cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly selective electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to ethanol by metallic clusters dynamically formed from atomically dispersed copper

Direct electrochemical conversion of CO2 to ethanol offers a promising strategy to lower CO2 emissions while storing energy from renewable electricity. However, current electrocatalysts offer only limited selectivity toward ethanol. Here we report a carbon-supported copper (Cu) catalyst, synthesized by an amalgamated Cu–Li method, that achieves a single-product Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 91% at −0.7 V (versus the reversible hydrogen electrode) and onset potential as low as −0.4 V (reversible hydrogen electrode) for electrocatalytic CO2-to-ethanol conversion. The catalyst operated stably over 16 h. The FE of ethanol was highly sensitive to the initial dispersion of Cu atoms and decreased significantly when CuO and large Cu clusters become predominant species. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy identified a reversible transformation from atomically dispersed Cu atoms to Cun clusters (n = 3 and 4) on application of electrochemical conditions. First-principles calculations further elucidate the possible catalytic mechanism of CO2 reduction over Cun. Electrocatalytically reducing CO2 to ethanol can provide renewably generated fuel, but catalysts are often poorly selective for this conversion. Here the authors use a Cu catalyst to produce ethanol with high selectivity. Cu dispersion is key to the performance and operando studies indicate that it changes under reaction conditions.
Seed source pattern and terrain have scale-dependent effects on post-fire tree recovery

Distance to seed source is often used to estimate seed dispersal—a process needed for post-fire tree recovery. However, distance, especially in mountainous terrain, does not capture pattern or scale-dependent effects controlling seed supply and delivery. Measuring seed source pattern (area and arrangement) could provide insights on how these spatial dynamics shape recovery. We tested metrics and investigated how seed source pattern, tree regeneration traits, scale, and terrain interact to shape post-fire tree recovery. Our research questions were: Does seed source pattern outperform distance when modeling tree species presence and regeneration density? If yes, does seed source pattern have scale-dependent or terrain-dependent effects on regeneration density? We measured seed source pattern at nested spatial extents around 71 plots and related measurements to local post-fire tree recovery. We used generalized linear models to test metrics and visualize scale-dependent and terrain-dependent effects on regeneration density. Distance sufficiently modeled presence, but seed source pattern outperformed distance when modeling regeneration density. Relevant spatial extents and relationships were species-dependent. For wind-dispersed species, regeneration was associated with more seed source area and more complex arrangements, but terrain mediated these relationships. For serotinous and resprouting species, regeneration was associated with less seed source area and less complex arrangements, which are consistent with high-severity burn sites that promote recovery. Seed source pattern supports spatial resilience and interacts with scale and terrain to shape regeneration density. Accounting for these spatial dynamics could help steward forests facing changing fire regimes.
"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness": Middle-Class Job Creation

The U.S. Declaration of Independence proclaims that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are basic and God-given. Yet the pursuit of happiness has often been equated with the p...
Does HUD Overpay for Voucher Units, and Will SAFMRs Reduce the Overpayment?

Small Area Fair Market Rents is an important reform of HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Program. One argument for them is that they would reduce overpayment for voucher units in low-rent neighborhoods. This leads to the belief that the benefits of SAFMRs can be funded largely by reductions in landlord profits rather than by losses to voucher recipients who remain in low-rent areas. The usual theoretical argument that has led many to believe that voucher units are overpriced focuses on one implication of one feature of the Housing Choice Voucher program. This article provides a more comprehensive theoretical analysis that leads to the conclusion that the worst voucher units and those in the worst neighborhoods will usually rent for more than the mean market rent of identical units, and the best units in the best neighborhoods will rent for less than this amount. The debate over this matter has ignored the bulk of the available evidence. This article summarizes and assesses the data, methods, and results of the major studies. The evidence is consistent with the general pattern predicted by the comprehensive theoretical analysis but also with an alternative explanation that challenges its interpretation as overpayments and underpayments for voucher units. The mix of units with estimated overpayments and underpayments varies across studies, but the weight of the evidence is that the aggregate differences are modest. Finally, the evidence available indicates that SAFMRs will decrease the rents paid for voucher units with any specified set of characteristics in the worst neighborhoods and will increase the rents of such units in the best neighborhoods.
Possible impacts of molten salt reactors on the International Monitoring System.

