cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding the Benefits and Limitations of Increasing Maximum Rotor Tip Speed for Utility-Scale Wind Turbines

For utility-scale wind turbines, the maximum rotor rotation speed is generally constrained by noise considerations. Innovations in acoustics and/or siting in remote locations may enable future wind turbine designs to operate with higher tip speeds. Wind turbines designed to take advantage of higher tip speeds are expected to be able to capture more energy and utilize lighter drivetrains because of their decreased maximum torque loads. However, the magnitude of the potential cost savings is unclear, and the potential trade-offs with rotor and tower sizing are not well understood. A multidisciplinary, system-level framework was developed to facilitate wind turbine and wind plant analysis and optimization. The rotors, nacelles, and towers of wind turbines are optimized for minimum cost of energy subject to a large number of structural, manufacturing, and transportation constraints. These optimization studies suggest that allowing for higher maximum tip speeds could result in a decrease in the cost of energy of up to 5% for land-based sites and 2% for offshore sites when using current technology. Almost all of the cost savings are attributed to the decrease in gearbox mass as a consequence of the reduced maximum rotor torque. Although there is some increased energy capture, it is very minimal (less than 0.5%). Extreme increases in tip speed are unnecessary; benefits for maximum tip speeds greater than 100-110 m/s are small to nonexistent.
Modeling the Dynamics of Photo-induced Reorientation of Nematic Liquid Crystals doped with Azo-dye

We have used a continuum model of azo-dye doped liquid crystals to describe the dynamics of photo-induced enhancement of director re-orientation. By describing the dye distribution as a superposition of spherical harmonic functions we numerically integrate the dynamic equations and identify various time constants associated with cis to trans isomerization, excited state lifetime, and the various diffusion times of the different species. Our results give an experimental response time which is intensity dependent and characterized by a saturation intensity. This saturation intensity is dependent on the pump beams angle of incidence. Numerical results will be presented.
Dephasing in the presence of a two-dimensional electron gas at high magnetic fields

By means of degenerate four-wave mixing (FWM), we investigate the quantum coherence of electron–hole pairs in the presence of a two-dimensional electron gas in modulation-doped GaAs–AlGaAs quantum wells in the regime of the integer quantum-Hall effect. We observe large jumps in the decay time of the FWM signal at even Landau level filling factors. The main features of the experimental observations can be qualitatively reproduced by a model which takes into account the number of unoccupied states within the highest partially occupied Landau level. Furthermore, we observe quantum beats between up to three different Landau level transitions.
Word Association Times, Felt Effects, and Personality Characteristics of Science Students Given a Placebo Energizer

Summa~y.45 male undergraduates in a technological university volunteered for a "study of verbal thinking and personality," with the foreknowledge that the taking of a pill might be involved. At the time of testing 30 subjects received a pill and 15 were controls in a "single-blind" design. Pill subjects were informed that the pill was an energizing drug; in actuality all pills were lactose placebos. Word-association times increased from pre- to post-pill testing by an equivalent amount for both pill and control groups. On a self-rating scale of felt effects, administered pre- and post-pill, no difference in perceived activation was recorded for either group. The placebo reactivity of pill subjects, defined in relation to the speed of associative production of the control group as a standard, indicated no differences among placebo reactors, anti-reactors, snd nonreactors on any of the scales of the Personality Research Form. The essentially negative findings were tentatively attributed to the scientific sophistication of the subject sample. Restriction of the term, "placebo effect," to therapeutic benefits obtained in a medical setting was urged.
MMPI results associated with abnormal responses to the DST and TRH tests.

In the present study, it was predicted that psychiatric inpatients who obtained abnormal responses on the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) and the Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone Stimulation Test (TRH) would obtain higher elevations on the MMPI scales associated with depressive symptomatology than inpatients with normal DST and TRH responses. Patients with abnormal DST responses obtained significantly lower scores on the F, Psychopathic Deviate, and Paranoia scales, suggesting that they present themselves on the MMPI as less socially maladjusted, and less alienated from societal values than their depressed inpatient peers who obtained normal DST results. No differences were obtained between abnormal and normal responders on either the DST or TRH with respect to the MMPI scales that are typically associated with depression.
Polystyrene/decahydronaphthalene/propane phase equilibria and polymer conformation properties from intrinsic viscosities

The influence of dissolved propane (up to 31.2 wt %) on the phase equilibria of 5 wt % polystyrene (PS) dissolved in 66/34 wt % trans/cis-decahydronaphthalene (DHN) was measured over the temperature range of 323–423 K. A suitable temperature, pressure, and propane composition operating space was defined to measure intrinsic viscosities of a single fluid phase. Intrinsic viscosities of PS in cosolvent mixtures of propane and trans/cis-DHN were measured between 323 and 423 K and between 70 and 208 bar. The addition of propane to the isomeric mixture of DHN resulted in a decreased solvent quality for PS, causing a contraction of the PS coil. The most dramatic decrease in solvent quality with the addition of propane occurred at 323 K and 70 bar with approximately a 36% reduction in the viscometric radius with the addition of 45 mol % propane to DHN. At 423 K, the solvent quality was less sensitive to the addition of propane and only a 13% reduction in the viscometric radius was observed at 70 bar and 45 mol % propane in DHN. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011
What is sustainable intensification? Views from experts.

