cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adjoint perturbation and selection rule methods for solar broadband two-stream fluxes in multi-layer media

Abstract This paper describes computationally efficient methods of solving the two-stream plane-parallel equation of radiative transfer in multi-layered media using adjoint perturbations in combination with selection rules. Semi-analytical results are obtained for the perturbed fluxes in atmospheres illuminated by solar radiation. The perturbation approach is useful in media dominated by multiple scattering whereas selection rules apply when absorption is dominant or if the media is weakly scattering. Selection rules can be applied with conventional two-stream solvers to reduce the number of radiative transfer calculations. For example, clear sky broadband fluxes computed with selection rules for a 30 layer atmosphere using the k -distribution method were obtained in about one-seventh the time taken by the standard solvers. An 12-fold increase in computational speed over the standard solvers was achieved when selection rules were used with the perturbation method for the same atmosphere. Fluxes so computed were within 10% of those calculated using standard, full up two-stream radiative transfer codes.
Osteoblastoma characterized by a three-way translocation: report of a case and review of the literature

Osteoblastoma, an uncommon primary bone tumor, produces both osteoid and primitive woven bone in a background of fibrovascular connective tissue. Although most osteoblastomas are considered benign, a controversial aggressive variant has been described, which may cause diagnostic confusion with malignant tumors such as osteosarcoma. To date, no specific diagnostic cytogenetic or molecular marker has been identified for osteoblastoma to aid in its distinction. Conventional cytogenetic analysis of an osteoblastoma arising in the femur of a 23-year-old woman revealed a novel three-way translocation involving chromosomes 1, 2 and 14 [t(1;2;14) (q42;q13;q24)]. Rearrangement of 1q42 has been identified in a previously reported case.
HOMER analysis for integrating wind energy into the grid in southern of Algeria

Wind is an alternative energy resource, which is clean, inexhaustible and environmentally friendly. In this paper, an investigation is made on large-scale operations of 95 MW per day wind energy system (WES) as a grid power generation consisting of wind energy. A comparison is drawn between a grid-connected wind energy system GCWES and a standard grid operation focusing on environmental and economic impacts. Emissions and the wind energy generation fraction (RF) of total energy consumption are calculated as the main environmental indicator. Costs including net present cost (NPC), cost of energy (COE) and payback period are calculated for economic evaluation. To simulate the WES, the hourly wind speed data from InSalah (27° 09′ 00″ N, 2° 27′ 38 E) of Algeria, are used as an example of a typical arid climate. HOMER is used for simulation. It is found that the optimum results of GCWES show a 19% reduction of emissions including CO2, SO2 and NOx. The RF of the optimized system is 19%. It is also found that the reduced NPC and COE are only equal to about 81% of energy consumption from standard grid and a payback is equal to 5.77 years. In addition, through a set of sensitivity analysis it is found that the wind speed has more effects on the environmental and economic performance of a GCWES.
The biostratigraphic use of larval and juvenile mollusks

The identification of fossil molluscan larvae can enhance the biostratigraphic utility of fossil mollusks. Larval and juvenile mollusks are commonly preserved in the fossil record and are often more abundant than adults per unit volume of sediment and more diverse than adults for equal numbers of individuals. Larval shell morphologies are species specific and usually possess characters sufficient for their identification. An outcrop study in the Eocene of Texas suggests that larval mollusks may be less fades controlled and have wider geographic distributions than do their adult counterparts. Molluscan larval shells are common in cuttings from the Eocene interval of an east Texas well, and they provide a more refined stratigraphic correlation than is possible with foraminifera.
Palliative Care in a Community Hospital: Educating Nurses to Embrace This New Initiative

Palliative care, often mistaken for hospice care, improves patients' quality of life via symptom management of life-limiting illnesses. A community hospital began a palliative care team. Along with Nursing Education, this team educated a group of nurses to implement treatment modalities and offered ongoing education to prepare nurses to become certified in palliative and hospice nursing.
Isotope effect in electron stimulated desorption: The role of internal degrees of freedom in CO desorption from Pt(111)

Electron stimulated desorption of CO+, O+, metastable neutral CO* and ground state neutral CO from CO/Pt(111) was studied, using isotopic substitution of CO. Four isotopic versions of CO were compared in their desorption behavior. Contrary to the prediction of theoretical models that suggest a decrease of the ESD yield with increasing mass of a given desorption product, the CO+ and CO* ESD yield were found to be larger from the (heavier) 12C18O than from the (lighter) 13C16O adsorbate. The O+ ESD yields followed the expected trend Y(16O+) > Y(18O+). No isotope effect was observed for ground state neutral CO desorption. Qualitative arguments explaining the anomalous isotope effect, and emphasizing the importance of internal dynamics, in particular the rotation of diatomic desorption products in the ESD process, are presented. Here it is shown that the velocity of departure of the carbon end of the rotating CO molecule may control neutralization or quenching effects for CO+ or CO produced by electron stimulated desorption.
Limbic system interrelations: functional division among hippocampal-septal connections

