cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of the non-ideal response of a high temperature tokamak plasma to a static external magnetic perturbation via asymptotic matching

Asymptotic matching techniques are used to calculate the response of a high temperature tokamak plasma with a realistic equilibrium to an externally generated, non-axisymmetric, static, magnetic perturbation. The plasma is divided into two regions. In the outer region, which comprises most of the plasma, the response is governed by the linearized equations of marginally stable, ideal-magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). In the inner region, which is strongly localized around the various rational surfaces within the plasma (where the marginally stable, ideal-MHD equations become singular), the response is governed by Glasser-Greene-Johnson linear layer physics. For the sake of simplicity, the paper focuses on the situation where the plasma at one of the internal rational surfaces is locked to the external perturbation, whereas that at the other surfaces is rotating.
Durability of Polyester-Based GFRP Subjected to Hybrid Environmental and Mechanical Loads

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), as a new alternative construction material compared to conventional materials like concrete and steel, has been introduced into civil infrastructure area for centuries and gained increasing interests by many researchers and contractors. FRP exbits several property advantages, such as high strength-to-mass ratio, ease of handling, and relatively high resistance to corrosion. However, one problem that hinders this material from wider acception in civil infrastructure application is the durability of FRP subjected to harsh complicated environmental conditions has not been fully investigated yet. This paper is aim to study the performance of the polyester-based glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) subjected to combined cement alkaline solution, freeze-thaw cycles, wet-dry cycles, heating-cooling cycles, and sustained mechnical load. Concrete was poured into GFRP tube to make concrete-filled FRP tube (CFFT) cylinders, and the cylinders were put into environmental chamber with sustained axial load on. The concrete core of the CFFT cylinders was removed after 72-day’s conditioning, and the outer GFRP tube was cut into ring specimens to conduct hoop tensile tests. Test results indicated that the conditioned GFRP was slightly degraded in strength, but had significant decrease in strain. Sustained load had negligible effect on the strength of GFRP specimens, but did further deteriorate the strain of loaded specimens compared to unloaded specimens.
Serving Indiana's Emergent Bilingual Immigrant (EBI) Youth: A Collective Case Study of EBI Teacher Educators

Unlike states with established immigrant populations, Indiana is a new immigration gateway state that is developing its infrastructure to address immigrant needs. Indiana's English learner (EL) population between 1999 and 2018 has grown by 550% from 9,114 to 59,255 students. Of the current 59,255 ELs in K–12 schools, 24% are immigrants. Employing a collective case study, this article examines how Indiana university faculty prepare pre- and inservice teachers to address the needs of emergent bilingual immigrant (EBI) youth. While there are institutional constraints that impact how EBI youth needs are met, faculty in EL licensure programs are addressing these needs by explicitly facilitating activities that promote respect and develop empathy through perspective sharing. Despite underdeveloped social infrastructures for EBI youth and EBI teachers in Indiana schools, implications suggest that a methodical inclusion of immigration history, perspective-taking, and critical self-reflection can facilitat...
Using Natural Range of Variation to Set Decision Thresholds: A Case Study for Great Plains Grasslands

Natural range of variation (NRV) may be used to establish decision thresholds or action assessment points when ecological thresholds are either unknown or do not exist for attributes of interest in a managed ecosystem. The process for estimating NRV involves identifying spatial and temporal scales that adequately capture the heterogeneity of the ecosystem; compiling data for the attributes of interest via study of historic records, analysis and interpretation of proxy records, modeling, space-for-time substitutions, or analysis of long-term monitoring data; and quantifying the NRV from those data. At least 19 National Park Service (NPS) units in North America’s Great Plains are monitoring plant species richness and evenness as indicators of vegetation integrity in native grasslands, but little information on natural, temporal variability of these indicators is available. In this case study, we use six long-term vegetation monitoring datasets to quantify the temporal variability of these attributes in reference conditions for a variety of Great Plains grassland types, and then illustrate the implications of using different NRVs based on these quantities for setting management decision thresholds. Temporal variability of richness (as measured by the coefficient of variation, CV) is fairly consistent across the wide variety of conditions occurring in Colorado shortgrass prairie to Minnesota tallgrass sand savanna (CV 0.20–0.45) and generally less than that of production at the same sites. Temporal variability of evenness spans a greater range of CV than richness, and it is greater than that of production in some sites but less in other sites. This natural temporal variability may mask undesirable changes in Great Plains grasslands vegetation. Consequently, we suggest that managers consider using a relatively narrow NRV (interquartile range of all richness or evenness values observed in reference conditions) for designating a surveillance threshold, at which greater attention to the situation would be paid, and a broader NRV for designating management thresholds, at which action would be instigated.
Adsorption of iodine and potassium on Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ investigated by low-energy alkali-ion scattering

