cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New aspects of vitamin D metabolism and action - addressing the skin as source and target.

Vitamin D has a key role in stimulating calcium absorption from the gut and promoting skeletal health, as well as many other important physiological functions. Vitamin D is produced in the skin. It is subsequently metabolized to its hormonally active form, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), by the 1-hydroxylase and catabolized by the 24-hydroxylase. In this Review, we pay special attention to the effect of mutations in these enzymes and their clinical manifestations. We then discuss the role of vitamin D binding protein in transporting vitamin D and its metabolites from their source to their targets, the free hormone hypothesis for cell entry and HSP70 for intracellular transport. This is followed by discussion of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) that mediates the cellular actions of 1,25(OH)2D. Cell-specific recruitment of co-regulatory complexes by liganded VDR leads to changes in gene expression that result in distinct physiological actions by 1,25(OH)2D, which are disrupted by mutations in the VDR. We then discuss the epidermis and hair follicle, to provide a non-skeletal example of a tissue that expresses VDR that not only makes vitamin D but also can metabolize it to its hormonally active form. This enables vitamin D to regulate epidermal differentiation and hair follicle cycling and, in so doing, to promote barrier function, wound healing and hair growth, while limiting cancer development. This Review provides an overview of vitamin D production in the skin. The regulation of wound healing and hair growth by vitamin D are also discussed.
An Investigation of Prevalence and Predictors of Disengagement and Exhaustion in Pharmacy Students.

Objective. To determine the prevalence of burnout in first, second, and third professional year (P1, P2, and P3) pharmacy students at a single institution and identify predictors of higher burnout scores. Methods. A 31-question anonymous online survey was developed and administered to a total of 390 P1, P2, and P3 students at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. The survey consisted of a modified version of the 16-question Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and 14 additional questions related to demographic and co-curricular and extracurricular related questions. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted as appropriate to determine differences among the variables studied and to identify predictive variables of disengagement and emotional exhaustion. Results. Seventy-five percent of invited students participated in the study. Results of the analyses showed that P1 students had significantly lower engagement scores than both P2 and P3 students, and that P2 students were significantly less exhausted than P1 and P3 students. There was a lack of correlation between burnout scores and students’ postgraduate goals, curricular involvement, and work responsibilities. Married students reported being significantly less exhausted than unmarried students. Conclusion. This study added to the growing evidence that pharmacy students have relatively high rates of disengagement and emotional exhaustion. Because the variables expected to contribute to burnout were not found to be predictive in this study, further analyses examining the positive and negative predictive factors associated with burnout scores in pharmacy students are needed. Identifying these factors would allow targeted interventions to be made early in the academic careers of students most susceptible to burnout.
Variation in SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) Score Performance in Different Infectious States

Introduction:In this study, we investigated whether the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score performance differs based on the type of infection among patients admitted to the intensive ...
Cross Sections for the B 11 (γ, π - )C 11 and B 11 (γ, π + )Be 11 Reactions

Cross sections for the ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}(\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}){\mathrm{C}}^{11}$ and ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}(\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}){\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ reactions were studied by measuring the radio-activities of the product nuclei in boron containing samples that were irradiated with bremsstrahlung of maximum energy varying from 80 to 300 MeV. In both cases activity was observed below the thresholds for the meson production reactions. These below-threshold activities were studied in some detail and are believed to be due mainly to low-energy reactions involving impurities in the target materials. Corrections were made to the yield data to remove the contributions from the low-energy reactions before the cross sections were calculated. The resulting cross sections for the production of ${\mathrm{C}}^{11}$ average about seven times those for the production of ${\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$. The cross sections for the ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}(\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}){\mathrm{C}}^{11}$ reaction agree with those calculated by Laing and Moorhouse for surface production of pions. Although detailed theoretical calculations of the cross sections expected for the ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}(\ensuremath{\gamma}, {\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}){\mathrm{Be}}^{11}$ reaction have not been made, the observed cross sections are qualitatively in agreement with those expected for surface production.
Standard Plane Extraction From 3D Ultrasound With 6-DOF Deep Reinforcement Learning Agent

Fetal biometry and anatomical survey are usually done by sonographers manually searching for a set of standard plane (SP) images using 2D ultrasound probe. This task is non-trivial because it requires high skills of hand-eye coordination for maneuvering the 2D ultrasound probe, which could be even more challenging when fetus is at unfavorable pose or mother exhibits a high body mass index (BMI). Therefore, we envisioned a portable 3D ultrasound device that would help capture standard plane images from 3D volumes at home in challenging cases to avoid repetitive hospital visits. In this paper, we describe our first steps toward automatic extraction of SP images from volumetric data. We use a deep Q-network agent to model the process of iteratively searching for the target 2D view from a 3D volume. Given a random initial pose of the starting plane, the network is able to produce a 6-Degree-of-Freedom (DOF) discrete action that moves the plane one step closer to the target. Our phantom experiment shows that the trained agent is able to correctly extract the target view image from a newly acquired 16cm-depth large 3D ultrasound test volume within 150 action steps and achieve an average error of 5.51 mm and 2.26 deg, from different starting pose initializations.
Run-time Hardware Trojan Detection and Recovery for Third-Party IPs in SoC FPGAs