Neuronal activity was recorded simultaneously from hippocampus and medical or lateral septum during classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response. Although similarities exist between hippocampal and lateral septal patterns of activity, medial septal unit discharges indicate a different role during learning.
Automated inspection of general shapes

Abstract The demand to minimize the number of defects along with the increasing availability of computerized vision systems has made the on-line inspection of all production parts a feasible option in modern manufacturing systems. Vision systems enable noncontact, and thus, nondestructive measurements. An image of the production part is electronically obtained and stored in digital form in a computer. In most cases, the image is then processed to identify the local edges of the object. At a higher image processing level, information on local edges is used to obtain the boundaries of the object. Measurements on the computationally obtained boundary can then be performed matheatically, allowing tests to verify the shape and dimensions of the production part. It is the purpose of this paper to investigate and present methods for the determination of shapes and the use of this information for on-line quality inspection.
Opioid peptide dynorphin-(1–13): Adsorptive losses and potency estimates

Abstract Very potent peptide ligands that are also adsorbed strongly to surfaces may present special problems in bioassays and radioreceptor assays. With concentrations in the picomolar range, a major fraction of added peptide may be removed from solution. This problem is illustrated with data for synthetic dynorphin peptides. Potencies may be grossly underestimated unless free ligand concentrations at equilibrium are actually measured.
Driver fatigue: a vision-based approach to automatic diagnosis

Abstract In this paper, we describe a system that locates and tracks the eyes of a driver. The purpose of such a system is to perform detection of driver fatigue. By mounting a small camera inside the car, we can monitor the face of the driver and look for eye movements which indicate that the driver is no longer in condition to drive. In such a case, a warning signal should be issued. This paper describes how to find and track the eyes. We also describe a method that can determine if the eyes are open or closed. The primary criterion for this system is that it must be highly non-intrusive. The system must also operate regardless of the texture and the color of the face. It must also be able to handle changing conditions such as changes in light, shadows, reflections, etc. Initial experimental results are very promising even when the driver moves his/her head in a way such that the camera does not have a frontal view of the driver’s face.
A DRL schedule with temporal adjustment.

-Rats under 48-hr. water deprivation were placed on a DRL schedule that required IRTs of 30 sec. or GO sec. for the first component and longer IRTs of 120 sec., 150 sec., 180 sec., 240 sec., or 300 sec. for the second component. Ss were switched back and forth between components on the basis of their IRTs. These rwo-component DRL schedules utilizing various time requirements quickly produced rates of response as low as 20 per hour and still maintained responding over a 4-hr. session. When Ss were changed from the initial two-component DRL sch~dules to another, shifts in response rates occurred during the first session after a change and remained steady over several additional sessions.
Reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia in children: low rate at rest as a major factor related to propensity to syncope during exercise.

Abstract Reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia may have several clinical presentations, with symptoms often more severe during exercise or emotional stress. This study shows by using transesophageal atrial pacing, the factors related to syncope during exercise. Between May 1989 and June 1994, transesophageal atrial pacing was performed at rest and during exercise in 75 children aged >6 years with suspected or documented episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia could be induced both at rest and during exercise in 22 patients (8 girls, 14 boys; mean age 10.6 ± 2.7 years, range 7 to 15 years) with ventriculoatrial interval 70 msec in 11. At rest, all patients had palpitations caused by the induction of tachycardia. After conversion to sinus rhythm, when tachycardia was induced during exercise, symptoms did not change in 14 patients (group A), whereas symptoms worsened (presyncope) in eight (group B). The statistical analysis showed a significant difference of mean reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia rate at rest between the two groups (group A, 211 ± 23 beats/min; group B, 173 ± 33 beats/min; p = 0.0057) and reciprocating supraventricular tachycardia rate variation from rest to exercise (group A, 62 ± 18 beats/min; group B, 105 ± 24 beats/min; p = 0.0001). These data suggest that children with low tachycardia rate during normal activities may have syncope more frequently, independently of the tachycardia rate during exercise or emotional stress.
The human eye proteome project

The human eye proteome is the latest addition to the HUPO Human Proteome Project (HPP). Semba et al. (The Human Eye Proteome Project: Perspectives on an emerging proteome. Proteomics 2013, 13, 2500-2511) establish a provisional baseline for the proteomes of the many anatomical compartments of the eye, based on literature review. As part of the Biology and Disease-driven HPP, they and their colleagues will generate fresh data and meet the stringent guidelines for protein identification and characterization as established by the HPP.
Herpes simplex virus infection in normal and mutant human fibroblast cultures

