cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced Nanodielectric Material Scaling for Further Size Reduction of Ultra-High Voltage, 500 Kv Capacitor Prototypes

Compact capacitors for use in high voltage, pulsed power and directed energy applications that have a much higher voltage hold off than current commercial ceramic capacitors and are much more thermally stable have been developed. These 130 pF capacitors use a proprietary nanocomposite dielectric material named MU100 and were designed for 500 kV operation with 55% reversal. This material was initially developed to reduce the size of high frequency, high voltage dielectric loaded antennas. However, due to its unique material characteristics, the nanocomposite has shown promise in development of very compact, high voltage capacitors that can operate over the temperature range of −40 °C to 120 °C. The material was successfully used to fabricate capacitor prototypes capable of repeatable performance at 500 kV with lifetimes greater than 104 shots. The capacitors used for this design had a diameter of 3.4 cm and a height of 8 cm based on application requirements. This work covers scaling the MU100 material substrates to a diameter of 6.35 cm to allow for further size reduction of the final capacitor. With a 6.35 cm diameter design, a volume reduction of over 4 times relative to commercial capacitors is achieved while maintaining the breakdown strength performance. The results of the scaling tests will be reported, and the implications discussed.
Proton states in the Z=99 nucleus Es-251 excited by Fm-251 electron capture decay and Cf-250 (alpha, t) reaction

Level structure of the $Z=99$ nucleus, $^{251}\mathrm{Es}$, has been investigated by measuring the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays and conversion electrons associated with the electron capture decay of 5.3-h $^{251}\mathrm{Fm}$, and from triton spectra produced in the $^{250}\mathrm{Cf}(\ensuremath{\alpha},t)^{251}\mathrm{Es}$ reaction. The $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray spectra were measured with a 2-${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 5-mm planar and a 25-${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$ coaxial Ge(Li) detector and the electron spectra were measured with a cooled Si(Li) detector. Fortyfive $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays were identified in $^{251}\mathrm{Es}$ and the multipolarities of most of the transitions were deduced. $\mathrm{Log}\mathrm{ft}$ values for the observed electron capture transitions were derived from the measured electron capture transition intensities. A two-parameter $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence experiment was performed to determine the relationships between various $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ transitions. Triton spectra from the $^{250}\mathrm{Cf}(\ensuremath{\alpha},t)^{251}\mathrm{Es}$ reaction were analyzed with an Enge split-pole magnetic spectrograph. On the basis of the present investigation the following intrinsic states were identified in $^{251}\mathrm{Es}$: 3/2 - [521], 0; 7/2 + [633], 8.3; 1/2 - [521], 411; 7/2 - [514], 461.4; 9/2 + [624], 777.9; ${{7/2\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}+\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}[633]\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}2\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}+}}_{11/2+}$ vibrational state, 889.1; ${{n[734]\frac{9}{2}\ensuremath{-}; n[620]\frac{1}{2}+; p[521]\frac{3}{2}\ensuremath{-}}}_{\frac{11}{2}+}$ three-quasiparticle state, 1239.0 keV. A $K\ensuremath{\pi}=\frac{11}{2}+$ state at 1264.9 keV was interpreted as a three-quasiparticle state but could not be given a definite assignment. This is the first time a definite identification of the proton orbitals 1/2 - [521] and 7/2 - [514] has been made in any nucleus.RADIOACTIVITY $^{251}\mathrm{Fm}$ [from $^{249}\mathrm{Cf}(\ensuremath{\alpha},2n)$]; measured ${E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, ${I}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, ${E}_{\mathrm{ce}}$, ${I}_{\mathrm{ce}}$, $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coin, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ branching.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{250}\mathrm{Cf}(\ensuremath{\alpha},t)$, $E=28.0$ MeV; measured $E$ (excitation), $\ensuremath{\sigma}$. $^{251}\mathrm{Es}$ deduced levels, $logft(\mathrm{EC})$, $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ multipolarity, $I$, $\ensuremath{\pi}$, five single-particle states, one vibrational state, and two three-quasiparticle states. Mass-separated $^{251}\mathrm{Fm}$ and $^{250}\mathrm{Cf}$.
The limits of quantum circuit simulation with low precision arithmetic.

This is an investigation of the limits of quantum circuit simulation with Schrodinger's formulation and low precision arithmetic. The goal is to estimate how much memory can be saved in simulations that involve random, maximally entangled quantum states. An arithmetic polar representation of $B$ bits is defined for each quantum amplitude and a normalization procedure is developed to minimize rounding errors. Then a model is developed to quantify the cumulative errors on a circuit of $Q$ qubits and $G$ gates. Depending on which regime the circuit operates, the model yields explicit expressions for the maximum number of effective gates that can be simulated before rounding errors dominate the computation. The results are illustrated with random circuits and the quantum Fourier transform.
The comics of Hergé: when the lines are not so clear: edited by Joe Sutliff Sanders, Jackson, University Press of Mississippi, March 2018, 192 pp., US$30.00 (paperpack), ISBN: 978-1-4968-1849-2