The adsorption of K and I on the surface of the high-${T}_{c}$ cuprate BSCCO-2212 is investigated with low-energy (0.8 to 2 keV) ${\text{Na}}^{+}$ ion scattering and density functional theory (DFT). Samples were cleaved in ultrahigh vacuum and charge-resolved spectra of the scattered ions were collected with time-of-flight. The spectra contain a single peak representing Na scattered from Bi, as the clean surfaces are terminated by BiO. The neutralization of scattered Na depends on the local potential above the target site, and the angular dependence indicates that the clean surface has an inhomogeneous potential. Neutralization is dependent on the coverage of I, but independent of K adsorption. DFT suggests high-symmetry sites for the adsorption of both I and K, and that the potential above the Bi sites is altered by I by an amount consistent with the experimental findings, while the potential is not affected by K adsorption. DFT also enables an experimental determination of the ``freezing distance,'' which is the effective point beyond which charge exchange does not occur, to be $1.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1\text{ }\text{\AA{}}$ from the outermost Bi layer.
Temperature directly and indirectly influences food web structure

Understanding whether and how environmental conditions may impact food web structure at a global scale is central to our ability to predict how food webs will respond to climate change. However, such an understanding is nascent. Using the best resolved available food webs to date, I address whether latitude, temperature, or both, explain the number of species and feeding interactions, the proportion of basal and top species, as well as the degree of omnivory, connectance and the number of trophic levels across food webs. I found that temperature is a more parsimonious predictor of food web structure than latitude. Temperature directly reduces the number of species, the proportion of basal species and the number of interactions while it indirectly increases omnivory levels, connectance and trophic level through its direct effects on the fraction and number of basal species. While direct impacts of temperature are routinely taken into account to predict how ecosystems may respond to global climate change, indirect effects have been largely overlooked. These results thus suggest that food webs may be affected by a combination of biotic and abiotic conditions, both directly and indirectly, in a changing world.
Small molecule degraders of the hepatitis C virus protease reduce susceptibility to resistance mutations.

Targeted protein degradation is a promising drug development paradigm. Here we leverage this strategy to develop a new class of small molecule antivirals that induce proteasomal degradation of viral proteins. Telaprevir, a reversible-covalent inhibitor that binds to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease active site is conjugated to ligands that recruit the CRL4CRBN ligase complex, yielding compounds that can both inhibit and induce the degradation of the HCV NS3/4A protease. An optimized degrader, DGY-08-097, potently inhibits HCV in a cellular infection model, and we demonstrate that protein degradation contributes to its antiviral activity. Finally, we show that this new class of antiviral agents can overcome viral variants that confer resistance to traditional enzymatic inhibitors such as telaprevir. Overall, our work provides proof-of-concept that targeted protein degradation may provide a new paradigm for the development of antivirals with superior resistance profiles. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a promising strategy for drug development. In this proof-of-concept study, the authors use telaprevir, which binds hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease, to target the protease for protein degradation, and show inhibition of wildtype as well as drug resistant HCV.
Quantitative methods for assessing local and bodywide contributions to Wolbachia titer in maternal germline cells of Drosophila

Little is known about how bacterial endosymbionts colonize host tissues. Because many insect endosymbionts are maternally transmitted, egg colonization is critical for endosymbiont success. Wolbachia bacteria, carried by approximately half of all insect species, provide an excellent model for characterizing endosymbiont infection dynamics. To date, technical limitations have precluded stepwise analysis of germline colonization by Wolbachia. It is not clear to what extent titer-altering effects are primarily mediated by growth rates of Wolbachia within cell lineages or migration of Wolbachia between cells. The objective of this work is to inform mechanisms of germline colonization through use of optimized methodology. The approaches are framed in terms of nutritional impacts on Wolbachia. Yeast-rich diets in particular have been shown to suppress Wolbachia titer in the Drosophila melanogaster germline. To determine the extent of Wolbachia sensitivity to diet, we optimized 3-dimensional, multi-stage quantification of Wolbachia titer in maternal germline cells. Technical and statistical validation confirmed the identity of Wolbachia in vivo, the reproducibility of Wolbachia quantification and the statistical power to detect these effects. The data from adult feeding experiments demonstrated that germline Wolbachia titer is distinctly sensitive to yeast-rich host diets in late oogenesis. To investigate the physiological basis for these nutritional impacts, we optimized methodology for absolute Wolbachia quantification by real-time qPCR. We found that yeast-rich diets exerted no significant effect on bodywide Wolbachia titer, although ovarian titers were significantly reduced. This suggests that host diets affects Wolbachia distribution between the soma and late stage germline cells. Notably, relative qPCR methods distorted apparent wsp abundance, due to altered host DNA copy number in yeast-rich conditions. This highlights the importance of absolute quantification data for testing mechanistic hypotheses. We demonstrate that absolute quantification of Wolbachia, using well-controlled cytological and qPCR-based methods, creates new opportunities to determine how bacterial abundance within the germline relates to bacterial distribution within the body. This methodology can be applied to further test germline infection dynamics in response to chemical treatments, genetic conditions, new host/endosymbiont combinations, or potentially adapted to analyze other cell and tissue types.
Interconnections Among Perceived Stress, Social Problem Solving, and Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity

Maladaptive social problem-solving (SPS) plays a significant mediating role in the negative impact of stressful life events on wellbeing. With a basis in D’Zurilla and Nezu’s (Problem-solving therapies, 2nd ed., The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 211–245, 2001) relational/problem-solving model of stress and wellbeing, we examined interrelations amongst stress, SPS, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and tested several mediational models: maladaptive forms of SPS as mediators of the relationship between stress and GI symptoms, and stress as a mediator of maladaptive forms of SPS and GI symptoms. Undergraduates (N = 345) completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised, and the Birmingham IBS Symptom Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that all measures were significantly related in the expected directions. Stress was a significant mediator in the models with maladaptive SPS dimensions as independent variables, but SPS did not mediate the stress/GI symptom relationship. Results demonstrate links amongst stress, SPS, and GI symptoms, and suggest that poorer SPS leads to higher levels of stress, which, in turn, increases GI symptom severity.
A preliminary model of health regarding sexual and ethnic minority older adults

Older individuals with sexual/gender minority and minority racial/ethnic identities typically face unique challenges, along with opportunities to overcome these obstacles. Published studies on the difficulties faced by sexual and gender minorities are available; however, research on older adults with both racial/ethnic minority and sexual and gender minority identities is rarer. These individuals must confront various forms of discrimination related to ageism, homophobia and racism. Resilience likely plays a role in the ability to manage and survive multiple challenges and discriminatory experiences, yet targeted research on these populations is lacking. This paper offers a preliminary model that incorporates prevalent threats to these populations' well-being and their deleterious psychosocial correlates, especially, whenever available, the unique challenges that older individuals must face when age, sexual orientation and race/ethnicity intersect. Recommendations are made to optimise the expansion and empirical testing of this preliminary model.
Review of Torres Cacoullos, Rena & Catherine Travis. 2018. Bilingualism in the community. Code-switching and grammars in contact

This article reviews Bilingualism in the community. Code-switching and grammars in contact 9781108235259
A Human Factors Framework and Heuristics for Diffusion of Innovations.

Change management and diffusion of innovation have been studied and described extensively in the sociology and anthropology literature. Greenhalgh and colleagues (2004) provide an insightful conceptual model for the implementation of innovations. During a recent teaching experience, we encountered limitations on the model’s practical utility due to the complexity. At the same time, we noted clear parallels to the field of human factors. This paper diffuses the model into a human factors framework that aids in the understanding of change management and diffusion of innovation. In addition, we provide heuristics for evaluating innovations. These may be used prior to implementation to evaluate the innovation for suitability and risk and modify it if necessary, prepare the system for change, and plan the deployment of the innovation for the greatest chance of success.
Command-destruct thermosets via photoinduced thiol-catalyzed β-scission of acyclic benzylidene acetals

Photoinduced thiol-catalyzed hydrogen abstraction and β-scission of acyclic benzylidene acetals is demonstrated as a new route to “command-destruct” polymer thermosets. Using this approach, we show that poly(thioether acetal) networks synthesized via thiol–ene photopolymerization rapidly degrade to alkyl benzoate byproducts when triggered with light, transitioning from solid to liquid within seconds. The light-driven construction and destruction processes, accessible via distinct differences in kinetics, are readily amenable for photopatterning, additive/subtractive manufacturing and wavelength-selective applications.
Blunt Traumatic Injury to the Superficial Femoral Artery in a Morbidly Obese Female: Case Report Using Endovascular Covered Stent Repair:

Lower extremity vascular injuries following trauma are rare events that require prompt identification and management in order to prevent ischemia and limb loss. Endovascular approaches, rather than traditional open procedures, are increasingly used to treat a wide range of vascular disease. The use of endovascular repair for revascularization in the trauma setting is not routine but may provide an appealing alternative in select trauma patients and injuries. We present a case of successful endovascular repair with stent grafting of a superficial femoral artery intimal injury following a femur fracture in a 35-year-old morbidly obese female and review the current literature regarding the use of endovascular therapy in the trauma setting.
Impact of Moringa Oleifera extraction conditions on zeta potential and coagulation effectiveness

