cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A wireless low-range pressure sensor based on P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric resonance

Abstract A low-range bio-compatible pressure sensor based on P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric resonance has been tested and integrated to a wireless platform. Many critical physiological applications and in vivo diagnosis require highly sensitive pressure monitoring in the 0–100 kPa range, with negligible long-term drift and robust integration platform. The PVDF film and its copolymers exhibit significant piezoelectric properties after poling. P(VDF-TrFE) is preferred for its flexible film structure, low modulus, high yield strength and resistance to corrosive chemicals. All piezoelectric materials are lossy and thus the leakage current will cause drift of instantaneous response, which limits the direct use of piezoelectric charges in sensing. In this paper, the pressure sensor which adopts the appropriate properties of P(VDF-TrFE) for low pressure levels, works as an acoustic wave resonator to avoid long-term drift from the charge leakage problem in quasi-static pressure, while maintaining good sensitivity. Simulation results show good agreement with the measurement data. The temperature coefficient and the areal scaling effect are characterized. Furthermore, the sensor output is matched with standard 50 Ω impedance at the resonance for integration into the RF circuits. A passive sensor tag is demonstrated by using RF backscattering.
Binding of U1A protein changes RNA dynamics as observed by 13C NMR relaxation studies.

Recognition of RNA by proteins and small molecules often involves large changes in RNA structure and dynamics, yet very few studies have so far characterized these motional changes. Here we extend to the protein-bound RNA recent 13 C relaxation studies of motions in the RNA recognized by human U1A protein, a well-known model for protein-RNA recognition. Changes in relaxation observed upon complex formation demonstrate that the protein-binding site becomes rigid in the complex, but the upper stem-loop that defines the secondary structure of this RNA experiences unexpected motional freedom. By using a helix elongation strategy, we observe that the upper stem-loop moves independently of the remainder of the structure also in the absence of U1A. Surprisingly, RNA residues making important intermolecular contacts in the structure of the complex exhibit increased flexibility in the presence of the protein. Both of these results support the hypothesis that RNA-binding proteins select a structure that optimizes intermolecular contacts in the manifold of conformations sampled by the free RNA and that protein binding quenches these motions. Together with previous studies of the RNA-bound protein, they also demonstrate that protein-RNA interfaces experience complex motions that modulate the strength of individual interactions.
A sensitive fast-response probe to measure turbulence and heat flux from any airplane

The theory, configuration, and accuracy of an inexpensive probe to measure turbulence from a small airplane are presented. The probe employs a nine-hole pressure-sphere design along with inprobe high-frequency pressure, temperature, and acceleration sensors. This sensor suite is specifically designed to extend mass, momentum and energy eddy-flux measurement to the higher frequencies characteristic of marine and nocturnal boundary layers. The probe is part of a mobile flux system, independent of the conveyance, which does not require a separate Inertial Navigation System.
Bifunctional properties of lectins: lectins redefined.

Abstract Both ‘classical' lectins, originally identified as cell agglutinins, and other carbohydrate-binding proteins that were identified by different means, may contain a second type of binding site that is specific for a non-carbohydrate ligand. This, among other findings, is changing our view of endogenous lectin functions and of the proper definition of this group of proteins.
A Twin Spirometer for Bronchospirometry

The purpose of this paper is a description of a twin spirometer which I have designed for clinical bronchospirometry. This instrument is used with a special rubber catheter, but could be used with any similar device such as the double bronchoscope described by Jacobaeus and Frenckner. A description of my catheter and the technique of its use in bronchospirometry have been published. Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating how the catheter separates the air channels to the lungs and permits the study of each side separately and simultaneously. These catheters are sold by American Cystoscope Makers Inc. They are made of latex and contain enough barium to make them easily visible under the fluoroscopic screen. A steel coil spring is incorporated in the catheter wall which produces a desirable semi-rigidity. The catheter is supplied in three sizes so that it is adapted to the wide range of bronchial dimensions produced by collapse as well as by the variation in the size of patients. It is* advisable to use as large a size as possible. The largest can be used only in large males. The smallest size is used in small females, or in those patients in whom pulmonary collapse has caused a contraction of the left bronchus. The right main bronchus has been found unsatisfactory for bronchospirometry because of the short distance between the carina and the right upper lobe orifice; consequently, stenosis of the left main bronchus may make the procedure impossible. The catheter is inserted through the glottis by means of a direct laryngoscope, and then guided into the left bronchus with the aid of the fluoroscope. Its natural curvature to the left facilitates this passage. It is usually passed down until the tip is visible just lateral to the left cardiac border. Good anesthesia is essential and is accomplished by spray and intratracheal injection. Relative dryness of the tracheobronchial tree is desirable so that postural drainage or cough and expectoration are carried out be-
Heterotopic ossification in a lymph node with metastatic follicular carcinoma of thyroid: A case report

Metastasis of follicular thyroid carcinoma in a cervical lymph node associated with heterotopic ossification in a 34-year-old white female is presented. Pertinent gross and microscopic pathology is described and the literature is reviewed briefly. Bone formation in thyroid neoplasm has not been reported previously, except for bone metastases of medullary carcinoma.
INITIAL STRESSES AND SKIN EFFECTS IN A HEMITROPIC COSSERAT CONTINUUM.

