cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gonadal steroid hormone regulation of proopiomelanocortin gene expression in neurons that innervate the median eminence of the rat

The effect of gonadal steroid hormones on the expression of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in neurons that innervate the median eminence (ME) was investigated using combined retrograde neuronal labeling and in situ hybridization histochemistry. It was observed that gonadal hormone treatment significantly increased the expression of POMC mRNA. The results suggest that POMC neurons directly innervate the ME, where POMC-derived peptides could rapidly inhibit luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone release following the preovulatory hormone surge.
Effects of melt-blowing process conditions on morphological and mechanical properties of polypropylene webs

Abstract Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) melt-blown webs have been studied in terms of the relationships among the processing conditions, structure and mechanical properties. The melt-blowing process conditions investigated in this study were die and air temperatures, die-to-collector distance ( DCD ) and attenuation air flow rate at the die. The macroscopic web structure was characterized in terms of interfibrous bonding and fibre diameter using scanning electron microscopy. The degree of fibre entanglements was found to increase with decreasing DCD , with increasing die temperature, or with increasing air flow rate. Using wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.), the microscopic molecular structure of iPP has been investigated. The fibres in a web consist of the α-form crystal, smectic phase and amorphous regions. The crystallinity of the iPP webs obtained from d.s.c. was found to be similar (39–44%) since the smectic phase transforms to crystals on heating in a d.s.c. A wide range of tensile properties and flexural rigidity values in the machine direction and cross direction were obtained at various processing conditions. The results have been analysed in terms of the degree of fibre entanglements, fibre orientation in the machine direction and the fraction of smectic phase.
Enhancement of optical emission by coupled metal nanoparticles

We present an analytical model of “coupled modes” describing enhancement of emission by the atoms and molecules placed within complexes of metal nanoparticles and apply it to the case where an emitter is placed inside the gap of two coupled Au nanospheres. This new approach has dual advantages of revealing the underling physics of the enhancement and opening straightforward path towards optimization.
The prognostic value of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide for death and cardiovascular events in healthy normal and stage A/B heart failure subjects.

Objectives Our objective was to determine the prognostic value of plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for death and cardiovascular events among subjects without risk factors for heart failure (HF), which we term healthy normal. Background Previous studies report that plasma NT-proBNP has prognostic value for cardiovascular events in the general population even in the absence of HF. It is unclear if NT-proBNP retains predictive value in healthy normal subjects. Methods We identified a community-based cohort of 2,042 subjects in Olmsted County, Minnesota. Subjects with symptomatic (stage C/D) HF were excluded. The remaining 1,991 subjects underwent echocardiography and NT-proBNP measurement. We further defined healthy normal (n = 703) and stage A/B HF (n = 1,288) subgroups. Healthy normal was defined as the absence of traditional clinical cardiovascular risk factors and echocardiographic structural cardiac abnormalities. Subjects were followed for death, HF, cerebrovascular accident, and myocardial infarction with median follow-up of 9.1, 8.7, 8.8, and 8.9 years, respectively. Results NT-proBNP was not predictive of death or cardiovascular events in the healthy normal subgroup. Similar to previous reports, in stage A/B HF, plasma NT-proBNP values greater than age-/sex-specific 80th percentiles were associated with increased risk of death, HF, cerebrovascular accident, and myocardial infarction (p Conclusions These findings do not support the use of NT-proBNP as a cardiovascular biomarker in healthy normal subjects and have important implications for NT-proBNP–based strategies for early detection and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Concordance among fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams of Indiana, USA

The use of multiple taxa rather than a single taxon of stream organisms in ecological studies appears to be necessary to interpret independent environmental influences and interactions. We tested if macroinvertebrate assemblages in Indiana, USA, streams were better predicted from co-occurring fish assemblages or environmental variables. We used multivariate analyses to identify significant environmental predictor variables for macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages. Macroinvertebrate distribution and relative abundance were best predicted by in-stream cover and turbidity, and fish distribution and relative abundance were best predicted by fine sediments, bedrock, water temperature, and pool habitat. Patterns in fish assemblages were not significant predictors of macroinvertebrate distribution and relative abundance. Mantel tests for covariation among fish assemblage composition and macroinvertebrate assemblage composition resulted in significant, but low correlations. Our results suggest that macroinvertebrates respond to local environmental variation, and less to local presence of fishes indicating the surrogate taxa approach has little use at the Eastern Cornbelt Plain ecoregion of Indiana. Stream surveys of multiple taxa and environmental variables are appropriate assessment methods for ecosystem integrity.
Bayesian Analysis of the Phase II IASC–ASCE Structural Health Monitoring Experimental Benchmark Data

