cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Whole and Strip Nitrocellulose Membrane as well as a New-Line-Immunoblotting ofAntigen Using the Chemiluminescence Technique

There are a number of techniques in the scientific world that researchers use to detect specific antigens. One such technique that has provided many advantages over typical immunochemical staining is chemiluminescence. The emission of visible radiation by compounds once exposed to sunlight has been known for centuries and currently is the main principle for chemiluminescence. Here, we introduce three different chemiluminescence techniques that are widely used in immunodetection of antigens: (a) whole membrane chemiluminescence detection, (b) strip membrane chemiluminescence detection, and (c) new line blotting chemiluminescence.
The Metabolism of Sulfur-Containing Compounds

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the metabolism of sulfur-containing compounds such as biotin, thiamine pyrophosphate, and lipoic acid. It explores enzymic pathways of the metabolism of sulfur in animal tissues. α-keto acids are oxidatively decarboxylated by mammalian and microbial enzymes to acyl CoA derivatives with the simultaneous reduction of DPN+. The mammalian enzyme system that catalyzes this reaction contains bound lipoic acid. More recent evidence indicates the participation of a charge transfer complex in the lipoic acid oxidase system. When DPNH is the substrate for the lipoic acid dehydrogenase complex, linked to the electron transferring system, it can be oxidized by molecular oxygen. In biotin deficiency, the carboxylation reaction does not occur. The actual carboxylation is preceded by the enzymic dehydration of β-hydroxyisovaleryl CoA to β-methylcrotonyl CoA, which is the true substrate for the entry of CO2. The formation of the activeCO2 requires Mg++, while the enzymic transferof CO2 to an acceptor proceeds without this ion. The adenosinediphosphatetransfer from ATP to the biotin-protein is a novel reaction, in contrast to the better known phosphokinase type of PO4- transfers.
Analysis of Foodstuffs for Dietary Fiber by the Urea Enzymatic Dialysis Method

Total dietary fiber (TDF) values for cereal grains, fruits, vegetables, processed foods, and purified or semi-purified dietary fiber products were determined by a new method using 8M urea and enzymes (urea enzymatic dialysis, UED, method). The results are compared with the official AOAC procedure. Soluble and insoluble dietary fiber were determined for several of these foodstuffs and compared with the NDF values. Crude protein and ash contamination was usually lower with the UED method compared with the AOAC method, particulary for samples that formed gels during ethanol precipitation. Urea and the heat stable amylase were effective in removing starch even at relatively low temperatures of the assay (50°C). The new assay is relatively economical in use of equipment, enzymes, and reagents. Studies are currently in progress to minimize the assay time for the UED method while further improving its flexibility and robustness. The results of the studies will be discussed.
Electrodiagnosis in Industrial Injuries

A timely and accurate diagnosis of industrial injuries is essential for rehabilitation to be maximized. Electrodiagnostic evaluation provides a physiologic assessment of the neuromuscular system. Its use in industrial injury is reviewed, with emphasis on radiculopathy, entrapment neuropathy, and toxic polyneuropathy.
Impact of Acute Kidney Injury and CKD on Adverse Outcomes in Critically Ill Septic Patients.

Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are strongly associated with excess morbidity and mortality and frequently co-occur in critically ill septic patients, but how their interplay affects clinical outcomes is not well elucidated. Methods We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 2632 adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with severe sepsis or septic shock. Subjects were classified into 6 groups according to baseline CKD (no-CKD: estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥60; CKD: eGFR 15−59 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and incident AKI by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) serum creatinine criteria (no-AKI, AKI stage 1, AKI stages ≥2) during ICU stay. Study outcomes were 90-day mortality (in hospital or within 90 days of discharge) and incident/progressive CKD. Results Prevalent CKD was 46% and incident AKI was 57%. Adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for 90-day mortality relative to the reference group of no-CKD/no-AKI were 1.5 (1.1−2.0) in no-CKD/AKI stage 1, 2.4 (1.9−3.1) in no-CKD/AKI stages≥2, 1.1 (0.8−1.4) in CKD/no-AKI, 1.2 (0.9−1.6) in CKD/AKI stage 1, and 2.2 (1.7−2.9) in CKD/AKI stages ≥2. A similar trend was observed for incident/progressive CKD during a median follow-up of 15.3 months. Conclusion Stage 1 AKI on CKD was not associated with an independent increased risk of adverse outcomes in critically ill septic patients. AKI stages ≥2 on CKD and any level of AKI in no-CKD patients were strongly and independently associated with adverse outcomes. Sepsis-associated stage 1 AKI on CKD may represent distinct underlying pathophysiology, with more prerenal cases and less severe de novo intrinsic damage, which needs further investigation.
CVD Technology for 2-D Materials