Abstract Extraction time affected the zeta potential (ZP) and coagulation performance of aqueous protein extracts obtained from both whole and defatted Moringa oleifera (MO) seeds. The ZP of kaolin and TiO2 suspensions increased with the extract dose and the extract from defatted seeds was more effective in increasing ZP than similar concentration extracts from whole seeds. As the extraction time increased from 1−30 min, the extracted solution had less impact on the ZP of kaolin and TiO2 suspensions. Although the concentration of protein in the aqueous extract reached an equilibrium value within a 15-min extraction time, the impact of the extract on ZP decreased with longer extraction time. For the conditions in this study, nearly 90 % turbidity reduction was achieved. However, while the water quality improved, the lowest residual turbidity of kaolin suspensions with an initial turbidity of approximately 60 NTU did not achieve the WHO guideline of 5 NTU. The extract from defatted seed solids could be used for up to seven days without significant degradation in coagulation performance, while the extract from whole seeds showed signs of degradation after only four days.
Counting Backward by Seven.

I delayed my neurology rotation in medical school because I was trying to ignore the symptoms of dementia developing in my mother. They became painfully apparent when I saw my parents less frequently after I moved away for residency, and finally had to be addressed when I had a child of my own and felt unsafe having her care for him. Through my experiences with her and in my training in palliative care and oncology, I have learned that tools like the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Functional Assessment Staging Test (FAST) can only tell us so much; the true measure of a patient’s decline can be found in the patient’s and family’s own story.
When the Aims and the Ends of Health Care Misalign

In health care, a high-emotion service, unintended consequences can be especially problematic. People’s physical, psychological, and financial well-being—even their lives—are at stake. As scientifi...
Common sampling and modeling approaches to analyzing readmission risk that ignore clustering produce misleading results

There is little consensus on how to sample hospitalizations and analyze multiple variables to model readmission risk. The purpose of this study was to compare readmission rates and the accuracy of predictive models based on different sampling and multivariable modeling approaches. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 17,284 adult diabetes patients with 44,203 discharges from an urban academic medical center between 1/1/2004 and 12/31/2012. Models for all-cause 30-day readmission were developed by four strategies: logistic regression using the first discharge per patient (LR-first), logistic regression using all discharges (LR-all), generalized estimating equations (GEE) using all discharges, and cluster-weighted (CWGEE) using all discharges. Multiple sets of models were developed and internally validated across a range of sample sizes. The readmission rate was 10.2% among first discharges and 20.3% among all discharges, revealing that sampling only first discharges underestimates a population’s readmission rate. Number of discharges was highly correlated with number of readmissions (r = 0.87, P < 0.001). Accounting for clustering with GEE and CWGEE yielded more conservative estimates of model performance than LR-all. LR-first produced falsely optimistic Brier scores. Model performance was unstable below samples of 6000–8000 discharges and stable in larger samples. GEE and CWGEE performed better in larger samples than in smaller samples. Hospital readmission risk models should be based on all discharges as opposed to just the first discharge per patient and utilize methods that account for clustered data.
Meta-analysis: Comparison of bone scan and PET in the detection of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer

1644 Objectives: To review the literature and perform a meta-analysis on the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and bone scan in the detection of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer. Methods: MedLine, CINAHL, and EBM Review databases were searched from January 1995 to December 2005. Articles were restricted to the English language. The following terms were used in the search: breast cancer, bone scan, positron emission tomography, and bone metastases. Additional studies were manually searched using the references of the retrieved articles. Inclusion criteria: The studies evaluated female breast cancer patients of all ages in any disease stage regardless of treatment status, bone metastasis findings were confirmed with CT, MRI, or bone biopsy with clinical follow up longer than 6 months, and PET plus bone scan was performed within 3 months of each other. Studies were excluded if only PET or bone scan was performed, totals of true positives/false positives/true negatives/false negatives were not provided or no data from a subanalysis were provided. Two reviewers independently reviewed the quality of the studies and abstracted the data from each study. Per-patient and per-lesion detection rates were collected, and authors of the reviewed studies were contacted when necessary. Per patient and per lesion pooled sensitivity and specificity, and area under summary receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated using Meta-Test software. Results: A total of six articles comparing PET and bone scan met criteria. Three of the studies provided results on a per-patient basis totaling 184 patients. Four of the studies provided lesion based results comprising a sample size of 1207 lesions. For studies with patient based data, the pooled sensitivity for PET was 81%[95% confidence interval(CI):70%,89%], specificity was 93%[95% CI:84%,97%], and area under the curve(AUC) is 0.08. The pooled sensitivity of bone scan was 78%[95% CI:67%,86%], specificity was 79%[95% CI:40%,95%], and the AUC is 0.43. Among studies with lesion based data, the pooled sensitivity for PET was 69%[95% CI:28%,93%], specificity was 98%[95% CI:87%,100%], and the AUC is 0.09. The pooled sensitivity for bone scan was 88%[95% CI:82%,92%], specificity was 87%[95% CI:29%,99%], and the AUC is 0.81. Conclusions: Based on the results, variability of the methods used by each study, and heterogeneity, it remains inconclusive whether PET or bone scan is superior in detecting bone metastasis from breast cancer. However, these results indicate that PET may be better as a confirmatory test for breast cancer bone metastases.
Selecting Mobile Applications: Hotel vs. Online Travel Agency

