cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allosteric enhancers for adenosine receptors

Agonist allosteric enhancers stabilize the adenosine-A 1 aclenosine receptor-G protein ternary complex, thereby potentiating and prolonging the action of adenosine. Because they act only on the ternary complex their action is event- and site-specific. The 2-Amino-3-aroyl-4,5-alkylthiophenes prolong conduction through the cardiac AV node and potentiate the cardioprotective effect of brief coronary occlusions, proof of principle that they could be useful drugs. However, they are unstable, are arylamines and thus have carcinogenic potential and some have antagonist activity, a possible cause of side effects. The recently described 2-aminothiazole allosteric enhancers might avoid those drawbacks. Two kinds of quinoline derivatives have agonist allosteric enhancer activity at the A 3 adenosine receptor.
Collapsing exchange rate regimes

Abstract The paper develops models of speculative runs and collapse of fixed exchange rate regimes which result from credit policies that are ultimately inconsistent with a fixed exchange rate. While no substantially new results are offered, the formulation itself is of interest in highlighting the important ideas that have emerged in this area. We modify the Flood-Garber model to make the analysis more comparable with the deterministic case. Specifically we assume that the money growth process is specified in terms of growth rates rather than absolute increments and as a uniform rather than exponential distribution. The modified analysis lends itself to a simple geometric interpretation of the Krugman and Flood-Garber models, highlighting the important difference between the deterministic and stochastic models. In the former the speculative attack run is concentrated, in the latter the transition to floating is diffuse. Reserve losses exceed increases in domestic credit because of a rising probability of transition,and reserve depletion accelerates on the way to the regime change.
Outpatient assessment of neurovisual functions in children with Cerebral Palsy

This study examined the feasibility of the Atkinson Battery for Child Development for Examining Functional Vision (Atkinson, Anker, Rae, et al., 2002) to evaluate neurovisual functions of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in outpatient setting. A total of 90 patients underwent a comprehensive evaluation. Among these, a group of 33 children with Cerebral Palsy (CP), mean age 6 years, with different types of CP (26% diplegic, 37% hemiplegic and 37% tetraplegic) were selected to constitute the cohort of the study. Visual sensory measures as well as higher level visual functions were considered. Overall, 73% patients had impairments at the assessment protocol, the majority of which presenting difficulties on both visuoperceptual and visuospatial tasks (79%). Subgroups of participants presented similar profiles of impairments with spared basic visuocognitive abilities and limitations in visuoperceptual and visuospatial domains. The Atkinson's battery proved to be valuable for evaluation in outpatient setting and follow-up testing. Some limitations emerged. For the definition of personalized and detailed rehabilitation programs a breakdown of the different components of vision and subsequent in-depth evaluation are needed.
Biblical Criticism and the Challenge of Postmodernism

Postmodernism involves recognizing that the objective certitude sought by modern scientific and humanistic methods is not possible. Deconstruction paved the way for postmodernism in literary studies, but it is most evident in the work of some reader-response critics. Many reader-response critics utilize the indeterminacy of postmodern insight but are hesitant to accept its subjectivist implications. Biblical scholars tend to prefer methods that yield verifiable results, but some have successfully used postmodern approaches. Christian scholars, though committed to an idea of transcendence to which postmodernism seems to deny access, can still profitably use postmodern approaches but must be prepared to deal with such questions as inspiration and the relation of scholarship to the Church.
Group hypnotherapy as an active control strategy in chronic pain.

Abstract Chronic pain states are characterized by defective cognitive-attitudinal coping skills in addition to physiologic abnormalities. The present paper describes a group based hypnotic approach to generation of coping strategies with 5 chronic pain patients. Results indicate reduction in reported subjective estimate of pain. The group technique is particularly useful when employed jointly with traditional somatic modes of therapy for chronic pain.
The small magnetic Prandtl number approximation suppresses magnetorotational instability

Axisymmetric stability of viscous resistive magnetized Couette flow is re-examined, with emphasis on flows that would be hydrodynamically stable according Rayleigh’s criterion: opposing gradients of angular velocity and specific angular momentum. In this regime, mag- netorotational instability (MRI) may occur. The governing system in cylindrical coordinates is of tenth order. It is proved, by methods based on those of Synge and Chandrasekhar, that by dropping one term from the system, MRI is suppressed, in fact no instability at all occurs, with insulating boundary conditions. This term is often neglected because it has the magnetic Prandtl number, which is very small, as a factor; nevertheless it is crucially important.
Modified quasilinearization and optimal initial choice of the multipliers part 1—Mathematical programming problems

In this paper, the problem of extremizing a functionf(x) subject to the constraint ϕ(x)=0 is considered. Here,f is a scalar,x ann-vector, and ϕ aq-vector. A modified quasilinearization algorithm is developed; its main property is a descent property in the performance indexR, the cumulative error in the constraint and the optimum condition.
Influence of potato storage and handling stress on sugars, chip quality and integrity of the starch (amyloplast) membrane

