cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urine Drug Testing for Opioids in the Rehabilitation Patient

Urine drug testing (UDT) is the most practical, necessary, and low-cost tool in monitoring opioid management in the outpatient clinical settings. Due to the high risk of misuse, tolerance, and dependence of opioids, it is crucial to monitor patient compliance. Besides other screening methods, which include pill counts, state-regulated registries, and opioid agreements, clinicians and patients alike benefit from UDT in delivering proper opioid maintenance therapy. Furthermore, monitoring is a requirement of federal, state, and local governments, medical clinics, as well as health insurance companies with a goal of preventing abuse of opioid analgesics and providing appropriate pain management. While UDT is one of the major tools of adherence monitoring to assess patient compliance, there are several limitations related to the reliability of the tests used, and limitations in the understanding of the pain physician as to how to interpret and use the results in the clinical setting. This chapter aims to address UDT, a simple, available, and useful method for monitoring the use of opioids and other drugs in chronic pain patients.
Assessing resources of early stage social ventures: A signaling theory perspective

Venture philanthropy-oriented foundations have an increasing impact in social venture funding. However, we still know little about which aspects of social ventures effectively work as a positive si...
The Evolution of Gothic Spaces: Ruins, Forests, Urban Jungles

This essay traces the development of Gothic space from the castles and abbeys of Europe, spaces that suggest the overwhelming power of the church, the aristocracy, and the patriarchal family to the anonymous forces that plague modern urban dwellers. Bram Stoker’s 1897 Dracula is a pivotal text that reveals a major shift in Gothic space and also suggests that people began to fear people and trends much closer to them. While The Castle of Otranto and Fear the Walking Dead take place in different types of spaces, studying Stoker’s novel reveals a logical evolution.
A Meta-Analysis of Latinx Acculturation and Intimate Partner Violence.

Objective:Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health concern that affects many Latinx couples. The present study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantitatively as...
Pramlintide: The Effects of a Single Drug Injection on Blood Phosphatidylcholine Profile for Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies suggest that a single injection of pramlintide, an amylin analog, induces changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) biomarkers in the blood of AD mouse models and AD patients. The aim of this study was to examine whether a pramlintide challenge combined with a phosphatidylcholine (PC) profile diagnoses of AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) better than PC alone. Non-diabetic subjects with cognitive status were administered a single subcutaneous injection of 60 mcg of pramlintide under fasting condition. A total of 71 PCs, amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and total tau (t-tau) in plasma at different time points were measured and treated as individual variables. A single injection of pramlintide altered the levels of 7 PCs in the blood, while a pramlintide injection plus food modulated the levels of 10 PCs in the blood (p < 0.05). The levels of 2 PCs in MCI and 12 PCs in AD in the pramlintide challenge were significantly lower than the ones in controls. We found that while some PCs were associated with only Aβ levels, other PCs were associated with both Aβ and t-tau levels. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of the PCs was combined with the Aβ and t-tau data to produce an area under the curve predictive value of 0.9799 between MCI subjects and controls, 0.9794 between AD subjects and controls and 0.9490 between AD and MCI subjects. A combination of AD biomarkers and a group of PCs post a pramlintide challenge may provide a valuable diagnostic and prognostic test for AD and MCI.
Biofilm in voice prosthesis: A prospective cohort study and laboratory tests using sonication and SEM analysis.

Objective The objective of the study was to compare the biofilm growing pattern and its morphological extent on silicone and a teflon-like material using a sonication process and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Design A prospective cohort study and a laboratory study. Setting Otolaryngology -Head and Neck surgery Department and the Microbiology Institute. Participants The participants included fifteen laryngectomised patients with phonatory prostheses, which were removed because of device failure, and two different kinds of phonatory prostheses from the laboratory (Provox 2 and ActiValve) that were artificially colonised by Candida albicans. Main outcome measures Tracheo-oesophageal puncture (TEP) is currently considered the gold standard for post-laryngectomy voice rehabilitation. "Leakage" represents the most common cause of substitution and is generated by biofilm colonisation of the prosthesis by mixed mycotic and bacterial agents. New biomaterials have been developed that are deemed to be more resistant to the colonisation of micro-organisms and material deformation. Results The devices showed colonisation by mixed bacterial flora (Staphylococci 13%, Streptococci 9%, and Haemophilus influenzae 5%) and by yeasts (Candida albicans 12%). Moreover, we observed a different distribution of biofilm layers in Provox ActiValve (22.56%) compared to Provox 2 (56.82%) after experimental colonisation by the previously isolated Candida strain. Conclusion Resident microbiological species from the upper airways unavoidably colonise the polymer surfaces, and no strategies have been effective except for the manipulation of the chemical-physical properties of the device's polymer. Our study confirms that Provox ActiValve, which is made with a fluoroplastic material (teflon-like), is less subject to in vitro colonisation by Candida, and thus showed a higher clinical resistance to biofilm and a longer lifespan. The sonication seems to significantly improve the knowledge of bacterial and mycotic flora in biofilm colonisation. The design of a device for the daily cleaning capable to reach and brush the oesophageal flange of the prosthesis preserving the valve mechanism could represent a practical and simple help in this still unsolved problem.
Microcell Fusion and Mammalian Gene Transfer

Microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (Fournier and Ruddle, 1977a; Fournier, 1981) is a parasexual genetic technique that can be used to transfer single, intact chromosomes from one mammalian cell to another. As such, microcell fusion is not a gene-transfer method in the usual sense of the term; rather, it is an approach for the construction of simple hybrid cells with precisely defined genotypes. Microcell hybrids have proved to be valuable tools for mammalian gene mapping, for genetic analyses of complex cellular phenotypes, and, in conjunction with other gene-transfer methods, for genetic manipulation of specific chromosomes and chromosomal regions.
Peripheral anterior synechia overlying the haptics of posterior chamber lenses. Occurrence and natural history.

Abstract Sixty consecutive eyes that met the standard criteria for cataract surgery underwent phacoemulsification with insertion of a posterior chamber lens implant. The filtration angle of each eye was examined with routine postoperative gonioscopy in a prospective manner. Peripheral anterior synechia (PAS) overlying the position of the lens haptic (lens haptic PAS) were observed in up to 80% of eyes implanted with haptics vaulted anteriorly by 10°. The rate of occurrence of lens haptic PAS was reduced by a statistically significant level in a group of eyes implanted with nonvaulted haptics. Most of the lens haptic PAS were observed early in the postoperative period and remained stable in size. Progression in size was noted quantitatively in three eyes and documented with goniophotography in two eyes. A delay in the presentation of lens haptic PAS was observed in seven eyes. A postoperative increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) associated with enlargement of lens haptic PAS developed in one patient with preoperative chronic open-angle glaucoma. These observations support others that progressive PAS overlying posterior chamber lens haptics can be a form of progressive angle-closure glaucoma in pseudophakia. This mechanism may be more likely to occur in eyes implanted with anterior vaulted haptics.
Preparing for Hemodialysis

Abstract Decisions regarding the initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT)—whether hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis, kidney transplantation, or palliative care is chosen—are critical when considering combined efforts among nephrologists, patients, family members, and nonphysician health care personnel. The transition from management of progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD) to that of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requires the nephrologist to have a clear understanding of the disease trajectory in the individual patient and to function as a teacher for the patient and members of the patient's family, as well as for their professional and social networks. These functions involve an understanding of the patient both as an individual and as a member of a social milieu and require an appreciation of the patient's culture, spirit, and belief systems. Although all therapeutic choices facing patients with advanced CKD have advantages and disadvantages, many of the steps in the transition to ESRD care are common to all the choices. In particular, recent advances in clinical science (based on evidence derived from observational studies and clinical trials) allow the nephrologist to advise patients regarding appropriate timing of initiation of RRT and factors related to successful creation of vascular access, which will promote the best health outcomes. The nephrologist, while delivering complex care at the time of a crucial transition, plays a key role in determining whether the start of RRT with HD will be characterized by a “smooth landing” or a “crash landing,” ultimately by serving as a coordinator of education and multidisciplinary consultation.
Using machine learning to improve ensemble docking for drug discovery.

Ensemble docking has provided an inexpensive method to account for receptor flexibility in molecular docking for virtual screening. Unfortunately, as there is no rigorous theory to connect the docking scores from multiple structures to measured activity, researchers have not yet come up with effective ways to use these scores to classify compounds into actives and inactives. This shortcoming has led to the decrease, rather than an increase in the performance of classifying compounds when more structures are added to the ensemble. Previously, we suggested machine learning, implemented in the form of a naive Bayesian model could alleviate this problem. However, the naive Bayesian model assumed that the probabilities of observing the docking scores to different structures to be independent. This approximation might prevent it from achieving even higher performance. In the work presented in this paper, we have relaxed this approximation when using several other machine learning methods-k nearest neighbor, logistic regression, support vector machine, and random forest-to improve ensemble docking. We found significant improvement.
Application of Vibration Training for Enhancing Bone Strength

Bone cells respond to mechanical stresses, including the oscillations transmitted during whole-body vibration (WBV). Animal models have documented that bone accrual occurs in response to vibration treatments. Human WBV studies have shown mixed results for the effects on bone mineral density (BMD), bone microarchitecture, and bone strength in postmenopausal women. The WBV protocol characteristics are important as high-magnitude (≥1 g) WBV training using side-alternating platforms resulted in significant effect sizes for lumbar spine and trochanter BMD. WBV training has been shown to improve leg strength and balance and decrease the rate of falls, factors that are important for fracture risk, in addition to bone status. There is insufficient evidence for WBV effects on bone health in women with osteoporosis to recommend it as a therapy. More WBV randomized clinical trials are needed to assess the benefits for bone, muscle function, and fracture risk in osteoporotic populations.
Does histological assessment accurately distinguish separate primary lung adenocarcinomas from intrapulmonary metastases? A study of paired resected lung nodules in 32 patients using a routine next-generation sequencing panel for driver mutations.

