cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport of degenerate electron-hole plasmas in Si and Ge

Abstract At low crystal temperatures, pulsed-laser excitation of Si and Ge can produce a mobile electron-hole plasma with a Fermi energy much larger than kBT. The motion of this degenerate plasma away from the excitation surface depends intimately on its interactions with high-frequency phonons. Momentum damping and phonon-wind forces are principal factors which determine the plasma motion on nanosecond and longer time scales. A variety of luminescence and heat-pulse experiments are reviewed here which characterize the transport behavior of photo-generated electron-hole plasma in these indirect-gap semiconductors.
Assessment of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function After Single Lung Transplantation in Patients With Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

Objectives This study was designed to observe left ventricular filling by Doppler echocardiography before and after single lung transplantation in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. Background Right ventricular pressure overload causes the deformation of the left ventricle by septal flattening toward its cavity, which may result in impaired left ventricular early filling. Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of single lung transplantation to restore right ventricular function in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension. However, changes in left ventricular filling after single lung transplantation have not been well studied. Methods We performed Doppler echocardiography in nine patients with severe pulmonary hypertension before, early ( 1 year) after single lung transplantation. The study group consisted of eight female patients and one male patient with mean age of 32 years (range, 15 to 48 years). Six patients were diagnosed as having primary pulmonary hypertension and three as having secondary pulmonary hypertension. Nine age-matched normal subjects served as a control group. Doppler measurements included the following: transmitral flow early (E) and atrial (A) velocities, integrals (Ei and Ai), and left ventricular isovolumic relaxation time. The ratio of E/A and atrial filling fraction (Ai/Ei+Ai, AFF) were also determined. Left ventricular geometry was assessed from mid-short axis view with a circular shape factor (CSF). Results Early after lung transplantation, the left ventricular geometry became more circular with CSF (mean±SD) increasing from 0.63±0.09 to 0.88±0.05 (p Conclusions This study observed that the impaired left ventricular early filling persisted shortly after single lung transplantation in patients with severe pulmonary hypertension, despite findings that left ventricular geometry was restored earlier after reversal of pulmonary hypertension. The abnormal filling pattern appeared to be resolved 1 year later. The findings suggest the impaired early filling may be caused by intrinsic left ventricular abnormalities other than ventricular interaction in these patients.
Lateral cephalometric analysis of skeletal patterns in patients with and without internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint

Twenty-three female volunteers with normal temporomandibular joints (TMJ) were compared with 24 female patients with documented TMJ internal derangements. Magnetic resonance imaging and lateral cephalometric radiographs were used to investigate the relationship between TMJ disk displacement and skeletal facial form. Results indicated that the patients with internal derangements have significantly smaller mandibles and maxillae. However, these sagittal measurements of jaw length were not associated with disproportionate changes in other cephalometric variables. In general, no district relationship was found between the morphologic features of the face and the internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint.
Factors associated with influenza vaccination among US children in 2008.

Summary Background Relative to adults, children have a higher risk of influenza-related illnesses, and they play a major role in the spread of infections through a household. Because the primary caregiver is responsible for the overall health of the child, it is important to analyze the relationship between caregiver characteristics and childhood immunizations. This study examined the characteristics of the caregiver, household, and child to identify factors associated with childhood influenza immunizations. Methods Data for children aged 19–35 months (n = 25,256) were collected from the 2008 National Immunization Survey (NIS). The studied caregiver characteristics included age, education level, and marital status. Demographic variables included the child's age, sex, race/ethnicity, firstborn status, and insurance status in addition to household size, region, and poverty status. All analyses were weighted to reflect the complex sampling frame of the NIS. Results Overall, 56.39% of children aged 19–35 months had received a flu vaccination. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of vaccination included the primary caregiver being older, married, and more educated and living in the Northeast. A child with private insurance was more likely to be immunized than a child with any other type of insurance (public: OR 0.6483, 0.5589, 0.7521; no insurance: OR 0.6759, 0.4694, 0.9732). Hispanic children (OR 1.1554, 1.0312, 1.2945) were more likely to be vaccinated than their counterparts. Conclusions Understanding the characteristics related to the rates of childhood influenza immunization can help policy makers develop and tailor programs to improve immunization education and delivery, especially to the groups that are least likely to participate.
Rotavirus Proteins: Structure and Assembly