This carefully edited collection aims to ‘be a jumping point for North American readers’ (16), to dialogue with, complement, or critique European Herge scholarship. The editor states that the colle...
Corrections Should Trigger Rebalancing

We start from the provocative contention that if an investor did not rebalance earlier this year (2020), then that investor does not have an asset allocation policy. More specifically, that investor does not have a rebalancing policy to preserve their asset allocation. We then work backward from a presumption that a correction needs to induce a rebalancing trade and develop an algebraic solution for the width of the rebalancing range to ensure it does so. Across a range of reasonable assumptions, rebalancing ranges need to be tighter than traditional norms. TOPICS:Statistical methods, portfolio construction, risk management Key Findings • Wealth managers promising benefits from rebalancing need to deliver on that promise. • Corrections and bear markets, surprisingly, do not trigger traditional rebalancing ranges. • We develop a nontrivial analytical expression for rebalancing ranges that will trigger in a stock market correction and find they encourage much tighter rebalancing ranges.
Abstract 3167: Immune checkpoint inhibition re-challenge after a planned treatment interruption in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with mismatch repair deficient tumors

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) are used in numerous solid cancers as well as hematologic malignancies. The optimal duration of immunotherapy to maintain durable responses has not been defined, neither is the efficacy of CPI when the disease progresses during a planned treatment interruption. Pembrolizumab has been approved for all mismatch repair deficient tumors regardless of histology, based on cumulative data of five clinical trials including multiple solid tumors. Only eight patients with pancreatic cancer were included in those trials used for CPI approval in this setting. Outside of this, there is currently no role for standard of care CPI in pancreatic cancer. Methods: We screened all patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated at our institution and identified two patients who had mismatch repair deficient tumors and received immune checkpoint inhibitors. Results: Two patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer were retreated with an anti- PD-1 antibody after a planned treatment interruption which, did not occur in the context of disease progression or development of immune-related adverse events. Both patients were initially treated for more than one year (17 and 22 months each) with partial response of their disease, before therapy was discontinued after at least six months of stable radiographic findings were achieved. One patient had disease progression after ten months off therapy and the other 16 months after treatment discontinuation. Both were treated with the same checkpoint inhibitor upon progression and had radiographic regression of their disease within two months after treatment initiation. Both remain on CPI with continuing radiographic and clinical response. Conclusions: CPI re-challenge may be an efficient therapy when discontinued after maximal response has been achieved. Only twelve cases have been described in the literature where patients were retreated with CPI upon progression of disease while off therapy. Our case series contributes to that body of literature and is the first to describe patients with pancreatic cancer re-challenged with CPI. Mismatch repair deficient pancreatic cancers are rare, but CPI have similar efficacy compared to other tumors with similar molecular features. Citation Format: Vaia Florou, Chris Nevala-Plagemann, Kristin Barber, Jenna Mastroianni, Courtney Christine Cavaliery, Ignacio Garrido-Laguna. Immune checkpoint inhibition re-challenge after a planned treatment interruption in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma with mismatch repair deficient tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3167.
Quantification of N6-formylated lysine in bacterial protein digests using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry despite spontaneous formation and matrix effects

RATIONALE N6-Formyl lysine is a well-known modification of histones and other proteins. It can also be formed as a damaged product from direct formylation of free lysine and accompanied by other lysine derivatives such as acetylated or methylated forms. In relation to the activity of cellular repair enzymes in protein turnover and to lysine metabolism, it is important to accurately quantify the overall ratio of modified lysine to free lysine. METHODS N6-Formyl lysine was quantified using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with data collected in a non-targeted manner using positive mode electrospray ionization on a Q-Exactive HF+ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. Studies were performed with lysine and deuterated lysine spiked into protein digests and solvents to investigate the extent of spontaneous formation and matrix effects of formation of N6-formyl lysine. RESULTS We show that N6-formyl lysine, N2-formyl lysine, N6-acetyl lysine, and N2-acetyl lysine are all formed spontaneously during sample preparation and LC/MS/MS analysis, which complicates quantification of these metabolites in biological samples. N6-Formyl lysine was spontaneously formed and correlated to the concentration of lysine. In the sample matrix of protein digests, 0.03% of lysine was spontaneously converted into N6-formyl lysine, and 0.005% of lysine was converted into N6-formyl lysine in pure run solvent. CONCLUSIONS Spontaneous formation of N6-formyl lysine, N6-acetyl lysine, N2-formyl lysine, and N2-acetyl lysine needs to be subtracted from biologically formed lysine modifications when quantifying these epimetabolites in biological samples.
Metal–Organic Frameworks for Preserving the Functionality of Plasmonic Nanosensors

