cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sea ice concentration estimates from satellite passive microwave radiometry and openings from SAR ice motion

[1] Openings in the Arctic Ocean ice cover from small-scale sea ice motion fields are compared with open water fractions retrieved from satellite passive microwave observations. We find very little agreement between the results. Passive microwave retrieval algorithms seem to be insensitive to small areas of open-water in winter leads. Variability in the passive microwave retrievals is mostly due to anomalous and persistent regions of lower ice concentration where no openings are found. Between January and April of 1998, openings cover ∼0.3 ± 0.1% of the total area within the perennial ice zone. This is smaller, in one instance ten times, than the open water fraction from the passive microwave retrievals. Previous bounds of open water coverage of the ice cover imposed on climate simulations based on uncertainties in passive microwave retrievals (±4 − 7%) are too high and the over-estimated open water fraction on model results should be re-examined.
Modeling nanomaterial fate in wastewater treatment: Monte Carlo simulation of silver nanoparticles (nano-Ag).

Abstract Wastewater effluent and sewage sludge are predicted to be important release pathways for nanomaterials used in many consumer products. The uncertainty and variability of potential nanomaterial inputs, nanomaterial properties, and the operation of the wastewater treatment plant contribute to the difficulty of predicting sludge and effluent nanomaterial concentration. With a model parsimony approach, we developed a mass-balance representation of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) behavior based on a minimal number of input variables to describe release quantities to the environment. Our simulations show that significant differences in the removal of silver nanoparticles (nano-Ag) can be expected based on the type of engineered coatings used to stabilize these materials in suspension. At current production estimates, 95% of the estimated effluent concentrations of the nano-Ag considered to be least well-removed by the average wastewater treatment plant are calculated to fall below 0.12 μg/L, while 95% of the estimated sludge concentrations of nano-Ag with coatings that increase their likelihood of being present in biosolids, fall below 0.35 μg/L.
Surface Temperatures Generated With Ceramic Materials in Oscillating/Fretting Contact

This paper summarizes the results of a study of the tribological behavior of ceramic materials in unlubricated oscillating/fretting contact with particular emphasis on frictionally-generated surface temperatures. The study was carried out using an oscillating contact device coupled to an infrared microscope. The contact geometry consists of a stationary spherical specimen loaded against a thin sapphire optical flat driven by an electromagnetic shaker. With this system, measurements can be made of friction, wear, and surface temperature over a wide range of loads, frequencies, and vibration amplitudes
TRIFASCICULAR BLOCK IN NEONATE OF MOTHER WITH LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Trifascicular block (TFB) is rare in newborn infants. Unlike congenital complete heart block, TFB has not been previously reported in infants of mothers with lupus erythematosus. We report a newborn male (birth weight 3.2kg) born by emergency caesarean section for fetal bradycardia. Maternal past history was unremarkable. Only during the last month of her pregnancy did she take Hydralazine 10mg QID daily for hypertension. At birth, the baby had a heart rate of 60 per minute and was given Atropine without response, but improved with Isoproterenol. With the exception of bradycardia of 68 per minute, physical findings were normal. Initial electrocardiogram disclosed trifascicular block and 2:1 second degree atrioventricular block. The next day his rhythm changed to sinus rhythm and bifascicular block which have remained throughout his life. He is now 17 months old and is completely asymptomatic. Viral cultures were negative. First antinuclear antibody titers (ANA) were positive ≥ 1:640 in both mother and baby. SSA and SSB titers were negative in both. At 6 months of age ANA titer became negative in the baby. However, a persistent maternal ANA titer of ≥ 1:640 at 16 months postpartum with mild arthralgias suggests continuing evidence of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Mountain runoff vulnerability to increased evapotranspiration with vegetation expansion

Climate change has the potential to reduce surface-water supply by expanding the activity, density, or coverage of upland vegetation, although the likelihood and severity of this effect are poorly known. We quantified the extent to which vegetation and evapotranspiration (ET) are presently cold-limited in California’s upper Kings River basin and used a space-for-time substitution to calculate the sensitivity of riverflow to vegetation expansion. We found that runoff is highly sensitive to vegetation migration; warming projected for 2100 could increase average basin-wide ET by 28% and decrease riverflow by 26%. Kings River basin ET currently peaks at midelevation and declines at higher elevation, creating a cold-limited zone above 2,400 m that is disproportionately important for runoff generation. Climate projections for 2085–2100 indicate as much as 4.1 °C warming in California’s Sierra Nevada, which would expand high rates of ET 700-m upslope if vegetation maintains its current correlation with temperature. Moreover, we observed that the relationship between basin-wide ET and temperature is similar across the entire western slope of California’s Sierra Nevada, implying that the risk of increasing montane ET with warming is widespread.
Self-employment and the role of health insurance in the U.S.