Rotavirus is a major pathogen of infantile gastroenteritis. It is a large and complex virus with a multilayered capsid organization that integrates the deter minants of host specificity, cell entry, and the enzymatic functions necessary for endogenous transcription of the genome that consists of 11 dsRNA segments. These segments encode six structural and six nonstructural proteins. In the last few years, there has been substantial progress in our understanding of both the structural and functional aspects of a variety of molecular processes involved in the replication of this virus. Studies leading to this progress using of a variety of structural and biochemical techniques including the recent application of RNA interference technology have uncovered several unique and intriguing features related to viral morphogenesis. This review focuses on our current understanding of the structural basis of the molecular processes that govern the replication of rotavirus.
ATPase and DNA helicase activities of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae anti-recombinase Srs2.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae SRS2 encodes an ATP-dependent DNA helicase that is needed for DNA damage checkpoint responses and that modulates the efficiency of homologous recombination. Interestingly, strains simultaneously mutated for SRS2 and a variety of DNA repair genes show low viability that can be overcome by inactivating homologous recombination, thus implicating inappropriate recombination as the cause of growth impairment in these mutants. Here, we report on our biochemical characterization of the ATPase and DNA helicase activities of Srs2. ATP hydrolysis by Srs2 occurs efficiently only in the presence of DNA, with ssDNA being considerably more effective than dsDNA in this regard. Using homopolymeric substrates, the minimal DNA length for activating ATP hydrolysis is found to be 5 nucleotides, but a length of 10 nucleotides is needed for maximal activation. In its helicase action, Srs2 prefers substrates with a 3 ss overhang, and 10 bases of 3 overhanging DNA is needed for efficient targeting of Srs2 to the substrate. Even though a 3 overhang serves to target Srs2, under optimized conditions blunt-end DNA substrates are also dissociated by this protein. The ability of Srs2 to unwind helicase substrates with a long duplex region is enhanced by the inclusion of the singlestrand DNA-binding factor replication protein A.
A Note on Gilman's “Supplement to ‘A Conservative’”

In 1891, when Charlotte Perkins Gilman was beginning to make a name for herself as an author and lecturer, she composed a poem titled “A Conservative,” a witty and satirical depiction of a newly fl...
Biocatalysis: A Status Report

This review describes the status of the fields of biocatalysts and enzymes, as well as existing drawbacks, and recent advances in the areas deemed to represent drawbacks. Although biocatalysts are often highly active and extremely selective, there are still drawbacks associated with biocatalysis as a generally applicable technique: the lack of designability of biocatalysts; their limits of stability; and the insufficient number of well-characterized, ready-to-use biocatalysts. There has been significant progress on the following fronts: (a) novel protein engineering tools, both experimental and computational, have significantly enhanced the toolbox for biocatalyst development. (b) The deactivation of biocatalysts under various stresses can be described quantitatively via rational models. There are several cases of spectacular leaps of stabilization after accumulating all stabilizing mutations found in earlier rounds. The concept that stabilization against one type of stress commonly also stabilizes agains...
Ultra-fast formation and characterization of stable nanoparticle film assemblies

Novel assembled films of monolayer-protected clusters (MPCs) can be grown on gold and glass substrates with a 20-fold higher efficiency than established procedures. Thick MPC films grown using this new method, which can easily be scaled up or automated, are extremely stable and have properties identical to traditionally formed nanoparticle films, including unique quantized double layer charging effects. This new procedure for growing nanoparticle films shares the versatility of the traditional method but exhibits accelerated growth attributed to highly efficient sorption and mobility of metal ion linkers within swelled films and improved mass transfer of nanoparticles to assembly sites. Concentration and pH effects on the mechanism of film growth are shown to have substantial impact on the efficiency.
Machining Simulation of Ductile Iron and Its Constituents, Part 1: Estimation of Material Model Parameters and Their Validation

A microstructure-level simulation model was recently developed to characterize machining behavior of heterogeneous materials. During machining of heterogeneous materials such as cast iron, the material around the machining-affected zone undergoes reverse loading, which manifests itself in permanent material softening. In addition, cracks are formed below and ahead of the tool. To accurately simulate machining of heterogeneous materials the microstructure-level model has to reproduce the effect of material softening on reverse loading (MSRL effect) and material damage. This paper describes procedures used to calculate the material behavior parameters for the aforementioned phenomena. To calculate the parameters associated with the MSRL effect, uniaxial reverse loading experiments and simulations were conducted using individual constituents of ductile iron. The material model was validated with reverse loading experiments of ductile iron specimens. To determine the parameters associated with fracture of each constituent, experiments and simulation of notched specimens are performed. During the validation stage, response of simulated ductile iron was in good agreement with the experimental data.
Effects of solid barriers on dispersion of roadway emissions

Abstract Several studies have found that exposure to traffic-generated air pollution is associated with several adverse health effects. Field studies, laboratory experiments, and numerical simulations indicate that roadside barriers represent a practical method of mitigating the impact of vehicle emissions because near road concentrations are significantly reduced downwind of a barrier relative to concentrations in the absence of a barrier. These studies also show that the major effects of barriers on concentrations are: 1) the concentration is well mixed over a height roughly proportional to the barrier height, and this effect persists over several barrier heights downwind, 2) the turbulence that spreads the plume vertically is increased downwind of the barrier, 3) the pollutant is lofted above the top of the barrier. This paper ties these effects together using two semi-empirical dispersion models. These models provide good descriptions of concentrations measured in a wind tunnel study and a tracer field study. Their performance is best during neutral and stable conditions. The models overestimate concentrations near the barrier during unstable conditions. We illustrate an application of these models by estimating the effect of barrier height on concentrations during neutral, stable, and unstable conditions.
Statistical mechanics of fluids under internal constraints: Rigorous results for the one-dimensional hard rod fluid