Abstract Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are gaining support as many countries look for ways to increase power generation and replace aging nuclear energy production facilities. MSRs have inherently safe designs, are scalable in size, can burn transuranic wastes from traditional solid fuel nuclear reactors, can store excess heat in thermal reservoirs for water desalination, and can be used to produce medical isotopes as part of the real-time liquid-fuel recycling process. The ability to remove 135Xe in real time from the fuel improves the power production in an MSR because 135Xe is the most significant neutron-absorbing isotope generated by nuclear fission. Xenon-135, and other radioactive gases, are removed by sparging the fuel with an inert gas while the liquid fuel is recirculated from the reactor inner core through the heat exchangers. Without effective abatement technologies, large amounts of radioactive gas could be released during the sparging process. This work examines the potential impact of radioxenon releases on samplers used by the International Monitoring System (IMS) to detect nuclear explosions. Atmospheric transport simulations from seven hypothetical MSRs on different continents were used to evaluate the holdup time needed before release of radioxenon so IMS samplers would register few detections. Abatement technologies that retain radioxenon isotopes for at least 120 d before their release will be needed to mitigate the impacts from a molten salt breeder reactor used to replace a nuclear power plant. A holdup time of about 150 d is needed to reduce emissions to the average level of current nuclear power plants.
Matrix Power, Determinant and Polynomials

Commonly used approaches to calculating large matrix powers require the eigenvalues of matrices, and often eigenvalue computation can become a demanding and tedious work [3]. Abu-Saris and Ahmad provided in their paper [1] an approach that makes use of polynomials to calculate large powers of matrices. Their approach does not require eigenvalue calculation. The approach begins with the characteristic polynomial of square matrices, and continues with the use of the division algorithm along with the application of Cayley-Hamilton Theorem [2, p.210]. This approach produces a recursive algorithm for the computation of the coefficients of polynomials [1].
Crowdsourcing medical expertise in near real time

Given the pace of discovery in medicine, accessing the literature to make informed decisions at the point of care has become increasingly difficult. Although the Internet creates unprecedented access to information, gaps in the medical literature and inefficient searches often leave healthcare providers' questions unanswered. Advances in social computation and human computer interactions offer a potential solution to this problem. We developed and piloted the mobile application DocCHIRP, which uses a system of point-to-multipoint push notifications designed to help providers problem solve by crowdsourcing from their peers. Over the 244-day pilot period, 85 registered users logged 1544 page views and sent 45 consult questions. The median initial first response from the crowd occurred within 19 minutes. Review of the transcripts revealed several dominant themes, including complex medical decision making and inquiries related to prescription medication use. Feedback from the post-trial survey identified potential hurdles related to medical crowdsourcing, including a reluctance to expose personal knowledge gaps and the potential risk for "distracted doctoring." Users also suggested program modifications that could support future adoption, including changes to the mobile interface and mechanisms that could expand the crowd of participating healthcare providers.
Blast simulator considerations for testing symmetrical specimens

An increasing number of studies use blast simulators to assess blast exposure as a potential mechanism for traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, and tissue damage to the eye and ear. However, the small diameter of many blast simulators limits specimen size, and it is often not feasible to test a full-scale dummy or cadaver head. It has been suggested that a plane of symmetry could be used to model realistic boundary conditions for a smaller portion of a symmetrical object. Therefore, test fixtures that occluded either 10% or 20% of the cross-sectional area of the tube were tested with and without a plane of symmetry to assess the effect of object size and the plane of symmetry. Static pressure along the tube wall and reflected pressure on the surface of the fixture were measured. Each test was conducted in duplicate at 70 kPa, 140 kPa, and 210 kPa to simulate survivable, but increasingly severe blasts. Tests with the plane of symmetry produced pressure traces that more accurately simulated idealized Friedlander waveforms. Peak overpressure and positive duration were similar in magnitude for both the 10% and 20% occlusion fixtures when the plane of symmetry was used. Future studies using blast simulators to test large, symmetrical specimens such as the human head should consider using a POS and limiting occluded area to <;20% to accurately model the in vivo response to blast overpressure.
Etretinate Therapy Causes Increases in Lipid Levels in Patients With Psoriasis

† We investigated changes in serum triglyceride, cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) levels during etretinate administration in 21 patients with psoriasis. Mean serum triglyceride and cholesterol values showed a statistically significant increase during etretinate therapy compared with placebo treatment; mean HDLC levels did not change. During etretinate therapy, elevations out of the normal range occurred in 77% of the patients for serum triglycerides and in 25% for serum cholesterol. Eight weeks after discontinuation of the drug regimen, patients' mean serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were not statistically different from those found prior to therapy. Nevertheless, eight weeks after therapy had been stopped, six (32%) of 19 patients had cholesterol values that were still 20% or more above their baseline levels; the prolonged etretinate excretion time could have been responsible. The mechanisms for the etretinate-induced lipid elevations are unknown. ( Arch Dermatol 1982;118:559-562)
Episome-like behaviour of donor DNA in transformed strains of Neurospora crassa.

