cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discovery of triazolopyrimidine-based PDE8B inhibitors: Exceptionally ligand-efficient and lipophilic ligand-efficient compounds for the treatment of diabetes

PDE8B is a cAMP-specific isoform of the broader class of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). As no selective PDE8B inhibitors had been reported, a high throughput screen was run with the goal of identifying selective tools for exploring the potential therapeutic utility of PDE8B inhibition. Of the numerous hits, one was particularly attractive since it was amenable to rapid deconstruction leading to inhibitors with very high ligand efficiency (LE) and lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE). These triazolopyrimidines were optimized for potency, selectivity and ADME properties ultimately leading to compound 42. This compound was highly potent and selective with good bioavailability and advanced into pre-clinical development.
The shock tube as a device for testing transonic airfoils at high Reynolds numbers

A performance analysis of gas-driven shock tubes shows that transonic airfoil flows with chord Reynolds numbers in the range of 100 million can be generated behind the primary shock in a large shock tube. A study of flow over simple airfoils has been carried out at low and intermediate Reynolds numbers to assess the testing technique. Results obtained from schlieren photos and airfoil pressure measurements show that steady transonic flows similar to those observed for the airfoils in wind tunnels can be generated within the available testing time in a shock tube with either properly-contoured test section walls or a properly-designed slotted-wall test section. The study indicates that the shock tube is a useful facility for studying two-dimensional high Reynolds number transonic airfoil flows.
The Relationship Between Word Learning and Executive Function in Preschoolers With and Without Developmental Language Disorder

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between executive functioning and word learning among preschoolers with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). Method Forty-one preschool-age children with DLD were matched to typically developing children on age and sex. Participants were exposed to 10 novel pseudowords, half of which referred to familiar objects and half of which referred to unfamiliar objects. Their ability to produce, recognize, and comprehend the novel words was tested, and they completed executive function tasks measuring sustained selective attention, short-term memory, working memory, inhibition, and shifting. Results Preschoolers with DLD performed worse compared to typically developing peers on all measures of executive function and novel word learning. Both groups showed a relative weakness in producing pseudowords that corresponded with familiar objects versus pseudowords for unknown objects. Executive function accounted for statistically significant variance in word learning beyond group membership, with inhibition as a significant predictor of all word learning outcomes and short-term memory as a significant predictor of novel word comprehension. Executive function explained significant variance in novel word production and recognition even after accounting for variance explained by group differences in IQ and receptive vocabulary. Conclusion Findings replicate previous research reporting deficits in word learning and executive function in children with DLD, indicate that preschoolers are disadvantaged in learning new words for familiar objects, and support a relationship between executive function and word learning for children with and without DLD. Future research should examine the directionality of the relationship between these variables.
A reappraisal of the pharmacologic management of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with continuous flow left ventricular assist devices

Advancements in the design and functionality of continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs), as well as a limited number of donor hearts, have resulted in an increased utilization of this therapy among advanced heart failure (HF) patients. Despite these advancements, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) remains a common complication after CF-LVAD implantation. The mechanism of GIB in these patients is complex and includes a combination of angiodysplasia, platelet dysfunction, acquired von Willebrand disease, and a variety of patient-specific factors including advanced age and history of GIB. Several pharmacotherapy options have been reported in the literature, though studies supporting the use of these agents are often small, retrospective reports. Within this review, we discuss the various pharmacologic agents, their proposed mechanisms of action, and the available literature pertaining to their effectiveness and tolerability. Additionally, we propose an evidence-based treatment algorithm, encompassing the updated literature, cost of therapy, medication side effects, and ease of administration.
Aristotle’s modes of persuasion and valence effects on online review trustworthiness and usefulness

Online reviews are an integral destination in the contemporary consumer decision journey as consumers systematically employ them in their decision making processes. Despite burgeoning online review...
Immortal branching processes

Abstract We investigate the dynamics of an immortal branching process. In the classic, critical branching process, particles give birth to a single offspring or die at the same rates. Even though the average population is constant in time, the ultimate fate of the population is extinction. We augment this branching process with immortality by positing that either: (a) a single particle cannot die, or (b) there exists an immortal stem cell that gives birth to ordinary cells that can subsequently undergo critical branching. We also treat immortal two-type branching. We discuss the new dynamical aspects of these immortal branching processes.
Hydrothermally synthesized NiCo2O4 nanostructures for energy storage applications

