cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deconstructing experimental rate constant measurements: Obtaining intrinsic reaction parameters, kinetic isotope effects, and tunneling coefficients from kinetic data for OH + methane, ethane and cyclohexane

Abstract Kinetic data for multiple OH–alkane reactions, including primary kinetic isotope data, can be fit simultaneously to extract constrained contributions from transition state vibrational activation, zero-point energy, and tunneling. We use data for single-pathway reactions: OH + methane, ethane, and cyclohexane, to obtain optimal ‘intrinsic’ parameters common to all reactions. This is possible because parameters specific to individual reactions, such as the pre-exponential term, can be accurately calculated with ease. Several intrinsic parameters – the barrier height, the tunneling temperature (imaginary frequency) and a transition state bending frequency (the radical attack angle) – scale together from reaction to reaction. This scaling is so precise that we can accurately fit data for OH + methane using intrinsic parameters derived for OH + ethane and OH + cyclohexane using only a single free parameter (the scaling factor). This strongly confirms our underlying hypothesis about the physics controlling the key transition state parameters and suggests that extrapolations in temperature and predictions for unmeasured reactions are potentially robust.
Improvement in Microvascular Reflow and Reduction of Infarct Size With Adenosine in Patients Undergoing Primary Coronary Stenting

The aim of this study was to use myocardial contrast echocardiography to evaluate the effect of intravenous adenosine on microvascular reflow in patients with acute myocardial infarction who underwent primary coronary stenting (PCS). Thirty patients who underwent primary PCS for acute myocardial infarction were randomized to intravenous adenosine (50 to 70 μg/kg/min) or vehicle for 3 hours. Myocardial contrast echocardiography was performed before and sequentially after PCS to determine the risk area during coronary occlusion and infarct size. The risk area was similar in the adenosine- and placebo-treated patients. The infarct size as a ratio to the risk area was smaller in patients treated with adenosine when measured at 3 to 5 days (0.37 ± 0.29 vs 0.68 ± 0.25, p
Implementation of a levenberg-marquardt algorithm to perform regression to I-V curves

Testing the physical properties of a solar cell will generate a data set following the format of an I-V curve. This data is useful in its raw form, but finding its equation can provide additional information, such as the short circuit current and open circuit voltage. The curve-fitting process can be done manually, but it lacks the precision and ease-of-use of a computer program. Some existing programs assume a vertical error estimator. These are ineffective for an I-V curve because they unduly weight the area around the short circuit current due to less variation. A better method is to use the perpendicular distance between the experimental data and a theoretical fit to optimize the fit to the data. This creates an accurate model of the characteristics of the solar cell over its entire I-V domain, instead of only at the few points sampled for the initial data set.
Current overview of commercially available imprint templates and directions for future development

Imprint lithography has been proposed as a low cost method for next generation lithography for the manufacturing of semiconductors for the 45nm node and below, as costs for traditional optical lithography and EUV lithography escalate to new levels that may prohibit new semiconductor devices from ever coming to the market. While this was the widely proposed use of this technology, a whole host of new areas can take advantage of this lower cost manufacturing technology also. The template enables imprinting all these devices. Template manufacturing and development is currently done alongside of state-of-the-art reticle manufacturing. While the dimensions of the 1x templates are significantly smaller than what is needed for optical lithography templates, the dimensions are on the same order as the optical assist features, scatter bars and serifs used today. We will show current capability of 1x templates for imprint applications that are available commercially today, for semiconductor and nanofabrication applications. The advantages on the wafer side for the adoption of imprint lithography the simplification of processing, reduced capital costs and process control when integrated in the wafer fab. The adoption of imprint reduces the barrier of entry to state-of-the-art resolution for many older existing fabs that cannot spend upwards of 30 million dollars on an immersion I-line cluster.
Experimental and Computational Evaluation of the Protection Provided by an Aluminum Cladding to AA2024-T3 Exposed at a Seacoast Environment

Abstract The effective throwing power of a common metallic cladding was investigated by analyses of samples of scribed Alclad, AA2024-T3 (UNS A92024), which were exposed outdoors at Daytona Beach, ...
Peroxidase-Catalyzed Oxidation of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (TCP) is an environmental contaminant that is toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic. We have investigated peroxidase-catalyzed oxidation of TCP as an alternative pathway of TCP bioactivation using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) as a model peroxidase. TCP was shown to function as a reducing substarte for HRP as evidenced by TCP-dependent, HRP-catalyzed reduction of 5-phenyl-4-penten-1-yl hydroperoxide (PPHP) to its corresponding alcohol. In addition, TCP was shown to undergo hydroperoxide (H2O2, ethyl hydroperoxide, or PPHP)-dependent metabolism as evidenced by electronic absorption spectroscopic analysis of reaction mixtures. A single major product was detected by reverse phase HPLC and was identified as 2,6-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (2,6-dichloro-2,5-cyclohexadiene-1,4-dione, CAS no. 697-91-6) on the basis of electronic absorption spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and cochromatography with synthetic standard. In addition, HRP-catalyzed oxidation of TCP yielded EPR-detectable phenoxyl radical intermediates whose EPR spectrum consisted of a 1:2:1 triplet characterized by proton hyperfine coupling constants aH(3,5)= 2.35 gauss. Mechanisms for the hydroperoxide-dependent, HRP-catalyzed oxidation of TCP are proposed that are consistent with these results.
Evidence for a Central Mechanism of Obesity in the Zucker Fatty Rat (fa/fa)