TRANSFORMATION is a well established process for the transfer of genetic information in bacteria1,2. Although such a system in higher organisms remains to be fully elucidated, certain features of gene transfer in eukaryotes have similarities with bacterial transformation3. The occurrence of inositol-independent (inl+) transformants has been reported in Neurospora when an inositol requiring (inl−) mutant strain (89601) is treated with a wild-type (RL3-8A) DNA preparation4,5. Although these transformants are stable for inositol independence (inl+) during the somatic cell cycle they differ in the ability to transmit this character to their sexual progeny. Essentially there are two groups of transformants, one capable of Mendelian transmission and another showing only a rare non-Mendelian transmission of the transformed character (inl+)5 (Table 1). Such differences in modes of genetic transmission can be explained if the donor DNA exists as an episome in the transformed strains. Thus the physical status of the episomes determines the Mendelian and non-Mendelian transmission of the genetic character controlled by them. When integrated they are transmitted in a Mendelian way like any other chromosomal gene; whereas in the non-integrated (autonomous) form their nucleolytic degradation (or slow replication followed by segregation) during meiosis can lead to non-Mendelian transmission. This hypothesis is supported by demonstration of a continued aberrant transmission of the inositol independence to the sexual progeny in the subsequent generations5. Here we describe experiments which establish further the validity of the above hypothesis.
Developmental Aspects of Memory for Spatial Location.

Abstract The purpose was to show whether or not the encoding of location met criteria defining an automatic process ( L. Hasher & R. T. Zacks, 1979 , Journal of Experimental Psychology: General , 108 , 356–388; 1984, American Psychologist , 39 , 1372–1388). Among other criteria, automatic processes are not expected to show developmental changes beyond an early age, to be unrelated to intelligence level, and to be unaffected by instructions. In the first experiment preschool through sixth-grade children were compared on a 40-picturebook task following incidental (remember the names of pictures) or intentional (remember location) instruction. Subjects viewed and named pictures in sets of four, arranged in quadrants in the opened book, and then attempted to recall names of the objects pictured and to relocate pictures on blank pages. In the second experiment, second and sixth graders, college students, elderly persons, and mentally retarded persons were compared on a 60-picturebook task following either incidental or semantic incidental instructions (give the function of objects pictured). Memory for location was invariant across age groups and intelligence level. The only exception was that 3 and 4 year olds were more accurate following intentional instructions. Otherwise there were no differences between intentional and incidental instructions. Semantic instructions resulted in slightly more accurate locations. The results were interpreted as supporitve of the Hasher and Zacks' automaticity hypothesis.
Epidemic Depression and Burtonian Melancholy

Abstract Data indicate the ubiquity and rapid increase of depression wherever war, want and social upheaval are found. The goal of this paper is to clarify such claims and draw conceptual distinctions separating the depressive states that are pathological from those that are normal and normative responses to misfortune. I do so by appeal to early modern writing on melancholy by Robert Burton, where the inchoate and boundless nature of melancholy symptoms are emphasized; universal suffering is separated from the disease states known as melancholy or melancholia, and normal temperamental variation is placed in contrast to such disease states. In Burton's time these distinctions and characterizations could be secured by the anchoring tenets of humoral theory. Without such anchoring, and in light of the findings and assumptions of today's biological diagnostic psychiatry, we must re-visit each of them. My goals here are to show the need for analytic foundations when claims are made about depression such as th...
Dynamic analysis of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the normal and flocculectomized chinchilla.

Abstract The dynamics of the vestibulo-ocular reflex in the chinchilla produce compensatory eye movements which are 180° out of phase with head movements only at frequencies of rotation above 0.2 Hz if no visual fixation point is present. Below 0.2 Hz, eye position leads normalized head position (head position −180°) by as much as 60°. With a visual fixation point present, eye movements are in phase with normalized head movements throughout the entire frequency range tested (0.03 to 1.0 Hz). After bilateral flocculectomy, eye position leads normalized head position by the same amount in the presence and absence of a visual fixation point. In addition, the low frequency phase lead of the vestibulo-ocular reflex is greater in the flocculectomized animal than in the normal animal. A model is developed which accounts for both observed postflocculectomy phenomena.
Analysis of metallic fuels by laser ablation

A hot cell-based solid sampling system has been developed for application to the analyses of irradiated materials such as metallic reactor fuel from a nuclear reactor, and radioactive waste forms. This system employs one of two sampling techniques, glow discharge or laser ablation, for introduction of material into one of two instruments for analysis, either a time of flight mass spectrometer or an inductively coupled argon plasma-atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). This paper will discuss using ICP-AES for the analysis of major, minor and trace constituents in an unirradiated U-10 wt % Zr metallic reactor fuel. The behavior of highly refractory elements, such as Zr, in the laser ablation process will be examined in detail. Additional corroborative data provided via scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) will be presented.
Restoring the resting potential brings maturity to induced stem cell-derived human cardiac myocytes.

