cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Near Future Energy Self-sufficient Wastewater Treatment Schemes

Achieving energy self-sufficiency is critical for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to comply with rapidly changing environmental regulatory standards in a sustainable manner. Currently, a small percentage of WWTPs around the world produce energy for beneficial use and only a handful of these plants are energy self-sufficient. We propose three energy-positive wastewater treatment schemes and use quantitative analysis to assess their potentials for carbon and nitrogen removal and energy generation from municipal wastewater. This research identifies potential challenges in the selection and implementation of energy recovery process configurations and proposes practically feasible energy-positive wastewater treatment process configurations. Energy self-sufficiency can be achieved through biogas production while simultaneously minimizing the energy consumption for treatment. Furthermore, energy recovery can be enhanced in the near future (i) by increasing the COD capture in primary treatment to enhance energy production; (ii) by replacing activated sludge process with other less energy-intensive biological treatment technologies; and (iii) by increasing energy production from digesting supplementary feedstock in anaerobic codigestion (AD) schemes. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of three process schemes that progressively build upon the concept of transforming the conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (CAS-WWTP) into energy self-sufficient wastewater treatment facilities. These schemes also include a hypothetical but practically feasible WWTP configuration, which represents an alternative energy self-sufficient wastewater process scheme for future designs.
A new constitutive model for dragline silk

Abstract A new micromechanically motivated theory is proposed to model dragline silk. A thorough review of the micro-structure of dragline silk is presented. Based on the review, a continuum framework is utilized to develop constitutive equation of dragline silk. Dragline silk is composed of a dominant soft amorphous phase ( α -phase) and a reinforcing hard crystal phase, which is classified as rigid β -sheets and extremely soft β -spirals. These two different β -fillers have completely different effects on the mechanical behaviors of dragline silk. The former results in the Mullins effect while the latter produces plastic deformation. Both these effects result in energy dissipation. In addition to these effects, the damping effect due to finite viscoelasticity is accounted for by using a double network model. Moreover, the highly oriented chains in the amorphous phase are modeled as an anisotropic network model. It is found that the proposed model accurately captures the complex mechanical behavior of dragline silk subjected to cyclic loading with merely 7 “physically-based” material constants.
Substantial decline in heavily treated therapy-experienced persons with HIV with limited antiretroviral treatment options.

Objective Historically, a high burden of resistance to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in heavily treatment-experienced (HTE) persons with HIV (PWH) resulted in limited treatment options (LTOs). We evaluated the prevalence, risk factors, and virologic control of HTE PWH with LTO throughout the modern ART era. Design We examined all ART-experienced PWH in care between 2000 and 2017 in the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems cohort. Methods We computed the annual prevalence of HTE PWH with LTO defined as having two or less available classes with two or less active drugs per class based on genotypic data and cumulative antiretroviral resistance. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to examine risk of LTO by 3-year study entry periods adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Among 27 133 ART-experienced PWH, 916 were classified as having LTO. The prevalence of PWH with LTO was 5.2-7.5% in 2000-2006, decreased to 1.8% in 2007, and remained less than 1% after 2012. Persons entering the study in 2009-2011 had an 80% lower risk of LTO compared with those entering in 2006-2008 (adjusted hazard ratio 0.20; 95% confidence interval: 0.09-0.42). We found a significant increase in undetectable HIV viral loads among PWH ever classified as having LTO from less than 30% in 2001 to more than 80% in 2011, comparable with persons who never had LTO. Conclusion Results of this large multicenter study show a dramatic decline in the prevalence of PWH with LTO to less than 1% with the availability of more potent drugs and a marked increase in virologic suppression in the current ART era.
Renal Denervation and Celiac Ganglionectomy Decrease Mean Arterial Pressure Similarly in Genetically Hypertensive Schlager (BPH/2J) Mice

Renal denervation (RDNX) lowers mean arterial pressure (MAP) in patients with resistant hypertension. Less well studied is the effect of celiac ganglionectomy (CGX), a procedure which involves the ...
In vivo CRISPR Screens Identify E3 Ligase Cop1 as a Modulator of Macrophage Infiltration and Cancer Immunotherapy Target

Despite remarkable clinical efficacies of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in cancer treatment, ICB benefits in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain limited. Through pooled in vivo CRISPR knockout (KO) screens in syngeneic TNBC mouse models, we found that inhibition of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Cop1 in cancer cells decreases the secretion of macrophage-associated chemokines, reduces tumor macrophage infiltration, and shows synergy in anti-tumor immunity with ICB. Transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics analyses revealed Cop1 functions through proteasomal degradation of the C/ebpδ protein. Cop1 substrate Trib2 functions as a scaffold linking Cop1 and C/ebpδ, which leads to polyubiquitination of C/ebpδ. Cop1 inhibition stabilizes C/ebpδ to suppress the expression of macrophage chemoattractant genes. Our integrated approach implicates Cop1 as a target for improving cancer immunotherapy efficacy by regulating chemokine secretion and macrophage levels in the TNBC tumor microenvironment.
Summary and Future Directions

