cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percent emphysema, airflow obstruction, and impaired left ventricular filling.

Background Very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes cor pulmonale with elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and secondary reductions in left ventricular filling, stroke volume, and cardiac output. We hypothesized that emphysema, as detected on computed tomography (CT), and airflow obstruction are inversely related to left ventricular end-diastolic volume, stroke volume, and cardiac output among persons without very severe lung disease. Methods We measured left ventricular structure and function with the use of magnetic resonance imaging in 2816 persons who were 45 to 84 years of age. The extent of emphysema (expressed as percent emphysema) was defined as the percentage of voxels below −910 Hounsfield units in the lung windows on cardiac computed tomographic scans. Spirometry was performed according to American Thoracic Society guidelines. Generalized additive models were used to test for threshold effects. Results Of the study participants, 13% were current smokers, 38% were former smokers, and 49% had never smoked. A 10-point increase in percent emphysema was linearly related to reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic volume (−4.1 ml; 95% confidence interval [CI], −3.3 to −4.9; P<0.001), stroke volume (−2.7 ml; 95% CI, −2.2 to −3.3; P<0.001), and cardiac output (−0.19 liters per minute; 95% CI, −0.14 to −0.23; P<0.001). These associations were of greater magnitude among current smokers than among former smokers and those who had never smoked. The extent of airflow obstruction was similarly associated with left ventricular structure and function, and smoking status had similar modifying effects on these associations. Percent emphysema and airflow obstruction were not associated with the left ventricular ejection fraction. Conclusions In a population-based study, a greater extent of emphysema on CT scanning and more severe airflow obstruction were linearly related to impaired left ventricular filling, reduced stroke volume, and lower cardiac output without changes in the ejection fraction.
Novel Free-Carrier Pump-Probe Analysis of Carrier Transport in Semiconductors

We have developed a pump-probe configuration to measure the carrier lifetime using the transient free-carrier density. The free-carrier absorption varies as λ2 Δn/μ, where λ is 10.6 µm in this paper. We measure the transient photoconductive decay that is proportional to Δn * μ. The data product gives Δβ * Δσ∼ λ2Δn(t)2. The mobility variation is nullified by multiplying the data from the two parallel measurements. From the product data, both Δn(t) and μ(Δn) can be determined. A large increase in Δα and decrease in μ are observed and caused by space-charge effects in regions of high injection. These data show the unexpected and remarkable result that the lifetime is relatively constant up to an injection level of about three times the doping level. However, the mobility decreases by about a factor of six over the same injection range.
Endoscopic thyroidectomy with CO2 insufflation

Minimally invasive endocrine surgery has experienced multiple new developments. The purpose of this article is to discuss the endoscopic approach to the thyroid gland. The authors review the literature and discuss the surgical approach. Endoscopic thyroidectomy can be efficaciously and safely applied to thyroid disorders. Proper patient selection and skill in these new techniques are important when selecting this operative approach.
The Suitability of Tobaccos for the Growth of the Cigarette Beetle, Lasioderma serricorne

Of four varieties of tobaccos tested, the cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorue (F.)) developed well on flue-cured, very slowly and with high mortality on Turkish and Maryland, and not at all on burley. This response had no direct relationship to the nicotine content, which was 1.72%, 1.02%, 1.56% and 4.17%, respectively. Growth was greatly stimulated by the addition of yeast or B-vitamins, but not by that of casein, glucose, or cholesterol. Major characteristics of insects reared on the various types of Tobacco fortified with yeast were: 1) optimal growth and survival on f1ue-cured; 2) slower growth and smaller adults but good survival on Turkish and Maryland; and 3) slow growth, small adults, and high mortality on burley. On a flour-plus-yeast diet nicotine up to 10% was well tolerated while it was harmful to two other insects, Tribolius and Tenebrio at 0.1%. In tobaccos, however, the tolerance was below 4%. It was concluded that the suitability of tobaccos for Lasioderma was dependent on: 1) the nicotine content; 2) the adequacy of nutrients; and 3) material which enhances the toxicity of nicotine.
Penetrating rectal trauma: management by anatomic distinction improves outcome.