Abstract : Constitutive relations are derived for a linear Cosserat continuum possessing hemitropic symmetry. In such a continuum the microstructure has a screw-like property, or handedness, and can support initial couple-stresses of twist. The introduction of free boundaries in such a medium brings about an unbalancing of the internal forces which results in a highly localized skin effect. This skin effect is represented by an outward, or inward, motion of a boundary layer, which is accompanied by micro-twisting. A qualitative comparison is obtained with a specific solution based upon the linear elastic dislocation theory. (Author)
Preference for predicted over unpredicted shock

Rats received unavoidable, inescapable shock at each end of a shuttle box. A predictive signal preceded the shock when the rat was at one end of the shuttle box, while a random signal was presented when the rat was at the other end. Subjects spent significantly more than 50% of their time at the end with the predictive signal. Examination of crossover data suggested that the occurrence of crossover responses from one end to the other was influenced by the consequences of those responses, and raised the possibility that preference for predicted shock in this and previous studies was due to differential consequences that normally exist for crossover responses in each direction.
A dnaT mutant with phenotypes similar to those of a priA2::kan mutant in Escherichia coli K-12.

The ability to repair damaged replication forks and restart them is important for cell survival. DnaT is essential for replication restart in vitro and yet no definite genetic analysis has been done in Escherichia coli K-12. To begin, dnaT822 , an in-frame six-codon (87–92) deletion was constructed. DnaT822 mutants show colony size, cell morphology, inability to properly partition nucleoids, UV sensitivity, and basal SOS expression similar to priA2::kan mutants. DnaT822 priA2::kan double mutants had phenotypes similar to those of the single mutants. DnaT822 and dnaT822 priA2::kan mutant phenotypes were fully suppressed by dnaC809 . Previously, a dominant temperature-sensitive lethal mutation, dnaT1 , had been isolated in E. coli 15T − . DnaT1 was found to have a base-pair change relative to the E. coli 15T − and E. coli K-12 dnaT genes that led to a single amino acid change: R152C. A plasmid-encoded E. coli K-12 mutant dnaT gene with the R152C amino acid substitution did not display a dominant temperature-sensitive lethal phenotype in a dnaT + strain of E. coli K-12. Instead, this mutant dnaT gene was found to complement the E. coli K-12 dnaT822 mutant phenotypes. The significance of these results is discussed in terms of models for replication restart.
WU polyomavirus in patients infected with HIV or hepatitis C virus, Connecticut, USA, 2007.

WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) was detected in 10 (8.3%) of 121 HIV-positive plasma specimens, 0 (0%) of 120 HIV-negative serum specimens, and 2 (2.5%) of 79 hepatitis C virus (HCV)–positive serum specimens. KI polyomavirus was not detected in HIV-positive plasma or HCV-positive serum specimens. HIV-infected persons may be susceptible to systemic WUPyV infection.
Counter-HPM window experiments and theory

Summary form only given. Microwave windows that protect sensitive electronics from high power microwaves are important to military and civilian applications. We are testing a microwave window with crosspolarized, inter-digitized conducting strips that are biased at moderate (100's V) to high voltage (kV's) DC. The goal is to determine whether the microwave breakdown threshold can be controlled by argon gas pressure and DC bias voltage. DC Paschen curves have been measured in argon for these window-structures. Experiments are underway to expose the window-structures to high power (10-100 MW) microwaves in a single output waveguide of the UM relativistic magnetron facility. Theory and simulations will utilize previous multipactor susceptibility curves for perpendicular and parallel DC fields to evaluate the effect of DC fields on multipactor breakdown of windows.
Changes in Serum LH, Progesterone, and Specific Binding of 125I-hCG to Luteal Cells During Regression and Development of Bovine Corpora Lutea