One of the grand challenges facing society today is how to feed a growing global population while at the same time minimizing the impact on the environment. Recent initiatives by the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations suggest “sustainable intensification” as the most appropriate means to use land in order to increase food supplies while protecting biodiversity and ecosystem processes. However, it remains unclear what sustainable intensification entails and what it means to those working on this grand challenge. This study draws from 30 interviews with agricultural experts to assess their perceptions of sustainable intensification. Results show that the term is not uniformly understood and the majority of respondents do not see it as a significant departure from current agricultural practices. Concerns included the vague nature of the term ‘sustainable’ and insufficient attention to relying on biological processes to support environmentally friendly production systems. These findings suggest that the term sustainable intensification needs to be defined and used carefully in terms of land use programs and policies. The paper concludes by exploring ‘ecological intensification’ as an alternative concept proposed to guide the management of agricultural systems.
Striving for perfection : Transcription of the laurentian copy of the Povest' vremennykh let

Roman Krivko (Кривко 2005) has written in this journal an extensive review and critique of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute's (HURI) new edition of the Povest' vremennykh let. Since I had the privilege of being the compiler and editor for that edition, I would like to respond to his comments. Krivko compared the HURI edition's transcription of the Laurentian MS copy and, in those places where there are lacunae in the Laurentian copy (JI), of the Radziwitt MS copy (P) with that of E. F. Karskii in his 1926 publication of the 2nd edition of the Laurentian Chronicle in the Polnoe sobranie
Double-blind comparator trials with pinacidil, a potassium channel opener.

The antihypertensive effects of pinacidil, a potassium channel opener, were studied in 4, dose titration, double-blind trials. Patients had mild to severe hypertension, with supine diastolic arterial pressures between 91 and 150mm Hg during the qualification assessment. Efficacy was assessed using an ‘intention-to-treat’ analysis. In one study, pinacidil-treated patients had a response rate significantly greater than placebo-treated patients. In another study, the pinacidil group had a response rate significantly greater than the prazosin group (83% vs 75%, respectively). In a third study, the response rate in the pinacidil group was marginally greater than in the hydralazine group (77% vs 73%, respectively). In a ‘step 2’ trial, pinacidil was as effective as methyldopa and more effective than placebo. Adverse experiences with pinacidil were associated with vasodilatation. Electrocardiographic T wave changes occurred intermittently and may be related to its mechanism of action. These studies suggest that antihypertensive monotherapy with pinacidil was effective and generally well tolerated.
Are strategies necessary to improve memory

► Memory strategy applications produce limited transfer for several reasons. ► Extended practice of tasks that improve basic cognitive skills increases their efficiency. ► Extended practice produces improvement on untrained tasks. ► Consequential and uncompensated memory problems should be the focus of interventions.
Evaluating hormonal mechanisms of vitamin D receptor agonist therapy in diabetic kidney disease: the VALIDATE-D study

Insufficient vitamin D status and increased renin-angiotensin system (RAS) activity have been associated with renal-vascular disease and nephropathy in diabetes. Accumulating evidence indicates that vitamin D receptor (VDR) activation lowers unfavorable RAS activity; however, more human intervention studies evaluating whether this mechanism could influence diabetic kidney disease are needed. We previously reported that both vitamin D levels and genetic variation at the VDR predict human RAS activity, and that vitamin D therapy can lower RAS activity in non-diabetics. The VALIDATE-D study is a randomized, placebo-controlled, intervention study designed to extend these findings by evaluating whether direct VDR activation in diabetes lowers circulating and local renal-vascular tissue RAS activity (Aims 1 and 2) in a manner similar to the action of ACE inhibitors (Aim 3).
Effects of surface pretreatments on the deposition of adherent diamond coatings on cemented tungsten carbide substrates

