cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opioid overdose crises during the COVID-19 pandemic: implication of health disparities.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest a disproportionate impact of opioid overdoses on Black Americans. The study aims to describe emergency department (ED) visits at a Southern, urban ED pertaining to opioid overdose and associated health disparities. METHODS: Patients presenting to the ED at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital with opioid overdoses from January 1 to October 31, 2019, and from January 1 to October 31, 2020, were identified from electronic medical records. RESULTS: The total number of opioid overdose visits increased 9.7% (556 to 611) between January and October 2020 compared with 2019. Among patients who presented with opioid overdose, the mean ages were 50.3 years and 48.3 years, in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In both 2019 and 2020, more Blacks than whites were treated for opioid overdose in the ED (284 vs. 258 in 2019, and 306 vs. 271 in 2020) although 28 patients did not record their race in 2020. Consistently, more overdose deaths were observed in Blacks than in whites in 2020. More individuals seeking opioid overdose treatment were single in both years. CONCLUSIONS: The study reported a greater number of visits for opioid overdoses from January to October of 2020 in an ED of a southeastern region, as well as higher overdose deaths in Blacks. Our findings highlight the importance of substance use treatment, harm reduction, and overdose prevention efforts that should be immediately present to reduce opioid overdose, especially for vulnerable populations in the South, i.e., Black community, and individuals experiencing singlehood.
Extended Graph 4-Manifolds, and Einstein Metrics

We show that extended graph 4-manifolds (as defined by Frigerio-Lafont-Sisto in [FLS15]) do not support Einstein metrics.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Functioning in Recently Separated U.S. Women Veterans: Trajectories and Bi-Directional Relationships

Prior research on the relationship between veterans’ mental health and psychosocial functioning has primarily relied on male samples. Here, we investigated prospective longitudinal relationships between mental health and psychosocial functioning in 554 female Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans who were surveyed three times between two- and seven-years following separation from service. Mixed effects modeling revealed that increasing depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity predicted declines in work functioning. Increasing PTSD severity predicted declining parental functioning and worsening depression predicted a decline in relationship functioning. In turn, decreased work and intimate relationship functioning predicted increased PTSD and depression symptom severity suggesting bi-directional effects between mental health and psychosocial functioning. An examination of the effect of deployment stressors on psychosocial functioning revealed that deployment sexual harassment was the strongest predictor of decreased psychosocial functioning across all domains. Evidence for the reciprocal nature of relationships between mental health and psychosocial functioning underscore the need for treatment targeted at PTSD and depression, as well as work and relationship functioning to improve outcomes for women veterans.
Food approach and avoidance appetitive traits in university students: A latent profile analysis.

Abstract Eating behaviors are influenced by many factors including appetitive traits. Few studies have utilized latent profile analysis (LPA) to examine food approach and food avoidance appetitive traits. This study utilized LPA to define cluster profile groups based on appetitive traits in undergraduate and graduate/professional students at a large University in the southwest United States. Students completed a cross-sectional online survey in fall 2020 assessing demographic information, appetitive traits via the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ), and anxiety via the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7; higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms). Appetitive traits were combined into eight scales (four food approach and four food avoidance traits). Latent profile analyses were conducted to identify homogenous subgroups of participants based on AEBQ scale scores. The final sample included 1243 students (mean age = 26.5 years, 73% female, 59% White, 57% undergraduates). LPA revealed four cluster profile groups: Cluster 1 (moderate eaters: lower than mean scores for food approach and avoidance traits), Cluster 2 (food seekers and avoiders: higher than mean scores for food approach and avoidance traits), Cluster 3 (food seekers: higher than mean scores for food approach traits), and Cluster 4 (food avoiders: higher than mean scores for food avoidance traits). Distribution of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and student status differed significantly between clusters. GAD-7 score was highest in Cluster 2 (food seekers and avoiders) and lowest in Cluster 1 (moderate eaters). Among the four LPA-defined cluster profile groups, students who endorsed both food approach and avoidance traits reported more severe anxiety symptoms compared to moderate eaters, food seekers, and food avoiders. It is useful to consider clusters of appetitive traits instead of individual appetitive traits when examining associations with physical and mental health.
Notochordal Morphogenesis and the Origin of Chordoma

Chordomas are locally aggressive, slow-growing tumors. Typically found in the axial skeleton, they are thought to be derived from notochord remnants. The notochord is a critical midline structure present in the early weeks of embryogenesis, where it plays a critical role in left-right and local tissue development. While the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disk appears to be derived from the primitive notochord, remnant notochordal cells can be found throughout adult vertebrae. What drives the transition from remnant notochord cell to chordoma remains elusive, and is likely multifactorial, but the expression of the brachyury gene appears central to this process. While wide resection remains the gold standard when possible (with or without radiation), these difficult-to-treat tumors have a high local recurrence rate even when appropriate margins appeared to have been achieved. By better understanding the role of the notochord and notochordal morphogenesis in the origins of chordomas, more efficacious, targeted therapies are currently being developed.
A METHOD FOR CALCULATING THE INDUCED PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION ASSOCIATED WITH A JET IN A CROSSFLOW