With emergence of smart phones, the Internet accessibility and mobility were remarkably increased; therefore, many travelers book a hotel room using a smart phone. Accordingly, hotel companies and online travel agencies (OTAs) have offered mobile applications (apps) for their guests who use a smart phone. The study was designed to investigate what factors influence hotel guests in choosing mobile applications and what kinds of functions and information the guests are interested in depending on the timing of need and gender. The researchers found that very few respondents have used mobile apps from hotel companies. In addition, there were significant relationships between choosing mobile apps and temporal situations and choosing mobile apps and gender differences. Finally, the results showed what functions or information provided by mobile apps that hotel guests are interested in. We also make suggestions about how provide better mobile applications for targeted consumers in the hotel industry.
Microwave remote sensing modeling of ocean surface salinity and winds using an empirical sea surface spectrum

Active and passive microwave remote techniques have been investigated for the remote sensing of ocean surface wind and salinity. We revised an ocean surface spectrum using the CMOD-5 geophysical model function (GMF) for the European Remote Sensing (ERS) C-band scatterometer and the Ku-band GMF for the NASA SeaWinds scatterometer. The predictions of microwave brightness temperatures from this model agree well with satellite, aircraft and tower-based microwave radiometer data. This suggests that the impact of surface roughness on microwave brightness temperatures and radar scattering coefficients of sea surfaces can be consistently characterized by a roughness spectrum, providing physical basis for using combined active and passive remote sensing techniques for ocean surface wind and salinity remote sensing.
Chapter 26 The economics of health, safety, and environmental regulation

Publisher Summary Public concern and scientific research on health, safety, and environmental externalities (HSE) lured a number of economists to apply their tools and models to these issues. The materials balance model and the environmental models of are examples of incorporating HSE externalities into standard economic models. These enriched models have attracted a good deal of attention from both theorists and applied economists. The chapter reviews the economics of health, safety, and environmental regulation cites work of a large number of people trained in disciplines other than economics. The lesson appears to be that economists are narrowly bound by the models and view of what are interesting problems and approaches. When a movement as sweeping and important as the environmentalist–consumerist movement occurs, economists should not be complaining two decades later that government programs are not efficient. Tackling HSE issues is inherently difficult, because they involve some of the thorniest issues in economics: paternalism, public goods, information, and incentives for innovation, uncertainty, valuing nonmarket goods and services, and modeling unanticipated consequences of actions. Indeed the set of issues is so large and fascinating, it would provide employment for a great many theorists. The economics of HSE regulation has come from somewhat sterile arguments about Coase versus Pigou to a rich array of models, parameter estimates, and policy advice.
Efficient algorithms for erasure node placement on DQDB networks

We study the problem of placing erasure nodes among passive stations in a slotted dual bus network. Erasure nodes are known to improve throughput by allowing slot reuse, it is also known that choices made in locating erasure nodes significantly impact network congestion and overall throughput, especially when traffic patterns are non-uniform. We present algorithms to determine optimal placements of erasure nodes that improve upon prior work on this problem: we present simpler and faster polynomial-time algorithms and also consider various useful cost measures. These algorithms can be used to solve related placement problems in which limits on congestion and existing placements are given as input.
Configuration Management of the Model-Based Design Process

Today, many leading automotive OEMs and Suppliers are adopting Model-Based Design for the development of embedded systems applications. In this paper, the authors review the challenges of performing configuration management that is adequate for use in a production environment of the models and associated files central to Model-Based Design.
Effects of dietary omega3 and omega6 lipids and vitamin E on proliferative response, lymphoid cell subsets, production of cytokines by spleen cells, and splenic protein levels for cytokines and oncogenes in MRL/MpJ-lpr/lpr mice.