Emerging threats of untrustworthy third-party Intellectual Property (IP) cores (3PIPs) are increasingly raising crucial security concerns about field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), especially those used in military, medical, financial, and other critical systems. Detecting Trojans in blackbox 3PIPs is extremely challenging, especially for FPGAs due to their memory nature and dynamic partial or full reconfigurability. This paper presents a novel run-time methodology to prevent, detect, and manage the activation of hardware Trojans inside 3PIPs in FPGAs. Taking advantage of the native parallelism of FPGA designs, an isolated redundancy scheme is proposed to detect and protect a circuit from a Trojan payload. 3PIPs are placed in isolated regions in FPGAs and are controlled by an on-chip ARM processor system. The processor performs partial reconfiguration (PR) to temporarily remove an offending IP for a random amount of time that increases exponentially between each detection, or permanently if the IP has been positively detected as infected. Additionally, security policies are enacted by implementing reference monitors that control the communication between the IPs and various resources inside the FPGA. The design was implemented and verified on a Xilinx SoC FPGA development board using the Trust Hub benchmarks.
Differential ketogenic diet-induced shift in CSF lipid/carbohydrate metabolome of pediatric epilepsy patients with optimal vs. no anticonvulsant response: a pilot study

The low carbohydrate, high fat ketogenic diet can be an effective anticonvulsant treatment in some pediatric patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Its mechanism(s) of action, however, remain uncertain. Direct sampling of cerebrospinal fluid before and during metabolic therapy may reveal key changes associated with differential clinical outcomes. We characterized the relationship between seizure responsiveness and changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolites. We performed metabolomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid samples taken before and during ketogenic diet treatment in patients with optimal response (100% seizure remission) and patients with no response (no seizure improvement) to search for differential diet effects in hallmark metabolic compounds in these two groups. Optimal responders and non-responders were similar in age range and included males and females. Seizure types and the etiologies or syndromes of epilepsy varied but did not appear to differ systematically between responders and non-responders. Analysis showed a strong effect of ketogenic diet treatment on the cerebrospinal fluid metabolome. Longitudinal and between-subjects analyses revealed that many lipids and carbohydrates were changed significantly by ketogenic diet, with changes typically being of larger magnitude in responders. Notably, responders had more robust changes in glucose and the ketone bodies β-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate than non-responders; conversely, non-responders had significant increases in fructose and sorbose, which did not occur in responders. The data suggest that a differential and stronger metabolic response to the ketogenic diet may predict a better anticonvulsant response, and such variability is likely due to inherent biological factors of individual patients. Strategies to boost the metabolic response may be beneficial.
Isolating non-subduction-driven tectonic processes in Cascadia

Several tectonic processes combine to produce the crustal deformation observed across the Cascadia margin: (1) Cascadia subduction, (2) the northward propagation of the Mendocino Triple Junction (MTJ), (3) the translation of the Sierra Nevada–Great Valley (SNGV) block along the Eastern California Shear Zone–Walker Lane and, (3) extension in the northwestern Basin and Range, east of the Cascade Arc. The superposition of deformation associated with these processes produces the present-day GPS velocity field. North of ~ 45° N observed crustal displacements are consistent with inter-seismic subduction coupling. South of ~ 45° N, NNW-directed crustal shortening produced by the Mendocino crustal conveyor (MCC) and deformation associated with SNGV-block motion overprint the NE-directed Cascadia subduction coupling signal. Embedded in this overall pattern of crustal deformation is the rigid translation of the Klamath terrane, bounded on its north and west by localized zones of deformation. Since the MCC and SNGV processes migrate northward, their impact on the crustal deformation in southern Cascadia is a relatively recent phenomenon, since ~ 2 –3 Ma.
Effect of Walnut Predinner Snack on Mealtime Hunger and Nutrient Intake Among University Students.

Freshman-15 is a phenomenon of first-year university students resulting in weight gain partly due to new cafeteria eating patterns and stress. This study determined if a premeal walnut snack alters...
Solving Transport Equations by Collocation

The transport equations developed in Chapter One are partial differential equations whose solutions vary in space and time. The petroleum industry has traditionally relied on the method of finite differences to produce discrete analogs of these equations for numerical solution. However, some investigators have proposed finite-element Galerkin schemes, citing the possibility of greater accuracy at comparable cost to finite-difference methods. This chapter examines a third option, finite-element collocation. This technique is closely related to Galerkin methods but offers significant savings in computation. In particular, the chapter presents a new technique, called upstream collocation, that is suitable for use in convection-dominated problems.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Lecithin-Skatole Interaction