Preserving the functionality of nanosensors is critical for their reliable performance under harsh environmental conditions. Biofunctionalized plasmonic nanostructures are an important class of bionanoconjugates for biosensing, bioimaging, and nanotherapeutics. Plasmonic nanostructures and biomolecules exhibit poor thermal stability over time. Here, we report a class of metal-organic framework, zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), as a protective coating for preserving plasmonic nanostructures and plasmonic bionanoconjugates at elevated temperature. Gold nanobipyramids (AuNBPs) with sharp tips are attractive plasmonic nanotransducers with high sensitivity but are prone to structural change and loss of sensitivity. This work reports the first observation that ZIF-8 can preserve the structure of AuNBPs and their corresponding strong electromagnetic field enhancement and high refractive index sensitivity. In addition, ZIF-8 coating enables nearly 100% retention of biorecognition capability of antibodies immobilized on the AuNBP surface after exposure to 60 °C for 48 h. The efficacy, versatility, and facile implementation of ZIF-8 coating offer great promise for the preservation of nanosensors.
The Design of Dual Band Stacked Metasurfaces Using Integral Equations

An integral equation-based approach for the design of dual band stacked metasurfaces is presented. The stacked metasurface will generate collimated beams at desired angles in each band upon reflection. The conductor-backed stacked metasurface consists of two metasurfaces (a patterned metallic cladding supported by a dielectric spacer) stacked one upon the other. The stacked metasurface is designed in three phases. First the patterned metallic cladding of each metasurface is homogenized and modeled as an inhomogeneous impedance sheet. An Electric Field Integral Equation (EFIE) is written to model the mutual coupling between the homogenized elements within each metasurface, and from metasurface to metasurface. The EFIE is transformed into matrix equations by the method of moments. The nonlinear matrix equations are solved at both bands iteratively resulting in dual band complex-valued impedance sheets. In the second phase, optimization is applied to transform these complex-valued impedance sheets into purely reactive sheets suitable for printed circuit board fabrication by introducing surface waves. In the third phase, the metallic claddings of each metasurface are patterned for full-wave simulation of the dual band stacked metasurface. Using this approach, two dual band stacked metasurfaces are designed.
Somatic piRNAs and Transposons are Differentially Regulated During Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Programmed Cell Death [preprint]

PiWi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are small single-stranded RNAs that can repress transposon expression via epigenetic silencing and transcript degradation. They have been identified predominantly in the ovary and testis, where they serve essential roles in transposon silencing in order to protect the integrity of the genome in the germline. The potential expression of piRNAs in somatic cells has been controversial. In the present study we demonstrate the expression of piRNAs derived from both genic and transposon RNAs in the intersegmental muscles (ISMs) from the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta. These piRNAs are abundantly expressed, are ~27 nt long, map antisense to transposons, are oxidation resistant, exhibit a uridine bias at their first nucleotide, and amplify via the canonical ping-pong pathway. An RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that 20 piRNA pathway genes are expressed in the ISMs and are developmentally regulated. The abundance of piRNAs does not change when the muscles initiate developmentally-regulated atrophy, but are repressed when cells become committed to undergo programmed cell death at the end of metamorphosis. This change in piRNA expression is associated with the targeted repression of several retrotransposons and the induction of specific DNA transposons. The developmental changes in the expression of piRNAs, piRNA pathway genes, and transposons are all regulated by 20-hydroxyecdysone, the steroid hormone that controls the timing of ISM death. Taken together, these data provide compelling evidence for the existence of piRNA in somatic tissues and suggest that they may play roles in developmental processes such as programmed cell death. Author SummarypiRNAs are a class of small non-coding RNAs that suppress the expression of transposable elements, parasitic DNA that if reintegrated, can harm the integrity of the host genome. The expression of piRNAs and their associated regulatory proteins has been studied predominantly in germ cells and some stem cells. We have found that they are also expressed in skeletal muscles in the moth Manduca sexta that undergo developmentally-regulated atrophy and programmed cell death at the end of metamorphosis. The expression of transposons becomes deregulated when the muscles become committed to die, which may play a functional role in the demise of the cell by inducing genome damage. piRNA-mediated control of transposons may represent a novel mechanism that contributes to the regulated death of highly differentiated somatic cells.
How International Human Rights Transformed the US Constitution

Adoption of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created a new international norm prohibiting racial discrimination. That anti-discrimination norm had been a part of the paper Constitution in the United States since adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment. However, it did not become a part of the living Constitution until the Fourteenth Amendment was subjected to the magnetic pull of international human rights law. Adoption of the Charter sparked a chain of events culminating in the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which heralded the end of apartheid in the United States. Many Americans think that modern anti-discrimination law was a U.S. invention that we exported to the rest of the world. In fact, U.S. anti-discrimination law is properly understood as an outgrowth of the creation of modern international human rights law.
Mutation of cysteine 254 facilitates the conformational changes accompanying the interconversion of persulfide-substituted and persulfide-free rhodanese.

