cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structures of small alkali-metal clusters

Abstract : Structures clusters of monovalent metals have been calculated using the Kohn-Sham method in the local density approximation. The metal atoms are described by a local pseudopotential. Instead of using any basis set expansion, the single-electron wave functions are solved on a three-dimensional grid using a relaxation method. Since the relaxation method is also used to solve the Poisson equation, the electronic structures as well as the ion positions can be relaxed simultaneously for finding the ground state configuration. The structures obtained for small clusters (N 8) agree well with the results of earlier calculations. These structures are found to be independent of the pseudopotential parameter and common to all alkali metals. It is shown that the geometries of these clusters are similar to those of small clusters of electron-hole plasma, and can be understood in terms of single-electron states in a spherical potential (jellium model). The electric polarizabilities of the clusters are calculated and the results agree well with the experimental results. For a diatomic cluster the two electron wave function is solved exactly in the finite grid and the results are compared with those obtained using the local density approximation.
Stabilization of short helices by intramolecular cluster formation

The intramolecular formation of multiple clusters of interacting helices has been characterized in a homopolymer. The configuration partition function permits the formation of clusters in which the number of interacting helices may be as large as the greatest integer in n/2, where n denotes the number of amino acid residues in the chain. The theoretical formulation has its origin in a recent [Mattice, W. L. & Scheraga, H. A. (1984) Biopolymers23, 1701–1724], tractable matrix expression for the configuration partition function for intramolecular antiparallel β-sheet formation. Reassignment of the expression for one of the n(n+3)/2 elements in the sparse statistical weight matrix, along with a simple change in notation, converts that treatment into a matrix formulation of the configuration partition function for a chain containing multiple clusters of interacting antiparallel helices. The five statistical weights used are δ, fl, w, and the Zimm-Bragg σ and s. Each tight bend that connects two interacting helices contributes a factor of δ, fl is used in the weight for larger loops between interacting helices, and w arises from helix–helix interaction. The influence of the helix–helix interaction is well illustrated by two helix–coil transitions in a chain with n = 156 and σ = 0.001. In the absence of helix–helix interaction, the transition occurs by the nucleation and subsequent elongation of a small number of helices. When helix–helix interaction is attractive, the transition can occur by a different mechanism. Formation of a single pair of interacting helices is followed by addition of new helices to the initial cluster. In the latter process, individual helices experience relatively little growth after they are formed.
Security Dilemma: Healthcare Clinicians at Work

While healthcare organizations strive to increase control of network access, clinicians need unencumbered access to data. Clinicians make unconscious decisions daily to comply with security measures or to live with a certain level of insecurity to get their job done.
Trypanosoma brucei: Inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by haloxyfop

Trypanosoma brucei, a eukaryotic pathogen that causes African sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in cattle, depends on the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) for full virulence in mice. ACC produces malonyl-CoA, the two carbon donor for fatty acid synthesis. We assessed the effect of haloxyfop, an aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicide inhibitor of plastid ACCs in many plants as well as Toxoplasma gondii, on T. brucei ACC activity and growth in culture. Haloxyfop inhibited TbACC in cell lysate (EC(50) 67 μM), despite the presence of an amino acid motif typically associated with resistance. Haloxyfop also reduced growth of bloodstream and procyclic form parasites (EC(50) of 0.8 and 1.2 mM). However, the effect on growth was likely due to off-target effects because haloxyfop treatment had no effect on fatty acid elongation or incorporation into complex lipids in vivo.
Identification of DES1 as a vitamin A isomerase in Müller glial cells of the retina.

Absorption of a light particle by an opsin-pigment causes photoisomerization of its retinaldehyde chromophore. Restoration of light sensitivity to the resulting apo-opsin requires chemical re-isomerization of the photobleached chromophore. This is carried out by a multistep enzyme pathway called the visual cycle. Accumulating evidence suggests the existence of an alternative visual cycle for regenerating opsins in daylight. Here we identified dihydroceramide desaturase-1 (DES1) as a retinol isomerase and an excellent candidate for isomerase-2 in this alternative pathway. DES1 is expressed in retinal Muller cells, where it coimmunoprecipitates with cellular retinaldehyde binding protein (CRALBP). Adenoviral gene therapy with DES1 partially rescued the biochemical and physiological phenotypes in Rpe65(-/-) mice lacking isomerohydrolase (isomerase-1). Knockdown of DES1 expression by RNA interference concordantly reduced isomerase-2 activity in cultured Muller cells. Purified DES1 had very high isomerase-2 activity in the presence of appropriate cofactors, suggesting that DES1 by itself is sufficient for isomerase activity.
Investigation of fast-setting acrylic adhesives for bonding attachments to human tooth surfaces

Some of the problems encountered in adhesive bonding of plastic attachments to human tooth surfaces were investigated. Acrylic adhesives based on poly(methyl methacrylate)–methyl methacrylate monomer mixtures with benzoyl peroxide initiation and N,N-dimethylaniline acceleration were utilized. Both homopolymers and copolymers were investigated. Recently extracted upper central incisors were employed in the bonding experiments. Bond strengths were improved by pretreating the tooth surfaces with mineral acids such as H3PO4. Surface wetting by the liquid adhesive was shown to be improved by the acid treatment. The molecular weight of polymer or copolymer employed in the liquid adhesive had an important effect on bond strengths. The optimum molecular weight for obtaining maximum bond strengths was around 20,000 g./mole. Water immersion of the bonded specimens at 37°C. for periods up to 6 weeks had a deleterious effect on bond strengths. Nevertheless, it was shown that some of the adhesives formed reasonably strong bonds for periods exceeding 6 months even with water immersion.
Nuances of occipitocervical fixation.