Background: Controversy persists regarding the optimal management of penetrating rectal injuries, specifically with respect to the routine application of diversion and presacral drainage. Our previous experience suggested that management decisions based on precise anatomic characterization of injury relative to retroperitoneal involvement might improve outcome. A clinical pathway was developed and implemented. Patients managed by the pathway (PATH) were compared with the previous study (PREV, n = 58) to determine the impact of the clinical pathway on outcome. Methods: Consecutive patients with full-thickness penetrating rectal injury subsequent to the development of the pathway were evaluated. Intraperitoneal rectal injuries (IP) were treated with primary repair. Injuries to the proximal two-thirds and accessible distal one-third of the extraperitoneal rectum (EP) were treated with repair and selective fecal diversion. Inaccessible distal EP injuries were treated with diversion and presacral drainage. Infectious complications (wound infection, bacteremia, intraabdominal abscess, retroperitoneal abscess) were compared between the PATH and PREV groups. Results: In all, 54 patients were identified. Demographics, injury severity, and preventive antibiotics (24-hour) were similar between groups. Overall infectious complication rate was 13% in the PATH group versus 31% in the PREV group (p < 0.05). There was a zero incidence of retrorectal abscess in the PATH group versus 11% of the total complications in the PREV group. Conclusions: Implementation of the pathway resulted in a significant decrease in infectious morbidity. Management by anatomic distinction allows for omission of colostomy in most IP injuries and select EP injuries, while diminishing the risk of retrorectal abscess in EP injuries with the judicious application of presacral drainage.
Manganese oxide embedded polypyrrole nanocomposites for electrochemical supercapacitor

Abstract MnO2 embedded PPy nanocomposite (MnO2/PPy) thin film electrodes were electrochemically synthesized over polished graphite susbtrates. Growing PPy polymer chains provides large surface area template that enables MnO2 to form as nanoparticles embeded within polymer matrix. Co-deposition of MnO2 and PPy has a complimentary action in which porous PPy matrix provides high active surface area for the MnO2 nanoparticles and, on the other hand, MnO2 nanoparticles nucleated over polymer chains contribute to enhanced conductivity and stability of the nanocomposite material by interlinking the PPy polymer chains. The MnO2/PPy nanocomposite thin film electrodes show significant improvement in the redox performance as cyclic voltammetric studies have shown. Specific capacitance of the nanocomposite is remarkably high (∼620 F g−1) in comparision to its constituents MnO2 (∼225 F g−1) and PPy (∼250 F g−1). Photoelectron spectroscopy studies show that hydrated manganese oxide in the nanocomposite exists in the mixed Mn(II) to Mn(IV) oxidation states. Accordingly, chemical structures of MnO2 and PPy constituents in the nanocomposite are not influenced by the co-deposition process. The MnO2/PPy nanocomposite electrode material however shows significantly improved high specific capacitity, charge–discharge stability and the redox performance properties suitable for application in the high energy density supercapcitors.
Derivative ratio analysis: a new method for measurement of steroids and other compounds with specific functional groups using radioassay by gas-liquid chromatography.

Abstract A new isotope method of microassay, derivative ratio analysis, has been developed. To the substance to be measured, e.g., testosterone, an unlabeled internal standard with a similar functional group is added. The mixture is acetylated with acetic anhydride-C14 following which the derivatives are separated by gas-liquid chromatography. Detection and measurement of C14 in the effluent of the chromatography is performed either continuously during the analysis or by fractionating the effluent and then assaying each fraction individually. The quantity of unknown is related to the quantity of standard in the same ratio as the radioactivity of the unknown is related to the radioactivity in the standard. This method may be used with a variety of compounds, and may be extended to measurement of nanogram quantities.
Stability of buoyancy-driven convection in a tilted slot

Abstract The stability of buoyancy-driven convection in a slot, slightly tilted with respect to the horizontal, is investigated analytically on the basis of linear theory. For mathematical simplicity, the boundaries are assumed free and isothermal. It is shown that the Rayleigh number and the wave number at the critical point have the same values as for an exactly horizontal slot, however, the predicted motion, rather than being indeterminate, is one of longitudinal rolls with their axes aligned in the direction of the mean flow. This is in contrast to the analogous problem of convection in a vertical slot in which the secondary flow pattern is known to consist of transverse rolls, i.e. rolls with their axes normal to the mean motion.
Lightweight fuzzy processes in clinical computing

Abstract In spite of advances in computing hardware, many hospitals still have a hard time finding extra capacity in their production clinical information system to run artificial intelligence (AI) modules, for example: to support real-time drug-drug or drug-lab interactions; to track infection trends; to monitor compliance with case specific clinical guidelines; or to monitor/control biomedical devices like an intelligent ventilator. Historically, adding AI functionality was not a major design concern when a typical clinical system is originally specified. AI technology is usually retrofitted `on top of the old system' or `run off line' in tandem with the old system to ensure that the routine work load would still get done (with as little impact from the AI side as possible). To compound the burden on system performance, most institutions have witnessed a long and increasing trend for intramural and extramural reporting, (e.g. the collection of data for a quality-control report in microbiology, or a meta-analysis of a suite of coronary artery bypass grafts techniques, etc.) and these place an ever-growing burden on typical the computer system's performance. We discuss a promising approach to adding extra AI processing power to a heavily-used system based on the notion `lightweight fuzzy processing (LFP)', that is, fuzzy modules designed from the outset to impose a small computational load. A formal model for a useful subclass of fuzzy systems is defined below and is used as a framework for the automated generation of LFPs. By seeking to reduce the arithmetic complexity of the model (a hand-crafted process) and the data complexity of the model (an automated process), we show how LFPs can be generated for three sample datasets of clinical relevance.
Academic emergency medicine in United States medical schools.