We investigate the role of health insurance coverage in explaining transitions in and out of entrepreneurship in the U.S. We first consider the effect of individual coverage, along with that from a spouse, on the likelihood of entry and exit. Next, we examine the tax deductions granted to the self-employed through amendments made to the 1986 Tax Reform Act. Using the Current Population Surveys for 1996–2007, we find that while the increasingly generous tax deductions left entry decisions largely unaffected, they had limited effects on exits. Thus, the health care system in the U.S. may have implications for entrepreneurial activity.
ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHANGES IN BOVINE LONGISSIMUS MUSCLE CAUSED BY THE HYDRODYNE PROCESS

Transmission electron microscopy was used to examine the influence of the Hydrodyne process, a new technology for tenderizing meat in the raw state, on the ultrastructural characteristics of bovine longissimus muscle. Myofibrillar fiagmentation in the region adjacent to the Z-lines was clearly evident. Fragments of Z-lines were attached to the A-band on both sides of the fractures. These fractures resulted in increased intrumyofibrillar spaces with longitudinal gaps or splits in the myofibril lattice (lattice of filaments formed inside the myofibril). These observations offer evidence as to why there is a significant improvement in meat tenderness when meat is treated with the Hydrodyne process.
Counting conifolds and Dijkgraaf Vafa matrix models for three matrices

Abstract We study superpotential perturbations of q deformed N = 4 Yang–Mills for q a root of unity. This is a special case whose geometry is associated to an orbifold with three lines of codimension two singularities meeting at the origin. We perform field theory perturbations that leave only co-dimension three singularities of conifold type in the geometry. We show that there are two “fractional brane” solutions of the F-term equations for each singularity in the deformed geometry, and that the number of complex deformations of that geometry also matches the number of singularities. This proves that for this case there are no local or non-local obstructions to deformation. We also show that the associated Dijkgraaf–Vafa matrix model has a solvable sector, and that the loop equations in this sector encode the full deformed geometry of the theory.
Revealing Nature’s Cellulase Diversity: The Digestion Mechanism of Caldicellulosiruptor bescii CelA

Most fungi and bacteria degrade plant cell walls by secreting free, complementary enzymes that hydrolyze cellulose; however, some bacteria use large enzymatic assemblies called cellulosomes, which recruit complementary enzymes to protein scaffolds. The thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii uses an intermediate strategy, secreting many free cellulases that contain multiple catalytic domains. One of these, CelA, comprises a glycoside hydrolase family 9 and a family 48 catalytic domain, as well as three type III cellulose-binding modules. In the saccharification of a common cellulose standard, Avicel, CelA outperforms mixtures of commercially relevant exo- and endoglucanases. From transmission electron microscopy studies of cellulose after incubation with CelA, we report morphological features that suggest that CelA not only exploits the common surface ablation mechanism driven by general cellulase processivity, but also excavates extensive cavities into the surface of the substrate. These results suggest that nature's repertoire of cellulose digestion paradigms remain only partially discovered and understood.
An RF doormat for tracking people's room locations

Many occupant-oriented smarthome applications such as automated lighting, heating and cooling, and activity recognition need room location information of residents within a building. Surveillance based tracking systems used to track people in commercial buildings, are privacy invasive in homes. In this paper, we present the RF Doormat - a RF threshold system that can accurately track people's room locations by monitoring their movement through the doorways in the home. We also present a set of guidelines and a visualization to easily and rapidly setup the RF-Doormat system on any doorway. To evaluate our system, we perform 580 doorway crossings across 11 different doorways in a home. Results indicate that our system can detect doorway crossings made by people with an average accuracy of 98%. To our knowledge, the RF Doormat is the first highly accurate room location tracking system that can be used for long time periods without the need for privacy invasive cameras.
Power network flow blocking for mitigating the effects of geomagnetically induced currents

In power networks, the flow is related to the generation/load injection by the bus (node) admittance matrix, which can be considered as a weighted graph Laplacian. This type of network flow model complicates the analysis of adding or deleting some connections for given node injection. Specifically, the present paper investigates the problem of mitigating the flow of geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) by blocking the transformer neutrals. Induced by solar storms, GICs cause half cycle saturation of transformers and consequently affect the power grid with harmonics and reactive power losses. The effects of blocking devices have been found to be mostly local at the substation level. To facilitate the analysis of blocking effects, a linearized approximation model is used by selecting the substations to block all high-voltage level transformers therein. For a given budget on the number of blocking devices, it can be cast as a binary constrained quadratic problem and further relaxed to a convex semidefinite program. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme has been demonstrated using both a 20-bus GIC test case.
On the interpoint distances of Bernoulli vectors

Abstract We consider the squared Euclidean interpoint distances (IDs) among multivariate Bernoulli observations and determine the mean, covariance and the distribution of the IDs within a single group or across two groups. We discuss testing the equality of two distribution functions when the number of variables is large and exceeds the number of observations.
Partitioning of amino acids and nucleotides between water and micellar hexadecyltrimethylammonium halides - The Prebiotic Significance of Cationic Surfaces