Mutants of rhodanese (EC 2.8.1.1) that substitute Ser for Cys-254 and/or Cys-263, i.e. C254S, C263S, and the double mutant C254/263S, were compared with the wild-type enzyme to test the hypothesis that the persulfide formation to give sulfur-substituted rhodanese (ES) during catalysis can exert a stabilizing influence on the global structure of the protein. All the ES forms were quite refractory toward limited tryptic digestion. Extensive digestion was observed only in the persulfide-free forms (E) of mutants having substitutions of Ser for Cys-254 (C254/263S and C254S). Limited proteolysis of C254/263S produced a species on SDS gels at approximately 21 kDa that was proteolyzed further to give a slightly smaller product. Amino acid sequencing, together with mass spectrometry, indicated that these two components had the same N-terminal sequence as wild-type rhodanese and that they resulted from cleavage in the C-terminal domain, first at residues Arg-186 or Arg-182 and subsequently at Arg-175 or Lys-174. In addition to increased proteolytic susceptibility, the conversion from ES to E of C254/263S was accompanied by increased hydrophobic exposure and increased quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence by acrylamide. The substitution of Ser for Cys-254, within the helix suggested to be involved in stabilizing the persulfide bond in ES, seems to promote the formation of flexible conformations of sulfur-free rhodanese. In keeping with this model, C254/263S shows a marked increase in the hysteresis that is observed in rhodanese catalysis at pH 7 and high ionic strength. These results can be understood in terms of a model, suggesting that there is mutual stabilization of the protein structure and the persulfide bond in the ES form of rhodanese.
The Influence of Vitamin D on Bone Health Across the Life Cycle

Vitamin D is often looked upon only as that fat-soluble vitamin found in cod liver oil fatty fish (salmon mackerel) fortified milk and fortified breads and cereals and which is associated with sun exposure and preventing rickets in children. However in the Nutrition and Bone Health Working Group of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research we learned that vitamin D has important ramifications for health not only throughout life but even during fetal development. Dr. Cooper reviewed the important factors that are related to normal patterns of skeletal growth. He noted that many factors influence the accumulation of bone mineral during childhood and adolescence including heredity gender diet physical activity endocrine status and a wide variety of risk factors. He also emphasized that maternal vitamin D deficiency as well as other factors modulated bone mineral acquisition during intrauterine life and was associated with low birth size and poor childhood growth that were directly linked to increased risk of hip fracture later in life. Children born to mothers who had suboptimal vitamin D status had significantly reduced whole body bone mineral content at age 9 y. This deficit in skeletal growth remained significant even after adjustment for childhood weight and bone area. (excerpt)
Portability, Marital Wealth Transfers, and the Taxable Unit

Prior to 2011, the most efficient estate tax planning for married couples required a minimal level of asset equalization. In order to take maximum advantage of all existing wealth transfer tax exemptions and credits, each spouse needed to own, in an estate tax sense, enough assets to be able to fully utilize the estate tax credit or applicable exemption. This changed with the enactment of estate tax portability in the Economic Growth and Economic Recovery and Relief Act of 2011, which became permanent under the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. “Portability” refers to the ability of a surviving spouse to make full use of his or her predeceased spouse’s unused exemption from estate tax. In an era of portability, if the less-wealthy member of a married couple dies first, he or she no longer “wastes” that exemption. It simply “ports” — or carries over — to the survivor. At first glance, portability appears to implicate theoretical concerns, as it functions as a modern-day coverture that “merges” spouses into one unit. Furthermore, portability discourages some lifetime transfers of property to the less-wealthy spouse, who is more likely to be female. On the other hand, portability simplifies tax planning and benefits both spouses in a marriage. Portability was envisioned as a congressional “kiss” to a loving couple who sees itself as a unit. Yet the tax benefit is available regardless of whether the couple does in fact function as an economic unit, raising tax policy questions about the appropriateness of using the married couple as the primary tax unit. On balance, however, portability is a salutary addition to the law of wealth transfer taxation that minimizes complexity in estate planning and likely reduces the use of certain QTIP trusts, which minimize the autonomy of the surviving spouse, typically the woman, because a QTIP trust allows the marital deduction for one spouse’s transfer of the underlying property to a third party and not to the other spouse.
Measurement of human brain lithium in vivo by MR spectroscopy.

PURPOSE To quantify lithium in the human brain. METHODS A 7Li MR spectroscopy method was developed with special features for high precision including: a) sampling a large cerebral volume to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio; b) adiabatic excitation pulses to ensure uniform spin mutation; c) morphometric analysis of the MR images of the sampled cerebrum; d) a mathematical model derived from empirical data to correct for receiver inhomogeneity effects; and e) a long interpulse delay, to eliminate errors arising from uncertain T1 values. RESULTS A theoretical precision of 5.2% and an accuracy of better than 7.2% in someone with a brain lithium level of 1.0 mEq per liter of cerebral volume and precision and accuracy of 6.8 and 8.6%, respectively, in someone with 0.5 mEq/L brain lithium was calculated. This level of precision was surpassed in phantoms and patients. Brain lithium in 10 patients treated with lithium carbonate varied from 0.52 to 0.87 mEq/L (mean = 0.58 mEq/L; SD = 0.17 mEq/L). Brain-to-serum lithium ratios varied from 0.50 to 0.97 mEq/L (mean = 0.77 mEq/L; SD = 0.14 mEq/L). Substantial variation in brain lithium was observed in patients with similar serum lithium. CONCLUSIONS A highly reliable method to quantify human brain lithium by 7Li MR spectroscopy has been implemented. Unexpected variability in brain versus serum levels of lithium was detected in patients with bipolar disease.
Fractures About the Orbit in Professional American Football Players