Changes in concentrations of LII and progesterone in serum and specific binding of125 I-hCG to crude membrane preparations of luteal cells were examined during spontaneous regression (Group 1), prostaglandin-induced regression (Group 2), and growth (Group 3) of bovine corpora lutes (CL). Specific binding of '25IhCG (presumably by the LII receptor) to luteal homogenates was validated using Scatchard analysis and shown to be specific for LH/hCG with high affinity (Ka 2.18 * 0.76 X 10lM�). Al) cattle had estrous cycles synchronized with a synthetic prostaglandin F2OE, doprostenol (PG). Group 1 had ovaries removed on Day 17, 18, 19, on estrus, or 24 h after estrus. Group 2 had ovaries removed at 0, 12, 24, 48, 60, or 72 h after PG. Group 3 had ovaries removed at 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15 days after PG. Blood samples were taken from all animals at 8 h intervals up to time of ovariectomy for measurement of serum progesterone and LH and at 2 h intervals around estrus to determine time of preovulatory LH surge. Data from heifers in Group 3 were grouped for analysis according to days after preovulatory LII surges. During spontaneous regression (Group 1), Day 19 to Day 21 of the estrous cycle, serum proges- terone, specific binding of hCG, and CL weight decreased (P O.05), while binding of hCG to corpora lutes decreased (P<0.05). From these data we suggest that synchronization of estrus using two injections of prostaglandin results in short-term endocrine changes that are similar to changes seen during the late luteal phase of the estrous cycle. Since serum progesterone declined to basal levels prior to binding of hCG to corpora lutes during PG-induced regression, other events such as decreased adenylate cyclase activity may be more closely associated with decreased function of corpora lutea than decreases in LII receptor during regression of corpora lutea. In addition, we conclude that changes in numbers of LII receptors may be more closely associated to progesterone secretion in early luteal devel- opment (<4.5 days post-LH surge) than during late luteal development (4.5 to 12.4 days post-LH surge). This suggests that with an increase in LH binding sites, the early developing corpus luteum may become more responsive to basal levels of serum LII causing an increase in progesterone secretion.
Damage detection and full surface characterization of a wind turbine blade using three-dimensional digital image correlation

The increasing demand for wind power has led to a significant increase in the number and size of wind turbine blades manufactured globally. As the number and physical size of turbines deployed grow...
Seismic Response Analysis of Highway Overcrossings Including Soil-Structure Interaction

This paper presents a systematic procedure for the seismic response analysis of highway overcrossings. The study employs an elementary stick model and a more sophisticated finite element formulation to compute response quantities. All dynamic stiffnesses of approach embankments and pile groups are approximated with frequency-independent springs and dashpots that have been established elsewhere. A real eigenvalue analysis confirms the one-to-one correspondence between modal characteristics obtained with the three-dimensional finite element solutions and the result of the simpler stick-model idealization. A complex eigenvalue analysis yields modal damping values in the first six modes of interest and shows that modal damping ratios assume values much higher than those used by Caltrans. The validity of the proposed method is examined by comparing the computed time response quantities with records from the Meloland Road and Painter Street overcrossings located in southern and northern California, respectively. The proposed procedure allows for inexpensive parametric analysis that examines the importance of considering soil–structure interaction at the end abutments and centre bent. Results and recommendations presented by past investigations are revisited and integrated in comprehensive tables that improve our understanding of the dynamic characteristics and behaviour of freeway overcrossings. The study concludes with a step-by-step methodology that allows for a simple, yet dependable dynamic analysis of freeway overcrossings, that involves a stick model and frequency-independent springs and dashpots. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic finite versioning: an effective versioning approach to concurrent transaction and query processing

Dynamic finite versioning (DFV) schemes that effectively support concurrent processing of transaction and queries are presented. Without acquiring locks, queries read from a small, fixed number of dynamically derived, transaction-consistent, possibly slightly obsolete, logical snapshots of the database. On the other hand, transactions access the most up-to-date data in the database without data contention from queries. Intermediate versions created between snapshots are automatically discarded. Dirty pages updated by active transactions are allowed to be written back into the database before commitment and, at the same time, consistent logical snapshots can be advanced automatically without quiescing the ongoing transactions or queries. >
Computational model of the role of deficit-related drives in sequential movement learning in a T-maze environment

We present a computational model of approach teaming in a T-maze environment. We show that our model learns the correct sequence of six decisions that lead to the location of positive reinforcement and in a manner consistent with experimental observations. Our model exhibits many properties that are characteristic of animal learning in maze environments including delay conditioning, secondary conditioning, and backward chaining. Our model incorporates a comprehensive definition of drive that consists of a primary drive (food) and deficit-related signal (hunger), and an acquired drive (the learned expectation for future reward or punishment). In the T-maze environment, the deficit-related drive of hunger motivates the teaming system to search for food. After several trials in the T-maze, the acquired drive (learned expectation) will shape the teaming system's behavior and allow it to consistently find the food. We propose that changes in drive level, not merely the level of the drive, lead to teaming. Positive changes in drive level results in the enhanced behavior and negative changes result in the depressed behavior. Our comprehensive definition of drive allows us to explain teaming in a biologically plausible manner and is supported by results from hypertension, obesity, and Parkinson's disease research.
Estimating the probability density function of critical path delay via partial least squares dimension reduction