In this thesis we investigated static decentralized resource allocation problems with strategic users. Unicast service provisioning and multi-rate multicast service provisioning problems arise in wired communication networks; power allocation and spectrum sharing arise in wireless communication networks. The models associated with unicast service provisioning, power allocation and spectrum sharing, and multi-rate multicast service provisioning capture generic issues that arise in market problems, public goods problems, and problems that are a combination of markets and public goods, respectively.
Quality Jobs as Well as Jabs: Protecting Health by Tackling Precarious Work

Policy implications: • Tackling precarious work is essential for a fair Covid‑19 recovery and healthier future of work. • The Covid‑19 crisis is worsening existing inequalities in the world of work. The European Commission should embed the principle of equity into the country-specific recommendations of the European Semester, with a view to allocating resources in a manner that recognises and remedies these fundamental inequalities. • Policy interventions should focus on preventing the negative health impacts of poor working conditions, which are particularly apparent in precarious work. • The Member States should use EU funds to tackle all aspects of precarious work, with a focus on supporting women, youth, lowskilled workers, and migrant workers. • The pandemic has highlighted the need for reinforced and updated occupational safety and health legislation, both at the EU and the Member State levels."
Cell Based Drug Delivery: Micrococcus luteus Loaded Neutrophils as Chlorhexidine Delivery Vehicles in a Mouse Model of Liver Abscesses in Cattle

The recent WHO report on antibiotic resistances shows a dramatic increase of microbial resistance against antibiotics. With only a few new antibiotics in the pipeline, a different drug delivery approach is urgently needed. We have obtained evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of a cell based drug delivery system that utilizes the innate immune system as targeting carrier for antibacterial drugs. In this study we show the efficient loading of neutrophil granulocytes with chlorhexidine and the complete killing of E. coli as well as Fusobacterium necrophorum in in-vitro studies. Fusobacterium necrophorum causes hepatic abscesses in cattle fed high grain diets. We also show in a mouse model that this delivery system targets infections of F. necrophorum in the liver and reduces the bacterial burden by an order of magnitude from approximately 2•106 to 1•105.
The accuracy of experienced strabismologists using the Hirschberg and Krimsky tests.

Abstract Objective The purpose of the study was to assess the accuracy of a group of strabismologists applying the Hirschberg and Krimsky tests. Design A clinical trial. Participants Sixteen very experienced strabismologists participated in this study. Intervention The participants were asked to evaluate slides of four different patients using the Hirschberg method and to evaluate two of the four patients with the Krimsky method. The slides included a patient with 25Δ left esotropia, a patient with 25Δ right exotropia, a patient with 80Δ esotropia with a positive angle kappa, and a patient with 75Δ infantile esotropia. Alternate prism and cover testing was performed immediately after the photograph was taken and considered to be the actual deviation of the patient. Main outcome measure Measured was the accuracy in assessing the angle of strabismus. Results With the Hirschberg method, each participant underestimated at least one patient by at least 10Δ. In addition, the participants tended to underestimate both large and small angle esotropic and exotropic patients with greater errors of estimation occurring with larger angles of strabismus. With the Krimsky method, a majority of participants overestimated at least one patient by 10Δ and showed difficulty in appreciating differences of 5Δ. In addition, the authors noted inconsistent responses by each participant. Conclusion The Hirschberg and Krimsky methods are substantially less accurate than the alternate prism and cover test.
Introduction to the theory of operators in Banach spaces

This chapter is again preliminary; we present an outline of those parts of operator theory in Banach spaces which are needed in the perturbation theory developed in later chapters. The material is quite elementary, but the presentation is fairly complete, reference being made occasionally to the first chapter, so that this chapter can be read without previous knowledge of Banach space theory. It is also intended to be useful as an introduction to operator theory. To keep the chapter within reasonable length, however, some basic theorems (for example, the Baire category theorem and the Hahn-Banach extension theorem) are stated without proof1.
Cloning and characterization of Bacillus subtilis homologs of Escherichia coli cell division genes ftsZ and ftsA.

The Bacillus subtilis homolog of the Escherichia coli ftsZ gene was isolated by screening a B. subtilis genomic library with anti-E. coli FtsZ antiserum. DNA sequence analysis of a 4-kilobase region revealed three open reading frames. One of these coded for a protein that was about 50% homologous to the E. coli FtsZ protein. The open reading frame just upstream of ftsZ coded for a protein that was 34% homologous to the E. coli FtsA protein. The open reading frames flanking these two B. subtilis genes showed no relationship to those found in E. coli. Expression of the B. subtilis ftsZ and ftsA genes in E. coli was lethal, since neither of these genes could be cloned on plasmid vectors unless promoter sequences were first removed. Cloning the B. subtilis ftsZ gene under the control of the lac promoter resulted in an IPTGs phenotype that could be suppressed by overproduction of E. coli FtsZ. These genes mapped at 135 degrees on the B. subtilis genetic map near previously identified cell division mutations. Images
The Quantum Hall Effect: Novel Excitations And Broken Symmetries