Aim Various approaches have been reported for distinguishing separate primary lung adenocarcinomas from intrapulmonary metastases in patients with two lung nodules. The aim of this study was to determine whether histological assessment is reliable and accurate in distinguishing separate primary lung adenocarcinomas from intrapulmonary metastases using routine molecular findings as an adjunct. Methods We studied resected tumour pairs from 32 patients with lung adenocarcinomas in different lobes. In 15 of 32 tumour pairs, next-generation sequencing (NGS) for common driver mutations was performed on both nodules. The remainder of tumour pairs underwent limited NGS, or EGFR genotyping. Tumour pairs with different drivers (or one driver/one wild-type) were classified as molecularly unrelated, while those with identical low-frequency drivers were classified as related. Three pathologists independently and blinded to the molecular results categorised tumour pairs as related or unrelated based on histological assessment. Results Of 32 pairs, 15 were classified as related by histological assessment, and 17 as unrelated. Of 15 classified as related by histology, 6 were classified as related by molecular analysis, 4 were unrelated and 5 were indeterminate. Of 17 classified as unrelated by histology, 14 were classified as unrelated by molecular analysis, none was related and 3 were indeterminate. Histological assessment of relatedness was inaccurate in 4/32 (12.5%) tumour pairs. Conclusions A small but significant subset of two-nodule adenocarcinoma pairs is inaccurately judged as related by histological assessment, and can be proven to be unrelated by molecular analysis (driver gene mutations), leading to significant downstaging.
Effects of precarious work on symptomatology of anxiety and depression in Chilean workers, a cross sectional study.

Precarious work is a broad definition for non-standard employment, often including unstable and insecure positions where workers permanently experience uncertainty; these types of jobs are growing steadily around the planet. Since the coup d’etat in 1973, Chile has experienced a series of structural economic changes framed by neoliberal ideas cemented in the “Constitution of Pinochet.” Precarious work in Chile is a direct consequence of these ideas. This multidimensional phenomenon has progressively been entering employment areas where it was not previously present. As a result, there has been a rise in work precarization and its full impact on health is not well known. The goal of this study was to estimate the association of work precariousness with mental health outcomes in Chilean workers. Data were obtained from the Chilean Survey of Work and Health 2009–2010 (ENETS). Only valid records of salaried workers (excluding hourly-only or commission-only workers) in the private sector without missing values were included (n = 1900). After applying appropriate sampling weights, 1,461,727 workers were represented. Mental health was estimated as anxiety/depression levels using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). A multilevel multivariate generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with negative binomial and log link distribution was used to study the association between precariousness and depression/anxiety. Looking at the overall precariousness scale (range from zero to four), we observed an increase of approximately 34% in the depression/anxiety score (scale range from 0 to 36) for every unit on the precarious work overall scale (Relative Risk = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.28, 1.42) controlling for age, sex, and occupational group. Precarious work was associated with anxiety and depression as measured with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Controlling for demographic variables changed neither the direction nor the magnitude of the association.
Sensor deviation anomaly trend prediction based on phase space reconstruction and Support Vector Regression

Ship combat systems are developing in the direction of integration and intelligence, and the integration also brings problems such as difficulty in predicting abnormal sensor trends in combat systems. The failure characteristics of sensors in combat systems are highly secretive, and it is difficult to detect and deal with system equipment failures by relying on empirical qualitative or single-indicator testing methods. In order to safeguard the ship's combat capability and make reasonable maintenance decisions, it is important to study more accurate prediction methods. This article proposes a method for predicting sensor deviation anomaly trends based on phase space reconstruction and Support Vector Regression(SVR), taking sensors in naval combat systems as typical research objects. Firstly, a phase space reconstruction is performed on the sensor deviation time series data to increase the accuracy of subsequent prediction; then a SVR prediction model is built, and the model is trained and optimised using the reconstructed data; finally, the constructed prediction model is compared with the regular SVR model and BP neural network model to verify that the constructed model has higher prediction accuracy.
Connecting to Communities: Transformational Leadership From Africentric and Feminist Perspectives

Twenty female administrators in human service agencies serving diverse ethnic communities were interviewed to provide an understanding of their struggles and leadership styles. Applying both Africentric and feminist theoretical frameworks to inform the political frame advanced in theories of transformational leadership, connecting with community and community building were strategies for providing leadership
The architecture of a distributed virtual worlds system

We have developed an object model that facilitates the development of shared virtual environments. We have implemented our object model on top of COM and OLE Automation and facilitated access from Active Scripting enabled languages. This paper provides a brief description of the work we have done on the V-Worlds project.
Skeletons in the Closet: THE KIDNAPPER'S DILEMMA