SummarySeveral lines of evidence are cited in support of the hypothesis that the genetic defect in the Zucker fatty rat occurs in the central nervous system. A number of abnormalities in hypothalamic neurotransmitters and neuropeptides have been identified and have the potential to influence the level of food intake, the endocrine status and finally the capacity for lipid storage in the fatty rat. Large increases in liver and adipose lipogenic capacity can be attributed to elevated levels of food intake and to hyperinsulinemia combined with an apparent decrease in sympathetic activity. Decreased efficiency of protein utilization for muscle and bone growth may be linked to low circulatory levels of growth hormone and somatomedin combined with an elevated glucocorticoid status. These large shifts in neuroendocrine status (Fig. 2) result in an environment that favors the partitioning of exogenous energy toward lipid deposition and obesity.
Vertex topological indices and tree expressions, generalizations of continued fractions

We expand on the work of Hosoya to describe a generalization of continued fractions called “tree expressions.” Each rooted tree will be shown to correspond to a unique tree expression which can be evaluated as a rational number (not necessarily in lowest terms) whose numerator is equal to the Hosoya index of the entire tree and whose denominator is equal to the tree with the root deleted. In the development, we use Z(G) to define a natural candidate ζ(G, v) for a “vertex topological index” which is a value applied to each vertex of a graph, rather than a value assigned to the graph overall. Finally, we generalize the notion of tree expression to “labeled tree expressions” that correspond to labeled trees and show that such expressions can be evaluated as quotients of determinants of matrices that resemble adjacency matrices.
A simple assay for protein chain termination using natural peptidyl-tRNA.

Abstract An assay for protein chain termination is described. Unfractionated oligolysyl-tRNA, easily synthesized by cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli , was used as substrate. Messages containing chain terminating triplets, e.g. poly (A, U) containing UAA, stimulated the release of oligolysines in the presence of E. coli ribosomes, supernatant protein factors and GTP. Products of the chain termination were oligolysines and lysine accepting tRNA. The assay shares many properties with other assays of chain termination. Antibiotics which affect the ribosomal peptidyl transferase system inhibited message-stimulated chain termination at significantly lower concentrations than they inhibited oligolysine transfer to puromycin.
Silicide for contacts and interconnects

The use of silicide materials in silicon VLSI technology is reviewed in three most important areas. The application of silicides to device contacts for lowering the contact resistance and/or controlling Schottky barrier heights. The application of silicides on top of polysilicon (Polycide) as gate materials in MOS devices for enhancing the interconnections. And, the application of silicides to all diffusion and polysilicon areas simultaneously by using self-aligned scheme (Salicide) for reducing device series resistance, and enhancing interconnects. In each case, the choice of materials, the critical processing parameters, and its technical constraints are discussed.
Avoiding Repetitions Reduces ADHD Children's Management Problems in the Classroom.

Abstract Students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit non-compliance that presents a significant management problem for classroom teachers. Student behavior management training programs suggest that reducing repetitions of commands improves student compliance. To examine this claim, 86 teachers of ADHD students between the ages of 5 and 10 were randomized into treatment and control groups. Barkley's procedure for reducing repetitions was administered in the treatment group. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that children in the treatment group exhibited a significant reduction in non-compliance (p> 0.002), while children in the control group did not. These results suggest that Barkley's technique is effective and should be recommended to teachers of ADHD children.
GERD-Related Chronic Laryngitis: Pro