Objective To describe the indications and techniques for occipitocervical (OC) fixation. Methods The operative nuances of current OC fixation techniques are described. A surgical technique video is included. Results Pertinent literature is reviewed regarding OC fixation techniques. Conclusion OC fixation systems have evolved from wire and cable techniques to plates, rods, and screws. Screw-rod constructs are easy to implant and biomechanically more rigid than wire techniques.
‘Whore-friendly people’: heritage tourism, the media and the place of sex work in Butte, Montana

In 1997, the International Sex Workers Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education (ISWFACE) began the process of purchasing a historic parlor house brothel (the Dumas) in Butte, Montana to create a cultural center and museum. This business transaction drew national and international attention while Butte citizens questioned the presence of ISWFACE in their community. Using media accounts of the Dumas, I examine the framing of sex work and its place in the heritage tourism landscape of the American West. The case of the Dumas captures the complicated relationship between history, a community, tourism and the media on local as well as national/international levels. Sex work is part of the historical landscape of the American West, but is fading from view as communities actively shape their public image, erasing this element from their landscapes.
Threshold Concepts and Their Use in Rangeland Management and Restoration: The Good, the Bad, and the Insidious

Ecological thresholds describe abrupt changes in ecological properties in time or space. In rangeland management, thresholds reflect changes in vegetation and soils that are expensive or impossible to reverse. The threshold concept has catalyzed important advances in rangeland management thinking, but it has also introduced two classes of drawbacks. First, the ambiguity of the term ‘‘threshold’’ and the desire for simplicity in its application has led to an overemphasis on classification thresholds, such as vegetation cover values. Uncritical use of classification thresholds may lead to the abandonment of management efforts in land areas that would otherwise benefit from intervention. Second, it is possible that the invocation of thresholds and irreversible degradation may eventually result in the wholesale conversion of land areas that would have been recoverable or served important societal functions, such as biodiversity maintenance, that are not reflected in threshold definitions. I conclude with a recommendation to clarify the nature of thresholds by defining the relationships among pattern, process, and degradation and distinguishing preventive thresholds from restoration thresholds. We must also broaden the attributes used to define states and thresholds.
Percutaneous Interventions Alter the Hemostatic Profile of Patients With Unstable Versus Stable Angina

Abstract Objectives. The objectives of this study were to define the hemostatic profiles of patients with unstable angina compared with patients with stable angina and to investigate the effect of percutaneous interventions on the follow-up hemostatic profiles of these patients. Background. Disturbances in hemostatic factors have been shown to be present in various clinical syndromes involving coronary artery disease. However, their role in stable angina versus unstable angina is less well defined. Methods. We studied 61 patients with either stable or unstable angina undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. Blood samples were drawn immediately before the intervention and at 1-month follow-up. Plasma levels of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. Patients with unstable angina had significantly higher t-PA levels (mean [±SE] 23.7 ± 3.4 vs. 14.3 ± 1.4 ng/ml, respectively, p = 0.02) and vWF antigen concentrations (2,231 ± 157 vs. 1,792 ± 108 mU/ml, respectively, p = 0.03) than patients with stable angina. No statistically significant differences were observed in the PAI-1 levels between the two groups (27.9 ± 5.5 vs. 21.4 ± 2.5 ng/ml, respectively, p = 0.25). At 1-month follow-up, there were no longer any significant differences in the t-PA or vWF levels between the two groups (15.7 ± 1.2 vs. 13.6 ± 0.6 ng/ml, p = 0.13; 1,962 ± 170 vs. 1,809 ± 88 mU/ml, p = 0.39, respectively). There were no significant differences between the hemostatic profiles of patients undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary stenting initially and at 1-month follow-up. Conclusions. These data suggest that elevated plasma levels of t-PA and vWF may correlate with instability of atheromatous plaques, and that their decrease after coronary interventions may reflect plaque reendothelialization and stabilization.
Developmental analysis of the torso-like phenotype in Drosophila produced by a maternal-effect locus☆