We propose a method based on partial least squares (PLS) regression to estimate the probability density function of the critical path delay. The method works on a reduced problem facilitated by PLS regression and requires only 102 samples to achieve satisfactory accuracy. The method is verified by simulations on ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits.
Canine Cyanotoxin Poisonings in the United States (1920s–2012): Review of Suspected and Confirmed Cases from Three Data Sources

Cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) are ubiquitous in aquatic environments. Some species produce potent toxins that can sicken or kill people, domestic animals, and wildlife. Dogs are particularly vulnerable to cyanotoxin poisoning because of their tendency to swim in and drink contaminated water during algal blooms or to ingestalgal mats.. Here, we summarize reports of suspected or confirmed canine cyanotoxin poisonings in the U.S. from three sources: (1) The Harmful Algal Bloom-related Illness Surveillance System (HABISS) of the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); (2) Retrospective case files from a large, regional veterinary hospital in California; and (3) Publicly available scientific and medical manuscripts; written media; and web-based reports from pet owners, veterinarians, and other individuals. We identified 231 discreet cyanobacteria harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB) events and 368 cases of cyanotoxin poisoning associated with dogs throughout the U.S. between the late 1920s and 2012. The canine cyanotoxin poisoning events reviewed here likely represent a small fraction of cases that occur throughout the U.S. each year.
The Effects of Peer-Interaction Styles in Team Blogs on Students' Cognitive Thinking and Blog Participation.

Deep cognitive thinking refers to a learner's purposeful and conscious manipulation of ideas toward meaningful learning. Strategies such as journaling/blogging and peer feedback have been found to promote deep thinking. This article reports a research study about the effects of two different blog leader styles on students' deep thinking as exhibited on blogs. Thirty-four students in two sections of a class were assigned in three to five member groups and blogged for 10 weeks. In the first section, the “starters” of each week's blog introduced articles with two alternative views about a current topic, posted a few questions, and the rest of the group responded to the questions. In contrast, the “starters” in the second section wrote a post and the rest of the team commented on the post. Data analyses revealed that different starter styles influenced both the quantity and quality of starters' posts as well as peer feedback.
Lawyers as Economic Drivers — The Business Case for Legal Services

Lawyers bring the skills of an entrepreneur to clients, modeling and sharing those skills in a manner that transcends the actual legal product or service. Lawyers have a passion beyond the practice of law to create, sustain, and preserve things of value, whether those things are families, businesses, nonprofits, intellectual property, public works, or government programs. Many rationales — economic, social, access, political, educational, professional, and justice — support that lawyers are economically productive. What makes an American nation more likely to survive and prosper in a continually new political and economic order is its founding vision — free, open, democratic, diverse, unified, and committed to eternal values. The adaptive knowledge, skills, and identity of the nation’s lawyers implement that vision, not as a professional elite but at a granular level, client by client, family by family, employer by employer.
Botulinum Toxin Dosing Trends in Spasmodic Dysphonia Over a 20-year Period

Summary Objectives The study aims to (1) identify the botulinum toxin (BTX) dosing trend in a cohort of patients who received at least 20 injections for the treatment of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD), (2) describe two distinct BTX dosing trends in treating ADSD (a "classic" dosing trend that initially decreases before stabilizing, and a "fluctuating" dosing trend), and (3) determine if patients with the "classic" dosing trend differed in age or in dosing intervals from those with the "fluctuating" dosing trend. Study design This is a retrospective case series. Methods Of 149 patients who received a total of 2484 BTX injections for the treatment of spasmodic dysphonia in 1993–2013, 49 patients received at least 20 injections. The BTX dose and the interval between doses were recorded. The mean dose of injections 1–20 was determined. The age at initial injection, initial dose, and interval in days between treatments were compared for the "fluctuating" and "classic" groups. Results The cohort exhibits a significant decrease in dose during the first 10–15 injections. The "fluctuating" group had a significantly shorter interval between injections (mean interval = 97.09 days, SD = 29.41; mean interval = 136.90 days, SD = 43.76, P = 0.002). The mean age at initial dose was not significantly different between the "classic" and "fluctuating" groups. Conclusions The average BTX dose of patients with ADSD who receive long-term injections significantly decreases during the initial 10–15 injections before stabilizing. Patients who exhibit the "fluctuating" dosing pattern have a significantly shorter interval between injections than those with the "classic" dosing pattern.
Relationships between Structure and Alkaline Stability of Imidazolium Cations for Fuel Cell Membrane Applications

