cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Area Efficient Thermal Energy Harvester With Reconfigurable Capacitor Charge Pump for IoT Applications

This brief introduces an integrated energy harvester system targeting Internet of Things sensor applications such as a wireless temperature sensor. The proposed design provides 1-V regulated voltage boosting the input voltage (0.27–1 V) from a thermoelectric generator (TEG). To ensure the maximum power extraction, the proposed energy harvester includes multiple circuit level techniques. First, the reconfigurable capacitor charge pump distributes on-chip capacitors to required step-up stages. This approach optimizes the silicon area by utilizing 100% of on-chip capacitors regardless of charge pump conversion gain. Second, the design is capable of 3-D maximum power point tracking, matching a source impedance to input impedance of the energy harvester. Thus, the proposed design is able to extract power from a small form factor TEG, having low source impedance. The reconfigurable capacitor charge pump has the highest power density while delivering power up to $500~{\mu W}$ . Experimental results show end-to-end power efficiency of 64% @ 1–V output voltage, and an input impedance matching range of $1 {\Omega } - 5~{\mathbf{k}}{\Omega }$ . The energy harvester was fabricated in 130-nm CMOS standard technology with an active area of 0.835 mm2.
Pistas sobre o pensamento ético-social protestante latino-americano

This article argues that in order to think about a Latin American Protestant social ethic one needs to understand the ethos in which it emerges. Such an ethos forms in the context of the development of Protestant social thought in Latin America. This article revisits some important moments and movements for the formation of this Protestant social thinking in the region in the course of the 20th century. Five moments are highlighted. Firstly, the awareness of Latin American Protestantism is identified as the starting point for the formation of a Protestant ethos in the continent. In a second moment, the search for autonomy of Latin American Protestantism stands out. Next, the moment is discussed when, in rupture with a reformist and socialist social vision, Protestant sectors for the first time embraced a more radical project. The fourth moment presents a brief evangelical response in the context of integral mission. Finally, the current challenges in a context marked by indigeneity and pentecostality are briefly addressed. Propoe-se que para pensar uma etica social protestante latino-americana precisa-se entender o ethos no qual ela emerge. Tal ethos se forma no contexto do desenvolvimento do pensamento social protestante na America Latina. Esse artigo revisita alguns momentos e movimentos importantes para a formacao desse pensar social protestante na regiao no decorrer do seculo XX. Cinco momentos sao destacados. Primeiramente, identifica-se a tomada de consciencia do protestantismo latino-americano como ponto de partida para a formacao de um ethos protestante no continente. Num segundo momento, destaca-se a busca por autonomia do protestantismo latino-americano. Em seguida, discute-se o momento quando, em ruptura com uma visao social reformista e desenvolvimentista, setores protestantes abracaram pela primeira vez um projeto mais radical. O quarto momento apresenta uma breve resposta evangelica no contexto da missao integral. Por fim, aborda-se brevemente os desafios atuais num contexto marcado pela indigeneidade e pentecostalidade.
System-level actuator testing for mars rover application

The Mars 2020 mission utilizes heritage designs from the Mars Science Laboratory rover, while integrating new actuators for the Sample Caching Subsystem (SCS). The Motion Control Subsystem system-level test program was executed to identify potential areas of risk as well as qualify actuators and the Rover Motor Controller Assembly (RMCA). Actuators were tested in a flight-like configuration in a thermal chamber at ambient temperature, +70 °C, and −70 °C. The tests performed include Winding Resistance, Brake Disengage/Engage, Startup/Halt Sensitivity, No Load, Cogging Profile/Powered Torque Ripple, and Dynamometer. The test setups and methods for understanding results were outlined. Early test results identified areas of risk which resulted in an engineering change: a new RMCA FPGA rate estimator algorithm and changes to the controller conductance loop. The continuation of this testing and future work will inform development of flight software and operational procedure.
Educational Assessment in Developing Countries

The World Conference on Education for All (WCEFA) catalyzed international commitment to ensure that all children be given an equal opportunity to achieve and maintain an acceptable level of learning. To assess progress toward this goal and to facilitate the development of appropriate policies to achieve it, the WCEFA World Declaration on Education for All identified two essential activities: defining “acceptable levels of learning acquisition for education programs” and improving and applying “systems of assessment learning achievement” (WCEFA, 1990, p. 5). In response to these educational assessment challenges presented by the WCEFA, since 1990, the World Bank’s support for assessment components in education projects has increased significantly and has covered a wide range of educational testing activities and institutions. This support is described in this chapter and is placed in the context of an ongoing dialogue regarding the importance and relevance of assessment.
The Nature of Complexity and Relevance to Pharmaceutical Sciences