A two-step probabilistic structural health monitoring approach is used to analyze the Phase II experimental benchmark studies sponsored by the IASC–ASCE Task Group on Structural Health Monitoring. This study involves damage detection and assessment of the test structure using experimental data generated by hammer impact and ambient vibrations. The two-step approach involves modal identification followed by damage assessment using the pre- and postdamage modal parameters based on the Bayesian updating methodology. An Expectation–Maximization algorithm is proposed to find the most probable values of the parameters. It is shown that the brace damage can be successfully detected and assessed from either the hammer or ambient vibration data. The connection damage is much more difficult to reliably detect and assess because the identified modal parameters are less sensitive to connection damage, allowing the modeling errors to have more influence on the results.
A novel 3dB directional coupler with reconfigurable performance

In this paper, a novel reconfigurable 3-dB directional coupler is presented. Varactors and inductors are loaded to the device to realize the performance of reconfiguration. By adjusting the voltage applied to the varactors, the proposed coupler can be reconfigured from a branch-line coupler (90-degree coupler) to a rat-race coupler (180 or 0 degree coupler) and vice versa. During the tuning, good isolation and matching (small reflections) are obtained. To facilitate the design, rigorous theoretical analysis is carried out. Based on the analysis, general design equations are derived. Furthermore, a prototype working at 1 GHz is simulated to prove the design theory. Good agreement is achieved between the simulation and theoretical results.
Modulating artificial membrane morphology: pH-induced chromatic transition and nanostructural transformation of a bolaamphiphilic conjugated polymer from blue helical ribbons to red nanofibers.

Design and characterization of helical ribbon assemblies of a bolaamphiphilic conjugated polymer and their color-coded transformation into nanofibers are described. An l-glutamic acid modified bolaamphiphilic diacetylene lipid was synthesized and self-assembled into right-handed helical ribbons with micron scale length and nano scale thickness under mild conditions. The ribbon structures were further stabilized by polymerizing well-aligned diacetylene units to form bisfunctional polydiacetylenes (PDAs). Transitions from flat sheets to helical ribbons and tubes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The helical ribbons appear to originate from the rupture of flat sheets along domain edges and the peeling off between stacked lipid layers. These results point to the applicability of chiral packing theory in bolaamphiphilic supramolecular assemblies. Contact mode atomic force microscopy observations revealed that high order existed in the surface packing arrangement. Hexagonal and pseudorectangula...
4.4.3 A Study of the Effects of Professional Society Development on the Advancement of the Profession: The Systems Engineering Example

The advancement of professions depends on global collaborations. Professional societies are enablers to this growth in a multitude of ways. Publication outlets to disseminate new ideas, collaboration mechanisms to form communities of interest and conferences to enable networking and recognition all play critical roles in defining and advancing disciplines. In response to this, INCOSE has made a conscious decision to hold its flagship event, the annual Symposium, at strategic locations around the world. At the moment, the majority of INCOSE members, approximately sixty percent, are based in the U.S. although the diversity of membership has increased over time. In this paper, we seek to analyze the impact of hosting a symposium in a particular location through the use of six retrospective case studies to determine how a professional society such as INCOSE can impact the systems engineering profession. We investigate the consequences of hosting a symposium in a specific region and analyze the impact of the symposium on the advancement of the profession of Systems Engineering
Desire Work: Producing Heterosexuality in South African Pentecostal Gay Men

ABSTRACTGay men in Cape Town, South Africa joined a Pentecostal ministry in an attempt to produce what they understood as ‘natural’ heterosexual attraction. In this article, I explore how these gay men try to form new selves through what I call ‘desire work’, or physical and emotional micropractices and discipline. Desire is not ‘natural’, but it is produced through a multitude of engagements with cultural norms, public life, political economies, and social forces. New selves are built through concerted bodily changes and comportment [Mahmood, Saba. 2005. Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press], and although gay Pentecostal men shared this process, their success was limited. I understand desire work as a response to a larger context in which many Pentecostals are disaffected with the post-apartheid government and withdraw from politics as a result. Their fears of the uncertainties of democracy pushed them to engage in optimistic fantasies...
Irregular Ionic Lattice Model for Gas Solubilities in Ionic Liquids

The irregular ionic lattice model (IILM) is applied to predict the vapor pressures and solubilities of carbon dioxide dissolved in 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([bmim][PF6]) and in 1-n-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([C8mim][BF4]) ionic liquids at temperatures ranging from 298.15 to 333.15 K. The model contains only two parameters; they are shown to be independent of an arbitrarily chosen reference state. The parameters show a slight dependence on temperature, but this dependence is ignored in computations to demonstrate the rigor of the IILM in predicting CO2 solubility at high and low pressures at various temperatures. Model predictions are compared against the experimental data of Anthony et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2002, 106, 7315) and of Blanchard et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2001, 105, 2437). The usefulness of the model is in predicting CO2 solubilities at temperatures and pressures where experimental data are unavailable.
Decay of activation overpotential for potential-dependent capacitance☆