The rigorous statistical mechanics of metastability requires the imposition of internal constraints that prevent access to regions of phase space corresponding to inhomogeneous states. We derive exactly the Helmholtz energy and equation of state of the one-dimensional hard rod fluid under the influence of an internal constraint that places an upper bound on the distance between nearest-neighbor rods. This type of constraint is relevant to the suppression of boiling in a superheated liquid. We determine the effects of this constraint upon the thermophysical properties and internal structure of the hard rod fluid. By adding an infinitely weak and infinitely long-ranged attractive potential to the hard core, the fluid exhibits a first-order vapor-liquid transition. We determine exactly the equation of state of the one-dimensional superheated liquid and show that it exhibits metastable phase equilibrium. We also derive statistical mechanical relations for the equation of state of a fluid under the action of arbitrary constraints, and show the connection between the statistical mechanics of constrained and unconstrained ensembles. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
A Tool for Choreography Analysis Using Collaboration Diagrams

Analyzing interactions among peers that interact via messages is a crucial problem due to increasingly distributed nature of current software systems, especially the ones built using the service oriented computing paradigm. In service oriented computing, interactions among peers participating to a composite service involve message exchanges across organizational boundaries in a distributed computing environment. In order to build such systems in a reliable manner, it is necessary to develop techniques for analysis and verification of interactions among services. Collaboration diagrams provide a convenient visual model for modeling service interactions. In this paper, we present a tool that 1) checks the realizability of interactions specified by the given collaboration diagram, 2) verifies the LTL properties of the interactions specified by the given collaboration diagram by automatically converting it to a state machine model, and 3) synthesizes peer state machines that realize the set of interactions specified by the given collaboration diagram.
Markov chain applications in modelling facility condition deterioration

Condition states of civil infrastructure such as pavements and bridges are usually indexed on discrete scales. Historical condition data is modelled using Markov chain to estimate transition probabilities from one condition state to another, the rate of change and the time spent in any given state. The usefulness of such models is a function of the completeness of the available records and underlying assumptions of homogeneity. However, complete sets of condition data are not always easily available. In addition, the transition probabilities between states are assumed to be homogeneous, even though they tend not to be. Therefore, the objective of this study is two-fold: First, to maximise the usage of limited available data in estimating transition probabilities between condition states; and second to assess the sensitivity of model predictions to variations in transition probabilities between condition states. The paper presents a novel method to estimate transition probabilities based on the simulation of long term behaviour of a Markov chain model. Next, building on existing research, a Monte Carlo simulation of a non-homogeneous Markov chain model is used to explicitly consider heterogeneity in transition probabilities.
Visual disengagement in the infant siblings of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are impaired in visually disengaging attention in both social and non-social contexts. These impairments may, in subtler form, also affect the infant siblings of children with ASD (ASD-sibs). We investigated patterns of visual attention (gazing) in 6-month-old ASD-sibs (n=17) and the siblings of typically developing children (COMP-sibs: n=17) during the Face-to-Face/Still-Face Protocol (FFSF), in which parents are sequentially responsive, non-responsive, and responsive to their infants. Throughout the protocol, ASD-sibs shifted their gaze to and from their parents' faces less frequently than did COMP-sibs. The mean durations of ASD-sibs' gazes away from their parents' faces were longer than those of COMP-sibs. ASD-sibs and COMP-sibs did not differ in the mean durations of gazes at their parents' faces. In sum, ASD-sibs showed no deficits in visual interest to their parents' faces, but greater interest than COMP-sibs in non-face stimuli.
Molecular thermodynamics of aqueous two-phase systems for bioseparations

Aqueous polymer-polymer two-phase systems provide a powerful method for separating biomolecules by extraction. When a complex mixture of biomolecules (e.g., a fermentation broth or a solution of lysed cells) is added to such a system, biomolecules partition uniquely between the two phases, achieving separation. A thermodynamic framework is presented for optimizing extraction performance in biological separations. First, a molecular-thermodynamic model, based on the osmotic virial equation, is proposed to describe phase equilibria for dilute aqueous mixtures containing polymers and protein. Second, experimental phase-equilibrium data (protein partition coefficients) are reported for a number of model proteins including albumin, lysozyme, and α-chymotrypsin. To interpret and correlate the experimental data, Low-Angle Laser-Light Scattering (LALLS) measurements were made to determine osmotic second virial coefficients for aqueous mixtures containing polymers, proteins, salts (KCl, KH2PO4 and K2SO4 at concentrations of 50 and 100 mM) and several combinations of polymer-polymer and polymer-protein pairs. Combined with electrochemical measurements (differences in potential between the two phases and protein net charge), these data provide parameters for the model to calculate the desired phase equilibria. A comparison of calculated and experimental results indicates that the virial-equation model provides good prediction of binodals and a reliable basis for estimating infinite-dilution protein partition coefficients for biotechnical process design.
Raman bandshape of the degenerate ν4 vibration and parallel rotational diffusion in CD3I