The segmental plan of the Drosophila embryo is already established at the blastoderm stage through the action of maternal effect genes which determine the polarity of the embryo and zygotically active genes involved in segmentation. We have analyzed the first example of a group of maternally acting genes which are necessary for establishing the developmental potential of the posterior 25% of the blastoderm. Females, homozygous for the X-linked maternal-effect mutation female sterile(1)Nasrat211 [fs(1)N211], produce embryos, characterized as torso-like, which lack all posterior endodermal derivatives as well as structures characteristic of abdominal segments 8 to 10. In addition, anterior endodermal derivatives are deficient and the absence of pharyngeal musculature causes a collapse of the cephalopharyngeal apparatus. The columnar blastoderm cell layer is defective at the posterior tip below the pole cells in these embryos. This defect, however, is presumably secondary to some abnormal feature of pole cell formation since in double mutants of fs(1)Nasrat211; tudor3 the blastoderm is normal but the embryos still show the torso-like phenotype. In situ hybridization with RNA probes derived from the fushi tarazu gene establishes that the cellular determination of the posterior blastoderm of embryos produced by fs(1)N211 is changed. This represents the first direct demonstration that a maternal-effect mutation alters the spatial distribution of a zygotic gene product involved in the segmental patterning of the embryo.
Ingested (oral) tocilizumab inhibits EAE.

Abstract Background Blocking the activity of IL-6 can inhibit autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Objective We examined whether an antibody against IL-6, tocilizumab (TCZ) (Actemra®), used clinically in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would have similar anti-inflammatory effects in EAE after oral administration. Design/method B6 mice were immunized with MOG peptide 35–55 and gavaged with control saline or TCZ during ongoing disease. Splenocytes, CD4 + T cells or macrophages/monocyte lineage cells (CD11b + ) from control fed or TCZ fed mice were adoptively transferred into active MOG peptide 35–55 immunized recipient mice during ongoing disease. Actively fed and recipient mice were examined for disease inhibition, inflammation, and cytokine responses. Results Ingested (oral) TCZ inhibited ongoing disease and decreased inflammation. Adoptively transferred cells from TCZ fed donors protected against actively induced disease and decreased inflammation. There was a decrease in IL-6 in actively treated spleen, decrease in TNF-α, Th1-like cytokine IL-12 and increase in Th2-like cytokine IL-10 in active fed and adoptively treated recipients. Conclusions Ingested (orally administered) TCZ can inhibit disease, CNS inflammation, decrease pro-inflammatory Th1-like cytokines and increase Th2-like anti-inflammatory cytokines.
Effect of Surface Roughness on Droplet Bouncing in Droplet-Based Manufacturing Processes

In droplet-based manufacturing processes, such as drop-wise rapid prototyping, solder bumping and spray forming, the bouncing phenomenon adversely affects the quality of the deposit. This study investigates the effect of surface roughness on bouncing of liquid metal droplets from the substrate. An analytical model was developed to correlate the surface roughness with a non-dimensional droplet bouncing potential. In addition, an experimental study was conducted to image the deposition behavior of Pb-37wt% Sn solder droplets, 280 μm in diameter, on Au-plated substrates with a wide range of surface roughness. The high-speed image data correlate well with the model prediction that droplet bouncing increases as the surface roughness increases.
The winter/spring 1996 OMP current, meteorological, sea state and coastal sea level fields

Abstract The time series of atmospheric winds, coastal sea level, surface gravity waves, currents, water temperature, and salinity for the period February–May 1996 across the OMP moored array defined a well-organized physical oceanographic system. The M2 tide, a frictionally modified Poincare wave, was manifested as a clockwise-rotating, elliptically polarized wave, with predominantly cross-shelf orientation of the ellipse, and an axis ratio of ∼0.6 in upper layer waters and in offshore waters. However, bottom friction compressed and rotated the tidal ellipses in shallow and near-bottom waters. Elliptically polarized, clockwise-rotating motions were evident at near-inertial (∼20 h) and diurnal (∼24 h) periods. The wind field was dominated by 2–14 day events centered about 4–8 days. Due to the location and track of mesoscale atmospheric events, the wind field over the southern portion of the array was far more energetic than over the northern portion. The winds prior to 17 April had higher variances than after 17 April. Sub-diurnal frequency currents were dynamically responsive to the wind field at all locations and were stronger in the southern portion of the array. The shelf-wide, southward drift of Middle Atlantic Bight waters contributed to the weekly to monthly scales of motion. Shelf-wide, the record length means were generally southward, with an offshore component in near-bottom waters. However, a significant finding was that near the 21 m isobath on the north line of moorings, just south of the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, the mean flow was into the Bay, providing a means for the import of marine sediment into the estuary. In the southeastern-most corner of the array, north of Diamond Shoals in 36 m of water, the flows were persistently directed offshore. Following southward wind events, an inability to propagate Kelvin waves northward along the coast traps a buildup of water against Diamond Shoals such that the only way for it to relax is through a geostrophically balanced offshore transport of shelf waters. The Chesapeake Bay Plume and Middle Atlantic Bight Waters often breached Diamond Shoals and invaded the South Atlantic Bight during the passage of movement northward with southward-directed wind events, particularly extra-tropical cyclones. Following the mid-April transition to persistent northward winds, Carolina Capes Water moved northward across Diamond Shoals and induced a transition from well-mixed wintertime to vertically stratified summertime hydrographic conditions.
Using interaction costs for microarchitectural bottleneck analysis