The decade of the 1970s was a period of change for many reasons. In addition to the revolution in personal computing, information, and gaming technology, a new view of the underpinning mathematics and science in nature was evolving. Benoit Mandelbrot developed a mathematical approach to describe the apparent complexity in nature (Mandelbrot 1977). He observed that the superficial appearance of objects was built on a foundation of nonlinearity or “roughness” which could be described simply as self-similar at any scale of ­scrutiny. This “fractal” approach became a central philosophy behind complexity studies. As scientists in different disciplines began to accommodate complex interpretations of their data, a new approach to predict or describe physical phenomena evolved that challenged more traditional methods and increased the potential to understand previously poorly understood. During this period, others were also formulating approaches to nonlinear phenomena in a variety of fields (Woodcock and Davis 1978).
Investigation of Different Parallel Models for DNS of Turbulent Channel Flow

Publisher Summary The chapter investigates the efficiency of different parallel implementations and targets at direct numerical simulation (DNS) of high Reynolds number channel flow. The chapter presents the investigation of different parallel implementations, including different parallel models and benchmark results, and reports DNS simulation results at high Reynolds number, Re*=1000. Detailed statistics and visualization are also provided in the chapter. Because DNS at high Reynolds number is time and memory consuming, there is a need to optimize the code to achieve the highest possible parallel efficiency to use supercomputers. To obtain maximum optimization, several different parallel models are implemented in the chapter. Their performance is benchmarked and the best model is chosen. The first model uses domain decomposition in the stream-wise direction, and it is the easiest way to implement. However, this model has potential limitation on the maximum number of processors that can be used, because at least two planes need to be allocated to each processor to do de-aliasing in the nonlinear step.
The Agriculture and Economics of Qat

Qat is by far the most important cash crop in North Yemen, even though the entire production is distributed and consumed within the country. Until 1971 qat contributed to the country’s balance of trade through exports to Aden (now PDRY). However, since the ban on it in that country instituted in 1971, the popular plant no longer brings in any foreign currency to the Yemen Arab Republic. This is one of the facts martialled by Western economists and some Yemeni government officials in their bitter arguments against the drug. That consumption is totally local is also frequently cited as evidence that qat has little real importance to the economy. The true magnitude of its economic role in the economy has not been understood or appreciated by outside observers.
Cardioimmunology: the immune system in cardiac homeostasis and disease

The past few decades have generated growing recognition that the immune system makes an important contribution to cardiac development, composition and function. Immune cells infiltrate the heart at gestation and remain in the myocardium, where they participate in essential housekeeping functions throughout life. After myocardial infarction or in response to infection, large numbers of immune cells are recruited to the heart to remove dying tissue, scavenge pathogens and promote healing. Under some circumstances, immune cells can cause irreversible damage, contributing to heart failure. This Review focuses on the role of the immune system in the heart under both homeostatic and perturbed conditions.
Controlled Primary Frequency Support for Asynchronous AC Areas through an MTDC Grid

Provision of controlled primary frequency support to asynchronous AC areas through an MTDC grid using a minimal-communication scheme is proposed. Under nominal operating condition, only voltage droop is considered to allow the AC systems operate asynchronously as they are meant to. When an AC system needs support, the corresponding converter transmits basic information via a distress signal through the existing DC lines or through existing communication channels used for common DC voltage-droop control. For AC disturbances, the frequency droop is activated with values that are predesigned based on the proposed design procedure. For converter outage, power references are modified in such a way that the DC power redistribution does not or minimally affect the AC-side frequencies. Simulation studies showing the effectiveness of the proposed strategies are presented.
Transoral robotic excision of laryngocele: Surgical considerations

Background Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has emerged as a novel, safe, and feasible procedure for the resection of malignant supraglottic laryngeal cancers. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the surgical technique with extension of the use of TORS to excise a laryngeal cyst. Results Laryngeal cyst resection, along with its tract, was accomplished with preservation of both false and true vocal cords. There was no perioperative or early postoperative complications. The patient was extubated immediately after surgery. Oral diet was initiated within 24 hours. No tracheostomy was required. A video demonstration of the surgical technique is included on Head & Neck's website. Conclusion TORS is a safe and feasible procedure for excision of selected laryngeal cysts.
“You Say Unethical, I Say Criminal”: How Definitions Can Influence Approach

The article in this issue by DuBois and colleagues (2019) represents an important effort to understand the causes and correlates of what they term “serious ethical violations” by physicians in nona...
Box and Cox TransformationArticle originally published in Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, 2nd Edition (2005, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Minor revisions for this publication by Jeroen de Mast.