Abstract ω3 Fatty acid rich fish oil (FO) and vitamin E may delay the progress of certain autoimmune diseases. The present study examined the mechanisms of action of ω3 lipids and vitamin E in autoimmune-prone MRL/lpr mice suffering from extensive lymphoproliferation, lupus-like symptoms, and accelerated aging. To determine whether the effects of ω3 lipids in autoimmune disease is linked to vitamin E levels, weanling female MRL/lpr and congenic control MRL/++ mice were fed diets containing 10% corn oil (CO) or 10% FO at two levels of vitamin E (75 IU or 500 IU/kg diet) for 4 months. The appearance of lymph nodes was delayed in the mice fed FO, and higher levels of FO offered further protection against the appearance of lymph nodes. Analysis of the spleen cells revealed that the cells positive for Thy.1 and Fas were significantly higher in the MRL/++ mice. The groups fed high levels of vitamin E generally exhibited higher levels of Fas. The proliferative response of splenocytes of MRL/++ mice to mitogens was significantly higher compared with MRL/lpr mice. Interleukin (IL)-10 production by spleen cells was significantly higher in FO-fed MRL/lpr mice than in CO-fed mice. In mice fed a high level of vitamin E, the production of IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor-α was significantly lower and IL-2 was significantly higher than in animals fed a low level of vitamin E. Proinflammatory cytokines were higher in the MRL/lpr mice and both FO and vitamin E lowered the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and lipid mediators. Western blots revealed that c-myc and c-ras were significantly lower and IL-2 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 levels were significantly higher in the spleens of MRL/++ mice. FO lowered c-myc and high levels of vitamin E in the diets normalized the levels of TGF-β1 in MRL/lpr mice. The observations from this study suggest that both FO and vitamin E modulate the levels of specific cytokines, decrease the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, inflammatory lipid mediators, and c-myc, and increase TGF-β1 levels in spleens of MRL/lpr mice and thus may delay the progress of autoimmune diseases.
Propagation of Nonlinear Optical Pulses in Fibers

In this talk, we discuss a method for soliton propagation of optical pulses in dispersive media. A critical limitation in realizing the full-bandwidth capability of optical transmission systems is pulse distortion due to dispersion. To overcome this problem, nonlinear dependence of the refractive index on pulse intensity has been used. 1–4 Here the dispersion effects result in the broadening of the pulse while the nonlinearity tends to sharpen it. It is the appropriate competition of these opposite effects which may lead to a stable solitary solution of the optical pulse. Note that the dispersion parameters of fibers are very small and thus to balance them by the nonlinearity an intensity of 102–103 W/cm2 is needed for practical situations. This intensity is not strong enough to cause self-focusing and consequently self-phase modulation.
Relationship of functional and antigenic interleukin 6 to disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Background: Intestinal and peripheral blood mononuclear cell interleukin 6 (IL-6) production in inflammatory bowel disease might present an increased quantity of IL-6 into the systemic circulation. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship of circulatory IL-6 to the clinical and laboratory expression of inflammatory bowel disease in children. Methods: Sera were obtained from 26 children with ulcerative colitis, 49 with Crohn's disease, and 29 control patients. Serum functional IL-6 was measured by a bioassay and antigenic IL-6 by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Functional and antigenic serum IL-6 levels were higher in Crohn's disease than in ulcerative colitis or controls ( P P P P P P Conclusions: Our results underscore the importance of using both functional and antigenic methodologies in examining the relationship of circulating cytokines to the clinical manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease.
Effect of Cranial Window Diameter During Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery on Volume of Pneumocephalus.

Objective Successful deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery necessitates high accuracy in targeting specific intracranial nuclei. Brain shift due to pneumocephalus can contribute to decreased accuracy. Larger burr holes and dural openings may increase pneumocephalus volume due to a greater degree of communication between the subdural space and extracranial air. The aim of this study is to determine if there is a statistically and clinically significant difference in postoperative pneumocephalus volume related to burr hole and durotomy size. Materials and Methods DBS electrodes were surgically implanted through either large (14 mm) burr holes or small (4 mm) twist drill holes. Immediate postoperative computerized tomography (CT) scans of 165 electrode implantations in 85 patients from 2010 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Student's t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test were employed with a threshold of significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results No significant difference in pneumocephalus was identified between patients who had implantation of DBS electrodes through 4 mm twist drill holes (N = 71 hemispheres, 12.84 ± 9.79 cm3) and those with large 14 mm burr holes (N = 87, 11.70 ± 7.46 cm3, p = 0.42). Volume of pneumocephalus did not correlate with duration of surgery or patient age. The groups did not differ significantly with respect to other aspects of surgical implantation technique or surgical duration. Conclusion While identifying factors that may reduce pneumocephalus volume may be critical to improving stereotactic accuracy and targeting, the current results suggest that burr hole size may not alter the degree of brain shift.
Ozone Synthesis on the Icy Satellites