A retrospective review was performed of records for players who suffered fractures about the orbit during participation in officially sponsored activities of the National Football League from 1980 to 1997. Clinical information was obtained on 19 of 29 players who sustained orbital fractures. The most common signs and symptoms included decreased visual acuity (74%, 14), decreased eye movement (42%, 8), hyphema (37%, 7), and infraorbital numbness (21%, 4). The mechanisms of injury were a digital poke (74%, 14) and blunt facial trauma (26%, 5). There were significantly more orbital fractures than zygomatic fractures suffered by offensive linemen as compared with all other positions. Fifteen of 19 players were managed with surgical reconstruction; 4 players were treated nonoperatively. The mean time from injury to surgical procedure was 7.7 days (range, 0 to 42). The mean interval to follow-up was 45.6 months (range, 3 to 146). At follow-up examination, eight (53%) of the patients treated surgically still reported diplopia with upper field gaze. Three of the four patients treated nonoperatively were asymptomatic. The mean time lost from games or practice was 25 days (range, 5 to 56). Ultimately, 17 (89%) players with orbital fractures were able to return to full football activities. Two patients were unable to resume their careers because of residual visual impairment.
Child Food Insecurity Increases Risks Posed by Household Food Insecurity to Young Children's Health

The US Food Security Scale (USFSS) measures household and child food insecurity (CFI) separately. Our goal was to determine whether CFI increases risks posed by household food insecurity (HFI) to child health and whether the Food Stamp Program (FSP) modifies these effects. From 1998 to 2004, 17,158 caregivers of children ages 36 mo were interviewed in six urban medical centers. Interviews included demographics, the USFSS, child health status, and hospitalization history. Ten percent reported HFI, 12% HFI and CFI (H&CFI). Compared with food-secure children, those with HFI had significantly greater adjusted odds of fair/poor health and being hospitalized since birth, and those with H&CFI had even greater adverse effects. Participation in the FSP modified the effects of FI on child health status and hospitalizations, reducing, but not eliminating, them. Children in FSP-participating households that were HFI had lower adjusted odds of fair/poor health [1.37 (95% CI, 1.06-1.77)] than children in similar non-FSP households [1.61 (95% CI, 1.31-1.98)]. Children in FSP-participating households that were H&CFI also had lower adjusted odds of fair/poor health [1.72 (95% CI, 1.34-2.21)] than in similar non-FSP households [2.14 (95% CI, 1.81-2.54)]. HFI is positively associated with fair/poor health and hospitalizations in young children. With H&CFI, odds of fair/poor health and hospitalizations are even greater. Participation in FSP reduces, but does not eliminate, effects of FI on fair/poor health.
A traditional lecture approach versus a collaborative approach: A comparison of student performance outcomes

Many instructors rely primarily on the traditional lecture approach when teaching the basic public speaking course. However, this research suggests that a collaborative instructional approach may be a more effective alternative to the traditional lecture format. Data comparing student performance outcomes when using a traditional lecture approach and a collaborative instructional approach indicate that students’ public speaking performances improve significantly when they engage in collaborative instruction.
Osteoarthritic changes in the biphasic mechanical properties of the chondrocyte pericellular matrix in articular cartilage.

Abstract The pericellular matrix (PCM) is a narrow region of cartilaginous tissue that surrounds chondrocytes in articular cartilage. Previous modeling studies indicate that the mechanical properties of the PCM relative to those of the extracellular matrix (ECM) can significantly affect the stress–strain, fluid flow, and physicochemical environments of the chondrocyte, suggesting that the PCM plays a biomechanical role in articular cartilage. The goals of this study were to measure the mechanical properties of the PCM using micropipette aspiration coupled with a linear biphasic finite element model, and to determine the alterations in the mechanical properties of the PCM with osteoarthritis (OA). Using a recently developed isolation technique, chondrons (the chondrocyte and its PCM) were mechanically extracted from non-degenerate and osteoarthritic human cartilage. The transient mechanical behavior of the PCM was well-described by a biphasic model, suggesting that the viscoelastic response of the PCM is attributable to flow-dependent effects, similar to that of the ECM. With OA, the mean Young's modulus of the PCM was significantly decreased (38.7±16.2 kPa vs. 23.5±12.9 kPa, p 0.6). These findings suggest that the PCM may undergo degenerative processes with OA, similar to those occurring in the ECM. In combination with previous theoretical models of cell–matrix interactions in cartilage, our findings suggest that changes in the properties of the PCM with OA may have an important influence on the biomechanical environment of the chondrocyte.
Trophic cascades across ecosystems