Reproductive efficiency of herpes simplex virus type 1 has been determined in several normal and mutant human skin fibroblast lines. The mutant cell lines were derived from individuals diagnosed as having Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease thought to involve genetically determined membrane defects. Yields of infectious virus, determined by plaque assay on rabbit kidney cell monolayers, were consistently lower from dystrophic cells than from normal cells. The yield from dystrophic lines was 3–20% of the normal. The time course of production of infectious particles did not appear to vary between dystrophic and normal host cells. Also, the initiation of replication of the viral genome did not appear to be altered in the dystrophic lines. It is proposed that a late maturation function is involved in the lower virus productivity in dystrophic cells.
Circular waveguide-to-microstrip transitions

A new circular waveguide-to-microstrip transition consisting of a microstrip probe inserted in a circular waveguide has been developed. Experimental results show that the transition has an insertion loss of less than 0.05 dB, and a return loss greater than 20 dB in the frequency range 8.72 – 10.66 GHz. This design can easily be scaled to other frequencies.
Dispersing Billiards with Small Holes

We study several classes of dispersing billiards with holes, including both finite and infinite horizon Lorentz gases and tables with corner points. We allow holes in the form of arcs in the boundary and open sets in the interior of the table as well as generalized holes in which escape may depend on the angle of collision as well as the position. For a large class of initial distributions (including Lebesgue measure and the smooth invariant (SRB) measure for the billiard before the introduction of the hole), we prove the existence of a common escape rate and a limiting conditionally invariant distribution. The limiting distribution converges to the SRB measure for the billiard as the hole tends to zero. Finally, we are able to characterize the common escape rate via pressure on the survivor set.
Traditional Techniques of Esophagectomy

Several well described and accepted traditional techniques exist for the performance of an open esophagectomy. The rationale for selecting one of these techniques is determined by the location and histology of the disease being treated and surgeon and institutional preferences. Large retrospective studies and a limited number of prospective studies have comparatively evaluated the operative and long-term oncologic outcomes of transthoracic versus transhiatal surgical approaches, which indicate trends toward higher perioperative complications but improved long-term outcomes among patients treated with a transthoracic approach. Other retrospective studies investigated the extent of a thoracic lympadenectomy that is necessary at the time of an esophagectomy to optimize survival.
A unified approach to generating series for mixed cascades of analytic nonlinear input–output systems

The primary goal is to describe in a unified fashion the generating series for the cascade connection of any two analytic nonlinear input–output systems. In particular, it will be shown that a single general definition of a composition product can be formulated in terms of formal power series to describe any possible cascade connection of analytic integral operators (Fliess operators) and analytic functions provided that the composite system is well defined and resides in one of these two classes. In each case, the radius of convergence of the interconnection is computed.
Use of simulation technique in maternity care analysis

Abstract A simulation model using SLAM II has been proposed to study capacity problems in an eighteen bed maternity care unit of a 426 bed tertiary care hospital. The model indicated that the capacity of the unit could be increased by 35% to 40% by reducing the postpartum length of stay for vaginal delivery patients from 41 hours to 24 hours. The model also showed that the average occupancy of the unit should not exceed 65% in order to maintain a 95% service level.
Renal Ablation Techniques: State of the Art.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to describe the indications for and approach to image-guided percutaneous ablation of renal tumors. CONCLUSION. Image-guided ablation techniques have become accepted treatment of patients with small renal tumors, a viable alternative to partial nephrectomy.
Characterization of Physical Defects and Fault Analysis of Molecular and Nanoscaled Integrated Circuits

This paper reports a concept to design the defect-tolerant molecular integrated circuits (MICs). The results are applicable to conventional ICs which utilize solid-state devices. By enhancing photolithography and other CMOS processes, advancing materials and optimizing devices, some device and circuit performance were improved. Unfortunately, some key performance characteristics and capabilities were significantly degraded. The performance tradeoffs and effects of the equivalent cell size reduction are well known. The defects and faults at the device and circuit levels must be accommodated. It is illustrated that in general, the defects and faults can be accommodated.
Loss of phytochrome photoreversibility in vitro: I. Extraction and partial purification of killer.

Crude pea (Pisum sativum L. var. Alaska) phytochrome extracts contain a substance, “Killer,” which interacts with the far red-absorbing form of phytochrome causing a net loss of spectrophotometrically detectable phytochrome in vitro. Killer is absent from crude extracts of Avena phytochrome, is separable from pea phytochrome by gel filtration, and is alcohol-extractable from etiolated pea seedlings. Killer activity in alcohol extracts behaved, during partial purification, in a manner identical to that derived from pea phytochrome preparations. The mass extraction and partial purification of Killer are described.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Carboxypeptidases D, E, and Z in Pituitary Adenomas and Normal Human Pituitary