In the “kidnapper's dilemma,” a kidnapper abducts a victim and demands ransom in exchange for releasing her. However, once the ransom is paid out, the kidnapper is better off doing away with the victim. After all, she may provide the police with information identifying him. The victim cannot credibly commit to not revealing her abductor's identity to the police. The game has precisely the same structure as the Simple Transition Game. The strategy of releasing the victim is weakly dominated by disposing of her. How can the abducted victim save her life? How can she make her promise to the kidnapper credible? A possible solution to this dilemma, suggested by Thomas Schelling (1980), runs as follows: Suppose the victim happened to have committed some heinous crime and can supply her abductor with evidence of this crime. If she were to reveal the identity of the kidnapper, he would uncover the evidence against her. Since the disutility from being held responsible for such an act outweighs the victim's utility from punishing the kidnapper, she refrains from revealing his identity and the optimal solution is ensured. The victim “has a skeleton in the kidnapper's closet,” and the abductor will reveal it if he himself is revealed by the victim. This secret information makes the victim's commitment not to reveal any information to the police credible. The Kidnapper's Dilemma in Pacted Transitions In the East Central European pacted transitions, the embarrassing skeletons are files of former dissidents who were secret police informers.
Design of Laterally Unsupported Timber Beams

Timber specifications now recognize a rational procedure for the design of laterally unsupported beams, and design aids have been developed to simplify selection of members. Three categories of flexural members are recognized based upon the potential mode of failure. The allowable stress for beams subject to lateral instability is a function of the beam slenderness factor and modulus of elasticity. The slenderness factor is a dimensionless constant relating the effective unbraced length, width, and depth. Beam properties and lateral stability constants are furnished for a wide range of laminated beam sections. Allowable stress curves for the full range of permissible slenderness factors are presented for three grades of laminated timber. Design examples illustrate the design procedure and the use of the design aids.
Mechanisms of Fatty Acid Toxicity for Yeast

Neal, A. L. (Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J.), Joan O. Weinstock, and J. Oliver Lampen. Mechanisms of fatty acid toxicity for yeast. J. Bacteriol. 90:126-131. 1965.-The internal pH of stationary- and log-phase yeast cells dropped quite rapidly when the cells were exposed to acetate buffers at pH 4 and 3, whereas no, or much less, acidification occurred with pyruvate or phosphate. Although inhibition of respiration and glycolysis was almost instantaneous when the cells were exposed to 0.2 m acetate at pH 4, the effect was not permanent and could be reversed by washing them with water or phosphate buffer. Irreversible inhibition did occur, however, at 0.5 m acetate under the same conditions; there was a marked decrease in several glycolytic enzyme systems, which undoubtedly contributed to the irreversible nature of the inhibition. In cell-free homogenates, various low-molecular-weight monocarboxylic acids exhibited about the same inhibitory effect on glycolysis; structural differences such as branching or unsaturation did not cause a marked change in their inhibitory effect. Also, glycolysis was much more sensitive to dicarboxylic acids such as succinate and phthalate than to acetate; phthalate was more inhibitory than succinate. This is in contrast with the noninhibitory nature of succinate and phthalate to whole cells, even at pH 4. Pyruvic acid decarboxylation was inhibited by phthalate but not by succinate. The greater toxic effect of phthalic acid may be due to the fixed steric configuration of its carboxyl groups, as compared with those of succinic acid.
Acceleration of mini-projectiles using a small-caliber electrothermal gun for fusion applications

Summary form only given. The small-caliber electrothermal plasma gun SIRENS has been used to accelerate mini-projectiles to demonstrate the feasibility of using such guns as a pellet injector for fuelling of future fusion reactors. The gun has been modified to accommodate acceleration of plastic projectiles to simulate frozen hydrogenic pellets required to fuel fusion reactors. Barrel sections are equipped with diagnostics for velocity and position of the projectile. The length of the acceleration path could be varied between 15 and 45 cm. The pulse forming network (PFN) on provide up to 100 kJ discharge energy over 0.1 to 1.0 ms pulse duration. The projectile velocities have been measured via a set of breakwires. The ODIN code has been modified to account for the projectile mass, acceleration and friction. The measured velocity represents an average velocity between the last two breakwires and not the local velocity.
An optimization principle for determining movement duration.

Movement duration is an integral component of motor control, but nearly all extant optimization models of motor planning prefix duration instead of explaining it. Here we propose a new optimization...
APPLICATIONS OF STOCHASTIC ESTIMATION IN THE AXISYMMETRIC SUDDEN EXPANSION

Stochastic estimation was utilized to reconstruct estimates of multipoint conditional averages in an axisymmetric sudden expansion. Application of this technique requires, in addition to the two-point correlation tensor, time series data measured at selected positions simultaneously. One application of this technique yielded estimates of the spatial and temporally evolving velocity field in a given azimuthal plane of the sudden expansion. An application of this technique in the reattachment region clearly shows its unsteady character. The spectra measurements as well as the stochastic estimates utilizing multipoint conditions applied over two directions suggest that coherent structures from the near field shear layer propagate downstream into the reattachment region and cause this unsteadiness.
Ultraviolet absorption studies of germanium silicate glasses.