Abstract The interaction of indole and skatole with lecithin micelles has been examined in three apolar solvents using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 60 MHz. Interactions lead to large chemical shift changes in resonances of both the indoles and the phospholipid. Shifts of the lecithin —N(CH3)3 resonance of 80 Hz to high field and shifts of indole amine protons of over 100 Hz to low field have been observed. The former shifts are attributed to aromatic shielding by the indoles while the latter are presumably caused by hydrogen bonding to lecithin phosphates. Binding constants of 11.6 m-1 for skatole and 50.1 m-1 for indole have been calculated from the proton spectra. The methylene protons of the lecithin fatty acids and the aromatic resonances of the indoles are markedly affected by indole-lecithin interactions. It is also apparent that the indoles hinder mobility of water at the polar head of the micelles. None of the above spectral changes are observed with 1-methylindole and it is assumed that hydrogen bonding of the indole amine hydrogen to the phosphate is necessary for indole compounds and lecithin interaction. These results are consistent with the model that skatole and indole intercalate between the lecithin fatty acid chains near the polar head. The amine proton of the indole ring is hydrogen bonded with the phosphate and the —N(CH3)3 moves closer to the indole ring. Water mobility is reduced around the polar head.
Perceptions of Fairness in Securities Arbitration: An Empirical Study

This Report to the Securities Industry Conference on Arbitration (SICA) documents the results of the authors' empirical study, through a one-time mailed survey, of survey participants' perceptions of fairness of securities Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) arbitrations involving customers. The survey was designed to assess participants' perceptions of the: (1) fairness of the SRO arbitration process; (2) competence of arbitrators to resolve investors' disputes with their broker-dealers; (3) fairness of SRO arbitration as compared to their perceptions of fairness in securities litigation in similar disputes; and (4) fairness of the outcome of arbitrations. We conclude that survey participants have divided views about the fairness of securities arbitration based on their most recent experience with the process. When asked about their overall impressions of securities arbitraiton, survey participants were more negative. For almost every question in the survey, statistical analysis reveals that customers have a more negative perception of the process than non-customers. Part I of this report provides an Executive Summary of our findings. Part II details the Background of the survey's development. Part III describes the Methodologies and Procedures we implemented to conduct the survey. Part IV identifies the Error Structure potentially contained in our methodologies. Part V contains our Findings as to each survey question, including, for many questions, breakdowns that isolate responses of customers only and compares them to all other categories of survey participants, as well as comparisons of regional differences among survey participants. We conclude in Part VI by noting the complexities of the findings.
THE FUNCTIONAL RESIDUAL CAPACITY |[lpar]|FRC|[rpar]| OF INFANTS WITH RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME |[lpar]|RDS|[rpar]| RECEIVING POSITIVE END-EXPIRATORY PRESSURES |[lpar]|PEEP|[rpar]|

RDS is characterized by an inadequate surfactant system which, in the untreated course, leads to progressive atelectasis and decreased FRC. PEEP is used to counter atelectasis and reduce intrapulmonary shunting. FRC is controlled by PEEP yet PEEP is selected primarily on the basis of blood gases and not FRC. We were concerned that these empirical methods of selecting PEEP for RDS infants frequently result in FRC levels well above or below normal. Therefore, we measured the FRC of 14 prematurely born infants in their second day of life. The infants' mean (± SD) gestational age was 31.5 ± 2.2 wk; birth wt 1.6 ± 0.5 kg; Apgar score (1 min) 4.4 ± 2.2. All infants had clinically diagnosed RDS and were ventilated with the following mean settings: peak inspiratory pressure 23.3 (range 14-34) cm H2O; PEEP 4.4 (3-8) cm H2O; rate 42 (20-60) BPM. Computerized N2 washout methods, similar to those used in this study, show the FRC of healthy infants this postnatal age to be 17 ± 2 ml/kg body wt (Hansen et al, Ped 1970). In our study on RDS infants the FRC ranged from 3 to 33 ml/kg with a mean of 14.5 ml/kg. Only 3 infants (21%) had volumes within one SD of normal. In 5 infants, FRC was greater than one SD above normal and in 6 infants, FRC was greater than one SD below normal. Six infants (43%) had FRC values outside of 2 SD of normal. These results suggest that conventional methods of selecting PEEP do not result in the maintenance of normal FRC levels in infants with RDS.
Practical Compile-Time Analysis

It is generally agreed that there is a difference between practical and impractical compile-time analyses, although there is no consensus on the interpretation of these terms. This extended abstract presents the author's personal opinion of what makes an analysis practical for real-world problems. In the talk summarized in this abstract, practical, scalable compile-time analysis is defined and steps the community needs to take toward developing such analyses are discussed. Examples in interprocedural analysis of C and C++ from the PROLANGS research group are used for illustration.
Functional analysis of Histoplasma capsulatum-reactive T-cell hybridomas.