Objective: To determine the current standing of academic units of emergency medicine in allopathic medical schools and to measure the attitudes of medical school deans toward the specialty. Design: An investigator-blinded survey of the senior deans of 123 allopathic medical schools in the United States. Results: Ninety-four of 123 (76%) survey instruments were completed. Fifty-six medical schools reported having academic units of emergency medicine (five divisions of the dean's office, 16 full departments, 35 divisions/sections of other departments). Twenty-five of 56 units were reported to be academically less productive when compared with other specialty academic units of similar size. When overall mission (academic plus clinical/administrative) was considered, 46 of 56 units were reported as adequately fulfilling or exceeding mission expectations. Thirty-eight schools reported not having an academic unit of emergency medicine. Only ten of the 38 reported have no institutional support or plans for academic emergency medicine. Conclusion: Medical school deans are generally satisfied with the clinical/administrative performance of academic emergency medicine units but are less so with academic productivity. Despite the small numbers of full departments and disparate status of established units, it is noteworthy that only ten of the 94 respondents to this survey reported no support whatsoever for academic emergency medicine.
Wind-tunnel simulation of the flow over hills and complex terrain

Abstract A study has been completed to evaluate the accuracy of a wind tunnel investigation of flow over a complex terrain model. Both terraced and contoured models of the Rakaia River Gorge region of New Zealand were prepared to an undistorted geometric scale of 1:5000. The contoured model was examined for three separate surface roughness conditions. On two spring days, selected for strong adiabatic down valley wind flow, three teams of investigators surveyed up to 27 sites on either side and within the river gorge. Measurements consisted of wind speed and direction at a 10 m height. The laboratory simulation results were compared with the available field data by means of statistical correlation and scatter diagrams. The model and field results have been used to assess the value of laboratory experiments as part of strategy to develop and demonstrate efficient and economical techniques for identifying favorable wind energy conversion sites.
Interplay between bias field correction, intensity standardization, and noise filtering for T2-weighted MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is known to be significantly affected by a number of acquisition artifacts, such as intensity non-standardness, bias field, and Gaussian noise. These artifacts degrade MR image quality significantly, obfuscating anatomical and physiological detail and hence need to be corrected for to facilitate application of computerized analysis techniques such as segmentation, registration, and classification. Specifically, algorithms are required to correct for bias field (intensity inhomogeneity), intensity non-standardness (drift in tissue intensities across patient acquisitions), and Gaussian noise, an artifact that significantly affects and blurs tissue boundaries (resulting in poor gradients). While clearly one needs to correct for all these artifacts, the exact sequence in which all three operations need to be applied in order to maximize MR image quality has not been explored. In this paper, we empirically evaluate the interplay between distinct algorithms for bias field correction (BFC), intensity standardization (IS), and noise filtering (NF) to study the effect of these operations on image quality in the context of 3 Tesla T2-weighted (T2w) prostate MRI. 7 different sequences comprising combinations of BFC, IS, and NF were quantitatively evaluated in terms of the percent coefficient of variation (%CV), a statistic which attempts to quantify the intensity inhomogeneity within a region of interest (prostate). The different combinations were also independently evaluated in the context of a classifier scheme for detection of prostate cancer on high resolution in vivo T2w prostate MRI. A secondary contribution of this work is a novel evaluation measure for quantifying the level of intensity non-standardness, called difference of modes (DoM). Experimental evaluation of the different sequences of operations across 22 patient datasets revealed that the sequence of BFC, followed by NF, and IS provided the best image quality in terms of %CV as well as classifier accuracy. The DoM measure was able to accurately capture the level of intensity non-standardness present in the images resulting from the different sequences of operations.
Is biopsy-proven cellular rejection an important clinical consideration in heart transplantation?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Immunosuppression strategies to prevent allograft rejection represent the cornerstone of long-term survival after heart transplantation. Endomyocardial biopsy has defined rejection in clinical cardiac transplantation and established a threshold for therapy. With the development of more effective immunosuppression modalities and the asymptomatic nature of most histologic rejection episodes, controversy exists regarding the need to augment immunosuppression based purely on histologic findings. RECENT FINDINGS The frequency of histologic rejection has declined with current immunosuppression. Resolution of lower grades of histologic rejection without treatment is the norm in both pediatric and adult heart transplant studies. Recurrent rejection episodes have been linked to the subsequent development of allograft coronary artery disease, and late rejection (even if asymptomatic) is associated with decreased survival in pediatric heart transplant recipients. Black race is a risk factor for recurrent rejection and reduced survival after late cellular rejection. Apoptosis of inflammatory cells is more evident during and after histologic rejection treated with corticosteroids. Despite numerous noninvasive modalities evaluated for the detection of rejection, to date noninvasive methods cannot reliably predict histologic rejection. SUMMARY Histologic rejection appears less common with current immunosuppressive strategies, and controversy exists about the need to treat asymptomatic rejection. It remains unproven whether non-treatment of moderate or greater rejection (>/=3A) increases the likelihood of recurrent rejection, which if present, may increase the risk of allograft coronary disease and/or reduced long-term survival.
Disorder and the ground state of bis(tetrathiatetracene) triodide TTT2I3