Using quantitative gel filtration techniques partition coefficients, Kp-values, have been determined between aqueous cationic micellar hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB, and several biomonomer. Kp-values for 5'-adenylic acid, 5'-cytidylic acid, 5'-guanylic acid, 5'-uridylic acid and 5'-thymidylic acid are 1,400 +/- 150. Nucleotides bind to CTAB micelles effectively, but nonselectively. Conversely, the binding of tRNAs to micellar CTAB is selective. Kp-values for glutamic acid II, tyrosine and phenylalanine tRNAs (in 1.0MNaCl) are 520, 3,100 and 5,600, respectively. Kp-values for the binding of alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, phenylalanine, serine, threonine and tryptophan to micellar CTAB are less than 8. Conversion of unitless Kp-values for the binding of amino acids, nucleotides and nucleosides to both anionic and cationic micelles, to K (in 1/g) values allows the comparison of clays and micelles as prebiotic concentrating media. Using correlations between surface densities of the biomonomers and their binding constants, it is shown that aqueous micelles (at pH = 8) are a better concentrating media than are clays.
Pupil geometry and pupil re-imaging in telescope arrays

This paper considers the issues of lateral and longitudinal pupil geometry in ground-based telescope arrays, such as IOTA. In particular, it is considered whether or not pupil re-imaging is required before beam combination. By considering the paths of rays through the system, an expression is derived for the optical path errors in the combined wavefront as a function of array dimensions, telescope magnification factor, viewing angle, and field-of-view. By examining this expression for the two cases of pupil-plane and image-plane combination, operational limits can be found for any array. As a particular example, it is shown that for IOTA no pupil re-imaging optics will be needed.
Effect of Sildenafil Citrate on an Orthotopic Prostate Cancer Growth and Metastasis Model

ABSTRACTPurpose: We characterized the effects of sildenafil citrate on the growth and metastasis of human prostate cancer cells in nude mice.Materials and Methods: The androgen independent human prostate cancer cell line PC-3 was inoculated into the prostate of nude mice to produce orthotopic primary prostate cancers and metastases. Sildenafil citrate gavage was started on day 31 after tumor cell inoculation and given every other day 15 times (30 days). The 7 mice in the low dose group received 25 mg/kg body weight sildenafil citrate per gavage, while the 7 in the high dose group received 50 mg/kg body weight sildenafil citrate and the 9 in the control group received water. Autopsy was performed on day 75 to evaluate primary tumor growth and metastasis. Plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate concentrations were measured after the single dose of 50 mg/kg sildenafil citrate in the mice.Results: Plasma cyclic guanosine monophosphate concentration increased 4-fold 1 hour after sildenafil citrate administration...
Impairment of spatially directed attention in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease as measured by eye movements

Objective: To investigate changes in spatially directed attention in patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Background: Impaired attention in patients with probable AD has not been the subject of extensive research. Yet recent reports suggest that attentional deficits may be an important early feature of the disease in a subset of patients. Setting: University hospital center studying dementia and aging. Subjects: Ten mild to moderately impaired patients diagnosed as having probable AD, by National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Diseases and Stroke criteria, and 11 healthy age- and education-matched controls. Measures: Eye movements were recorded as subjects participated in two experiments designed to measure spatially directed attention. Subjects were instructed to (1) attend to and fixate a target appearing randomly to the right or left of a central marker and (2) direct attention to and fixate a target appearing randomly in one of four peripheral locations. Results: Patients with probable AD exhibited fewer accurate trials and longer saccade latencies in both tasks. As a group, patients performed worse in the second task that placed increased demands on attention. However, the performance of patients in this second experiment varied. Four patients performed significantly worse than all other patients, while three patients performed as well as controls. Errors in the second task were reviewed to identify specific types of attentional deficits. Six empirically derived error patterns were classified into one of two major categories: perseveration and impersistence. Seven of 10 patients made greater than 50% errors of perseveration, and three of 10 made greater than 50% errors of impersistence. Conclusions: Impairment of attention may be an early feature of AD and a prominent clinical characteristic of some patients. The differences observed in error types made by patients may reflect the varied distribution of neuropathologic changes affecting structures that mediate aspects of attention. The architecture of eye movements can be used as a physiologic measure that should provide useful information for the diagnosis and clinicopathologic subtyping of patients with AD.
Band-mixing effects and excitonic optical properties in GaAs quantum wire structures-comparison with the quantum wells