Mechanical handling of Norchip (cv.) potatoes resulted in sucrose concentrations that exceeded 1% (fresh wt basis) 10 days after treatment. More than 65% of the maximal sugar accumulation occurred within 5 days of handling. Potatoes increased in their ability to produce sucrose as storagetime increased. Sucrose accumulation in response to handling stress was not mediated via gross physical disruption of the amyloplast membrane. Electron micrographs indicated that starch granules of both handled and control potatoes were surrounded by intact and continuous plastid (amyloplast) membranes throughout the major portion (1 to 8 months) of the storage season (8.9 C). Glucose levels did not increase at a similar rate compared to changes in sucrose concentration. Results suggest that the majority of the sucrose, which occurred during storage and/or handling stress, was not efficiently converted to reducing sugars via the enzyme invertase. Sucrose and glucose concentrations in all potatoes began to increase and chip color darkened as tubers senesced (9 to 10 months storage). Examination of electron micrographs during this storage period revealed that the bi-layers of the amyloplast membrane were separating. The mechanical handling of senescing potatoes (10 months in storage) resulted in a shift of the plastid membrane to a more disrupted state over that noted in the control. The variation in chip color induced by handling and/or storage time in Norchip potatoes was closely associated with the variation in glucose content (r = 0.953).
Ecology, Reproductive Biology, and Systematics of Neoplatymops mattogrossensis (Chiroptera: Molossidae)

Neoplatymops mattogrossensis , the South American flat-headed bat, is a ground crevice-dwelling microhabitat specialist. Small holometabolous insects are the predominant prey that it consumed in the Caatingas of Northeast Brazil. Its external morphology results in aerodynamic attributes that are unlike those of many molossids and that are similar to those of vespertilionid bats. The species is sexually dimorphic for most morphometric characters, but the magnitude of the dimorphism is slight, probably moderated by the constraints of crevice dwelling. Significant geographic variability characterizes the species, but is neither consistent nor of sufficient magnitude to designate recognizable subspecies. Low gene flow and a mosaic genetic structure probably characterize the species.
Behavioral and neuroendocrine effects in rats of postnatal exposure to low dietary levels of maneb.

Several behavioral and neurochemical consequences of neonatal and/or postneonatal exposure to maneb (ethylenebisdithiocarbamate manganese), a popularly used fungicide, were investigated in male rats at dietary levels of 0, .5, 1.0, or 10 ppm. Three different periods of exposure were employed: (1) during the 28-day neonatal period; (2) during the 5 months postweaning; and (3) during both the neonatal and postweaning periods of life. Behaviorally, neonatal exposure to maneb depressed exploratory activity of the 30-day old wealings. As adults, neonatally treated rats demonstrated enhanced learning ability in an operant conditioning procedure. However, no facilitation of learning was found in animals whose exposure to maneb was restricted to only their postweaning period of life. Although unrelated to the behavioral changes, neuroendocrine effects were also found. Regional brain cholinesterase (ChE) activity was reduced in rats exposed to maneb during either the neonatal period alone or during the 5 month postweaning period alone, but continuous exposure to maneb during both the neonatal and postweaning periods did not appreciably affect brain ChE activity. Adult plasma corticosterone levels were elevated by exposure to maneb only postweaning. No such change was found in the neonatally exposed rats.
Differences in the Profiles of DSM‐IV and DSM‐5 Alcohol Use Disorders: Implications for Clinicians

Background Existing information on consequences of the DSM-5 revision for diagnosis of alcohol use disorders (AUD) has gaps, including missing information critical to understanding implications of the revision for clinical practice.
Genetic dissection of behavioral flexibility: reversal learning in mice.

Background Behavioral inflexibility is a feature of schizophrenia, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and behavior addictions that likely results from heritable deficits in the inhibitory control over behavior. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of individual differences in flexibility, measured using an operant reversal learning task. Methods We quantified discrimination acquisition and subsequent reversal learning in a cohort of 51 BXD strains of mice (2–5 mice/strain, n = 176) for which we have matched data on sequence, gene expression in key central nervous system regions, and neuroreceptor levels. Results Strain variation in trials to criterion on acquisition and reversal was high, with moderate heritability (∼.3). Acquisition and reversal learning phenotypes did not covary at the strain level, suggesting that these traits are effectively under independent genetic control. Reversal performance did covary with dopamine D2 receptor levels in the ventral midbrain, consistent with a similar observed relationship between impulsivity and D2 receptors in humans. Reversal, but not acquisition, is linked to a locus on mouse chromosome 10 with a peak likelihood ratio statistic at 86.2 megabase ( p Syn3, Nt5dc3, and Hcfc2 . Conclusions This work demonstrates the clear trait independence between, and genetic control of, discrimination acquisition and reversal and illustrates how globally coherent data sets for a single panel of highly related strains can be interrogated and integrated to uncover genetic sources and molecular and neuropharmacological candidates of complex behavioral traits relevant to human psychopathology.
Processability of organometallic polymer precursors for nonoxide ceramic applications