Abstract Over the past decades, depleting fossil energy and global warming has made it imperative to develop clean, efficient and sustainable energy sources. Among the existing energy storage devices, supercapacitors are attractive systems due to their high power density and excellent cycling stability. In the present study, NiCo2O4 nanostructures are synthesized via hydrothermal route using different structure directing reagents for effectively assigning in supercapacitors as excellent electrodes. The as-synthesized structures are scrutinized using various characteristic tools for examining their properties. X-Ray Diffraction analysis of the samples confirms NiCo2O4 crystallite phases in the as-synthesized structures. Scanning Electron Microscopy of the samples reveal the structure of nanocubes and nanourchins for the two different as-synthesized samples. Brunaueur Emmett Teller study for analyzing surface properties of the samples illustrates higher surface area for nanocubes than nanourchins. Further, to investigate the electrochemical performance of nanodandelions, the samples were subjected to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis and it is found to be illustrated with outstanding cyclic stability and capacitive performance.
Language in Congress: Domestic Constituent Influence in Foreign Aid Decisions

There is an extensive literature on the effect of donor ideology on foreign aid allocations. However, the process through which donor ideology influences aid decisions is understudied. In my framework, legislators' application of political ideology is expanded to foreign aid agendas through interactions with domestic constituencies: development Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and private enterprises. Legislators adopt the constituencies' ideological rationale for aid and reflect the groups' aid preferences by taking on the language of those constituents. To test this argument, I applied the Structural Topic Model (STM) and Wordfish to my self-collected text data on testimonial statements given by representatives of NGOs and of firms and floor speeches of left- and right-leaning legislators relating to foreign aid in Congress. My results suggest that constituent groups have an influence on the ideological aid positions of individual legislators, which, in turn, may translate into the aid decisions of the donor country.
REGULARITIES IN TRAVEL DEMAND: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The major mobility variables from about 30 travel surveys in more than 10 countries are compared in this paper. The analysis of cross-sectional and longitudinal data broadly confirms some earlier findings of regularities in time and money expenditures shares for passenger travel budgets. Despite the rather rough stability, travel demand characteristics, influenced by the two travel budgets, show strong regularities across space and time for all countries examined.
Attraction of pepper weevil to volatiles from damaged pepper plants

Pioneer herbivorous insects may find their host plants through a combination of visual and constitutive host-plant volatile cues, but once a site has been colonized, feeding damage changes the quantity and quality of plant volatiles released, potentially altering the behavior of conspecifics who detect them. Previous work on the pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), demonstrated that this insect can detect and orient to constitutive host plant volatiles released from pepper [ Capsicum annuum L. (Solanaceae)]. Here we investigated the response of the weevil to whole plants and headspace collections of plants damaged by conspecifics. Mated weevils preferred damaged flowering as well as damaged fruiting plants over undamaged plants in a Y-tube olfactometer. They also preferred volatiles from flowering and fruiting plants with actively feeding weevils over plants with old feeding damage. Both sexes preferred volatiles from fruiting plants with actively feeding weevils over flowering plants with actively feeding weevils. Females preferred plants with 48 h of prior feeding damage over plants subjected to weevil feeding for only 1 h, whereas males showed no preference. When-attraction to male- and female-inflicted feeding damage was compared in the Y-tube, males and females showed no significant preference. Wind tunnel plant assays and four-choice olfactometer assays using headspace volatiles confirmed the attraction of weevils to active feeding damage on fruiting plants. In a final four-choice olfactometer assay using headspace collections, we tested the attraction of mated males and virgin and mated females to male and female feeding damage. In these headspace volatile assays, mated females again showed no preference for male feeding; however, virgin females and males preferred the headspace volatiles of plants fed on by males, which contained the male aggregation pheromone in addition to plant volatiles. The potential for using plant volatile lures to improve pepper weevil monitoring and management is discussed.
Safety Benefits Estimation of an Intelligent Cruise Control System Using Field Operational Test Data

The potential safety benefits of an Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system are assessed in terms of the number of rear-end crashes that might be avoided on US freeways if all vehicles were equipped with such a system. This analysis utilizes naturalistic driving data collected from a field operational test that involved 108 volunteers who drove ten passenger cars for about 68 and 35 thousand miles in manual and ICC control modes, respectively. The effectiveness of the ICC system is estimated at about 17 percent based on computer simulations of two rear-end precrash scenarios that are distinguished by whether the following vehicle encounters a suddenly-decelerating or slow-moving lead vehicle. The ICC system has the potential to eliminate approximately 13 thousand police-reported rear-end crashes on US freeways, using 1996 national crash statistics. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD E102826.
On determining the /spl delta/ and /spl theta/ Hurwitz stability of interval polynomials

Develops two results that can be used for estimating the root space boundary of an interval polynomial family without using the excessive computations associated with the edge theorem. The particular root space boundary to be estimated consists of a straight line parallel to the imaginary axis and two other straight lines of finite, non-zero slope passing through the origin. The notions of /spl delta/ Hurwitz and /spl theta/ Hurwitz stability are introduced and it is shown that to ascertain the /spl delta/ or /spl theta/ Hurwitz stability of an interval polynomial family, it is sufficient to check that the vertices of that family have the same property. A similar vertex result is also derived for an interval-plant fixed-controller pair under the assumption that the controller is of a special form. The results here constitute a useful tool for classical control design under parametric uncertainty.
The Effect of Democratic Political Institutions on Political Violence in Different Societal Settings

