from 8° to 30° off normal, the DHR increases by only 0.2%; i.e., performance does not significantly degrade as a result of illumination by off-normal infrared radiation. BRDF measurements, obtained at a wavelength of 10.6 µm, indicate that carbon aerogel exhibits Lambertian behavior. The carbon aerogel’s BRDF value of 4 × 10-3 sr-1 is consistent with its measured DHR values. Gas adsorption and transmission-electron microscopy indicate a structure dominated by particles and pores of ≤10-nm dimension. Scanning-electron microscopy reveals surface roughness on a scale of tens of nanometers. The DHR and BRDF of carbon aerogel compare favorably with those of Martin Black and Rippey, two widely used nonreflective materials.
Molecular neuroscience: BAC-to-BAC images of the brain.

A large-scale effort to uncover the gene-expression profiles of individual neurons and create a demographic atlas of the brain is under way. First data from this project are revealing new information about neuronal development.
Complexity of Successional Pathways in Subalpine Forests of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area

Abstract We examined forest structure and composition in four watersheds in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area, Idaho and Montana, to better understand the complexity of successional processes following stand-replacing fires in subalpine forest ecosystems. Dendrochronological analyses of more than 1,100 trees were used to identify the timing of establishment of major forest species at sites that had experienced different intervals since the last fire. This was coupled with analyses of forest structure and composition using nonmetric multidimensional scaling. A conceptual model of stand development is presented to highlight our findings. Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Dougl.) dominated most overstories for the first 100–200 years but persisted as a canopy dominant for more than 250 years in some stands. As forests increased in age, Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmanii Parry) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa [Hook.] Nutt.) became more prominent in the overstory. Whitebark pine was present...
Ionic and osmotic regulation and metabolic response to salinity of juvenile Callinectes Sapidus Rathbun.

Abstract 1. The osmotic and ionic regulation and the metabolic response to salinity and O 2 concentration of juvenile Callinectes sapidus Rathbun were investigated. 2. Juvenile blue crabs at 25°C hyper-osmoregulate in medium of less than 700 mOsm/l and osmoconform at higher salinities. 3. Hemolymph Na + and Cl − concentrations increase gradually with increasing external concentrations below 700 mOsm/l and increase more rapidly at higher concentrations: only Cl − is hyporegulated. 4. The hemolymph K + concentration is higher than the external concentration at all external concentrations tested (as high as 15 m-equiv/l) but conforms to high external concentrations while being regulated at low. 5. At 16°C and concentrations less than 700 mOsm/l total hemolymph concentrations are higher than at 25°C. 6. The metabolic rates of juvenile blue crabs acclimated to test concentrations between 50 and 1410 mOsm/l are not significantly different. Abrupt transfer from a higher acclimation concentration to a lower concentration results in a large increase in the metabolic rate. 7. At O 2 concentrations between 2·0 and 5·5ml O 2 /l juvenile blue crabs are metabolic regulators.
Community organizers and (bio)filmmaking.

Bacteria produce and excrete toxic compounds classically categorized as waste products or chemical weapons. New work indicates a role for phenazines and SoxR, a transcription factor known for its role in defense against oxidative stress, in coordinating bacterial community growth.
REACTIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH pH OF Na‐SATURATED SOILS AND CLAYS

Summary Hydrolysis, defined as double decomposition between Na-adsorbent and water, occurred to extremely limited extent in suspensions of Na or Na-Ca smectites, soil, or Dowex-50. High pH, near 10 or above, occurred only when CaCO3 was present. Concentrations of Na were from 1–5 me/l in systems containing CaCO3, With Na or Na-Ca Dowex-5o and CaCO3, in CO2-free water or NaCl solution, pH and concentrations of Na in solution-phase were predictable from Na-Ca exchange coefficients, CaCO3, solubility product, and ionization constants of H2CO3.
On Simple Estimation of the Parameters of the Weibull or Extreme-Value Distribution

Simple, closed form approximations for maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of the Weibull or extreme-value distribution are discussed. A method for the exact computation of constants required to calculate the estimates is presented, and simpler approximate methods are also provided. Some inference procedures for the parameters are also discussed.
Use of Cylex Immune Monitoring Score To Guide Immunosuppression after Heart Transplantation Reduces Infection Risk