Abstract The use of a general polynomial expression for electrode/solution capacitance as a function of electrode potential permits evaluation of the corresponding decay of potential with time following current interruption. A well-known result due to Frumkin obtained as a special limiting case. Application to experimental problem is made.
Differences in Waveform Characteristics Have No Effect on the Anti-Hyperalgesia Produced by Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) in Rats With Joint Inflammation

Abstract Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a nonpharmacological method for pain management. Commercial TENS units differ in their waveform characteristics. However, effects of different waveforms on analgesia produced by TENS are unknown. Therefore, we compared effects of high-frequency TENS with different waveforms—asymmetric biphasic square and symmetric biphasic square—on inflammatory hyperalgesia. Paw withdrawal latency to heat (PWL) was assessed prior to inflaming the knee joint with 3% carrageenan/kaolin in rats. Four hours after induction of inflammation, PWL significantly decreased in all groups, indicating development of hyperalgesia. High-frequency TENS was then applied to the inflamed knee joint for 20 minutes while the rat was lightly anesthetized with halothane. TENS treatment with either the asymmetric or symmetric waveform significantly increased the PWL when compared with sham TENS. Thus, differences in waveform characteristics do not affect the anti-hyperalgesia produced by TENS. Perspective This study shows that different waveforms of TENS do not affect analgesic efficacy. This suggests that clinicians can select different waveforms to provide comfort during treatment but that reduction in pain is not a factor for waveform selection.
Opportunities to Make a Difference [President's Message]

Let me begin this column with the mission statement of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS): EMBS advances the application of engineering sciences and technology to medicine and biology, promotes the profession, and provides global leadership for the benefit of its members and humanity by disseminating knowledge, setting standards, fostering professional development, and recognizing excellence.
Design of a Pest Management Research and Development Program

Research and development programs on insect pests provide an opportunity to accomplish three major undertakings: (1) the assimilation and synthesis of the results of prior studies on the life system, biological effects, control, and socioeconomics of the pest-crop relationship being studied; (2) the acceleration of ongoing work and a focus for the results of this work; (3) an expanded knowledge base and a pool of trained people to continue working and improving the pest management system long after the formal program has ended. Unfortunately, these programs will not provide panaceas for our insect pest problems (Campbell 1973). They represent relatively massive efforts, but they are still constrained by limits on time, availability of trained and talented researchers, and money, as well as by the state of prior knowledge on the relevant pest-crop-socioeconomic system at the start of the formal program.
Determination of the height of the modulated electrojet region generating ELF radiation

[1] A virtual ionospheric antenna to generate ELF (extremely low frequency) waves is achievable by using amplitude modulated HF (high frequency) wave to modulate the electrojet current. The results of the numerical analysis show that the radiation intensities of ELF waves produced by modulated electrojet vary with the modulation frequency. Moreover, a ratio of two radiation intensities at two frequencies is height dependent. Thus, with the aid of the numerical results, the experimental measurements on the ratios of the radiation intensities of the ELF waves can provide unambiguous information on the height of the electrojet contributing to the ELF radiation. An experiment using the HAARP heating facility has been performed in 2005. The experimental results of three independent intensity ratios (25 Hz/205 Hz, 25 Hz/325 Hz, and 25 Hz/625 Hz) are used to demonstrate this new diagnostic technique. The height of the source region, where the modulated electrojet radiates most effectively, is determined to be between 94 Km and 97 Km.
Life course theory as a framework to examine becoming a mother of a medically fragile preterm infant

Life course theory, a sociological framework, was used to analyze the phenomenon of becoming a mother, with longitudinal narrative data from 34 women who gave birth prematurely after a high-risk pregnancy, and whose infant became medically fragile. Women faced challenges of mistimed birth and mothering a technologically dependent infant. Before social ties were established, legal and biological ties required mothers to make critical decisions about their infants. Liminality characterized mothers' early involvement with their infants. The mothers worked to know, love, and establish deeper attachments to this baby. The infant's homecoming was a key turning point; it decreased liminality of early mothering, increased mothers' control of infants' care, and gave them time and place to know their infants more intimately.
High-Performance Extensible Indexing

Today’s object-relational DBMSs (ORDBMSs) are designed to support novel application domains by providing an extensible architecture, supplemented by domain-specific database extensions supplied by external vendors. An important aspect of ORDBMSs is support for extensible indexing, which allows the core database server to be extended with external access methods (AMs). This paper describes a new approach to extensible indexing implemented in Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option (IDS/UDO). The approach is is based on the generalized search tree, or GiST, which is a template index structure for abstract data types that supports an extensible set of queries. GiST encapsulates core database indexing functionality including search, update, concurrency control and recovery, and thereby relieves the external access method (AM) of the burden of dealing with these issues. The IDS/UDO implementation employs a newly designed GiST API that reduces the number of user defined function calls, which are typically expensive to execute, and at the same time makes GiST a more flexible data structure. Experiments show that GiST-based AM extensibility can offer substantially better performance than built-in AMs when indexing userdefined data types.
An analysis of reshuffled handshaking expansions

We present a method for reasoning about the synchronization behavior of reshuffled handshaking expansions. The technique introduced converts the handshaking expansion into communicating hardware processes. We identify and discuss some of the limitations of the method. We show how the approach can be applied to analyze both the performance and the correctness of handshaking expansions.
Asymptomatic non-ulcerative genital tract infections in a rural Ugandan population.