The Quantum Hall Effect (QHE) is one of the most remarkable condensed-matter phenomena discovered in the second half of the 20th century. It rivals superconductivity in its fundamental significance as a manifestation of quantum mechanics on macroscopic scales. The basic experimental observation is the nearly vanishing dissipation σ xx → 0 (1.1) and the quantization of the Hall conductance $$\sigma _{xy} = \nu \frac{{e^2 }}{h}$$ (1.2) of a real (as opposed to some theorist’s fantasy) transistor-like device (similar in some cases to the transistors in computer chips) containing a two-dimensional electron gas subjected to a strong magnetic field. This quantization is universal and independent of all microscopic details such as the type of semiconductor material, the purity of the sample, the precise value of the magneticfield, and so forth. As a result, the effect is now used to mantain the standard of electrical resistance by metrology laboratories around the world. In addition, since the speed of light is now defined, a measurement of e 2/h equivalent to a measurement of the fine structure constant of fundamental importance in quantum electrodynamics.
Stable Association between Gαq and Phospholipase Cβ1 in Living Cells

Signal transduction through G alpha(q) involves stimulation of phospholipase C beta (PLC beta) that results in increased intracellular Ca2+ and activation of protein kinase C. We have measured complex formation between G alpha(q) and PLC beta1 in vitro and in living PC12 and HEK293 cells by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. In vitro measurements show that PLC beta1 will bind to G alpha(q)(guanosine 5'-3-O-(thio)triphosphate) and also to G alpha(q)(GDP), and the latter association has a different protein-protein orientation. In cells, image analysis of fluorescent-tagged proteins shows that G alpha(q) is localized almost entirely to the plasma membrane, whereas PLC beta1 has a significant cytosolic population. By using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we found that these proteins are pre-associated in the unstimulated state in PC12 and HEK293 cells. By determining the cellular levels of the two proteins in transfected versus nontransfected cells, we found that under our conditions overexpression should not significantly promote complex formation. G alpha(q)-PLC beta1 complexes are observed in both single cell measurements and measurements of a large (i.e. 10(6)) cell suspension. The high level (approximately 40% maximum) of FRET is surprising considering that G alpha(q) is more highly expressed than PLC beta1 and that not all PLC beta1 is plasma membrane-localized. Our measurements suggest a model in which G proteins and effectors can exist in stable complexes prior to activation and that activation is achieved through changes in intermolecular interactions rather than diffusion and association. These pre-formed complexes in turn give rise to rapid, localized signals.
Nondeterminism and Probabilistic Choice: Obeying the Laws

In this paper we describe how to build semantic models that support both nondeterministic choice and probabilistic choice. Several models exist that support both of these constructs, but none that we know of satisfies all the laws one would like. Using domain-theoretic techniques, we show how models can be devised using the "standard model" for probabilistic choice, and then applying modified domain-theoretic models for nondeterministic choice. These models are distinguished by the fact that the expected laws for nondeterministic choice and probabilistic choice remain valid. We also describe a potential application of our model to aspects of security.
Faith, Moral Authority, and Politics: The Making of Progressive Islam in Indonesia

Several Islamic organizations in the world have recently experience changes into more progressive theological orientation. What are the factors that explain these theological changes? This article attempts to answer these questions through a comparative historical analysis of two Indonesian Islamic groups: the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Muhammadiyah. It concludes that the NU was able to successfully change its theological positions due to the presence of a charismatic moral authority leader, and the tolerant institutional culture within the organization. However, theological reform within the Muhammadiyah was not successful due to the lack of a leader with moral authority status, as well as to the dominance of a revivalist institutional culture within the organization. The analysis makes theoretical contributions on the role of religious leadership within Islamic movements and the likelihood of Islamic groups to adopt liberal political norms such as democracy, religion-state separation, and tolerance toward religious minorities.
Coordinating teams in uncertain environments: a hybrid BDI-POMDP approach

Distributed partially observable Markov decision problems (POMDPs) have emerged as a popular decision-theoretic approach for planning for multiagent teams, where it is imperative for the agents to be able to reason about the rewards (and costs) for their actions in the presence of uncertainty. However, finding the optimal distributed POMDP policy is computationally intractable (NEXP-Complete). This paper is focussed on a principled way to combine the two dominant paradigms for building multiagent team plans, namely the “belief-desire-intention” (BDI) approach and distributed POMDPs. In this hybrid BDI-POMDP approach, BDI team plans are exploited to improve distributed POMDP tractability and distributed POMDP-based analysis improves BDI team plan performance. Concretely, we focus on role allocation, a fundamental problem in BDI teams – which agents to allocate to the different roles in the team. The hybrid BDI-POMDP approach provides three key contributions. First, unlike prior work in multiagent role allocation, we describe a role allocation technique that takes into account future uncertainties in the domain. The second contribution is a novel decomposition technique, which exploits the structure in the BDI team plans to significantly prune the search space of combinatorially many role allocations. Our third key contribution is a significantly faster policy evaluation algorithm suited for our BDI-POMDP hybrid approach. Finally, we also present experimental results from two domains: mission rehearsal simulation and RoboCupRescue disaster rescue simulation. In the RoboCupRescue domain, we show that the role allocation technique presented in this paper is capable of performing at human expert levels by comparing with the allocations chosen by humans in the actual RoboCupRescue simulation environment.
Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn about Sex from Animals.