The excitonic properties in quantum-wire structures (QWS) are analyzed by taking into account the band-mixing effects in the valence band of the structure. The effective mass value in the wire direction at the zone center of the lowest heavy-hole-like subband is found to be as small as 0.027 m/sub 0/ for GaAs/AlGaAs QWS. This reduced effective mass and the related nonparabolicity of the subband structure play a significant role in determining the exciton properties. Using these results, the maximum excitonic contribution to the refractive index value is estimated to be 0.59, i.e. 17.4% of the bulk value for a GaAs/Al/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/As QWS with a 50 A*50 AA cross section. This value is six times larger than that in the 50-AA quantum well. With an electric field of 8*10/sup 4/ V/cm perpendicular to the heterointerface, a maximum refractive index change 30% larger than this value is estimated. >
Left Atrial Passive Emptying Function During Dobutamine Stress MR Imaging Is a Predictor of Cardiac Events in Patients With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of assessing left atrial function during dobutamine stress testing. Background Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction precedes systolic wall motion abnormalities in the ischemic cascade. Severity of left ventricular diastolic function during cardiac stress is not characterized well by current clinical imaging protocols but may be an important prognostic factor. We hypothesized that abnormal early left atrial emptying measured during dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance will reflect these diastolic changes and may be associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Methods We enrolled 122 consecutive patients referred for dobutamine stress cardiac magnetic resonance for suspected myocardial ischemia. Left atrial volumes were retrospectively measured by the biplane area-length method at left ventricular end-systole (VOL max ) and before atrial contraction (VOL bac ). Left atrial passive emptying fraction defined by (VOL max – VOL bac ) × 100%/VOL max and the absolute percent increase in left atrial passive emptying fraction during dobutamine stress (ΔLAPEF) were quantified. Results Twenty-nine major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred during follow-up (median 23 months). By Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with ΔLAPEF 10.8 (p = 0.004). By univariable analysis, ΔLAPEF was strongly associated with MACE (unadjusted hazard ratio for every 10% decrease = 1.56, p Conclusions Reduced augmentation of left atrial passive emptying fraction during dobutamine stress demonstrated strong association with MACE. We speculate that reduced left atrial passive emptying reserve during inotropic stress may represent underlying diastolic dysfunction and warrants further investigation.
One-dimensional time-dependent distributions

A new derivation of two important one-dimensional time-dependent distributions for an infinite system of hard rods is presented. This derivation is simpler than previous derivations and it provides a direct physical interpretation of the individual terms in the final expressions. A new, more unusual distribution is also presented and discussed. Finally, an exact expression for the diffusion of a Brownian particle is obtained and compared with the exact expression for the self-diffusion coefficient.
Analysing power for 12C(n,n0,1)12C and evaluation of n-12C scattering at 18.2 MeV

The analysing power Ay( theta ) for 12C(n,n)12C elastic scattering and for inelastic scattering to the first excited state (Jpi =2+, Q=-4.44 MeV) of 12C was measured at 18.2 MeV. A pulsed polarised neutron beam was produced via the 2H(d,n)3He polarisation transfer reaction. The Ay data, together with published cross sections, were analysed in the framework of the spherical optical model and in the coupled-channels formalism. A phase-shift analysis at 18.2 MeV gives supporting evidence for a broad 5/2+ resonance. The 12C recoil kerma factors and values for the n+12C reaction cross section were deduced and compared with previous estimates and predictions.
Response to "comments on 'evaluation of a microfocused ultrasound system for improving skin laxity and tightening in the lower face'".

We thank Dr Friedmann for his thoughtful comments.1 Striving for objective measurements to guide clinical efficacy is clearly important, particularly in this field.2 Our study has tried to address this issue by utilizing a number of measurements, both qualitative and quantitative.3 We recognize that validated subjective and objective measurements remain the gold standard in clinical research. Three-dimensional (3D) imaging was used for all our subjects (Vectra M3, Canfield Imaging, Fairfield, NJ). We captured the 3D images using Mirror software's alignment method, which utilizes two pairs of vertical lines and one pair of horizontal lines to align the position of the subject's head. This …
Effective theories of the fractional quantum Hall effect at generic filling fractions

We propose effective theories that describe the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) states for the generic filling fractions \ensuremath{\nu}=1/ t${sum}_{\mathit{I}}$ (1/${\mathit{m}}_{\mathit{I}}$) where ${\mathit{m}}_{\mathit{I}}$ are integers. The theories describe the microscopic FQHE states proposed by Jain. We calculate charges and statistics of quasiparticles in these states. The structure of the edge states is derived directly from the underlying effective theory in the bulk. Our results are shown to be consistent with those obtained from the microscopic theory.
Considering Components, Types, and Degrees of Authenticity in Designing Technology to Support Transfer

This chapter unpacks the concept of authenticity, then discusses and illustrates how considering various elements of authenticity can help designers and trainers make more effective decisions to support learning and development.
Mouse fzd4 maps within a region of chromosome 7 important for thymus and cardiac development.