OBJECTIVE: To document the prevalence of asymptomatic non-ulcerative genital tract infections (GTI) in a rural African cohort. METHODS: The study population consisted of all adults aged 15-59 residing in 56 rural communities of Rakai District, southwest Uganda, enrolled in the Rakai STD Control for AIDS Prevention Study. Participants were interviewed about the occurrence of vaginal or urethral discharge and frequent or painful urination in the previous 6 months. Respondents were asked to provide blood and a first catch urine sample. Serum was tested for HIV-1. Urine was tested with ligase chain reaction (LCR) for N gonorrhoeae and C trachomatis. Women provided two self administered vaginal swabs; one for T vaginalis culture and the other for a Gram stained slide for bacterial vaginosis (BV) diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 12,827 men and women were enrolled. Among 5140 men providing specimens, 0.9% had gonorrhoea and 2.1% had chlamydia. Among 6356 women, 1.5% had gonorrhoea, 2.4% had chlamydia, 23.8% were infected with trichomonas and 50.9% had BV.53% of men and 66% of women with gonorrhoea did not report genital discharge or dysuria at anytime within the previous 6 months. 92% of men and 76% of women with chlamydia and over 80% of women with trichomonas or BV were asymptomatic. The sensitivities of dysuria or urethral discharge for detection of infection with either gonorrhoea or chlamydia among men were only 21.4% and 9.8% respectively; similarly, among women the sensitivity of dysuria was 21.0% while that of vaginal discharge was 11.6%. For trichomonas or BV the sensitivity of dysuria was 11.7% and that of vaginal discharge was 10.5%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of non-ulcerative GTIs is very high in this rural African population and the majority are asymptomatic. Reliance on reported symptoms alone would have missed 80% of men and 72% of women with either gonorrhoea or chlamydia, and over 80% of women with trichomonas or BV. To achieve STD control in this and similar populations public health programmes must target asymptomatic infections.
Spermatozoal nuclear determinants of reproductive outcome: implications for ART

A male factor is implicated in more than 50% of couples treated with IVF. However, neither the routine testing of male fertility potential nor its treatment address the specific mechanisms by which spermatozoal factors may impact upon reproductive outcome. An important function of spermatozoa is to deliver the paternal genome to the oocyte. Recently, a number of acquired spermatozoal nuclear factors that may have implications on reproductive outcome have been described. These include non-specific DNA strand breaks, numerical abnormalities in spermatozoal chromosome content, Y chromosome microdeletions and alterations in the epigenetic regulation of paternal genome. The exact mechanisms by which these factors affect reproduction are unknown and their implications for assisted reproduction technology outcome need to be further investigated. These recent findings point to the need for novel and more personalized approaches to test and treat male factor infertility.
Notes on Catvllvs

The completion of a critical text of Catullus, which Teubner expects soon to publish, furnishes a plausible excuse for offering a few observations on readings: 29. 20 Hunc gallie timet et britannie (brittanie O) GORM ( spatium solito maius post timet reliquit R).
Caspase-8 expression and proteolysis in human brain after severe head injury

Programmed cell death involves a complex and interrelated cascade of cysteine proteases termed caspases that are synthesized as inactive zymogens, which are proteolytically processed to active enzymes. Caspase-8 is an initiator caspase that becomes activated when Fas death receptor-Fas ligand (FasL) coupling on the cell surface leads to coalescence of a "death complex" perpetuating the programmed cell death cascade. In this study, brain tissue samples removed from adult patients during the surgical management of severe intracranial hypertension after traumatic brain injury (TBI; n=17) were compared with postmortem control brain tissue samples (n=6). Caspase-8 mRNA was measured by semiquantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction, and caspase-8 protein was examined by Western blot and immunocytochemistry. Fas and FasL were also examined using Western blot. Caspase-8 mRNA and protein were increased in TBI patients vs. controls, and caspase-8 protein was predominately expressed in neurons. Proteolysis of caspase-8 to 20-kDa fragments was seen only in TBI patients. Fas was also increased after TBI vs. control and was associated with relative levels of caspase-8, supporting formation of a death complex. These data identify additional steps in the programmed cell death cascade involving Fas death receptors and caspase-8 after TBI in humans.
The power law time dependence of (R2) in nonequilibrium growth