The urgently growing demand for lowering the power consumption and increasing the performance in electronic and optoelectronic systems has been driving the scientific community to explore new materials and device architectures. In light of this, 2-D materials including graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and transition metal dichalcogenides have the potential to revolutionize our semiconductor industry by scaling the devices down to the atomic level. These materials benefit from several unique properties, endowed by their 2-D nature, such as surface free of dangling bonds, ultimate scaling limit in vertical dimension for almost perfect gate electrostatic control, and strong excitonic effects. However, to realize the full potential of these materials, it is required to develop a large-scale synthesis method. For this, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) has shown great promise to synthesize these high-quality 2-D crystals with scalable-production capability. In this review, we will give a brief overview of the current state of the art in CVD growth of 2-D materials and its prospects for next-generation device applications. First, we will review several representative growth techniques in which large area, high quality 2-D materials are demonstrated. We will then describe the status of the development of electronics, optoelectronics, and sensors based on CVD-grown 2-D materials. Finally, we will discuss the major challenges and future opportunities in this rapidly advancing field of research.
Safety and Feasibility of Argatroban, Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator, and Intra-Arterial Therapy in Stroke (ARTSS-IA Study).

Abstract Background A randomized trial of concurrent recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA) + thrombin-inhibition with Argatroban in stroke patients recently demonstrated safety and signal of efficacy compared to r-tPA alone, but patients having endovascular therapy (EVT) were excluded. The current study intended to study feasibility and safety of concurrent r-tPA and Argatroban in patients undergoing EVT. Methods We conducted a single-arm, feasibility, and safety study of patients that received standard-dose r-tPA, had intracranial large vessel occlusions, and underwent EVT within 6 hours of stroke onset. During r-tPA, a 100 μg/kg Argatroban bolus, followed by 12-hour infusion, targeted an activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) 2.25 timesbaseline. Feasibility was defined as ability to combine treatments without EVT time-metric delays, compared to cotemporaneous r-tPA + EVT treatments. Safety was incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH), systemic hemorrhage, or EVT complications. Results All preplanned 10 patients were enrolled. Arterial occlusions were middle cerebral artery (n = 8), internal carotid artery (n = 1), and posterior cerebral artery (n = 1). All received Argatroban before EVT and completed infusions. There were no delays in time-metrics compared to nonstudy patients during the same period. Nine patients achieved excellent angiographic reperfusion (Thrombolysis In Cerebral Ischemia [TICI] ≥2b); with 7 complete (TICI = 3). There were no sICH, systemic hemorrhage, or EVT complications. At 90 days, 6 (60%) patients had a modified Rankin Scale of 0-2 and none died. Conclusions In patients treated with r-tPA and EVT, concomitant Argatroban is feasible, does not delay EVT provision, produces high rates of recanalization, is probably safe, and warrants further study.
Marketing or R&D?

We examine how contextual uncertainty moderates the influence of initial resource investment decisions on start-up financial performance. Drawing on resource based theory, we consider how managers’...
Educating Girls: Complexities of Informing Meaningful Social Change

Jackie Kirk devoted her career to trying to bridge the relationships among research, policy and practice for the purpose of making the world a better place for children, teachers, and communities. Reflecting her priorities, we examine herein how research, policy and practice interact to enable a robust and dynamic program that educates girls for purposes far beyond typical policy priorities of access and parity. To do so, we rely on interviews and focus group discussions that involved over 130 individuals who were involved with one girls’ education program in a remote region of a Southeast Asian country. Their narratives reveal that the program was flexible and responsive, yet guided by clear ideas about gender equity. This work is not prescriptive or predictable; it evolves through dynamic interactions. Global policy priorities of access and parity became means toward more important goals including community sustainability in the face of environmental and economic challenges. Structures that enabled this robust program included space, time, funding, and a dynamic conceptual lens.
Measuring Saccade Latency Using Smartphone Cameras

Objective: Accurate quantification of neurodegenerative disease progression is an ongoing challenge that complicates efforts to understand and treat these conditions. Clinical studies have shown that eye movement features may serve as objective biomarkers to support diagnosis and tracking of disease progression. Here, we demonstrate that saccade latency—an eye movement measure of reaction time—can be measured robustly outside of the clinical environment with a smartphone camera. Methods: To enable tracking of saccade latency in large cohorts of patients and control subjects, we combined a deep convolutional neural network for gaze estimation with a model-based approach for saccade onset determination that provides automated signal-quality quantification and artifact rejection. Results: Simultaneous recordings with a smartphone and a high-speed camera resulted in negligible differences in saccade latency distributions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the constraint of chinrest support can be removed when recording healthy subjects. Repeat smartphone-based measurements of saccade latency in 11 self-reported healthy subjects resulted in an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.76, showing our approach has good to excellent test–retest reliability. Additionally, we conducted more than 19 000 saccade latency measurements in 29 self-reported healthy subjects and observed significant intra- and inter-subject variability, which highlights the importance of individualized tracking. Lastly, we showed that with around 65 measurements we can estimate mean saccade latency to within less-than-10-ms precision, which takes within 4 min with our setup. Conclusion and Significance: By enabling repeat measurements of saccade latency and its distribution in individual subjects, our framework opens the possibility of quantifying patient state on a finer timescale in a broader population than previously possible.
Sigma-holes from iso-molecular electrostatic potential surfaces