Hypothesis: Gastric acid blockade with PPIs is effective in treating LPR. I searched the PubMed database and the OVID Database of Systematic Reviews for laryngopharyngeal reflux, laryngopharyngeal reflux PPI treatment, and gastroesophageal reflux AND laryngitis. I also searched the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews using keyword combinations of laryngitis and reflux. In addition, I accessed the 58 references included in my earlier article and also hand searched pertinent subject matter journals and reference lists of key research articles for articles relevant to the present analysis. I found no indisputable class I evidence that gastric acid blockade with PPI medication effectively eradicates GERD-related chronic laryngitis, aka LPR. In a 2005 update on LPR, I cited a recent Cochrane meta-analysis of PPI treatment for hoarseness that looked at 302 potential studies and found only 6 randomized controlled trials comparing PPI therapy with placebo. Five of these failed to prove a beneficial effect of PPI over placebo, but quality outcome assessments in all studies were deemed inadequate, and laxity of inclusion criteria was a consistent flaw. A more recent metaanalysis by Qadeer et al concluded that PPI therapy may offer modest, but nonsignificant, clinical benefit over placebo. Among numerous LPR articles published over the past 3 years, 2 comprehensive prospective, multicenter, randomizedstudieshighlight the controversy. Reichel et al found thatpatientswithLPRsymptomsand endoscopicsignsofLPRshowedastatistically significant improvement in symptoms (P .001) and physical findings (P .05) when the patient receivedesomeprazolevsplacebo for 12weeks.Asubstantialplaceboeffect was indeed noted at 6 weeks, but it disappearedat3months.This isnoteworthy because such an effect, when observed in shorter-duration trials, hasbeenusedtoquestionPPIefficacy. In a similarly designed prospective study,Vaezietal concludedthatPPIs are not significantly more effective than placebo in treating LPR. As in other studies, the data are inconclusive because generous inclusion criteria likelyproducedadilutioneffect. For example, abnormal pH monitoringresultswereuncommon;patients with heartburn symptoms were excluded; and of the 145 subjects included,mosthadminimal symptoms based on their LPR Health-Related Quality of Life self-assessment. Authors of both of these prospective studiesacknowledgetheneedforvalidateddiagnosticguidelines. Indeveloping the “Pro PPI” position, we first must refine the diagnosis.
Partition functions on k-regular graphs with {0,1}-vertex assignments and real edge functions

We prove a complexity dichotomy theorem for a class of partition functions over k-regular graphs, for any fixed k. These problems can be viewed as graph homomorphisms from an arbitrary k-regular input graph G to the weighted two vertex graph on {0,1} defined by a real-valued symmetric function h. We completely classify the computational complexity of this problem. We show that there are exactly the following alternatives, for any given h. Depending on h, over k-regular graphs, either 1.the problem is #P-hard even for planar graphs, 2.the problem is #P-hard for general (non-planar) graphs, but solvable in polynomial time for planar graphs, or 3.the problem is solvable in polynomial time for general graphs. The dependence on h is an explicit criterion. Furthermore, we show that in case (2) the problem is solvable in polynomial time over k-regular planar graphs, by exactly the theory of holographic algorithms using matchgates.
It depends on your point of view [Exploratory DSP]

Synthetic attendance-immersive communications with people in a meeting happening afar-has been one of mankind's elusive dreams. From the ill-fated picture phone to a current Second Life virtual world or a Cisco telepresence room, technologists have sought the Holy Grail for this universal desire. While recent progress has fueled euphoria, this article considers critical questions still awaiting resolution.
Prevalence and characteristics of concurrent down syndrome in patients with moyamoya disease.

BACKGROUND: An association between moyamoya disease and Down syndrome appears to exist on the basis of reported anecdotal cases in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Down syndrome associated with moyamoya disease in inpatients and to identify the demographic and clinical features of moyamoya disease that may be unique when associated with Down syndrome. METHODS: In this observational study, we analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2002 and 2009 using International Classification of Diseases codes for moyamoya disease and Down syndrome for patient identification. Data including patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, secondary diagnosis, procedures, hospital costs, and patient outcomes were obtained. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2009, an estimated 518 patients (mean ± SD age, 16.2 ± 1.68 years) with coexisting moyamoya disease and Down syndrome were admitted. The estimated prevalence was 3.8% (3760 per 100,000) among patients admitted with moyamoya disease and 9.5% (9540 per 100,000) among moyamoya patients < 15 years of age. Patients admitted with moyamoya disease and Down syndrome were most frequently white and Hispanic (P = .02). They were more likely to present with ischemic stroke and less commonly with hemorrhagic stroke (15.3% and 2.7%, respectively; P < .05). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of Down syndrome in patients with moyamoya disease. The 26-fold-greater prevalence of Down syndrome in patients with coexisting moyamoya disease compared with the prevalence of Down syndrome among live births (145 per 100,000) highlights the need for a better understanding of the common pathophysiology of the 2 conditions.
Thermodynamic Aspects of Coupled Binding and Folding of an Intrinsically Disordered Protein: A Computational Alanine Scanning Study

We have performed computational alanine scanning to gain insight into thermodynamic aspects of coupled folding and binding of the phosphorylated kinase-inducible activation domain (pKID) of CREB, and intrinsically disorder protein (IDP), to KIX. Residues of pKID directly involved in nativelike interactions at the interface were found to steeply lower their contribution to the free energy of binding. The results suggest that, with a steep lowering of the free energy of binding, it is ensured that pKID has full control of binding specificity, is not trapped in a non-native conformational state, has full plasticity for folding, and forms a thermodynamically stable complex with KIX without compromising binding kinetics.
What is the spin of the 17-keV neutrino