Marlene Zuk examines the controversies that develop when nature is interpreted through different disciplinary, cultural, and political lenses in Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn about...
Planning Component Delivery Intervals in Constrained Assembly Systems

Lot sizes for externally purchased components used in assemblies are often determined so that total inventory carrying costs and fixed ordering costs are approximately minimized. By focusing primarily on this criterion, a number of constraints relating to receiving dock capacity and storage area capacities are usually ignored. The goals of this paper are to develop a model and an algorithm that can be used to establish the time between external procurements and between movement of stock from stage to stage for each component in a multi-stage assembly system recognizing the presence of these capacity constraints.
Trajectories of functional health: The ‘long arm’ of childhood health and socioeconomic factors ☆

Few studies have specifically examined trajectories of functional health status or estimated the extent to which they are influenced by childhood health and socioeconomic conditions. This study examines how circumstances associated with early life may shape the level and progression of functional limitations among adults at or near retirement. Employing data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS), it estimates latent growth curve models (LGM) of functional limitation. The results demonstrate that functional health trajectories in old age continue to be shaped by childhood health and socioeconomic circumstances. Poor childhood health and disadvantaged social origins are associated with both more functional limitations at baseline and higher rates of increase over time. This association is net of baseline adult chronic disease and socioeconomic status. While both childhood and adult factors influence the baseline level of functional limitation, only childhood health and socioeconomic status are associated with the rate of change in limitations over time.
Isolation and evaluation of target cells in glaucoma research: Hormone receptors and drug responses

To investigate the actions of drugs and hormones which influence intraocular pressure (IOP), we have been measuring receptor binding characteristics and dose-response effects using individual target cells from the anterior segment. Similar methods have also permitted us to develop sensitive radio-receptor assays for glucocorticoids and beta adrenergic antagonists. These methods provide a means to obtain new and potentially useful information regarding the efficacy and specificity of ocular drug therapy.
Prevalence and risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing in 8- to 11-year-old children: association with race and prematurity.

Objectives To evaluate the extent to which sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) varies with putative demographic and medical risk factors and to estimate the prevalence of undiagnosed SDB. Study design Prospective, cross-sectional study in a population-based cohort of 850 children (41% black, 46% preterm), 8 to 11 years of age. Participants' caretakers completed questionnaires about health and sleep. Children underwent overnight in-home cardiorespiratory recordings of airflow, respiratory effort, oximetry, and electrocardiography. SDB was identified by respiratory disturbance indices commonly applied in clinical practice. Risk factors were estimated by logistic regression. Prevalence was derived from cohort-specific estimates with birth weights from US live births data. Results Using the most inclusive definition, SDB was detected in 40 (4.7%) participants, with prevalence varying widely across population subsets. Depending on the definition used, SDB was 4 to 6 times more likely in black children compared with white children and almost 3 to 5 times more likely in former preterm compared with term children. The estimated population prevalence of SDB was 2.2% (95% CI, 1.2%, 3.2%). Conclusions SDB is a relatively common condition in 8- to 11-year-old children. Potentially vulnerable subgroups, black children, and former preterm infants, are at increased risk.
Mechanism of modification of rat brain lysophospholipase A activity by cationic amphiphilic drugs

The three psychotropic cationic amphiphilic drugs, chlorpromazine, desmethylimipramine and propranolol were found to have biphasic effects on rat brain lysophospholipase A, stimulating the enzyme at low, and inhibiting it non-competitively at higher concentrations. Low concentrations (less than or equal to 50 microM) of the drugs prevented the formation of micelles of lysophosphatidylcholine, whereas high concentrations caused a phase transition of the substrate with formation of a highly ordered membranous lattice. A possible mechanism of stimulation and inhibition of the enzyme activity by cationic amphiphilic drugs is proposed. Stimulation is explained by a decrease in the concentration of substrate micelles, which are inhibitory for the activity, whereas inhibition may be caused by adsorption of the enzyme onto the membranous lattice formed by the substrate in the presence of high cationic amphiphilic drug concentrations.
A solid-phase assay for circulating immune complexes using monoclonal rheumatoid factors and peroxidase-linked protein A

Abstract A solid-phase monoclonal rheumatoid factor (mRF) assay for circulating immune complexes (IC) is described. Microtiter plates are coated with mRF, serum diluted 1 : 4 is added, and complexed IgG is detected with protein A coupled to peroxidase. Selective binding was obtained with aggregated human gamma-globulin and soluble IC prepared in vitro. Sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation studies indicate that mRF binds intermediate-size IC (between 7S and 19S). Abnormal levels of IC were found in 78% of sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 67% with systemic lupus erythematosus, and 87% with subacute bacterial endocarditis.
Ternary phase diagram calculations—I General theory