Carboxypeptidases may play important role(s) in prohormone processing in normal and neoplastic adenohypophyseal cells of the pituitary. We have recently demonstrated carboxypeptidase E (CPE) and carboxypeptidase Z (CPZ) in the majority of adenohypophyseal cells with carboxypeptidase D (CPD) immunoreactivity largely confined to adrenocorticotrophs. This study evaluated the expression patterns of CPE, CPD, and CPZ immunoreactivity in 48 pituitary adenomas. Our immunohistochemistry demonstrated extensive intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity for CPE, CPD, and CPZ in adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-producing adrenocorticotroph cells, prolactin-producing lactotroph cells, and growth hormone (GH)-producing somatotroph cell adenomas, all of which require carboxypeptide processing of prohormones to produce active endocrine hormones. In contrast to the restricted expression in the normal adenohypophysis, CPD appeared to be widespread in the majority of adenomas, suggesting that CPD levels are increased in adenomas...
Incidence and Significance of Cytoplasmic Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 Immunoreactivity

Abstract Context.—The immunohistochemical identification of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is regarded as the presence of a nuclear pattern of staining and is used to identify tumors of thyroid or pulmonary origin. Although there have been reports of cytoplasmic expression of TTF-1, the significance of this pattern has not been studied in detail. Objectives.—To determine the incidence at which cytoplasmic immunostaining for TTF-1 occurs and to analyze the diagnostic value of this pattern of immunoreactivity. Design.—Histologic sections of 361 consecutive cases of neoplasms stained for TTF-1 were reviewed, and those showing cytoplasmic staining in the tumor cells or in nonneoplastic cells were selected. Clinical correlation was obtained on the latter cases regarding the origin of the tumor. Setting.—An immunohistochemistry laboratory in a tertiary-care institution. Results.—The 361 tumors were obtained from 29 organ sites and corresponded to primary and metastatic neoplasms. Twenty-three (6.3%) tum...
Sustained‐Release Applications of Montmorillonite Interaction with Amphetamine Sulfate

Abstract Urinary recovery studies showed that montmorillonite significantly affects the initial therapeutic levels of amphetamine sulfate. The combination of a 1:20 drug‐montmorillonite complex with pure drug in a 1:1 ratio, based on amphetamine content, resulted in recovery profiles resembling those obtained from prolonged‐release dosage forms. The 1:20 complex, pure drug and combination formulations showed comparable bioavailability after 48 hr.
Temperature Dependency (25 C - 400 C) of a Planar Folded Slot Antenna on Alumina Substrate

The dependency of planar folded slot antenna characteristics fabricated on alumina substrates over the temperature range of 25 to 400 C are presented. The 3.575 GHz antenna is fed by a 20 mm long, 50 CPW line (S = 130 and W = 60 μm), and there is no ground plane on the back side of the substrate. An on-wafer TRL calibration was used to deembed the CPW feed line for return loss measurements and to measure the increase in the effective dielectric constant and attenuation of the CPW lines as a function of temperature. The measured antenna characteristics show that the resonant frequency varies by less than 1%, the minimum return loss increases from 11 to 16 dB, the quality factor increases from 25.5 to 44.75, and the gain decreases by 1 dBi as temperature is increased from 25 C to 400 C. Finally, the effect of the measurement test setup on the measured radiation patterns is discussed.
Prevalence of depression among older Americans: the Aging, Demographics and Memory Study.

Background: Previous studies have attempted to provide estimates of depression prevalence in older adults. The Aging, Demographics and Memory Study (ADAMS) is a population-representative study that included a depression assessment, providing an opportunity to estimate the prevalence of depression in late life in the U.S.A. Methods: The ADAMS sample was drawn from the larger Health and Retirement Study. A total of 851 of 856 ADAMS participants aged 71 and older had available depression data. Depression was measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview - Short Form (CIDI-SF) and the informant depression section of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI). We estimated the national prevalence of depression, stratified by age, race, sex, and cognitive status. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association of depression and previously reported risk factors for the condition. Results: When combining symptoms of major or minor depression with reported treatment for depression, we found an overall depression prevalence of 11.19%. Prevalence was similar for men (10.19%) and women (11.44%). Whites and Hispanics had nearly three times the prevalence of depression found in African- Americans. Dementia diagnosis and pain severity were associated with increased depression prevalence, while black race was associated with lower rates of depression. Conclusions: The finding of similar prevalence estimates for depression in men and women was not consistent with prior research that has shown a female predominance. Given the population-representativeness of our sample, similar depression rates between the sexes in ADAMS may result from racial, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.
Ben Bernanke and Bagehot 's Rules

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has claimed that the Fed's bank bailouts during the 2008 financial crisis were consistent with Walter Bagehot's rules for a lender of last resort. This paper demonstrates Bernanke's claims to be mistaken. First, we outline Bagehot's doctrine for a classical lender of last resort. Next, we discuss Bernanke's theory of bank bailouts and his statements regarding the Fed's role in the 2008 bank bailouts. Finally, we examine the bailouts and demonstrate that, in contrast with Bernanke's claims, the Fed's actions were not consistent with Bagehot's rules for a lender of last resort.
Foreign Object Damage by Spherical Steel Projectiles in an N720/Alumina Oxide/Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composite