Nonoxide ceramics can be obtained from the high temperature pyrolysis of organometallic polymer precursors. This study has focused on the processing behavior was investigated employing a Rheometrics mechanical spectrometer, RMS 800, and a PerkinElmer Model 4 differential scanning calorimeter. The effect of various environments including nitrogen and oxygen were also studied. The melt processing capability of polycarbosilane was found to be rather limited. Finally, a model which describes the pore formation process during pyrolysis has been proposed.
Hybridization and Introgression in a Managed, Native Population of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout: Genetic Detection and Management Implications

Abstract Since the mid-1920s, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has cultured Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri at Henrys Lake to offset declines in natural production and for use in stocking programs throughout Idaho. Since the mid-1970s, they have also produced F1 hybrids: female Yellowstone cutthroat trout × male rainbow trout O. mykiss. The ability of fishery managers, when selecting broodstock, to visually distinguish returning cutthroat trout from F1 hybrids is, therefore, crucial to avoid accidental introduction of rainbow trout genes into the hatchery-supplemented cutthroat trout population. To evaluate this ability, fish identified by staff as putative cutthroat trout or hybrids (an array of phenotypic characters are used), were sampled during two spawning seasons. Phenotypically identified fish were genetically tested using species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA gene loci and diagnostic allozyme loci. Current ...
Towards predictable and reliable distributed real-time systems

Critical issues in real-time software systems are addressed. The issues reviewed include: computational models; an integrated system-wide schedule; real-time communication protocols; real-time transactions; real-time language support; and real-time monitoring/debugging. >
Ficticious: MicroLanguages for interactive fiction

In this paper we provide an experience report where language oriented programming approaches are applied to complex game design. Ficticious is a G-expression based pidgin of several microlanguages designed for describing complex narrative worlds that exist within interactive fiction. G-expression language transformations convert code written in Ficticious to the general programming language Ginger, which is then translated into calls against the underlying machine. In this paper we explore Ficticious's unique object model and demonstrate how dynamic language transformations can be a powerful tool for implementing separation of concerns, rich text markup, complex virtual world design and character interaction.
Context-Dependent Multisensor Fusion and Its Application to Land Mine Detection

We present a novel method for fusing the results of multiple land mine detection algorithms which use different sensors, features, and different classification methods. The proposed multisensor/multialgorithm fusion method, which is called context-dependent fusion (CDF), is motivated by the fact that the relative performance of different sensors and algorithms can vary significantly depending on the mine type, geographical site, soil and weather conditions, and burial depth. CDF is a local approach that adapts the fusion method to different regions of the feature space. The training part of CDF has two components: context extraction and algorithm fusion. In context extraction, the features used by the different algorithms are combined and used to partition the feature space into groups of similar signatures, or contexts. The algorithm fusion component assigns a degree of worthiness to each detector in each context based on its relative performance within the context. To test a new alarm using CDF, each detection algorithm extracts its set of features and assigns a confidence value. Then, the features are used to identify the best context, and the degrees of worthiness of this context are used to fuse the individual confidence values. Results on large and diverse ground-penetrating radar and wideband electromagnetic data collections show that the proposed method can identify meaningful and coherent clusters and that different expert algorithms can be identified for the different contexts. Typically, the contexts correspond to groups of alarm signatures that share a subset of common features. Our extensive experiments have also indicated that CDF outperforms all individual detectors and the global fusion that uses the same method to assign aggregation weights.
Alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the epsilon subunit of the F1-F0 ATP synthase from Escherichia coli reveals two classes of mutants.

Abstract Alanine-scanning mutagenesis was applied to the ϵ subunit of the F1-F0 ATP synthase from E. coli. Nineteen amino acid residues were changed to alanine, either singly or in pairs, between residues 10 and 93. All mutants, when expressed in the ϵ deletion strain XH1, were able to grow on succinate minimal medium. Membranes were prepared from all mutants and assayed for ATP-driven proton translocation, ATP hydrolysis ± lauryldiethylamine oxide, and sensitivity of ATPase activity to N,N‘-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD). Most of the mutants fell into 2 distinct classes. The first group had inhibited ATPase activity, with near normal levels of membrane-bound F1, but decreased sensitivity to DCCD. The second group had stimulated ATPase activity, with a reduced level of membrane-bound F1, but normal sensitivity to DCCD. Membranes from all mutants were further characterized by immunoblotting using 2 monoclonal antibodies. A model for the secondary structure of ϵ and its role in the function of the ATP synthase has been developed. Some residues are important for the binding of ϵ to F1 and therefore for inhibition. Other residues, from Glu-59 through Glu-70, are important for the release of inhibition by ϵ that is part of the normal enzyme cycle.
Determination of Radium‐226 in CCRMP Reference Samples by Independent Nuclear Methods

Radium-226 concentrations have been determined in 11 CCRMP reference rock and ore samples using instrumental gamma-ray spectrometry and radiochemical radon emanation procedures. Results are compared to the best available data.
Potential role of angiotensin II in noise-induced increases in inner ear blood flow.