Abstract In calculating phase diagrams of ternary alloys, the conventional method uses the Bragg-Williams approximation and solves simultaneous equations by the Newton-Raphson iteration method. A completely new iteration technique called the Natural Iteration (NI) method is explained in this paper for the pair approximation of the cluster-variation method. The advantages of the NI technique are that it converges whatever the choice of the initial state may be and that the free energy always decreases monotonically as the iteration progresses. It is then shown that a modified NI method works for the B-W approximation. In the NI technique, the chemical potentials play the key role; the chemical potential diagram for ternary alloys is introduced and its general properties are discussed.
Role of organic cation transporters in the renal handling of therapeutic agents and xenobiotics

Organic cations (OCs) constitute a diverse array of compounds of physiological, pharmacological, and toxicological importance. Renal secretion of these compounds, which occurs principally along the proximal portion of the nephron, plays a critical role in regulating the concentration of OCs in the plasma and in clearing the body of potentially toxic xenobiotic OCs. Transepithelial OC transport in the kidney involves separate entry and exit steps at the basolateral and luminal aspects of renal tubular cells. It is increasingly apparent that basolateral and luminal OC transport reflects the concerted activity of a suite of separate transport processes arranged in parallel in each pole of proximal tubule cells. Most of the transporters that appear to dominate renal secretion of OCs belong to a single family of transport proteins: the OCT Family. The characterization of their activity, and their localization within distinct regions of the kidney, has permitted development of models describing the molecular and cellular basis of the renal secretion of OCs.
Search for Positronium Lyman α-Radiation from Positrons Stopped in Inert Gases

An attempt to detect the positronium Lyman α-radiation at 2430 A is reported. Positrons from an intense 64Cu source (20 Ci) were stopped in high purity A, Ne, and He at pressures ranging from 0.01 to 3.0 atm. Light from the stopping region was collected by a large solid-angle light pipe and directed to a photomultiplier. Spectra were obtained by inserting a series of optical interference filters in front of the photomultiplier. Identical spectra were obtained with an intense electron emitter replacing the 64Cu source. These results indicate that any Lyman α-radiation present at the photomultiplier is masked by a large background continuum associated with gas excitation processes. The data were employed to set an upper limit of 1 in 2000 on those positrons stopping in the gas which result in Lyman α-radiation.
On the filling of a rotating cylinder with a mixture

A rotating tank is filled from the outside with a mixture of particles and fluid. Under certain attainable conditions on the times for filling, separation, and spin-up, theory implies that the filling process acts like a centripetal separator in which heavy particles are actually concentrated at the inward-moving front. Centrifugal settling in the interior is counteracted by mass transport in the rotating boundary layers to produce this unusual volume-fraction distribution.
Numerical and Analytical Study to Estimate the Effect of Two Length Scales upon the Permeability of a Fibrous Porous Medium

A fibrous porous medium with two length scales is modeled as a bed of porous cylinders aligned perpendicular to the flow of viscous fluid. The flow behavior is described using Stokes and Darcy flow equations in the regions around (higher length scale) and within the cylinders (lower length scale) respectively. The typical ratio of higher and lower length-scale regions enable us to invoke lubrication approximation and simplify the equations to develop a closed form solution for the overall permeability of this dual-scale porous medium. A parametric analysis is performed to explore the dependence of permeability on factors such as the volumetric ratio of higher and lower length-scale regions, permeability and size of inclusions in the smaller length-scale region. The analytical model is compared with the numerical results and the trend is compared with the experiments.
A multiset-based model of synchronizing agents: Computability and robustness

We introduce a modelling framework and computational paradigm called Colonies of Synchronizing Agents (CSAs) inspired by the intracellular and intercellular mechanisms in biological tissues. The model is based on a multiset of agents in a common environment. Each agent has a local state stored in the form of a multiset of atomic objects, which is updated by global multiset rewriting rules either independently or synchronously with another agent. We first define the model then study its computational power, considering trade-offs between internal rewriting (intracellular mechanisms) and synchronization between agents (intercellular mechanisms). We also investigate dynamic properties of CSAs, including behavioural robustness (ability to generate a core behaviour despite agent loss or rule failure) and safety of synchronization (ability of an agent to synchronize with some other agent whenever needed).
Lymphocyte transformation induced by autologous cells. II. Stimulation by mitogen-induced lymphoblasts.

Lymphocytes incubated with phytohemagglutinin or concanavalin A develop the capacity to stimulate autologous lymphocyte transformation. This is not attributable to residual mitogen contaminating the lymphoblastic cell preparation as: ( a ) the dissociation of mitogen from the lymphoblastic cell preparation increases the degree of stimulation observed and ( b ) the kinetics of lymphocyte transformation stimulated by phytohemagglutinin-induced lymphoblasts is different from that stimulated by phytohemagglutinin. The appearance of the stimulatory determinants on lymphocytes exposed to phytohemagglutinin precedes morphological transformation.
Pharmacology of ephedra alkaloids and caffeine after single-dose dietary supplement use.