We test three central claims in the consociationalist literature: that in ethnically divided societies, conflict can be reduced by adopting (1) proportional representation over majoritarian electoral rules, (2) parliamentary over presidential or semi-presidential arrangements, and (3) a federal over a unitary system. Previous research on these questions has suffered from two major flaws: a poorly-designed measure of “divided society,” and model specifications that do not take into account the conditional nature of institutional effects. Correcting these flaws produces estimates that undercut much of the previous empirical support for consociationalist arrangements in divided societies. In particular, the combination of PR, parliamentarism, and federalism appears to be a uniquely bad choice when ethnic fragmentation and regional concentration are high and income cross-cuttingness is low.
Seventy‐two‐hour Returns May Not be a Good Indicator of Safety in the Emergency Department: A National Study

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:390–397 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: The objective was to measure the association between returns to an emergency department (ED) within 72 hours and resource utilization, severity of illness, mortality, and admission rate. Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of ED visits using data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) from 1998 to 2006. Cohorts were patients who had been seen in the ED within the past 72 hours versus those without the prior visit. A multivariate model was created to predict adjusted-resource utilization and mortality or admission rate. Results: During the study period, there were 218,179 ED patient visits and a 3.2% 72-hour return rate. Patients with Medicare (3.5%) and without insurance (3.5%) were more likely to return within 72 hours. Visits associated with alcohol (4.1%), low triage acuity (4.0%), or dermatologic conditions (5.9%) were more likely to return. Seventy-two-hour return visits used fewer resources (5.0 [±0.1] vs. 5.5 [±0.1] tests, medications, procedures), were less likely to be Level I triage acuity (17% vs. 20%), and had a similar admission rate (13% vs. 13%) as those not seen within 72 hours. The sample size was too small to evaluate mortality. Conclusions: Patients who return to the ED within 72 hours do not use more resources, are not more severely ill, and do not have a higher hospital admission rate than those who had not been previously seen. These findings do not support the use of 72-hour returns as a quality or safety indicator. A more refined variation such as 72-hour returns resulting in admission may have more value.
What We All Should Know About Our Patient’s Airway: Difficult Airway Communications, Database Registries, and Reporting Systems Registries

Documentation and dissemination of patient information characterizing a difficult airway encounter is a critical safety link between past, present, and future health care providers. Effective communication of the nature of the difficulty encountered and the airway management techniques used consists of documentation in the patient's medical record for concurrent care providers and dissemination of that information to the patient and future providers for use during subsequent episodes of care. Significant progress has been made with developing national and international electronic patient record systems and airway databases, but full integration has yet to be achieved.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD : Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences Therapist Guide

1. Introductory information for therapists 2. Assessment and special considerations in treating trauma survivors 3. Session 1 4. Session 2 5. Session 3 6. Intermediate sessions 7. Final session 8. Anticipating problems and tailoring treatment to the individual: promoting effective engagement
Match or non-Match: at the crossroads.

Introduction The National Matching Service provides an ethical and unbiased selection process between residency programs and candidates. Currently, 51 of the 66 accredited orthodontic residency programs in the United States participate in the matching service for orthodontic programs (the Match), and 15 do not. Our purpose was to identify the factors that contribute to an orthodontic residency program's decision to participate in the Match program or to refrain from doing so. Methods A survey was sent to 64 orthodontic programs regarding their perception of the Match. A qualitative content analysis of the survey responses was conducted. Common recurring themes were identified. Simple descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Results Fifty-six programs responded to the survey. Survey content analysis showed 2 prevailing themes: orthodontic programs participate in the Match because they believe it is a fair process, or they refrain from participating so that they can pressure selected candidates to accept positions early. Conclusions Participation in the Match benefits candidates, schools, and orthodontic education in general. Candidates can interview at multiple schools and rank their choices without the pressure of early acceptance. Orthodontic programs are forced to compete for strong candidates; this ultimately strengthens the education their residents receive. The Match can accommodate complex requirements of different programs, including allowing them to recruit a certain mix or a diversity of students. We concluded that all orthodontic residency programs in the United States should participate in the Match.
Stroke-related effects on maximal dynamic hip flexor fatigability and functional implications