Anion exchange membranes have substantial potential to be useful in methanol fuel cells due to the viability of non-noble metal electrocatalysts at high pH and increases in the oxidation rate of methanol in alkaline conditions. However, long-term stability of the cationic moiety has been an issue, and imidazoliums have recently attracted attention as candidates for stable cations. The prevailing strategy for increasing the stability of the imidazolium has involved adding sterically hindering groups at the 2 position. Surprisingly, the findings of this study show that steric hindrance is the least effective strategy for stabilizing imidazoliums. We propose that the most important stabilizing factor for an imidazolium is the ability to provide alternative, reversible deprotonation reactions with hydroxide and outline other structure–property relationships for imidazolium cations.
Abstract B122: Factors associated with ER/PR status in African American and white women in the National Cancer Database

B122 Background Previous studies documented that African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with ER and/or PR negative breast tumors than whites. However, little is known about the effect of socioeconomic position and other tumor characteristics on the ER/PR tumor status differences between African American and whites. We studied this relationship using the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Methods The NCDB collects information on demographic and clinical characteristics for approximately 1,500 Commission on Cancer-approved hospitals, representing almost 70% of all cancer patients treated in the United States. We selected invasive breast cancer in women ages 18-99 years reported to the NCDB during 2004-2005. A total of 175,820 women diagnosed with breast cancer were available for the analysis after excluding those patients with missing ER/PR status. Frequency distributions were used to assess the relationships between hormone receptor status and demographic and clinical variables. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine these associations while controlling for age, race, insurance status, educational attainment, stage, histology, and tumor size. Results African American women are 2.26 times more likely to be diagnosed with ER-PR- breast cancer vs. ER+PR+ breast cancer compared to whites. After controlling for socioeconomic factors, including educational attainment (based on patient’s zip code) and insurance status, African American women remained 1.97 times more likely to have hormone negative tumors than white women. Adjustment for tumor characteristics (stage, tumor size, and histology) further attenuated the odds ratio (RR=1.85). Lower educational attainment was associated with ER-PR- breast cancers. Women who were uninsured at the time of diagnosis were also more likely to have receptor negative disease compared to women with private health insurance, however, after adjusting for tumor characteristics this association was no longer significant. Conclusion Our results confirm previous reports which indicate African American women are more likely to be diagnosed with ER-PR- breast cancer. A third of this excess risk was explained by differences in socioeconomic factors, stage at diagnosis, tumor size, and histology type. Further studies with additional individual-level data on socioeconomic factors could help clarify these relationships. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):B122.
Conformers of CL-20 explosive and ab initio refinement using perturbation theory: implications to detonation mechanisms.

We have identified the major conformers of CL-20 explosive, otherwise known as 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane, more formally known as 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitrohexaazatetracyclo[5.5.0.0]-dodecane, via Monte Carlo search in conformational space through molecular mechanics and subsequent quantum mechanical refinement using perturbation theory. Our search produced enough conformers to account for all of the various forms of CL-20 found in crystals. This suggests that our methodology will be useful in studying the conformational landscape of other nitramines. The energy levels of the conformers found are all within 0.25 eV of one another based on MBPT(2)/6-311G(d,p); consequently, without further refinement from a method such as coupled cluster theory, all conformers may reasonably be populated at STP in the gas phase. We also report the harmonic vibrational frequencies of conformers, including the implications on the mechanism of detonation. In particular, we establish that the weakest N–N nitramin...
Debt Structure as a Strategic Bargaining Tool

This paper studies the strategic role of debt structure in improving the bargaining position of a firm's management relative to its non-financial stakeholders. Debt structure is essential for strategic bargaining because it affects the ease of renegotiating debt contracts and thus the credibility of bankruptcy threats. Using the airline industry as an empirical setting, we first show that the degree of wage concessions is strongly related to a firm's debt structure. Debt structure is further shown to be adjusted as a response to an increase in non-financial stakeholders' negotiation power. Using NLRB labor union election as a laboratory setting and employing a regression discontinuity design, we find that passing a labor union election leads to an increase in the ratio of public debt to total assets and a decrease in the ratio of bank debt to total assets in the following three years after elections, whereas there is no significant change in the level of total debt. The syndication size of newly issued bank loans increases while creditor ownership concentration decreases once the vote share for unions passes the winning threshold. Further analyses confirm that the debt structure adjustments after union certification are more likely driven by the strategic concerns of management rather than more constrained access to bank loans.
Immediate Effect of Prostaglandin F2α During the Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle

Serum luteinizing hormone, estradiol, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and progesterone determinations were performed in five normally ovulating women prior to, during, and after prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha was infusion. A total of 75 mg of PGF2alpha was infused over 48 hours, beginning on the 4th day of the luteal phase. Endometrial biopsies were obtained at the completion of the infusion. In all patients, transient decreases in serum progesterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels were observed during PGF2alpha infusion. Subsequent rises in the serum progesterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels were observed 24 hours after completion of the infusion. There was no significant change in serum luteinizing hormone levels. Premature menstrual bleeding occurred with 24 to 72 hours after the termination of the infusion, while progesterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels were still elevated. Endometrial histology revealed focal stromal necrosis in the presence of the normal secretory endometrium. It is concluded that, in the human, PGF2alpha at this dose and time schedule is not luteolytic.
Cocaine Self-Administration Research: Implications for Rational Pharmacotherapy

Publisher Summary Although cocaine abuse is a serious public health problem for over a decade, a generally effective approach for treating it has not yet been developed. Neurobiological research offers information about the brain regions and neurotransmitter systems and the kinds of medications that might be efficacious in treating cocaine abusers. This chapter elucidates that the research in which drugs, such as cocaine are made available to humans requires considerable care and thoughtful design for a number of reasons. It reiterates that research volunteers who are not receiving treatment should be adequately, but not excessively compensated for their time. There is no procedure currently available in which data collected in the laboratory can directly predict clinical efficacy in treating cocaine abuse. Medications can modify cocaine use in a number of different ways, such as by decreasing craving, initiating abstinence, decreasing the positive effects of the drug, substituting for cocaine, or blocking cocaine's effects. This chapter also emphasizes that maintenance on desipramine is not effective in reducing the amount of cocaine intake.
The Liberty of John Locke

John Locke1 offered his Two Treatises of Government to justify a new king’s title to the crown of England.2 This limited Locke’s fidelity to republican tradition. Instead, his First Treatise constituted a detailed and elaborate response to Robert Filmer’s Patriarcha, refuting the paternal hereditary right of kings (and so the Stuart monarchs) to their thrones. Locke’s Second Treatise considered the basis of legitimate political power, including Locke’s own conceptions of law and liberty, which contradicted Leviathan’s harsh new doctrines. Locke concluded that law does not restrain, but preserves and enlarges liberty. Without law “there is no freedom” at a113
Hermann Broch’S Sleepwalkers: Dialectical Structure and Epistemological Unity

(1968). Hermann Broch’S Sleepwalkers: Dialectical Structure and Epistemological Unity. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 201-214.
A study of rotor and platform design trade-offs for large-scale floating vertical axis wind turbines

Vertical axis wind turbines are receiving significant attention for offshore siting. In general, offshore wind offers proximity to large populations centers, a vast & more consistent wind resource, and a scale-up opportunity, to name a few beneficial characteristics. On the other hand, offshore wind suffers from high levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and in particular high balance of system (BoS) costs owing to accessibility challenges and limited project experience. To address these challenges associated with offshore wind, Sandia National Laboratories is researching large-scale (MW class) offshore floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs). The motivation for this work is that floating VAWTs are a potential transformative technology solution to reduce offshore wind LCOE in deep-water locations. This paper explores performance and cost trade-offs within the design space for floating VAWTs between the configurations for the rotor and platform.
Sensor Location Decision Model for Truck Flow Measurement

Timely and reliable truck activity data are of importance for transportation planning and investment analysis, traffic management, environmental and safety analyses, and operation and maintenance of infrastructure. Therefore, state and regional agencies have used various types of sensors to obtain truck flows. To measure accurate traffic flows with the use of sensors, considerable effort has been made to determine optimal sensor locations. The most common approach has been to focus on capturing the maximum number of origin–destinations (O-Ds) and routes at the sensor locations; this approach is referred to as the observability problem. However, when the long travel distances of trucks are considered, sensor locations that seek observability of O-Ds and routes may not acquire meaningful proportions of truck movements in a large-size truck network when budgets are limited. Therefore, this study provides a decision model that optimally locates sensors to capture the maximum O-D and route flow. A goal-program...
In search of value: early civilisation and some Athenian thought

Economic value should not be restricted to commodity, factor and asset prices; economic value should include intrinsic concepts of well-being and welfare. Concepts of well-being have greatly varied over time and space which has also affected the understanding of economic development. Concepts of well-being have been influenced by notions of value and wealth so that it can be suggested that the term economic development is qualitatively determined by conceptions of value and wealth. This paper exhibits forms of value and wealth during the period of early civilisation. A juxtaposition of ideas and concepts of well-being during this early time period facilitates a more critical approach to economic development today.
High-Energy Trauma

High-energy trauma (Fig. 3.1) patients are a unique and often challenging population. Most commonly, they present following motor vehicle collisions, being struck by a motor vehicle, and falls from a significant height. These patients are at risk for periarticular fractures (e.g., Pilon, tibial plateaus, etc.), long bone fractures, and potentially life-threatening axial skeleton injuries.
Evaluating School Mental Health Programs