Predation can be intense, creating strong direct and indirect effects throughout food webs. In addition, ecologists increasingly recognize that fluxes of organisms across ecosystem boundaries can have major consequences for community dynamics. Species with complex life histories often shift habitats during their life cycles and provide potent conduits coupling ecosystems. Thus, local interactions that affect predator abundance in one ecosystem (for example a larval habitat) may have reverberating effects in another (for example an adult habitat). Here we show that fish indirectly facilitate terrestrial plant reproduction through cascading trophic interactions across ecosystem boundaries. Fish reduce larval dragonfly abundances in ponds, leading to fewer adult dragonflies nearby. Adult dragonflies consume insect pollinators and alter their foraging behaviour. As a result, plants near ponds with fish receive more pollinator visits and are less pollen limited than plants near fish-free ponds. Our results confirm that strong species interactions can reverberate across ecosystems, and emphasize the importance of landscape-level processes in driving local species interactions.
Filtering the Study of the Legal Profession through the Lens of Bar Associations

At a time when many Western and Eastern European countries have seriously considered or are actively engaged upon reconstructing their legal profession, American society has been standing pat. Not since the innovation of legal defenders has the structure of legal services been seriously altered. Even Chief Justice Burger's challenge to general competence was smothered by weak continuing educational requirements in some states. Underneath all the grumbling about lawyers, there is little agreement on what-if anything-is wrong with our mode of lawyering. It is encouraging-or sobering, depending on one's point of view-that other systems, notably those of the Italians and the English, have generally adapted reforms moving them toward rather than away from ours. And Eastern Europe is certainly eying us with envy as well. Change is minimized by our highly decentralized system. Authority is dispersed not only geographically but even within the major arena of control-the various states, and the anomalous District of Columbia. Like the rest of our sprawling justice system, it is controlled by complex legisla-
Laser welding with albumin-based solder: experimental full-tubed skin graft urethroplasty.

Background and Objective Fistula and stricture formation at the site of sutured anastomoses are frequent complications of major urethroplasty. We performed urethroplasty using laser-welded skin tube grafts in the hope that in addition to being free of suture holes, grafts would be as strong as or stronger than sutured controls. Study Design/Material and Methods: Scrotal skin was harvested from each of 11 rabbits and fashioned into tubes 3–4 cm in length using either conventional suture techniques or laser welding. Welding was performed using an 808-nm diode laser and a dye-enhanced solder composed of albumin and sodium hyaluronate. Laser power density was 15.9 watts/cm2. For each graft, leak pressure, and urethroplasty time (tube creation and anastomosis to native urethra) were measured. Results Urethroplasty time was significantly shorter and initial leak pressures were seven times greater in the laser-welded group. Conclusions The near-uniform occurrence of strictures in both groups suggests that the rabbit is not an ideal model for free tube graft urethroplasty. However, our data indicate that laser welding with albumin-based solder, when used in the appropriate setting, may offer the potential for the rapid creation of watertight grafts in reconstructive urology. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Addictive personality factors.

Abstract This study was designed to compare mean scores obtained by alcoholics, compulsive gamblers, smokers, chronic joggers, and control subjects on six subfactors of the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale. Results indicated that some MacAndrew factors may be more sensitive to addictive pathology than others. Alcoholics emerged as the most pathological group, in terms of scores on the Cognitive Impairment, Social Maladjustment, and Risk Taking scales. Gamblers and smokers appeared to be distinctly different, more socially oriented addicts. Frequency of jogging was negatively related to measures of addiction but positively related to measures of compulsiveness.
Comparing end-user and intelligent remote control interface generation

Traditional remote controls typically allow users to activate functionality of a single device. Given that users activate a subset of functionality across devices to accomplish a particular task, it is attractive to consider a remote control directly supporting this behavior. We present qualitative and quantitative results from a study of two promising approaches creating such a remote control: end-user programming and machine learning. In general, results show that each approach possesses advantages and disadvantages, and that neither is optimal.
Simulated and Experimental Studies of Temperature Elevation Around Electrosurgical Dispersive Electrodes

We have developed a three-dimensional computer model for the human thigh to predict temperature rises around electrosurgical dispersive electrodes. It numerically solves Laplace's equation and the heat equation including Joulean heating, conduction, radiation, and convection effects. The simulations show that the current density and temperature rise distributions are nonuniform longitudinaly as well as transversely, which explains the leading edge effect. Results of the temperature distribution from these simulation studies correspond well to those from experimental studies. We discuss the effects of the geometry and size of dispersive electrodes on the temperature rise around the dispersive electrode. We also identify and evaluate the effects of other variables which affect the thermal performance of dispersive electrodes. We suggest ways to improve an existing standard for evaluating dispersive electrodes. Our model is a useful tool for evaluating different dispersive electrodes, predicting their performance under various circumstances, and designing them to be better and safer. We also discuss numerical aspects and limitations of our model, results of using the model to test theoretically superior dispersive electrodes, and ways to overcome these limitations in future research.
Use of skeletal muscle grafts for cardiac assist