Abstract Well-adhered microcrystalline diamond (MCD) coatings have been deposited on WC–Co substrates by the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) method. A multi-interlayer system Cr/CrN/Cr was deposited on the cemented carbide substrate before diamond deposition to act as a diffusion barrier. The interlayer-coated substrate was shortly peened by friable diamond powders with an average size of 150 μm to roughen the surface. Diamond coatings deposited on short peened substrates show higher nucleation density and stronger adhesion properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern showed that an additional carbide compound layer (Cr 3 C 2 and Cr 7 C 3 ) was formed during the CVD diamond deposition to work as an intermediate bonding layer for better adhesion. Rockwell indentation tests with a load of 1470 N were conducted to investigate the coating's adhesion. No delamination outside of the indentation zone was observed for the diamond coating deposited on the roughened sample. Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) results showed that the delamination in the indentation zone occurred mainly at the diamond/Cr interface and very little Co (less than 1 wt.%) was detected on the Cr failure surface. This suggests that during the CVD process Co/C inter-diffusion was successfully prevented by the Cr/CrN/Cr buffer layers.
Compact 1-kW infrared regenerative amplifier FEL

ABSTRACT This paper describes the design, construction, and initial operation of an infrared FEL designed for 1 kW average power.The experiment utilizes the existing Advanced Free-Electron Laser (AFEL) accelerator. An expected 6% extractionefficiency of electron beam power to optical power gives an overall wall-plug efficiency of approximately 1%. The 10 to20 MeV electron accelerator is 1 .2 m long.This Regenerative Amplifier EEL (RAFEL) relies on a few (less than ten) passes to reach saturation. The technique issimilar to an FEL oscillator through the use of optical feedback to reach saturation. However, in this design the feedback islimited to less than 1 % in the large signal regime. The chief advantage to this approach is that no mirror is exposed to ahigh peak intensity, enabling high-average power in a compact optical configuration. To compensate for the low opticalfeedback, the single-pass gain must be very high. In our design, the single-pass gain is iO in the small signal regime.RAFEL is presently configured to operate at a wavelength near 16 microns. However, this system is scaleable to shorterwavelengths by increasing beam energy.Present results indicate that a single pass gain of 60 in the infrared has been observed.Keywords: FEL, free electron, laser, high power, infrared, 16 micron, far-infrared, kilowatt, regenerative amplifier
Computational models for integrating linguistic and visual information: A survey

This paper surveys research in developing computational models for integrating linguistic and visual information. It begins with a discussion of systems which have been actually implemented and continues with computationally motivated theories of human cognition. Since existing research spans several disciplines (e.g., natural language understanding, computer vision, knowledge representation), as well as several application areas, an important contribution of this paper is to categorize existing research based on inputs and objectives. Finally, some key issues related to integrating information from two such diverse sources are outlined and related to existing research. Throughout, the key issue addressed is the correspondence problem, namely how to associate visual events with words and vice versa.
Visualizing multidimensional query results using animation

Effective representation of large, complex collections of information (datasets) presents a difficult challenge. Visualization is a solution that uses a visual interface to support efficient analysis and discovery within the data. Our primary goal in this paper is a technique that allows viewers to compare multiple query results representing user-selected subsets of a multidimensional dataset. We present an algorithm that visualizes multidimensional information along a space-filling spiral. Graphical glyphs that vary their position, color, and texture appearance are used to represent attribute values for the data elements in each query result. Guidelines from human perception allow us to construct glyphs that are specifically designed to support exploration, facilitate the discovery of trends and relationships both within and between data elements, and highlight exceptions. A clustering algorithm applied to a user-chosen ranking attribute bundles together similar data elements. This encapsulation is used to show relationships across different queries via animations that morph between query results. We apply our techniques to the MovieLens recommender system, to demonstrate their applicability in a real-world environment, and then conclude with a simple validation experiment to identify the strengths and limitations of our design, compared to a traditional side-by-side visualization.
Theories of Big Business in American Society

This paper examines the Robber Baron, Managerial, and Bank Sphere approaches to the structure of Big Business in the United States. The Robber Baron school argues that Big Business represents a historical regression which feudalized the economy; the Managerial school has several variants, all of which argue that managers rule the economy; the Bank Sphere school argues that banks rule the economy.
Determination of the impact of field enhancement in low-k dielectric breakdown

Test structures have been designed to detect the impact of field enhancement on low-k dielectric breakdown at the tips of combs in comb structures. An analysis methodology has been proposed to separate the impact of area and field enhancement. Modeling utilizes characteristic lifetimes at various area ratios. The proposed model, when compared with direct fitting of the Weibull distribution, improves lifetime estimates by 2.5 orders of magnitude at 0.01% and reduces variance of the confidence bound by 73%.
Delay testing based on transition faults propagated to all reachable outputs

Data from the test floor has shown that transition faults propagated to all reachable outputs (TARO) is more effective in detecting defective chips compared to conventional transition faults [Tseng et al. 2001]. This paper describes an efficient approach to generate tests pattern based on TARO metric using Boolean satisfiability. The problem of test pattern generation is converted to an instance of Boolean satisfiability and the recent development in the design of efficient SAT solvers has helped to speed up the process of test generation extensively. Experimental results on several benchmarks show the effectiveness of this technique.
Noise figure of a packaged, high-power slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier (SCOWA)

We report the noise figure of a packaged InGaAsP quantum-well SCOWA across its wavelength and current operating regimes. At 1550 nm and 5-A bias, the SCOWA exhibits 5.5-dB noise figure, 13-dB gain, and 0.8-W saturation output power.
Effects of mandibular retropositioning, with or without maxillary advancement, on the oro-naso-pharyngeal airway and development of sleep-related breathing disorders.