A model is presented which can be used to study the loss of lift during hovering and horizontal flight of the VTOL aircraft. The model numerically predicts the pressure distribution induced by a round, turbulent, unheated, subsonic jet exhausting normally through a flat plate into a subsonic crossflow. The complete model assumes that the predominant features of the flow are jet entrainment and a pair of contrarotating vortices which form downstream of the jet. Experimentally determined vortex properties and a reasonable assumption concerning jet entrainment were used. Potential flow considerations were used except in the wake region, where a simple method for approximating the pressure distribution was suggested. The calculated pressure distribution, lift, and pitching moments on the flat plate are presented for a jet to crossflow velocity ratio of 8 and were compared with experimental results. A computer program is given which was used to calculate the pressure distribution across the flat plate.
Longitudinal therapeutic effects on the periodontal attachment level and pocketdepth in beagle dogs. I. Clinical findings.

Thirteen healthy Beagles, 3 1/2–5 years of age with moderate to advanced periodontal discase received a thorough scaling and prophylasis followed by four weeks of daily tooth cleaning. After one month, each of the fourposterior quadrants of each dog was subjected to one of the following treatments: 1) subgingival curettage, 2) modified Widman flap surgery with root planing, 3) apically repositioned flap and bone surgery for pocket elimination and 4) scaling and root planing as a control. Toothbrushings was carried out daily. In addition, every 14 days the dogs received a rubber cup and pumice prophylaxis throughout the entire length of the study. At the baseline, 1, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months following treatment, oral hygiene and gingival health were scored and the level of periodontal attachment and pocket depth were measured. The results at one Month suggested an increase in attachment levels which was grater after scaling or subgingival curettage than after flap procedures. Up to 36 months, the established attachment levels were maintained for all treatment groups and no significant difference was found between any of the treatments and the scaled controls. However, in advanced periodontal lesion attachment levels were not maintaned with scaling alone. The present study has shown that the more conservative approaches to the treatment of periodontal disease such as subgingival curettage and Widman flap surgery may be as effective in maintaining clincal attachment levels as elaborate surgical procedures involving osteoectomy.
Communication Ethics and Crisis: Negotiating Differences in Public and Private Spheres, S. Alyssa Groom and Janie Harden Fritz, eds.

In light of recent high-profile communication failures in times of crisis (the Fukujima nuclear disaster, the finger-pointing following the BP oil spill, and the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina ...
The Deming Approach to Education

Compares the values and practices in primary to secondary state schools in the USA and Japan in the light of Dr W. Edwards Deming′s philosophy. Deming teaches that the first step towards improving quality is reducing the variation in products. If our students are considered the products of our educational system, student performance must be uniform for quality education to be achieved. However, this concept is currently missing from the tradition of American education because emphasis of competitiveness, a contributing factor to widening the variation, is a prominent and deeply ingrained characteristic of American culture. On the other hand, the Japanese school system traditionally encourages co‐operation at all levels, from the national and prefectural levels down to school districts and individual schools, from administrators to teachers and students, to reduce the variation in students′ performance. These Japanese educational practices and current issues in American education, such as choice of school ...
Effective Determination of the Zeros of p-Adic Exponential Functions

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the proofs of some results announced in the abstract [Ml] from Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science 158. The chapter presents a completeness theorem for exponential identities. The chapter describes the problem of effectively obtaining the zero-set of an element f ∊ Z[x] E .
A revision of Spondias L. (Anacardiaceae) in the Neotropics

As part of an ongoing study of Anacardiaceae subfamily Spondioideae, the ten native and one introduced species of Spondias in the Neotropics are revised. The genus is circumscribed. Three new species, Spondiasadmirabilis, Spondiasexpeditionaria, and Spondiasglobosa, are described and illustrated; a key to the taxa found in the Neotropics and distribution maps are provided. The Paleotropical species and allied genera are reviewed. Diagnostic character sets include leaf architecture, habit, flower morphology, and gross fruit morphology. Notes on the ecology and economic botany of the species are provided.
Inflammatory Diseases of the Lung Induced by Conventional Cigarette Smoke: A Review