Visualization of the halobenzene σ-hole region of molecules (PhX, X = Cl, Br, I) was conducted to investigate the nature of the σ-hole present between covalently bonded elements of groups IVB–VIIB (known as halogen bonding for group VIIB) and corresponding negative sites, such as Lewis base lone electron pairs, π-electrons, or anions. The σ-hole consists of a region of poor electron density and often relatively positive electrostatic potential surrounding the outermost portion of the halogen atom along the A–X bond axis. In this work, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) isosurfaces for PhX obtained from ab initio calculations are examined to determine the σ-hole in 3D, showing the surfaces of corresponding positive and negative regions. Surfaces were mapped for isopotentials of PhX molecules as low as 0.003 V and scaled up by factors of 10 up to 3 V. The σ-hole is revealed as a positive region exposed underneath a predominantly negative MEP isosurface. As isopotential values move away from zero, this hole grows in radius; conversely, its presence completely fades as potential approaches zero with increasing distance from the molecule. This technique can also be used to compare behaviors of neutral molecules and their ionic counterparts like the case of neutral PF6 (not observed experimentally) and the hexafluorophosphate anion, PF6−, a typical counter-ion in commercial Li-ion batteries. The pnictogen halide PF5 features similar MEP trends as the neutral PF6, which features reactive sites, shown as negative potential caps, at specific points in the molecule, similar to those of PF5. The portrayal of MEP behavior in iso-surfaces at specific and practical values of chemical interest is crucial when defining lump parameter sets for Coulombic force fields for molecular dynamics simulations to be used in systems that go from biological macromolecules to crystal engineering to devices to final products. Active chemical sites can be described by the MEP function, V(r), more proficiently than just wavefunctions or electron densities that intrinsically contain the same information, and this is fully enhanced when color-coding electron densities on isopotential surfaces are shown.
Mesenchymal and Other Miscellaneous Tumors of the Cervix

Mesenchymal tumors of the cervix are less commonly seen than their counterparts in the uterine corpus. They can be divided into subgroups, including those displaying smooth muscle, endometrial stromal, nerve sheath, bone, and skeletal muscle or endothelial/vascular differentiation, those that represent secondary involvement from the corpus, and those of uncertain histogenesis. Many histotypes at this location are rare and are described only as case reports, including tumors such as alveolar soft part sarcomas, epithelioid sarcomas, fibroblastic malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, and even osteosarcomas. Most of these tumors are also covered in more detail in the uterine mesenchymal tumor chapter.
Detection of Osmotic Shock-Induced Extracellular Nucleotide Release with a Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Sensor of ADP and ATP.

Purinergic signals, such as extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP), mediate intercellular communication and stress responses throughout mammalian tissues, but the dynamics of their release and clearance are still not well understood. Although physiochemical methods provide important insight into physiology, genetically encoded optical sensors have proven particularly powerful in the quantification of signaling in live specimens. Indeed, genetically encoded luminescent and fluorescent sensors provide new insights into ATP-mediated purinergic signaling. However, new tools to detect extracellular ADP are still required. To this end, in this study, we use protein engineering to generate a new genetically encoded sensor that employs a high-affinity bacterial ADP-binding protein and reports a change in occupancy with a change in the Forster-type resonance energy transfer (FRET) between cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins. We characterize the sensor in both protein solution studies, as well as live-cell microscopy. This new sensor responds to nanomolar and micromolar concentrations of ADP and ATP in solution, respectively, and in principle it is the first fully-genetically encoded sensor with sufficiently high affinity for ADP to detect low levels of extracellular ADP. Furthermore, we demonstrate that tethering the sensor to the cell surface enables the detection of physiologically relevant nucleotide release induced by hypoosmotic shock as a model of tissue edema. Thus, we provide a new tool to study purinergic signaling that can be used across genetically tractable model systems.
Modification of Carbon Nitride/Reduced Graphene Oxide van der Waals Heterostructure with Copper Nanoparticles To Improve CO2 Sensitivity.