Summary: The cardiac neural crest (CNC) plays a central role in development of the thymus gland and cardiovascular system. Through morphological and histological characterization of embryos homozygous for the Del(7)Tyrc-112K and Del(7)Tyrc-3H albino deletions, we identified abnormalities that are consistent with aberrant development of tissues requiring CNC contributions. The defects include incompletely penetrant heart and great vessel patterning defects and hypoplastic thymus glands. The CNC phenotype is complemented by the partially overlapping deletion Del(7)Tyrc-23DVT. Combined, these results suggest that a functional region necessary for development of CNC derived tissues is located between the Del(7)Tyrc-23DVT and Del(7)Tyrc-112K distal deletion breakpoints. This interval encompasses a functional region previously identified as important for juvenile survival (juvenile development and fertility, jdf). Using deletion mapping, we localized the Frizzled4 (Fzd4) gene to the jdf/thymus and cardiac development intervals. genesis 27:64–75, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Expression of CLC-K chloride channels in the rat cochlea.

Abstract Current models of the lateral K + recycling pathway in the mammalian cochlea include two multicellular transport networks separated from one another by three interstitial gaps. The first gap is between outer hair cells and Deiters cells, the second is between outer sulcus cells and type II spiral ligament fibrocytes and the third is between intermediate and marginal cells in the stria vascularis. K + taken up by cells bordering these interstitial spaces is accompanied by Cl − . Maintaining appropriate electrolyte balance and membrane potentials in these cells requires a mechanism for exit of the resorbed Cl − . One possible candidate for regulating this Cl − efflux is ClC-K, a chloride channel previously thought to be kidney specific. Here, we demonstrate the expression of both known isoforms of ClC-K in the organ of Corti, spiral ligament and stria vascularis of the rat cochlea by immunohistochemical, Western blot and RT-PCR analysis. These results indicate a role for ClC-K in mediating Cl − recycling in the cochlea. The widespread expression of both ClC-K isoforms in the cochlea may help to explain the symptoms of Bartter’s syndrome Type III, a mutation in the hClC-Kb gene (human homologue of ClC-K2), which results in renal salt wasting without deafness. These data support the hypothesis that both isoforms of ClC-K are co-expressed in some cell membranes and account for the preservation of hearing in the presence of a mutation in only one channel isoform.
Video−Assisted Thoracic Surgery in the Elderly: A Review of 307 Cases

Study objective The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of video−assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) on age−related morbidity and mortality for thoracic surgical procedures. Design Prospective data were collected on 896 consecutive VATS procedures from July 1991 to June 1994. Daily in−hospital, postoperative data collection by a full−time thoracic surgical nurse and postdischarge follow−up in a thoracic surgery clinic at 1 and 6 weeks were done. Patients On 296 patients aged 65 or older, 307 procedures were performed. One hundred nine procedures were performed on patients between 65 and 69 years, 110 on patients between 70 and 74 years, 55 on patients between 75 and 79 years, and 33 on those between 80 and 90 years. Measurements and results The population was divided into four cohorts of 5−year age spans for analysis. Comparison was made with Fisher's Exact Test. Overall, 61% of the 307 procedures were for pulmonary disease. There were 32 anatomic lung resections (VATS lobectomies or segmentectomies), 156 extra−anatomic lung resections (thoracoscopic wedge or bullectomy), 78 procedures for pleural disease (25%), 27 mediastinal dissections (9%), and 14 pericardial windows (5%). There was a trend toward a lower mean FEV 1 with increasing age. There were 3 deaths; overall mortality was less than 1%. There were 4 conversions to open thoracotomy (1%). Complications occurred with 45 procedures (15% morbidity). Twenty−two operations (7%) were associated with major complications adding to the length of stay and 27 procedures (9%) had minor complications. Median length of stay after VATS was 4 days for patients aged 65 to 79 years and 5 days for those aged 80 to 90 years. Morbidity and mortality were unrelated to age. Conclusions The 30−day operative mortality is superior to previous reports of standard thoracotomy. Morbidity is low and length of hospital stay appears improved. VATS techniques may be safer than open thoracotomy in the aged. Age alone should not be a contraindication to operative intervention.
NTDs V.2.0: "blue marble health"--neglected tropical disease control and elimination in a shifting health policy landscape

The concept of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) was established in the aftermath of the Millennium Development Goals. Here, we summarize the emergence of several new post-2010 global health documents and policies, and how they may alter the way we frame the world's major NTDs since they were first highlighted. These documents include a new Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study that identifies visceral leishmaniasis and food-borne trematode infections as priority diseases beyond the seven NTDs originally targeted by preventive chemotherapy, a London Declaration for access to essential medicines, and a 2013 World Health Assembly resolution on NTDs. Additional information highlights an emerging dengue fever pandemic. New United Nations resolutions on women and the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have not yet embraced NTDs, which may actually be the most common afflictions of girls and women and represent a stealth cause of NCDs. NTDs also have important direct and collateral effects on HIV/AIDS and malaria, and there is now a robust evidence base and rationale for incorporating NTDs into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. “Blue marble health” is an added concept that recognizes a paradoxical NTD disease burden among the poor living in G20 (Group of Twenty) and other wealthy countries, requiring these nations to take greater ownership for both disease control and research and development. As we advance past the year 2015, it will be essential to incorporate global NTD elimination into newly proposed Sustainable Development Goals.
From the editor: green design