Smoking-induced lung diseases were extremely rare prior to the 20th century. With commercialization and introduction of machine-made cigarettes, worldwide use skyrocketed and several new pulmonary diseases have been recognized. The majority of pulmonary diseases caused by cigarette smoke (CS) are inflammatory in origin. Airway epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages have altered inflammatory signaling in response to CS, which leads to recruitment of lymphocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils, and mast cells to the lungs—depending on the signaling pathway (nuclear factor-ΚB, adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) activated. Multiple proteins are upregulated and secreted in response to CS exposure, and many of these have immunomodulatory activities that contribute to disease pathogenesis. In particular, metalloproteases 9 and 12, surfactant protein D, antimicrobial peptides (LL-37 and human β defensin 2), and IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-17 have been found in higher quantities in the lungs of smokers with ongoing inflammation. However, many underlying mechanisms of smoking-induced inflammatory diseases are not yet known. We review here the known cellular and molecular mechanisms of CS-induced diseases, including COPD, respiratory bronchiolitis-interstitial lung disease, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, acute eosinophilic pneumonia, chronic rhinosinusitis, pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and chronic bacterial infections. We also discuss inflammation induced by secondhand and thirdhand smoke exposure and the pulmonary diseases that result. New targeted antiinflammatory therapeutic options are currently under investigation and hopefully will yield promising results for the treatment of these highly prevalent smoking-induced diseases.
Speculations on the Immunopathogenesis of Psoriasis: T-Cell Violation of a Keratinocyte Sphere of Influence

The thesis is advanced that the differences in antigen processing and presentation described for "fresh" and "cultured" Langerhans cells in vitro reflect similar differences between intraepidermal and intranodal Langerhans cells in vivo. The functional properties of Langerhans cells are dependent upon the microenvironment in which they reside; thus, intraepidermal Langerhans cells are under the influence of cytokines secreted by keratinocytes, whereas intranodal Langerhans cells come under the influence of lymphokines from T lym- phocytes. It is speculated that a genetic lesion in psoriasis robs keratinocytes of their capacity to create an "appropriate" epidermal microenvironment. As a consequence, intraepidermal Langerhans cells adopt the functional program of intranodal cells. When "uninvolved" psoriatic skin receives a cutaneous challenge with antigen, Langerhans cells, by activating naive T cells in situ, unwittingly engender a microenvironment that is more appropriate to a lymph node. This skin becomes "involved" as it gradually acquires features associated with lymph nodes (such as high endothelial venules). And the derangement is further complicated by abnormalities of proliferation and differentiation among keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts as they respond to the inappropriate T-cell – derived lymphokines, giving rising to the typical, active psoriatic lesion.
EFFECT OF ANTI-PMS SERUM ON SUPEROVULATION IN THE HAMSTER.

These experiments were designed to determine whether or not the reserve follicles initially stimulated to develop in the hamster ovary by pregnant mares’ serum (PMS) require the hormone throughout the estrous cycle for their continued maturation. To test this possibility, an antiserum to PMS (As) was produced in rabbits and injected at various times into hamsters which were previously primed with PMS. Hamsters injected with 60 IU PMS at day 1 (metestrus) ovulated 65 eggs, but the concurrent injection of As resulted in the ovulation of only 10 ova. Similarly, when the injection of As was delayed until day 2, only 10 eggs were ovulated. An unexpected finding occurred on administration of As at day 3. Although some animals ovulated 10 eggs, others failed to ovulate. Treatment with As on day 4 completely blocked ovulation in all animals. The failure of ovulation after As injection in the latter half of the cycle was due to a wave of atresia which destroyed most of the vesicular follicles. Injection of As on d...
Evaluating the Impact of Policy-Induced Land Use Management Practices on Non-Point Source Pollution Using a Spatial Decision Support System

Abstract State and federal conservation compliance policies in the United States are aimed, in part, at reducing non-point pollution and maintaining long-term agricultural productivity. These policies affect land use and management practices on the nation's farms. Farms and farmers, however, are part of a larger agri-ecological system and changes in farming practices affect linked socio-economic, biologic, and hydrologic systems. It is difficult, therefore, to foresee the wide ranging and long-term consequences that are set into motion by changes in agricultural policy. Yet, these consequences must be understood if we are to avoid the deleterious side effects or capture the collateral benefits associated with specific policies. A Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) has been developed here to help understand some of these consequences within the context of watershed management and the control of non-point source pollution. This SDSS consists of a Geographic Information System (GIS), two spatial models (...
A Comparison of Genetic Programming Variants for Hyper-Heuristics

General-purpose optimization algorithms are often not well suited for real-world scenarios where many instances of the same problem class need to be repeatedly and efficiently solved. Hyper-heuristics automate the design of algorithms for a particular scenario, making them a good match for real-world problem solving. For instance, hardware model checking induced Boolean Satisfiability Problem (SAT) instances have a very specific distribution which general SAT solvers are not necessarily well targeted to. Hyper-heuristics can automate the design of a SAT solver customized to a specific distribution of SAT instances. The first step in employing a hyper-heuristic is creating a set of algorithmic primitives appropriate for tackling a specific problem class. The second step is searching the associated algorithmic primitive space. Hyper-heuristics have typically employed Genetic Programming (GP) to execute the second step, but even in GP there are many alternatives. This paper reports on an investigation of the relationship between the choice of GP type and the performance obtained by a hyper-heuristic employing it. Results are presented on SAT, demonstrating the existence of problems for which there is a statistically significant performance differential between the use of different GP types.
Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation using radiofrequency energy.