The Raman bandshapes of the ν1(A 1), ν3(A 1) and ν4(E) vibrations in CD3I were studied as a function of temperature in the liquid phase. As expected, perpendicular diffusion coefficients, D ⊥, agreed well with reported values for CH3I. Spectral intensities of the doubly degenerate ν4 vibration were fit by a model incorporating two lorentzians with the same peak centre. Values of D ‖ determined from the width of the narrower component were approximately 30 per cent lower than in the non-deuterated molecule, but were in excellent agreement with parallel diffusion coefficients calculated from the free rotor model of molecular reorientation. The results from the Raman bandwidths also agreed, to within experimental error, with D ‖ calculated from 2 D spin-lattice relaxation times.
Dostoevsky and Hermann Hesse: Analogies and Congruences

Hermann Hesse was strongly influenced by Dostoevsky's artistic method, especially by his treatment of the fragmentation of the human personality and his portrayal of the decaying West. Their novels depict the tragedy of intellect - man's problematic exist-ence taking place amidst the silent loneliness and disharmony characteristic of a diseased city, of modern culture, civilization, philosophy, and industrialization. Both writers believed that a “new man” would replace that educated individual whose reason cannot free itself from the problems and dilemmas it creates. This “new man” would unite Europe and Russia into one organic whole by revealing the nature of true, “active” love. Dostoevsky and Hesse insisted that salvation could be attained only through inner struggle and profound suffering. In their respective works, ey portrayed a progression from a state of internal chaos to the realization of the many polarities existing in man, culminating in a spiritual metamorphosis through man's acceptance of his chaotic nature. The belief in an ultimate unity and harmony underlies the philosophies of both Dostoevsky and Hesse. It is toward this harmonious totality of all things and beings that man must always strive. Dostoevsky and Hesse considered it their responsibility to point to this ideal realm as the only way out of the spiritual and emotional impasse characteristic of their times, when traditional concepts and old beliefs and values were rejected. Both writers ardently advocated the advent of the Third Kingdom of the Spirit, in which all nations would form one family, perfect harmony would be established, and all concepts of good and evil would dis- appear of their own accord.
Spindle Pole Body Duplication in Fission Yeast Occurs at the G1/S Boundary but Maturation Is Blocked until Exit from S by an Event Downstream of Cdc10+

The regulation and timing of spindle pole body (SPB) duplication and maturation in fission yeast was examined by transmission electron microscopy. When cells are arrested at G1 by nitrogen starvation, the SPB is unduplicated. On release from G1, the SPBs were duplicated after 1-2 h. In cells arrested at S by hydroxyurea, SPBs are duplicated but not mature. In G1 arrest/release experiments with cdc2.33 cells at the restrictive temperature, SPBs remained single, whereas in cells at the permissive temperature, SPBs were duplicated. In cdc10 mutant cells, the SPBs seem not only to be duplicated but also to undergo partial maturation, including invagination of the nuclear envelope underneath the SPB. There may be an S-phase-specific inhibitor of SPB maturation whose expression is under control of cdc10(+). This model was examined by induction of overreplication of the genome by overexpression of rum1p or cdc18p. In cdc18p-overexpressing cells, the SPBs are duplicated but not mature, suggesting that cdc18p is one component of this feedback mechanism. In contrast, cells overexpressing rum1p have large, deformed SPBs accompanied by other features of maturation and duplication. We propose a feedback mechanism for maturation of the SPB that is coupled with exit from S to trigger morphological changes.
A general approach towards blind multiuser detection using higher order statistics

Nongaussianity maximization based independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms are becoming increasing popular in signal processing and communications. These algorithms exploit higher order statistics (HOS) of the data either by an explicit computation or implicitly by nonlinearly transforming the observations. Learning algorithms based on explicit HOS are simple to analyze, but exhibit slow convergence. Introduction of suitable nonlinearities in the algorithm increases the convergence rate and robustness to outliers. In this paper, we propose a general nonlinearity based algorithm for blind adaptive multiuser detection in multipath channels. Implementation of the proposed HOS based detector is done via an extension of a recently proposed constrained less-complete ICA framework. Computer simulations illustrate the improved performance over the previously proposed kurtosis based detector
A tracer dose of technetium-99m-labeled liposomes can estimate the effect of hyperthermia on intratumoral doxil extravasation.