We consider the consequences for a spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ 17-keV neutrino within the framework of an effective ${\mathrm{SU}}_{L}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{U}}_{Y}(1)$ theory. We conclude that the known width of the ${Z}^{0}$ is likely sufficient to rule out such a higher-spin object.
Effects of simulated acidic rain on yields of Raphanus sativus, lactuca sativa, triticum aestivum and Medicago sativa

Abstract Experiments were performed to determine effects of simulated acidic rain on radishes ( Raphanus sativus ), lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ), wheat ( Triticum aestivum ) and alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) grown under greenhouse conditions. Experimental designs allowed the detection of statistically significant differences among means that differed by less than 10%. Simulated rainfalls of 2.5, 25, 63, 398, 1000 and 2512 μeq H + 1 −1 (pH 5.6, 4.6, 4.2, 3.4, 3.0 and 2.6, respectively) decreased root yields (fresh mass) of radishes 26, 42, 37, 41, 66 and 73% compared with plants not exposed to rainfalls. Similar reductions were present in radish shoot fresh mass, leaf area, and root diameter. These results suggest that the efficiency of radish foliage in increasing root mass decreases with increased rainfall acidity since only foliage was exposed to the treatments. Yields of lettuce decreased when plants were exposed to acidic simulated rainfalls compared with plants not exposed to rainfalls. Fresh mass yields of lettuce plants exposed to 100, 794 and 1995 μeq H + 1 −1 (pH 4.0, 3.1 and 2.7, respectively) were 11, 10 and 14%, respectively, below heads of plants not exposed to rainfalls. Yields of plants exposed to simulated rainfalls of 2.0 μeq H + 1 −1 (pH 5.7) were similar to plants not exposed to rainfalls. Although visible foliar injury occurred to lettuce, this injury was present only on wrapper leaves and would not affect marketable quality. Yields of wheat which were applied during anthesis and caryopsis development were not influenced by exposure to 46 simulated rainfalls even as high as 1995 μeq H + 1 −1 (pH 2.7). Alfalfa plants exhibited no overall differences in fresh mass of forage among treatments even after 57 simulated rainfalls of 1995 μeq H + 1 −1 (pH 2.7) over 105 days.
Digital micromirror device-based robust object boundary mapping sensor

This paper presents a novel, non-intrusive, non-contact object boundary mapping sensor using a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) and real-time pixel processing. The presented sensor is ideal for use in environments where brightly illuminated or radiating objects are in a hazardous environment such as in environments with radiation, heat, cold, harmful machine parts, etc. Experimental results demonstrate the boundary mapping sensor for a rectangular target and a multi-square target illuminated by visible wavelengths.
Household Assets and Food Security: Evidence from the Survey of Program Dynamics

This study uses the Survey of Program Dynamics data to examine the independent role of household assets in food security. It further examines whether assets provide a buffer for low-income households to food insecurity in the face of income losses. Results of the Two-Part Model analyses show that household assets have a significant association with food security in both the full sample and the low-income sample. In the presence of household assets, income’s effect on food security decreases. In addition, the significant interaction terms of income loss and household assets indicate that assets provide resources to smooth food consumption. The findings of this study suggest a consideration of asset building strategies in asset related provisions of current food assistance policy.
The Group Problem Solving Process: Studies of a Valence Model

The article reviews the book “The Group Problem Solving Process: Studies of a Valence Model,” by L. Richard Hoffman.
Collaboration in the Engineering Classroom

Graduate students use collaborative design and review teams to simulate situations they will encounter in their professional employment. This paper discusses how the graduate students work as teams on a bridge‐design project. The student teams also review and critique the completed written designs of other teams and lead the class discussion when the project results are presented orally in class.
The effect of film thickness on the dissolution rate and hydrogen bonding behavior of photoresist polymer thin films

Previously we have reported on the film-thickness-dependent nature of the dissolution rate of a series of model photoresist polymer resins including: novolac, poly(hydroxystyrene) (PHOST), and bis-trifluoromethyl carbinol substituted polynorbornene (i.e. HFAPNB or hexafluoroalcohol substituted polynorbornene). It was found that the dissolution rate of novolac films displayed very little dependence on the initial polymer film thickness, while the dissolution rates of both PHOST and HFAPNB films displayed a strong dependence on the initial polymer film thicknesses below a critical initial film thickness. This paper presents the results of additional experimental work that was directed at determining the underlying physical cause for the observed variation in dissolution rates with initial film thickness. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies have revealed that the extent of hydrogen bonding in both PHOST and HFAPNB films exhibits a strong dependence on initial film thickness below a critical film thickness. This critical film thickness below which changes in the extent of hydrogen bonding in the film are observed correlates well with the critical film thicknesses below which changes in the film dissolution behavior are observed. In the case of novolac, no substantial dependence in the extent of hydrogen bonding in the films as a function of film thickness is observed. This new experimental evidence suggests that it is the changes in the extent of hydrogen bonding which occur as a function of the initial polymer film thickness which are responsible for the observed dissolution behavior in these materials. Further work is in progress to understand the underlying causes for these differences in the hydrogen bonding behavior of the polymer films.
The Fermilab accelerator control system database