Abstract Guinea pigs were exposed to 120 dB white noise for 30 min and evidenced a four-fold elevation in plasma concentration of the potent vasoconstricting hormone angiotensin II (AII). Anesthetized animals received intra-arterial injections of All at doses that approximated the endogenous levels measured following noise exposure. A marked decrease in skin blood flow was observed with a concomitant increase in cochlear blood flow as measured by laser Doppler flowmeters. Increased cochlear blood flow appeared to be secondary to the increases in systemic blood pressure induced by AII. These findings suggest that cochlear blood flow may increase during periods of intense noise exposure.
Administration of a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor at the time of myocardial infarction attenuates subsequent ventricular remodeling.

Background Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) causes myocardial extracellular matrix remodeling and fibrosis in myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure models. Pre-clinical and clinical trials of TNF inhibition in chronic heart failure have shown conflicting results. This study examined the effects of the administration of a TNF inhibitor immediately after myocardial infarction on the development of heart failure. Methods Lewis rats underwent coronary artery ligation and then received either intravenous etanercept ( n = 14), a soluble dimerized TNF receptor that inhibits TNF, or saline as control ( n = 13). Leukocyte infiltration into the infarct borderzone was evaluated 4 days post-ligation in 7 animals (etanercept = 4, control=3). After 6 weeks, the following parameters were evaluated in the remaining animals: cardiac function with a pressure-volume conductance catheter, left ventricular (LV) geometry, and borderzone collagenase activity. Results Etanercept rats had significantly less borderzone leukocyte infiltration 4 days post-infarction than controls (10.7 ± 0.5 vs 18.0, ±2.0 cells/high power field; p p p p p p p Conclusions TNF inhibition after infarction reduced leukocyte infiltration and extracellular matrix turnover and preserved cardiac function.
Immunocytochemical distribution of pigment-dispersing hormone in the cephalic ganglia of polyneopteran insects

Material detectable with antisera to the pigment-dispersing hormone (PDH) is regarded as a component of the circadian clock residing in some insects in the optic lobe. This paper demonstrates that the position of the PDH-positive neurones and the course of their processes are similar in all representatives of the insect cohort Polyneoptera. A basic morphological pattern, which includes the proximal frontoventral (Pfv), distal posteriodorsal (Dpd) and posterioventral (Dpv) clusters of PDH-positive neurones, was found in the examined species of locusts, crickets, walking sticks, cockroaches, earwigs and termites. The Pfv cluster is located close to the accessory medulla and usually consists of a set of smaller and a set of larger perikarya. The Dpd and Dpv clusters occupy a dorsal and a ventral position, respectively, at the distal edge of the medulla. These clusters are lacking in stonefly and praying mantid species. The fan-like arrangement of PDH-positive fibres within the frontal medulla face (the locusts and the praying mantid have an additional, smaller fan on the posterior medulla face) is another characteristic feature of Polyneoptera. One (two in the locusts and the praying mantid) nerve bundle runs from the optic lobe to the lateral protocerebrum where it ramifies. One branch gives rise to a fibre network frontally encircling brain neuropile in the area of mushroom bodies. One thin fibre in the crickets and the earwig, and several thicker and anastomosing fibres in the other insects, connect the brain hemispheres. The arrangement of other PDH-positive structures specifies taxa within Polyneoptera. Specific features comprise the presence of PDH-positive perikarya in protocerebrum (walking stick and termite), deutocerebrum (cricket, walking stick, and one cockroach species), tritocerebrum (another cockroach species), and the suboesophageal ganglion (cricket, walking stick and termite). In the walking stick and the termite, PDH-positive fibres pass from the cephalic to the frontal ganglion and from there via the recurrent nerve to the corpora cardiaca where they make varicosities indicative of peptide release into the haemolymph.
Adenosine signaling promotes neuronal, catecholaminergic differentiation of primary neural crest cells and CNS-derived CAD cells.