Reprogramming of mature human cells to produce the equivalent of embryonic stem cells offers exciting possibilities for therapeutic tissue repair and artificial organs. A more immediate benefit is the possibility of testing potential new drugs and other therapies in human cells of any type that can easily be created in vitro without the use of human blastocysts and with a minimum of invasive procedures in patients. Fundamental research in embryology lead to the identification of growth factors that could be used to force cultured embryonic stem cells to differentiate into mature adult cells including atrial and ventricular cardiac myocytes. This work grew out of the initial approach of allowing the harvesting and subculturing regions of embryos growing in vitro that showed spontaneous beating. A spectacular advance came in 2006 when Takahashi and Yamanaka 1 showed that mouse or human adult fibroblasts could revert to pluripotent stem cells when exposed to 4 factors: Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 under embryonic stem cell culture conditions. In 2012, Yamanaka received the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for this work, which he shared with Gurdon, who showed in l962 that the specialization of mature cells can be reversed by transplantation of a frog intestinal cell nucleus into a frog egg. By the time of this award, substantial work by others had shown what additional factors or conditions are needed to cause the so-called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells to differentiate into adult cardiac myocytes or other cellular components including vascular and endothelial cells. 2 In the heart, embryonic development and tissue differentiation is accompanied by important changes in the electrical activity that alter the cardiac action potential and underlying ionic currents. While the genome must contain sequence information for all ion channels in the heart and other tissues, the expression of the ion channels varies with the stage of embryonic development and with anatomic location. In the embryonic hearts of vertebrates, the action potential of the immature ventricle is similar to that found in the adult sinoatrial node. Specifically, there is spontaneous diastolic depolarization (the pacemaker potential) with a relatively low maximum diastolic potential in immature atrial and ventricular cells, which disappears during development. The upstroke of the action potential is mediated by calcium channels in the early embryo and by sodium channels in the late embryo and adult. The action potential upstroke becomes increasingly rapid during embryonic development, as demonstrated by Nathan and DeHaan 3 in the chick heart. Mature atrial and ventricular cells have a resting potential that is due to predominant permeability to potassium and is approximately � 90 mV, which is the potassium equilibrium
Nephrology in the 21st century: Revolutionary changes

The new millennium will be characterized by revolutionary changes in medical practice, including nephrology. These changes will occur as a result of the translation of fundamental discoveries or developments in molecular genetics, informatics, cyberbiology, and cyberpharmacology. The dialysis population may shrink as a consequence of new and effective therapies or preventive strategies in renal disease. The organization of medical practice will evolve into new, integrated systems of care. The disparity between the "haves" and the "have-nots" will widen. Profound challenges and opportunities await nephrology in the new millennium.
Oil as a finite resource

Fossil fuels are finite and nonrenewable. In due course, they will become scarce and costly. Their role in powering modern economies is so vital as to warrant a review of ultimately recoverable reserves and of plausible future consumption patterns. Over the past 50 years, many oil companies, geologists, governments, and private corporations have performed scores of studies of Estimated Ultimately Recoverable (EUR) global oil. Taken together, the great majority of these studies reflect a consensus that EUR oil reserves lie within the range of 1800 to 2200 billion barrels. Given this range, a simple model is used to calculate that world oil production is likely to peak sometime between 2007 and 2019. The global transportation sector, almost totally dependent on oil, could be especially hard hit unless vehicles fueled by sources other than petroleum are developed and rapidly deployed.
COMPARATIVE KINETIC STUDIES OF PHOSPHATE‐LIMITED GROWTH AND PHOSPHATE UPTAKE IN PHYTOPLANKTON IN CONTINUOUS CULTURE1

A comparative kinetic study of phosphate-limited growth and phosphate uptake was carried out in chemostat cultures of Anabaena flos-aquae Lyng. Breb., Ankistrodesmus falcatus (Corda) Ralfs, Asterionella formosa Hass., Fragilaria crotonensis Kitt., and Microcystis sp. Lemm. For each test organism the growth rate (μ) can be described as a function of total cell phosphorus (P), i.e. cell quota (q), or hot-water-extractable P (qsp). Phosphate uptake rate in each species examined was a function of external P concentration (S) and intracellular P levels. The substrate parameter for uptake (Km) remained constant at all growth rates, but the apparent maximum uptake rate (Vm') increased with decreasing μ, or q, in all test organisms. At low growth rates Vm' was greater than the calculated steady-state uptake rate (μq) by two to three orders of magnitude because Vm' is the uptake rate at S ≫ Km and μq is the rate at S ≪ Km. The difference between Vm' and μm decreased and virtually disappeared as μ approached the physiological maximum growth rate (μm), where q = qm and S ≫ Km. An inverse relationship existed between Vm' and qsp which could be described by a function that mathematically resembles noncompetitive inhibition in enzyme kinetics. The inverse relation between Vm' and (q – q0) was described by a three-parameter function. This empirical function provided a good description of this inverse relation over the range from Vm' at q approaching q0 up to and including calculated net, maximum uptake rates at q = qm.
CMOS-compatible fabrication of thermopiles with high sensitivity in the 3–5 μm atmospheric window