Patients and Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort analysis of 26 patients who underwent mandibular retropositioning with or without maxillary advancement within the past 5 years at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Pre- and postoperative lateral cephalometric radiographs were analyzed with digital DOLPHIN software (Dolphin Imaging, Chatsworth, CA) for evidence of changes to the posterior airway dimension. In addition, patients were evaluated postoperatively with SNAP polysomnography (model 4/6; SNAP Laboratories, Wheeling, IL) for evidence of OSAS. Results: Results indicated that mandibular retropositioning greater than or equal to 5 mm decreased the posterior airway space below 11 mm (30.75%, P.03) and showed evidence of soft palate elongation greater than 32 mm (15.39%, P.037) in a significant number of patients. However, as determined by cephalometric analysis, mandibular retropositioning greater than or equal to 5 mm in combination with maxillary advancement had no significant effect on the posterior airway space or soft palate. Conclusion: Postoperative SNAP polysomnography showed higher incidence of mild to moderate OSAS in patients who underwent mandibular retropositioning greater than or equal to 5 mm (69.25%) compared with patients who underwent mandibular retropositioning in combination with maxillary
Expectant management versus elective curettage for the treatment of spontaneous abortion

Abstract Objective : To determine whether the amount of intrauterine tissue was prognostic of the risk of complications associated with the management of nonviable pregnancies diagnosed in the first trimester before cervical dilatation (termed here impending abortion) with either expectant observation or elective curettage. Design : Historic cohort study. Setting : University Infertility Service. Patient(s) : All women with nonviable pregnancies followed by the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology during a 5-year period. The patients were divided into those with significant intrauterine tissue (gestational sac >10 mm) and those with minimal intrauterine tissue. Intervention(s) : Women either underwent elective curettage or were followed expectantly. Main Outcome Measure(s) : Complication rates. Result(s) : In 89 women with minimal tissue, no complications occurred regardless of treatment mode. In 63 women with significant intrauterine tissue, expectant management resulted in more complications (9/24) than elective curettage (1/39). In the expectant group, complications included missed abortion, septic abortion, and incomplete abortion requiring emergency curettage, with one patient requiring a transfusion. In the curettage group one uterine perforation occurred. Conclusion(s) : In women with impending abortions and minimal intrauterine tissue, expectant treatment is safe after ectopic pregnancy has been excluded. In patients with significant intrauterine tissue, the risk of complications may be decreased by elective uterine curettage compared with expectant management.
A functional approach to reducing runaway behavior and stabilizing placements for adolescents in foster care.

Teenagers' running from foster placement is a significant problem in the field of child protection. This article describes a functional, behavior analytic approach to reducing running away through assessing the motivations for running, involving the youth in the assessment process, and implementing interventions to enhance the reinforcing value of placements for adolescents, thereby reducing the probability of running and associated unsafe periods. A case study illustrates this approach and a study compares 13 adolescents who ran away frequently and received interventions with a group of matched adolescents who had similar patterns of running but received only services as usual. The percentage of days on runaway status showed a significant pre-post reduction for those in the functional group, in contrast to no statistical change in the comparison group. Potential benefits this approach may have for foster care and child protection in improving youth safety, permanence, and connections for life are discussed.
Object behavior composition by transition and state composition

Behavior composition is essential to construct an object-oriented system from interacting objects. We propose a method to compose behaviors of the objects typically found in real-time applications. In our approach, the behaviors of individual objects are first represented by extended state-transition diagrams (ESTDs). Then, in order to obtain the combined behavior of interacting objects, we tentatively combine their ESTDs by merging some of the transitions and states. Finally, we redistribute to individual objects the actions responsible for the interactions among objects. When combined with the structural active-object system (SAGS) approach, the proposed method allows executable code to be produced from specifications. A simple queuing system and a manufacturing control system are used as examples of our presentation.
Application of an extended Kalman filter in a feedback control of a generalized nonlinear bacterial growth system