Foreign object-damage (FOD) phenomena of an N720/alumina oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composite (CMC), impacted by 1.59-mm spherical chrome steel projectiles up to Mach 1, were assessed at ambient temperature at a normal incidence angle in both partial and full supports. The impact damage was in the form of craters, matrix/fiber tow breakage, compaction of the material, delamination and cone cracks, and their occurrence and degree depended on both impact velocity and type of target supports. The partial support resulted in significant damage with increasing impact velocity, accompanying substantial strength degradation. The presence of tensile stress and presumably stress wave interaction at the backside of a target could have been responsible for greater impact damage in partial support. Although the CMC targets impacted at 340 m/s were on the verge of being penetrated, the targets still survived catastrophic failure retaining about 68% of the as-received strength, indicative of relatively superior FOD resistance as compared to monolithic ceramic counterparts. A quasi-static analysis of impact force prediction was made based on the energy balance principle and was validated indirectly using the experimental data on frontal impact damage size.
History Of Databases

The database and database management systems have become an integral part of every kind of work, whether in managing business-related data or managing our household accounts. The purpose of this paper is to take a look back in time and track the origin of the database, its development over the years, and to take a look forward at what the future may hold for databases.
CITIZENS UNITED AND CORPORATE HUMAN CRIME

Citizens United v. Election Commission held that, like human citizens, corporations can exercise their right to free speech by spending as much money as they like trying to influence elections. This article does not attack or defend that decision, but rather explores its implications for criminal liability, corporate and otherwise. Most prominently, Citizens United reinforces the long-accepted but still highly controversial proposition that, despite their inanimate nature, corporations can be criminally prosecuted for harm they cause. Less obviously, Citizens United provides fodder for those who would soften current corporate liability and punishment rules. Less obviously still, the decision could bolster the case for expanding corporate criminal procedure rights. Finally, if the latter three developments come to pass, Citizens United might also have a significant impact on how the criminal justice system treats street criminals. After all, the courts can hardly withhold from human offenders and suspects the dispositional breaks and procedural rights they have granted non-human corporations. Right?
A Consideration of the Properties of Poisonous Fungi

(1914). A Consideration of the Properties of Poisonous Fungi. Mycologia: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 167-191.
In Memoriam: Richard K. Kleppinger, M.D. 1924-1996

Eulogy given at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania on March 13, 1996
Workshop on Interactive Systems in Healthcare (WISH)

The Workshop on Interactive Systems in Healthcare (WISH) brings together industry and academic researchers in human-computer interaction, biomedical informatics, and other disciplines to develop a cross-disciplinary research agenda that will drive future innovations. In addition, the workshop facilitates a common, safe space to share and discuss methods, study designs, and dissemination within each community. Finally, the workshop has actively provided mentoring opportunities to junior and new health informatics researchers -- from undergraduates to mid-career researchers who want to change their focus. This will be the fifth WISH in the series of successful workshops that has brought together different research communities around challenges of designing, implementing, and evaluating interactive health technologies.
Comparing Experts and Novices on Scaffolded Data Visualizations using Eye-tracking

Spatially-based scientific data visualizations are becoming widely available, yet they are often not optimized for novice audiences. This study follows after an investigation of ex-pert and novice meaning-making from scaffolded data visualizations using clinical inter-views. Using eye-tracking and concurrent interviewing, we examined quantitative fixation and AOI data and qualitative scan path data for two expertise groups (N = 20) on five versions of scaffolded global ocean data visualizations. We found influences of expertise, scaffolding, and trial. In accordance with our clinical interview findings, experts use dif-ferent meaning-making strategies from novices, but novice performance improves with scaffolding and guided practice, providing triangulation. Eye-tracking data also provide insight on meaning-making and effectiveness of scaffolding that clinical interviews alone did not.
Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy

AbstractWe herein present a modification of the Campbell technique for radical retropubic prostatectomy used in 75 consecutive patients undergoing surgical extirpation of the malignant gland. This technique provides for predictable and careful anatomic removal of the prostate. The postoperative complications have been minimal and urinary incontinence has been negligible.
Mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic Acid (mtDNA) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Detection

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will be performed to evaluate the production of the correct amplicons for a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 16519 (T/C) variant. Three primers will be used to probe the 16519 (T/C) variant and produce a 145- or 156- base pair amplicon for the T and C variants, respectively. In this laboratory experiment, real-time PCR will be conducted using standard DNA including K562, 9947A, and others, single locus mtDNA primers for locus 16519, and Bio-Rad’s iQ SYBR Green Supermix employing SYBR Green I. The reaction mix will be pipetted to a 96-well plate and amplifed using a Bio-Rad iQ5 or similar instrument. Evaluation of the melting temperature using a melt curve and first derivative plot will be used to qualitatively determine the production of the correct amplicon as the 3’ end of one primer used to probe the SNP site is attached to a GC-handle to provide melting temperature separation. The C variant produced will have the higher melting temperature due to the GC-rich handle. At the completion of the PCR experiment, the plate may be frozen until the next laboratory session in which 2% agarose gels of the PCR products can be run to confirm the length of the amplicon with an appropriate low molecular weight DNA ladder. The presence of the C or T variant will be reported for unknown samples.
Fibroblasts Slow Conduction Velocity in a Reconstituted Tissue Model of Fibrotic Cardiomyopathy.