Abstract A CMOS-compatible process is proposed for the fabrication of thermopiles with high sensitivity in the 3–5 μm window, suited for use in non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) or photo acoustic (PA) gas sensors. Since CMOS passivation layers present low infrared absorption at those wavelengths, an interferometric absorbing layer based on thin metals with a dielectric spacer is adopted and embedded in the fabrication process. Different CMOS-compatible thermoelement designs are investigated and compared in terms of performance, considering Al/n-polysilicon, Al/p-polysilicon and p-/n-polysilicon solutions. Electrical tests on the fabricated devices indicate a noise equivalent power of about 0.76 nW for 1 mm2 wide p-/n-polysilicon thermopiles, which makes such devices applicable in NDIR or PA-based sensing of relevant gases like CO, CO2, N2O or CH4 having absorption lines in the 3–5 μm wavelength range.
Engineering change: methodology and applications to behavioral and system synthesis

Due to the unavoidable need for system debugging, performance tuning, and adaptation to new standards, the engineering change (EC) methodology has emerged as one of the crucial components in synthesis of systems-on-chip. We introduce a novel design methodology which facilitates design-for-EC and post-processing to enable EC with minimal perturbation. Initially, as a synthesis pre-processing step, the original design specification is augmented with additional design constraints which ensure flexibility for future correction. Upon alteration of the initial design, a novel post-processing technique achieves the desired functionality with a near-minimal perturbation of the initially optimized design. The key contribution we introduce is a constraint manipulation technique which enables reduction of an arbitrary EC problem into its corresponding classical synthesis problem. As a result, in both pre- and post-processing for EC, classical synthesis algorithms can be used to enable flexibility and perform the correction process. We demonstrate the developed EC methodology on a set of behavioral and system synthesis tasks.
Rhetorical invention in the regency crisis pamphlets

Rhetorical invention represents a significant problem for the propagandist assigned to produce public discourse during a protracted political controversy. What postures should he assume and how should he time his material? The British Regency Crisis of 1788–89, in which Pittites and Foxites fought for office when George III went insane, saw political propagandists write eighty pamphlets for public consumption, pamphlets which illustrate inventional strategies. Reportorial and argumentative stances were taken often in the early months, while judgmental (personal) and quasi‐poetic stances dominated the later portions of the dispute. Language intensity increased as the Crisis progressed.
A Memory Organization for an Elementary List-Processing Computer

This paper presents an elementary computer memory organization capable of direct representation and manipulation of simple linear lists. A conventional random-access memory is used in conjunction with a group of address and word-length registers to store and manipulate single-link list words. Four typical list-processing macroinstructions, INSERT, DELETE, SEARCH, and EXECUTE, are illustrated and a sequence of microsteps for accomplishing each is given.
Effects of Nd:YAG laser energy on the arterial wall: evaluation of a new contact delivery system.

Abstract Although there has been much recent interest in the application of lasers to arterial occlusive disease, a detailed understanding of the effects of laser energy on vessel walls is lacking. This study compared the effect of a conventional, non-contact delivery system of Nd:YAG laser energy to a contact system using a 600 μm, artificial sapphire tip in eight mongrel dogs. A small section of the luminal surface of the carotid and femoral arteries was exposed to 10 or 15 joules of Nd:YAG laser power and flow was restored in the vessel. The animals were sacrificed at 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 30 days and the vessels were removed. The surface area of the laser injury for each artery was quantitated by computerized planimetry and all histologic sections were examined under light microscopy by an independent observer. Transmural necrosis occurred in 64% ( 20 31 ) of the non-contact lesions versus only 29% ( 9 31 ) of the contact lesions (P
The effects of deposition conditions and annealing temperature on the performance of gallium tin zinc oxide thin film transistors

In this work the performance of bottom gate thin film transistors (TFTs) with transparent amorphous gallium tin zinc oxide (GSZO) active layers fabricated by radio frequency sputter deposition using a single GSZO target on SiO 2 /Si wafers will be presented. Trap density and its energetic distribution, and oxygen chemisorption were found to play a critical role in determining the operational characteristics of the device, all of which can be controlled by the oxygen incorporation and substrate temperature during deposition, along with the post-deposition annealing. In addition device instability, with respect to the electrical stress and optical illumination, can be suppressed by suitably tailoring these parameters. TFTs exhibiting a drain current (I D ) of 10 -6 A and on/off current ratio (I on/off ) of 10 6 was achieved. A stable TFT has been achieved under electrical stress for 2% oxygen flow exhibiting ΔV T as low as ~0.5 V for 3hr stress under a gate bias of 1.2 and 12 V, with good optical stability.
Aspects of language lateralization correlated with familial handedness.

Abstract Tachistoscopic visual half-field recognition for trigrams (meaningful and nonsense syllables, and consonant and vowel strings) was assessed in male and female university students (N=48; 24M, 24F). Visual field lateralization for meaningful and consonant trigrams (not, however, nonsense and vowel) was significantly correlated with family history of handedness but not subject's own handedness. Analysis by sex showed similar but higher correlations for males than for females. Factors affecting the selective lateralization of certain types of linguistic stimuli, as well as the sex differences found, are discussed. A possible explanation for the relationship between language lateralization and handedness is presented.
Parenteral feeding alters the fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids of rabbits.