Abstract The low temperature ground state of TTT2I3 with varying amounts of iodide chain disorder has been studied using specific heat and infrared and far infrared reflectance and absorbance. Our results support the model of TTT2I3 as an organic conductor at room temperature which undergoes a metal to insulator transition near 50 K. At low temperatures we find a semiconducting gap of 80 cm−1 independent of disorder.
An SOI technology optimized ASIC design system

Silicon on insulator (SOI) technology is an excellent choice for chip designs that require high performance and low power. IBM's SOI custom logic (ASIC) design system uses internal tools and flows in combination with solutions from a network of proven EDA vendors to support these high performance designs while managing the additional complexities introduced by the SOI process. The use of a qualified design system can add schedule predictability while simultaneously achieving high performance and power predictability. In this paper, we describe a high performance methodology for custom designs using a combination of Cadence, Synopsys, and IBM tools and flows. We discuss the benefits and challenges of the SOI technology and share results of high performance designs that were successfully manufactured using this methodology.
Occurrence and life history correlates of vocal duetting in North American passerines

Vocal duetting, where two birds produce temporally coordinated vocalizations, has been reported in a taxonomically and geographically diverse set of avian species. Researchers have suggested a number of potential correlates of duetting, including long term monogamy, year-round territory defense and sexual plumage monomorphism. Because the majority of duetting species are tropical, they have been the focus of the most comprehensive studies to date. There is, therefore, a real need for data regarding avian duets in temperate species. I used the recently completed Birds of North America species reports to examine the frequency, evolutionary origins and potential life history correlates of duetting behavior in North American passerines. ‘‘Duetting’’ behavior was reported in 7% of species from 12 avian families, likely representing 17 separate evolutionary origins. Duetting species showed apparent long term monogamy and year-round territoriality at frequencies more than double those of non-duetting passerines: 65% of duetting species were long term monogamous, compared to 27% of non-duetting species, and 50% of duetting species defended the same territory throughout the year, compared with only 11% of non-duetting species. Duetting and non-duetting species showed statistically indistinguishable frequencies of sexual plumage monomorphism. Comparative analyses of duetting species and their sister taxa revealed that the shift to duetting is accompanied by a gain of long term monogamy and year-round territoriality more often than it is associated with a loss of those traits. This study provides intriguing summary evidence that selective factors promoting duetting may be associated with a sedentary, monogamous lifestyle, and may operate similarly across taxonomic groups. Furthermore, vocal duetting may be considerably more common among temperatezone species than previously recognized.
Impacts of Beaver Foraging on the Federally Threatened Virginia Spiraea (Spiraea virginiana) along the Cheoah River, NC

Spiraea virginiana (Virginia Spiraea) is a federally threatened shrub endemic to the southern Blue Ridge and Appalachian Plateau physiographic provinces. Observations along the Cheoah River, where the largest population of S. virginiana occurs in North Carolina, indicate that Castor canadensis (Beaver) feed on S. virginiana. However, the effects of Beaver foraging on this imperiled shrub are unknown. To address this issue, we randomly located 50 belt transects (25 m × 2.5 m) along the center of the scour zone of the Cheoah River and assessed all basal stems (<2.5 cm in diameter) of woody plants for evidence of browsing by Beaver. We recorded a total of 4963 basal stems, consisting of 59 species. Of those stems, 14.7% were browsed by Beaver. Spiraea virginiana accounted for 3.5% of the total basal stems and ranked fourth in the total number of stems browsed with 8.8%. After adjusting for transect effect, S. virginiana ranked second as a preferred forage species, with 32.0% of its stems browsed. This study suggests that overall browse levels of this community are relatively low compared to other communities inhabited by Beaver because of the high-gradient and turbulent nature of the Cheoah River. Our findings provide strong evidence that S. virginiana is an important food to Beaver, and as a consequence, Beaver foraging has the potential to affect this population. Although more information is needed to determine the long-term impacts, we suspect that in the short-term, S. virginiana may benefit from the levels of browsing found in this study. Field observations suggest that Beaver foraging stimulates asexual reproduction of S. virginiana by inducing rhizomatous growth. Beaver also may help S. virginiana with dispersal, as fresh cuttings are often left at feeding sites and then may be transported downstream for rooting.
Improving the performance of ANN training with an unsupervised filtering method