In previous work by T.W. Wang et al. (1987) the robust multivariable linear quadratic Gaussian/loop transfer recovery (LQG/LTR) control design methodology was used in designing for the control of the linearized version of a generalized nonlinear bacterial growth system. Here, the effect of applying an extended Kalman filter (EKF) in conjunction with the same linear feedback regulator in the control of similarly modeled continuous generalized nonlinear bacterial growth system is investigated. Presented results show that: (1) the tracking ability of the EKF system is improved in the absence of plant-model mismatch; and (2) in the presence of the same set of perturbations, the closed EKF loop system is again maintained stable, provided the same values of noise covariances are used as those in the previous LQG/LTR design. However, if the relative ratio of the process and measurement noise covariances is changed, then the same set of perturbation can destabilize the closed system. The robustness property of the EKF closed-loop system depends partly on the choice of the noise covariances. The proper tuning of the EKF by selecting an appropriate set of noise covariances to yield a robust final control design is addressed, but is not resolved. >
Of mice and men: the quest to determine a circadian basis for myocardial protection in ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Circadian rhythms in humans significantly influence cardiovascular biology. The well-known early morning peak of adverse cardiovascular events, such as acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death, are highly correlated with circadian changes in coagulation factors, platelet activation,1 and endothelial function2 that act to increase susceptibility to thrombosis in the morning. See Research Commentary, p e110 Cardiovascular circadian regulation is hierarchical. Specialized neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus entrained by sunlight produce 24-hour cycles of physiological signals that include changes in core body temperature and glucocorticoid production that act in combination with direct neural input to synchronize peripheral clock programs in the heart. Autonomously functioning clocks in cardiac myocytes in turn regulate circadian gene expression through complex transcription–translation feedback loops involving multiple core clock genes that may influence up to 10% of the transcriptome. As a result, cyclic changes in protein expression in cardiomyocytes may exert broad effects on myocardial metabolism and energetics. The ability to change substrate utilization in the setting of myocardial ischemia to a more oxygen-efficient strategy may confer myocardial protection and reduce infarct size. Because many of the modulators of glucose and free fatty acid metabolism are controlled by cardiomyocyte clock programs, the tolerance to ischemia in humans may demonstrate a circadian-dependent variability, as recently demonstrated by Durgan et al3 in a closed-chest mouse infarction model. By performing 45-minute coronary occlusions in the mouse at different time points during a 24-hour cycle (12-hour light/12-hour dark), they were able to demonstrate that infarct size resulting from a coronary occlusion applied at the time of the light to dark transition (zeitgeber time, [ZT]12) was 3.5 times greater than if the same coronary occlusion was applied 12 hours earlier (ZT0) at the onset of light. At 1 month, hearts that had undergone coronary occlusion at ZT0 had improved …
Tree growth response to fuel reduction treatments along a topographic moisture gradient in mixed-oak forests of Ohio, U.S.A.

This study examined the effect of the soil moisture gradient on tree growth response to prescribed fire and thinning in oak-dominated forests of Ohio. Six hundred and ninety-six increment cores (348 trees, five species) were collected from eighty 0.1 ha plots distributed across four treatments (control, thin, burn, thin + burn) in two sites. Ring widths were converted to basal area increments (BAIs). A water balance approach based on geographic information systems (GIS) was used to assess the potential evapotranspiration (PET) and moisture deficit for each tree, along with a long-term integrated moisture index, also based on GIS. The moisture gradients varied considerably across the landscape, with the highest PET and moisture deficit on ridges and south-facing slopes. This variation influenced the BAI of the studied species, but more strongly in the control stands than in the managed stands, where treatment effects became the main drivers of growth. Oaks exhibited greater BAI on sites with intermediate m...
Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibition by α-Difluoromethylornithine Activates Opposing Signaling Pathways via Phosphorylation of Both Akt/Protein Kinase B and p27Kip1 in Neuroblastoma

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a key enzyme in mammalian polyamine biosynthesis that is up-regulated in various types of cancer. We previously showed that treating human neuroblastoma (NB) cells with the ODC inhibitor alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) depleted polyamine pools and induced G1 cell cycle arrest without causing apoptosis. However, the precise mechanism by which DFMO provokes these changes in NB cells remained unknown. Therefore, we further examined the effects of DFMO, alone and in combination with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY294002 or Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) inhibitor IV, on the regulation of cell survival and cell cycle-associated pathways in LAN-1 NB cells. In the present study, we found that the inhibition of ODC by DFMO promotes cell survival by inducing the phosphorylation of Akt/PKB at residue Ser473 and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta at Ser9. Intriguingly, DFMO also induced the phosphorylation of p27Kip1 at residues Ser10 (nuclear export) and Thr198 (protein stabilization) but not Thr187 (proteasomal degradation). The combined results from this study provide evidence for a direct cross-talk between ODC-dependent metabolic processes and well-established cell signaling pathways that are activated during NB tumorigenesis. The data suggest that inhibition of ODC by DFMO induces two opposing pathways in NB: one promoting cell survival by activating Akt/PKB via the PI3K/Akt pathway and one inducing p27Kip1/retinoblastoma-coupled G1 cell cycle arrest via a mechanism that regulates the phosphorylation and stabilization of p27Kip1. This study presents new information that may explain the moderate efficacy of DFMO monotherapy in clinical trials and reveals potential new targets for DFMO-based combination therapies for NB treatment.
Continuous-time audio noise suppression and real-time implementation