Background Cholestatic liver disease develops in 30% to 70% of neonates receiving total parental nutrition (TPN). We analyzed the fatty acid composition of serum phospholipids from control and TPN-fed rabbits to determine if TPN altered the fatty acid profile. Methods Eleven male New Zealand White rabbits aged 9 to 11 weeks received TPN, whereas 11 other rabbits were offered standard laboratory rabbit chow ad libitum. After 14 days on the prescribed diet, serum samples were analyzed for their phospholipid fatty acid content by gas chromatography. Results The proportions of palmitolenic (16:2n7), alpha-linolenic (18:3n3), arachidic (20:0), and eicosaenoic (20:1n9) acids were significantly lower in the serum phospholipids of the TPN-fed animals compared with the control group. The proportion of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3), a fatty acid that is critical to the development of the nervous system, was increased two- to threefold. Conclusions The differences in proportions of fatty acids observed between control and TPN-fed animals indicate that a fatty acid elongation and desaturation pathways are perturbed in rabbits on TPN.
Elution of fibrinogen and other plasma proteins from unmodified and from lecithin-coated polystyrene—divinylbenzene beads

Abstract We have developed a method for the rapid, quantitative elution of fibrinogen adsorbed alone from aqueous solution to unmodified and to lecithin-coated polystyrene—divinylbenzene beads. More than 98% of adsorbed fibrinogen is eluted from these beads by a single exposure to an aqueous solution containing 4% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate and 5% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol. The efficiency of elution is maintained even if beads have been exposed for 24 h at 37°C to solutions containing fibrinogen. In addition to fibrinogen, other proteins that adsorb from plasma to these beads are rapidly and efficiently removed using this formulation. Thus, the SDS 2-ME reagent, in conjunction with the bead system, can be used effectively to identify and quantitate proteins and regions of proteins that adsorb to surfaces in contact with blood, and to probe the role of surfaces in the biologic processing of these proteins.
Trading Off Longer Life for Worsening Health The Expansion of Morbidity Hypothesis

This article demonstrates and explains why future declines in mortality will have a diminishing effect on the metric of life expectancy but a large impact on the size of future elderly cohorts. Additionally, the article addresses a hypothesis in which it is argued that morbidity and disability will decline and become compressed into a shorter duration of time before death. Although studies have demonstrated that declining mortality can lead to worsening health, what is missing from the literature is a formal mechanistic hypothesis that describes why this phenomenon takes place. Two primary mechanisms are identified. One is based on arguments in which medical technology is identified to improve the survival of those with disabling conditions; the other is that declining mortality from fatal diseases leads to a shift in the distribution of causes of disability from fatal to nonfatal diseases of aging. Procedures for testing this hypothesis are discussed.
Quantitation and clinical significance of urinary fat.

Abstract Total urinary lipids were measured in patients. The patients without known lipid abnormalities showed a well-defined range of urinary fat. A group of acutely intoxicated patients with neurological signs and symptoms had abnormally high levels of lipuria. These findings are consistent with the literature that acute alcoholic psychosis may be due in part to fat-embolism from fatty livers.
Analysis of Explosive Bonding Parameters

Tantalum liners have been successfully bonded to the inside surface of an M242 Bushmaster barrel using a low-detonation velocity explosive. This report examines the governing equations of the explosive bonding process as they apply to this particular situation. The relevant properties of other high-strength tantalum alloys are investigated to see if they are suitable candidate materials. Parameters under consideration are the values of critical impact pressure, the critical flow transition velocity, the critical angle for jet formation, and the maximum flyer plate velocity. Plots are provided to indicate the bounds of the parameters that will make a strong mechanical bond.
Manganese toxicity upon overexposure

Manganese (Mn) is a required element and a metabolic byproduct of the contrast agent mangafodipir trisodium (MnDPDP). The Mn released from MnDPDP is initially sequestered by the liver for first-pass elimination, which allows an enhanced contrast for diagnostic imaging. The administration of intravenous Mn impacts its homeostatic balance in the human body and can lead to toxicity. Human Mn deficiency has been reported in patients on parenteral nutrition and in micronutrient studies. Mn toxicity has been reported through occupational (e.g. welder) and dietary overexposure and is evidenced primarily in the central nervous system, although lung, cardiac, liver, reproductive and fetal toxicity have been noted. Mn neurotoxicity results from an accumulation of the metal in brain tissue and results in a progressive disorder of the extrapyramidal system which is similar to Parkinson's disease. In order for Mn to distribute from blood into brain tissue, it must cross either the blood-brain barrier (BBB) or the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCB). Brain import, with no evidence of export, would lead to brain Mn accumulation and neurotoxicity. The mechanism for the neurodegenerative damage specific to select brain regions is not clearly understood. Disturbances in iron homeostasis and the valence state of Mn have been implicated as key factors in contributing to Mn toxicity. Chelation therapy with EDTA and supplementation with levodopa are the current treatment options, which are mildly and transiently efficacious. In conclusion, repeated administration of Mn, or compounds that readily release Mn, may increase the risk of Mn-induced toxicity.
Libraries and the implications of computer technology