Learning control strategies from examples has been identified as an important capability for many robotic systems. In this work we show how the learning process can be aided by autonomously filtering the training set provided to improve key properties of the learning process. Demonstrated with data gathered for manipulation tasks, the results herein show the improved performance when autonomous filtering is applied. The filtration method, with no prior knowledge of the task, was able to partition the training sets into sets almost equal to expertly labeled sets. In the case where the filter did not produce the same groupings as the expert user, the method still permitted a controller to be trained which demonstrated a success rate of 92%.
Optimizing the operation sequence of a chip placement machine using TSP model

Surface mount component placement machines are being widely used in electronic manufacturing industry for automated placement of components on printed wire boards (PWBs). Their performance is determined by their board assembly time. Factors that determine this include the machine's architecture and placement sequence algorithm, and component locations on the board. For a given machine and a board, the assembly time can be improved by optimizing the placement sequence algorithm. This paper presents a formulation and solution of the assembly time optimization problem for the FUJI FCP-IV component placement machine. The formulation gives a mathematical description of the assembly time that can be optimized as an integer programming problem. A near-optimal solution that can be obtained in a computationally efficient manner has been obtained by relaxing the problem to an instance of the traveling salesman problem (TSP). Simulation has been conducted on some actual boards and the results have been compared with those obtained by the actual runs at Lexmark, Inc., Lexington, KY. This shows that significant reduction in component placement time can be achieved by the proposed optimization algorithm.
Carcinoma meningitis secondary to non-small cell lung cancer: combined modality therapy.

Background Leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are increasingly diagnosed as anticancer therapies become more effective and result in prolonged patient survival. Objective To evaluate survival, cause of death, and treatment-related toxic effects in patients undergoing combined modality therapy for LM of non–small cell lung cancer. Patients and Methods Thirty-two patients (age range, 48-73 years; median, 57 years) with LM attributable to metastatic non–small cell lung cancer were treated prospectively. Neurologic presentation included headache (11 patients), cranial neuropathies (9), ataxia (5), cauda equina syndrome (3), myelopathy (3), meningismus (2), radiculopathy (2), and confusion (1). All patients underwent radiographic evaluation to determine the extent of central nervous system disease followed by radiotherapy (16 patients) and sequential and intraventricular chemotherapy (methotrexate in 32 patients; cytarabine in 16; and thiotepa in 6). Twelve patients received concurrent systemic chemotherapy. Results Central nervous system imaging demonstrated interrupted cerebrospinal fluid flow (13 patients), parenchymal brain metastases (9), subarachnoid nodules (8), hydrocephalus (5), and epidural spinal cord compression (2). Cytological responses were seen in 17 patients to first-line chemotherapy, 8 to second-line chemotherapy, and 2 to third-line chemotherapy. Treatment-related toxic effects included 20 patients with aseptic meningitis (grade 2 in 16; grade 3 in 4) and 12 patients with grade 3 or 5 thrombocytopenia or neutropenia (4 related to intraventricular chemotherapy). Median survival was 5 months (range, 1-12 months). Nineteen patients died of progressive LM or combined LM and systemic disease progression. Patients with persistent interruption of cerebrospinal fluid flow fared worse than patients with normal cerebrospinal fluid flow (median survival, 4 vs 6 months; P Conclusions Leptomeningeal metastases in patients with non–small cell lung cancer may be palliated with combined modality therapy; however, therapy and survival is based on the extent of central nervous system disease present at pretreatment evaluation.
Providing session management as core business service

It is extremely hard for a global organization with services over multiple channels to capture a consistent and unified view of its data, services, and interactions. While SOA and web services are addressing integration and interoperability problems, it is painful for an operational organization with legacy systems to quickly switch to service-based methods. We need methods to combine advantages of traditional (i.e. web, desktop, or mobile) application development environments and service-based deployments.In this paper, we focus on the design and implementation of session management as a core service to support business processes and go beyond application-specific sessions and web sessions. We develop local session components for different platforms and complement them with a remote "session service" that is independent of applications and platforms. We aim to close the gap between the two worlds by combining their performance, availability and interoperability advantages.
Good-Enough Representations in Language Comprehension