Purpose: A noninvasive method to monitor intratumoral Doxil delivery in individual patients during targeted tumor therapy is important to predict treatment response. The purpose of this study was to determine if a small tracer dose of technetium-99m ( 99m Tc)–labeled liposomes could be used to quantify the effect of local hyperthermia on intratumoral Doxil extravasation. Experimental Design: Experiments were carried out in a rat fibrosarcoma model with transplanted thigh tumors. Liposomes of approximately same size and composition as Doxil were radiolabeled using [technetium-99m ( 99m Tc)]exametazime. Eight treatment groups received either Doxil, a tracer dose or a large dose of 99m Tc-labeled liposomes, or a combination of tracer and Doxil, with or without hyperthermia. This design was chosen to assure that coadministration of both liposomal formulations did not influence their intratumoral distribution. Hyperthermia was done for 45 minutes. Scintigraphic images were obtained at 5 and 18 hours. At 18 hours, tumors were removed and gamma counts as well as doxorubicin concentrations were measured. Results: Intratumoral extravasation of the 99m Tc-labeled tracer could be imaged scintigraphically under normothermic and hyperthermic conditions. The thermal enhancement ratio was slightly higher for radiolabeled liposomes than for doxorubicin concentration. However, there was a significant positive correlation of intratumoral doxorubicin concentration and intratumoral uptake of the radiolabeled tracer (expressed as percentage of the injected dose per gram of tissue). Coadministration of radiolabeled liposomes did not negatively influence the amount of drug delivered with Doxil. Conclusions: The use of a radiolabeled tracer has potential value to monitor drug delivery and estimate the effect of an intervention aimed to increase liposomal accumulation, such as local hyperthermia.
Tychoparthenogenesis and mixed mating in natural populations of the mayfly Stenonema femoratum.

Tychoparthenogenesis is a breeding system characterized by low population mean hatching success (usually <10%) of unfertilized eggs from females of typically sexually reproducing species. I used progeny-array analysis to estimate outcrossing and parthenogenetic rates for two tychoparthenogenetic populations of the mayfly, Stenonema femoratum. Based on multilocus outcrossing rate estimates (tm), populations exhibited moderate rates of tychoparthenogenetic reproduction (population LD: 1 - tm=0.266; population RBG: 1 - tm=0.495). Differences between multilocus and average single-locus outcrossing rates indicated some biparental inbreeding in population LD, but not in population RBG. Family outcrossing rates ranged from 0 to 1.0, indicating mixed mating in which some females generated a mixture of sexually and parthenogenetically produced offspring. Outcrossing rates showed substantial heterogeneity among families. Correlation with paternity was high, indicating that outcrossed sibs within families were sired by the same father. Progeny-array sex ratios were significantly female biased for both populations and did not differ significantly between populations. However, family outcrossing rate was not significantly correlated with family sex ratio. Results indicate that substantial amounts of parthenogenetic reproduction are occurring in these natural S. femoratum populations and that some females produce mixed broods of sexually and parthenogenetically produced offspring.
Thiol-ene click hydrogels for therapeutic delivery.

Hydrogels are of growing interest for the delivery of therapeutics to specific sites in the body. For use as a delivery vehicle, hydrophilic precursors are usually laden with bioactive moieties and then directly injected to the site of interest for in situ gel formation and controlled release dictated by precursor design. Hydrogels formed by thiol–ene click reactions are attractive for local controlled release of therapeutics owing to their rapid reaction rate and efficiency under mild aqueous conditions, enabling in situ formation of gels with tunable properties often responsive to environmental cues. Herein, we will review the wide range of applications for thiol–ene hydrogels, from the prolonged release of anti-inflammatory drugs in the spine to the release of protein-based therapeutics in response to cell-secreted enzymes, with a focus on their clinical relevance. We will also provide a brief overview of thiol–ene click chemistry and discuss the available alkene chemistries pertinent to macromolecule ...
Abstract 481: Age-related Hypertension and Salt-sensitivity Are Associated With Specific Kidney Cortico-medullary Distribtion of D1R, AT1R And NADPH-oxidase