Introduction: Stroke-related changes in maximal dynamic hip flexor muscle fatigability may be more relevant functionally than isometric hip flexor fatigability. Methods: Ten chronic stroke survivors performed 5 sets of 30 hip flexion maximal dynamic voluntary contractions (MDVC). A maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) was performed before and after completion of the dynamic contractions. Both the paretic and nonparetic legs were tested. Results: Reduction in hip flexion MDVC torque in the paretic leg (44.7%) was larger than the nonparetic leg (31.7%). The paretic leg had a larger reduction in rectus femoris EMG (28.9%) between the first and last set of MDVCs than the nonparetic leg (7.4%). Reduction in paretic leg MDVC torque was correlated with self-selected walking speed (r2 = 0.43), while reduction in MIVC torque was not (r2 = 0.11). Conclusions: Reductions in maximal dynamic torque of paretic hip flexors may be a better predictor of walking function than reductions in maximal isometric contractions. Muscle Nerve 51: 446–448, 2015
ON THE ROLE OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS IN DETERMINING HYPERSONIC INLET PERFORMANCE IN GROUND TEST FACILITIES

Measurement of the performance of hypersonic inlets in ground test facilities requires a combination of experimental measurements and analytical inputs. The roles of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in defining ground-test simulation requirements and in complementing direct experimental measurements are discussed for a two-dimensional class of hypersonic scramjet inlet. Typical uncertainties for measurements and analytical inputs are defined and sensitivities are calculated for inlets operating at speeds between Mach 4 and 15. These uncertainties are propagated through an analysis procedure to determine the accuracy of the inlet performance. Recommendations are provided for areas of measurement and analysis improvement that offer the potential to improve the accuracy of the inlet performance determination.
Dispersing the Ghetto: The Relocation of Jewish Immigrants Across America

Dispersing the Ghetto: The Relocation of Jewish Immigrants Across America. Jack Glazier. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1998. 245 pp., appendix, notes, index.
Systemic hypertension associated with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for pediatric respiratory failure

Abstract Background/purpose Arterial hypertension (HTN) is common in neonates on venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), but HTN in pediatric venovenous (VV) ECMO has not been well described. The authors noted HTN in their VV ECMO experience and hypothesized that HTN was associated with fluid status, steroid use, and renal insufficiency. Methods Records of 50 patients receiving VV ECMO for respiratory failure were reviewed. HTN was defined as systolic blood pressure greater than 95th percentile for age for ≥1 hour, unresponsive to sedation/analgesia. Hypertensive index (HI) is defined as total hypertensive hours per total ECMO hours. Fluid status was estimated by a fluid index (FI = total fluid balance during ECMO per ECMO hours per weight). Results Forty-seven of 50 patients (94%) had HTN. Median HI was 0.21 (range, 0.01 to 1.0). Thirteen patients had renal insufficiency, 39 received steroids, and 23 received continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH). There was no association between HI and FI, steroid use, or renal insufficiency. Thirty-three patients were treated for HTN, often requiring multiple agents. Bleeding complicated the course of 18 patients, and HI was significantly higher in those patients ( P = .03). HI was not different between survivors (37 of 39 with HTN) and nonsurvivors (10 of 11 with HTN). Conclusions Hypertension is a common complication associated with VV ECMO with unclear etiology. HTN was frequently difficult to control. This study emphasizes the need for the development of treatment protocols to decrease the incidence, severity, and associated morbidity. Improved insight into the etiology of HTN associated with pediatric VV ECMO, including evaluation of the renin-angiotensin system, would help guide therapy.
P20-12. Heterogeneity of Gag Mutational Pathways in Primary HIV-1 Subtype C Infection

Methods A total of 42 subjects (8 acutely and 34 recently HIVinfected individuals with estimated time of seroconversion) were included. Gag quasispecies were analyzed by single-genome amplification/sequencing. Ten amino acid positions across Gag with the most frequent mutations were chosen for analysis. Mutations were analyzed at frequent time points (median 4.5 per subject; IRQ 3.0; 6.0). High-resolution typing was performed within HLA-A, -B, and -C loci. Gag mutations toward the wild type were treated as reversions and mutations from the wild type as escapes. Mutations were classified as minor, transient, dominant, or complete.
A Generalized Biomass Pyrolysis Model Based on Superimposed Cellulose, Hemicelluloseand Liqnin Kinetics

The pyrolysis of general biomass materials is modeled via a superposition of cellulose, hemi-cellulose and lignin kinetics. All three of the primary biomass components are modeled with multi-step kinetics involving both competetive primary pyrolysis and secondary tar decomposition reactions. Only “typical” (untreated) feedstocks are considered at atmospheric pyrolysis pressures. The kinetics scheme is then coupled to the porous particle model of Miller and Bellan (1996) along with appropriate properties and heats of reaction to provide a complete model for the pyrolysis of arbitrary biomass feedstocks and sample sizes. Comparisons with past isothermal and thermogravimetry experiments for a variety of biomass materials under both kinetically controlled and diffusion limited conditions show favorable agreement with the model predictions. In addition, discussions are provided which support the use of competetive char production kinetics over single and successive reaction schems which cannot currently be reconciled with observed pyrolysis behavior.
Fractals, Vigilance, and Adolescent Diabetes Management: A Case for When Regulation May Be Difficult to Measure With the Current Medical Standards