Attacking bottlenecks in modern processors is difficult because many microarchitectural events overlap with each other. This parallelism makes it difficult to both: (a) assign a cost to an event (e.g., to one of two overlapping cache misses); and (b) assign blame for each cycle (e.g., for a cycle where many, overlapping resources are active). This paper introduces a new model for understanding event costs to facilitate processor design and optimization. First, we observe that everything in a machine (instructions, hardware structures, events) can interact in only one of two ways (in parallel or serially). We quantify these interactions by defining interaction cost, which can be zero (independent, no interaction), positive (parallel), or negative (serial). Second, we illustrate the value of using interaction costs in processor design and optimization. Finally, we propose performance-monitoring hardware for measuring interaction costs that is suitable for modern processors.
Fathers for Change: A New Approach to Working With Fathers Who Perpetrate Intimate Partner Violence

Legal and social service systems rarely acknowledge the status of men as fathers in the conceptualization and delivery of interventions for intimate partner violence (IPV). Large percentages of men who are arrested and mandated to intervention programs for IPV are fathers who continue to live with or have consistent contact with their young children despite aggression and substance use. There are currently no evidence-based treatments that address co-morbid substance abuse and domestic violence perpetration with emphasis on paternal parenting for fathers. This article will describe the components of a new intervention, Fathers for Change, which addresses the co-morbidity of substance abuse, domestic violence, and poor parenting in fathers of young children. Fathers for Change is unique in its focus on the paternal role throughout treatment. A case example and initial feasibility of the intervention will be described to provide an understanding of the key ingredients and the gap this intervention could fill in the field once tested in efficacy trials.
DC-offset and 1/f noise effects on AC-coupled direct-conversion receiver

This paper analyzes the performance of a direct-conversion receiver (DCR) with ac coupling in the presence of dc-offset and 1/f noise. The performance metric employed is the SNR after the digital signal processing, as it is ultimately the most relevant measure of performance. The ac coupling, which is employed to overcome the dc-offset noise, introduces intersymbol interference (ISI), whose effects can be effectively mitigated using an equalizer. Similarly, the equalizer can also be used to mitigate the 1/f noise, which is equivalent in its effect to ISI. Our analysis shows that the performance of the ac-coupled DCR is much more sensitive to the 1/f noise compared to the ac-coupling corner frequency. This suggests that minimizing the 1/f rolloff frequency is essential for achieving high performance direct-conversion reception.
Determining the Effects of Tai Chi on Dynamic Balance and Fear of Falling in an Elderly Population

Abstract In this study, the potential value of Tai Chi in improving dynamic balance and falls self-efficacy in a healthy elderly sample was investigated. Performance of the 33 Tai Chi practitioners on the 8-foot-up-and-go balance test and the scores on the Falls Self-Efficacy Scale was compared with a nonpredictor control group. A multivariate analysis of variance demonstrated that there was not a significant difference between the practitioners and the nonpractitioners on pre-test dependent variables (g > .57). The practitioners did significantly improve their time on the balance test after the intervention (g > .05). However, the experimental group did not improve their self-reported measures on the self-efficacy scale (r > .98).
Power electronics in computing: from notebooks to workstations

The emergence of battery-powered, portable PCs and a growing worldwide environment awareness have spurred interest among PC manufacturers in reducing the power consumption of computing systems and office technologies in general. These two factors are influencing how one thinks about and, subsequently, designs computing systems. The momentum of these issues has driven the design points of relevant computing systems to achieve increasingly greater levels of energy efficiency without sacrificing capability, functionality, or performance. These characteristics continue to evolve as the underlying technologies and drive competition. >
Is there a general factor of prevalent psychopathology during adulthood

The patterns of comorbidity among prevalent mental disorders in adults lead them to load on “externalizing,” “distress,” and “fears” factors. These factors are themselves robustly correlated, but little attention has been paid to this fact. As a first step in studying the implications of these interfactor correlations, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses on diagnoses of 11 prevalent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) mental disorders in a nationally representative sample. A model specifying correlated externalizing, distress, and fears factors fit well, but an alternative model was tested in which a “general” bifactor was added to capture what these disorders share in common. There was a modest but significant improvement in fit for the bifactor model relative to the 3-factor oblique model, with all disorders loading strongly on the bifactor. Tests of external validity revealed that the fears, distress, and externalizing factors were differentially associated with measures of functioning and potential risk factors. Nonetheless, the general bifactor accounted for significant independent variance in future psychopathology, functioning, and other criteria over and above the fears, distress, and externalizing factors. These findings support the hypothesis that these prevalent forms of psychopathology have both important common and unique features. Future studies should determine whether this is because they share elements of their etiology and neurobiological mechanisms. If so, the existence of common features across diverse forms of prevalent psychopathology could have important implications for understanding the nature, etiology, and outcomes of psychopathology.
Mine the moon for 3He MRI? Not yet

the pulmonary imaging community was abuzz recently with the acute shortage of 3He, brought about by a more than 10-fold increase in demand from the US Department of Homeland Security, a demand increase more than 10-fold the annual supply ([2][1]). Public and privately funded pulmonary MRI projects
Ectopic expression of the sodium-iodide symporter enables imaging of transplanted cardiac stem cells in vivo by single-photon emission computed tomography or positron emission tomography.