Carbon nitride/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) van der Waals heterostructures (vdWH) have previously shown exceptional oxygen sensitivity via a photoredox mechanism, making it a potential material can...
College Student Perceptions of Victim Responsibility in Stalking Incidents

The current study surveyed 530 college students to investigate perceptions of victim responsibility or blame in heterosexual stalking situations using a vignette design. The vignettes manipulated t...
On the smallest primitive root of a safe prime

In this article we present an algorithm to determine the smallest primitive element for Z* where p is a safe prime. We also address the case of primes of the form p = 2kq + 1 for an odd prime q.
Multi-view Action Recognition Using Cross-View Video Prediction

In this work, we address the problem of action recognition in a multi-view environment. Most of the existing approaches utilize pose information for multi-view action recognition. We focus on RGB modality instead and propose an unsupervised representation learning framework, which encodes the scene dynamics in videos captured from multiple viewpoints via predicting actions from unseen views. The framework takes multiple short video clips from different viewpoints and time as input and learns an holistic internal representation which is used to predict a video clip from an unseen viewpoint and time. The ability of the proposed network to render unseen video frames enables it to learn a meaningful and robust representation of the scene dynamics. We evaluate the effectiveness of the learned representation for multi-view video action recognition in a supervised approach. We observe a significant improvement in the performance with RGB modality on NTU-RGB+D dataset, which is the largest dataset for multi-view action recognition. The proposed framework also achieves state-of-the-art results with depth modality, which validates the generalization capability of the approach to other data modalities. The code is publicly available at https://github.com/svyas23/cross-view-action.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Retirement Income Adequacy: Evidence From EBRI’s Retirement Security Projection Model®

The research in this paper explores the aggregate potential impact of the 2020 market crisis as well as assumptions with respect to future employee and employer behavior in response to the current situation and potential decreases in defined contribution eligibility arising from increased unemployment. The combined impact of all intermediate assumptions (including the investment losses already experienced in the first quarter of 2020) certainly appears to be manageable: The $3.68 trillion aggregate deficit for all U.S. households ages 35–64 as of January 1, 2020, only increased 4.5 percent or $166.21 billion. Even the combination of pessimistic assumptions in this analysis only increased the aggregate retirement deficits by 11.2 percent or $412.77 billion. Of course, the crisis could result in unexpectedly worse outcomes — market losses could be even greater, plan terminations more common, etc. Further, this analysis is not meant to minimize the potential impact of the current situation on specific individuals who are most affected. A future EBRI Issue Brief will focus on the latter. Another paper will analyze the impact of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act on retirement income adequacy, factoring in the potential ability of affected workers to take much bigger loans and withdrawals than they could even during the 2007–2009 financial crisis.
Men and Masculinities: Theoretical Foundations and Promising Practices for Supporting College Men’s Development Book Review

Book Review of: Daniel Tillapaugh and Brian L. McGowan (Eds.). Men and Masculinities: Theoretical Foundations and Promising Practices for Supporting College Men’s Development. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2019. 235 pp. Softcover, $30.00. ISBN 978-1-62036-931-9. Reviewed by: Jessica Hale, Ed. D., Faculty, English and College Readiness, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, MI
Welfare Ranking of Emissions Taxes, Cap & Trade, and Banking & Borrowing

Under asymmetric information between firms and a regulator, intertemporal trade of pollution permits can increase welfare relative to both emissions taxes and cap and trade (quotas). In the subgame perfect equilibrium, banking and borrowing dominates taxes and quotas for a large region of parameter space provided that cost shocks are positively correlated and the trading phase is not too long. We show how to determine the optimal length of a trading phase, and explain why it is typically short. In the open loop setting banking and borrowing is likely to be a good alternative for quotas but not for taxes.
Comprehensive Assessment of Fine-Grained Wound Images Using a Patch-Based CNN With Context-Preserving Attention

Goal: Chronic wounds affect 6.5 million Americans. Wound assessment via algorithmic analysis of smartphone images has emerged as a viable option for remote assessment. Methods: We comprehensively score wounds based on the clinically-validated Photographic Wound Assessment Tool (PWAT), which comprehensively assesses clinically important ranges of eight wound attributes: Size, Depth, Necrotic Tissue Type, Necrotic Tissue Amount, Granulation Tissue type, Granulation Tissue Amount, Edges, Periulcer Skin Viability. We proposed a DenseNet Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) framework with patch-based context-preserving attention to assess the 8 PWAT attributes of four wound types: diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers and surgical wounds. Results: In an evaluation on our dataset of 1639 wound images, our model estimated all 8 PWAT sub-scores with classification accuracies and F1 scores of over 80%. Conclusions: Our work is the first intelligent system that autonomously grades wounds comprehensively based on criteria in the PWAT rubric, alleviating the significant burden that manual wound grading imposes on wound care nurses.
Albina Ruiz and