Temporal patterning in blood glucose (BG) consistent with fractals-how BG follows a repetitive pattern through resolutions of time-was used to examine 2 different samples of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes (10-14 years). Sample 1 contained 10 adolescents with longtime series for accurate estimations of long-term dependencies associated with fractals. The second contained 94 adolescents measured multiple times daily over a 2-week period corresponding to psychosocial measures. In both samples, temporal dependencies in BG showed patterns consistent with fractals. In the second sample, temporal dependencies were associated with indicators of vigilant regulation including adolescents' higher anxiety, mothers' higher monitoring, and intrusive support. The existence of temporal dependencies in BG moderated the relationship between glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and indicators of low BG risk but not the relationship between HbA1c and high BG risk. These results show how a biomedical indicator may be susceptible to metric issues associated with fractals.
Comparative analysis of selected genes from Diachasmimorpha longicaudata entomopoxvirus and other poxviruses

The Diachasmimorpha longicaudata entomopoxvirus (DlEPV) is the first symbiotic EPV described from a parasitic wasp. The DlEPV is introduced into the tephritid fruit fly larval host along with the wasp egg at oviposition. We sequenced a shotgun genomic library of the DlEPV DNA and analyzed and compared the predicted protein sequences of eight ORFs with those of selected poxviruses and other organisms. BlastP searches showed that five of these are homologous to poxvirus putative proteins such as metalloprotease, a putative membrane protein, late transcription factor-3, virion surface protein, and poly (A) polymerase (PAP) regulatory small subunit. Three of these are similar to those of other organisms such as the gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) of Arabidopsis thaliana, eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A) of Caenorhabditis briggsae and lambda phage integrase (lambda-Int) of Enterococcus faecium. Transcription motifs for early (TGA,A/T,XXXXA) or late (TAAATG, TAAT, or TAAAT) gene expression conserved in poxviruses were identified with those ORFs. Phylogenetic analysis of multiple alignments of five ORFs and 20 poxvirus homologous sequences and of a concatenate of multiple alignments suggested that DlEPV probably diverged from the ancestral node between the fowlpox virus and the genus B, lepidopteran and orthopteran EPVs, to which Amsacta moorei and Melanoplus sanguinipes EPV, respectively, belong. The DlEPV putative GGT, eIF4A, and lambda-Int contained many conserved domains that typified these proteins. These homologues may be involved in either viral pathogenicity or enhancing parasitism via the gamma-glutamyl cycle and compensation of eIF4A levels in the parasitized fly, or via the integration of a portion of the viral genome into the wasp and/or parasitized fly.
Rejoinder to casetti’s “critical notes on an alleged operationalization of the concept of spatial utility”

In a paper completed some three years ago, "On Place Utility and the Normative Allocation of Intra-Urban Migrants" (Brown, Horton, and Wittick, 1970), a linear programming model of intra-urban migration was presented. This model was designed to operationalize concepts put forth in an earlier conceptual model (Brown and Moore, 1970); these are principally ones relating to the role of aspirations and search in the residential site selection process. The interpretation of the dual of this model proved to be interesting in that it linked household aspiration and search behaviors to place utility, a concept that has received much attention in the intraurban migration literature but has proved difficult to operationalize (Brown and Longbrake, 1970). Casetti objects to this work on two accounts, the more noteworthy of which concerns the interpretation of the model's dual variables as place utilities. This needs to be examined more closely since in our view the model is a useful and informative one, and its elaboration constitutes the major thrust of our paper. The primal portion of the model allocates migrant households to va.cancies so as to minimize the "search effort for a place i household to identify (or find) a vacancy at place j" (p. 178) (.aij*), while maximizing "the level of return or satisfaction which is likely to accrue to a place i household were it to relocate to a vacancy in place j" (p. 178), both for the total migrant population. In operationalization the aspiration factor is measured by an index (dij) in which "lower numbers indicate combinations of origin and destination zone types which are more satisfactory in terms of the aspiration sets of migrant households" (p. 180), so that the model actually minimizes the total cost (c+j), aij*dij. "Thus migrant households will be allocated among O-D zones such as to minimize their search effort and their dissatisfaction with respect to a new residence site" (p. 180). Clearly, there is some confusion in the Brown-Horton-Wittick article over the definition of dij. Casetti interprets it as a measure of satisfaction ("the smaller the dij the more the aspirations of a migrant from zone i match the characteristics of zone j"), rather than as an aspiration factor. We feel similarly, except that because of the way in which dij varies, the model is made most clear by interpreting it as measuring the "dissatisfaction with respect to a new residence site". This will be used below in our response to Casetti's comments on the model's dual variables. A useful rationale for our interpretation of the dual is presented in Stevens's (1961) treatment of location rent in a linear programming context. Paraphrasing his argument, let pij be the gain or the increase in place utility in migrating from i to j and
Determination of the opening load for a growing fatigue crack: evaluation of experimental data reduction techniques and analytical models