DO YOU believe that green design or sustainable design is real? Are companies who proclaim themselves as "green" any different from companies who don?t promote environment awareness? Does sensitivity to earth?s condition change the way we go about our design process in engineering? Should we be teaching how to think "green" in our schools of engineering? Will sustainable design pay for itself?
Photoluminescence studies on energy migration in multilayer organic photovoltaic devices based on ionically self-assembled monolayers

We report the fabrication of thin organic layers and photovoltaic devices made from them. Building thin layers of organic materials via the method of ionically self-assembled monolayers provides control over the layer thickness and composition of multilayer structures on a nanometer scale. This allows to accurately dope a photoluminescent host material with energy or charge accepting guests, changing the emissive character of the pure photoluminescent host film to a predominantly non-emissive, charge generating structure. We show that by varying the concentration of the guest Copper phthalocyanine and C60(OH)2 in poly- (para-phenylene-vinylene) we can measure the energy migration as well as dissociation of the exciton and can determine the lifetime and the diffusion radius of the exciton. Increasing the number of dopands in the host material, the photoluminescence emission spectra shift and decrease in intensity reflecting a decrease in the number of excitons transferring to neighboring chains or conjugation segments. For high dopand concentrations the recombination of excitons only happens on the same chain as the generation. Building a device to achieve the optimal guest/host ratio for optimal exciton dissociation is one important step in the design of high efficiency photovoltaic devices.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The extensible digestive system: biotechnology at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, 1890-1900

In the closing decade of the 19th century the Battle Creek Sanitarium, located in southern Michigan, operated as a health resort for invalids. Best known as the place where breakfast cereal was first packaged and mass-marketed, its most famous product — Corn Flakes — was the result of ceaseless experimentation to find a concoction that would serve the pharmacological purpose of healing patients. Through the course of healing at the sanitarium, digestion was paramount. This article demonstrates how digestion and the body were linked with technological implements housed in the sanitarium, creating a spatialized network of bodies at the sanitarium, and highlighting the material impacts of an early form of biotechnology. I ask not what does digestion look like — as a strictly anatomical process — but what does the geography of digestion look like — as a mapping of the digestive organs with the technologies that make it possible? This rendering demonstrates that the boundary between body and environment is not...
The Suez crisis of 1956 and Egypt's foreign private sector

(1992). The Suez crisis of 1956 and Egypt's foreign private sector. The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History: Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 274-297.
Generalized coherent states for systems with degenerate energy spectra

A construction of Gaussian Klauder coherent states for systems with degenerate energy spectra is presented. Of special interest are the cases of truly accidental degeneracy that do not arise from a hidden or explicit symmetry. This is the case for a particle in a two-dimensional square box. In this case, the degeneracy results from the number of different ways an integer can be expressed as the sum of two squares. It is shown how to manage this situation and produce generalized coherent states that can mimic classical particle behavior for many collisions with the box walls.
Activin signaling functions upstream of Gbb to regulate synaptic growth at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

Abstract Activins are members of the TGF-s superfamily of secreted growth factors that control a diverse array of processes in vertebrates including endocrine function, cell proliferation, differentiation, immune response and wound repair. In Drosophila, the Activin ligand Dawdle (Daw) has been shown to regulate several aspects of neuronal development such as embryonic axonal pathfinding, neuroblast proliferation in the larval brain and growth cone motility in the visual system. Here we identify a novel role for Activin signaling in regulating synaptic growth at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Mutants for Daw, the Activin type I receptor Baboon (Babo), and the signal transducer dSmad2, display reduced NMJ size suggesting that Daw utilizes a canonical Activin signal-transduction pathway in this context. Additionally, loss of Daw/Babo activity affects microtubule stability, axonal transport and distribution of Futsch, the Drosophila microtubule associated protein 1B (MAP1B) homolog. We find that Babo signaling is required postsynaptically in the muscle, in contrast to the well-characterized retrograde BMP/Gbb signal that is required for synaptic growth and function in presynaptic cells. Finally, we show that the Daw/Babo pathway acts upstream of gbb, and is involved in maintenance of muscle gbb expression, suggesting that Activins regulate NMJ growth by modulating BMP activity through transcriptional regulation of ligand expression.
Simple energy eigenfunctions for Li 2 and LiH

The use of an orbital parameter which varies with internuolear distance is tested by the calculation of potential energy curves of Li 2 and LiH in a Heitler-London approximation. The best method of choosing the molecular orbital parameter is discussed. The values of the dissociation energies obtained are compared to similar calculations which determined the orbital parameter in a different manner.
Two dimensional echocardiographic assessment of patients with bioprosthetic valves