In neural crest (NC) cultures cAMP signaling is an instructive signal in catecholaminergic, sympathoadrenal cell development. However, the extracellular signals activating the cAMP pathway during NC cell development have not been identified. We demonstrate that in avian NC cultures, evidenced by tyrosine hydroxylase expression and catecholamine biosynthesis, adenosine and not adrenergic signaling, together with BMP2, promotes sympathoadrenal cell development. In NC cultures, addition of the adenosine receptor agonist NECA in the presence of BMP2 promotes sympathoadrenal cell development, whereas the antagonist CGS 15943 or the adenosine degrading enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA) suppresses TH expression. Importantly, NC cells express A2A and A2B receptors which couple with Gsα increasing intracellular cAMP. Employing the CNS-derived catecholaminergic CAD cell line, we also demonstrate that neuronal differentiation mediated by serum withdrawal is further enhanced by treatment with IBMX, a cAMP-elevating agent, or the adenosine receptor agonist NECA, acting via cAMP. By contrast, the adenosine receptor antagonist CGS 15943 or the adenosine degrading enzyme ADA inhibits CAD cell neuronal differentiation mediated by serum withdrawal. These results support that adenosine is a physiological signal in neuronal differentiation of the CNS-derived catecholaminergic CAD cell line and suggest that adenosine signaling is involved in NC cell development in vivo.
Special session - research findings on engineering student learning and engineering teaching: Interactively exploring the implications for engineering education

The goal of this Special Session is to engage participants in consideration and discussion of a selected subset of research findings, with the intention of contextualizing the presented findings into the larger body of scholarship on engineering education as well as to consider how they may be used to inform program and course planning and classroom practice. The research presented will include emerging findings from an extensive set of data collected by the the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education (CAEE) through two of its constituent studies, the Academic Pathways Study (APS) of engineering undergraduate development and the Studies of Engineering Educator Decisions (SEED). While the specific findings to be presented will be drawn from the most recent research work, themes are likely to include gender differences among engineering students, development of engineering skills and identity over time, post-graduation plans of students, and factors affecting educator decisionmaking. This is the latest in a series of workshops in which CAEE research findings were presented and discussed; previous workshops have elicited lively discussions, and notes from the discussions can be found online (http://aps-seed.pbwiki.com/).
Upregulation of cathepsin D in the caudate nucleus of primates with experimental parkinsonism

Background: In Parkinson’s disease there is progressive loss of dopamine containing neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The neuronal damage is not limited to the substantia nigra but progresses to other regions of brain, leading to loss of motor control as well as cognitive abnormalities. The purpose of this study was to examine causes of progressive damage in the caudate nucleus, which plays a major role in motor coordination and cognition, in experimental Parkinson’s disease. Results: Using chronic 1-methyl-4phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine treatment of rhesus monkeys to model Parkinson’s disease, we found a upregulation of Cathepsin D, a lysosomal aspartic protease, in the caudate nucleus of treated monkeys. Immunofluorescence analysis of caudate nucleus brain tissue showed that the number of lysosomes increased concurrently with the increase in Cathepsin D in neurons. In vitro overexpression of Cathepsin D in a human neuroblastoma cell line led to a significant increase in the number of the lysosomes. Such expression also resulted in extralysosomal Cathepsin D and was accompanied by significant neuronal death associated with caspase activation. We examined apoptotic markers and found a strong correlation of Cathepsin D overexpression to apoptosis. Conclusions: Following damage to the substantia nigra resulting in experimental Parkinson’s disease, we have identified pathological changes in the caudate nucleus, a likely site of changes leading to the progression of disease. Cathepsin D, implicated in pathogenic mechanisms in other disorders, was increased, and our in vitro studies revealed its overexpression leads to cellular damage and death. This work provides important clues to the progression of Parkinson’s, and provides a new target for strategies to ameliorate the progression of this disease.
Mechanistic investigations reveal that dibromobimane extrudes sulfur from biological sulfhydryl sources other than hydrogen sulfide

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) has emerged as an important biological signaling molecule in the last decade. During the growth of this field, significant controversy has arisen centered on the physiological concentrations of H2S. Recently, a monobromobimane (mBB) method has been developed for the quantification of different biologically-relevant sulfide pools. Based on the prevalence of the mBB method for sulfide quantification, we expand on this method to report the use of dibromobimane (dBB) for sulfide quantification. Reaction of H2S with dBB results in formation of highly-fluorescent bimane thioether (BTE), which is readily quantifiable by HPLC. Additionally, the reaction of sulfide with dBB to form BTE is significantly faster than the reaction of sulfide with mBB to form sulfide dibimane. Using the dBB method, BTE levels as low as 0.6 pM can be detected. Upon use of the dBB method in wild-type and CSE−/− mice, however, dBB reports significantly higher sulfide levels than those measured using mBB. Further investigation revealed that dBB is able to extract sulfur from other sulfhydryl sources including thiols. Based on mechanistic studies, we demonstrate that dBB extracts sulfur from thiols with α- or β-hydrogens, thus leading to higher BTE formation than from sulfide alone. Taken together, the dBB method is a highly sensitive method for H2S but is not compatible for use in studies in which other thiols are present.
The Nitrogen Cycle: Perturbations Due to Man and Their Impact on Atmospheric N_2O and O_3