The absorptions of pure and codoped germanium silicate preforms made by modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) have been studied from 170 to 400 nm. Three bands with maxima at 185, 242, and 325 nm have been observed. The shortest wavelength band is attributed to GeO2, while the other bands are assigned to GeO. The 242- and 325-nm bands are correlated with a singlet–singlet and a triplet–singlet transition of GeO, respectively. The GeO content is found to increase with processing temperature, because higher temperature allows the greater dissociation of GeO2 to GeO. The amount of GeO incorporated is determined to be of the order of 10−2 wt. %. The 325-nm band of GeO should have no effect on fiber loss in the IR region.
Reply to: Mutation rate variation in eukaryotes: evolutionary implications of site-specific mechanisms

Reply to: Mutation rate variation in eukaryotes: evolutionary implications of site-specific mechanisms
Excitons perturbed by self-trapped excitons in alkali iodine crystals

Abstract A strong transient optical absorption band on the exciton shoulder has been observed in pure alkali iodine crystals following pulsed electron irradiation. The ultraviolet transition is ascribed to creation of a second exciton in the vicinity of a self-trapped exciton. The perturbation caused by the proximity of the self-trapped exciton lowers the energy needed to form the second exciton by 0.14 eV for KI and 0.12 eV for RbI.
Cultural Differences in Perceived Leadership Styles

This study identifies preferred leadership qualities of hospitality students from Hong Kong, India, the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, and compares them with those of hospitality students from the U.S. All students were enrolled in English-speaking hospitality programs in Switzerland. Following the theories of Hofstede (1995) and Trompenaars (1994), the study tested whether the students in each group prefer certain leadership attributes, and whether differences in preferences exist among the five groups. The results of this study provide tourism and hospitality organizations with practical suggestions for improving the selection of both entry-level and upper-level managers and leaders, so as to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency within culturally diverse operations and environments.
Drosophila Morgue is an F box/ubiquitin conjugase domain protein important for grim-reaper mediated apoptosis

In Drosophila melanogaster, apoptosis is controlled by the integrated actions of the Grim-Reaper (Grim-Rpr) and Drosophila Inhibitor of Apoptosis (DIAP) proteins (reviewed in refs 1 4). The anti-apoptotic DIAPs bind to caspases and inhibit their proteolytic activities. DIAPs also bind to Grim-Rpr proteins, an interaction that promotes caspase activity and the initiation of apoptosis. Using a genetic modifier screen, we identified four enhancers of grim-reaper-induced apoptosis that all regulate ubiquitination processes: uba-1, skpA, fat facets (faf), and morgue. Strikingly, morgue encodes a unique protein that contains both an F box and a ubiquitin E2 conjugase domain that lacks the active site Cys required for ubiquitin linkage. A reduction of morgue activity suppressed grim-reaper-induced cell death in Drosophila. In cultured cells, Morgue induced apoptosis that was suppressed by DIAP1. Targeted morgue expression downregulated DIAP1 levels in Drosophila tissue, and Morgue and Rpr together downregulated DIAP1 levels in cultured cells. Consistent with potential substrate binding functions in an SCF ubiquitin E3 ligase complex, Morgue exhibited F box-dependent association with SkpA and F box-independent association with DIAP1. Morgue may thus have a key function in apoptosis by targeting DIAP1 for ubiquitination and turnover.
A new A-C bus design

WHILE the conventional methods of bus distribution, using multiple cables, flat bars, channels, angles, or tubular conductors, all have their particular advantages, they are limited, chiefly because of excessive voltage drop or high installation cost. Industrial concerns continually are faced with this difficult problem in laying out the electric system for manufacturing plants. The ability of manufacturers to extrude high conductivity metals in practically any shape, opens up a new field to the designer for arrangement of conductors. By using close spacing in a partial triangular arrangement low reactance is obtained, in a simple and inexpensive structure. Using these develop-lengths can be made. Each conductor has a cross-sectional area of 5.16 square inches and a perimeter of 33.86 inches. The width to thickness ratio was determined by calculations from Maxwell's basic formula for reactance, using geometric mean distances. The final design has a ratio of 36. This study also aided in deciding on a conductor spacing of one inch — a good compromise between low reactance, adequate cooling, satisfactory insulation, and reasonable short-circuit stresses.
Transformational Obstacles in Special Education