Industrial engineering student Albina Ruiz was disturbed by the trash she saw around her in Lima, Peru. It was the late 1980s, and uncollected trash was a huge problem for many of the poorer urban areas, creating health problems and contaminating the city's water supply. Foul odors and toxic fumes emanated from the piles of trash, which were breeding grounds for rats and diseases such as cholera. Determined to address the problem, Ruiz established a microentrepreneurial enterprise, hiring the unemployed to pick up the garbage. After a number of years, she expanded the program, creating the nonprofit Ciudad Saludad, or "Healthy City," in 2001, thus continuing the microentrepreneurial, community-managed model that had been so successful. Over the years, other cities and countries adopted the Ciudad Saludad model. By 2012, Ruiz's enterprise was vast—with over 1,500 waste collectors—and had improved the lives of more than six million people in poverty-stricken areas. Excerpt UVA-E-0384 Rev. Mar. 12, 2013 ALBINA RUIZ AND “HEALTHY CITY” As she walked each day to the National Engineering University, where she was studying industrial engineering, Albina Ruiz was horrified by what she saw around her in the streets of Lima, Peru. Trash was piled high, spilling into the streets and covering the sidewalks in many places. The smell was so bad that people covered their noses with handkerchiefs and scarves, yet Ruiz saw children playing in the garbage, clambering atop piles of debris as though they were forts. It was the late 1980s, and while Ruiz was aware that trash collection was a municipal task, it was clear that the job was, for the most part, not being done. The research she had done into the problem made her all the more concerned. Sprawling mounds of uncollected garbage were a problem throughout Peru, but Lima's poorer areas were particularly hard-hit. In Cono Norte—a slum in northern Lima that was home to almost 1.5 million residents—an estimated 1,000 tons of garbage were generated daily, less than half of which was being picked up by municipal workers. Not only did that create health problems for city residents, but residents dumped the waste in rivers, thus contaminating the city's water supply. Foul odors and toxic fumes emanated from the piles of trash, which were breeding grounds for rats and diseases such as cholera. Poor and densely populated areas suffered the most because they had far more uncollected garbage than more affluent neighborhoods did. “The government in Peru,” said Ruiz, “like in other countries, spends a lot of money collecting garbage, but it's only where the well-off live. In those neighborhoods, they collect garbage every day.” Inspired in part by the massive amounts of waste she saw daily, Ruiz—the only female student in her class at the university—wrote her thesis on microenterprises and environmental sanitation in Cono Norte. She also organized her fellow students to pick up garbage from along the riverbeds and beaches. As she neared graduation, Ruiz began to formulate a plan as to how the city might deal with the trash and all its hazards. . . .
Black Youth Poetry of 2020 and Reimagined Literacies

In response to anti-Black policing in 2020 that led to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Black children and teens turned to poetry as a means to channel their self-described terror, ra...
Utilizing commercial heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems to provide grid services: A review

Abstract The modern power grid faces multiple challenges due to an increase in the adoption of renewable generation, such as dynamically balancing supply and demand at different time scales. Demand side management in buildings plays a vital role in achieving this balance because buildings can provide grid services through a variety of building assets. However, the development of grid-interactive, efficient buildings is still in its infancy, and a systematic and holistic understanding of grid service delivery strategies in terms of energy efficiency, load shifting, load shedding and load modulating is still limited. This paper is a comprehensive review of the development and application of building-level control strategies for utilizing heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems to provide grid services. These strategies have been investigated through numerical and experimental studies. Control algorithms, such as heuristic rule-based control and model-based control, have been used to enable the automatic control delivery of grid services. The advantages and disadvantages of the strategies are summarized and discussed. Research trends are also identified, which include considering predicted mean vote-based and occupant-based thermal comfort, modeling of occupant behavior, integrating power grid operations with building control, and combining different demand flexibility modes in the control design.
The Academic Marketplace in Social Work.

Abstract Deans and directors of graduate and undergraduate programs in social work were surveyed to ascertain the number of academic jobs available during 1984–86. They were also questioned about characteristics desired in new faculty. Results showed a stable or increasing overall demand for social work faculty. Demand varied in relation to whether the highest degree offered by the hiring unit was the baccalaureate, master's, or doctorate. The quantity of recent hiring and the desirability of research skills and publications was higher in programs offering higher degrees, but teaching credentials were of equal importance for all three types of units. Implications for the educational system and for job seekers are discussed.
Molybdenum and Molybdenum Alloys

Molybdenum, a key industrial element, is used both in its pure form as a refractory metal and as an alloying element in irons and steels. Most molybdenum production is in North America, although some metal comes from other areas, especially from South America and China. The largest source of molybdenum is copper mines, where the former metal is a by-product. Molybdenum supply, ore-processing to commercial products, and the associated environmental considerations are reviewed. Tools, pipelines, pumps, and various gears and dies, especially those for harsh working environments such as those found in the petroleum industry, are made from molybdenum containing alloys. The molybdenum imparts strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance to steels and cast irons. Molybdenum is a refractory metal used in furnaces, electrodes, light bulbs, and x-ray tubes. Properties and uses are described. Keywords: Sources; Processing; Analytical Methods; Economic Aspects; Environmental Concepts; Health and Safety; Recycling; Manufacture; Uses; Ores; Mill Products; Metalworking; Alloys; Furnaces; Glass; Machine-tool/Accessories
Fast and accurate algorithm for scattering from large-scale 2D dielectric ocean surfaces