The sections in this article are Keywords: analysis of variance; maximum likelihood
Transdisciplinarity across two-tiers: The case of applied linguistics and literary studies in U.S. foreign language departments

Abstract In the ten years since the Modern Language Association published their report, “Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World” (2007) dissatisfaction with the “two-tiered configuration” of US foreign language departments has become increasingly vocal. While the target of the criticism is often the curriculum, it has often been noted that programmatic bifurcations mirror institutional hierarchies, e.g. status differences between specialists in literary and cultural studies and experts in applied linguistics and language pedagogy (e.g. Maxim et al., 2013; Allen & Maxim, 2012). This chapter looks at the two-tiered structure of collegiate modern language departments from the perspectives of the transdisciplinary shape-shifters who maneuver within them – scholars working between applied linguistics and literary studies. These individuals must negotiate the methodologies and the institutional positions available to them – in many instances, the latter is what has prompted them to work between fields in the first place. The particular context of US foreign language and literature departments serves as a case study of the lived experiences of doing transdisciplinary work in contexts that are characterized by disciplinary hierarchies and the chapter ends with a call for applied linguistics to consider not only the epistemic, but also the institutional and affective labor needed to sustain transdisciplinary work.
Montaigne’s Tasso: Madness, melancholy and the enigma of Italy:

This essay re-examines the question of Montaigne’s view of contemporary Italy and Italians by focusing on his allusions to Tasso in the Essais. It places Montaigne’s Italianism in the context of th...
Location, Location! Cellular relocalization primes specialized metabolic diversification

Specialized metabolites are structurally diverse and cell- or tissue-specific molecules produced in restricted plant lineages. In contrast, primary metabolic pathways are highly conserved in plants and produce metabolites essential for all of life, such as amino acids and nucleotides. Substrate promiscuity - the capacity to accept non-native substrates - is a common characteristic of enzymes, and its impact is especially apparent in generating specialized metabolite variation. However, promiscuity only leads to metabolic diversity when alternative substrates are available; thus, enzyme cellular and subcellular localization directly influence chemical phenotypes. We review a variety of mechanisms that modulate substrate availability for promiscuous plant enzymes. We focus on examples where evolution led to modification of the 'cellular context' through changes in cell-type expression, subcellular relocalization, pathway sequestration, and cellular mixing via tissue damage. These varied mechanisms contributed to the emergence of structurally diverse plant specialized metabolites and inform future metabolic engineering approaches.
Injectable biodegradable bi-layered capsule for sustained delivery of bevacizumab in treating wet age-related macular degeneration

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of abnormal blood vessel growth. As such, bevacizumab-based inhibition of VEGF has been the clinically adopted strategy to treat colorectal and breast cancers as well as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, as the treatment of vascular diseases often requires a high drug concentration for a long period, the burst release of bevacizumab remains a critical limitation in anti-VEGF-based therapies. Maintaining bevacizumab at high concentrations over extended periods remains challenging due to insufficient drug loading capacity and drug-device interactions. We report the development of a polymeric based bi-layered capsule that could address these challenges by extending the release over one year, thereby providing an effective platform enabling treatment of chronic vascular diseases. Remarkably, the developed capsules have a bi-layered structure which ensures the structural integrity of the injectable capsules and appropriate diffusion of bevacizumab by providing optimal physical trapping and electrostatic interaction. Meanwhile, the central hollow design enables a higher drug loading to meet the need for long-term release of bevacizumab for several months to one year. Using an in vitro drug release assay, we demonstrated that the bi-layered capsule could produce longer-term local drug administration by intravitreal injection compared to previously reported devices. The capsules also present minimal toxicity and maintain anti-VEGF potency, suggesting that our approach may have the potential to treat vascular-related diseases using bevacizumab.
Delphi investigation of strategies to develop cultural competence in physical education teacher education

Background: The shifting demographics of the United States population remains a central challenge for the education sector. A pressing concern rests with the continued cultural gap that exists betw...
Defining the impact of Peyronie's disease on the psychosocial status of gay men