Abstract Activation of CD4+ T cells is a crucial step in the elimination of Histoplasma capsulatum yeast cells from tissues. However, only a limited amount of information exists concerning the immunobiology of H. capsulatum-reactive T cells that are CD4+. To facilitate the analysis of the functional activities of this T-cell subpopulation, we developed a panel of 10 murine T-cell hybridomas from splenocytes of immune C57BL/6 mice. All hybridomas reacted with monoclonal anti-CD4+ antibody and released interleukin-2 after stimulation with histoplasmin. Within 3 weeks, the reactivity of hybridomas to histoplasmin declined dramatically, yet the cells responded vigorously to yeast-phase preparations that were enriched for cytosol, cell wall, or cell membrane. Of 10 hybridomas studied, only one recognized heterologous fungal antigens. Responsiveness to yeast-phase antigens was restricted by I-Ab. We mapped determinants in cytosol and cell wall or cell membrane by the technique of one-dimensional T-cell immunoblotting. The patterns of responses of hybridomas to cytosol were nearly uniform. All hybridomas responded to two immunodominant regions in cytosol with masses ranging from less than or equal to 18 to 26 kilodaltons (kDa) and 35 to 39 kDa. All hybridomas tested responded to determinants in the cell wall or cell membrane preparation with masses of 35 to 39 kDa. These hybridomas provide a useful tool for defining yeast-phase antigens that trigger T-cell activation.
Heritability and Variability in Ribosomal RNA Genes of Vicia faba

We have compared the restriction patterns and copy numbers of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) between and within individuals of Vicia faba . While the EcoRI blot-hybridization patterns changed only after one to two generations, copy number changes were found among different tissues of the same plant. Copy number differences among individuals in the population were as great as 95-fold, whereas as much as a 12-fold variation was seen among tissues of the same plant. Among individual F(1) progeny from genetic crosses, nearly an 8-fold variation was seen, and among individuals of the F(2) generation a spread of 22-fold was measured. Among individual siblings of self-pollinated parents, up to 7-fold variation was observed. However, changes in copy number did not necessarily indicate changes in rDNA EcoRI blot-hybridization pattern, and vice versa. Furthermore, nearest neighbor analysis of R-loop experiments showed that the arrangement of members of the "nontranscribed" spacer (NTS) size classes along the chromosome was not random, but some clustering was indicated. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that sister chromatid exchange in somatic cells of V. faba is the primary mechanism for altering the rDNA copy number as well as causing the extreme variation observed in the NTS. Variation among individuals in rDNA blot-hybridization pattern was also observed for Vicia villosa, Vicia dasycarpa, Vicia benghalensis and Vicia pannonica.
Chapter 20. Cell Adhesion Integrins as Pharmaceutical Targets

Publisher Summary Integrin research is rapidly evolving. Anti-platelet agents are in the clinic and discovery efforts are ranging across a spectrum of opportunities for the treatment of disease, both metabolic and infectious. The complex, dynamically regulated phenotypic expression of plasma membrane linked glycoprotein and carbohydrate molecules and their ability to uniquely recognize soluble and insoluble ligands helps define the biological basis of current concepts of development, life, and death. As understanding of the pivotal role of cell adhesion and communication in normal life processes improves, further discernment of the consequences of atypical adhesion and communication becomes possible. The promise of more lucid molecular pathology is modification of disease states through drug treatment. This chapter discusses the integrin class of cell adhesion molecules. The focus remains toward the pathologies for which disease modifying agents could be developed based on the understanding of the specific molecular interactions. The integrin superfamily is made up of structurally and functionally related glycoproteins distributed over three families— namely, the very late antigens (VLA) family (β1), the Leucam family (β2), and the cytoadhesin family (β3). Integrins are α,β heterodimeric, transmembrane receptor molecules found in combinations on every mammalian cell type except red blood cells. There are 15 α subunits and 8 β subunits that are noncovalently linked and expressed on the surfaces of cells in combination. The integrin name has been derived from their role in “integrating” the extracellular matrix (ECM) with the cytoskeleton.
Plasmasphere and Upper Ionosphere Contributions and Corrections During the Assimilation of GPS Slant TEC