In this paper, we propose a continuous-time audio noise suppression algorithm for reducing stationary background noise in a single microphone signal. The algorithm is targeted for implementation in sub-threshold analog floating-gate transistor circuits for extremely low-power systems. The noise suppression algorithm divides the noisy signal into exponentially spaced sub-bands and estimates the noisy signal envelope and the noise envelope to calculate a time-varying gain for each sub-band based on each band's a posteriori SNR. A sigmoidal gain function in for use in the analog system is introduced and a normalized SNR is also proposed for consistent noise suppression for different input noise variances. Simulations of the system show promising results.
Targeting of Alpha-Hemolysin by Active or Passive Immunization Decreases Severity of USA300 Skin Infection in a Mouse Model

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are predominantly those affecting skin and soft tissues. Although progress has been made, our knowledge of the molecules that contribute to the pathogenesis of CA-MRSA skin infections is incomplete. We tested the hypothesis that alpha-hemolysin (Hla) contributes to the severity of USA300 skin infections in mice and determined whether vaccination against Hla reduces disease severity. Isogenic hla-negative (Deltahla) strains caused skin lesions in a mouse infection model that were significantly smaller than those caused by wild-type USA300 and Newman strains. Moreover, infection due to wild-type strains produced dermonecrotic skin lesions, whereas there was little or no dermonecrosis in mice infected with Deltahla strains. Passive immunization with Hla-specific antisera or active immunization with a nontoxigenic form of Hla significantly reduced the size of skin lesions caused by USA300 and prevented dermonecrosis. We conclude that Hla is a potential target for therapeutics or vaccines designed to moderate severe S. aureus skin infections.
Positive Cooperativity in the Binding of Streptococcus sanguis to Hydroxylapatite

The adherence of Streptococcus sanguis to hydroxylapatite beads has been analyzed by binding isotherms, Langmuir isotherms, and Scatchard plots. For saliva-coated beads, the Scatchard curves contained components with both positive and negative slopes. The results are interpreted as evidence for positive cooperativity in the binding process. Although all Scatchard curves were similar in shape, distinct differences were observed between saliva samples from different individuals. Salivary agglutinins against whole S. sanguis cells did not appear to influence the shapes of the curves or the extent of adherence. In addition, different strains of S. sanguis yielded similar Scatchard plots. When the binding of S. sanguis to buffer-coated hydroxylapatite beads was analyzed by Scatchard plots or binding isotherms, curves were generated which suggested that either direct ligand-ligand or nonspecific interactions were occurring. Hill plots of the adherence data yielded curves with slopes greater than unity for saliva-coated beads, providing additional support for the view that the interactions between S. sanguis and the pellicle involve cooperative phenomena. In contrast, a Hill plot for the binding data of S. sanguis to buffer-coated hydroxylapatite beads gave a curve with a slope of 0.91 ± 0.07, suggesting negative cooperativity or limited specificity. When adherence data were plotted by the Langmuir method, curves were obtained which could not discriminate between the binding of the bacteria to the hydroxylapatite beads coated with either saliva or buffer. It was also observed that several different proteins and whole saliva tended to inhibit adherence. Scatchard plots, however, describing the binding of S. sanguis to the proteincoated beads were unique and revealed possible specific and nonspecific interactions. Scatchard analyses of binding data may be useful in understanding the mechanism(s) of adherence of streptococci to smooth surfaces.
Replica model scaling for high strain-rate events

Abstract Scaled models are often used in experimental investigations as full scale tests are expensive and may be impossible to conduct correctly. This is especially true for high strain-rate events such as penetration mechanics. A recent study suggested there is a scaling effect due to strain rate effects. This effort attempts to quantify the magnitude of that effect based on hydrocode simulations using the Johnson-Cook material model coupled with experimental data found in the open literature. The results show that a strain rate effect exists although it is less than originally suggested.
Synthesis of high molecular weight polyester carbonates via interfacial phosgenation of aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols

Preparation par polycondensation interfaciale soit en presence de pyridium (on obtient des polymeres de faible masse moleculaire) soit en presence d'une base minerale faible a haute temperature (entre 65 et 70°C), avec controle du pH
Radiation Enhanced Absorption of Frank Loops by Nanovoids in Cu