Model systems evolving in time to attain equilibrium, with spin exchange dynamics order by forming domains after a temperature quench within the ordered region. They are described in terms of time-dependent diffusion coefficients and a distribution of activation energies. This description is analogous to the relaxation in disordered systems such as a:Si-H (amorphous hydrogenated Si).
Quercetin abrogates chemoresistance in melanoma cells by modulating ΔNp73

The alkylating agent Dacarbazine (DTIC) has been used in the treatment of melanoma for decades, but when used as a monotherapy for cancer only moderate response rates are achieved. Recently, the clinical use of Temozolomide (TMZ) has become the more commonly used analog of DTIC-related oral agents because of its greater bioavailability and ability to cross the blood brain barrier. The response rates achieved by TMZ are also unsatisfactory, so there is great interest in identifying compounds that could be used in combination therapy. We have previously demonstrated that the bioflavonoid quercetin (Qct) promoted a p53-mediated response and sensitized melanoma to DTIC. Here we demonstrate that Qct also sensitizes cells to TMZ and propose a mechanism that involves the modulation of a truncated p53 family member, ΔNp73. DB-1 melanoma (p53 wildtype), and SK Mel 28 (p53 mutant) cell lines were treated with TMZ (400 μM) for 48 hrs followed by Qct (75 μM) for 24 hrs. Cell death was determined by Annexin V-FITC staining and immunocytochemical analysis was carried out to determine protein translocation. After treatment with TMZ, DB-1 cells demonstrated increased phosphorylation of Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and p53. However, the cells were resistant to TMZ-induced apoptosis and the resistance was associated with an increase in nuclear localization of ΔNp73. Qct treatment in combination with TMZ abolished drug insensitivity and caused a more than additive induction of apoptosis compared to either treatment alone. Treatment with Qct, caused redistribution of ΔNp73 into the cytoplasm and nucleus, which has been associated with increased p53 transcriptional activity. Knockdown of ΔNp73 restored PARP cleavage in the TMZ treated cells, confirming its anti-apoptotic role. The response to treatment was predominantly p53 mediated as the p53 mutant SK Mel 28 cells showed no significant enhancement of apoptosis. This study demonstrates that Qct can sensitize cells to TMZ and that the mechanisms of sensitization involve modulation of p53 family members.
The choice of optimum scores in a Markov chain of order one

The states of a Markov chain may be on an ordinal or a nominal scale. In this situation we need to assign appropriate scores to the states in order to study a given problem in detail. Using Fisher's criterion for assigning optimum scores to the marginals of anm×n contingency table, we shall obtain a system of optimum scores to assign to the states of a stationary Markov chain of order one.
A Hierarchical Grow-and-Match Algorithm for Backbone Resonance Assignments Given 3D Structure

This paper develops an algorithm for NMR backbone resonance assignment given a 3D structure and a set of relatively sparse 15N-edited NMR data, with the through-space 15N-edited NOESY as the primary source of information. Our approach supports high-throughput solution studies of dynamics and interactions (e.g., ligand binding), when the structure has previously been determined by crystallography or modeled computationally. We employ a graph matching approach, identifying correspondence between a given contact graph and a corrupted version representing the NMR data. Our hierarchical grow-and-match algorithm decomposes the contact graph into sequential fragments with relatively dense interactions, and then combines possible assignments for the fragments, searching over the combinations with effective but conservative pruning. Our algorithm is complete, guaranteed to identify all solutions consistent with the data within a likelihood threshold of the optimal solution. It also deals correctly and uniformly with missing edges, which are quite common under this formulation. Tests on a number of experimental datasets and simulations with varying noise and sparsity demonstrate that our algorithm can handle significant data corruption (2.5-6.0 noisy edges per correct one) and sparsity (10-40% of the correct edges missing). In addition to the reference solution, the complete ensembles include a number (up to 30) of alternatives. We use these complete ensembles to characterize confidence in parts of an assignment.
Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis used to monitor the enrichment culture of aerobic chemoorganotrophic bacteria from a hot spring cyanobacterial mat

Previous studies investigating microbial diversity in the Octopus Spring cyanobacterial mat community (Yellowstone National Park) have shown a discrepancy between bacterial populations observed by molecular retrieval and cultivation techniques. To investigate how selective enrichment culture techniques affect species composition, we used denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) separation of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments to monitor the populations contained within enrichment cultures of aerobic chemoorganotrophic bacteria from the ca. 50 degrees C region of the mat community. By varying the degree of dilution of the inoculum, medium composition, and enrichment conditions and duration and by analyzing the cultures by DGGE, we detected 14 unique 16S rRNA sequence types. These corresponded to alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-proteobacteria, Thermus relatives, and gram-positive bacteria with high G + C ratio and, at the highest inoculum dilutions, Chloroflexus aurantiacus relatives, which were estimated to still be approximately 300 times less abundant than cells of the mat primary producer, Synechococcus spp. Only three of these populations were previously cultivated on solidified medium after similar enrichment. Only two of these population have 16S rRNA sequences which were previously cloned directly from the mat. These results reveal a diversity of bacterial populations in enrichment culture which were not detected by either molecular retrieval or strain purification techniques.
Cognitive UWB-OFDM: Combining Ultrawideband with Opportunistic Spectrum Usage