Practitioners in the field of special education who embrace an alternative paradigm for understanding and educating students with learning problems often face the challenge of “job role dissonance” in the daily execution of their responsibilities. Such dissonance arises when their attempt to shift paradigms or simply restructure current practice is impeded by institutional obstacles. From an experiential perspective, the authors examine these obstacles and how they have affected the reframing of the field of learning disabilities. Specifically, they identify legal mandates, the systemic nature of schools, parents' belief systems, and time limitations of staff as impediments to a more healthy and viable service delivery to children. Finally, dissonance is proffered as a normal component of a true restructuring movement.
Compactness of the Difference between the Thermoviscoelastic Semigroup and Its Decoupled Semigroup

By using the theory of semigroups, we prove the compactness of the difference between the semigroups generated by the system of thermoviscoelasticity type and its decoupled system, respectively.
An Electron Microscopic Study of the Vascular Endothelium as a Site for Bradykinin and Adenosine-5′-Triphosphate Inactivation in Rat Lung

Bradykinin is inactivated in one circulation through the intact or “blood-free rat lung (1). Inactivation of bradykinin occurs by hydrolysis of peptide bonds, yet the effluent of a blood-free lung preparation does not contain sufficient hydrolase activity to account for this extremely rapid and efficient degradation. Furthermore, there is no measurable retention of bradykinin or its peptide fragments by the lung. It seems likely, therefore, that bradykinin is inactivated by cellular enzymes at or near the endothelium of pulmonary blood vessels.
The use of Defensible Analytical Chemical Measurements for Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment

ABSTRACT Scientific research on and natural resource damage assessments (NRDA) of oil spill incidents require the appropriate selection and application of analytical chemical and data interpretation techniques. Estimates of injuries to natural resources (surface waters, geological resources, biological resources), determinations of pathways of exposure, and assessment of recoverability and recovery of injured resources should, in part, be based on methods that are scientifically. defensible and acceptable in their application to the regulatory and legal communities. Recent spill incidents underline the need for significant revision of regulatory methods (such as EPA-approved procedures), so as to target the spilled material (petroleum) and its specific chemical composition. Standard operating procedures for the determination of the saturate and aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations and compositions (normal alkanes and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons) of environmental samples have been drafted for use in o...
Do's and don'ts of opinion survey response

Organisations that have used opinion surveys generally report mixed results on their success. There are always questions concerning what each item means, whether the results really reflect how people feel, or whether they reflect the mood the person was in on that day. The organisations that have had the most success in my experience are the ones that focus on the importance of response to the participants. It is important that action be taken on survey information, and that the information be viewed as statistically valid; but, more than anything else, the people who participate must receive some information concerning the results of their participation. Even those who choose not to participate must receive a response concerning the view of the organisation.
Testosterone and interleukin-1β increase cardiac remodeling during coxsackievirus B3 myocarditis via serpin A 3n.

Myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are often caused by viral infections and occur more frequently in men than in women, but the reasons for the sex difference remain unclear. The aim of t...
A phase-field theory for solidification based on a general anisotropic sharp-interface theory with interfacial energy and entropy

Abstract Using balance laws for microforce and energy in conjunction with constitutive equations consistent with the second law, we develop a general phase-field theory that allows for a constitutive dependence of the internal energy and entropy on the order-parameter gradient. A matched asymptotic analysis-appropriate to the limit of decreasing interface thickness - demonstrates the consonance of our theory with a general, thermodynamically consistent sharp-interface theory that accounts for anisotropic interfacial energy and entropy, interfacial tension and shear, and dissipative transition kinetics.
Determination of the best location and performance analysis of STATCOM for damping oscillation

Power system oscillation is one of the major problems in power system operation. If not damped, these oscillations can grow and decrease transmission capacity of the lines which may cause interruption in energy supply. Several methods for damping of these oscillations are reported in literature. Traditionally, these oscillations have been damped by power system stabilizers. Recently, FACTS devices such as static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) equipped with a power oscillation damper (POD) have been also efficiently used for damping oscillation. It should be noted that, the main objective of STATCOM is to regulate voltage at its terminal by changing the amount of reactive power exchanges with the power system and POD is a secondary function provided by this device. This paper proposes the application of the residue factor method to obtain the best location of STATCOM for damping oscillations. The residue factor used is related the critical oscillatory modes. Also presented in this paper is a comparison of power system stabilizer (PSS) and STATCOM for the enhancement of oscillations damping. IEEE 14-Bus test system was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for placement and the comparison of PSS and STATCOM on damping oscillations. From the simulation results it is seen that STATCOM has better ability in damping oscillation when compared to PSS.
A reliable algorithm for obtaining positive solutions for nonlinear boundary value problems

Abstract In this paper, we propose an algorithm for solving the nonlinear two-point boundary value problem that has at least one positive solution [1–6] for λ in a compatible interval. Our method stems mainly from combining the decomposition series solution obtained by Adomian decomposition method with Pade approximates. The validity of the approach is verified through illustrative numerical examples
Hereditary angioedema: New therapeutic options for a potentially deadly disorder