Purpose The Cylex immune monitoring (CIM) test represents T-cell function under immunosuppression after heart transplant (HTx). It has been reported that CIM can predict risk of infection, and to a lesser degree risk of rejection after HTx. It has recently been reported that the use of CIM to guide immunosuppression reduces infections in a randomized trial of liver transplant patients. It has not been established whether the use of CIM to guide immunotherapy after HTx is beneficial. Methods and Materials Between Aug 2005 and May 2012 we evaluated 381 HTx patients. Prior to Jan 2010, 196 HTx patients’ immunosuppression was guided by trough drug blood levels. Following Jan 2010, the CIM was also used to help guide therapy for 185 patients. In general, for CIM scores Results Patients who had immunosuppression guided by CIM compared to immunosuppression guided by drug trough levels had a significantly greater freedom from first-year infection after heart transplant (62% vs 51%, p=0.029). First year freedom from any-treated rejection was similar between the two groups. (see table) After Jan 2010, for CIM scores Conclusions The use of Cylex immune monitoring test (when Cylex scores are low) to guide immunosuppression appears to be beneficial to avoid risk of infection. Endpoints Drug Level guided: Before 2010 (n=196) CIM Guided: After 2010 (n=185) p-value 1-year Freedom from Infection, n(%) 99 (51%) 114 (62%) 0.029 1-Year Freedom from Any-Treated Rejection in Patients, n (%) 167 (85%) 168 (91%) 0.094 1-year Survival, n(%) 180 (92%) 179 (97%) 0.040
Former location of the Admire and Springwater pallasites

Nickel distribution coefficient for Admire and Springwater pallasites, discussing formation in silicate-metal transition zone
Serum and growth factor requirements for proliferation of human adrenocortical cells in culture: Comparison with bovine adrenocortical cells

Although bovine adrenocortical cells proliferate readily in cell culture, proliferation of fetal or adult human adrenocortical cells has been observed to be limited and preparation of pure proliferating cultures of human adrenocortical cells has not been reported. The growth requirements of fetal human definitive zone adrenocortical cells in culture were compared to the established requirements of bovine adrenocortical cells. The medium used was 1:1 Ham's F12 and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with transferrin and insulin. Earlier experiments showed that human cells had a greater proliferative response to horse serum than to fetal bovine serum, whereas the opposite was true for bovine cells. When plated on fibronectin-coated dishes and exposed to varying concentrations of horse serum in the presence of 100 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor (FGF), increasing cell growth was observed up to a serum concentration of 50%. When 50% fetal bovine serum was used instead of horse serum proliferation was less. In contrast, bovine adrenocortical cells showed a maximal proliferative response to either fetal bovine serum or horse serum at 10%. Human adrenocortical cells thus have a very high requirement for serum; 50% is the highest level that may be practically used, but the shape of the dose-response curve suggests that this concentration is still suboptimal. Growth was less in the absence of FGF. Epidermal growth factor can partially substitute for FGF. No response to 100 nM placental lactogen was observed. Less growth was observed when dishes were not coated with fibronectin. The factors present in horse serum that are evidently needed in high amounts by human cells are unknown. Despite this lack of knowledge, use of 50% horse serum enabled long-term growth of human adrenocortical cells that are pure by the criterion of retraction in response to ACTH. Nonadrenocortical cells do not show a retraction response. Such long-term cultures may be useful in studies of long-term regulation of differentiated function, aging, and carcinogenesis.
On the stochastic theory of point defect diffusion during irradiation: Cascade size and shape effects

Abstract Collison cascade size and shape effects on point defect diffusion during irradiation are studied in this paper. In contrast to the point cascade model of the cascade-diffusion theory of Mansur et al., where cascades are mathematically modeled as δ-functions, we represent cascades as spheres and spherical shells. The dimensions of the vacancy cascade sphere, or the interstitial cascade shell correspond to the energy of the PKA. Subcascades are also studied at high PKA energies. It is shown that the δ-function representation of collision cascades overestimates the RMS value of the magnitude of point defect fluctuation by a factor of 2–5, for large size cascades typical of fusion reactor conditions.
Fast thermal simulators for architecture level integrated circuit design