In metallic materials, growing cracks will remain closed or partially closed for a portion of the applied cyclic load as a consequence of plastically deformed material left in the wake of a growing crack, surface roughness along the crack surfaces, or corrosion debris. Proper characterization of this crack closure and the subsequent opening load is required for accurate prediction of crack growth. In the laboratory, global load-displacement data are commonly used in conjunction with a data reduction technique to estimate the opening load for a growing crack. Different data reduction techniques will be compared, and the influence of data smoothing will be demonstrated, using AA 7075-T651 specimens tested under constant amplitude cyclic loading with load ratios R = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3. The ratio of maximum stress intensity factor to plane strain fracture toughness was approximately K max /K Ic =0.5. The measured crack opening loads are also compared with predictions obtained from two different strip-yield models and three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite element analyses. Results show the necessity of using smoothed data, and the poor behaviour of the compliance offset data reduction technique, when analysing high load ratio data. A modification to this technique is proposed which improves crack opening load estimates. Overall, the analytical model predictions compare well with the experimental results; especially those results generated using the modified compliance offset technique.
Analysis of Concave Curling in Concrete Slabs

A concrete pavement curls to a concave configuration when it is subjected to a negative temperature gradient, which results when the temperature at its bottom surface is higher than at its top surface. A gap may occur between the bottom of the slab and the subgrade if the temperature gradient is large. The present paper offers an analytical approach to the determination of displacement and stress distributions for a semiinfinite slab and for an infinitely long slab of a finite width, which takes into account a gap that may occur under the slab resulting from curling. Based on the analysis, an approximate formula for the maximum stress in a finite slab is suggested. The solution presented herein is obtained by applying the plate theory to an elastic plate resting on a Winkler foundation. Therefore, it is a general elastic solution and applies to not only concrete but also other materials.
A large Nc perspective on the QCD phase diagram

Abstract The transition between the hadronic phase and the quark–gluon plasma phase at nonzero temperature and quark chemical potentials is studied within the large- N c expansion of QCD.
4',4'-Difluoro-3,3'-dinitrophenylsulfone as a cross-linking reagent for lysozyme.

SummaryActive cross-linked derivatives of egg-white lysozyme have been prepared by reaction with 4,4′-difluoro-3,3′-dinitrophenyl-sulfone and isolated from excess reagents and salts by gel chromatography. Lytic activity of the enzyme at pH 9.21 is almost abolished in one cross-linked derivative which still retains 20% of its lytic activity at pH 6.24. The potential importance of such cross-linked enzymes is discussed in connection with stabilization of enzyme structure towards inactivation.
Facing Across Borders: The Diplomacy of Bon Voisinage:

This article proposes that transfrontier diplomacy, based on what is termed a consociative model of peacemaking, can ameliorate relations not only between border communities but also between central governments and even entire societies—if several conditions are met. The first is that the nations in question must “face,” or consciously confront, one another, and thus have one another’s full diplomatic attention. The second is that their domestic political systems must be so structured as efficiently to transmit border-community perspectives to national decisionmaking centers, which in turn must keep in touch with peripheral communities. The third is that international agreements, including “good neighborhood” or bon voisinage treaties, should be concluded to bind countries legally to a regime of border cooperation. Such bilateral border agreements can be elicited and also reinforced by multilateral “frame-work” cooperation pacts that cover larger regions.
Sequential and single-stage lesions of posterior association cortex in rhesus monkeys

Abstract The effects of serial (two-stage) bilateral removals of different sectors of posterior association cortex were compared to effects of single-stage bilateral removal of the same sectors. Serial lesions of either the foveal prestriate region of posterior inferotemporal cortex, or of inferotemporal cortex in the anterior portion of the temporal lobe, resulted in impairments on visual discrimination performance as severe as those resulting from single-stage lesions of the same regions.
Liposomal Formulations of Thrombomodulin Increase Engraftment After Intraportal Islet Transplantation

Early destruction of donor islet grafts due to an instant blood-mediated inflammatory reaction (IBMIR) remains a major obstacle in islet transplantation. Thrombomodulin plays an important role in limiting coagulation and inflammatory events through a variety of effects. In this study, we investigated the ability of thrombomodulin (TM), when reconstituted as a liposomal formulation, to enhance early syngeneic islet engraftment by minimizing or abrogating the IBMIR. Administration of TM significantly improved early engraftment of syngeneic islets after intraportal transplantation in diabetic mice. In the absence of treatment, conversion to euglycemia was observed among 46.6% (7/15) of recipients. In contrast, administration of TM led to euglycemia in 93.3% (14/15) of recipients (p = 0.0142). Recipients that received TM exhibited a lower incidence of primary nonfunction and better glucose control over a 30-day period after transplantation. Fibrin deposition (p < 0.05), neutrophil infiltration (p < 0.05), expression of TNF-α and IL-β mRNA (p < 0.05), as well as NF-κB activity (p < 0.05) were significantly reduced in the liver of islet recipients having been treated with liposomal TM. These data demonstrate that TM significantly improves early syngeneic islet engraftment through effects that target both coagulation and inflammatory pathways.
On the Existence of Subharmonic Screech in Choked Circular Jets from a Sharp-Edged Orifice