The clinical utility of two dimensional echocardiography in assessing bioprosthetic and left ventricular function was studied in 40 consecutive patients 1 week to 60 months after valve replacement surgery. These patients were referred to obtain normal baseline studies as well as to evaluate complications:suspected endocarditis, embolic phenomena and congestive heart failure of unknown cause. Independent M mode echocardiograms were also obtained in each patient. Confirmation of ultrasonic studies was by cardiac catheterization with angiography, surgery and pathologic study in 10 patients; cardiac catheterization with angiography alone in 7 patients; surgery and pathologic study in 3 patients; autopsy in 3 patients; blood cultures to confirm or exclude endocarditis in 10 patients; and confirmation on clinical grounds in 7 patients. Technically adequate two dimensional studies were recorded in 39 of 40 subjects. Two dimensional echocardiography accurately assessed 15 of 16 patients with an abnormal bioprosthetic valve and a normal left ventricle (1 of 16 patients had a false positive two dimensional echocardiogram); 8 of 8 patients suspected to have prosthetic valve or left ventricular dysfunction but who were normal; 7 of 7 patients with a normal prosthesis and an abnormal left ventricle; the one patient with an abnormal valve and left ventricle; and 7 of 7 clinically normal patients who were referred for baseline studies. In summary, the two-dimensional echocardiogram demonstrated a 97 percent diagnostic accuracy rate which was significantly greater than the 67 percent (P less than 0.001) for M mode echocardiography in the same group of patients. It is concluded that two dimensional echocardiography has excellent diagnostic accuracy in assessing bioprosthetic and left ventricular function and is superior to M mode echocardiography in evaluating patients after such valve replacement.
The Changing Phenotype of Academic Nephrology— A Future at Risk?

Background and objectives: Academic nephrology faces increasing challenges in faculty hiring and development. However, it is unknown how these pressures have affected the number and demographics of academic nephrologists. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Using the Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Roster database, changes were analyzed in MD nephrology, as well as other internal medicine subspecialty, faculty from 1998 to 2008. Results: There were 1315 full-time MD nephrology faculty in 2008; this fell by 4.9% over the past decade. There were fewer junior, and more senior, faculty over this period. This was associated with 12.4% fewer tenured, 22.3% fewer tenure track, and an 11.5% increase in nontenure track, academic nephrologists. Academic nephrologists who are U.S. medical school graduates declined by 11.9%, while those who were international medical school graduates increased by 13.2%; nephrology has a greater percentage of international medical school graduates than any other internal medicine subspecialty. Female nephrology faculty increased by 14.3%, while male faculty fell by 9.5%. Asian nephrology faculty increased by 41.3%, while Caucasians declined by 15.2%. Similar changes in all the above parameters were seen for most other internal medicine subspecialties. The nephrology research programs at the top 20 research institutions, as compared with all other nephrology programs, had a greater decline in total MD, male, tenure track, and junior faculty. Conclusions: These data suggest that the future of academic nephrology is at risk. The decline in nephrology faculty provides incentive for leaders in academic nephrology to improve recruiting and retention practices.
Extremum-Seeking Control in Constrained Source Tracing With Nonholonomic Vehicles

This paper proposes an extremum-seeking approach for source tracing problems with vehicles subjected to minimum turning radius and nonholonomic constraints. The admissible area for the vehicles is confined within boundary constraints. Extremum-seeking control with sliding mode is utilized for direction finding, and variable structure control is designed to address the constraints on vehicle kinematics and the accessible area. The controller enforces the vehicle to track an optimal trajectory determined by both the motion of the source and the boundary constraints. We present stability and performance analysis for the approach and establish an ultimate bound on the tracking error. A representative simulation example in the context of mobile wireless communication network illustrates the design of the extremum-seeking controller and demonstrates its performance in tracking the optimal trajectory.
Object‐oriented programming applied to a prototype workstation

Object-oriented programming has been applied to the development of a prototype workstation to be used in airport traffic control towers. Objective-C was used because it supports objects, classes and inheritance, and it allows easy access to system services. A number of design practices emerged as helpful in the course of development, some of which have been reported elsewhere. The notion of a framework of co-operating classes as a paradigm of design was especially helpful. Comparisons with the size and rate of code production of an earlier, similar workstation programmed in C indicate an advantage to object-oriented programming.
The Canonical Twin-Arginine Translocase Components Are Not Required for Secretion of Folded Green Fluorescent Protein from the Ancestral Strain of Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Cellular processes, such as the digestion of macromolecules, phosphate acquisition, and cell motility, require bacterial secretion systems. In Bacillus subtilis, the predominant protein export pathways are Sec (generalized secretory pathway) and Tat (twin-arginine translocase). Unlike Sec, which secretes unfolded proteins, the Tat machinery secretes fully folded proteins across the plasma membrane and into the medium. Proteins are directed for Tat-dependent export by N-terminal signal peptides that contain a conserved twin-arginine motif. Thus, utilizing the Tat secretion system by fusing a Tat signal peptide is an attractive strategy for the production and export of heterologous proteins. As a proof of concept, we expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused to the PhoD Tat signal peptide in the laboratory and ancestral strains of B. subtilis. Secretion of the Tat-GFP construct, as well as secretion of proteins in general, was substantially increased in the ancestral strain. Furthermore, our results show that secreted, fluorescent GFP could be purified directly from the extracellular medium. Nonetheless, export was not dependent on the known Tat secretion components or the signal peptide twin-arginine motif. We propose that the ancestral strain contains additional Tat components and/or secretion regulators that were abrogated following domestication.
Map-aided localization in sparse global positioning system environments using vision and particle filtering