Neutron and heavy ion irradiations generally induce voids in metallic materials, and continuous radiations typically result in void swelling and mechanical failure of the irradiated materials. Recent experiments showed that nanovoids in nanotwinned copper could act as sinks for radiation-induced Frank loops, significantly mitigating radiation damage. In this paper, we report on structural evolution of Frank loops under cascades and address the role of nanovoids in absorbing Frank loops in detail by using molecular dynamics simulations. Results show that a stand-alone Frank loop is stable under cascades. When Frank loops are adjacent to nanovoids, the diffusion of a group of atoms from the loop into nanovoids is accomplished via the formation and propagation of dislocation loops. The loop–nanovoid interactions result in the shrinkage of the nanovoids and the Frank loops.
Diagnostic Elimination Diets and Oral Food Provocation

Accurately diagnosing patients with suspected food allergy is obviously critically important. The patient's health may be compromised if problem foods are left in the diet, while nutrition and quality of life may be negatively affected if foods are unnecessarily removed from the diet. In some patients, the diagnosis is very straightforward, such as with anaphylaxis with the first known exposure to peanut, but in many cases, the diagnosis will not be clear based on the history, skin tests, and serologic tests, especially because these tests often yield falsely positive results. In these instances, further testing will be needed, typically including diagnostic elimination diets and/or oral food challenges, which are the gold standard for the diagnosis of food allergy.
Further support for aneuploidy tolerance in wild yeast and effects of dosage compensation on gene copy-number evolution

In our prior work by Hose et al., we performed a genome-sequencing survey and reported that aneuploidy was frequently observed in wild strains of S. cerevisiae. We also profiled transcriptome abundance in naturally aneuploid isolates compared to isogenic euploid controls and found that 10-30% of amplified genes, depending on the strain and affected chromosome, show lower-than-expected expression compared to gene copy number. In Hose et al., we argued that this gene group is enriched for genes subject to one or more modes of dosage compensation, where mRNA abundance is decreased in response to higher dosage of that gene. A recent manuscript by Torres et al. refutes our prior work. Here, we provide a response to Torres et al., along with additional analysis and controls to support our original conclusions. We maintain that aneuploidy is well tolerated in the wild strains of S. cerevisiae that we studied and that the group of genes enriched for those subject to dosage compensation show unique evolutionary signatures.
Stimulation of phosphoinositides by agents that stimulate proton secretion in toad urinary bladder

The urinary bladder of Bufo marinus excretes H+ and this excretion is increased by metabolic acidosis (MA), insulin (IN), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), increases CO2, and aldosterone. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether MA, IN, PGE2, CO2, and aldosterone stimulate inositol phosphate's (IP) formation in isolated cells of toad urinary bladder. Cells were prepared by treating bladder sacs with collagenase. Cells were obtained from 10 toads in MA and 10 normal toads, suspended in 2 ml of Ringer's solution containing LiCl (10 mM), myo-inositol (5 mM), and [3H]myo-inositol (10 microCi), and then incubated for 2 hr at 25 degrees C. Cells were homogenized and the IP fractions quantitated by column chromatography and liquid scintillation counting. The results were expressed as dpm (mu MPO4)-1 (hr)-1. The IP in MA cells was 44,202 +/- 4,646 and in normal toad cells it was 31,637 +/- 3,613 (P < 0.05). In a separate experiment, cells from 10 paired hemibladders were isolated from normal toads. The cells were treated exactly as above except there were no LiCl in the bath. LiCl was added to all baths after 2 hr and the experimental cells were challenged with IN, PGE2, increases CO2, and aldosterone for 20 min. The IP were quantitated as above. IN treatment stimulated inositol bisphosphate and inositol triphosphate (P < 0.01). PGE2 and increases CO2 also stimulated inositol triphosphate (P < 0.05). Aldosterone did not alter formation of any of the IP fractions. We conclude that MA, IN, PGE2, and increases CO2 stimulate IP formation in cells of toad urinary bladder and inositol triphosphate may be an important second messenger in mediating the response of MA, IN, PGE2, and increases CO2.
Mersenne-Form and Fermat-Form Number Congruences

This note gives congruences for Mersenne-form and Fermat-form numbers, the principal results being given by Theorem 2 and by (6) and (10) of Table 1; both (6) and (10) are similar in form to Wilson's Theorem. All results after Theorem 2 are given in tabular form. Tables 2 and 3 give subsidiary statements, not all new, some of which are required for Table 1 proofs. We define Mersenne-form and Fermat-form numbers by
Shakespeare Through the Camera's Eye--Julius Caesar in Motion Pictures; Hamlet and Othello on Television