Abstract Background . The Maze III procedure for atrial fibrillation (AF) is effective but has not been used widely due to its complexity, bleeding risk, and added operative time. Surgical radiofrequency ablation may simplify the procedure and make intraoperative correction of AF more accessible and widely performed. Methods . Endocardial pulmonary venous isolation was performed on 48 patients with AF undergoing concurrent operation using temperature-controlled radiofrequency energy delivered through a hand-held flexible probe. Additional right-sided lesions were made at the surgeon's discretion. Results . Forty-two patients were appropriate for analysis (6 died). These patients had an AF duration of 4.8 ± 6.4 years. At a mean follow-up of 138 ± 96 days, 34 patients were in sinus rhythm. We were unable to demonstrate a difference in outcome based on AF duration, left atrial size, or addition of right-sided lesions. Conclusions . Radiofrequency atrial ablation was effective in 81% of patients with AF at restoring sinus rhythm at an average follow-up of 4 months. This procedure is simple to perform and should broaden the number of patients that receive an AF treatment procedure during concurrent cardiac operation.
Systematic Review of Teleneurology Neurohospitalist Neurology

The use of 2-way audiovisual telemedicine technology for the delivery of acute stroke care is well established in the literature and is a growing practice. The use of such technology for neurologic consultation outside the cerebrovascular specialty has been reported to a variable extent across most disciplines within the field of neurology, including that of the neurohospitalist medicine. A systematic review of these reports is lacking. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on teleneurologic consultation in hospital neurology. The databases Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane were used as data sources and were searched with key words "teleneurology" and its numerous synonyms and cognates. These key words were cross-referenced with subspecialties of neurology. The studies were included for further review only if the title or the abstract indicated that the study made use of 2-way audiovisual communication to address a neurologic indication. This search yielded 6625 abstracts. By consensus between the 2 investigators, 688 publications met the criteria for inclusion and further review. Four of those citations directly pertained to the inpatient hospital neurologic consultation. Each of the 4 relevant articles was scored with a novel rubric scoring functionality, application, technology, and evaluation phase. A subspecialty category score was calculated by averaging those scores. The use of 2-way audiovisual technology for general neurologic consultation of hospital inpatients, beyond stroke-related care, is promising, but the evidence supporting its routine use is weak. Further studies on reliability, validity, safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness are encouraged.
Michael Graves' Carlos Hall Reviewed

Editor's comment This review is one in a continuing series published by “the journal of interior design education and research.‘ This particular interior, the museum of art & Archaeology in Michael c. Carlos hall, was an adaptive reuse of an existing building at Emory university in Atlanta, Georgia, designed by Michael graves and completed in 1985.
Optimal finite memory learning algorithms for the finite sample problem

This paper explores the structure and performance of optimal finite state machines used to test between two simple hypotheses. It is shown that time-invariant algorithms can use knowledge of the sample size to obtain lower error rates than in the infinite sample problem. The existence of an optimal rule is established and its structure is found for optimal time-varying algorithms. The structure of optimal time-invariant rules is partially established. The particular problem of testing between two Gaussian distributions differing only by a shift is then examined. It is shown that the minimal error rate achievable after N samples goes to zero like exp[−(ln N)1/2].
Recombinant bovine rhodanese: purification and comparison with bovine liver rhodanese.

Recombinant bovine rhodanese (thiosulfate: cyanide sulfurtransferase, EC 2.8.1.1) has been purified to homogeneity from Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) by cation-exchange chromatography. Recombinant and bovine liver rhodanese coelectrophorese under denaturing conditions, with an apparent subunit molecular weight of 33 000. The amino terminal seven residues of the recombinant protein are identical to those of the bovine enzyme, indicating that E. coli also removes the N-terminal methionine. The K m for thiosulfate is the same for the two proteins. The specific activity of the recombinant enzyme is 12% higher (816 IU/mg) than that of the bovine enzyme (730 IU/mg). The two proteins are indistinguishable as to their ultraviolet absorbance and their intrinsic fluorescence. The ability of the two proteins to refold from 8 M urea to enzymatically active species was similar both for unassisted refolding, and when folding was assisted either by the detergent, lauryl maltoside or by the E. coli chaperonin system composed of cpn60 and cpn10. Bovine rhodanese is known to have multiple electrophoretic forms under native conditions. In contrast, the recombinant protein has only one form, which comigrates with the least negatively charged of the bovine liver isoforms. This is consistent with the retention of the car☐y terminal residues in the recombinant protein that are frequently removed from the bovine liver protein.
X-Ray Filtration, Noise And Artifacts In Computerized Tomography