[1] Total electron content (TEC) measurements from ground stations to Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites provide a rich source of information about the Earth's ionosphere. These data comprise a significant part of the typical data set used by various data ingestion and assimilation models of the ionosphere. For example, the Utah State University (USU) Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements (GAIM) data assimilation model uses slant TEC, along with various other types of data, to obtain a global reconstruction of the ionosphere. There are presently two different USU GAIM models: the Gauss-Markov Kalman Filter (GAIM-GM), which is operational at the NASA Community Coordinated Modeling Center and the Air Force Weather Agency; and the Full-Physics Kalman Filter (GAIM-FP), which is presently run for scientific studies. TEC is the integrated electron density along the path from the ground to the GPS satellites, which orbit at approximately 20,200 km. The GAIM-FP modeled space ranges up to 30,000 km in altitude, so the entire TEC raypath is contained within the model space. Many ionosphere models do not model this entire region. For example, the GAIM-GM extends up to an altitude of 1400 km. It is necessary to account for the portion of TEC that is not modeled by some means. There are basically two simple techniques that are in common use: (1) correct the measured TEC by using a model of the upper ionosphere and plasmasphere to subtract their contributions, or (2) ignore the effect and assign the full measured TEC to the ionosphere within the assimilation model space. We present the effect of assimilating TEC measurements into the GAIM-GM using both the techniques mentioned above. It is found that derived quantities such as NmF2 are significantly degraded by ignoring the upper ionospheric contribution to TEC. This degradation is seen at all local times. The effect is most pronounced at night, when the F region densities are small and the upper ionospheric contribution to TEC is relatively large.
The perceptions of students in the allied health professions towards stroke rehabilitation teams and the SLP's role.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and knowledge of final-year speech–language pathology (SLP), physical and occupational therapy (PT, OT) students toward stroke rehabilitation teams and the SLPs’ roles on them. The investigators adapted a survey developed by (Felsher & Ross, 1994) and administered it to 35 PT, 35 OT, and 35 SLP final year students (n = 105). We found that the students preferred the transdisciplinary team approach and agreed that the advantages of teamwork were the exchange of ideas, opportunities for participatory learning, and holistic treatment. Communication problems, time-consuming meetings, and role confusion were chosen as disadvantages. The students had clear perceptions of the SLP's role in aphasia, apraxia of speech, dysarthria, dysphagia, and auditory agnosia, but fewer recognized the SLP's role in alexia and memory. Some thought SLPs had a role in dressing apraxia and proprioceptive disorders. Suggestions to maximize the advantages and minimize possible disadvantages of teamwork are provided. Learning outcomes: Learners will: (1) identify the perceived advantages and disadvantages of stroke rehabilitation teamwork; (2) discover some allied health students’ perceptions of the SLP's roles in stroke rehabilitation; (3) infer methods to create positive perceptions of stroke rehabilitation team members.
Hardware Trojans in wireless cryptographic ICs: silicon demonstration & detection method evaluation

We present a silicon implementation of a hardware Trojan, which is capable of leaking the secret key of a wireless cryptographic integrated circuit (IC) consisting of an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) core and an Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) transmitter. With its impact carefully hidden in the transmission specification margins allowed for process variations, this hardware Trojan cannot be detected by production testing methods of either the digital or the analog part of the IC and does not violate the transmission protocol or any system-level specifications. Nevertheless, the informed adversary, who knows what to look for in the transmission power waveform, is capable of retrieving the 128-bit AES key, which is leaked with every 128-bit ciphertext block sent by the UWB transmitter. Using silicon measurements from 40 chips fabricated in TSMC's 0.35μm technology, we also assess the effectiveness of a side channel-based statistical analysis method in detecting this hardware Trojan.
Compositional Zoning and Its Significance in Pyroxenes from Three Coarse-Grained Lunar Samples

The calcium-rich pyroxenes in lunar samples 10047, 10058, and 10062 show pronounced sectoral and radial compositional variations which correlate with sharp to gradual variations in color and optical properties. The pyroxenes apparently grew as nearly euhedral crystals from melts of approximately the same composition as that of the samples. The coupled substitutions determined across sector boundaries suggest that Al is predominantly in the tetrahedral site and that Ti is predominantly quadrivalent. The pyroxene differentiation trend (unknown in terrestrial pyroxenes) is toward extreme enrichment in the ferrosilite molecule. The iron-enriched portions of the pyroxene grains may have grown with a triclinic pyroxenoid structure.
On generating initial conditions for turbulence models: the case of Rayleigh–Taylor instability turbulent mixing

A new approach to generate initial conditions for RANS simulations of Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) turbulence is presented. The strategy is to provide profiles of turbulent model variables when it is suitable for the turbulence model to be started, and then use these profiles for the turbulence model initialization. The generation of turbulence model variable profiles is achieved with a two-step process. In the first step, a nonlinear modal model assuming small amplitude initial perturbations, incompressible and inviscid fluids is used to track the growth of modes that exist in a given initial perturbation spectrum, and also modes generated by mode interactions. The amplitude development of each mode represents the penetration distance of the light fluid into the heavy fluid (bubble penetration), for a given mode perturbation. The penetration distance of heavy fluid into the light fluid (spike penetration), for a given mode perturbation, is inferred from the bubble's height by an empirical relation valid for smal...
Effects of steric hindrance and of bond type on electronic absorption spectra of certain 8-quinolinolates☆