A map-aided localization approach using vision, inertial sensors when available, and a particle filter is proposed and empirically evaluated. The approach, termed PosteriorPose, uses a Bayesian particle filter to augment global positioning system (GPS) and inertial navigation solutions with vision-based measurements of nearby lanes and stop lines referenced against a known map of environmental features. These map-relative measurements are shown to improve the quality of the navigation solution when GPS is available, and they are shown to keep the navigation solution converged in extended GPS blackouts. Measurements are incorporated with careful hypothesis testing and error modeling to account for non-Gaussian and multimodal errors committed by GPS and vision-based detection algorithms. Using a set of data collected with Cornell's autonomous car, including a measure of truth via a high-precision differential corrections service, an experimental investigation of important design elements of the PosteriorPose estimator is conducted. The algorithm is shown to statistically outperform a tightly coupled GPS/inertial navigation solution both in full GPS coverage and in extended GPS blackouts. Statistical performance is also studied as a function of road type, filter likelihood models, bias models, and filter integrity tests. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Threonine 188 is critical for interaction with NAD+ in human NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase.

NAD+-dependent 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) is the key enzyme in the inactivation pathway of prostaglandins. It is a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase family of enzymes. A relatively conserved threonine residue corresponding to threonine 188 of 15-PGDH is proposed to be involved in the interaction with the carboxamide group of NAD+. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to examine the important role of this residue. Threonine 188 was changed to alanine (T188A), serine (T188S) or tyrosine (T188Y) and the mutant proteins were expressed inE. coli.Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of mutant proteins were similar to that of the wild type protein. Mutants T188A and T188Y were found to be inactive. Mutant T188S still retained substantial activity and the Km value for PGE2was similar to the wild enzyme; however, the Km value for NAD+was increased over 100 fold. These results suggest that threonine 188 is critical for interaction with NAD+and contributes to the full catalytic activity of 15-PGDH.
Haemodynamic changes during high spinal anaesthesia in children having open heart surgery

Summary Background: This prospective series examined the haemodynamic effects of high spinal anaesthesia in combination with light general anaesthesia in infants and children undergoing open heart surgery who were candidates for immediate or early postoperative extubation. Methods: After midazolam premedication and sevoflurane inhalation induction, 30 patients, aged 7 months to 13 years, who were undergoing open heart surgery, received spinal anaesthetics with 0.5% tetracaine D10 mixed with morphine. The spinal blocks were placed at the L2,3 or L3,4 interspace with cephalad spread being promoted by positioning the patient in 30° of Trendelenburg for a minimum of 10 min. Maintenance of anaesthesia was with isoflurane 0.2–0.5% in 70% nitrous oxide to maintain heart rate and blood pressure within 20% of postinduction baseline values. Haemodynamic values were recorded at predetermined timed intervals and intraoperative events up to and including aortic cannulation. For analysis of the data, patients were divided into four age groups ( 7 years). Results: Haemodynamic stability was demonstrated in all four age groups. Statistically significant slowing of the heart rate did occur in the groups older than 1 year at 25 min, although clinically significant bradycardia requiring treatment never occurred. Hypotension did occur during specific surgical manipulations but recovered spontaneously. Atropine, fluid boluses and vasopressors were never used. At the conclusion of surgery, all patients met extubation criteria and could move all four extremities. Conclusions: High spinal anaesthesia with hyperbaric tetracaine and morphine in combination with light general anaesthesia is well tolerated haemodynamically by the paediatric population studied.
Serum ivermectin levels after enteral and subcutaneous administration for Strongyloides hyperinfection: A case report

An AIDS patient was diagnosed with Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection complicated by ileus. Serum ivermectin concentrations were very low after rectal administration, but increased after subcutaneous doses. Absorption of rectal ivermectin appears poor, and subcutaneous administration can increase serum levels quickly, which may improve treatment in critically ill patients.
High-stability L-band radiometer measurements of saltwater

L-band radiometer brightness temperature measurements of a saltwater pond were made as a function of salinity and temperature. A precision L-band radiometer with stability better than 0.1 K per day was used for these measurements. The L-band measurements are in good agreement with three dielectric constant models over a temperature range from 8/spl deg/C to 32/spl deg/C and a salinity range from 25-40 psu. Based on this experiment, these dielectric models will provide an excellent basis for the algorithm development and design of the future National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aquarius satellite mission.