Objectives: We examined the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS), which promotes in vivo cellular uptake of technetium 99m (99mTc) or iodine 124 (124I), as a reporter gene for cell tracking by single-phot...
The use of autogenous vein grafts for inferior alveolar and lingual nerve reconstruction

Conclusions: It appears that a vein graft can form a physiologic conduit for nerve regeneration. The results are more successful with shorter gaps, which indicates that, in some respects, the vein acts like a barrier membrane. The increased success rate in the inferior alveolar nerve repair may be because the vein remains straight and patent in the inferior alveolar canal. The lack of success with a long lingual nerve gap repair may be because the vein is collapsed or kinked by movement of the tongue, which may inhibit neural regeneration. Therefore, vein grafts should not be used for long lingual nerve continuity defects.
The Impact of Brown‐Headed Cowbird Parasitism on Populations of the White‐Crowned Sparrow

Brown-headed Cowbirds, Molothrus ater, are brood parasites on many species of North American Passerines. Cowbird parasitism is frequently cited as a contributing factor in the decline of United States passerine populations, based on three lines of evidence. First, range expansion and population increases by Cowbirds in this century are dramatic and well documented. Second, increasing rates of parasitism have been discovered in a variety of host species populations. Finally, direct negative effects of parasitism on certain vulnerable species notably Kirtland’s Warbler, Dendroica kirtlandii, have been demonstrated. It remains unproven, however, that Cowbirds have significant negative effects on more abundant and widely-distributed hosts. We report here on the impact of Cowbird parasitism on populations of Nuttall’s White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli, in the San Francisco Bay Area. This widespread songbird is now subject to a 40–50% rate of parasitism in San Francisco, an increase from 5% only 15 years ago. Using known mortality and fecundity values, we calculate that this population of White-crowns cannot maintain its numbers when the parasitism rate exceeds approximately 20%. Present levels of parasitism thus appear to threaten the longevity survival of this adaptable Songbird in the San Francisco Bay Area. Los “Brown-headed Cowbird,”Molothrus ater, son parasitos de las crias de muchas especies de paserinidos de Norte America. El parasitismo por M. ater es citado frecuentemente como un factor que contribuye a la declinacion de las poblaciones de paserinidos de los Estados Unidos, en base a tres lineas de evidencia, Primero, la expansion en el area de distribucion y el aumento poblacional de M. ater en este siglo son dramaticos y estan bien documentados. Segundo, se ha descubierto un incremento en las tasas de parasitismo en un surtido de poblaciones de especies hospedantes. Finalmente, se han demostrado efectos negativos directos del parasitismo sobre ciertas especies vulnerables, especialmente en el “Kirtland’s Warbler,”Dendroica kirtlandii. Sin embargo todavia falta probar que los M. ater tiene impactos negativos significativos sobre hospedantes mas abundantes y distribuidos mas ampliamente. Reportamos sobre el impacto del parasitismo por M. ater sobre poblaciones de “Nuttall’s White-crowned Sparrow,”Zonotichia leucophrys nuttalli, en el area de la Bahia de San Francisco. Este pajaro cantor de amplia distribucion esta sujeto a una tasa de parasitismo del 40–50% en San Francisco, lo que representa un aumento del 5% en solo 15 anos, Usando valores de mortalidad y fecundidad conocidos, calculamos que esta poblacion de Z. leucophrys nuttalli no podra mantener su tamano poblacional cuando la tasa de parasitismo exceda aproximadamente el 20%. Por consiguiente, los niveles actuales de parasitismo parecen poner en peligro la supervivencia a largo plazo de esta adaptable ave cantora en el area de la Bahia de San Francisco.
Calcium‐binding phosphoprotein particles in the extrapallial fluid and innermost shell lamella of clams