Abstract Blue shifts in the spectral maxima of the 2-methyl 8-quinolinolates relative to the 8-quinolinolates of gallium, indium and thallium (III) appear to be due to steric hindrance and vary in the expected inverse relationship with respect to the size of the metal ion. In the absence of steric hindrance, large red shifts of the low-frequency band are found for a chelate when compared to the ligand itself. From a comparison of spectra for zinc and magnesium chelates, it appears that a large red shift and an enhanced intensity of the low-frequency band are associated with a strong metal—nitrogen (predominantly covalent) bond whereas a stronger metal—oxygen (predominantly ionic) bond is associated with a smaller shift and, particularly, a small absorptivity of the low-frequency band.
Analysis of Melt Flow in Metallurgical Vessels of Steelmaking Processes

Control of melt flow in steelmaking processes is important for technology optimization and product quality. To overcome the difficulty of making measurements in actual steelmaking vessels (furnace, ladle, tundish, or mold), both physical modeling (water models) and CFD simulations have been used extensively for melt flow visualization. However, it is not easy to interpret the results of either type of model study, because it is difficult to determine which flow pattern is best by only visual inspection. In this article, a new approach is proposed for the analysis of the melt flow in metallurgical vessels after obtaining residence time distributions from CFD simulation or physical experiments (RTDCFD or RTDmodel). In this analysis the melt flow is assumed to be in a combined reactor (CR) system consisting of a combination of three basic unit reactors: “plug flow”, “perfect mixer”, and “recirculated volume”. An inverse simulation is used to define the volumes of the unit reactors and the melt flow rate between them by fitting the RTDCR curve to the RTDCFD or RTDmodel curves. The effectiveness of the suggested approach is demonstrated for tundish applications; however, it could also be used for melt flow analysis in other steelmaking processes.
Control Computations and the Design of Loop Control Structures

The control computation for a loop in a program is that part of the program concerned with the initialization, incrementation, and testing of the variables that determine the flow of control into, through, and out of the loop. The elements of loop control computations are idenified and their role in structuring our understanding of loops is analyzed. It is argued, through examples drawn from a Pascal compiler, that the intelligibility of a loop is closely tied to the accessibility and intelligibility of the loop control computation. It is further argued, from an analysis of all the loops in this compiler, that most loop control computations fail in a few standard patterns, mostly concerned with the sequential processing of elements of data structures. In light of these results, common loop control statements are critiqued. It appears that better loop control structures than the while, repeat-until, and similar statement structures are possible and desirable, and some proposals for better structures are given.
Nematode Development: Variations on a vulval theme

Comparisons between the cell lineages of different nematode species reveal the flexibility of developmental programs over evolutionary time.
Novel SOFC anodes for the direct electrochemical oxidation of hydrocarbon

This paper describes recent developments in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that use Cu-based cermets as the anode for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels, including liquids such as gasoline, to generate electrical power without the need for first reforming that fuel to H2. Cu–YSZ cermets were found to be stable in hydrocarbon environments, but exhibited low performance for direct oxidation. Reasonable power densities could only be achieved with the addition of a catalytic oxide, like ceria, with the Cu cermet. Electrochemical oxidation studies demonstrated that the initial products for reaction depend on the catalytic oxide. Finally, the effect of sulfur impurities in the fuel is discussed.
Enhanced water photolysis with Pt metal nanoparticles on single crystal TiO2 surfaces.

Two novel deposition methods were used to synthesize Pt-TiO2 composite photoelectrodes: a tilt-target room temperature sputtering method and aerosol-chemical vapor deposition (ACVD). Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were sequentially deposited by the tilt-target room temperature sputtering method onto the as-synthesized nanostructured columnar TiO2 films by ACVD. By varying the sputtering time of Pt deposition, the size of deposited Pt NPs on the TiO2 film could be precisely controlled. The as-synthesized composite photoelectrodes with different sizes of Pt NPs were characterized by various methods, such as SEM, EDS, TEM, XRD, and UV–vis. The photocurrent measurements revealed that the modification of the TiO2 surface with Pt NPs improved the photoelectrochemical properties of electrodes. Performance of the Pt-TiO2 composite photoelectrodes with sparsely deposited 1.15 nm Pt NPs was compared to the pristine TiO2 photoelectrode with higher saturated photocurrents (7.92 mA/cm2 to 9.49 mA/cm2), enhanced photoconversio...
Determination of Skeletal Muscle Triglyceride Synthesis Using a Single Muscle Biopsy

A novel stable isotopic technique for the determination of triglyceride synthesis in skeletal muscle by using a single muscle biopsy has been developed and evaluated in rats. In previous studies using (13)C-tracers, muscle triglyceride synthesis is usually determined using at least 2 biopsies, the first of which serves as the baseline sample for the measurement of natural (13)C abundance. In the present studies, the baseline biopsy has been eliminated by making the use of the isotopic information of a nontraced fatty acid in the muscle triglyceride pool. This is based on the fact that the source and, hence, the natural (13)C abundance of fatty acids in the same triglyceride pool is similar. To demonstrate and validate the method, a series of rat studies have been conducted to have established that (1) the natural (13)C abundance of 4 major fatty acids in the muscle triglyceride pool is similar; (2) there are no (13)C-label exchanges between fatty acids in the lipid pool; and (3) the incorporation of (13)C-palmitate into muscle triglycerides determined using this technique favorably compared with that determined by the traditional method. This approach makes stable isotope studies possible in which more than 1 muscle biopsy is difficult or impossible. Therefore, it has the potential to facilitate investigation of triglyceride metabolism in the skeletal muscle.
Light-induced chemiluminescence in derivatives of coal and petroleum