This paper examines the potential impact of computer and information technology on the role and mission of the library. In an indirect, but no less significant sense it also considers the impact of the library on the technology. The specific concerns focus on the library as a mechanism for making computer and information technology directly available to the public. The paper also reviews a pilot project being conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology involving the Newark and Millburn public libraries in New Jersey.
Claiming the high ground: theories of imperial authority and the British hill stations in India

Abstract By the 1880s, imperial government's practice of ‘retreating’ to the Indian hill stations for much of the year was well established. Despite the strength of this new tradition, such a relocation of colonial administration never lacked its critics. This paper examines the expanding administrative use of the hill stations from the early nineteenth century through the 1880s. As the nineteenth century ‘scientific’ framework for British control of India was formed, conflicting strategies and practices for maintaining imperial control required mediation and contrasting frameworks for defining duty and loyalty between government and subject vied for dominance. The significance of Utilitarian thought, changing appraisals of climate and constructions of race are evaluated in an analysis of the imperial hill stations.
Normal Cervical Alignment

There are several distinct anatomical regions of the cervical spine including the craniocervical junction, C1-C2 articulation, subaxial spine, and cervicothoracic junction. Each of these highly specialized areas plays a unique role in facilitating neck motion in all 3 planes. This article will review each of the unique anatomical regions of the cervical spine and describe the normal axial, coronal, and sagittal plane alignment and kinematics.
Mortality trends among Alaska Native people: successes and challenges.

Background. Current mortality rates are essential for monitoring, understanding and developing policy for a population’s health. Disease-specific Alaska Native mortality rates have been undergoing change. Objective. This article reports recent mortality data (20042008) for Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) people, comparing mortality rates to US white rates and examines changes in mortality patterns since 1980. Design. We used death record data from the state of Alaska, Department of Vital Statistics and SEER*Stat software from the National Cancer Institute to calculate age-adjusted mortality rates. Results. Annual age-adjusted mortality from all-causes for AN/AI persons during the period 2004-2008 was 33% higher than the rate for US whites (RR=1.33, 95% CI 1.29-1.38). Mortality rates were higher among AN/AI males than AN/AI females (1212/100,000 vs. 886/100,000). Cancer remained the leading cause of death among AN/AI people, as it has in recent previous periods, with an age-adjusted rate of 226/100,000, yielding a rate ratio (RR) of 1.24 compared to US whites (95% CI 1.14-1.33). Statistically significant higher mortality compared to US white mortality rates was observed for nine of the ten leading causes of AN/ AI mortality (cancer, unintentional injury, suicide, alcohol abuse, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], cerebrovascular disease, chronic liver disease, pneumonia/influenza, homicide). Mortality rates were significantly lower among AN/AI people compared to US whites for heart disease (RR=0.82), the second leading cause of death. Among leading causes of death for AN/AI people, the greatest disparities in mortality rates with US whites were observed in unintentional injuries (RR=2.45) and suicide (RR=3.53). All-cause AN/AI mortality has declined 16% since 1980-1983, compared to a 21% decline over a similar period among US whites. Conclusion. Mortality rates and trends are essential to understanding the health of a population and guiding policy decisions. The overall AN/AI mortality rate is higher than that of US whites, although encouraging declines in mortality have occurred for many cause specific deaths, as well as for the overall rate. The second leading cause of AN/AI mortality, heart disease, remains lower than that of US whites. Keywords: Native American; unintentional injury; suicide; death; vital statistics (Published: 5 August 2013) This paper is part of Supplement 1, 2013, ICCH15 Proceedings . More papers from this Supplement can be found here . Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2013, 72 : 21185 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21185
RHEOLOGICAL CHANGES IN CRACKER SPONGES DURING the FIRST FIVE HOURS of FERMENTATION1

Reconstitution and interchange studies of gluten, starch, and water soluble fractions from no- and 5-h fermentation sponges showed that gluten was altered and was responsible for the early rheological changes in cracker sponges. It was also shown that breaking of disulfide bonds was responsible for those changes. the “slurry” or inoculum was found to have the greatest effect on rheological properties. Chemical agents, such as sodium bisulfite, cysteine, and glutathione, were effective in reducing the resistance-to-extension of cracker sponges at higher pH levels. However, those effects were eliminated by the lactic acid produced in the sponge during fermentation. Therefore, the changes in rheology occurring early in fermentation do not appear to be important in cracker baking.
Oxidation of fatty acids in cultured fibroblasts: a model system for the detection and study of defects in oxidation