A calcium-binding phosphoprotein has been isolated from the extrapallial fluid of clams where it occurs as discrete particles 30–40 nm in diameter at a concentration of 1.5–6.0 mM with respect to organic phosphate. The particles were isolated by nitration and differential centrifugation procedures. In particles obtained from Rangia cuneata, 90 mole % of the amino acid residues are aspartic acid (21.7%), serine (29.1%), histidine (34.6%), and lysine (4.6%). In Mercenaria mercenaria particles 95% of the residues are aspartic acid (20.1%), serine and threonine (26.9%), histidine (36.0%), and glycine (11.4%). The serine and threonine residues may be fully phosphorylated. Particles from Rangia contain 1.45 moles of calcium plus magnesium and 0.24 moles of inorganic phosphate per mole of organic phosphate, and in Mercenaria particles these values are 1.29 and 0.164 respectively. Calcium and magnesium probably bind to organic phosphate and aspartic acid residues, and inorganic phosphate may bind secondarily through calcium and magnesium. In Rangia, the innermost shell lamella (ISL) is a single continuous layer which forms the inner surface of the shell dorsal to the pallial attachment. It contains no crystalline mineral but is firmly attached to the mineral in the underlying calcined layer. The presence of phosphoprotein particles in the ISL was demonstrated by electron microscopy and amino acid analysis. Phosphoprotein particles are not present in the bulk shell; however, their occurrence in the extrapallial fluid and ISL coupled with their affinity for mineral ions suggests that the particles have an intermediary roll in shell deposition or dissolution.
On Multicriteria Optimization

This paper examines the state of the art in multicriteria optimization. For this purpose, multicriteria problems are classified in terms of complexity as finite and small, finite and large, and infinite. The relative merits of typical methods for solving each of these classes are discussed and some suggestions for future work are made.
Considerations on Neuberger's operator

Abstract We discuss new approaches to the numerical implementation of Neuberger's operator for lattice fermions and the possible use of block spin transformations.
Calculation of losses on printed circuit board by finite element method

The attenuation constant due to conduction and dielectric losses are calculated by using a finite-element approach. The approach takes into account the skin effect and proximity effect between tracks on a printed circuit board environment and is used to predict the per-unit-length parameters needed for simulation. Results show that for typical high-speed applications the dielectric losses are comparable to the conductive losses, for frequencies close to 1 GHz. >
The Effect of Substrate on the Microstructure and Mechanical Behavior of Eutectic Indium-Tin

This study was conducted in order to determine and understand the effect of substrate on eutectic In-Sn. Samples for mechanical testing were produced with either bare Cu or Ni on Cu substrates. Both the microstructure and the mechanical behavior are strongly dependent on substrate, with In-Sn on Cu having a non-uniform and irregular microstructure and In-Sn on Ni having a uniform, normal colony-based eutectic. Deformation is more uniform in the In-Sn on Ni, while it is concentrated along the length of the joint in the In-Sn on Cu. This is reflected in the different shapes of stress-strain curves between In-Sn on Cu and In-Sn on Ni. The stress exponents and activation energies for creep also vary with substrate. Creep deformation is governed by the In-rich β phase for In-Sn on Cu and by the Sn-rich γ phase for In-Sn on Ni. If In-Sn on Ni samples are aged, the microstructure coarsens and the mechanical behavior changes to resemble that of the as-cast In-Sn on Cu.
Comparison of Three Extraction Methods for 17β-Estradiol in Sand, Bentonite, and Organic-Rich Silt Loam

Extraction is an important procedure for samples that contain soil because other compounds in soil may affect analysis of estrogens. This study was conducted to evaluate three different extraction methods for 17β-estradiol in soil. Sand, bentonite, and organic-rich silt loam were spiked with 1 mg kg− 1 of 17β-estradiol as a model compound of estrogens. 17β-estradiol and its metabolites, estrone and estriol, were extracted using (i) a modified Bligh and Dyer extraction, (ii) a pressurized fluid extraction, and (iii) a diethyl ether extraction, and measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. There were significant differences in the extraction efficiency for 17β-estradiol among the extraction methods and the soils: the efficiencies ranged from 10% to 97%. Overall, the diethyl ether extraction method had the largest efficiency of 17β-estradiol with 45% and 57% for bentonite and silt loam, respectively. Transformation of 17β-estradiol to estrone and estriol in the different extraction methods ...
Transplantation in Remission Improves the Disease-Free Survival of Patients with Advanced Myelodysplastic Syndromes Treated with Myeloablative T Cell-Depleted Stem Cell Transplants from HLA-Identical Siblings

Abstract From 1985 to 2004, 49 patients with advanced myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) (≥5% blasts) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformed from MDS underwent T cell depleted bone marrow or peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from HLA-identical siblings following conditioning with a myeloablative regimen that included total body irradiation (44 patients) or busulfan (5 patients). Thirty-six patients received chemotherapy (3 low dose and 33 induction doses) before conditioning, and 13 patients did not receive any chemotherapy. Prior to transplantation, 22 of the 36 treated patients were in hematologic remission; 4 were in a second refractory cytopenia phase (26 responders); 8 had failed to achieve remission; and 2 of the responders had progression or relapse of their MDS (10 failures). No post-transplantation pharmacologic prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was given. The median age was 48 yrs (range 13-61). Forty-five of the 49 patients engrafted; 2 had primary graft failure; and 2 died before engraftment. Only 3 patients developed acute GVHD (aGVHD) (grades I and III) and 1 chronic GVHD (cGVHD). At 3 yrs post-transplantation, the overall survival (OS) was 54% in the responders; 31% in the untreated group; and 0% in the failure group (P=.0004). The disease free survival (DFS) was 50%, 15% and 0% in each group respectively (P=.0008). In multivariate analysis, disease status before cytoreduction remained highly correlated with DFS (P
The Schizophrenia of Contemporary Education and the Moral Work of Teaching