Abstract Solutions of coal tar, coal asphaltenes and alkylated coal as well as petroleum asphalts exhibit chemiluminescence when exposed to oxygen and light. This chemiluminescence is believed to be due to decomposition of endoperoxides formed by photo-oxidation of acene-type compounds present in products derived from coal and petroleum.
Single-beam photothermal microscopy: a new diagnostic tool for optical materials

A novel photothermal microscopy (PTM) is developed which uses only one laser beam, working as both the pump and the probe. The principle of this single-beam PTM is based on the detection of the second harmonic component of the laser modulated scattering (LMS) signal. This component has a linear dependence on the optical absorptance of the tested area and a quadratic dependence on the pump laser power. Using a pump laser at the wavelengths of 514.5- and 532-nm high-resolution photothermal scans are performed for polished fused silica surfaces and a HfO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} multilayer coatings. The results are compared with those from the traditional two-beam PTM mapping. It is demonstrated that the single-beam PTM is more user-friendly (i.e. no alignment is needed) than conventional two-beam PTM and, offers a higher spatial resolution for defect detection.
Questioning and Creating: A Model for Curriculum Reform

Creativity research has unsettled education by newly defining neglected abilities, and by proposing new methods like training in questioning abilities, but conventional methods do not encourage students to learn or think by asking good questions. We need to cultivate the full spectrum of talents by bridging the research—classroom practice gap. A proposed three-dimensional model for analyzing curricula, courses, and classes would show us where we are not doing a good job in teaching students to think while we are simultaneously teaching them subject-matter content. Content is best learned as a by-product of thinking or learning processes. The proposed model capitalizes on transfer effects of both processes and content, and may be of value in working, not only with those highest in a talent, but also with the educationally deprived. Every student should learn to use each of his abilities at some point in the educational process, but different teachers may specialize in various contents, processes, or methods.
THE USE OF STREPTAVIDIN COATED MAGNETIC BEADS FOR DETECTING PATHOGENIC BACTERIA BY LIGHT ADDRESSABLE POTENTIOMETRIC SENSOR (LAPS)

A modified procedure for magnetic capture of antibody-conjugated bacteria for light addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) detection using the Threshold System was developed. Streptavidin coated magnetic beads, partially labeled with biotinylated anti Escherichia coli O157 antibodies, were used to capture Escherichia coli O157:H7. Captured bacteria were further labeled with fluorescein-conjugated anti -E. coli O157:H7 antibodies and urease-labeled. anti-fluorescein antibody. Magnetically concentrated bacteria-containing complexes were then immobilized through streptavidin-biotin interactions on 0.45 μ biotinylated nitro-cellulose membranes assembled as sample sticks for the Threshold instrument. The rate of pH change associated with the production of NH3 by the urease in urea-containing solution was measured by a LAPS incorporated in the Threshold instrument. This approach allowed us to detect 103 to 104 CPU of cultured E. coli O157:H7 in PBS solutions. Furthermore, detectable LAPS signals of the sample sticks remained relatively constant for at least 24 h at 4C. The developed approach was applied to detect the E. coli in beef hamburger spiked with the bacteria. After a 5 to 6-h enrichment at 37C, as low as 1 CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 in beef hamburger could be detected.
A Subspace Method for MIMO Radar Space-Time Adaptive Processing

In the traditional transmitting beamforming radar system, the transmitting antennas send coherent waveforms which form a highly focused beam. In the MIMO radar system, the transmitter sends noncoherent (possibly orthogonal) broad (possibly omnidirectional) waveforms. These waveforms can be extracted by a matched interbank. The extracted signals can be used to obtain more diversity or improve the clutter resolution. In this paper, we focus on space-time adaptive processing (STAP) for MIMO radar systems which improves the clutter resolution. With a slight modification, STAP methods for the SIMO radar case can also be used in MIMO radar. However, in the MIMO radar, the rank of the jammer-and-clutter subspace becomes very large, especially the jammer subspace. It affects both the complexity and the convergence of the STAP. In this paper, a new subspace method is proposed. It computes the clutter subspace using the geometry of the problem rather than data and utilizes the block diagonal property of the jammer covariance matrix. Because of fully utilizing the geometry and the structure of the covariance matrix, the method is very effective for STAP in MIMO radar.
Robust autocalibration for a surveillance camera network