BACKGROUND Little sexual health research has been conducted in gay men. Anecdotally, this population seems to experience more bother related to Peyronie's disease (PD). OBJECTIVES To examine the impact of PD on psychosocial factors in gay vs straight men. MATERIALS AND METHODS All PD patients who were seen in the sexual medicine clinic were included. They completed three instruments: the PD questionnaire (PDQ), Self-Esteem and Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire, and a depression questionnaire (CES-D). We described demographics and sexual variables by sexual orientation. We then compared PDQ items and summary scores by sexual orientation, using a series of independent samples t tests. RESULTS 34 consecutive gay and 464 straight men were included. Age and baseline characteristics were similar between the two cohorts, with the exception that fewer gay men were partnered (56% vs 87%, P < .01), and those with a partner had a shorter relationship duration: 109 ± 9 months vs 262 ± 175 months, P < .01. For the SEAR questionnaire, gay men demonstrated a more significant psychosocial impact of PD overall with lower SEAR sums (41 vs 57, P = .01) and a lower sexual relationship subdomain score (28 vs 47, P < .01). 41% of gay men vs 26% of straight men had CES-D scores consistent with depression as defined by a score of ≥16 (P = .09). In the PDQ domains, gay men scored less favorably with regard to bother scores (7 vs 5, P = .03) and pain scores (8 vs 4, P = .04). DISCUSSION Gay men with PD experience significantly more psychosocial impact as evidenced by less favorable SEAR sum and sexual relationship scores, CES-D scores, and PDQ pain and bother domain scores. CONCLUSION The psychosocial impact of PD is significant in all men, but it appears to be greater in gay men.
Lowering the impact of food insecurity in African American adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (LIFT-DM) - Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract Background There is strong evidence that disparities in the burden of diabetes exist by both race and poverty. Food insecurity, or an inability to or limitation in accessing nutritionally adequate food, is an important modifiable social determinant of health, particularly in adults with chronic disease. African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and more likely than whites to be food insecure. Methods We describe a 4-year ongoing randomized controlled trial, which will test the separate and combined efficacy of monthly food vouchers and monthly food stock boxes layered upon diabetes education in improving glycemic control in low income, food insecure, African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus using a 2 × 2 factorial design. Three hundred African American adults with clinical diagnosis of diabetes and HbA1c ≥ 8% will be randomized into one of four groups: 1) diabetes education alone; 2) diabetes education plus food vouchers; 3) diabetes education plus stock boxes; and 4) diabetes education plus combined food vouchers and stock boxes. Our primary hypothesis is: among low-income, food insecure, African Americans with type 2 diabetes, those receiving diabetes education enhanced with food supplementation (food vouchers alone, stock boxes alone, or combination) will have significantly greater reduction in HbA1c at 12 months compared to those receiving diabetes education only. Discussion Results from this study will yield valuable insight currently lacking on how best to design and deliver diabetes interventions to low-income, food insecure, African Americans with diabetes that takes into account both clinical and social determinants of health. Trial registration This study was registered on November 29, 2019 with the United States National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Registry ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier# NCT04181424 ).
The Clinical Sustainability Assessment Tool: measuring organizational capacity to promote sustainability in healthcare

Few validated assessment tools are available to increase understanding and measure factors associated with sustainment of clinical practices, an increasingly recognized need among clinicians. We describe the development of the Clinical Sustainability Assessment Tool (CSAT), designed to assess factors that contribute to sustainable practices in clinical settings. Sixty-four participants from clinical and research fields participated in concept mapping and were recruited to brainstorm factors that lead to sustained clinical practices. Once repeated factors were removed, participants sorted items based on similarity and rated them by importance and feasibility. Using concept mapping analyses, items were grouped into meaningful domains to develop an initial tool. We then recruited pilot sites and early adopters, for a total of 286 practicing clinicians, to pilot and evaluate the tool. Individuals were recruited from clinical settings across pediatric and adult medical and surgical subspecialties. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test hypothesized subscale structure in the instrument. We used root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) and the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) to assess fit and thus the ability of CSAT to measure the identified domains. The concept mapping produced sorted statements that were edited into items that could be responded to, resulting in the creation of a tool with seven determinant domains and 47 items. The pilot and CFA testing resulted in a final CSAT instrument made up 35 items, five per domain. CFA results demonstrated very good fit of the seven domain structure of the CSAT (RMSEA = 0.049; SRMR = 0.049). Usability testing indicated the CSAT is brief, easy to use, easy to learn, and does not require extensive training. Additionally, the measure scored highly (18/20) on the Psychometric and Pragmatic Evidence Rating Scale (PAPERS). The seven final CSAT domains were engaged staff and leadership, engaged stakeholders, organizational readiness, workflow integration, implementation and training, monitoring and evaluation, and outcomes and effectiveness. The CSAT is a new reliable assessment tool which allows for greater practical and scientific understanding of contextual factors that enable sustainable clinical practices over time.
Castration, the archive, and the incel wiki

In recent years, the incel community has been the subject of much scholarly and public fascination due to its violent and spectacular misogyny, which has resulted in acts of mass violence. In this essay, I argue that the incel psyche can best be understood through a reading of the incel wiki, which was established after a large incel community on Reddit was banned. During the ban, all of the content was lost, and in an attempt to regain their power a group of users created a wiki as a collaborative knowledge repository and archive. I argue that this archive not only serves as a way of reclaiming power via the process of embracing the incels’ symbolic castration but reveals the social epistemology of the group, as well as their shared fantasies, by creating an imaginary order. As a collaborative knowledge space and archive, the wiki allows for the sublimation of incel desire.
Gandhi, ‘The Coloured Races’, and the Future of Satyagraha: The View from the African American Press:

W. E. B. Du Bois, the editor of the Crisis, a journal of the ‘darker races’ that was the organ of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was among the earliest African Amer...
Identification for Robust Control of Flexible Structures