Abstract Analog and digital signals from hardware in the field need to be transformed into user understandable information for display, monitoring, and control purposes at a Fermilab accelerator control console. The necessary information to do this translation is the basis of the information stored in the Fermilab Central VAX 11/785 database. The translation information must be retrieved with relatively little overhead via our own in-house network called ACNET. The limited address space of the PDP 11/34s used for driving the display and control consoles requires that a minimal amount of code reside in the console machines for database requests. Also the manner in which display applications tend to use information requires large packed arrays of information for as many as twenty or more devices in a single network request for a given console. An overview of the simple logical schema using the existing VAX/VMS indexed file organization is given. Also given is an overview of the attributes Fermilab has found necessary, through years of experience, for the display, monitor, and control of a hardware device. A description of the Central VAX 11/785 server process used to retrieve and pack information for the consoles along with a brief description of the console routines used for requesting information from the database is presented. Finally a discussion is given of the utility routines available for writing an application that can update the database or even generate special reports.
A SINE in the genome of the cephalochordate amphioxus is an Alu element.

Transposable elements of about 300 bp, termed “short interspersed nucleotide elements or SINEs are common in eukaryotes. However, Alu elements, SINEs containing restriction sites for the AluI enzyme, have been known only from primates. Here I report the first SINE found in the genome of the cephalochordate, amphioxus. It is an Alu element of 375 bp that does not share substantial identity with any genomic sequences in vertebrates. It was identified because it was located in the FoxD regulatory region in a cosmid derived from one individual, but absent from the two FoxD alleles of BACs from a second individual. However, searches of sequences of BACs and genomic traces from this second individual gave an estimate of 50-100 copies in the amphioxus genome. The finding of an Alu element in amphioxus raises the question of whether Alu elements in amphioxus and primates arose by convergent evolution or by inheritance from a common ancestor. Genome-wide analyses of transposable elements in amphioxus and other chordates such as tunicates, agnathans and cartilaginous fishes could well provide the answer.
Soluble proteins delivered to dendritic cells via pH-sensitive liposomes induce primary cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in vitro

Effective immunity to many infectious agents, particularly viruses, requires a CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. Understanding how to achieve CTL induction with soluble proteins is important for vaccine development since such antigens are usually not processed appropriately to induce CTL. In the present report, we have demonstrated that a potent primary CTL response against a soluble protein can be achieved by delivering antigen in pH-sensitive liposomes to dendritic cells (DC) either in vivo or in vitro. Since the pH-sensitive liposome delivery system is efficient and easy to use, the approach promises to be valuable both in the study of basic mechanisms in antigen processing, and as a practical means of immunization.
Differences Between Physical and Behavioral Health Benefits in the Health Plans of At-Risk Drinkers

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to describe the physical and behavioral health benefits of a representative community-based sample of at-risk drinkers potentially in need of behavioral health services. METHODS: A screening instrument for at-risk drinking was administered by telephone to a random community sample of more than 12,000 adults. A telephone interview was conducted with the health plans of 294 at-risk drinkers who were insured and who consented to the release of their insurance records to collect information about supply-side cost-containment strategies (for example, gatekeeping and restrictions on choice of provider), and demand-side cost-containment strategies (for example, deductibles, limits, coinsurance, and copayments). Information about health plan characteristics was successfully collected for 217 (72 percent) of the insured at-risk drinkers, representing 113 different health plans and 206 different policies. RESULTS: Both provider choice restrictions and gatekeeping were more like...
Human microvascular endothelial cells use beta 1 and beta 3 integrin receptor complexes to attach to laminin.