Objective Serious cardiovascular toxicity has been reported in people taking dietary supplements that contain ma huang (Ephedra) and guarana (caffeine). We assessed the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a dietary supplement that contains these herbal stimulants. Methods Eight healthy adults received a single oral dose of a thermogenic dietary supplement labeled to contain 20 mg ephedrine alkaloids and 200 mg caffeine after an overnight fast. Serial plasma and urine samples were analyzed by use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for ephedrine alkaloid and caffeine concentrations, and heart rate and blood pressure were monitored for 14 hours. Results Plasma clearance and elimination half-lives for ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and caffeine were comparable to published values reported for drug formulations. A prolonged half-life of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine was observed in 1 subject with the highest urine pH. Mean systolic blood pressure increased significantly to a maximum of 14 mm Hg above baseline at 90 minutes after ingestion (P < .001). There was a lag in the mean heart rate response that reached a maximum change of 15 beats/min above baseline at 6 hours after ingestion (P < .001). Diastolic blood pressure changes were insignificant. Two subjects who were taking oral contraceptives had longer caffeine half-lives (15.5 ± 0.3 hours versus 5.6 ± 1.7 hours) and lower values for oral clearance (0.34 ± 0.01 mL/min · kg versus 0.99 ± 0.41 mL/min · kg) than subjects who were not taking oral contraceptives. Conclusions Botanical stimulants have disposition characteristics similar to their pharmaceutical counterparts, and they can produce significant cardiovascular responses after a single dose. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2002) 71, 421–432; doi: 10.1067/mcp.2002.124523
A Combined Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Transport Properties of Water in a Perfluorosulfonic Acid Proton Exchange Membrane Doped with the Heteropoly Acids, H3PW12O40 or H4SiW12O40

The 3M 825EW perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) ionomer was doped with the heteropoly acids (HPAs), H3PW12O40 (HPW) and H4SiW12O40 (HSiW). Dynamic vapor sorption measurements at 95% RH showed a decrease in water content as a result of HPA doping from λ = 8.05 for the undoped 825EW 3M ionmer to λ = 4.40 for a 5% HSiW doped film. FTIR measurement revealed strong interactions between the HPAs, ionomer, and H2O. Irrespective of hydration level, it was found that the PFSA films showed tortuous proton diffusion behavior. At maximum hydration and 25 °C, the self-diffusion coefficient of water was found to decrease upon addition of HPA from 4.97 to 2.19 (×10–6 cm2/s) for the undoped 825EW 3M ionomer and 1% HPW, respectively, in excellent agreement with computation. The model at low HPA loadings revealed the decreased diffusion coefficient was due to the water preferentially residing near the HPA as opposed to the SO3– groups. The addition of HPA generally improved overall conductivity due to additional formation of hy...
Graphene nanoribbon plasmonic waveguides: Fundamental limits and device implications

The 2D carbon material graphene exhibits strong light-matter interaction over a very wide wavelength range from the far infrared to the ultraviolet [1]. The tunability of the density-of-states and Fermi energy in graphene along with its excellent transport properties provide a path for graphene photonic applications such as quantum optics, photo-voltaics, photo-detectors, and biological sensing [2]. In this paper, we propose exploiting collective electron-light oscillations or plasmons in patterned graphene nano-ribbons (GNRs) for low energy, high-speed on-chip interconnects that can potentially overcome the latency and power constraints of the current copper/low-K on-chip interconnects [3-4]. The contributions of this paper are threefold. First, compact models for evaluating the plasmon-damping rate in GNRs are introduced. The models account for plasmon-damping pathways through phonons (intrinsic and substrate), substrate charged impurities, and edge-states in ribbons. The compact models introduced in this paper are also applicable to other photonic applications of graphene beyond just on-chip interconnects. Secondly, compact models for evaluating the propagation speed and energy consumption of plasmonic waveguides based on their shot-noise limits are introduced. Finally, the fundamental limits and device implications of on-chip plasmonic waveguides are quantified. In particular, propagation speed and energy consumption are compared with copper/low-K on-chip interconnects at advanced technology nodes.
Optical properties of quantum wire superlattices

Abstract Intersubband optical absorption is investigated theoretically in quantum wire superlattices. It is shown that these structures are worth considering for long wavelength detection in the 8–20 μm range. The selection rules allow absorption for incidence perpendicular to the plane of the wafer. Less post-growth processing of the wafer is, therefore, required compared with corresponding multiple quantum well detectors.
Four no more: The 'PSA cutoff era' is over.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value is only one of the risk factors for prostate cancer, and no PSA value rules cancer in or out. Therefore, our laboratory reports will no longer list 4.0 μg/L as the upper limit of normal. Instead, we will estimate the patient’s actual risk.
Eptifibatide-induced thrombocytopenia