Although the biochemistry of hereditary angioedema (HAE) is fairly well understood today, the lag in diagnosis of a decade or more suggests that clinicians have low awareness of this disease. This lag in diagnosis and hence treatment certainly stems from the rarity and complexity of the presentation which can be easily mistaken for allergic and non-allergic reactions alike. The symptoms of the disease include acute swelling of any or multiple parts of the body. The attacks may be frequent or rare, and they may vary substantially in severity, causing stomach discomfort or periorbital swelling in mild cases and hypovolemic shock due to abdominal fluid shift or asphyxiation in the most severe cases. Given that these patients are at significant risk for poor quality of life and death, greater awareness of this disease is needed to ensure that newly available, effective medications are used in these patients. These new medications represent significant advances in HAE therapy because they are targeted at the plasma cascades implicated in the pathophysiology of this disease. The clinical presentation of HAE, overlapping symptoms with other angioedemas, and available therapies are reviewed.
Trilaminar musculature of submucosal ureter Anatomy and functional implications

Abstract The musculature of the ureterovesical junction was studied by dissection and histologically in man, dog, cat, and rabbit. It was found that the segment of the ureter so far known as “submucosal” is crossed as far as the ureteral orifice by vesical muscle bundles, the transureteral bundles. The musculature of the roof of the “submucosal” segment has a trilaminar arrangement, consisting of the transureteral bundles, deep periureteral sheath, and ureteral muscularis. This arrangement, which has not previously been described, exists also in relation to the intramural segment. Transverse muscle fascicles are constantly found in the superior lip of the ureteral orifice. No true space exists anywhere in the ureterovesical junction. The physiologic and clinical implications of these findings, particularly in relation to vesicoureteral reflux, are discussed.
Improved granulocyte procurement with the continuous flow centrifuge.

The results of 139 consecutive buffy-coat collections from 21 normal donors are presented. Modifications of procedure and technic produced greatly increased granulocyte harvests. These modifications are described in detail and include the use of arteriovenous silastic shunts in the donors and use of two continuous flow centrifuges arranged in parallel.
Measurement of the Distance Between the Minor Foramen and the Anatomic Apex by Digital and Conventional Radiography

The purpose of this study was to determine the distance between the minor foreman and the anatomic apex from digital and conventional radiographs. Thirty permanent single-canal teeth with mature root apex were used. After access preparation, a K-file was inserted into the canal until the tip of the file was just seen at the minor foramen under a ×40 stereomicroscope. The file was fixed in the canal by filling the access with composite resin. The teeth with files in the canals were radiographed using a Schick CDR digital system and conventional radiography with E-speed film. For digital radiographs, the distance between the file tip and the center of radiographic apex was directly measured from the computer screen by using Schick CDR measurement software. For conventional radiographs, the distance was measured under a stereomicroscope at a magnification of ×10 with a calibrated millimeter ruler. The mean distance was 0.494 mm measured from conventional radiographs and 0.594 mm from digital radiographs. These results agree with the current conception that endodontic working length should terminate 1 mm from the radiographic apex. There was a significant difference between the measurements on digital radiographs and those on conventional radiographs (p t test). However, the 0.1-mm difference has no clinical significance, because clinically, the working length is generally measured to the nearest 0.5 mm.
Punk in the Shadow of War

As punk reformulated topics and modes of resistance in the late 1970s, the impact of wars in Southeast Asia, as well as continuing histories of imperialist aggression elsewhere, served as a way for Los Angeles's racially and sexually diverse punk scene to imagine itself as resistant through (sometimes simultaneous) affiliation with and disassociation from the state, military, and acts of capitalist violence. This article reimagines the context for punk's politics by following racial, residential, and economic patterns, the influx of refugees, and the subsequent reimagination of punk spaces such as Hollywood, the Canterbury Apartments, and Chinatown to trace themes of race, sexuality, and violence.
Optimal longitudinal control planning with moving obstacles

At intersections and in merging traffic, intelligent road vehicles must solve challenging optimal control problems in real-time to navigate reliably around moving obstacles. We present a complete planner that computes collision-free, optimal longitudinal control sequences (acceleration and braking) using a novel visibility graph approach that analytically computes the reachable subset of path-velocity-time space. We demonstrate that our method plans over an order of magnitude faster than previous approaches, making it scalable and fast enough (tenths of a second on a PC) to be called repeatedly on-line. We demonstrate applications to autonomous driving and vehicle collision warning systems with many moving obstacles.
The Effect of Inherited Hydrocephalus and Shunt Treatment on Cortical Pyramidal Cell Dendrites in the Infant H-Tx Rat