In contrast to research, which is intended to inform the field of school mental health (SMH) broadly, program evaluation is intended to assess whether SMH programs meet the needs and expectations of specific communities. Standards for program evaluation guide the practice, but rural evaluators are likely to encounter economic and organizational challenges along the way. In this chapter, we review program evaluation standards and discuss the challenges that rural practitioners might encounter. We then focus specifically on assessment concerns, with an emphasis on meeting stakeholder expectations, targeting the most informative sources, and choosing instruments that are both useful and affordable. We believe that a revolution in program evaluation science would greatly benefit the field, but such developments would require fundamental changes in how SMH professionals approach and evaluate their practice.
Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 expression identifies a subset of neutrophils during the antiviral response that contributes to postviral atopic airway disease

Background Viral respiratory tract infections increase the risk of development and exacerbation of atopic disease. Previously, we demonstrated the requirement for a neutrophil (PMN) subset expressing CD49d to drive development of postviral atopic airway disease in mice. Objective We sought to determine whether human CD49d + PMNs are present in the nasal mucosa during acute viral respiratory tract infections and further characterize this PMN subset in human subjects and mice. Methods Sixty subjects (5-50 years old) were enrolled within 4 days of acute onset of upper respiratory symptoms. Nasal lavage for flow cytometry and nasal swabs for viral PCR were performed at enrollment and during convalescence. The Sendai virus mouse model was used to investigate the phenotype and functional relevance of CD49d + PMNs. Results CD49d + PMN frequency was significantly higher in nasal lavage fluid during acute respiratory symptoms in all subjects (2.9% vs 1.0%, n = 42, P + PMNs represented a "proatopic" neutrophil subset that expressed cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1) and produced TNF, CCL2, and CCL5. Inhibition of CysLTR1 signaling in the first days of a viral respiratory tract infection was sufficient to reduce accumulation of CD49d + PMNs in the lungs and development of postviral atopic airway disease. Similar to the mouse, human CD49d + PMNs isolated from nasal lavage fluid during a viral respiratory tract infection expressed CysLTR1. Conclusion CD49d and CysLTR1–coexpressing PMNs are present during symptoms of an acute viral respiratory tract infection in human subjects. Further study is needed to examine selective targeting of proatopic neutrophils as a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent development of postviral atopic airway disease.
Reexamining the Unilateral Politics Model: Source of Authority and the Power to Act Alone

Recent work on the use of unilateral presidential directives suggests that a president’s ability to shape and act without the consent of Congress, the courts, and (often) the public is largely unchecked by traditional institutional arrangements. Yet, this work may underestimate the degree to which “unilateral” powers are shared between the branches. Since many unilateral powers are justified with interbranch authority, there should be variation in how and when these powers are used. Using a new database of over 8,000 presidential proclamations, we reexamine the logic of unilateral presidential powers in a shared power framework. For policy-based proclamations, those that are Congressionally-based do not follow the findings of the unilateral model while those that are executive office or constitutionally-based do, while ceremonial proclamations do not necessarily conform to either model and are politically-driven. These findings expand our understanding of the use of unilateral powers within the context of the separation of powers.
Gate Level NBTI and Leakage Co-Optimization in Combinational Circuits with Input Vector Cycling

Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) effect occurs in a PMOS transistor when turned ON leading to threshold voltage degradation. As sub-threshold leakage is significant in nanoscale CMOS circuits, input vector control can be employed wherein a Minimum Leakage Vector (MLV) is applied to the circuit during idle periods. In such a case, the ON PMOS transistors on the critical path are subject to NBTI stress for prolonged periods. Transistors can recover from stress when turned OFF. Based on this observation, we propose a vector cycling based leakage/NBTI co-optimization: a pair of MLVs are identified such that when applied alternately, on the critical path, PMOS transistors activated by one vector are turned OFF by the other vector. We employ Simulated Annealing (SA) for stochastic search of the first vector followed by back tracking to identify the second vector. Experimental results for a subset of ISCAS85 benchmarks implemented in 45 nm technology demonstrate the feasibility of vector cycling approach. When compared to leakage-only optimization, NBTI-only optimization, and co-optimization, on average, vector cycling yields 11, 3, and 6 percent NBTI improvements with 18, -9, and 4 percent leakage overheads respectively. The average area and dynamic power overheads are 13.78 and 0.15 percent respectively.
Behavior of Lung Health Parameters among Smokers and Secondhand Smokers.