The reduction of spectral artifacts in computerized tomography by X-ray tube filtration is studied. Due to quantum limited nature of the imaging system a reduction in exposure with filtration is followed by an increase of noise in the images. A combination of x-ray filtration and water table monochromatization is shown to work extremely well. A figure of merit which reflects the complex interplay of exposure, noise, contrast and spectral artifacts, is defined. The figure of merit is used in the determination of best filters to optimize some of the image quality parameters of the polychromatic CT images.© (1978) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Adaptive function expansion RLS filters with dynamic selection of channel updates for nonlinear active noise control

In this paper, we propose novel adaptive function expansion recursive least square (RLS) algorithms, which can dynamically choose filter channels for coefficient updates for nonlinear active noise control while still maintaining the compromised performance degradation for nonlinear active noise control. The algorithms are developed based on a multi-channel structure using a channel selection scheme to set the function expansion filter channels active or inactive at each iteration step. The computational complexities are given to confirm the efficiency of the proposed algorithms. Our computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithms will obtain the same performance when compared to their full sequential channel updates.
Gender and Race Portrayals on Spanish-Language Television

Gender and racial stereotypes continue to permeate our society and one context in which these stereotypes are perpetuated are the media. Although we have a history of content analysis of gender and racial portrayals on English-language television aired in the U.S., few systematic analyses have been conducted on Spanish-language television that airs in the same country. Our team of coders analyzed 466 characters and 481 2-minute intervals on 19 episodes of Spanish-language soap operas or telenovelas that aired in the Los Angeles broadcast area of the U.S. in the summer of 2002. Telenovelas were the programming type selected as they make up the bulk of Spanish-language network television in the U.S. The programs were coded in terms of how gender and race are presented on these programs by first coding the characteristics of speaking characters (including their race and gender) and then coding what actions these characters displayed in 2-minute intervals. Although females and males were represented in equal numbers, gender stereotypes abound. Physical appearance and nurturing roles were more likely to be the focus for female characters while occupational roles were more likely to be the focus for male characters. In terms of race, the overwhelming majority of characters were light-skinned and characters with darker skin were portrayed in extremes and more sexualized. These representations replicate some of the same stereotypes found on English-language television with some notable differences in terms of number of women represented.
A model for the study of sex-linked influences through the study of different classes of cousin pairs.

SummaryHigher positive correlations in certain classes of cousin pairs compared with others would imply sex-linked genetic factors. Thus Y-linked influences would raise correlations in patrilateral male cousins. X-linkage would raise correlation (to various extents) in male and mixed sex pairs where each male is related through his mother, for instance. Among female first cousins, however, patrilateral pairs have the highest degree of kinship and cross cousins the lowest in respect to X-linked genes.
A New Heat Transfer Correlation and Flow Regime Map for Tube Bundles

A RELAP5/MOD2 computer code model for a once-through steam generator has been developed. The calculated heat transfer in the nucleate boiling flow was under-predicted as shown by a predicted superheat of only 11{degrees} C( 20{degrees} F), whereas plant range from 22--30{degrees} C (40--60{degrees} F). Existing heat transfer correlations used in thermal-hydraulic computer codes do not provide accurate predictions of the measurement-derived secondary convective heat transfer coefficients for steam generators because they were developed for flow inside tubes, not tube bundles. The RELAP5/MOD2 flow regime map was modified to account for flow across bundles. This modified flow regime map predicts better transition criteria between bubbly-to-slug and slug-to-annular flow. Consequently, improved saturated conditions for the fluid flow at the entrance to the boiler were obtained. A modified Chen-type heat transfer correlation was developed to predict the boiling heat transfer for steam generator tube bundle geometries. This correlation predicts better superheat.
Assessment of Virtual Reality Robotic Simulation Performance by Urology Resident Trainees