We recently reported that oxidative stress has a causal role in increasing kidney angiotensin II AT1 receptor (AT1R) and decreasing dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) functions in the aging Fischer Brown Norway (FBN) rats. These renal receptors by counter-regulating each other’s functions maintain sodium homeostasis and normal blood pressure (BP). Here, we examined systolic BP and kidney distribution (cortex vs medulla) of these receptors as well as of an oxidant producing enzyme (gp 91phox -NADPH-oxidase) in response to 4-week normal-salt (NS, 0.4% NaCl) and high-salt (HS, 8% NaCl) feeding in adult (3-month) and old (21-month) FBNs. BP in conscious animals was measured by radio-telemetry. Distribution of D1R, AT1R and gp 91phox were determined by RT-PCR and western blotting. We found that NS-fed old rats had higher BP (adult vs old: 105±1 vs 118 ±1 mmHg), which further increased with HS feeding in these rats (adult vs old: 111±1 vs 124 ±1 mmHg). The levels of D1R mRNA in cortex or in medulla were not different between NS-fed adult and old rats, but decreased in both cortex [adult vs old: 67 ± 15 vs 54±16 density unit (DU)] and medulla (adult vs old: 22±15 vs 11±3 DU) only in HS-fed old rats. Contrary to this, AT1R mRNA levels were higher only in cortex of old rats fed either NS (adult vs old: 81 ± 23 vs 102± 34 DU) or HS (adult vs old: 80 ± 17vs 98 ± 36 DU). Moreover, there were similar gp 91phox mRNA levels in the cortex and medulla of adult and old rats fed either NS or HS. But, its protein levels were higher in the cortex of old rats fed NS (adult vs old: 60±7 vs 112±8 DU) and HS (adult vs old: 61±3 vs 94±15 DU), and increased only in the medulla with HS feeding in these rats (adult vs old: 12±1 vs 28±2 DU). Our results suggest that there exists a specific cortico-medullary expression pattern of D1R, AT1R and gp 91phox with NS and HS feeding in old rats, which might be contributing to age-related hypertension and salt-sensitivity in FBNs.
Localization of Bovine Papillomavirus Nucleic Acid in Equine Sarcoids.

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV1/BPV2) have long been associated with equine sarcoids; deciphering their contribution has been difficult due to their ubiquitous presence on skin and in the environment...
Localization in Thin Wires

Recent experimental studies of electrical conduction in very thin wires at low temperatures are reviewed and compared with theoretical predictions based on localization in one dimension. While the principal experimental results are in good qualitative agreement with the theory, there are several quantitative discrepancies. At least some of these discrepancies appear to be due to inadequacies in our present understanding of inelastic scattering processes in disordered metals, but recent suggestions that electron-electron interaction effects are playing an important role cannot be ruled out.
Structure/activity studies of flavonoids as inhibitors of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase and relationship to quantum chemical indices.

A series of 45 flavonoids and related compounds were tested as inhibitors of liver fluke cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Many were found to be potent inhibitors; seven were as potent or more potent than any inhibitor previously tested. The kinetics of six compounds spanning a wide range of activities were investigated and found to be competitive. The most potent inhibitors, cyanidin chloride and quercetin, had Ki values of 10 ± 3 µM and 13 ± 6 µM, respectively, approaching the Km for CAMP (8 µM). Structure/ activity studies showed that adding exocyclic substituents to the basic flavonoid skeleton affected activity only slightly, while changing the planarity of the heterocyclic ring greatly decreased activity. This observation, taken with the competitive kinetics, suggests that flavonoids compete with cAMP for a nucleotide binding site at which stacking occurs, perhaps similar to the binding sites of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A and lobster glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Quantum chemical calculations further suggest that the competition arises from the mimicking of the pyrimidine ring in cAMP by the pyranone ring of the flavonoids. If the flavonoids are comparably potent inhibitors of other phosphodiesterases, several reported pharmacological effects of the flavonoids might be explained.
Improving the Inference of Implicit Discourse Relations via Classifying Explicit Discourse Connectives

Discourse relation classification is an important component for automatic discourse parsing and natural language understanding. The performance bottleneck of a discourse parser comes from implicit discourse relations, whose discourse connectives are not overtly present. Explicit discourse connectives can potentially be exploited to collect more training data to collect more data and boost the performance. However, using them indiscriminately has been shown to hurt the performance because not all discourse connectives can be dropped arbitrarily. Based on this insight, we investigate the interaction between discourse connectives and the discourse relations and propose the criteria for selecting the discourse connectives that can be dropped independently of the context without changing the interpretation of the discourse. Extra training data collected only by the freely omissible connectives improve the performance of the system without additional features.
Determination of pH of Living Tissue by the Glass Electrode.

The ordinary bulb type of glass electrode is necessarily limited in its use for determining the hydrogen-ion concentration of living tissues to fluids or to cavities in which such an instrument can be placed. For example, the pH of the blood can be determined by actual insertion of the electrode in some of the larger vessels, or the blood stream can be diverted into a chamber surrounding the glass bulb. Other determinations of the pH of living tissue have involved the actual destruction of that tissue, regardless of whether the colorimetric method, or the hydrogen, the quinhydrone, or the glass electrode was used. We have employed a spear type of capillary glass electrode which can be inserted directly into the tissues; in this series of experiments, into the intestinal wall of the white rat. The vacuum tube amplifying system used was essentially that described by DeEds.1 The electrodes were drawn of Corning No. 015 glass, and were from 30μ to 100μ in thickness, the capillary wall varying from 10μ, to 30μ...
Thermo-Elastic Cracked Cylindrical Shells and Plates Carrying Non-Stationary Electrical Current