An accurate multivariable transfer function model of an experimental structure is required for research involving robust control of flexible structures. Initially, a multi-input/multi-output model of the structure is generated using the finite element method. This model was insufficient due to its variation from the experimental data. Therefore, Chebyshev polynomials are employed to fit the data with a single-input/multi-output transfer function models. Combining these lead to a multivariable model with more modes than the original finite element model. To find a physically motivated model, as ad hoc model reduction technique which uses a priori knowledge of the structure is developed. The ad hoc approach is compared with balanced realisation model reduction to determine its benefits. Plots of select transfer function models and experimental data are included.
Recurrence relations for the Fresnel integral ∫∞0 exp(-ct)dt / √ t(1 + t2) and Similar Integrals

The class of functions defined by ∫∞0[exp(-cX)dt/(1 + Y) (√t)k] where X and Y are either t or t2 and k is -1, 0, or 1 can be evaluated by recurrences for all but small values of the parameter c. These recurrences, given here, are more efficient than the usual asymptotic series.
The relationship between the toxicity and structure of nitroaromatic chemicals

The acute toxicities of nitrotoluene, dinitrotoluene, trinitrotoluene, aminonitrotoluene, aminodinitrotoluene, and dinitrobenzene isomers were evaluated in fathead minnows. For the nitroaromatics, toxicity appeared to be related to the number and orientation of nitro groups; compounds with nitro groups positioned ortho or para to each other were appreciably more toxic than isomers having the nitro groups in the meta orientation. In contrast, the toxicities of the aminonitrotoluenes and aminodinitrotoluenes were not related in any obvious way to their structures. Two mechanisms may account for the differences in toxicity between the nitroaromatic isomers: nucleophilic displacement of a nitro group and reduction of a nitro group. The available data indicate that reduction of a nitro group is the more likely pathway.
Finding Transport Proteins in a General Protein Database

The number of specialized databases in molecular biology is growing fast, as is the availability of molecular data. These trends necessitate the development of automatic methods for finding relevant information to include in specialized databases. We show how to use a comprehensive database (SwissProt) as a source of new entries for a specialized database (TCDB, the Transport Classification Database). Even carefully constructed keyword-based queries perform poorly in determining which SwissProt records are relevant to TCDB; we show that a machine learning approach performs well. We describe a maximum-entropy classifier, trained on SwissProt records, that achieves high precision and recall in cross-validation experiments. This classifier has been deployed as part of a pipeline for updating TCDB that allows a human expert to examine only about 2% of SwissProt records for potential inclusion in TCDB. The methods we describe are flexible and general, so they can be applied easily to other specialized databases.
Large Scale Data Analysis Using AVS5 and POSTGRES

In this paper we discuss the use of AVS5 as an interface tool to the public domain database management system POSTGRES. This work is part of ongoing research on data analysis tools for large (terabyte) data sets. Statistical analysis and browsing tools for the data sets are provided via the AVS5 and POSTGRES systems. Graphical interfaces are provided for both the feature extraction stage and the post processing stage of the system. The tools for these interfaces, rather than the statistical tools themselves, are the focus of this paper.
A MODIFIED STRIP‐YIELD MODEL FOR PREDICTION OF PLASTICITY‐INDUCED CLOSURE IN SURFACE FLAWS

A slice synthesis methodology is developed and used to construct a modified strip-yield model for the semielliptical surface flaw, enabling prediction of plasticity-induced closure along the crack front and subsequent fatigue crack growth. A mathematical description of the model is presented. Slice synthesis methodologies have previously been limited to stress intensity factor and elastic crack displacement computation. Predictions of flaw shape evolution under cyclic loading are compared with experimental data for aluminium alloy specimens under uniform constant amplitude loading with R = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6. Model predictions are shown to correlate well with experimental data. An empirical correlation of relative crack opening stress with applied R ratio from the literature is shown to underestimate the level of closure at the deepest point of penetration when compared with the model predictions.
Can Buildings Be Made Earthquake-Safe?

Earthquake resistant building design has improved greatly since the 1906 San Francisco temblor. However, low-tech solutions for structures in the developing world are sorely needed.
Elicitation of thiomolybdates from the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase. Comparison with synthetic Fe-Mo-S complexes.

Aerial oxidation of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) of Azotobacter vinelandii nitrogenase has been shown to yield either the tetrathiomolybdate ion ([MoS4]2−) or the oxotrithiomolybdate ion ([MoOS3]2−), depending on the reaction conditions. Thus, when N-methylformamide (NMF) solutions of FeMoco either were titrated with measured aliquots of air or were diluted with air-saturated NMF, [MoOS3]2− was found to be the predominant product while dilution of NMF solutions of FeMoco with air-saturated methanol produced [MoS4]2− almost exclusively. Similar aerial oxidation of solutions of chemically synthesized Fe-Mo-S clusters showed that significant information about the molybdenum environment in these species could be deduced from the nature of the elicited thiomolybdates. The differences in decomposition products as a function of solvent are postulated to be due to the loss through precipitation of the reducing agent sodium dithionite on addition of methanol but not NMF. These overall decomposition results are discussed in the context of recent X-ray absorption spectroscopic data which suggest the presence of an ‘MoS3’ core in FeMoco. A possible mechanism wherby [MoS4]2− might be rapidly formed from this core is presented.
PMPs and Rx Drug Abuse—Encouraging Signs but Is It Every Man for Himself?