HREE recent presentations of Shakespeare on the motionpicture and television screens reveal that many of the qualities of a Shakespeare play can be preserved in these media, which, if used with art and integrity, can bring out new meanings and relationships in noteworthy and stimulating productions. Their obvious advantage is that they can bring acted Shakespeare to a much wider audience than ever before possible. The new MGM film, Julius Caesar, and the recent television productions of Hamlet by the National Broadcasting Company and Othello presented in Canada by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, are productions that utilize the advantages of the camera in telling a story and revealing character in a visual medium. The two-hour Caesar marks a definite advance for Hollywood over its earlier Shakespearian films like A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet, which were not so much Shakespeare as they were Hollywood's elaboration of a plot from Shakespeare. Julius Caesar is the best Shakespeare film Hollywood has made, and in the opinion of at least one viewer, is superior to Olivier's film Hamlet, though not his Henry V. A good deal of the credit probably should go to John Houseman, producer of the film, and a man familiar with Shakespeare productions, having codirected the Mercury Theatre, which put on Julius Caesar and Shakespeare's chronicle plays, and more recently he directed King Lear on Broadway. Working with director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Houseman has produced a suspenseful and dramatic film Caesar, true to the text, beautifully spoken, and generally well acted. Director Mankiewicz has used the camera to provide an underlying rhythm which gives a good continuity from scene to scene, mounts in tension and suspense through the conspiracy and assassination, the funeral orations, the battle and finally the deaths of Cassius and Brutus. The opening scenes exemplify this fluidity and rhythm, with the camera focusing upon certain key objects, like the bust of Caesar in the opening frame, and then as Flavius and Marullus are arrested by the armed guards, upon the staff of the blind, Teiresias-like soothsayer, as the triumphal procession of Caesar bursts onto the scene. After the procession has passed, the camera moves in on the faces of Cassius, played by John Gielgud, and Brutus, by James Mason. It
Introduction to Topological Quantum Numbers

These lecture notes were prepared rather soon after I completed my book on Topological quantum numbers in nonrelativistic physics, which was published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., Singapore, in early 1998. I have not attempted to make a completely fresh presentation, but have cannibalized the text of my book to produce something shorter, with a different ordering of topics. I wish to thank the publishers for allowing me to do this self-plagiarization.
Axillary Nodal Management Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Review.

Importance The increasing use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for operable breast cancer has raised questions about optimal local therapy for the axilla. Observations Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after NAC in patients presenting with clinically negative nodes has an accuracy similar to upfront SLNB and reduces the need for axillary lymph node dissection compared with SLNB prior to NAC. In patients presenting with node-positive disease, clinical trials demonstrate that SLNB after NAC is accurate when 3 or more sentinel nodes are obtained, but long-term outcomes are lacking. The relative importance of pre- and post-NAC stage in predicting risk of locoregional recurrence remains an area of controversy. Conclusions and Relevance Neoadjuvant chemotherapy reduces the need for axillary lymph node dissection, and SLNB is an accurate method of determining nodal status after NAC.
Comparison of Real-Time, Mobile Data Bus Architectures

Modern aircraft and automobiles are equipped with sensors, actuators, and controllers which generate or consume data during operations to improve the performance and life-safety aspects of vehicles. With increasing numbers of sensors and actuators, complexity of wiring needed to interface with them also increases. To reduce the volume of wiring, numerous data bus architectures have been designed. Although tailored for various applications (notably data rate, frame format, and interaction), most maintain remarkable similarity. This document details differences and commonalities of eight broadly accepted and standardized mobile, real-time, wired, serial data bus control architectures. With an objective comparison of those architectures, similarities and possible vulnerabilities are also explored.
A Quick Reference on Phosphorus.

Phosphorus, or phosphate, is the body’s major intracellular anion involved in numerous biological processes. Most phosphate is intracellular, with the remaining amount contained within soft tissues and the extracellular space. Parathyroid hormone, calcitriol, calcitonin, and phosphatonins regulate normal phosphate homeostasis by adjusting renal and/or gastrointestinal absorption and/or excretion. Hypophosphatemia occurs secondary to decreased gastrointestinal absorption, transcellular shifts, increased renal excretion, or some combination of these general mechanisms. Hyperphosphatemia results from decreased renal excretion, increased intake or iatrogenic administration, transcellular shifts, or some combination of these.
Role of helmets in blast mitigation: insights from experiments on PMHS surrogate

Blast induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has emerged as the most significant injury to war fighters in recent conflicts. Interaction of the blast wave with the head and helmet are not well understood. In this work, the effects of blast were investigated on the post-mortem human subject (PMHS) head using a compression driven shock tube. The results suggest that the evolution of intracranial pressure profiles is strongly governed by the wave propagation through skin-skull-brain parenchyma. It is also observed that the sinus cavities naturally attenuate the blast overpressure. Performance of two helmet configurations (padded and suspension) in mitigating the blast is also evaluated. The results suggest that the amount of mitigation offered by each helmet varies with the helmet configuration. For helmets with the suspension system, the blast wave is intensified beneath the helmet. Further, the degree of blast wave mitigation is affected by the morphology of the PMHS itself. Overall, these results suggest that the blast wave interacts with the head and the helmet in a complex manner and these interaction effects must be taken into account while designing strategies for protection of the head against the blast.