Myocardial function deteriorates over the course of fibrotic cardiomyopathy, because of electrophysiological and mechanical effects of myofibroblasts that are not completely understood. Although a range of experimental model systems and associated theoretical treatments exist at the levels of isolated cardiomyocytes and planar cocultures of myofibroblasts and cardiomyocytes, interactions between these cell types at the tissue level are less clear. We studied these interactions through an engineered heart tissue (EHT) model of fibrotic myocardium and a mathematical model of the effects of cellular composition on EHT impulse conduction velocity. The EHT model allowed for modulation of cardiomyocyte and myofibroblast volume fractions, and observation of cell behavior in a three-dimensional environment that is more similar to native heart tissue than is planar cell culture. The cardiomyocyte and myofibroblast volume fractions determined the retardation of impulse conduction (spread of the action potential) in...
Simple and robust three-phase Phase-Locked Loop algorithm under grid voltage uncertainties

This work presents a robust method of implementing a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL). The stability of traditional PLLs currently in use is majorly dependent on the balanced conditions of the grid voltage, which is not always the case. The stability of the strategy being proposed, however, is independent of the symmetry of the grid voltage. When the grid voltage is in phase with the PLL output voltage, the time value of their zero-crossing is the same; conversely, when they fall out phase, the time value of their zero-crossing differs. Phase detection is done using a counter that feeds a PI controller with an error value proportional to this difference in time of zero-crossing; the controller drives the error to zero in time, locking both signals. This implementation is benchmarked against two conventional strategies, and its superior performance under practical grid voltage distortions is confirmed by simulation results.
Electronic cigarette vapor alters the lateral structure but not tensiometric properties of calf lung surfactant.

Despite their growing popularity, the potential respiratory toxicity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) remains largely unknown. One potential aspect of e-cigarette toxicity is the effect of e-cigarette vapor on lung surfactant function. Lung surfactant is a mixture of lipids and proteins that lines the alveolar region. The surfactant layer reduces the surface tension of the alveolar fluid, thereby playing a crucial role in lung stability. Due to their small size, particulates in e-cigarette vapor can penetrate the deep lungs and come into contact with the lung surfactant. The current study sought to examine the potential adverse effects of e-cigarette vapor and conventional cigarette smoke on lung surfactant interfacial properties. Infasurf®, a clinically used and commercially available calf lung surfactant extract, was used as lung surfactant model. Infasurf® films were spread on top of an aqueous subphase in a Langmuir trough with smoke particulates from conventional cigarettes or vapor from different flavors of e-cigarettes dispersed in the subphase. Surfactant interfacial properties were measured in real-time upon surface compression while surfactant lateral structure after exposure to smoke or vapor was examined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). E-cigarette vapor regardless of the dose and flavoring of the e-liquid did not affect surfactant interfacial properties. In contrast, smoke from conventional cigarettes had a drastic, dose-dependent effect on Infasurf® interfacial properties reducing the maximum surface pressure from 65.1 ± 0.2 mN/m to 46.1 ± 1.3 mN/m at the highest dose. Cigarette smoke and e-cigarette vapor both altered surfactant microstructure resulting in an increase in the area of lipid multilayers. Studies with individual smoke components revealed that tar was the smoke component most disruptive to surfactant function. While both e-cigarette vapor and conventional cigarette smoke affect surfactant lateral structure, only cigarette smoke disrupts surfactant interfacial properties. The surfactant inhibitory compound in conventional cigarettes is tar, which is a product of burning and is thus absent in e-cigarette vapor.
Time Dilation and Contraction for Programmable Analog Devices with Jaunt

Programmable analog devices are a powerful new computing substrate that are especially appropriate for performing computationally intensive simulations of neuromorphic and cytomorphic models. Current state of the art techniques for configuring analog devices to simulate dynamical systems do not consider the current and voltage operating ranges of analog device components or the sampling limitations of the digital interface of the device. We present Jaunt, a new solver that scales the values that configure the analog device to ensure the resulting analog computation executes within the operating constraints of the device, preserves the recoverable dynamics of the original simulation, and executes slowly enough to observe these dynamics at the sampled digital outputs. Our results show that, on a set of benchmark biological simulations, 1) unscaled configurations produce incorrect simulations because they violate the operating ranges of the device and 2) Jaunt delivers scaled configurations that respect the operating ranges to produce correct simulations with observable dynamics.
Making Polycarbonate Mounting Clips