“One mark of a good life is a harmony between one’s motives andone’s reasons, values, justifications.”—Michael Stocker Stocker’s classic and provocatively titled essay “The Schizophrenia of Modern ...
Walking Between Worlds: Holding Multiple Worldviews as a Key for Ecological Transformation

The current ecological, social, and personal crises spark the need for radical transformation to shift from one world that is mechanistic, destructive, and egocentric to another that is relational, life affirming, and embedded in the widest understandings of interconnected selves. The author employed an organic research inquiry to depict the patterns of people making this shift, identified six qualities, and found that embracing these crises provides opportunity to enlarge individual and collective perspectives in a way that aligns with larger systems of life opening one up to what has been called the multicultural self, the ecological self, or the self-transforming self. These concepts demonstrate that, when one can navigate more than one worldview, one is more resilient and responsive.
SCHISTOSOMIASIS Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Globally, schistosomes infect 1 in 30 people. Tourists travel to endemic areas, whereas students, workers, and expatriates travel to nonendemic areas. Physicians around the world need to remain aware of this common parasitic infection. Pathology results from parasite eggs that lodge in the intestines and liver. Intestinal schistosomiasis is most often asymptomatic and presents with occult gastrointestinal bleeding. Hepatosplenic schistosomiasis develops insidiously because of cumulative fibrotic injury. Stigmata of liver failure are absent unless comorbid viral or alcoholic hepatitis is present. Patients with end-stage hepatosplenic schistosomiasis die from variceal hemorrhage. Diagnosis of schistosomiasis is confirmed by finding eggs in stool or biopsy specimens. Antischistosome antibodies may identify infected tourists returning from endemic areas. Circulating schistosome antigens distinguish current from past infections. Praziquantel is the schistosomicidal drug of choice. Most cases of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis resolve after effective treatment. Prophylactic propranolol may prevent hemorrhage in praziquantel-treated patients with high-grade varices. Sclerotherapy is also efficacious. When necessary, patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis tolerate decompressive surgery well.
Natural Language Processing of Medical Reports

A significant amount of information regarding the observations, assessments, and recommendations related to a patient's case is documented within free-text medical reports. The ability to structure and standardize clinical patient data has been a grand goal of medical informatics since the inception of the field - especially if this structuring can be (automatically) achieved at the patient bedside and within the modus operandi of current medical practice. A computational infrastructure that transforms the process of clinical data collection from an uncontrolled to highly controlled operation (i.e., precise, completely specified, standard representation) can facilitate medical knowledge acquisition and its application to improve healthcare. Medical natural language processing (NLP) systems attempt to interpret free-text to facilitate a clinical, research, or teaching task. An NLP system performs translates a source language (e.g., free-text) to a target surrogate, computer-understandable representation (e.g., first-order logic), which in turn can support the operations of a driving application. NLP is really then a transformation from a representational form that is not very useful from the perspective of a computer (a sequence of characters) to a form that is useful (a logic-based representation of the text meaning). In general, the accuracy and speed of translation is heavily dependent on the end application. This chapter presents work related to natural language processing of clinical reports, covering issues related to representation, computation, and evaluation. We first summarize a number of typical clinical applications. We then present a high-level formalization of the medical NLP problem in order to provide structure as to how various aspects of NLP fit and complement one another. Examples of approaches that target various forms of representations and degrees of potential accuracy are discussed. Individual NLP subtasks are subsequently discussed. We conclude this chapter with evaluation methods and a discussion of the directions expected in the processing of clinical medical reports. Throughout, we describe applications illustrating the many open issues revolving around medical natural language processing.
Minimally Invasive Pterygium Surgery: Sutureless Excision with Amniotic Membrane and Hydrogel Sealant

Purpose: To describe a novel technique for sutureless pterygium surgery using ReSure® tissue sealant. Methods: In this retrospective observational case series, we describe a modified procedure for pterygium excision followed by amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) adhered to the corneal and conjunctival defects using ReSure tissue sealant. Results: Nine eyes of seven patients (age range: 28-80 years, 4 females and 3 males) underwent pterygium removal with AMT followed by adherence of tissue to the conjunctival edges with ReSure. No issues with transplant dislocation or failure and no intra- or postoperative complications were noted. No recurrences were noted during the follow-up period. Conclusion: ReSure may be considered as a potential sealant to adhere AMT to defective corneal and conjunctival tissues in sutureless pterygium surgery.
Concolic testing