High temperatures and non-uniform temperature distributions have become a serious concern since they limit both performance and reliability of Integrated Circuits (IC). With computer architect's concern to position microarchitecture blocks in a processor, faster thermal models can be developed at the cost of hiding finer grain details such as circuit or transistor level information. Several methods to quickly estimate the surface temperature profiles of microarchitecture blocks have been investigated in recent years. HotSpot simulator is widely used in computer architecture community. SESCTherm is another architecture level thermal simulator which has shown good performance and modularity in modeling. Recently Power Blurring (PB) method has been developed for both steady-state and transient thermal analysis of standard and 3D chips. While some of these methods are validated against finite element and Green's function based techniques, there are no detailed comparisons of the accuracy and speed for some common applications. In this paper we present the steady-state and transient temperature distributions calculated by these three architecture level thermal simulators. A detailed comparison taking into account the accuracy and the computation speed is performed. Our results indicate that Power Blurring has the potential to be a promising architecture level thermal simulator for fast calculation of temperature profile from the input power map in a realistic package which, in turn, is a key ingredient for full self-consistent simulations.
Adrenocortical alterations induced by deficiency and excess of pantothenic acid.

Pantothenic acid-deficient animals showed adrenocortical hemorrhage after 6 weeks and failure to gain weight after 3 weeks. In contradistinction to this group, the animals that received an excess of d-pantetheine or the sodium salt of pantothenic acid showed adrenocortical hemorrhage in a matter of hours (96–168 hr). Conversely, a control group of animals injected with choline chloride, niacinamide, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride and riboflavin 5 phosphate failed to reveal adrenal hemorrhage.
MECHANICS OF CRACK BRIDGING UNDER DYNAMIC LOADS

A bridging law for fiber reinforced composites under dynamic crack propagation conditions has been derived. Inertial effects in the mechanism of fibre pullout during dynamic propagation of a bridged crack are critically examined for the first time. By reposing simple shear lag models of pullout as problems of dynamic wave propagation, the effect of the frictional coupling between the fibres and the matrix is accounted for in a fairly straightforward way. The solutions yield the time-dependent relationship between the crack opening displacement and the bridging traction. Engineering criteria and the role of material and geometrical parameters for significant inertial effects are identified.
Reversibility of graft rejection following a short cyclosporin-a administration 5 days after grafting

The aim of this research was to investigate whether cyclosporin-A (Cy-A) could exert its action on graft rejection in progress. For this purpose, heart-lung grafting was performed in a strong histoincompatible combination of rats (BN/LEW). In one group of animals, Cy-A was administered at the dose of 15 mg/kg daily for 10 days starting on the 5th day after grafting. In a control group only olive oil was administered. Five of six animals treated with Cy-A showed a graft survival over 4 weeks and in two cases it was over 2 months when they were killed.
Characterization of radiation boundary conditions used in the finite-difference time-domain method

When the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is applied to open region scattering and coupling problems, some artificial mechanism must be used to simulate the infinite region on the necessarily finite spatial grid. The current method of choice is to use a radiation boundary condition (RBC) based on an approximate one-way wave equation. Typically, these RBCs are tested numerically. Unfortunately, using the numerical approach, it is difficult to extract precise information relating the RBC error to the frequency and angle of incidence of the outgoing wave and to the cell and time step sizes from this type of measurement. An alternate, analytic, approach to testing RBCs is presented. This approach provides a more effective means of characterizing various RBCs and comparing their accuracy in different parameter regimes. Results are presented indicating the validity of the proposed approach. >
Internet Service Tiering as a Market Segmentation Strategy

We consider Internet broadband access as an elastic service whose value varies across segments of the user population. We show that introducing multiple tiers of service can be an effective market segmentation strategy that can lead to an increase of profits for the ISP. We also develop an efficient dynamic programming algorithm for the problem of determining optimally both the service tiers and their prices. Our approach provides new insights into the selection and pricing of Internet tiered services, and our results indicate that exponential tiering structures adopted by ISPs are far from optimal.