A cross-sectional study on a pool of undergraduate smokers and nonsmokers ( ) was randomly selected from Notre Dame University, Lebanon. The study design is based on a questionnaire about the students’ smoking record exposure, cotinine saliva levels, and ventilatory lung function parameters. Despite the nonsmoking policies that have been recently established by universities, diffused smoking stations in proximity to classes and offices still exist, at least in the MENA region. Such an environment still imposes a remarkable effect on certain lung health parameters of nonsmokers exhibiting similar exhaled air per second (FEV1) to smokers with a value = 0.558 and normal flow of air (TV) with a value = 0.153. However, the maximum amount of air held in the lungs remained different with respect to sex and smoking status. These results imply a poor performance of nonsmokers mimicking partially the lung health parameters of smokers. It remains a pressing issue to increase awareness concerning the debilitating effects of secondhand smoking.
The Madness of Marginalization in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis

There have been many analyses of The Metamorphosis, but not necessarily anything devoted to the notion of victim, of one’s social marginalization, as the author of his own madness. No text explores the notion of victim as author, as artist, of his own madness better than this one as the character tries to maneuver his way within a social complex that is constantly denying him the ability to function as he is. Given that state of creative oppression, it is apparent that sooner or later the character will succumb to the oppression either through madness or death or both and the essay explores the nature of oppression, madness, and the relationship to the creative process.
Role of MRCP in Diagnosing Biliary Anastomotic Strictures After Liver Transplantation: A Single Tertiary Care Center Experience.

BackgroundBiliary strictures (BS) are common complication after liver transplantation. We aimed to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance cholagiopancreatography (MRCP) in diagnosing BS in liver transplant recipients (LTRs) when compared to direct cholangiographic methods (endoscopic resonance
Effects of free-edge interface angle on bi-material shear strength

Abstract The bonded interface between dissimilar materials is often the site of premature failures, especially when there is a stress singularity at the intersection of the interface and the free edge or surface. However, the singularities, which depend upon the elastic constants and the interior angles of the two materials, may vanish for certain ranges of these angles. Thus, proper selection of the interior angles offers the possibility of enhancing joint strength. In this work, the focus is on the shear strength of bonded aluminum-epoxy cylinders of uniform diameter under torsional loading and the effect of selecting angles for which the stress singularity at the edge disappears. A new boundary element framework is developed for pure shear loading to determine the power of the singularity for general interface angles and the value of the associated generalized stress intensity factor (GSIF), using a weighted traction axisymmetric torsional mode formulation. Physical experiments are conducted to examine whether changes in the interior angles produce differences in measured joint strength and failure patterns. Three different geometries are considered: a “concave” angle of 37° for the aluminum cylinder, a butt joint with 90° angles for both cylinders and a “convex” aluminum cylinder with an interior angle of 143°. Based upon elastic theory, the first two cases are associated with singularities, while the third is singularity-free. The experiments demonstrate that the joint shear strength can be greatly improved by avoiding stress singularities through the selection of a proper edge angle. From a physical perspective, this strength improvement is due to crack tortuosity, extensive adherence of epoxy to aluminum, and epoxy matrix spalling. Low strength specimens show rapid debonding and minimal adherence.
Rheumatoid cachexia: depletion of lean body mass in rheumatoid arthritis. Possible association with tumor necrosis factor.

OBJECTIVE To investigate body composition and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF) levels in a series of 24 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Body composition assessment by anthropometric measures and bioelectrical impedance. Cytokine determination in serum by ELISA: RESULTS When compared to United States population norms, 16 of the subjects (67%) were cachectic. In regression models, lean body mass (LBM) was inversely associated with the number of swollen joints (p < 0.025). Elevated TNF-alpha was found in 3 of 5 flaring patients vs 0 of 18 patients with less active disease (p = 0.001). These 3 were all cachectic, while the 2 flaring patients without detectable TNF had normal LBM (p < 0.03). Among the whole group, there was a trend toward increasing disability with decreased LBM after adjusting for joint pain and disease duration (p < 0.07). CONCLUSION Cachexia is common in RA, and may be cytokine driven. Given the prognostic impact of LBM wasting in other diseases, the effect of rheumatoid cachexia on outcome in RA deserves further study.
Chloride Currents in Lower Organisms

Any detailed discussion of cellular processes inevitably includes a consideration of their evolution, in both higher and lower organisms. This interest stems in part from general curiosity about the capabilities of lower organisms. However, the presence of such processes in organisms such as fungi and bacteria can be particularly useful, since these organisms afford rare opportunities for the genetic dissection frequently required to fully elucidate the cellular mechanism in question. In the case of chloride (Cl−) channels, however, their distribution and properties in lower organisms is poorly documented and generally little appreciated. This is due largely to the relative few numbers of studies of the electrical properties of membranes in lower animals relative, for instance, to higher invertebrates. This is compounded by the fact that, of those studies, by far the majority have tended to focus on more glamorous ions, such as sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), and potassium (K+).