In a continuously expanding wireless world, the number of radio systems increases every day, and efficient spectrum usage becomes a more significant requirement. Ultrawideband (UWB) and cognitive radio are two recent and exciting technologies that offer a new approach to the spectrum usage. The main objective of this paper is to combine these two technologies. The strength of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based UWB in co-existing with licensed systems is investigated. The opportunity concept is defined, and the requirements of the opportunistic spectrum usage are explained. It is proposed to take the UWB-OFDM from the current underlay implementation, and evolve it to a combined underlay and opportunistic spectrum usage technology, leading to cognitive UWB-OFDM. This way, we aim at making UWB more competitive in the wireless market with extended range, higher capacity, better performance, and a wide variety of applications.
Interactive Nitric Oxide–Angiotensin II Influences on Renal Microcirculation in Angiotensin II–Induced Hypertension

Abstract —The present study was conducted to determine the contribution of nitric oxide to angiotensin II (Ang II) reactivity of afferent and efferent arterioles from Ang II–infused hypertensive rats. Experiments were performed in vitro with the blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron technique in kidneys harvested from hypertensive Sprague-Dawley rats (181±1 mm Hg) that had received 60 ng/min Ang II subcutaneously for 13 days. Superfusion with 0.1, 1, and 10 nmol/L Ang II reduced afferent arteriolar diameter (18.1±0.6 μm; n=12) by 10.0±0.7%, 28.1±1.7%, and 52.8±1.9%, respectively, and efferent arteriolar diameter (17.2±1.4 μm; n=8) decreased by 9.3±0.7%, 27.0±1.2%, and 50.4±1.6%, respectively. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition with 100 μmol/L N ω-nitro-l-arginine (NLA) reduced resting afferent and efferent arteriolar diameters to 14.7±0.4 and 14.3±1.2 μm, respectively, and enhanced afferent but not efferent arteriolar reactivity to Ang II. The enhanced afferent arteriolar reactivity to Ang II was eliminated by addition of the nitric oxide donor S -nitroso- N -acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 10 μmol/L), which reversed the NLA-induced decrease in diameter. Addition of 10 μmol/L SNAP, without NLA, blunted efferent but not afferent arteriolar reactivity to Ang II. Afferent (n=7) and efferent arteriolar diameters (n=6) decreased by 48.5±2.2% and 41.0±1.9%, respectively, in response to 10 nmol/L Ang II. These results suggest that in this model of hypertension, maintained nitric oxide production in afferent arterioles counteracts the enhanced afferent arteriolar reactivity that occurs in Ang II–induced hypertension.
Assessing the significance of women in combat roles

What should we know about the roles of women in armed conflicts? I review the existing literature on women’s roles in regular and irregular conflicts to identify gaps in our understanding of the significance of female combatants. I draw on contemporary and historical cases of women’s combat participation across world regions and, in so doing, I challenge existing assumptions about the limits of women’s participation in armed conflict. Examining women as a group and expecting conflict to affect this group in predictable and easily identifiable ways only reinforces existing assumptions about women and war. To understand the range of motivations underlying women’s decisions to fight or to not fight, we should give greater attention to opportunity structures and other social conditions rather than simply assuming that women have different incentives than men.
Evidence for directed mitotic cleavage plane reorientations during retinal development within the zebrafish.

7. Stanke, M., D. Junghans, M. Geissen, C. Goridis, U. Ernsberger, and H. Rohrer. 1999. Development 126: 4087-4094. 8. Green, C. B., A. J. Durston, and R. Morgan. 2001. Mech. Dev. 101: 105-110. a ke, M., D. Junghans, M. Geissen, C. Goridis, U. Ernsberger, 9. G ant, P., D. Tseng, R. M. Gould, H. Gainer, and H. C. Pant. 1995. J. Comp. Neurol. 356: 311-326. 10. Ando, H., T. Furuta, R. Y. Tsien, and H. Okamoto. 2001. Nat. Genet. 28: 317-325. , ., . Tseng, R. M. Gould, H. Gainer, and H. C. Pant. 1995. . e rol. 356: 311-326.
Congregational Participation of a National Sample of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to thrive requires careful consideration of multiple avenues of community involvement. Yet little attention has focused on the place of faith community participation in the lives of adults with IDD. We examined attendance at religious services using National Core Indicator data for a sample of 12,706 adults with IDD residing in 24 states. Almost half of adults (48.3%) reported attending a religious service in the past month, and more than one third (34.6%) attended 3 or more times. Religious involvement varied considerably based on a variety of individual (e.g., race, disability type, behavioral support needs, communication mode) and contextual factors (e.g., geographic locale, residential type). Moreover, monthly involvement in religious activities was much less common than participation in other community activities (i.e., exercise, entertainment, eating out, shopping). We offer recommendations for supporting the spiritual lives of adults with IDD, as well as highlight areas for future research and practice.
Endings, beginnings, and continuations