Polycarbonate mounting clips are a quick and simple alternative to Japanese paper hinges, magnets or polythene/polyester straps for the temporary securing of flat items to mount board for display. ...
Scaffolds and Biologic Additives for ACL Surgery

Most ligaments in our bodies have excellent healing capabilities, but the ACL is an exception. If the poor healing capability of ACL is due to its local environment, appropriate modifications to the local environment may allow ACL to heal better. Various tissue engineering approaches have been studied to help treat ACL injuries. Autografts and allografts have been the most successful; they are the current gold standard of treatment. Synthetic materials have been used in the past with unsatisfactory outcomes, but recent advances in the understanding of biology and biomechanics may lead to an effective graft in the future. The use of biomaterials and xenografts is also under investigation. Cell seeding is also an attractive approach because active cells that participate in healing can be delivered to the surgical site. Various studies have helped us uncover the role of growth factors in ligament healing; platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is one way to deliver growth factors, and the combination of PRP with collagen scaffolds has yielded exciting results in animal studies.
A 3mm wavelength imaging array for astronomical spectroscopy

A heterodyne imaging array to cover the 90–115 GHz frequency range is under construction at FCRAO. The mixers will use Schottky diodes operated at 20 K with integrated HEMT IF amplifiers. Response at the image frequency will be suppressed by a cooled quasi-optical filter which terminates the unwanted sideband in a 20 K load. Polarization interleaving will be used to minimize the array size on the sky. The 15 elements will form a 3×5 array with approximately 1 by 2 FWHM beamwidth spacing between pixels.
Specific interaction of 3H-FSH with rat testis binding sites.

Administration of FSH to immature rats results in a rapid stimulation of testicular RNA and protein synthesis (1–5). Although enhancement of nuclear RNA synthesis clearly precedes the effects on protein synthesis, little information is available on the sequence of events which occur in FSH target cells prior to stimulation of the transcription process. The bulk of available evidence suggests that entry into the target cell is not prerequisite for many of the actions of peptide hormones (6–9). Rather the surface of target cells have been shown to possess binding sites specific for the effective hormone (10–13). In many instances it has been possible to correlate the cellular attachment of peptide hormones with an activation of membrane-bound adenylate cyclase (10–12, 14–16). The resulting cAMP then serves as an intracellular mediator of hormone action.
Anger Predictors of the Assaultiveness of Forensic Hospital Patients

Publisher Summary Anger is a significant activator of violent behavior; however, it is also often a product of troubled life histories and a part of a dysfunctional style of dealing with life's challenges. Since anger is a feature of a wide range of clinical disorders, it is an important subject for mental health professionals, especially those who work in forensic institutions. Assaultive behavior is unfortunately prevalent among patients hospitalized in psychiatric institutions, and their assaultiveness presents a serious risk to clinical staff entrusted with patient care. The degree to which anger constitutes a risk factor for violent behavior hinges on its hypothesized role as a mediator of the relationship between aversive events and harm-doing behavior. The study described in this chapter is largely a correlational analysis, but its prospective design permits inferences beyond those for associations obtained with concurrent measurement only. The results of the investigation demonstrate that anger is significantly associated with subsequent aggressive behavior observed between 1 and 2.5 years after the anger measures are obtained. It is also found that anger disposition is significantly related to whether or not the patient is discharged from the hospital.
Impact of Feeding on Resting Metabolic Rate and Gas Exchange in Critically Ill Patients.

Background Feeding is understood to alter gas exchange and resting metabolic rate (RMR) in critically ill patients, but there are limited data describing such changes. Methods A large collection of RMR measurements and energy intake was assembled in mechanically ventilated and critically ill patients. The data were used to explore differences in RMR, respiratory quotient (RQ), and carbon dioxide production (Vco2 ) related to feeding state. Results A total of 708 RMR measurements were available. No significant thermogenic effect of feeding could be appreciated. When controlled for body weight, the difference was 4.2% (1946 ± 400 kcal/d for unfed vs 2028 ± 341 kcal/d for fed patients; P = .299), and this small difference was fully eliminated when body temperature was also controlled for. RQ increased as carbohydrate and energy intake increased, but there was much variation in the relationship. Among 215 overfed patients, only 22 had RQ ≥1.0, and among 9 patients whose carbohydrate intake alone exceeded RMR, only 4 had an RQ ≥1.0. Vco2 was influenced mainly by the volume of oxygen consumed and to a lesser degree by carbohydrate intake. Conclusions No appreciable thermogenic effect of feeding occurs in continuously fed critically ill patients. This factor does not need to be considered in the assessment of resting energy needs. RQ is not a reliable indicator of overfeeding, and the ability of carbohydrate intake to alter Vco2 is small, although not absent.
Low-Observable Reflectors Using Perfect Pulses