The paper presents a fast and accurate algorithm for the direct method-of-moment (MoM) numerical simulation of radar scattering from two-dimensional (2D) randomly finite-conducting (dielectric) ocean surfaces. The proposed algorithm consists of three major components: the multi-grid (MG) algorithm, the iterative generalized conjugate residual (GCR) method with a novel preconditioning strategy, and a variation of the spectral acceleration scheme devised by D. Torrungrueng and J.T. Johnson (see J. Electromagnetic Waves & App., vol.15, p.1337-62, 2001) featuring an alternative strong-weak region partitioning. While the strong field-source interaction is implemented as usual in the physical space in terms of matrix-vector dot product, the integral form of the weak field-source interaction region is carried out in the wavenumber space. The efficiency of the proposed two-layered algorithm facilitates scattering calculations from 2D finitely conducting surfaces with a total number of unknowns up to a few millions. Presented numerical simulations are typically performed at X-band frequencies with 7 m/s wind speed and 20/spl deg/ grazing angle.
Delivery patterns and reproductive efficiency among groups of differing socioeconomic status and ethnic origins.

Abstract In order to assess the relative importance of ethnic versus socioeconomic components as they affect reproductive performance two groups of women, one white and one nonwhite, were studied. The socioeconomically more favored (private service patients) were compared with the socioeconomically less favored (staff service) in each group. It was found that the groups of higher socioeconomic standing resemble each other in their obstetric performance more than they resemble their ethnic counterparts in the less-favored groups. Both of the higher socioeconomic groups exhibited superior reproductive performance in the following parameters: perinatal mortality, prematurity by weight, prematurity by weeks, ectopic pregnancy, and pre-eclampsia.
Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Men with Vascular Erectile Dysfunction: The View of the Preventive Cardiologist

Vascular erectile dysfunction is a powerful marker of increased cardiovascular risk. However, current guidelines lack specific recommendations on the role that the evaluation of vascular erectile dysfunction should play in cardiovascular risk assessment, as well on the risk stratification strategy that men with vascular erectile dysfunction should undergo. In the last 3 years, erectile dysfunction experts have made a call for more specific guidance and have proposed the selective use of several prognostic tests for further cardiovascular risk assessment in these patients. Among them, stress testing has been prioritized, whereas other tests are considered second-line tools. In this review, we provide additional perspective from the viewpoint of the preventive cardiologist. We discuss the limitations of current risk scores and the potential interplay between erectile dysfunction assessment and the use of personalized prognostic tools, such as the coronary artery calcium score, in the cardiovascular risk stratification and management of men with vascular erectile dysfunction. Finally, we present an algorithm for primary care physicians, urologists, and cardiologists to aid clinical decision-making.
High-reliability fault-tolerant 16 Mbit memory chip

A combination of redundant circuits and error-correcting-code circuits have been implemented on a 16 Mb memory chip. The combination of these circuits results in a synergistic fault-tolerance scheme, making this chip immune to a high level of manufacturing and reliability defects. In addition to the error-correcting-code circuits, the chip also has redundant cells that can be used to replace defective cells. The combined use of the error-correcting code, and redundancy results in a synergetic fault-tolerance effect, making the chip impervious to thousands of manufacturing defects. This is an increase in fault tolerance of several orders of magnitude. >
Design for the environment: evaluating cleaner technologies in the PWB industry

The design for the environment (DFE) printed wiring board (PWB) project is a voluntary partnership among the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the PWB manufacturing industry, public-interest groups, and the University of Tennessee Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies. The goal of the DFE PWB Project is to evaluate the risk, performance, cost, and effects on resource conservation of alternative processes for "making holes conductive" (MHC) in PWB fabrication. PWB manufacturers have traditionally used an electroless copper process to deposit a conductive surface on drilled through-holes prior to electrolytic plating. Electroless copper processes typically employ formaldehyde as a reducing agent and require large amounts of water and energy. A number of emerging or existing technologies exist, however, that can perform the MHC function and substitute for the electroless copper process. This paper describes the methods used by the PWB project partners to develop a cleaner technologies substitutes assessment (CTSA) of the MHC substitute processes and presents current progress on the risk characterization and performance demonstration components of the CTSA.
Fabrication and characterization of planar and channel polymer waveguides. II. Poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) films†

Solutions of poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) in methane sulfonic acid (MSA) were prepared and studied. Solutions with concentrations less than 0.04 wt % PBZT were characterized by dilute solution viscometry. Planar PBZT waveguides were spin-coated from a 0.5 wt % PBZT solution onto oxidized silicon wafers. The optical attentuation of the resulting polymer waveguides was measured and found to depend on both the thickness of the oxide layer on the silicon substrate and also the wavelength of the incident light. The lowest optical loss recorded for PBZT in this investigation was 4.81 ± 1.39 dB/cm at 834 nm. This work thus demonstrates the successful fabrication of PBZT into thin-film planar waveguides. The PBZT films prepared here also show improved optical characteristics over PBZT films prepared previously by either extrusion or spin coating. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1448–1456, 2000
Repeat HIV Testing and HIV Transmission Risk Behaviors Among Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic Patients