A number of recently described inherited disorders interfere with the oxidation of fatty acids. In these disorders at least three different metabolic steps may be affected: (1) transport of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria as in carnitine deficiency and carnitine palmitoyl transferase deficiency (CPT); (2) multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency or glutaric aciduria type II (GAII) due presumably to a defective common electron transfering flavoprotein or iron sulfur flavoprotein; (3) specific long or medium chain fatty acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency as in inherited dicarboxylic aciduria. In order to develop a system for the detection and the study of the consequences of defects such as these on the oxidation of fatty acids, we investigated the metabolism of oleate (18 carbons), octanoate (eight carbons) and butyrate (four carbons) in intact cultured fibroblasts from patients with CPT deficiency, GAII, and dicarboxylic aciduria. In CPT deficient cells there was a markedly deficient ability to oxidize [1-14C] and [U-14C] oleate (19 and 5% of normal, respectively), whereas oxidations of [1-14C] octanoate and [1,4-14C] succinate were significantly increased (150 and 222%, respectively), and [1-14C] butyrate oxidation was normal. GAII cells displayed a nearly complete defect in the oxidation of [1-14C] and [U-14C] oleate (8 and 1%, respectively), as well as of [1-14C] octanoate and [1-14C] butyrate (8 and 5% of normal, respectively). The oxidation of [1,4-14C] succinate by GAII cells was normal. Cells from a patient with dicarboxylic aciduria showed a significant reduction in [14CO2] production from [U-14C] oleate (57%) and [1-14C] octanoate (31%) and a normal oxidation of [1-14C] oleate, [1-14C] butyrate, and [1,4-14C] succinate. These observations are consistent with available information on the normal metabolism of fatty acids in liver and muscle and also with the hypothesis about the molecular localization of the defects in GAII and inherited dicarboxylic aciduria. They demonstrate that intact cultured skin fibroblasts represent a reliable and convenient model for the investigation of fatty acid oxidation in man. Many aspects of the human acyl CoA dehydrogenases and their physiologic functions remain unknown, among them the problem of their acyl chain length specificity. Studies in cultured fibroblasts from patients with presumed mutations affecting the metabolism of fatty acids provide a means for the elucidation of these defects and at the same time give information on normal metabolic functions. It appears likely that a number of previously unrecognized defects in this area of metabolism remain to be found. The availability of a model system for their study in cultured fibroblasts should facilitate their discovery.
Frequency-domain and multirate adaptive filtering

An overview is presented of several frequency-domain adaptive filters that efficiently process discrete-time signals using block and multirate filtering techniques. These algorithms implement a linear convolution that is equivalent to a block time-domain adaptive filter, or they generate a circular convolution that is an approximation. Both approaches exploit the computational advantages of the FFT. Subband adaptive filtering is also briefly described. Here the input data are first processed by a bank of narrowband bandpass filters that are approximately nonoverlapping. The transformed signals are then decimated by a factor that depends on the degree of aliasing that can be tolerated, resulting in a large computational savings. Several performance issues are considered, including convergence properties and computational complexities of the adaptive algorithms and the effects of circular convolution and aliasing on the converged filter coefficients. >
Review: Evidence on PPIs for nonspecific chronic cough in adults with gastroesophageal reflux disease is inconsistent

Source Citation Chang AB, Lasserson TJ, Gaffney J, Connor FL, Garske LA. Gastro-oesophageal reflux treatment for prolonged non-specific cough in children and adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 201...
A Model for Automotive Windshield Washer Spray Delivered by a Fluidic Nozzle

Locating the spray nozzle to provide optimum coverage of the windshield under a wide range of driving conditions is largely a trial-and-error experimental process for the designer. In this paper a computational model is presented that will initially locate the nozzle and thus reduce wind-tunnel and/or road test time. The computer program is easy to use and the calculation time is short on a 486 PC. Comparisons between model and experiment are presented which show that the model generally predicts the experimental strike point to within 13 per cent. Parametric studies show the effects of spray velocity, car speed, fluid density, droplet size and nozzle location.
Studies on the chemical modification of staphylococcal enterotoxin B. II. Carboxyl residues

Abstract The carboxyl groups in staphylococcal enterotoxin B were modified with glycine methyl ester in the presence of water soluble carbodiimide. All of the 39 carboxyl groups were quantitatively modified when the reaction was carried out in the presence of 6 M guanidine · HCl. In the absence of denaturing reagent only 26–29 residues were available for reaction. These carboxyl groups were considered as “free” carboxyl groups. Modification of free carboxyl groups in enterotoxin B has a slight effect on the antigen-antibody reaction and fluorescence properties, but has little or no effect on the emetic activity. The emetic activity was lost when 35 or more carboxyl groups were modified. Expansion of enterotoxin B molecules has been observed after modification. The role of carboxyl groups on the biological and structural function in enterotoxin B is discussed.