Condensed O2 and ozone on the surfaces of some icy satellites are thought to originate from the radiolytic decomposition of surface water ice by the impact of energetic magnetospheric ions, but decades of laboratory studies have produced no evidence for ozone from the radiolysis of pure water ice. Here we report for the first time the production of ozone in ice by 100 keV ions. Using a method that departs drastically from those used in all previous experiments, we have simulated more closely conditions on the icy satellites by performing ion irradiation while depositing water concurrently, which takes into account the effects of gravity and surface porosity. This codeposition causes the burial of a high concentration of radiolytic O2 from which ozone is formed. Our results demonstrate that the enhanced trapping of oxygen in surface ices depends on temperature and should vary locally, depending on the rates of irradiation and recondensation. The burial of radiolytic products by redeposition will likely occur in many varied astronomical environments, besides icy satellites.
Ethics and the anthropology of modern reason

In recent years, anthropologists have shown increasing interest in scientific, technical and administrative systems and their political regulation. In what follows, we suggest that a major concern in much of this work is a common interest in how, in relationship to these technical and political developments, ‘living’ has been rendered problematic. In the first part of this article, we suggest that these strands of anthropological investigation can be fruitfully analyzed by engaging the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, whose distinctive neo-Aristotelian approach has had an important influence on recent discussions of ethics in philosophy. In the second part of the article, we propose that the significance of this anthropological work lies not only in its descriptions of the specificities of local ethical formations, but also in its contribution to a broader understanding of what we propose to call ‘regimes of living’.
Development of an online adaptive solution to account for inter- and intra-fractional variations ☆

Abstract Purpose The current IGRT repositioning cannot fully account for the organ deformation and rotation. We introduce a comprehensive solution using gated IMRT with online adaptive replanning to manage both inter- and intra-fractional variations. Methods and materials The solution includes (1) generating respiration-gated IMRT plans based on 4DCT, (2) acquiring daily gated CT in treatment position prior to the treatment using a diagnostic-quality in-room CT (CTVision, Siemens) with the same gating window as that for the planning CT, (3) performing online repositioning or adaptive replanning based on the gated CT of the day, and (4) delivering the treatment with gating. The entire solution is demonstrated with RT data from 10 selected pancreatic cancer cases. The dosimetric impact of various advanced delivery technologies was investigated. Results The online adaptive replanning based on the CT of the day combining with gating significantly improves normal tissue sparing during RT for pancreatic cancer. As the complexity of the delivery technology increases from no IGRT to with IGRT, gating and online adaptive replanning, the inter- and intra-fractional variations can be accounted for with increased adequacy. Conclusion The online adaptive replanning technique based on daily respiration-gated diagnostic-quality CT combined with gated delivery can effectively correct for inter- and intra-fraction variations during radiation therapy.
Segmentation of topographic profiles of the seafloor based on a self-affine model

Profiles of seafloor topography can be statistically described as a self-affine stochastic time series characterized by only a few parameters. Two characteristic parameters are used: a correlation parameter (the spectral exponent beta , which is related to the fractal dimension D) and an amplitude parameter (an index of dispersion of the first differences S). This characterization provides a simple quantification of the intuitive notion of the roughness of topography. The quantification of roughness is important for the effective classification or areas of the seafloor where topography is dominated by different processes (e.g., sedimentation, volcanism, faulting). The procedure used can be subdivided into statistically homogeneous segments; statistical parameters are measured on each segment; and the segments are grouped into classes with similar statistical parameters. >
Alteration of Transmembrane Sodium and Potassium Gradients Inhibits the Action of Luteinizing Hormone in the Luteal Cell

To evaluate the role of transmembrane ion flux on the acute response of luteal cells to LH, the effects of two drugs, ouabain and monensin, and changes in ion composition of the medium were examined. Ouabain, an inhibitor of the Na+ extrusion pump, and monensin, a selective Na+ ionophore, would be expected to increase the intracellular level of Na+. Both drugs produced a highly significant, dose-related and Na+-dependent inhibition of LH-stimulated cAMP accumulation and progesterone secretion. The IC50 values for ouabain and monensin for both responses to LH were about 50 and 0.1 μm, respectively, and inhibition of cAMP accumulation was competitive [inhibitory constant (Ki) = 20 and 0.06 μm, respectively]. Both drugs showed inhibition only in the intact cell, and no nonspecific cytotoxic effects were evident. No effect on the specific binding of gonadotropin or on LH-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membranes was seen, nor was inhibition reduced by coincubation of the cells with isobutyl methylxan...
A microcomputer-modified particle size spectrometer

Abstract A fully automated aerosol particle size spectrometer system is described that consists of a light scattering particle sensor, an analog to digital converter and a microcomputer with associated printout device. The system is capable of acquiring a differential particle size distribution, of printing the resulting spectrum in one of three representations and of repeating the procedure at preselected intervals. An example of the application of the system for measuring an outdoor aerosol size distribution is presented.
Assessment of a positive selection technique using an avidin column to isolate human peripheral blood T cell subsets