Abstract The neuronal basis for neurological deficits in infantile hydrocephalus is poorly understood. Changes in the dendritic architecture of pyramidal cells of the auditory cortex have been measured at 21 days after birth in H-Tx rats. Tissue was prepared by the rapid Golgi method from hydrocephalic and control littermates, together with hydrocephalic rats with ventriculo-subcutaneous shunts placed at 3–4 days or at 10 days after birth. Layer V pyramidal cells were analyzed quantitatively on a light microscope at a magnification of 250 or 400×. When compared to control, the hydrocephalic rats had a 30% reduction in the cortical thickness whereas in the shunt-treated rats it was similar to control. For both the apical and the basal dendrites, the distance extended from the soma was reduced in hydrocephalic rats by 49–57%, and the total length of the dendritic trees was decreased by 61 and 77%, respectively. Rats shunt-treated at 3–4 days had small dendrite changes which, in most cases, were not significantly different from control. Rats shunt-treated at 10 days had dendrites which were indistinguishable from untreated hydrocephalic rats. Dendritic branch patterns were also affected; the number and mean length of branch segments were reduced in both the hydrocephalic and the 10-day shunt group, with only small changes in the earlier group. Overall, the basal dendrites were more severely affected than the apical dendrites. It is concluded that infantile hydrocephalus results in severe neuronal abnormalities which can largely, but not completely, be prevented by shunt treatment performed in the early stages.
On degeneracy and collapsing in the construction of the set of objective values in a multiple objective linear program

In this paper an algorithm is developed to generate all nondominated extreme points and edges of the set of objective values of a multiple objective linear program. The approach uses simplex tableaux but avoids generating unnecessary extreme points or bases of extreme points. The procedure is based on, and improves, an algorithm Dauer and Liu developed for this problem. Essential to this approach is the work of Gal and Kruse on the neighborhood problem of determining all extreme points of a convex polytope that are adjacent to a given (degenerate) extreme point of the set. The algorithm will incorporate Gal's degeneracy graph approach to the neighborhood problem with Dauer's objective space analysis of multiple objective linear programs.
Lifetimes of Excited States of Nuclei with Odd Mass

The lifetimes of Coulomb-excited states in Ti/sup 47/ Mn/sup 55/, Fe/sup 5/ s, Zn/sup 67/, Ge/sup 73/, Se/sup 77/, and Mo/sup 95/ were measured by a pu lsed-beam technique. The observed mean lifetimes were between 0.1 and 12.7 m mu sec. By combining these data with the measured Coulomb-excitation cross sections, the partial mean life was obtained for magnetic-dipole radiation and the ratio (E2/M1) for these transitions. The partial M1 lifetimes are 20 to 200 times as long as the single-particle estimates. (auth)
On the shape of neutron dose-effect curves for radiogenic cancers and life shortening in mice.

Male and female hybrid BCF1 (C57BL/6 BdxBALB/c Bd) were exposed to total neutron doses of 0.06, 0.12, 0.24, and 0.48 Gy in fractions over a period of 24 weeks. The fractionation regimens were: 24 weekly fractions of 0.0025 Gy, 12 fractions of 0.01 Gy every 2 weeks, 6 fractions of 0.04 Gy every 4 weeks, and 3 fractions of 0.16 Gy every 8 weeks. In order to detect any change in susceptibility with age over the period of exposures from 16 weeks to 40 weeks of age, mice were exposed to single doses of 0.025, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.2 Gy at 16 and 40 weeks of age. These experiments were designed to test whether the initial parts of the dose-response relationships for life shortening and cancer induction could be determined economically by using fractionated exposures and whether or not the initial slopes were linear. The conclusions were that for life shortening and most radiogenic cancers, the dose-effect curves are linear and that fractionation of the neutron dose has no effect on the magnitude of the response of equal total doses over the range of doses studied. The ratio of such initial slopes and comparable linear initial slopes for a reference radiation should provide maximum and constant relative biological effectiveness values.
Land distribution and land development in the Eastern Caribbean

Abstract The decline of the Eastern Caribbean plantations has been represented by the post-war collapse of sugar production and the subsequent difficulties experienced by the replacement staple, bananas. Since the early 1980s, governments have been involved in transforming the plantation-based settlement structure through various land redistribution projects. Many of these projects have been successful and hold the promise of relative wealth and economic stability for the majority of the island's population. This paper assesses the appropriateness of the longterm trends in the land distribution structure which are being set by the projects.
Development of normal pressure hydrocephalus after the placement of a pipeline embolization device for the treatment of a large aneurysm: case report.

Thepipeline embolization device (PED;Covidien/ev3, Irvine, CA) tilizes the principle of flow diversion and seeks to restore noral arterial anatomy for the treatment of brain aneurysms [1]. lobally, the neurovascular community has frequently used PED ince 2008 with encouraging outcomes. Multiple case series have eported 6-month aneurysm obliteration rates of more than 80% nd 1-year aneurysm obliteration rates of more than 90% [2–7]. dditional complications are being reported as the PED is being sed to treat a greater number of patients and more diverse types f cerebral aneurysms [7–10]. Here we report the first case of a atient developing normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) after she as treated with the PED and discuss the management challenges f this complication.