Skeletal muscle is a potential power source for cardiac assist. Two approaches have been used to harvest this power: dynamic cardiomyoplasty, which involves the application of a muscle directly to the heart to support cardiac contractile function; and the construction of skeletal muscle pouches or ventricles, which are used as separate pumps working either in parallel or in series with the heart. These techniques may represent an alternate therapeutic approach in patients with end-stage heart disease or in infants with certain congenital heart anomalies.
Variation of the dielectric properties of chicken meat with frequency and temperature

Dielectric properties of chicken breast meat were measured with an open-ended coaxial-line probe between 200 MHz and 20 GHz at temperatures ranging from −20 to +25 °C. To ensure temperature uniformity between the different components of the measurement assembly, the measurements were performed in a temperature-controlled chamber. At a given temperature, the frequency dependence of the dielectric constant reveals two relaxations while those of the dielectric loss factor are dominated by ionic conduction in the lower range and a broad dipolar relaxation at higher frequencies. At a given frequency, the temperature dependence reveals a sharp increase of dielectric properties at about 0 °C which is typical of materials with high water content and indicates the transition from ice-like behavior to liquid-like behavior. 3-D representations of the dielectric properties as a function of frequency and temperature show the combined influence of water binding, ionic conduction, and dipolar relaxation.
A three-dimensional study of the influence of mountains on a front

Abstract The objective of this study is to investigate mountain effects on a frontal system in three dimensions. The frontal system is developed from the most unstable Eady wave in a baroclinic state without a mountain. The developed frontal system is then introduced into a new model domain that contains mountains with different sizes, shapes, and orientations. In general, it is found that the cold front experiences a weakening on the upwind slope and strengthening on the downwind slope of a mountain. The locations of these upwind and downwind sides are determined by the horizontal winds associated with the front. Before the front reaches a mountain, the prevailing wind impinging on the mountain is the prefrontal southwesterly. After the front reaches the top of the mountain, the impinging wind shifts to be the postfrontal northwesterly. Therefore, mountain-induced fronto-genetic forcing by these winds varies spatially as the front passes the mountain. When the front moves down the slope, it speeds up and...
Orbital floor reconstruction with autogenous mandibular symphyseal bone grafts.

Abstract Purpose: This article shows the usefulness of the mandibular symphysis as a source of bone graft for the reconstruction of the orbital floor. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 16 patients who had isolated blowout fractures (n = 10) or orbital floor defects (n = 6) reconstructed with mandibular symphyseal bone grafts. Symphyseal bone grafts were used when the defects were less than 2 cm in diameter. Patients were examined at recall visits for any evidence of unsuccessful reconstruction by checking extraocular movements, and evidence of diplopia or enophthalmous. Results: During a mean follow-up of 12 months (range, 9 to 36 months), patients had no postoperative complaints. There were no instances of infection at the surgical sites, and none of the grafts were extruded or lost. There was good restoration of the orbital floor, with no clinical evidence of enophthalmous or diplopia. Extraocular movements were intact in all patients. Conclusion: The mandibular symphysis is a readily available source of autogenous bone that can be harvested with minimal morbidity. Its contour is suitable for use in orbital floor reconstruction. It merits consideration when autogenous bone grafts are considered for orbital floor defects less than 2 cm in diameter.
Day/night temperature environment affects cell elongation but not division in Lilium longiflorum Thunb

litium longiflorum Thunb. cv. «Nellie White» plants were grown in different day/night temperature (DT/NT) environments to determine the anatomical basis for differential responses of stem elongation to DT and NT, litium plants were forced in 1986 and 1987 under 25 and 12 different DT/NT environments, respectively, with temperatures ranging from 14 to 30 o C. Parenchyma and epidermal cell length and width were measured in stem tissue (1987) and epidermal cell length and width were measured in leaf tissue (1986). Total cell number per internode and vertical cell number per internode were calculated
Theoretically informed coarse grain simulations of block copolymer melts: method and applications

A newly developed formalism is described, in which models that have been traditionally addressed using field-theoretic methods are solved by resorting to Monte Carlo simulations in arbitrary ensembles. In the context of block copolymer melts, the formalism starts from a standard, field-based Hamiltonian, but describes the polymeric chains explicitly, as collections of beads connected by springs, and incorporates the effects of fluctuations. The general applicability of the method is illustrated by discussing several examples from the recent literature, including the effect of fluctuations on the order–disorder transition of diblock copolymers, the morphology of linear triblock copolymers, the directed assembly of copolymer on nanopatterned substrates, and the hierarchical assembly of nanoparticle-copolymer mixtures.
Correlations of helical fin tube heat exchangers