There has been tremendous expansion of the development of state PMPs in the last decade. The systems are improving—in that they are mainly online these days and also fairly up-to-date, with prescription data current, generally, to within a fortnight of the date of the prescriber's query. The percentage of states with such programs, active and in use is over 80%. Nevertheless, the ability of PMPs to help pain practice and pain patients by detecting doctor shopping on the one hand, and corroborating the self-reports of adherence by legitimate patients is still to be determined. The article by Reifler and colleagues in the issue [1] is one of the first to empirically evaluate the impact of such programs and as such is a welcome and important addition to the literature. Their results suggest a benefit to the implementation of PMPs, but if PMPs promise is to be fully realized, their use must become somehow better integrated into clinical practice. The PMPs have come a long way in ease of use, although there is still a long way to go. When I was practicing in Kentucky some years ago and KASPER was the “state-of-the-art” system, if my colleagues and I wanted to query the system, we had to send a fax to Frankfort and wait to receive the report back by fax. The data were only current within …
Mixed reconstitution between protein from common tobacco mosaic virus and ribonucleic acid from other strains.

Abstract Reconstitution of common tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) protein with the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the chemically produced strains nos. 256, 257, and 314 proceeded to a similar extent as with common TMV-RNA. HR-RNA reconstituted slightly less well than common TMV-RNA. All reconstituted viruses without regard to the strain origin of their RNA showed a similar stability under mechanical stress and in weak alkaline solutions. The infectivities of the mixed reconstituted viruses were much higher than the infectivity of the RNA donor strains and similar to the infectivity of the protein donor strain, that is, of common TMV.
Anatomy of an enhancer

Abstract Enhancers, the elements that regulate spatial and temporal gene expression in eukaryotic cells, act as templates for the assembly of multiprotein complexes. Studies on the enhancers associated with immediate-early genes of herpes simplex virus reveal an unanticipated recurrence of specific protein-protein interactions, comparable to a three-dimensional ‘jigsaw' puzzle. The arrangement of cis regulatory motifs — the DNA sequence of an enhancer-forms the puzzle template. Specific regulatory proteins, by forming contours of appropriate fit for both DNA template and neighboring proteins, constitute the puzzle pieces.
Dual-diode quantum-well modulator for C-band wavelength conversion and broadcasting

We present a dual-diode, InGaAsP/InP quantum-well modulator that incorporates a monolithically-integrated, InGaAs photodiode as a part of its on-chip, InP optoelectronic circuit. We theoretically show that such a dual-diode modulator allows for wavelength conversion with 10-dB RF-extinction ratio using 7 mW absorbed optical power at 10 Gb/s. We experimentally demonstrate unlimited wavelength conversion across 45 nm between 1525 nm and 1570 nm, and dual-wavelength broadcasting over 20 nm between 1530 nm and 1565 nm, spanning the entire C-band with >10dB RF-extinction ratio and using 3.1–6.7 mW absorbed optical power at 1.25 Gb/s.
Mutagenicity evaluation of tetrahydro-amino acridine by the Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity Ames test

1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-5-amino acridine (THA), a cholinesterase inhibitor currently under investigation for use in the treatment of senile dementia, exhibited mutagenic activity with and without metabolic microsomal S-9 activation against tester strain TA97a in the Salmonella typhimurium incorporation assay. The mutagenic response was concentration-dependent within the dose range of 500 to 2,500 μg/plate.
Effects of rapid thermal processing and pulse-laser sintering on CdTe nanofilms for photovoltaic applications

ABSTRACT Effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and dual compression-pulse-laser sintering (compression-PLS) on photovoltaic, CdTe nanowire (NW) and quantum dot (QD) films are investigated. Unlike regular furnace annealing, RTA involves raising the temperature of a substrates atmosphere by several hundred degrees in a matter of seconds, letting it sit for 30 to 120 seconds, then cooling it back to T 0 . To the best of our knowledge, such treatments of CdTe nanocrystal (NC) films have not been documented. In compression-PLS, a large pressure (MPa) is applied to a film through a laser-pulsing mechanism. Next, a high-energy, high frequency laser beam is pulsed onto it for sintering. During the compression, we used a single pulse of 5 nanoseconds. For the sintering, we used a 7.05 mJ beam for two pulses, at 25 ns per pulse. Such parameters were determined from SEM and other preliminary film characterization results. Morphology, material content, and conductivity of the films are analyzed before and after treatment using tunneling and scanning electron microscopy, ED S, and two-probe measurements, respectively. This study provides new knowledge regarding the morphological and structural outcomes of RTA and compression-PLS on CdTe nanoparticle films. Furthermore, RTA and compression-PLS can increase the film electrical conductivity by improving their contact with each other. We found that RTA partially sinters the film and enhances in-plane current density by a factor of ~1.7, for a values on the order of ~10
A novel macrophage receptor enhances MHC II-peptide leading and surface expression of a hapten-protein conjugate