People comprehend utterances rapidly and without conscious effort. Traditional theories assume that sentence processing is algorithmic and that meaning is derived compositionally. The language processor is believed to generate representations of the linguistic input that are complete, detailed, and accurate. However, recent findings challenge these assumptions. Investigations of the misinterpretation of both garden-path and passive sentences have yielded support for the idea that the meaning people obtain for a sentence is often not a reflection of its true content. Moreover, incorrect interpretations may persist even after syntactic reanalysis has taken place. Our good-enough approach to language comprehension holds that language processing is sometimes only partial and that semantic representations are often incomplete. Future work will elucidate the conditions under which sentence processing is simply good enough.
Folding of AcrB subunit precedes trimerization

Abstract AcrB and its homologues are major players in the efflux of anti-microbials out of Gram-negative bacteria. The structural and functional unit of AcrB is a homo-trimer. The assembly process of obligate membrane protein oligomers, including AcrB, remains elusive. It is not clear if an individual subunit folds into a monomeric form first followed by association (three-stage pathway) or if association occurs simultaneously with subunit folding (two-stage pathway). To answer this question, we investigated the feasibility of creating a folded monomeric AcrB mutant. The existence of well-folded monomers in the cell membrane would be an evidence of a three-stage pathway. A monomeric AcrB mutant, AcrBΔloop, was created through the truncation of a protruding loop that appeared to contribute to the stability of an AcrB trimer. AcrBΔloop expressed at a level similar to that of wild-type AcrB. The secondary structure content and tertiary conformation of AcrBΔloop were very similar to those of wild-type AcrB. However, when expressed in an acrB-deficient strain, AcrBΔloop failed to complement its defect in drug efflux. Results from blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and chemical cross-linking experiments suggested that AcrBΔloop existed as a monomer. The expression of this monomeric mutant in a wild-type Escherichia coli strain did not have a significant dominant-negative effect, suggesting that the mutant could not effectively co-assemble with genomic AcrB. AcrBΔloop is the first monomeric mutant reported for the intrinsically trimeric AcrB. The structural characterization results of this mutant suggest that the oligomerization of AcrB occurs through a three-stage pathway involving folded monomers.
Negative refractive index metamaterials

Engineered materials composed of designed inclusions can exhibit exotic and unique electromagnetic properties not inherent in the individual constituent components. These artificially structured composites, known as metamaterials, have the potential to fill critical voids in the electromagnetic spectrum where material response is limited and enable the construction of novel devices. Recently, metamaterials that display negative refractive index – a property not found in any known naturally occurring material – have drawn significant scientific interest, underscoring the remarkable potential of metamaterials to facilitate new developments in electromagnetism.
Pluto and the Kuiper Disk

Only a few years ago, the outer Solar System appeared to be largely empty, inhabited only by the four giant planets, Pluto, and a smallish population of transient comets orbiting among the giant planets. Over the past few years, however, a series of rapidly-paced discoveries have dramatically transformed our understanding of the architectural landscape of the outer Solar System. These discoveries confirmed what had previously only been prescient speculation: that the outer Solar System possesses a disklike structure that contains billions of comets on stable orbits beyond Neptune, as well as tens of thousands of larger objects with diameters ranging up to at least 400 kilometers, and which orbit among the comets. This review, written in 1995, briefly summarizes recent advances in knowledge obtained about the Pluto-Charon Binary and the bodies that populate the Kuiper Disk, including a discussion of some important open issues related to these volatile-rich objects. Following this, is a discussion concerning the emerging connection between Pluto-Charon, Triton, and the population of bodies in the Kuiper Disk.
Highly efficient Friedel-Crafts-type benzylation via benzyl cations generated in multiple spacer-molecule separated ion-pairs.

Deamination, as a facile route to highly reactive carbocations, is of interest to several areas of organic chemistry, industry, and medicine. The reactivity and utility of these carbocations derives from the presence of a lone nitrogenous entity (N2 or N2O) interposed between the ion-pair. We report here the synthesis of a new deamination precursor whose nitrosation and subsequent decomposition constitutes a novel deamination method. In this novel approach, multiple spacer-molecules are generated in the inter-ion space. The resultant cations are exceedingly reactive but are longer-lived than carbocations derived from standard deaminations. The result is nearly quantitative yields of solvent-derived products from even poorly nucleophilic solvents such as benzene, toluene, and mesitylene.
Sub-shot-noise-limited nonlinear optical detection of infrared light modulation

Summary form only given. We report a new quantum detection scheme based on nonlinear optical frequency doubling, which converts the incident fundamental IR photons to the secondharmonic blue photons before entering photoelectric detectors. Our scheme is shown in which second-harmonic generation (SHG) is considered as a part of detector (or meter) in order to detect the modulation signals carried in the input IR beam.
Measurement of human trust in a hybrid inspection system based on signal detection theory measures