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors reduce major adverse coronary events in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Unlike the other GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors, eptifibatide is rarely associated with thrombocytopenia with only a few cases reported in the medical literature. Here we report a case of a 34-year-old man presenting with a non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) who underwent primary PCI with stenting and developed stent thrombosis 5 days after the procedure. He underwent repeat PCI with readministration of eptifibatide and subsequently developed profound thrombocytopenia within 4 h. This report adds another case of eptifibatide associated thrombocytopenia to the literature and reinforces the importance of platelet count monitoring after therapy with this agent.
Investigation of Mixture Preparation Effects on Gasoline HCCI Combustion Aided by Measurements of Wall Heat Flux

Expanding the range of HCCI operation will be critical for maximizing the fuel economy benefits in future vehicle applications. The mixture stratification, both thermal and compositional, can have very tangible impact on HCCI combustion, and gaining a deeper insight into these effects is critical for expanding the HCCI range of operation. This paper presents results of the comprehensive experimental investigation of the mixture preparation effects on a single-cylinder gasoline HCCI engine with exhaust reinduction. The effects include the type of mixture preparation (external mixing versus direct injection), charge motion, and injection timing. A combination of pressure-based combustion diagnostics, emission analysis, and heat flux measurements on the combustion chamber wall quantifies the effects on combustion and provides insight into reasons for observed engine behavior. As an example, the instantaneous temperature and heat flux measurements show the fuel impingement locations and allow assessing the fuel film dynamics and their effect on mixture stratification. The effects of direct injection and partial closing of the swirl control valve are relatively small compared with extending the injection timing late into the intake process or completely closing the swirl control valve and allowing charge storage in the intake port.
A distributed power-supply controller using the BITBUS interface

Abstract A distributed controller for high-stability magnet power supplies was developed using the BITMUS interface. It has the dual function of providing an interface to a remotely located control system and upgrading the regulation loop of commercial power supplies. The controller consists of two boards: a digital subsystem, which provides the BITBUS interface together with control, status and interlock functions, and an analogue subsystem, which integrates a high-stability digitally controlled voltage reference, a shunt and error amplifier and three 16-bit analogue-to-digital converters for reading back power-supply current and voltage values. Complete galvanic isolation between the digital and analogue subsystems enhances common-mode noise rejection and avoids ground return currents. Hardware and software aspects of the controller and its control-system driver are discussed. Performance data are presented for a series of such controllers connected to the MIT-Bates Pulse Stretcher Ring control system
The influence of imipramine on the central effects of dihydroxyphenylalanine

Abstract A study was made in animals with chronically implanted electrodes, and in acute experiments, in order to analyze the influence of imipramine (IM) on the EEG effects of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). The following results have been obtained: 1. (1) IM potentiated the awakening effect of DOPA in reserpinized cats. The EEG effects of DOPA in reserpinized cats were biphasic: (a) a marked decrease in amplitude and slight increase in frequency, (b) synchronization. IM was unable to provoke any EEG or behavioural effect of DOPA in normal cats with chronically implanted electrodes, nor to potentiate the desynchronizing action of DOPA in chronic experiments on rabbits. 2. (2) DOPA ( dl −30 mg/kg; l −10–−15 mg/kg) infused i.v. 2 hr following IM (0·5–8·0 mg/kg) in acute experiments in cats caused a marked synchronization in the EEG. This effect was noted in immobilized cats, as well as in preparations with the brain stem sectioned at various levels. This action of DOPA was accompanied by an intense mydriasis, a decrease in recruiting reaction, an intense, although transient, pressor response and an increase in heart rate. DOPA alone induced a marked desynchronization in the postpontine and rostropontine preparations, while the EEG in encephale isole and in gallamine-immobilized cats was not changed. DOPA applied following chlorpromazine (0·1–1·5 mg/kg) also elicited marked synchronization in encephale isole and cerveau isole cats, but not in gallamineimmobilized animals with intact neuraxes. 3. (3) Phenoxybenzamine and phentolamine antagonized the rise in blood pressure and increase in heart rate, but did not noticeably influence the EEG changes and mydriasis. α-Hydrazino-α-methyl-DOPA completely prevented the autonomie effects, but had no significant influence on DOPA induced synchronization. α-Methyl-DOPA prevented both effects of DOPA. Disulfiram and propranolol did not noticeably decrease the duration of DOPA action on the EEG.
Pramipexole inhibits lipid peroxidation and reduces injury in the substantia nigra induced by the dopaminergic neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine in C57BL/6 mice

Abstract Pramipexole has been showed to protect cultured dopaminergic (DAergic) cells against free radical-induced cytotoxicity. To test if pramipexole is protective against 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-mediated nigral DAergic injury in vivo and if such protection is related to inhibition of lipid peroxidation, DAergic function and lipid peroxidation were determined in MPTP-treated C57BL/6 mice. We reported that MPTP administration induced a 38.1% increase of lipid peroxidation product thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in nigra, a 46.7% decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase -positive nigral DAergic neurons and a 59.4% reduction of striatal DA levels. However, pramipexole treatment significantly inhibited the TBARS production by 76%, and attenuated the MPTP-induced decreases in nigral DAergic neurons and striatal DA levels by about 50%. This study suggests that pramipexole can inhibit free radical-mediated lipid peroxidation and protect MPTP-induced nigral injury.
Some convergence properties of a nearest neighbor decision rule