A receptor possessing specificity for fluorescein was previously identified on murine macrophage. The goal of the present study was to determine if this receptor influenced MHC II-peptide loading and surface expression of a hapten-protein conjugate within murine macrophage. Although inhibition of fluid-phase pinocytosis had no detectable effect, lower levels of intracellular MHC II-peptide complexes were observed upon inhibition of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, lower levels of surface expressed MHC II-fluoresceinated peptide complexes were also detected. Following subcellular fractionation experiments, it was revealed that the receptor altered the endocytic trafficking of the antigen within the cell. Namely, degraded antigen and MHC II-peptide complexes were not observed in dense transferrin receptor positive, cathepsin D positive, LAMP-1 positive organelles upon inhibition of the receptor. Previous studies also suggested that this receptor enhanced MHC II-peptide loading by concentrating high levels of antigen to endocytic organelles. The implications of these findings on subsequent development of the immune response were also discussed.
INTEGRATION 2.30 Framework for Modeling Lane-Changing Behavior in Weaving Sections

The effectiveness of the INTEGRATION 2.30 model for analysis of weaving sections is validated by a comparison of the lateral and longitudinal distributions of simulated and field-observed traffic volumes categorized by origin-destination pair on nine weaving sections in the Los Angeles, California, area. The results demonstrate a reasonable degree of consistency in the spatial distribution of lane flows between simulated and field-observed traffic volumes within the weaving sections (spatial lane volume error of 250 veh/h or 25%). Furthermore, the spatial distribution of lane changes across the weaving lanes matches field-observed trends. Finally, the study demonstrates how the use of optional lane-bias and lane-changing parameters can enhance the consistency between model results and field data. Overall the study demonstrates the flexibility of the INTEGRATION software for the modeling of weaving sections.
Regional Convergence and the Role of Federal Transfers in Canada

Differences in per capita output across Canadian provinces have narrowed less than disparities in per capita income in past decades. Using a panel regression framework, this paper studies the differential impact of federal transfer programs on output convergence. The evidence suggests that while the Employment Insurance (EI) system seems to have had a significant negative effect on output convergence - by discouraging migration within Canada - the Equalization transfers may have helped spur convergence. The EI system, despite reforms introduced in the 1990s, still appears to contain features that deter labor mobility.
On split realizations of response maps over rings

This paper deals with observability properties of realizations of linear response maps defined over commutative rings. A characterization is given for those maps which admit realizations which are simultaneously reachable and observable in a strong sense. Applications are given to delay-differential systems.
A dual-modality optical coherence tomography and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy system for simultaneous morphological and biochemical tissue characterization

Most pathological conditions elicit changes in the tissue optical response that may be interrogated by one or more optical imaging modalities. Any single modality typically only furnishes an incomplete picture of the tissue optical response, hence an approach that integrates complementary optical imaging modalities is needed for a more comprehensive non-destructive and minimally-invasive tissue characterization. We have developed a dual-modality system, incorporating optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), that is capable of simultaneously characterizing the 3-D tissue morphology and its biochemical composition. The Fourier domain OCT subsystem, at an 830 nm center wavelength, provided high-resolution morphological volumetric tissue images with an axial and lateral resolution of 7.3 and 13.4 µm, respectively. The multispectral FLIM subsystem, based on a direct pulse-recording approach (upon 355 nm laser excitation), provided two-dimensional superficial maps of the tissue autofluorescence intensity and lifetime at three customizable emission bands with 100 µm lateral resolution. Both subsystems share the same excitation/illumination optical path and are simultaneously raster scanned on the sample to generate coregistered OCT volumes and FLIM images. The developed OCT/FLIM system was capable of a maximum A-line rate of 59 KHz for OCT and a pixel rate of up to 30 KHz for FLIM. The dual-modality system was validated with standard fluorophore solutions and subsequently applied to the characterization of two biological tissue types: postmortem human coronary atherosclerotic plaques, and in vivo normal and cancerous hamster cheek pouch epithelial tissue.
Aerosol exchange in the remote troposphere