Objectives To examine resident performance on the Mimic dV-Trainer (MdVT; Mimic Technologies, Inc., Seattle, WA) for correlation with resident trainee level (postgraduate year [PGY]), console experience (CE), and simulator exposure in their training program to assess for internal bias with the simulator. Design Residents from programs of the Southeastern Section of the American Urologic Association participated. Each resident was scored on 4 simulator tasks (peg board, camera targeting, energy dissection [ED], and needle targeting) with 3 different outcomes (final score, economy of motion score, and time to complete exercise) measured for each task. These scores were evaluated for association with PGY, CE, and simulator exposure. Setting Robotic skills training laboratory. Participants A total of 27 residents from 14 programs of the Southeastern Section of the American Urologic Association participated. Results Time to complete the ED exercise was significantly shorter for residents who had logged live robotic console compared with those who had not (p = 0.003). There were no other associations with live robotic console time that approached significance (all p ≥ 0.21). The only measure that was significantly associated with PGY was time to complete ED exercise (p = 0.009). No associations with previous utilization of a robotic simulator in the resident’s home training program were statistically significant. Conclusions The ED exercise on the MdVT is most associated with CE and PGY compared with other exercises. Exposure of trainees to the MdVT in training programs does not appear to alter performance scores compared with trainees who do not have the simulator.
Indentation of a sharp penetrometer in a poroelastic medium

Abstract Solution is developed for the build-up, steady and post-arrest dissipative pore fluid pressure fields that develop around a conical penetrometer advanced in a poroelastic medium. The analog with cone penetrometer testing is direct, and is used to enable continuous distributions of permeability and diffusivity to be determined, with depth. Solution for a point normal dislocation migrating in a poroelastic medium is extended to incorporate the influence of a tapered tip. Steady pressures develop relative to the migrating tip geometry with distribution conditioned by the non-dimensional penetration rate, U D , incorporating penetration rate, hydraulic diffusivity and penetrometer radius. The near-spherical pressure distribution, recovered for low penetration velocities, becomes radial as penetration rate increases. Along the penetrometer shaft, non-dimensional induced pore fluid pressures, P D , are independent of penetration rate, U D , and asymptote to an inverse radial distribution remote from the tip as P D = 1\ x D . This importantly identifies the control on penetration induced pore fluid pressure as the magnitude of permeability, embodied in the non-dimensional pressure, P D , rather than a dependence on hydraulic diffusivity, as had previously been considered. Induced pore pressures are singular in the zone of tip taper for the assumed zero radius of the penetrometer, negating the direct evaluation of permeability magnitudes from pressures recorded on the cone face. However, the finite magnitudes of fluid pressures evaluated on the shaft may be correlated with field data to independently evaluate magnitudes of permeability during steady penetration.
Characterization of a novel, highly integrated tubular solid oxide fuel cell system using high-fidelity simulation tools

Abstract A novel, highly integrated tubular SOFC system intended for small-scale power is characterized through a series of sensitivity analyses and parametric studies using a previously developed high-fidelity simulation tool. The high-fidelity tubular SOFC system modeling tool is utilized to simulate system-wide performance and capture the thermofluidic coupling between system components. Stack performance prediction is based on 66 anode-supported tubular cells individually evaluated with a 1-D electrochemical cell model coupled to a 3-D computational fluid dynamics model of the cell surroundings. Radiation is the dominate stack cooling mechanism accounting for 66–92% of total heat loss at the outer surface of all cells at baseline conditions. An average temperature difference of nearly 125 °C provides a large driving force for radiation heat transfer from the stack to the cylindrical enclosure surrounding the tube bundle. Consequently, cell power and voltage disparities within the stack are largely a function of the radiation view factor from an individual tube to the surrounding stack can wall. The cells which are connected in electrical series, vary in power from 7.6 to 10.8 W (with a standard deviation, σ = 1.2 W) and cell voltage varies from 0.52 to 0.73 V (with σ = 81 mV) at the simulation baseline conditions. It is observed that high cell voltage and power outputs directly correspond to tubular cells with the smallest radiation view factor to the enclosure wall, and vice versa for tubes exhibiting low performance. Results also reveal effective control variables and operating strategies along with an improved understanding of the effect that design modifications have on system performance. By decreasing the air flowrate into the system by 10%, the stack can wall temperature increases by about 6% which increases the minimum cell voltage to 0.62 V and reduces deviations in cell power and voltage by 31%. A low baseline fuel utilization is increased by decreasing the fuel flowrate and by increasing the stack current demand. Simulation results reveal fuel flow as a poor control variable because excessive tail-gas combustor temperatures limit fuel flow to below 110% of the baseline flowrate. Additionally, system efficiency becomes inversely proportional to fuel utilization over the practical fuel flow range. Stack current is found to be an effective control variable in this type of system because system efficiency becomes directly proportional to fuel utilization. Further, the integrated system acts to dampen temperature spikes when fuel utilization is altered by varying current demand. Radiation remains the dominate heat transfer mechanism within the stack even if stack surfaces are polished lowering emissivities to 0.2. Furthermore, the sensitivity studies point to an optimal system insulation thickness that balances the overall system volume and total conductive heat loss.
Unbalanced Bulk of Parents’ Seed does not Cause Significant Drift in Germplasm Regeneration of Two Model Potato ( Solanum ) Species Populations