Features of the global cycle of fixed nitrogen are reviewed with an emphasis on perturbations due to man. It is argued that agricultural practices and combustion may lead to an increase in the concentration of atmospheric N2_O with consequent effects on O_3. The level of O_3 may drop by about 20% over the next 100 years if world population and the demand for food should continue to grow at anything like rates which prevailed in the recent past. Uncertainties in the model are highlighted and note is taken of areas where there is need for additional data.
Large enhancement of light-extraction efficiency from optically pumped, nanorod light-emitting diodes

We report a threefold enhancement of light-emission intensity at λ=460 nm and a 16-fold extraction-efficiency enhancement measured from a 2D array of nanorod LEDs. The nano-LEDs are randomly arranged and have a typical rod diameter of 100-250 nm. From a combination of photoluminescence, reflectance, and excitation power-dependence measurements, we show that the enhanced emission is due mainly to modification of the extraction efficiency, and not to that of the internal efficiency. Furthermore, we show that the extraction enhancement originates from the randomness of the 2D array that scatters light efficiently into the air and the smallness of the nanorods that eliminates the guiding modes that trap light.
The role of serial amnioinfusions in the management of previable pre-term premature rupture of membranes.

A 33-year-old woman (2 gravida, 0 para) was admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santa Maria Della Misericordia University Hospital, Perugia, at 22 weeks' gestation, with pre-te...
Assessing the organizational social context (OSC) of mental health services: Implications for research and practice.

The organizational social context in which mental health services are provided is believed to affect the adoption and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) as well as the quality and outcomes of the services. A fully developed science of implementation effectiveness requires conceptual models that include organizational social context and tools for assessing social context that have been tested in a broad cross-section of mental health systems. This paper describes the role of organizational social context in services and implementation research and evaluates a comprehensive contextual measure, labeled Organizational Social Context (OSC), designed to assess the key latent constructs of culture, climate and work attitudes. The psychometric properties of the OSC measure were assessed in a nationwide study of 1,154 clinicians in 100 mental health clinics with a second-order confirmatory factor analysis of clinician responses, estimates of scale reliabilities, and indices of within-clinic agreement and between-clinic differences among clinicians. Finally, the paper illustrates the use of nationwide norms in describing the OSC profiles of individual mental health clinics and examines the cross-level association of organizational-level culture and climate with clinician-level work attitudes.
The relationship between world system position and the division of labor: A cross‐national analysis

Two perspectives on the division of labor are compared: human ecology and world system theory. It is argued that in addition to the traditional ecological variables, the internal division of labor of nations is influenced by their position in the world‐system division of labor. Using ordinary least‐squares regression with cross‐sectional data, support is found for the hypothesis that the internal division of labor in a country is related to its position in the world system.
Viscous relaxation of impact craters on icy planetary surfaces - Determination of viscosity variation with depth

Spacecraft images show that the icy Galilean satellites have surfaces with very low topographic relief. Impact craters on Ganymede and Callisto are anomalously shallow and are characterized by sharp well-defined rims and domed floors. These morphological characteristics can be explained by viscous relaxation of topography on an icy crust in which the viscosity is uniform or decreases with depth. Under these conditions, large craters relax more rapidly than small craters, therefore explaining a possible underabundance of large craters. Viscous relaxation on an icy crust that is thin compared to the crater diameter or on a thick icy crust in which viscosity increases with depth could not produce this crater morphology and would result in the more rapid relaxation of small craters rather than large craters. The results of this study suggest that more detailed analysis of relaxing impact crater morphology may resolve the rate of viscosity decrease with depth and so provide evidence on the interior thermal evolution of icy planetary bodies.
Portability of an algorithm to identify rheumatoid arthritis in electronic health records

Objectives Electronic health records (EHR) can allow for the generation of large cohorts of individuals with given diseases for clinical and genomic research. A ratelimiting step is the development of electronic phenotype selection algorithms to find such cohorts. This study evaluated the portability of a published phenotype algorithm to identify rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from EHR records at three institutions with different EHR systems. Materials and Methods Physicians reviewed charts from three institutions to identify patients with RA. Each institution compiled attributes from various sources in the EHR, including codified data and clinical narratives, which were searched using one of two natural language processing (NLP) systems. The performance of the published model was compared with locally retrained models. Results Applying the previously published model from Partners Healthcare to datasets from Northwestern and Vanderbilt Universities, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was found to be 92% for Northwestern and 95% for Vanderbilt, compared with 97% at Partners. Retraining the model improved the average sensitivity at a specificity of 97% to 72% from the original 65%. Both the original logistic regression models and locally retrained models were superior to simple billing code count thresholds. Discussion These results show that a previously published algorithm for RA is portable to two external hospitals using different EHR systems, different NLP systems, and different target NLP vocabularies. Retraining the algorithm primarily increased the sensitivity at each site. Conclusion Electronic phenotype algorithms allow rapid identification of case populations in multiple sites with little retraining.
Bubble Motion in a Blood Vessel: Shear Stress Induced Endothelial Cell Injury