A series of meteorological research flights were conducted over the Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, and the Antarctic seas, during the months of October, November and December, 1977, 1978 and 1980. The route of these flights was generally along an axis most distant from the temperate continents. Relatively high ozone mixing ratios were found over many oceanic areas, in agreement with GAMETAG observations. A minimum of tropospheric ozone was observed near the ITCZ, but ozone appeared to be advected into the tropical troposphere near the 500 mb level. The cumulus of the intertropical convergence zone are effective conveyors of aerosol, carrying enhanced aerosol concentrations to above the 200 mb level. The enhanced aerosol concentrations of the ITCZ were found to be transported into the adjacent tropical troposphere. The greatest aerosol concentrations were found in and near the high cumulus of the ITCZ, beneath the Southern Subtropical jet, and near stratiform clouds in the southern hemisphere. The aerosol concentration diminished steadily with increasing latitude south of the southern subtropical jet, in dry air. Uniform aerosol concentrations were observed in the Antarctic troposphere, except in the vicinity of cirrus layers aloft. and in moist or cloudy layers near the surface. Enhanced ozone mixing ratios were found in troughs about the periphery of Antarctica, and in slightly turbulent layers near mountains. Ozone and aerosol concentrations sometimes co-varied with respect to time but, no systematic variation could be shown among ozone concentration, aerosol concentration and meteorological parameters. Ozone and aerosol concentrations observed over a wide geographic area of Antarctica were stratified into two altitude classes, and the results mapped. Ozone concentrations in the mid troposphere (550 to 400 mb levels) were small and nearly invariant over the interior of Antarctica. Ozone concentrations in the upper tropospheric (400 - 300 mb) layers varied greatly, and became quite large over troughs and about the periphery of Antarctica, and in the vicinity of high mountains. Ozone exchange appears quite vigorous in the upper troposphere and frequent aerosol exchange occurs in the lower troposphere, but the stability of the middle troposphere inhibits mixing among these levels, in agreement with the hypothesis of Oltmanns and Komhyr. Vertical profiles of aerosol concentration indicate an aerosol decrease of 25 particles cm -3 Km -l in clear air over Antarctica. Moist and/or cloudy air over and near the Ross and Weddell Seas is enhanced with aerosol, relative to this dry profile. Moist layers over the interior of Antarctica are also enhanced in aerosol concentration in comparison with dry Antarctic air. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1986.tb00187.x
Effect of clothing type on validity of air-displacement plethysmography.

King, G.A., B. Fulkerson, M.J. Evans, K.L. Moreau, J.E. McLaughlin, and D.L. Thompson. Effect of clothing type on validity of air-displacement plethysmography. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(1):95-102. 2006. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the validity of an air-displacement plethysmography system (AP) within the general population, while wearing (1) a racing-type swimsuit (APSS) and (2) participant's personal undergarments (APUG), against hydrodensitometry (HW). Fifty women and 50 men were measured for body volume, density, and fat percentage by HW and compared with APSS and APUG. For women, APUG and APSS were similar, although significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed between APUG and HW and between APSS and HW. For men, there was no significant difference between APUG and HW; however, significant differences (P 0.01) were found between APUG and APSS and between APSS and HW. The small discrepancy in measured values between AP and HW are within the measurement error for the instrumentation and these data support the use of AP for determination of body composition in adults across a wide range of body size (body mass index [BMI] 17.7-35.2 kg·m?2) and age (18-57 y). Participants' personal undergarments provide a practical alternative to a spandex swimsuit when measuring body composition by AP in women but not in men.
Equivalence relations in the theory of repetitive consumption

Preference for food in the function of the time since last consumption and total preference in the function of eating frequency are equivalent mathematical representations of attitudes governing food consumption. The observed and postulated properties of these functions imply a formal correspondence between preference maximizing and variety seeking behavior.
A Sonic Hedgehog Missense Mutation Associated with Holoprosencephaly Causes Defective Binding to GAS1

Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a common birth defect predominantly affecting the forebrain and face and has been linked to mutations in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) gene. HPE is genetically heterogeneous, and clinical presentation represents a spectrum of phenotypes. We have previously shown that Gas1 encodes a cell-autonomous Hedgehog signaling enhancer. Combining cell surface binding, in vitro activity, and explant culture assays, we provide evidence that SHH contains a previously unknown unique binding surface for its interaction with GAS1 and that this surface is also important for maximal signaling activity. Within this surface, the Asn-115 residue of human SHH has been documented to associate with HPE when mutated to lysine (N115K). We provide evidence that HPE associated with this mutation can be mechanistically explained by a severely reduced binding of SHH to GAS1, and we predict a similar result if a mutation were to occur at Tyr-80. Our data should encourage future searches for mutations in GAS1 as possible modifiers contributing to the wide spectrum of HPE.
Choice and Effects of Instrument Sound in Aural Training.

A musical note produced through the vibration of a single string is psychoacoustically simpler/purer than that produced via multiple-strings vibration. Does the psychoacoustics of instrument sound have any effect on learning outcomes in music instruction? This study investigated the effect of two psychoacoustically distinct instrument sounds on pitch discrimination achievement of college music students. Repeated-measures analysis revealed a significant difference between achievement scores of students by instrument sounds, which indicated that psychoacoustic complexity of instrument sound could affect learning outcome in music instruction.