Concolic testing automates test input generation by combining the concrete and symbolic (concolic) execution of the code under test. Traditional test input generation techniques use either (1) concrete execution or (2) symbolic execution that builds constraints and is followed by a generation of concrete test inputs from these constraints. In contrast, concolic testing tightly couples both concrete and symbolic executions: they run simultaneously, and each gets feedback from the other. We have implemented concolic testing in tools for testing both C and Java programs. We have used the tools to find bugs in several real-world software systems including SGLIB, a popular C data structure library used in a commercial tool, a third-party implementation of the Needham-Schroeder protocol and the TMN protocol, the scheduler of Honeywell's DEOS real-time operating system, and the Sun Microsystems' JDK 1.4 collection framework. In this tutorial, we will describe concolic testing and some of its recent extensions
More Than Meets the Eye: Split-Second Social Perception

Recent research suggests that visual perception of social categories is shaped not only by facial features but also by higher-order social cognitive processes (e.g., stereotypes, attitudes, goals). Building on neural computational models of social perception, we outline a perspective of how multiple bottom-up visual cues are flexibly integrated with a range of top-down processes to form perceptions, and we identify a set of key brain regions involved. During this integration, 'hidden' social category activations are often triggered which temporarily impact perception without manifesting in explicit perceptual judgments. Importantly, these hidden impacts and other aspects of the perceptual process predict downstream social consequences - from politicians' electoral success to several evaluative biases - independently of the outcomes of that process.
Attachment style is associated with perceived spouse responses and pain-related outcomes.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE Attachment theory can provide a heuristic model for examining factors that may influence the relationship of social context to adjustment in chronic pain. This study examined the associations of attachment style with self-reported pain behavior, pain intensity, disability, depression, and perceived spouse responses to pain behavior. We also examined whether attachment style moderates associations between perceived spouse responses and self-reported pain behavior and depressive symptoms, as well as perceived spouse responses as a mediator of these associations. METHOD Individuals with chronic pain (N = 182) completed measures of self-reported attachment style, perceived spouse responses, and pain-related criterion variables. RESULTS Secure attachment was inversely associated with self-reported pain behaviors, pain intensity, disability, depressive symptoms, and perceived negative spouse responses; preoccupied and fearful attachment scores were positively associated with these variables. In multivariable regression models, both attachment style and perceived spouse responses were uniquely associated with self-reported pain behavior and depressive symptoms. Attachment style did not moderate associations between perceived spouse responses to self-reported pain behavior and pain criterion variables, but negative spouse responses partially mediated some relationships between attachment styles and pain outcomes. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS Findings suggest that attachment style is associated with pain-related outcomes and perceptions of spouse responses. The hypothesized moderation effects for attachment were not found; however, mediation analyses showed that perceived spouse responses may partially explain associations between attachment and adjustment to pain. Future research is needed to clarify how attachment style and the social environment affect the pain experience.
A Simple ab Initio Model for the Hydrated Electron That Matches Experiment

Since its discovery over 50 years ago, the “structure” and properties of the hydrated electron have been a subject for wonderment and also fierce debate. In the present work we seriously explore a minimal model for the aqueous electron, consisting of a small water anion cluster embedded in a polarized continuum, using several levels of ab initio calculation and basis set. The minimum energy “zero Kelvin” structure found for any 4-water (or larger) anion cluster, at any post-Hartree–Fock theory level, is very similar to a recently reported embedded-DFT-in-classical-water-MD simulation (Uhlig, Marsalek, and Jungwirth, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 3071−3075), with four OH bonds oriented toward the maximum charge density in a small central “void”. The minimum calculation with just four water molecules does a remarkably good job of reproducing the resonance Raman properties, the radius of gyration derived from the optical spectrum, the vertical detachment energy, and the hydration free energy. For the first t...
Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Acetaminophen in Multicomponent Analgesic Tablets

A simple, rapid LC method is presented for the separation and determination of acetaminophen in analgesic preparations containing up to 6 additional active components. The method uses a C18 reverse phase column, methanol-0.75% acetic acid (1 + 3) mobile phase, and photometric detection in the ultraviolet region. Acetaminophen was effectively separated from chlorpheniramine maleate, phenylephrine hydrochloride, caffeine, salicylamide, aspirin, and phenacetin, as well as from salicylic acid, a degradation product of aspirin. Typical chromatograms of the separation of acetaminophen from the above compounds in synthetic mixture and in commercial multicomponent analgesic preparations are presented, along with reproducibility and recovery data.
Neutrophil Antiadhesion Therapy For Myocardial Ischaemia

Myocardial ischaemia remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality due both to the initial ischaemic insult and also to subsequent reperfusion injury. Inflammatory mediators contribute to this phenomenon by a humoral cascade directly affecting myocytes, as well as by a cellular cascade activating the interactions between neutrophils, endothelial cells and myocytes. Investigation of these cellular interactions reveals a complex process of adhesion molecule expression with subsequent recruitment and activation of neutrophils to the site of ischaemia-induced inflammation. Understanding of mechanisms of cellular activation and interaction is advancing rapidly, and its applications are being recognised to have significant clinical potential. Although therapeutic interventions directed against the ischaemia/reperfusion phenomenon have traditionally involved modification of the insult, future therapeutics may more effectively target adhesion molecule expression or availability, thus modifying the creation of the injury.