Abstract Human trust plays an important role in influencing operator's strategies toward the use of automated systems. Therefore, a study was conducted to measure the effect of human trust in a hybrid inspection system given different types of errors (i.e., false alarms and misses). The study also looked at which of the four dimensions of trust (competence, predictability, reliability and faith) were the best predictors of overall trust. Results from the study reveal that trust is sensitive to the type of errors made by a system and suggest that subjective ratings of trust and the properties of the system can be used to predict the allocation of functions in hybrid inspection systems. Relevance to industry The study conducted here is applicable to inspection tasks in manufacturing and service industries. The results obtained indicate that subjective ratings of operators’ trust can be used as a basis for predicting and optimizing operator's allocation behavior and system performance. Furthermore, designers can use these results to help decide which functions to allocate to the human or to the system based on previous experiences and interaction with the system.
Drug Use Among Gay and Bisexual Men at Weekend Dance Parties: The Role of Intentions and Perceptions of Peers' Behaviors

Substance use is high among gay and bisexual men attending weekend dance events, yet little research has investigated motivations for drug use and contextual factors influencing use in these settings. We hypothesized that beliefs about peer drug use interact with individuals’ own drug use intentions to predict use. 489 men attending weekend dance events completed an anonymous assessment asking about their own and their beliefs about other attendants’ drug use intentions—47 % completed a follow-up assessment after the event. Forty-four percent reported intending to use ecstasy at the event; intentions to use GHB, marijuana, cocaine, unprescribed erectile dysfunction drugs, and poppers were also high. Perceptions about other attendant’s drug use predicted use among those intending and those not intending to use drugs. Normative beliefs are important predictors of drug use at weekend dance events; event-specific prevention strategies should encompass messages that correct misperceptions of drug use among party attendants.
Proton MR spectroscopic studies of chronic alcohol exposure on the rat brain.

Purpose: To better understand the long-term pathophysiologic mechanisms of alcoholism-related organic brain damage by serially assessing brain metabolites in chronically exposed rats using both in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) from brain extracts. Materials and Methods: The alcoholic regimen was continued up to 60 weeks. In vivo proton MRS studies were performed at 200 MHz using a small animal imaging/spectrometer. In vitro rat brain extracts were also examined using a 500 MHz vertical bore magnet. Comparison measurements were also obtained in an age-matched control group. Results: In vivo results showed that there is a significant increase in the Cho/NAA ratio in the chronic alcohol-exposed group that reached a maximum around 16 weeks. After 44 weeks of alcohol exposure, Cho/NAA in the alcohol group decreased significantly from its maximum value to a value that was significantly lower than those from the control groups. Brain extract studies demonstrated that PC and GPC were the main components responsible for the observed in vivo spectral changes after 16 and 60 weeks of alcohol consumption, respectively. Conclusion: The fluctuation of choline-containing metabolites during alcohol intoxication could explain sometimes seemingly conflicting and confusing results from MRS studies in human and animal studies in which the duration of alcohol consumption and amount are varied widely. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;18:147–151. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Computational Exploration of Ultra-High Current PEFC Operation with Porous Flow Field

A comprehensive 2D+1 computational model has been developed to explore the operation of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) with a porous flow field, also called open metallic element (OME), in the ultra-high current density regime (>2A/cm 2 ). The computational model has been validated to a greater extent than previously published multi-phase models, including in-situ experimental measurement of performance, high frequency resistance (HFR) and net water drag coefficient under a wide range of input relative humidity (RH) conditions. The combined experimental and modeling investigation found that, with the OME used as the flow field, gas phase transport of oxygen is not the limiting factor, even in the ultra-high current regime. The use of OME results in significant performance improvement compared to the conventional land-channel architecture at high current. Instead of oxygen transport limitation, however, anode dry-out limits performance, as confirmed by net water drag data from both experiment and model. With the OME architecture, diffusion flow is the dominant transport mechanism of water from the catalyst layer to the flow field, compared to capillary action and convection. Results also highlight the utility of experimentally-determined anode dry-out
Internal structure of the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California

Magnetotelluric and seismic reflection surveys at Parkfield, California, show that the San Andreas fault zone is characterized by a vertical zone of low electrical resistivity. This zone is ￻500 m wide and extends to a depth of ￻4000 m. The low electrical resistivity is attributed to high porosity of saline fluids present in the highly fractured fault zone. The occurrence of microearthquakes and creep in the low resistivity zone is consistent with suggestions that seismicity at Parkfield is fluid driven.
The developmental transcriptome of Drosophila melanogaster

Drosophila melanogaster is one of the well-studied metazoan organisms; nonetheless its genome still contains unannotated genes, exons and RNA editing sites. Furthermore, our understanding of how the regulation of transcription, splicing and RNA editing directs development of this complex organism remains limited. We have used RNA-seq, tiling microarrays and cDNA sequencing to explore the transcriptome in 30 distinct stages throughout development. We have identified 87,352 new features, including thousands of genes, coding and non-coding transcripts, exons, splicing and editing events. We have inferred protein isoforms that previously eluded discovery with established experimental, prediction and conservation-based approaches. Together, these data substantially expand the number of known transcribed elements in the Drosophila genome and provide a high-resolution view of transcriptome dynamics throughout the development of a metazoan.
Challenges of Type 2 Diabetes and Role of Health Care Social Work:A Neglected Area of Practice