Mechanisms governing endothelial cell (EC) injury during arterial gas embolism have been investigated. Such mechanisms involve multiple scales. We have numerically investigated the macroscale flow dynamics due to the motion of a nearly occluding finite-sized air bubble in blood vessels of various sizes. Non-Newtonian behavior due to both the shear-thinning rheology of the blood and the Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect has been considered. The occluding bubble dynamics lends itself for an axisymmetric treatment. The numerical solutions have revealed several hydrodynamic features in the vicinity of the bubble. Large temporal and spatial shear stress gradients occur on the EC surface. The stress variations manifest in the form of a traveling wave. The gradients are accompanied by rapid sign changes. These features are ascribable to the development of a region of recirculation (vortex ring) in the proximity of the bubble. The shear stress gradients together with sign reversals may partially act as potential causes in the disruption of endothelial cell membrane integrity and functionality.
The Southern Legislature and Legislation

The state legislative picture in the South is on many counts like the legislative picture in the East or Middle West or Far West. The southern state lawmaking body is much like that of other sections in composition, process, product, and esteem or disesteem. Of the forty-seven bicameral state legislatures, the South has neither the one with the largest nor the one with the smallest membership in upper or lower house. As in most other states, the biennial regular session prevails in this region, with the exception of South Carolina's annual session. Similarly prevalent in the South and the nation is the conglomerate committee system with its diffusion of responsibilities, prestige, and favors. State constitutional restrictions on legislative power are not peculiarly excessive in the South. The region, like others, can point to a few moderate steps toward modernizing the state legislative establishment, including the registration of lobbyists and better pay for members. A Virginia legislator, for instance, has for some years received $720 for a regular session and half that amount for a special session. Mississippi has been paying $1,000 for a regular session, with a per diem for a special session. Arkansas pays $1,000 biennially for regular session service, with a per diem for a special session. In North Carolina and South Carolina the compensation per member amounts to a few hundred dollars per annum. These payments are above the average for the nation, though well below the rewards to legislators in such states as New York, Illinois, and California. Half the southern states limit pay to a per diem, which is only four dollars in Tennessee because of unamended constitutional restrictions. Regardless of compensation, the South compares favorably with other sections in the substantial proportion of college men in the legislature and in the proportion of members serving more than one term.
An Eulerian-Lagrangian approach for simulating explosions of energetic devices

An approach for the simulation of explosions of ''energetic devices'' is described. In this context, an energetic device is a metal container filled with a high explosive (HE). Examples include bombs, mines, rocket motors or containers used in storage and transport of HE material. Explosions may occur due to detonation or deflagration of the HE material, with initiation resulting from either mechanical or thermal input. This approach is applicable to a wide range of fluid-structure interaction scenarios, the application to energetic devices is chosen because it demonstrates the full capability of this methodology. Simulations of this type are characterized by a number of interesting and challenging behaviors. These include the transformation of the solid HE into highly pressurized gaseous products that initially occupy regions which formerly contained only solid material. This rapid pressurization of the container leads to large deformations at high strain rates and eventual case rupture. Once the container breaks apart, the highly pressurized product gas that escapes the failing container generates shock waves that propagate through the initially quiescent surrounding fluid. The approach, which uses a finite-volume, multi-material compressible CFD formulation, within which solid materials are represented using a particle method known as the Material Point Method, is described, including certain of the sub-grid models required to close the governing equations. Results are first presented for ''rate stick'' and ''cylinder test'' scenarios, each of which involves detonating unconfined and confined HE material, respectively. Experimental data are available for these configurations and as such they serve as validation tests. Finally, results from an unvalidated ''fast cookoff'' simulation in which the HE is initiated by thermal input, which causes deflagration, are shown.
Anforderungen an die kostenrechnerische Unterstützung des Umweltmanagements

In diesem Kapitel werden die Anforderungen an die kostenrechnerische Unterstutzung des Umweltmanagements abgeleitet, die per Definition sowohl Bestandteil der Kostenrechnung als auch des Umweltinformationssystems ist. Dazu werden allgemeine Anforderungen an die Kostenrechnung und an Umweltinformationssysteme zu einem speziellen Satz konsistenter Anforderungen an die kostenrechnerische Unterstutzung des Umweltmanagements zusammengefuhrt.
Effect of reversible ATP depletion on tight-junction integrity in LLC-PK1 cells