The current studies were designed to assess a new technique for positively selecting human T cells from whole peripheral blood mononuclear cells using the minimal amount of monoclonal antibody required to bind the T cell to an avidin column indirectly via a biotin-conjugated secondary antibody. Positive selection of T cells has previously been avoided because the saturating amounts of antibodies required for other isolation procedures can lead to aberrant results in assay of T cell activation and function. The avidin column technique for obtaining purified T cell subsets was compared to a multi-step procedure that included negative selection panning. The positive selection technique was easily performed within 4 h whereas the negative selection technique required a minimum of 12 h to complete. The avidin column technique proved to be a rapid and simple method for isolating T cell subsets of high purity and normal functional capabilities. Since minimal amounts of monoclonal antibodies were used for the purification protocol, no consistent inhibitory or stimulatory effect of the residual antibody was noted in assays of activation and proliferation of positively selected T cells compared to T cells isolated by negative selection panning.
Imaging of congenital cardiovascular disease: the case for computed tomography.

Computed tomographic angiography is a rapidly evolving modality that is well suited for congenital cardiac imaging. Although echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging carry an established role for evaluating patients with congenital cardiovascular disease, computed tomographic angiography prov
Radiation reaction in a continuous focusing channel.

We show that the radiation damping rate of the transverse action of a particle in a straight, continuous focusing system is independent of the particle energy, and that no quantum excitation is induced. This absolute damping effect leads to the existence of a transverse ground state to which the particle inevitably decays and yields the minimum beam emittance that one can ever attain, $\ensuremath{\gamma}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{\mathrm{min}}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}/2\mathrm{mc}$, limited only by the uncertainty principle. Because of adiabatic invariance, the particle can be accelerated along the focusing channel in its ground state without any radiation energy loss.
Low energy K− −p elastic interaction

Abstract Forty-four K− −p low momentum elastic scattering events between 0 and 250 MeV/c have been found by following 265. 12 meters of K− meson tracks, backward from their capture points in nuclear emulsion. The total scattering cross-section is plotted as a function of kaon momentum and this is fitted with the s-wave zro-effective-range theory with the scattering lenghts A0 = −1.1 + 0.55 i, A1 = −0.20 + 0.44 i for the isotopic spin T = 0 and T = 1 channel respectively. Further evidence for s-wave interaction is discussed through the angular distribution in the center-of-mass system for the elastic events.
The effect of indomethacin on HMG-HCG induced ovulation in the rhesus monkey

Abstract The investigation was designed to study the influence of indomethacin on gonadotropin induced ovulation in the rhesus monkey. Six mature female monkeys were treated with HMG-HCG for at least 2 control ovulatory cycles at dosage levels adjusted to induce ovulation while avoiding superovulation. Ovulation was confirmed by observation of the ovaries for fresh ovulation points at laparotomy. Following establishment of an appropriate dosage schedule, treatment was begun with indomethacin (5 mg/kg/day) starting 5 days prior to HCG and continuing to the time of laparotomy. In a second treatment cycle, indomethacin was administered at a dose of 5 mg/kg b.i.d. together with the established dose of HMG-HCG. Ovarian inspection was carried out as in the control cycles. Venous blood was obtained on treatment days 4, 7, 10 and 11 for determination of serum estrone, estradiol and progesterone. Indomethacin administration resulted in ovulation inhibition at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day when ovulation inducing doses of gonadotropins were administered. Peripheral blood steroid levels suggest that follicle maturation and estrogen production are unimpaired by indomethacin. These findings indicate that the ovarian synthesis of prostaglandin may be essential in the process of ovulation.
Electronic Paths to Resource Sharing: Widening Opportunities through the Internet

In the early 1980s, Luis Alvarez and his colleagues added a new dimension to Darwin's theory of evolution. With evidence from studies of the earth's crust between the cretacious and tertiary layers, they postulated that the traditional slow, gradual mutation of species over eons was also punctuated with occasional major changes, often catastrophic, that caused leaps in evolution in relatively short “moments” of history. The extinction of the dinosaurs and half the other animal species alive between the cretacious and tertiary periods of earth's history was one such momentous change, forever altering the evolution of animal species.
Comment on ‘Photon Counting Probabilities in Quantum Optics’

It is pointed out that some statements in a recent paper by Srinivas and Davies [1], concerning the validity of the so-called Mandel photon counting formula and its relation to another formula derived by the authors, are not correct. The former formula applies to an open system and the latter to a closed system, but conditions for the former are much more commonly encountered in practice.