Across the world, diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent and serious chronic diseases. In the United States alone, almost 16 million people suffer from diabetes, which costs many of them their eyesight, kidney function, lower limbs, or life itself, and costs the U.S. health care system billions of dollars. Currently, social work involvement with this chronic disease appears limited; however, social workers have the potential to make remarkable differences in the lives of people coping with diabetes. To facilitate involvement, this article outlines the basic aspects of Type 2 diabetes mellitus, its biopsychosocial challenges, and the roles health care social workers that may be assumed in assisting adult patients and their families.
The Influence Of Wage On Motivation And Satisfaction

This article seeks to contribute to the extant literature on the origin of motivation (intrinsic or extrinsic) by examining the relationship between wage, motivation, and satisfaction. That is, its aims is to discover the extent to which wages influence the motivation and satisfaction of wage earners who are considered to be more highly motivated than their colleagues. Employees who work for eight companies from diverse segments of the Brazilian economy were selected by intentional sampling. The data collection process was carried out along with them by explaining the objectives of the survey and handing out the forms that were to be completed by them. Four hundred fifty-eight useful answers were validated. The results show that the wages paid by the companies do not significantly influence the respondents’ motivation and satisfaction, with the exception for a highly limited sample. These constructs (motivation and satisfaction) were investigated in terms of the way the work is organized, the communication is processed, and the rewards system is built. The findings are opposite of those that assert the positive influence of extrinsic rewards (salary is one of them) on motivation. The article offers an original research design; that is, with a focus on highly motivated wage earners. Similar research design is strongly recommended in order to elucidate a little more on the influence of wages on motivation.
In-system testing of Xilinx 7-Series FPGAs: Part 1-logic

FPGA fault recovery techniques, such as bitstream scrubbing, are only limited to detecting and correcting soft errors that corrupt the configuration memory. Scrubbing and related techniques cannot detect permanent faults within the FPGA fabric, such as short circuits and open circuits in FPGA transistors that arise from electromigration effects. Several Built-In Self-Test (BIST) techniques have been proposed in the past to detect and isolate such faults. These techniques suffer from routing congestion problems in modern FPGAs that have a large number of logic blocks. This paper presents an improved BIST architecture for all Xilinx 7-Series FPGAs that is scalable to large arrays. The two primary sources of overhead associated with FPGA BIST, the test time and the memory required for storing the BIST configurations, are also reduced when compared to previous FPGA-BIST approaches. The BIST techniques presented here also eliminate the need for using any of the user I/O pins, such as a clock, a reset, and test observation pins; therefore, it is suitable for immediate deployment on any system with Xilinx 7-series FPGAs. With faults detected, isolated, and corrected, the effective MTBF of a system can be extended.
Modal Testing of 9 m CX-100 Turbine Blades

Several modal tests were conducted on several CX-100 9-meter wind turbine blades (manufactured by TPI Composites Inc.) as part of an evaluation to identify their structural dynamic characteristics. Experiments were made with the blades using different boundary conditions including free-free and clamped. The data for the different tests was processed and compared for the different configurations. This paper presents the results of those studies to provide a database for future use.
Current Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Requirements

AbstractOrganization of the new Division of Bioequivalence is discussed. Guidance for in vivo bioequivalence studies prepared by the division since January 1985 is announced. The policy of submission of in vitro dissolution testing and request for waiver of in vivo bioequivalency together with the final in vivo bioequivalency study report is presented. Recommendations for conducting pilot studies and presentation of validation of assay methodology is made.
Impact of lepton-flavor violating Z' bosons on muon g-2 and other muon observables

A lepton-flavor violating (LFV) ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ boson may mimic some of the phenomena usually attributed to supersymmetric theories. Using a conservative model of LFV ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ bosons, the recent BNL E821 muon $g\ensuremath{-}2$ deviation allows for a LFV ${Z}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ interpretation with a boson mass up to 4.8 TeV while staying within limits set by muon conversion: $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}e\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\mu}}\mathrm{eee}.$ This model is immediately testable as one to twenty ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\tau}$ events are predicted for an analysis of the CERN LEP II data. Future muon conversion experiments, MECO and PRIME, are demonstrated to have the potential to probe very high boson masses with very small charges, such as a 10-TeV boson with an $e\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}$ charge of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}.$ Furthermore, the next linear collider is shown to be highly complementary with muon conversion experiments, which are shown to provide the strictest and most relevant bounds on LFV phenomena.