Experiments are performed in choked circular hot and cold nitrogen jets issuing from a 2.44 cm diameter sharp-edged orifice at a fully expanded jet Mach number of 1.85 in an effort to investigate the character of screech phenomenon. The stagnation temperature of the cold and the hot jets are 299 K and 319 K respectively. The axial distribution of the centerline Mach number was obtained with a pitot tube, while the screech data (frequency and amplitude) at different axial and radial stations were measured with the aid of microphones. The fundamental screech frequency of the hot jet is slightly increased relative to that of the cold jet. It is concluded that temperature effects on the screech amplitude are manifested with regard to the fundamental and the subharmonic even at relatively small temperature range considered.
Congress Examines Nuclear Waste Disposal Recommendations

During an 8 February U.S. congressional hearing to examine how to move forward on dealing with spent nuclear fuel and to review other recommendations of the recently released final report of the White House-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future (BRC), Yucca Mountain was the 65,000-ton gorilla in the room. BRC's charge was to conduct a comprehensive review of policies to manage the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and recommend a new strategy for dealing with the 65,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel currently stored at 75 sites around the country and the 2000 tons of new spent fuel being produced each year. However, BRC specifically did not evaluate Yucca Mountain. A 26 January letter from BRC to U.S. secretary of energy Steven Chu states, “You directed that the Commission was not to serve as a siting body. Accordingly, we have not evaluated Yucca Mountain or any other location as a potential site for the storage of spent nuclear fuel or disposal of high-level waste nor have we taken a position on the administration's request to withdraw the Yucca Mountain license application.”
Lattice spacing and isosteric heat of argon monolayers below 50K

Abstract The lattice constants of 2D solid Ar adsorbed on graphite are reported for many combinations of T and vapor pressure P, where 30
The collisionless IR absorption spectrum of C3F7I

Abstract The collisionless infrared absorption spectrum of C3F7I was measured with an 80 ns CO2 laser system. Comparison with the collisional absorption spectrum reveals that collisions induce a red-shift as well as significant broadening of the collisionless spectrum. The collisional broadening contribution was found to be much larger than anticipated. Possible physical explanations are given.
THE MATERNAL TRANSMISSION OF VACCINIAL IMMUNITY IN SWINE

The introduction of vaccinia virus into the skin of swine calls forth a typical vesicular reaction which may be followed by a solid immunity. This acquired state of resistance was utilized in determining the route of immunity transmission from sow to young. The suckling young of immune sows, vaccinated on the 7th day or earlier, showed no reaction to the virus. Their hand-fed litter mates, however, were susceptible and reacted with the formation of vesicles. These observations indicate that the porcine placenta is largely impermeable to protective substances and establish the fact that colostrum functions as the vehicle for their transmission as it does for antibodies.
Neutron diffraction of acetazolamide-bound human carbonic anhydrase II reveals atomic details of drug binding.

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs) catalyze the hydration of CO2 forming HCO3– and a proton, an important reaction for many physiological processes including respiration, fluid secretion, and pH regulation. As such, CA isoforms are prominent clinical targets for treating various diseases. The clinically used acetazolamide (AZM) is a sulfonamide that binds with high affinity to human CA isoform II (HCA II). There are several X-ray structures available of AZM bound to various CA isoforms, but these complexes do not show the charged state of AZM or the hydrogen atom positions of the protein and solvent. Neutron diffraction is a useful technique for directly observing H atoms and the mapping of H-bonding networks that can greatly contribute to rational drug design. To this end, the neutron structure of H/D exchanged HCA II crystals in complex with AZM was determined. The structure reveals the molecular details of AZM binding and the charged state of the bound drug. This represents the first determined neutron structur...
Pleuropericardial effusion: an unusual presentation of polymyalgia rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an idiopathic systemic inflammatory condition manifesting as aches and muscle stiffness of the proximal muscle groups. Very rarely, PMR can be associated with serositis. We report a very rare case of PMR where the patient’s primary presentation was a pleuropericardial syndrome (pleuropericardial effusion).
A robust model predictive control algorithm for incrementally conic uncertain/nonlinear systems