Excerpt] As this August issue of CHRAQ is being delivered, we here at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration are experiencing a time of exciting change. Some of our readers may be marking the end of a busy summer tourism season, while those of us at Cornell (as at schools everywhere) are gearing up for a new academic year. Students are arriving, classes are beginning, new faculty members are just starting their jobs, and there is an aura of freshness, excitement, and energy at the school.
A Positive Account of the Realization Rule

There is a widespread belief that a realization rule is either a normative or an administratively necessary feature of an income tax. There is a strong consensus in the literature that a normative income tax would tax changes in wealth as they accrue rather than as realized, but a realization requirement is nevertheless necessary due to the liquidity and valuation constraints of accrual taxation. Because a pure realization system (with full loss offsets) is unworkable due to strategic trading, and the realization rule produces distortions and inequity, steps to limit its reach and to bring the system closer to accrual taxation are desirable. The article evaluates this consensus. It offers a positive account; it makes no attempt to build a normative case for the rule. The article first considers the two traditional explanations for the realization rule. Many commentators accept without questioning that accrual taxation is impossible because the problems with valuing all assets annually are insurmountable and annual taxation would create an untenable liquidity burden. This argument merits closer attention. The article concludes that the liquidity argument does not stand up to scrutiny and that measures less distortive than the realization rule could address cash flow concerns. The article also concludes that while the valuation concern has some explanatory power, it alone does not explain the durability of the realization standard. Rather, a richer positive account of the realization rule can be developed by focusing on the political impossibility of repeal, particularly the popular conception that paper gains do not constitute income. Doing so explains the durability of a hybrid tax-a realization-based income tax. Such an account, however, would lead to a pure realization-based tax and thus a positive analysis also must take into account the reality that the realization rule threatens the very existence of our hybrid tax. The rule is easily manipulable, making it possible for the well-advised and wealthy taxpayer to avoid tax on capital income. Thus, a pure realization rule is indefensible in a system intended to impose a tax on capital. Efficiency and equity concerns explain the extraordinarily complex array of fiscal defenses erected to prevent escalation down the slippery slope to a consumption tax.
Cabergoline in the Treatment of Male Orgasmic Disorder-A Retrospective Pilot Analysis.

Introduction Male orgasmic disorder is common, with few treatment options. Cabergoline is a dopamine agonist that acts centrally to normalize serum prolactin that could improve orgasmic dysfunction.
Sound Body, Sound Mind?: Asymmetric and Symmetric Fetal Growth Re-striction and Human Capital Development

This paper explores the causal pathway by which poor fetal health translates into reducing educational attainment and earnings as an adult. Using insights from the medical literature, I decompose low birth weight infants into two distinct subtypes: a symmetric type, which is characterized by cognitive deficits, and an asymmetric type, which exhibits little to no cognitive problems. Using data from a longitudinal survey of newborns, I establish three results: First, there is empirical evidence of brain sparing in the asymmetric subtype, but not in the symmetric subtype. Sec-ond, despite differences in cognitive impairment, both subtypes exhibit similar im-pairment to physical health. And finally, there is evidence that the causes and tim-ing of onset during pregnancy are different for asymmetric and symmetric growth restriction. The results indicate that differentiating between these subtypes may other new opportunities to identify the underlying casual relationships between health and human capital development, as well as uncovering the “black box” mechanism behind the fetal origins hypothesis. These results also have broad im-plications for the timing of policy interventions aimed at pregnant women.
Cutting Forces With 3-D Tool Wear Analysis in Orthogonal Tube Machining of 6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy With Uncoated Carbide Tool Inserts Using Cold Compressed Air Versus Liquid Nitrogen as Metal Working Fluids