Although the potato of commerce, the autotetraploid Solanum tuberosum is a clonal crop, genebank maintenance of wild and cultivated relatives is commonly done as populations of true seeds. In order to help equalize gamete contribution and prevent genetic drift over seed regenerations, an equal number of seeds from each mother plant may be bulked as a source of parents for future regenerations. To determine if this extra sample is beneficial, we selected two S. andigena populations with great variation of seed production among mother plants. Seed production of each mother plant was recorded over 12 standard seed regenerations and genetic indicators were developed in the form of 105 polymorphic RAPD bands. For each polymorphic band, the variation of seed production among mother plants was used to estimate the potential impact on band phenotypic frequency due to an over-all seed bulk. Most bands were fixed or nearly fixed within at least one of the populations, such that the variation in maternal seedset observed would not have put them at signficant risk of being lost in an over-all bulk. For balanced bulks to provide a significant preservation advantage, a band must be rare in all populations and associated with mother plants that produce significantly fewer seeds. Of over 100 loci assessed here, none met these conditions. We therefore conclude that the duplication of documentation and storage space invested in making balanced seed bulks probably return little genetic benefit to the genebank.
Organization of Abilities and the Development of Intelligence

Performances which are accepted as indicators of intelligence are interrelated in ways which indicate 2 broad factors. Each factor represents a kind of intelligence. The 1st, called crystallized intelligence, indicates the extent of acculturation as it determines human abilities. The other, called fluid intelligence, indicates a pattern of neuralphysiological and incidental learning influences. The 2 become independent as development proceeds from infancy to adulthood. Measures of fluid intelligence are the more sensitive indicators of brain malfunction; fluid intelligence declines with brain damage and aging in adulthood. Performances on ability tests involve processes in addition to those of intelligence. These are associated with sensory modality functions (visual, auditory, tactile processes), perhaps indicate endocrine functions (in speediness), represent “strategies or styles of performance (carefulness, speediness), and relate to motivation (need for achievement). Results in support of the theory are presented and evaluated. Some needed research is indicated.
Identification of anatomically extensive coronary artery disease by the exercise ECG ST segment/heart rate slope

Abstract To assess the ability of the ST segment/heart rate (ST/HR) slope to identify three-vessel coronary disease and the relationship between the ST/HR slope and the anatomic extent of disease as determined by the Gensini and Duke jeopardy scores, the exercise ECGs of 128 patients with stable angina were compared with findings at coronary cineangiography. A ST/HR slope ≥ 6 μV/beat/min identified three-vessel coronary disease with a sensitivity of 93% compared with sensitivities of only 50% for early positive standard test responses ( p p p p
Characterization of Salicylate-Alumina Surface Complexes by Polarized Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Speciation of salicylate anions (o-hydroxybenzoate) adsorbed on aqueous colloidal alumina (δ-Al2O3) was determined by polarized fluorescence excitation spectroscopy. Adsorption isotherms and pH and ionic strength edges suggest the existence of both inner-sphere and outer-sphere salicylate surface complexes. Spectroscopic characteristics of inner-sphere surface-salicylate complexes (one bidentate and two monodentate) were identified through comparison of suspension spectra with remarkably similar fluorescence and excitation spectra of solution phase Al-salicylate complexes. The large fluorescence Stokes gap of the aqueous salicylate anion is highly sensitive to complexation, resulting in spectral shifts characteristic of aluminum binding in the three inner-sphere salicylate complexes. These species appear to be present even at extremely low surface coverage, and the relative distributions are dependent on pH, ionic strength, and the relative concentrations of alumina and salicylate. The bidentate complex, however, is the predominant species at low surface coverages. Fluorescence anisotropy measurements, both steady-state and time-resolved, demonstrate that the bidentate and monodentate surface complexes do not undergo rotational reorientation on the time-scale of the fluorescence (τf = 4.0 ns), consistent with inner-sphere, polar covalent binding of these salicylate complexes to alumina surface sites. At high surface coverage, time-resolved anisotropy measurements suggest the existence of a surface salicylate species that is rotationally hindered (τr = 31 ps ) relative to free solution phase salicylate ions (τ r = 20 ps ). This behavior is consistent with an electrostatically bound outer-sphere complex suggested by the pH and ionic-strength sorption edges.
Pedagogical Positives of the Surface-to-Volume Ratio

The surface-to-volume ratio (S/V) is well suited for inquiry-based learning in high school and college biology courses. It has a huge catalogue of biological and physical applications concerning structure and function. It is easy to learn, illustrates scientific methods, and can provide students with their favorite classroom moments, as many of its applications ring bells with their own world.
An agglutinative reaction for hemophilus pertussis