Distribution of electromagnetic field and of the Joule heating along/around the cracks in thermo- and electro-conductive thin-walled shells and plates carrying non-stationary electrical current are investigated. More specifically, a circular cylindrical shell with one finitely long crack that is perpendicular to the current direction and a plate with two finitely long collinear cracks that are also perpendicular to the current direction are considered. The cracks are free of mechanical loads. For the case of the shell, the crack problem is formulated via the Fourier series expansion while for the case of the plate, the problem is formulated via Fourier transform. A set of singular integral equations with Cauchy-type singular kernels are obtained. An analytical solution method is developed for the cracked shell and an accurate and highly ecient solution method is constructed for the cracked plate. The influence of the presence of the cracks, interaction of the cracks and non-stationarity of the current on the distribution of current and Joule heating in the plate is investigated. The results are instrumental toward arrest and deceleration of crack propagation in electroconductive material structures.
Molecular charactiristics of the genome of H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus strain A/Chicken/Gansu/2/99

To elucidate the molecular characteristic and evolution status of avian influenza virus strain CK/GS/2/99,A strain of H9N2 avian influenza virus(CK/GS/2/99) isolated from the cloacal swabs of diseased chickens in Gansu province,8 genes of avian influenza virus strain CK/GS/2/99 were amplified by RT-PCR method.The genes were sequenced,and compared with the genome of referenced influenza viruses.The open reading frame(ORF) of PB2,PB1,PA,HA,NP,NA,M and NS of CK/GS/2/99 contained 2280,2274,2151,1683,1497,1401,759,864 nucleotides encoding 759,757,716,560,498,466,252/97,231/122 amino acids respectively.The amino acid sequence of the cleavage site between HA1 and HA2 is PARSSR↓GLF,with the typical characteristics of the low pathogenic avian influenza virus.The results showed high nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity between CK/GS/2/99 and most H9N2 subtype isolates in mainland China from 1998 to 2002,especially,CK/NX/4/99 and CK/HB/31/00.isolates in mainland China.This study lay a foundation to know the molecular epidemiology of H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus in China.
Research of NaClO and ClO_2 on the Sterilization of Lotus Roots

Effects of NaClO and ClO2 on the sterilization of lotus roots were studied in this paper. The total number of colonies, weight loss, color value and sensory evaluation of lotus roots were determined and evaluated. The results showed that sterilization by 75 mg/kg NaClO or 50 mg/kg ClO2 in 3min, could reduce bacteria count, improve quality, such as reducing weight loss, protecting color, enhance the sense of quality, etc.. It is necessary to use chlorine bactericide to sterilize the Lotus root after harvest, which can reduce raw material loss and increase revenue.
Optimal Design for Multifactor Life Testing Experiments for Exponentially Distributed Lifetimes

Life testing experiments differ from most experiments in a number of ways. Instead of assuming a normal distribution for the response, we often assume a distribution such as the exponential or Weibull. Also, censoring, the termination of a life test before all units have failed, is common in life testing experiments. We investigate algorithms to obtain optimal, or near-optimal designs for multifactor experiments assuming an exponential distribution for the lifetimes.
Solution-Processed, Ultrathin Solar Cells from CdCl3–-Capped CdTe Nanocrystals: The Multiple Roles of CdCl3– Ligands

Solution-processed CdTe solar cells using CdTe nanocrystal (NC) ink may offer an economically viable route for large-scale manufacturing. Here we design a new CdCl3–-capped CdTe NC ink by taking advantage of novel surface chemistry. In this ink, CdCl3– ligands act as surface ligands, sintering promoters, and dopants. Our solution chemistry allows obtaining very thin continuous layers of high-quality CdTe which is challenging for traditional vapor transport methods. Using benign solvents, in air, and without additional CdCl2 treatment, we obtain a well-sintered CdTe absorber layer from the new ink and demonstrate thin-film solar cells with power conversion efficiency over 10%, a record efficiency for sub-400 nm thick CdTe absorber layer.
Effectiveness of Animal Assisted Therapy after brain injury: A bridge to improved outcomes in CRT.

BACKGROUND Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been widely used as a complementary therapy in mental health treatment especially to remediate social skill deficits. The goal of AAT is to improve social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to draw upon the literature on AAT and explore specific applications to cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) and social skills training. METHODS This study provides a systematic review of most of the available literature on ATT and assesses that potential uses of ATT for brain injury rehabilitation. RESULTS Although the efficacy of AAT is not currently well documented by rigorous research, (Kazin, 2010) anecdotal evidence suggests that brain injury survivors may benefit from the combination of AAT and cognitive rehabilitation techniques. CONCLUSIONS Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) survivors with cognitive impairments can benefit from AAT as part of a comprehensive and holistic rehabilitation treatment plan.
Arthroscopic treatment of rotator cuff disorders.