This paper presents a robustly stabilizing model predictive control algorithm for systems with incrementally conic uncertain/nonlinear terms and bounded disturbances. The resulting control input consists of feedforward and feedback components. The feedforward control generates a nominal trajectory from online solution of a finite-horizon constrained optimal control problem for a nominal system model. The feedback control policy is designed off-line by utilizing a model of the uncertainty/nonlinearity and establishes invariant ‘state tubes’ around the nominal system trajectories. The entire controller is shown to be robustly stabilizing with a region of attraction composed of the initial states for which the finite-horizon constrained optimal control problem is feasible for the nominal system. Synthesis of the feedback control policy involves solution of linear matrix inequalities. An illustrative numerical example is provided to demonstrate the control design and the resulting closed-loop system performance. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chromium51 Uptake as A Function of Platelet Age

This investigation was supported by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission Contract AT (30–1) 3590. It is known that chromate uptake by platelets is mediated by a bimodal transport mechanism with a diffusional and a saturable transport component. These models of uptake were studied in rat platelet cohorts of different age, obtained during the recovery phase of thrombocytopenia induced by specific hetero-antibody. At low concentrations of chromate in the medium the saturable transport mechanism prevailed and was found to be markedly dependent on platelet age. Platelets one day or less in age accumulated more than twice the amount of randomly-aged platelets. At high concentrations of chromate at which diffusional transport predominates, no difference in total chromate accumulation was noted in these two platelet populations. The inhomogeneous distribution of 51Cr in a platelet population may have important bearing on the interpretation of platelet survival curves since by the generally employed labelling method, chromate concentrations are utilized well within the range in which saturable transport prevails and younger platelets are more heavily labelled than older ones.
Soluble activin receptor type IIB treatment does not cause fat loss in mice with diet-induced obesity

The growth factor myostatin (MSTN) negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass. Mstn gene deletion in mice causes increased muscle mass, reduced adiposity and resistance to genetic or diet-induced obesity (DIO). Pharmacologic MSTN inhibition in mice also causes increased muscle mass and resistance to DIO. To test whether MSTN inhibition causes weight loss in mice that are already obese, we inhibited MSTN in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Mice were fed a diet containing 60% kcal from fat for 12 weeks followed by treatment with a soluble MSTN receptor derived from the activin receptor type IIB extracellular domain. During the next 12 weeks of soluble receptor treatment and HFD feeding, lean mass increased without a loss of adipose mass. Glucose metabolism was also similar between groups. Our results suggest that MSTN inhibition may be ineffective at inducing weight loss in obese patients.
Body size-independent safety margins for gas exchange across grasshopper species

Why is maximal insect body size relatively small compared to that of vertebrates? Possibly insect body size is limited by the capacity of the tracheal respiratory system to delivery oxygen down longer and longer tracheae to the tissues. If so, one possible outcome would be that larger insect species would have a smaller safety margin for oxygen delivery (higher critical P(O2), P(c)). We tested this idea by exposing inactive adult grasshoppers of a range of species and body sizes (0.07-6.4 g) to progressively lower oxygen atmospheres and measuring their ventilation frequency and their ability to maintain metabolic rate (indexed by CO(2) emission rate). We analyzed effects of body size on these parameters by simple linear regressions, as well as methods to control for phylogenetic relatedness among species. We found interspecific variation in P(c), but P(c) did not significantly correlate with body mass (average P(c) across all species = 4 kPa). Maximal tracheal system conductance scaled approximately with mass(0.7), and estimated ventilation in hypoxia (ventilatory frequency x tidal volume) scaled directly with mass, suggesting that convection is the major mechanism of gas exchange in all these species. These comparative data strengthen the growing body of evidence that body size does not affect the safety margin for oxygen delivery in insects.
Recombinant factor VIIa (NovoSeven®) and the safety of treatment

Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa; NovoSeven), Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) has been used to treat more than 6,500 patients with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders, and by May 2001, more than 180,000 standard doses had been administered. Clinical experience to date suggests that rFVIIa is safe and effective, with a very low incidence of thrombotic events being reported. Moreover, in the majority of cases, thrombotic events appear to be caused by improvements in the hemostatic system, rather than a direct effect of the agent itself.
Diffusion and flow across nanoporous polydicyclopentadiene-based membranes.

We report gas and liquid transport measurements through membranes that have 40% voids made of 14 nm pores. A reactive polylactide−polynorbornenylethylstyrene block polymer is used as a structural template in the polymerization of dicyclopentadiene during the membrane formation process. After the membrane is cast, the pore structure is formed by etching the polylactide component using dilute aqueous base. The pore structure is isotropic; therefore, there is no need for special alignment techniques. Knudsen diffusion experiments and water flow experiments show pores with a tortuosity of 1.81 and a size of 14 nm, a diameter consistent with nitrogen adsorption and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements. These membranes are effective for ultrafiltration, with molecular weight cutoffs (MWCO) consistent with theoretical predictions with no adjustable parameters. These MWCO’s can be tuned by changing the size of the constituent blocks in the templating copolymer.