HIV testing and counseling expends considerable HIV prevention resources and offers great opportunities for HIV risk reduction. Individuals who are at risk for HIV and have not been HIV tested are the focus of current targeted testing campaigns and yet persons who are repeatedly tested for HIV often continue engaging in high-risk practices. This study examined HIV testing, risk behaviors, and other medical diagnostic testing practices of men (N = 231) and women (N = 86) attending an inner-city sexually transmitted infections (STI) clinic. Results showed that 75 (23%) participants had not yet been tested for HIV, 45 (14%) had been tested once, and 197 (63%) had been tested two or more times. Patients that had not been tested and those who were repeatedly tested were similar in their risk behaviors; both demonstrated significantly greater risks for HIV than persons tested just once, although repeat testers were more likely to have had a past STI. HIV testing history was minimally associated with other medical testing and health protective practices, such as testicular self-examination, mammography, and having had PAP tests. Results support targeting high-risk untested persons for HIV testing and suggest an urgent need for interventions to reduce risk behaviors among STI clinic patients who repeatedly test for HIV.
Basal plasma hormone levels in depressed perimenopausal women.

Abstract Background: An association between abnormal changes in reproductive endocrine function during the perimenopause and the onset of depression in some women has been suggested but remains controversial. Methods: We examined basal plasma hormone levels in two samples of women with well characterized, first onset depression (major or minor) during the perimenopause and matched comparison groups of asymptomatic women. Results were compared by analysis of variance. Results: No significant diagnosis-related differences were observed in plasma hormone measures of the following: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), total (T) or free testosterone (FT), or the E2/LH ratio. We did identify significantly lower morning plasma dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphated metabolite DHEA-S (but not cortisol) levels in the depressed women compared to the non-depressed comparison group. Women with hot flushes (regardless of the presence of depression) were significantly older than women without flushes, had significantly higher plasma levels of FT, LH and FSH, and had significantly lower E2/LH ratios. Conclusions: Women with first onset depression during the perimenopause are not distinguished from controls on the basis of basal hormone measures of ovarian estrogens, testosterone, or gonadotropins. However, perimenopause-related changes in E2 may interact with low levels of DHEA in some women to increase their vulnerability to develop depression. In contrast to perimenopause-related vasomotor symptoms, depression during the perimenopause is not associated with a simple hormone deficiency state. The relatively low levels of E2 and E1 in the depressed women may have met statistical significance in a much larger and homogenous sample.
Kinship associations of a solitary rodent, Dipodomys ingens, at fluctuating population densities

The formation of kin groups is an important step in the path to evolution of sociality in mammals. We used microsatellite DNA analyses, trapping and radiotelemetry data to investigate spatial and genetic associations of the solitary giant kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ingens. We predicted that, as population densities increase, dispersal distances should decrease to form kin groups. As predicted, females decreased dispersal distances as population densities increased to form female kin clusters of related neighbours. Males also decreased dispersal distances, but only at the highest density, and they did not form kin clusters. Males seemed to adjust their home ranges to overlap unrelated females as a possible strategy to avoid inbreeding. They were not highly related to the majority of females that they overlapped, and the nearest neighbour in most cases was an unrelated female. The significant decrease in distance between female neighbours and the formation of female kin groups at high population density represents a potential increase in social interactions among these solitary rodents. Further research is necessary to determine the extent to which D. ingens is able to discriminate between kin and other familiar animals and whether they interact preferentially to facilitate the success of closely related kin.
A transglutaminase-related antigen associates with keratin filaments in some mouse epidermal cells.

A mouse monoclonal IgG, G82, directed against guinea pig liver transglutaminase recognizes a transglutaminase-related antigen that is associated with the keratin intermediate filament network in some primary mouse keratinocytes. The association can be seen at the resolution of individual keratin tonofibrils following fixation and staining for double-label indirect immunofluorescence. Western blots indicate that G82 reacts with two proteins of 95kDa and 280kDa, respectively, in extracts of these cells. The 95-kDa band is also recognized by a polyclonal antibody against purified guinea pig liver transglutaminase, and the 280-kDa protein seems to correspond to a similar protein that was shown to be recognized by G92.1.2 in the intermediate filament fraction of primary mouse fibroblasts. The transglutaminase-related antigen was shown by confocal microscopy to co-localize only with nonbasal cell specific keratin intermediate filaments.
Principles and Practice of Case Mix Adjustment: Applications to End-Stage Renal Disease