ABSTRACT This paper studies heat transfer characteristics of helical fin tube heat exchangers. Effect of several geometric parameters are discussed, including number the of rows(Z), fin height (ft), fin pitch (fp), tube pitch (Pt), arranged angles (θ), tube transverse pitch (St), and tube longitudinal pitch (S1), with 19.05 mm tube outside diameter (do), the number of rows varies from 1 to 6, fh is 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 times of do, fp is 6, 10, 14 fins/25.4 mm, Pt is 2, 2.5, 3 times of do, θ is 30°, 45°, 60°. Typical arrangement is Z = 4, fh = 0.5do, fp = 10 fin/25.4 mm, Pt = 2.5 do, and θ = 30°. When one parameter is changed, others are kept at their standard values. Twenty two heat exchangers in total are made to study the aforementined parameters. Colburn factor j and friction factor f are used to express the thermal and the hydraulic characteristics respectively. And two Correlations for j and f are deduced by regression analysis from the present experiment data. All parameters are presented in these equations.
Patterns of parent-child communication: Relationship to depression

Abstract Family interaction and interpersonal functioning were examined with respect to their contribution to child and adolescent mood disorders. The review focused on the relationship between parent and child depression, particularly impaired parent/child interactive patterns and the effects of this negative reciprocal process on the development, maintenance, and recurrence of depression. Additionally, we addressed the implications of these findings for the effective treatment and prevention of child and adolescent depressive disorders and examined current treatment and intervention strategies.
Early Intervention in Psychosis: A Case Study on Normal and Pathological

Accumulating evidence suggests that delays in receiving treatment are associated with poorer prognosis and longer periods of unneeded suffering. The duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is considered to be one of the most important determinants of outcome in the first episode of psychosis. However, the focus on decreasing the length of untreated illness tends to overlook the difficult task of making sense of psychotic experiences during a first episode. Using a qualitative analysis of narratives obtained from interviews with an individual and her husband, we examine what delayed her seeking help, how she became convinced that she needed treatment and what this meant for her and her husband. Additionally, we look at the five-year development of both a literal and a figurative space within which both the subject and her husband came to utilize, whether consciously or unconsciously, the ‘stories’ of her psychotic experiences to construct a shared and even ‘safe’ and familiar means of spousal connection. The exploration of this shared space reveals the normative and moral values embedded in the concept of DUP and suggests alternative ways of understanding the help-seeking behaviors in early psychosis.
The Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor 7-Nitroindazole Also Inhibits the Monoamine Oxidase-B-Catalyzed Oxidation of 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine

The neurodegenerative properties of the parkinsonian inducing agent 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) are thought to result from inhibition of complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain by the monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) generated 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium metabolite MPP+. Treatment with 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) protects rodents and baboons against MPTP's neurotoxicity, presumably as a consequence of its inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). The results reported in the present communication, while not in conflict with the proposed role of nNOS, raise the possibility that the inhibition of MAO-B by 7-NI also may contribute to the observed neuroprotection.
Effects of Abrupt and Gradual Osmotic Stress on Antibody Production and Content in Hybridoma Cells That Differ in Production Kinetics

AB2-143.2 cells exhibit non-growth-associated antibody production (constant specific antibody production rate (qAb) throughout batch culture), while IND1 cells exhibit growth-associated production (decrease in qAb during stationary phase). AB2-143.2 cells increase qAb following abrupt batch osmotic stress. Enhanced antibody production in IND1 cells after batch osmotic shock is evidenced as maintenance of the higher exponential phase QAb into the stationary phase. AB2-143.2 cells also increase qAb in response to gradual osmotic stress in continuous culture. In contrast, IND1 cells decrease 9Ab during gradual osmotic stress. Although the two cell lines differ in antibody production, they have very similar intracellular antibody content profiles. Both show (1) constant antibody content during the exponential phase in control culture with a decrease as cells enter stationary phase; (2) maintenance of exponential-phase antibody content into the stationary phase after batch osmotic shock; and (3) no change in antibody content in response to gradual osmotic stress.
Role of Thrombin Compared With Factor Xa in the Procoagulant Activity of Whole Blood Clots

Background Thrombi are known to induce activation of the coagulation system, which may be a mechanism for progression of thrombosis and its recurrence after thrombolysis. This study was designed to characterize the relative role of thrombin and activated factor X (factor Xa) as mediators of procoagulant activity of whole blood clots in blood and plasma. Methods and Results Clots formed from human blood were incubated in recalcified (25 mmol/L CaCl2) citrated plasma or nonanticoagulated blood with increasing concentrations of recombinant desulfatohirudin (hirudin) to inhibit thrombin activity, recombinant tick anticoagulant peptide (TAP) or recombinant tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) to inhibit factor Xa, or heparin. Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) was assayed serially as an index of procoagulant (thrombin) activity. FPA generation was greatly accelerated by addition of clots to recalcified plasma (from 1251±211 ng/mL after 15 minutes without clot to 5916±1412 ng/mL with clot, n=7, P<.01) or whole blood (480...