This paper presents a new technique for suppressing specular reflection using binary reflective surfaces (such as those easily fabricated on a printed circuit board)that maximally suppress mean currents on the reflector using the theory of perfect pulses. We simulate multiple versions (or orders)of these structures to characterize the nulling depth and manufacturing tolerance of the designs. In addition, we run another set of simulations to characterize the specular reflection as a function of the direction of incidence. The simulation reveals that the specular reflection from the proposed structures is at least 9.3 dB less than that from a flat metal plate of the same dimensions.
NEWLY DIAGNOSED AORTIC STENOSIS IN A WOMAN IN LABOR: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Aortic stenosis (AS) in pregnancy has high risk of maternal complications. Management during labor and delivery requires consideration of many factors including delivery method, anesthesia approach, hemodynamics, and vascular fluid shifts. A 30 year old immigrant, primagravid woman with AS
The Potential Hazard of Staphylococci and Micrococci to Human Subjects in a Life Support Systems Evaluator with Elevated Cabin Temperature

Distribution of indigenous staphylococci, and micrococci in human subjects during life support simulation at elevated cabin temperature
Battered Woman Syndrome Questionnaire (BWSQ) Subscales: Development, Reliability, and Validity

ABSTRACTThe current study describes the development and evaluation of the reliability and validity of four components of a comprehensive assessment designed for the purpose of identifying women who...
Alaska Native Traditional Food and Harvesting Activity Patterns over 10 Years of Follow-Up.

Background Alaska Native (AN) traditional foods and associated harvesting activities are beneficial to human health. Objective This study assessed longitudinal self-reported traditional food use and harvesting activities among Alaska Native and American Indian (AN/AI) participants in the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) study. Methods In 2004-2006, southcentral Alaska EARTH study participants (n = 1320) completed diet and activity questionnaires which were repeated in 2015-2017; results were compared between participants who completed both questionnaires (n = 388). Results In the follow-up questionnaire, >93% of participants reported eating ≥1 traditional food in the past year. The top 3 traditional foods were fish (75%), moose (42%), and shellfish (41%). Women were more likely than men to consume traditional foods, especially fish, gathered berries, shellfish, and seal oil (P < 0.05). Participants aged ≥60 y in the original cohort were significantly more likely to consume fish and shellfish at follow-up, whereas those aged 40-59 y were the most likely of the 3 age groups to consume seal oil (P < 0.05). Between the original cohort and follow-up, there was a significant decline in the mean number of traditional foods eaten from 6.3 to 5.5, as well as reduced consumption of multiple traditional foods (P < 0.001). Over 59% of participants reported ≥1 traditional harvesting activity in the past year; this proportion did not significantly change between baseline and follow-up. Picking berries/greens (44%), cutting/smoking fish or meat (33%), and fishing (30%) were the most common activities. Participation in traditional harvesting activities was greater among women than men (P < 0.05), but did not differ by age. Conclusions Longitudinal follow-up demonstrated that AN/AI people maintained participation in traditional harvesting activities, but the variety of traditional foods declined significantly among both men and women. Promotion of traditional foods and harvesting activities that serve as protective factors against chronic diseases may benefit this population.
Quartz, mica, and amphibole exsolution from majoritic garnet reveals ultra-deep sediment subduction, Appalachian orogen

Diamond and coesite are classic indicators of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP; ≥100-kilometer depth) metamorphism, but they readily recrystallize during exhumation. Crystallographically oriented pyroxene and amphibole exsolution lamellae in garnet document decomposed supersilicic UHP majoritic garnet originally stable at diamond-grade conditions, but majoritic precursors have only been quantitatively demonstrated in mafic and ultramafic rocks. Moreover, controversy persists regarding which silicates majoritic garnet breakdown produces. We present a method for reconstructing precursor majoritic garnet chemistry in metasedimentary Appalachian gneisses containing garnets preserving concentric zones of crystallographically oriented lamellae including quartz, amphibole, and sodium phlogopite. We link this to novel quartz-garnet crystallographic orientation data. The results reveal majoritic precursors stable at ≥175-kilometer depth and that quartz and mica may exsolve from garnet. Large UHP terranes in the European Caledonides formed during collision of the paleocontinents Baltica and Laurentia; we demonstrate UHP metamorphism from the microcontinent-continent convergence characterizing the contiguous and coeval Appalachian orogen.
9 – Differential Resultants

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the differential resultants applicable to two polynomial ordinary differential equations. It yields one ordinary differential equation in one independent variable. Given two polynomial equations in, (say, x and y) the classical method of resultants states, the equations can always be written as the system of linear equations Aw = 0, where A = A(y) and w = w(x) ≠ 0. Because this system must have det A = 0, a polynomial equation only in y may be determined. The technique for polynomial differential equations is very similar. Resultants have classically been used to eliminate one variable between two polynomial equations. Differential resultants are the analogue of resultants applied to differential systems. The chapter highlights that there are two steps analogous to multiplying the original equations by powers of x. They are: (1) differentiating one of the equations, and (2) multiplying one of the equations by some term which may involve the independent and/or the dependent variables.