This paper focuses on the problem of the relationship between the risk incurred using a nearest neighbor rule and the size of the data base. Theoretical results include demonstrations of the facts that the proximity of the nearest neighbor to a new sample in a collection of n samples becomes (in probability) arbitrarily small as n is increased; that the convergence is often (but not always) with probability 1; that as a result of these convergences, the risk associated with a decision may be closely controlled; and that these facts and their demonstrations aid one in determining the size of a sample of data to be used as a nearest neighbor decision-making base. An example serves to demonstrate that the size of the data base required to meet performance criteria other than the relatively lax expected risk criterion can be unreasonably large.
Altered composition of Ralstonia eutropha poly(hydroxyalkanoate) through expression of PHA synthase from Allochromatium vinosum ATCC 35206

The class III poly(hydroxyalkanoate) synthase (PHAS) genes (phaC and phaE) of a photosynthetic bacterium, Allochromatium vinosum ATCC 35206, were cloned, sequenced and expressed in a heterologous host. PCR coupled with a chromosomal gene-walking method was used to clone and subsequently sequence the contiguous phaC (1,068 bps) and phaE (1,065 bps) genes of A. vinosum ATCC 35206. BLASTP search of protein databases showed that the gene-products of phaC and phaE are different (<66% identities) from the previously reported class III PHASs such as those of A. vinosum DSM180. Domain analysis revealed the presence of a conserved α/β-hydrolase fold in PhaC, the putative gene-product of phaC. Upon electroporation of a poly(hydroxybutanoate) (PHB)-negative mutant of Ralstonia eutropha PHB−4 with a shuttle plasmid pBHR1 containing the newly cloned phaC and phaE genes, the bacteria resumed the synthesis of PHB, albeit at a low level (4–5% of the cell dry wt) due to kanamycin selection pressure. We further showed that the recombinant strain grown in kanamycin-containing culture medium synthesized a blend of PHA that also contains a high content of 3-hydroxyoctanoate and 3-hydroxydecanoate as its repeat-unit monomers. Genomic analysis suggested the existence of two PHA synthase genes in R. eutropha. The results of this study not only make available a phylogenetically diverse type III phaC and phaE genes, but also confirm through kanamycin selection pressure the existence of multiple PHA biosynthesis systems in R. eutropha.
Diversity in Radar Sensor Networks: Theoretical Analysis and Application to Target Detection

We study a diversity scheme based on waveform design and space-time adaptive processing to improve the detection performance of radar sensor networks in the presence of certain types of interference. To reduce the interference between radar sensors and maximize the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio, we use an orthogonality criterion to design waveforms for radar sensors. Besides, performance of radar sensor networks depends largely on clutter which is extended in both angle and range and is spread in Doppler frequency. By using the space-time adaptive processing, effects of clutter can be suppressed. We also propose a receiver for diversity combining and, as an application example, we investigate the detection performance of radar sensor networks using the proposed diversity scheme. Simulation results for both non-fluctuating targets and fluctuating targets show that the performance of the proposed scheme is superior to that of the single radar with the spatial-temporal diversity only.
Behavioral and biochemical responses of hybrid striped bass during and after fluoxetine exposure.

Abstract Environmental contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, can alter behavior and possibly impact population and community structures. One important behavior that could be impacted is the ability to capture prey. We hypothesized that sublethal fluoxetine exposure may lead to feeding behavior abnormalities in hybrid striped bass ( Morone saxatilis × M. chrysops ). Fluoxetine is an antidepressant that acts as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). A change in serotonin levels affects multiple behaviors including feeding, which is an important aspect in ecological fitness. This research characterized the impact of sublethal fluoxetine exposures on the ability of hybrid striped bass to capture fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ). Bass were exposed to fluoxetine (0.0 μg/l, 23.2 ± 6.6, 51.4 ± 10.9 and 100.9 ± 18.6 μg/l,) for 6 days, followed by a 6-day recovery period in clean water. Brain serotonin activity and the ability of bass to capture prey were measured every third day. Exposed fish exhibited a concentration- and duration-dependent decrease in ability to capture prey. Increased time to capture prey also correlated with decreases in brain serotonin activity. Serotonin activity also decreased in an exposure time- and concentration-dependent manner, maximally inhibited 23.7, 28.0, and 49.1% of control in the low, medium, and high treatments, respectively. Serotonin levels in exposed fish did not recover to control levels during the 6-day recovery period. These results suggest that sublethal exposure to fluoxetine decreases the ability of hybrid striped bass to capture prey and that serotonin can be used as a biomarker of exposure and effect.