For optimal case mix adjustment, it is necessary to build risk or severity models to fit the disease and its outcome. For cardiac disease, for example, several risk models predict the outcome of mortality. These risk models include variables that, by themselves in multivariable models, predict death. If a variable is associated with death independent of treatment or quality of care, it has to be adjusted for and, therefore, included in the model. Similar models have to be developed and tested for end-stage renal disease. A complete risk model would consist of age, sex, the severity of the primary disease of interest (here, end-stage renal disease), not just the presence but also the severity of all co-morbid disease, and, finally, a measurement of functional status or quality of life. This last measurement is associated with outcome beyond and independent of the above noted severity components. These factors (or "severity" or "patient mix" dimensions) then have to be developed in relation to a specific outcome or response variable. Cholesterol and hypertension are risk factors for long-term events and mortality, but not for 2-year symptoms and quality of life. Thus, the model has to be defined by the type of outcome and by the time interval over which the variable acts. For end-stage renal disease, at least one of the major types of outcome will be quality of life. Our case mix measures for hospital co-morbidity and for office practice chronic disease are defined by and intended to predict functional status in the short run, because that is the outcome of interest for dollars spent and for most of the care rendered to patients with chronic disease before the very end stages. Creating a valid case mix or severity measurement aimed at or defined by quality of life thus involves the creation of new models, the testing of those models, the revision based on the empirical testing, and, finally, generalizing to other sites beyond which the data were collected. Useful case mix measurements will be parsimonious, feasible, reliable, validated against the outcome of interest, shown to work in diverse settings, and acceptable to users, especially clinicians.
One-Electron Reduction of Aqueous Nitric Oxide: A Mechanistic Revision

The pulse radiolysis of aqueous NO has been reinvestigated, the variances with the prior studies are discussed, and a mechanistic revision is suggested. Both the hydrated electron and the hydrogen atom reduce NO to yield the ground-state triplet (3)NO(-) and singlet (1)HNO, respectively, which further react with NO to produce the N(2)O(2)(-) radical, albeit with the very different specific rates, k((3)NO(-) + NO) = (3.0 +/- 0.8) x 10(9) and k((1)HNO + NO) = (5.8 +/- 0.2) x 10(6) M(-)(1) s(-)(1). These reactions occur much more rapidly than the spin-forbidden acid-base equilibration of (3)NO(-) and (1)HNO under all experimentally accessible conditions. As a result, (3)NO(-) and (1)HNO give rise to two reaction pathways that are well separated in time but lead to the same intermediates and products. The N(2)O(2)(-) radical extremely rapidly acquires another NO, k(N(2)O(2)(-) + NO) = (5.4 +/- 1.4) x 10(9) M(-)(1) s(-)(1), producing the closed-shell N(3)O(3)(-) anion, which unimolecularly decays to the final N(2)O + NO(2)(-) products with a rate constant of approximately 300 s(-)(1). Contrary to the previous belief, N(2)O(2)(-) is stable with respect to NO elimination, and so is N(3)O(3)(-). The optical spectra of all intermediates have also been reevaluated. The only intermediate whose spectrum can be cleanly observed in the pulse radiolysis experiments is the N(3)O(3)(-) anion (lambda(max) = 380 nm, epsilon(max) = 3.76 x 10(3) M(-)(1) cm(-)(1)). The spectra previously assigned to the NO(-) anion and to the N(2)O(2)(-) radical are due, in fact, to a mixture of species (mainly N(2)O(2)(-) and N(3)O(3)(-)) and to the N(3)O(3)(-) anion, respectively. Spectral and kinetic evidence suggests that the same reactions occur when (3)NO(-) and (1)HNO are generated by photolysis of the monoprotonated anion of Angeli's salt, HN(2)O(3)(-), in NO-containing solutions.
Early and late phases of ocular anaphylaxis in actively immunized guinea pigs.

. A model of ocular anaphylaxis with distinct early- and late-phase components was studied in actively immunized guinea pigs. Twenty guinea pigs were injected with dinitrophenylated (DNP) bovine gamma globulin emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant and challenged topically with di-DNP-lysine. Clinical signs were monitored over a 48 h period. An early-phase reaction (EPR) characterized by conjunctival edema, conjunctival erythema, lid swelling, and lid redness was observed. This reaction peaked at 0.5 h after challenge and subsided to a low point at 3–4 h. Subsequently, a second episode of lid swelling and lid redness was observed at 4–8 h. All animals in both groups exhibited an EPR. In addition, 75% of the animals underwent an EPR and an LPR. No animals exhibited an isolated LPR. Of the animals that underwent a dual response, 47% were biphasic, 6% were prolonged and 47% were multiphasic. The development of an active model of ocular anaphylaxis exhibiting both EPR and LPR components will enable studies of mechanisms which regulate the frequency and magnitude of these ocular allergic responses.