Microvascular endothelial cells (MEC) use a set of surface receptors to adhere not only to the vascular basement membrane but, during angiogenic stimulation, to the interstitium. We examined how cultured human MEC interact with laminin-rich basement membranes. By using a panel of monoclonal antibodies, we found that MEC cells express a number of integrin-related receptor complexes, including alpha 1 beta 1, alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 3 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, alpha 6 beta 1, alpha V beta 3. Attachment to laminin, a major adhesive protein in basement membranes, was studied in detail. Blocking monoclonal antibodies specific to different integrin receptor complexes showed that the alpha 6 beta 1 complex was important for MEC adhesion to laminin. In addition, blocking antibody also implicated the vitronectin receptor (alpha V beta 3) in laminin adhesion. We used ligand affinity chromatography of detergent-solubilized receptor complexes to further define receptor specificity. On laminin-Sepharose columns, we identified several integrin receptor complexes whose affinity for the ligand was dependent on the type of divalent cation present. Several beta 1 complexes, including alpha 1 beta 1, alpha 2 beta 1, and alpha 6 beta 1 bound strongly to laminin. In agreement with the antibody blocking experiments, alpha V beta 3 was found to bind well to laminin. However, unlike binding to its other ligands (e.g., vitronectin, fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor), alpha V beta 3 interaction with laminin did not appear to be Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sensitive. Finally, immunofluorescent staining demonstrated both beta 1 and beta 3 complexes in vinculin-positive focal adhesion plaques on the basal surface of MEC adhering to laminin-coated substrates. The results indicate that both these subfamilies of integrin heterodimers are involved in promoting MEC adhesion to laminin and the vascular basement membrane.
Heart Smart Guide for Young Patients With Cardiac Devices

Learning that you have a heart condition can be scary and confusing. The purpose of this patient page is to answer questions you may have about how to confidently manage your condition and your new device. Strategies to help you stay healthy, deal with stress, and return to school and other activities can help you feel more confident. Learning about what to do in different social situations can help you prepare to talk to friends and other people in your life about your device. If you do not find all your answers here, keep asking questions and engage your loved ones in the process. Your cardiac care team can help, along with other key people in your life. The first step in getting used to life with a cardiac device is to get heart smart! Learning about your cardiac disease and your device can go a long way, especially when it comes to improving your confidence. The best way to start this process is to learn about your device and why your care team decided you needed one. Cardiac devices are implanted for a couple of reasons. Devices can be used to stop dangerous heartbeats with a shock or add heartbeats when they are missing or slow. They can also be used to pace a heart out of a dangerous heartbeat (arrhythmia) with small electric signals. Figure. Cardiac devices: a primer for the family, friends, and support team. If you have a pacemaker, you can feel comfortable knowing that your pacemaker will do its job automatically. If you have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), it will also do its job automatically, but you will also want to know what to do if it provides a shock. Another patient page, …
A Wall of Funnels Concentrates Swimming Bacteria

Randomly moving but self-propelled agents, such as Escherichia coli bacteria, are expected to fill a volume homogeneously. However, we show that when a population of bacteria is exposed to a microfabricated wall of funnel-shaped openings, the random motion of bacteria through the openings is rectified by tracking (trapping) of the swimming bacteria along the funnel wall. This leads to a buildup of the concentration of swimming cells on the narrow opening side of the funnel wall but no concentration of nonswimming cells. Similarly, we show that a series of such funnel walls functions as a multistage pump and can increase the concentration of motile bacteria exponentially with the number of walls. The funnel wall can be arranged along arbitrary shapes and cause the bacteria to form well-defined patterns. The funnel effect may also have implications on the transport and distribution of motile microorganisms in irregular confined environments, such as porous media, wet soil, or biological tissue, or act as a selection pressure in evolution experiments.
Experimental Therapeutics of Nrf2 as a Target for Prevention of Bacterial Exacerbations in COPD

A growing body of evidence indicates that oxidative stress plays a central role in the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Chronic oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoke generates damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), such as oxidatively or nitrosatively modified proteins and extracellular matrix fragments, which induce abnormal airway inflammation by activating innate and adaptive immune responses. Furthermore, oxidative stress-induced histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) inactivity is implicated in amplifying inflammatory responses and corticosteroid resistance in COPD. Oxidative stress also mediates disruption of innate immune defenses, which is associated with acute exacerbation of COPD. Host defense transcription factor Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates a multifaceted cytoprotective response to counteract oxidative stress-induced pathological injuries. A decrease in Nrf2 signaling is associated with the progression of diseases. Recent evidence indicates that targeting Nrf2 can be a novel therapy to mitigate inflammation, improve innate antibacterial defenses, and restore corticosteroid responses in patients with COPD.
The Mexican American Association of Pharmacy Students (MAAPS)

The Mexican American Association of Pharmacy Students (MAAPS) was organized at the University of Texas at Austin by a group of Hispanics of Mexican descent who shared common rofessional interests, values and cultural backgrounds. The memkn of this organization perform many activities for the College of Pharmacy including: assisting in recruiting, retaining qualified students who have been accepted into pharmacy school. broviding health care education to the community and maintaining open communication channels between the students and the College administration. The members benefit from the support they receive from each other and through their involvement in various service projects. Their activities make a difference in the community. One of the most important examples of these is "Project Mentorship." The objective here is to assist in the developmenl and retention of minority children in elementary school, especially those at high risk of failure. Mentors must devote at least thirty (30) minutes per w...
Modeling high-pressure gas-polymer mixtures using the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state

The Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state was used to model the sorption of high-pressure gases into solid, amorphous polymers and molten polymers. Only one adjustable parameter per binary pair, δ12, was used in the mixing rules to correct the deviation of the characteristic pressure of the mixture, P12*, from the geometric mean. The values of δ12 which gave the best fit of the available literature data for the carbon dioxide–polymethyl methacrylate, carbon dioxide–silicone rubber, ethylene–low density polyethylene, methane–polyisobutylene, methane–low-density and high-density polyethylene, and methane–polystyrene systems ranged from −0.019 to 0.136. In all cases, the calculated sorption isotherms were in reasonably good agreement with the experimental data. The resultant swelling of polymethyl methacrylate and silicone rubber was also well represented by the Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state. Because the Sanchez-Lacombe theory is based on lattice-fluid theory, the sorption calculations are limited to polymers which are noncrystalline, not cross-linked or slightly crosslinked, above their glass transition temperature, or above their melting temperature. The sorption data for the amorphous polymers considered in this study were either at temperatures above the glass transition temperature of the polymer or were at sufficiently high pressures that the temperature was above the effective glass transition temperature as predicted from a theoretical relation presented by Chow.
Continental Shelf of East Coast as Possible Future Petroleum Producing Province: ABSTRACT

Despite the negative results of more than 200 test wells drilled to date on the emerged coastal plain north of Florida, the sedimentary section as much as 17,000 feet thick that underlies the 1,100 mile-long continental shelf on the east coast of the U. S. appears from several points of view to be a likely petroleum target. A northern coastwise extension of the Paleozoic sedimentary rocks found in the subsurface of Florida and Georgia, although conjectural at present, may be of considerable size, and the strata there may also be relatively unmetamorphosed. Parts of the shelf area have probably been receiving sediments nearly continuously since the Paleozoic. Unconformities and successive updip wedge-outs of Mesozoic and Tertiary marine sediments that perhaps include reefs must be common, especially offshore, and granite washes are probably present near basement. Downfaulted Triassic basins apparently similar to those in the Piedmont are known to underlie the emerged coastal plain; other down-faulted basins containing sediments of Triassic and other ages might also be expected beneath the continental shelf. Although large structural features are present along the shoreline, for example the Cape Fear arch and the Southeast Georgia basin, there is as yet little evidence available as to smaller-scale structures. The large seismically-determined ridge with flanking troughs located near and subparallel to the outer edge of the continental shelf must have had a pronounced effect on the shelf strata either during sedimentation, by later deformation, or both. Near-shore marine sediments interfingering updip with continental sediments, deposited in what may have been the shelf and hinge line of a mobile belt, and totalling 175,000 cubic miles (emerged coastal plain included), seemingly constitute a setting favorable for the accumulation of oil. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1259------------
USE OF MULTILINE CULTIVARS AND CULTIVAR MIXTURES FOR DISEASE MANAGEMENT

The usefulness of mixtures (multiline cultivars and cultivar mixtures) for disease management has been well demonstrated for rusts and powdery mildews of small grain crops. Such mixtures are more useful under some epidemiological conditions than under others, and experimental methodology, especially problems of scale, may be crucial in evaluating the potential efficacy of mixtures on disease. There are now examples of mixtures providing both low and high degrees of disease control for a wide range of pathosystems, including crops with large plants, and pathogens that demonstrate low host specificity, or are splash dispersed, soilborne, or insect vectored. Though most analyses of pathogen evolution in mixtures consider static costs of virulence to be the main mechanism countering selection for pathogen complexity, many other potential mechanisms need to be investigated. Agronomic and marketing considerations must be carefully evaluated when implementing mixture approaches to crop management. Practical difficulties associated with mixtures have often been overestimated, however, and mixtures will likely play an increasingly important role as we develop more sustainable agricultural systems.
Evidence for a second class of S-adenosylmethionine riboswitches and other regulatory RNA motifs in alpha-proteobacteria

Background Riboswitches are RNA elements in the 5' untranslated leaders of bacterial mRNAs that directly sense the levels of specific metabolites with a structurally conserved aptamer domain to regulate expression of downstream genes. Riboswitches are most common in the genomes of low GC Gram-positive bacteria (for example, Bacillus subtilis contains examples of all known riboswitches), and some riboswitch classes seem to be restricted to this group.
Current transport in graphene tunnel field effect transistor for RF integrated circuits

In this work, an analytical current transport model of Graphene Nanoribbon (GNR) Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (T-FET) is presented considering drain source voltage (VDS), gate source voltage (VGS), carrier mobility (μ) and top gate dielectric (tOX). For a GNR width of 5nm at 0.275eV band gap, ON current of 1605 μA/μm is calculated with a very high ON/OFF current ratio of 107. Subthreshold slope of 7.07mV/decade is calculated from I-VGS transfer characteristics. Current saturation is observed for input voltage, VGS of 0.28V and beyond for varying VDS values. Performance of the proposed model is compared with the earlier published work and the projected 2011 ITRS MOSFET requirements and it is found that considering proper device geometry and input voltages, GNR T-FET can demonstrate seven times lower power dissipation and eight times higher intrinsic speed in the upper GHz range than in conventional CMOS technology.
The Adolescent Peer Group Revisited: Turbulence or Adaptation?.