We propose a novel approach for multi-camera autocalibration by observing multiview surveillance video of pedestrians walking through the scene. Unlike existing methods, we do NOT require tracking or explicit correspondences of the same person across time/views. Instead, we take noisy foreground blobs as the only input and rely on a joint optimization framework with robust statistics to achieve accurate calibration under challenging scenarios. First, each individual camera is roughly calibrated into its local World Coordinate System (lWCS) based on analysis of relative 3D pedestrian height distribution. Then, all lWCSs are iteratively registered with respect to a shared global World Coordinate System (gWCS) by incorporating robust matching with a partial Direct Linear Transform (pDLT). As demonstrated by extensive evaluation, our algorithm achieves satisfactory results in various camera settings with up to moderate crowd densities with a large proportion of foreground outliers.
A Large‐Scale Phylogeny of Polygonaceae Based on Molecular Data

Few studies have addressed the evolutionary relationships within Polygonaceae from a global perspective. The convoluted taxonomic history of Polygonaceae is a major barrier to understanding evolution in this group, and only portions of it have been included in systematic treatments. Phylogenetic studies have been limited in both taxon sampling and amount of data. Our objective is to identify clades within Polygonaceae and to provide a global estimate of phylogenetic relationships in this morphologically diverse and geographically widespread group. We include a total of 75 species representing approximately 40 of the 55 named genera in the family. We use three chloroplast regions (rbcL, matK, and ndhF) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer to understand the phylogenetic relationships in Polygonaceae. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood are used to analyze the data. Symmeria is the sister group to remaining Polygonaceae sampled, and there is strong support for this placement. Afrobrunnichia bra...
Heat transfer correlation for benard convection in a fluid saturated porous layer

Abstract Diverse measurements of heat transfer by Benard convection in a fluid saturated porous layer are correlated by considering only the Darcy and Forschheimer asymptotes of the phenomenon. Scale analysis suggests that in the Forschheimer limit the Nusselt number must increase as ( Ra Pr p ) 1 2 , where Ra is the Darcy-Rayleigh number based on height and Prp is an entirely new group called “the porous medium Prandtl number.” The transition from the Darcy regime to the Forschheimer regime occurs at Ra ∼ Prp. The heat transfer correlation is Nu = {( Ra 40 ) n + [c(RaPr p ) 1 2 ] n } 1 n with n = −1 65 , c = 1896.4 and Pr p = (H/bK)Pr m , where H, b, K and Prm are the height, Forschheimer constant, permeability and Prandtl number based on the thermal conductivity of the porous medium.
Occupational stress and suicide among dentists

The focus of this research is to better understand occupational stress within the dental profession and how this may contribute to why dentists as an occupational group may have such a high incidence of suicide. Attention is given to the socially related working conditions that dentists encounter and the occupational role demands they face. Data are based upon 25 in‐depth, unstructured interviews with dentists from a large mid‐western city. The findings of this research include that the occupational role of dentists facilitates social tension and stress and that dentists experience a status dilemma, especially when compared to physicians. We suggest that these conditions may contribute to a dentist's choice to commit suicide.
Origin of Archean granitoids and continental evolution

The origin of a stable, permanent crust is inextricably linked to granitoid genesis. The oldest terranes on Earth contain abundant granitoids, presumably representing the low density material that buoyed the crust and prevented its recycling into the mantle. The question of the origin of these rocks is thus fundamental to understanding Earth history: What was their source material, and what processes caused it to melt? Analogies with modern felsic magma genesis are tempting but not necessarily applicable, first because there are obvious reasons to doubt that present conditions characterized the early Archean (modern geotherms, well-established subduction zones, massive stable continental crust, and others), and also because early granitoids differed in detail from most of their modern counterparts. In this article, R.P. Rapp, who has done extensive experiments on the moderate-to-high-pressure melting behavior of mafic rocks, presents a decidedly non-uniformitarian view of the origin of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite suite that characterizes the early Archean crust.—Calvin Miller, “Friends of Granite” editor, Vanderbilt University
Seizures in special populations: Children, the elderly, and patients with coexistent medical illness

PREVIEWWhat are the features of the most common pediatric epilepsy syndromes? Which pharmacokinetic factors affect anticonvulsant dosing in patients with kidney or liver disease? How do the causes and treatment of epilepsy differ in the elderly? Which medications commonly provoke epileptic seizures? Dr Hulihan answers these and more questions about managing seizures in special populations.
Euro-Cops ? Just Say Maybe. European Lessons from the 1993 Reshuffle of US Drug Enforcement

This chapter illustrates how a look at our distant neighbour might provide an interesting perspective for the study of international law enforcement in Europe. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is precisely the agency that is time and again used in the Europol - discussion, both as a negative and as a positive model. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is the chief exponent of international drug prohibition enforcement. The integration and harmonization of European law and law enforcement to a great extent constituted a form of Americanization. American experience has taught us that after the proliferation of numerous competing agencies within a bureaucracy, that bureaucracy can be reformed, but only with a lot of difficulty.In addition, a pan-European institute developing superior law enforcement technology should be connected to Europol. Keywords:drug enforcement administration (DEA); Europol; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)