To further understand and investigate how ischemia affects the tight junction we have developed a 2-h model of rapidly reversible ATP depletion and cellular injury in confluent LLC-PK1 monolayers. ATP depletion was achieved utilizing substrate-free medium containing 0.1 microM antimycin A (AA). Cellular ATP levels dropped rapidly to less than 5% of control values, but recovery of ATP and cell morphology was possible even after 2 h of exposure to AA. Ruthenium red, an electron-dense marker of tight-junction integrity, was excluded from the tight junctions of control monolayers but penetrated cellular tight junctions during ATP depletion in a duration-dependent manner. Electrical resistance across the monolayers remained unchanged in control monolayers but decreased linearly during ATP depletion to 59% of control values. Transmonolayer movement of [3H]mannitol increased from a control level of 7 to 13.5% during ATP depletion. Recovery of tight-junction integrity was demonstrated by a slowing of [3H]mannitol transfer from the basolateral to the apical medium. The transfer rate in control monolayers was 0.0126%/min. During the initial 120 min of cellular recovery from 2 h of ATP depletion, the transfer rate was 0.0789%/min, but this decreased to 0.0045%/min between 2 and 4 h of recovery. In summary, physiology, biochemical, and morphological evidence indicates that reversible ATP depletion results in rapid opening of cellular tight junctions. After ATP-repletion physiological studies indicate a recovery of tight-junction integrity.
Global Paper: The Aussedat-Rey Acquisition

This case examines the acquisition of a French printing company by a U.S. firm. Students are asked to value the foreign entity on a stand-alone basis and with the proposed merger synergies.
Assessing Syringe Exchange Program Access among Persons Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in the District of Columbia

Prior research has explored spatial access to syringe exchange programs (SEPs) among persons who inject drugs (PWID), but these studies have been based on limited data from short periods of time. No research has explored changes in spatial access to SEPs among PWID longitudinally. The purpose of this research is to examine spatial access to SEPs among PWID who accessed services at a SEP in Washington, District of Columbia (DC), from 1996 to 2010. The geometric point distance estimation technique was used to calculate the mean walking distance PWID traveled from the centroid point of their zip code of home residence to the mobile exchange site where they accessed SEP services. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine differences in walking distance measures by year. The results of this research suggest that the distance DC PWID traveled to access SEP services remained relatively constant (approximately 2.75 mi) from 2003 to 2008, but increased to just over 4 mi in 2010. This research provides support for expanding SEP operations such that PWID have increased access to their services. Increasing SEP accessibility may help resolve unmet needs among injectors.
The RAT as a Mars Rock Physical Properties Tool

The Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) is a compact three-axis mechanism mounted to the Mars Exploration Rover’s (MER) Instrument Deployment Device (IDD) that grinds away the surface of rocks, to expose the interior while brushing debris from the excavation site thus revealing a clean surface. Additionally, the RAT can be used to perform science investigations. The data products generated by the RAT on Mars include position, angular velocity, and current, for each of the three motors, and temperature of the z-axis motor, in addition to the state of the control algorithm. These data can be used to determine the specific grind energy, a normalized value of energy required to grind a unit volume, for the rocks of Mars. The RAT engineering models use a library of terrestrial rocks specifically assembled to create a set of similar grind energy data products for comparison against Mars rocks in order to estimate Martian rock physical properties. Initial results indicate that the Martian rocks at Meridiani Planum are analogous to a range of terrestrial rocks from chalk to limestone in terms of “grindability,” a bulk property that relates to hardness, compression strength, shear strength, coefficient of friction, density, etc. The RAT measurement of various Mars rocks represents the most comprehensive physical properties database created of Martian rocks and will be of enormous value in our understanding of the geologic history of Mars, instrument design, and planning of future Mars missions.
Operational performance metrics for mars exploration rovers: Field Reports

The concept of operational performance metrics and associated measurement issues is explored for deployed robotic systems. The focus is on performance of mobility and robotic arm autonomy exercised on the NASA Mars Exploration Rovers surface mission. This planetary rover mission has been underway for nearly 3 years since January 2004 using two rovers performing separate missions. The autonomy functions of surface navigation, short-distance approach to surface science targets, and robotic placement of armmounted instruments on science targets are considered. Operational metrics that measure performance of these functions relative to system requirements are advocated. Specific metrics are defined and computed using telemetry from the rovers' multiyear operations on Mars and applied to rate performance during their respective missions. An existing methodology is applied to compute metrics with respect to required performance and to aggregate multiple metrics into a composite performance score for each rover. The formulation is augmented to accommodate importance weights that add flexibility in use of the metrics by different potential endusers, e.g., sponsors, program managers, systems engineers, and technologists. A brief example illustrates the application and effect of importance weights on overall rover performance scores. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.