Although the potent influence of the peer group on the psychosocial development of adolescents is undisputed, most clinical writings on the subject portray it in a one-sided, regressive, and confli...
Tree-Based Approach to Missing Data Imputation

Missing data is a well-recognized issue in data mining, and imputation is one way to handle the problem. In this paper, we propose a novel tree-based imputation algorithm called “Imputation Tree” (ITree). It first studies the predictability of missingness using all observations by constructing a binary classification tree called “Missing Pattern Tree” (MPT). Then, missing values in each cluster or terminal node are estimated by a regression tree of observations at that node. We present empirical results using both synthetic and real data. Almost all experiments demonstrate that ITree is superior to other commonly used methods in estimating missing values. The algorithm not only produces an impressive accuracy, but also provides information on the nature of missingness.
The formation and effect of outer-ply microcracks in cross-ply laminates: A variational approach

The paper presents a variational mechanics analysis of the stresses and energy release rate in a (90m/0n)s laminate, with account taken of the observed existence of staggered microcracks. It is found that the load required to initiate microcracks is significantly lower for (90m/0n)s laminates than for (0n/90m)s laminates. It is also found that (90m/0n)s laminates are characterized by a lower saturation crack density and that no bending effects tend to promote mode I delamination in (90m/0n)s laminates.
Higgs boson decay into hadronic jets

The remarkable agreement of electroweak data with standard model (SM) predictions motivates the study of extensions of the SM in which the Higgs boson is light and couples in a standard way to the weak gauge bosons. Postulated new light particles should have small couplings to the gauge bosons. Within this context it is natural to assume that the branching fractions of the light SM-like Higgs boson mimic those in the standard model. This assumption may be unwarranted, however, if there are nonstandard light particles coupled weakly to the gauge bosons but strongly to the Higgs field. In particular, the Higgs boson may effectively decay into hadronic jets, possibly without important bottom or charm flavor content. As an example, we present a simple extension of the SM, in which the predominant decay of the Higgs boson occurs into a pair of light bottom squarks that, in turn, manifest themselves as hadronic jets. Discovery of the Higgs boson remains possible at an electron-positron linear collider, but prospects at hadron colliders are diminished substantially.
Automatically constructing a dictionary for information extraction tasks

Knowledge-based natural language processing systems have achieved good success with certain tasks but they are often criticized because they depend on a domain-specific dictionary that requires a great deal of manual knowledge engineering. This knowledge engineering bottleneck makes knowledge-based NLP systems impractical for real-world applications because they cannot be easily scaled up or ported to new domains. In response to this problem, we developed a system called AutoSlog that automatically builds a domain-specific dictionary of concepts for extracting information from text. Using AutoSlog, we constructed a dictionary for the domain of terrorist event descriptions in only 5 person-hours. We then compared the AutoSlog dictionary with a hand-crafted dictionary that was built by two highly skilled graduate students and required approximately 1500 person-hours of effort. We evaluated the two dictionaries using two blind test sets of 100 texts each. Overall, the AutoSlog dictionary achieved 98% of the performance of the hand-crafted dictionary. On the first test set, the AutoSlog dictionary obtained 96.3% of the performance of the hand-crafted dictionary. On the second test set, the overall scores were virtually indistinguishable with the AutoSlog dictionary achieving 99.7% of the performance of the handcrafted dictionary.
3-D phantom to simulate cerebral blood flow and metabolic images for PET

A three-dimensional brain phantom has been developed to simulate the activity distributions found in the human brain in the cerebral blood flow and metabolism studies employed in PET (positron emission tomography). The phantom has a single contiguous chamber and utilizes thin layers of lucite to provide apparent relative concentrations of 5, 1, and 0 for grey matter, white matter, and ventricles, respectively, in the brain. The phantom and an ideal image set were created from the same set of data. Thus, the user has a basis for comparing measured images with an ideal image set, which enables the user to make quantitative evaluation of the errors in PET studies with a data set similar to that obtained in patient studies. >
The Application of Geometric Modeling to Metal Casting Technology

In the course of a large scale cooperative research effort between two major universities, The Georgia Institute of Technology and The University of Michigan, several geometric modeling packages have been examined and utilized in the building of various casting/rigging configurations. Modelers scrutinized include TIPS-1, PADL-1, ROMULUS and CAT-1. The test castings involved have included simple laboratory shapes as well as industrial product parts.