A comprehensive review of the history, indications, applications, results, and arthroscopic technique for the evaluation and treatment of common lesions of the rotator cuff and subacromial space is presented.
SPARC T5: 16-core CMT processor with glueless 1-hop scaling to 8-sockets

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation on Oracle's SPARC T5, a 16-core CMT processor with glueless 1-Hop scaling to 8-sockets. The powerpoint display is intended to outline the company's general product direction. It is intended for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. It is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for Oracle’s products remains at the sole discretion of Oracle.
New algorithm for automatic determination of systolic and diastolic blood pressures in oscillometric measurements

Most automated non-invasive blood pressure measuring devices are based on some empirically derived criteria applied to the oscillometric index, which is defined as a certain characteristic physical property of pressure pulses measured by an inflated cuff wrapped around the upper arm during cuff pressure deflation. In this study, different algorithms for automatic determination of the systolic and diastolic pressures are compared. In addition to the measured pressure pulses, which are one of a typical physical property used for the oscillometric index, some other properties are applied such as a time derivative and a powered short time variance of the pressure data, as well as the audible part of the data measured by a microphone implanted in the cuff (Korotkoff sounds). Beside known empirical algorithms based on characteristic ratios of the oscillometric pulse amplitude, and the maximum and minimum slope of the oscillometric envelope, a new algorithm is introduced based on the presence and absence of oscillometric activity. This algorithm can be applied either to the powered short time variance of the pressure changes in the cuff or to the Korotkoff sounds.
Vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction in diabetes: nuclear receptors channel to relaxation

Endothelial dysfunction and impaired vascular relaxation represent a common cause of microvascular disease in patients with diabetes. Although multiple mechanisms underlying altered endothelial cell function in diabetes have been described, there is currently no specific and approved pharmacological treatment. In this edition of Clinical Science, Morales-Cano et al. characterize voltage-dependent K(+) (Kv) channels as genes regulated by pharmacological activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-b/d (PPARb/d). Diabetes altered Kv channel function leading to impaired coronary artery relaxation, which was prevented by pharmacological activation of PPARb/d. These studies highlight an important mechanism of vascular dysfunction in diabetes and point to a potential approach for therapy, particularly considering that PPARb/d ligands have been developed and tested in small clinical trials.
Media in Rural Schools. A Case of a Rural High School trying to use iPads in Class Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to explore how teachers and students use iPads in class, the obstacles and barriers to teacher and student iPad use, and the relationship between types and frequency of use, in one high school in Southern Oregon. The study consisted of classroom observations and follow-up interviews with nine teachers with iPad carts over a three week period. Qualitative data was emphasized, with some quantitative data to support it. Overall, iPad use was low, even though access to iPads was high. When iPads were used, teachers used iPads mostly for communication and delivering instruction, and students used iPads mostly for reading, writing, and research. Observational data and interview data results on the types of use were consistent, indicating that teachers are well aware of how they use iPads in their classrooms.
Learning position and orientation dynamics from demonstrations via contraction analysis

This paper presents a unified framework of model-learning algorithms, called contracting dynamical system primitives (CDSP), that can be used to learn pose (i.e., position and orientation) dynamics of point-to-point motions from demonstrations. The position and the orientation (represented using quaternions) trajectories are modeled as two separate autonomous nonlinear dynamical systems. The special constraints of the $${\mathbb {S}}^{3}$$ manifold are enforced in the formulation of the system that models the orientation dynamics. To capture the variability in the demonstrations, the dynamical systems are estimated using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). The parameters of the GMMs are learned subject to the constraints derived using partial contraction analysis. The learned models’ reproductions are shown to accurately reproduce the demonstrations and are guaranteed to converge to the desired goal location. Experimental results illustrate the CDSP algorithm’s ability to accurately learn position and orientation dynamics and the utility of the learned models in path generation for a Baxter robot arm. The CDSP algorithm is evaluated on a publicly available dataset and a synthetic dataset, and is shown to have the lowest and comparable average reproduction errors when compared to state-of-the-art imitation learning algorithms.
Targeting an oncogenic kinase/phosphatase signaling network for cancer therapy

Protein kinases and phosphatases signal by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation to precisely control the activities of their individual and common substrates for a coordinated cellular outcome. In many situations, a kinase/phosphatase complex signals dynamically in time and space through their reciprocal regulations and their cooperative actions on a substrate. This complex may be essential for malignant transformation and progression and can therefore be considered as a target for therapeutic intervention. p38γ is a unique MAPK family member that contains a PDZ motif at its C-terminus and interacts with a PDZ domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPH1. This PDZ-coupled binding is required for both PTPH1 dephosphorylation and inactivation of p38γ and for p38γ phosphorylation and activation of PTPH1. Moreover, the p38γ/PTPH1 complex can further regulate their substrates phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, which impacts Ras transformation, malignant growth and progression, and therapeutic response. This review will use the p38γ/PTPH1 signaling network as an example to discuss the potential of targeting the kinase/phosphatase signaling complex for development of novel targeted cancer therapy.