Metal working fluids remain in common use throughout many industries where metal cutting is necessary. Optimizing the use of a metal working fluid must balance environmental needs, production needs and economic needs.An orthogonal tube turning machining experiment on 6061-T6 aluminum alloy was conducted to study the performance of uncoated carbide tool inserts utilizing cold compressed air and liquid nitrogen environments as the metal working fluid of choice. The tool inserts selected for this study did not have any chip breaker and studied at 3 different rake angles of 0°, 7° and 15°. Aluminum alloy 6061-T6 was used because of its commercially dominant availability and usage. Cold cryogenic cooling was selected because of its growing usage in high performance machining applications. The use of cold compressed air has been much less studied in the machining of metals than in the machining of plastics and composites where it is quite commonly used. The comparisons between these two methods represent the first published values comparing the current extremes of gaseous metal working fluid applications in a commercially dominant aluminum alloy.This statistically designed experiment produced a large amount of comparative data that focused on the wear of the tools in two different cutting environments allowing for multivariate analysis of variance and regressive curve fitting. The orthogonal tube turning was set up on a conventional two axis HAAS TL-2 CNC tool room lathe. Forces were collected utilizing a standard Kistler force dynamometer to record the force data in X, Y and Z axes. Two levels of uncut chip thickness, 0.002” and 0.004” per revolution were maintained with a constant feed and depth of cut of 0.125”. Tool rake angles and depth of cuts were selected to ensure maximum statistical power / decisiveness of the experiment. The experiment was carried out for duration of 1 minute while the force data was collected for the entire duration of cut. New tool insert was used for each factor level combination.The traditional force analysis results are provided for an orthogonal tube turning experiment. In addition, all tools were analyzed for 3-dimensional rake face wear using an innovative Keyence white light microscope in conjunction with a Dektak surface profilometer. Although cutting forces were statistically the same, the inexpensive, simple cold compressed air produced less rake wear than the more expensive liquid nitrogen for all cutting factor level combinations. There was no measureable benefit in using the more expensive liquid nitrogen system.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Viable influenza A virus in airborne particles expelled during coughs versus exhalations.

Background To prepare for a possible influenza pandemic, a better understanding of the potential for the airborne transmission of influenza from person to person is needed.
A Sub-1-V 194- $\mu{\hbox{W}}$ 31-dB FOM 2.3–2.5-GHz Mixer-First Receiver Frontend for WBAN With Mutual Noise Cancellation

A low-power low-noise 0.7-V mixer-first RF frontend for an IEEE 802.15.6 narrowband receiver is presented, which uses frequency translated mutual noise cancellation based on passive coupling. Unlike traditional noise-cancelling techniques, we perform symmetrical noise cancellation of a fully differential structure where each path cancels the noise of the other at IF. This prototype design realized in TSMC’s 65-nm CMOS tackles the noise figure and power consumption problems of sub-1-V mixers. The figure of merit is 10 dB higher and the power consumption is 194 $\mu{\hbox{W}}$ , which is 0.5 $\times$ lower than the state-of-the-art. The local oscillator power used is $-{\hbox{14 dBm}}$ .
Triassic Timescale Based on Tetrapod Biostratigraphy and Biochronology

The biochronology based on the global biostratigraphy of tetrapod fossils allows the Triassic System to be divided into eight land-vertebrate faunachrons based mainly on the first appearance datums of tetrapod genera. Temporal resolution may be improved by subdivision of these faunachrons. We note, however, that this biochronology is undermined by the use of cladotaxonomy. The Triassic tetrapod footprint biochronology has lower resolution, dividing the entire system into five footprint-based biochrons. The temporal resolution of this biochronology also may be improved through subdivision based on ichnotaxon range zones.
Research on a Test-driven Process Model

The paper analyzed the Agile Process and several kinds of traditional software life cycle models,and proposed a Test-Driven Process Model base on the sum-up of the nuclear means of Test-Driven Development which was illuminated in detail.Through the exploitation of file management system in.net platform,it's characteristics such as high efficiency,low cost,adapting the changing of requirement relativing to traditional development model and possess maneuverability were analyzed.
Impact of hospital and surgeon volumes in the management of complicated portal hypertension: review of a statewide database in Florida.

Mortality after complex surgical procedures has been shown to be inversely related to hospital volume. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these findings are applicable to radiologic and surgical procedures for complicated portal hypertension. The Agency for Healthcare Administration for the State of Florida database was queried to determine outcomes after transjugular intrahepatic stent shunts (TIPS) or surgical shunts from 2000 to 2003. A total of 1486 patients underwent either TIPS (1321) or surgical shunts (165). Natural breakpoints occurred at two and six procedures per year were correlated with survival for surgical shunts but not TIPS. Overall mortality was not different between TIPS and surgical shunts (11.0 vs. 12.7%, P = 0.51); however, the cost of TIPS was significantly lower (62,000 +/- 58.5 vs. 107,000 +/- 97.8, P < 0.001.) as well as the length of hospitalization (9 +/- 9.0 days vs. 15 days +/- 12.6 days, P < 0.001). Surgical procedures for complicated portal hypertension are rapidly being replaced by TIPS. Like with other complex procedures, outcomes are related to hospital volume.