Summary Agglutinative reactions with H. pertussis were performed on the sera of 554 children who had received phase I H. pertussis vaccine. Two hundred and fifteen of these children were in the age groups of 6 to 36 months at the time vaccine was given. A total dose of 80 billion H. pertussis was given within a period of one month. Agglutinins were demonstrated in the sera of all but 5 of the 215 children. The titers attained in from two to four months after vaccination remained relatively constant thereafter. With few exceptions, no tendency for decline from a “plateau” of antibody concentration was observed up to six years after vaccination. Agglutinative tests done on other groups of vaccinated children indicatedthat: 1. Prolonging the interval between the injections of vaccine had noappreciable effect on the height or persistence of agglutinins. 2. Decreasing the total dose of vaccine to 50 billion cells or lower resulted in much less constant antibody production. 3. Children over 36 months of age at the time of receiving 80 billionH. pertussis tended to develop slightly lower “plateaus” of agglutinins than did younger children. 4. Increasing the initial dose of vaccine in these older children did notlead to higher titers. 5. Revaccination one year or more after the initial vaccination led to increases in agglutinin titer which were thereafter maintained at high levels for at least three years.
γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase-Mediated Degradation of Diclofenac-S-acyl-glutathione in Vitro and in Vivo in Rat

Diclofenac, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, is known to be metabolized to chemically reactive intermediates that transacylate GSH forming diclofenac-S-acyl-glutathione (D-SG) in vivo in rat and in vitro in rat and human hepatocytes. Recently, it was reported that the treatment of rats with diclofenac led to a substantial decrease in the activity of hepatic gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT), an extracellular canalicular membrane enzyme. Because studies have indicated that D-SG is a chemically reactive transacylating species that is excreted into rat bile, we propose that D-SG formed in the liver may be a substrate for, and potential inhibitor of, hepatic gamma-GT. The present experiments were performed to investigate the ability of D-SG to be a substrate for gamma-GT in vivo in rat and in vitro with commercially available gamma-GT enzyme. We also examined the ability of D-SG to inhibit gamma-GT in vitro. Thus, LC-MS/MS analysis of bile extracts from diclofenac-dosed rats (200 mg/kg, iv) showed the presence of the gamma-GT-mediated D-SG degradation product diclofenac-N-acyl-cysteinylglycine (D- N-CG), where a total of approximately 8 microg was excreted 6 h postadministration. When D-SG (100 microM) was incubated with gamma-GT (1 unit/mL), the GSH adduct was degraded in a linear time-dependent fashion where approximately 94 microM D- N-CG was formed after 20 min of incubation. Dialysis studies showed that inhibition of gamma-GT by D-SG was completely reversible. Further inhibition studies showed that D-SG is a competitive inhibitor of the gamma-GT enzyme. Results from theses studies indicate that D-SG is a substrate for gamma-GT; however, the conjugate may not contribute significantly to the decrease in gamma-GT activity reported to occur in vivo in rat.
Inhibition of nitrification in soil by heterocyclic nitrogen compounds

The relationship between the structures of diverse heterocyclic nitrogen (N) compounds and the effectiveness of these compounds for the inhibition of nitrification in soil was studied by determining the effects of different amounts of 12 unsubstituted and 33 substituted heterocyclic N compounds on the production of (NO 2 − +NO 3 − )-N in soils incubated at 25 °C for 21 days after treatment with ammonium sulfate. The results showed that unsubstituted heterocyclic N compounds containing two adjacent ring N atoms inhibit nitrification in soil and that two of these compounds, pyrazole and 1,2,4-triazole, are potent inhibitors. They also showed that several substituted pyrazoles and thiadiazoles are good inhibitors of nitrification in soil (e.g., 3-methylpyrazole and 3,4-dichloro-1,2,5-thiadiazole).
Apparent eukaryotic origin of glutamine synthetase II from the bacterium Bradyrhizobium japonicum

The Rhizobiaceae family of bacteria is characterized by the ability to form cortical hypertrophies on plants, and the ability to re-isolate the bacteria from these galls or nodules1.This family includes the genera Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Agrobacterium and Phyllobactenum. Another unique feature of these bacteria is that they contain two forms of the enzyme glutamine synthetase, termed GSI and GSII2,3.GSI is typical of prokaryotic glutamine synthetases with respect to enzyme structure, the modulation of activity by post-translational modification, immunological cross-reactivity, and amino-acid sequence2,4,5.By contrast, GSII is distinct from all other known prokaryotic glutamine synthetases in structure and immunological reactivity, and is not known to be post-translationally modified. In these respects GSII is similar to eukaryotic glutamine synthetases6. We have isolated and characterized the gene encoding GSII, which we term glnII, from Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the soybean symbiont. We show here that the amino-acid sequence of GSII, as inferred from the gene sequence, is highly homologous to plant glutamine synthetases, suggesting that this bacterial gene is of eukaryotic origin.