cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Education in the area of heart and vessel diseases for 40+ citizens

Uvod a cil: Onemocněni srdce a cev celosvětově patři k hlavnim přicinam umrti. V Ceske republice se výrazně podili i na poctu hospitalizaci. Přestože jsou to onemocněni velmi dobře ovlivnitelna pomoci eliminace ovlivnitelných rizikových faktorů, je jejich prevalence v ceske populaci stale vysoka. Tim se zvysuje potřeba zefektivněni zdravotněvýchovneho působeni. Cilem přispěvku je proto poukazat na soucasný stav edukace v oblasti prevence kardiovaskularnich chorob z pohledu obcanů samotných, a přinest tak zpětnou vazbu, ktera může napomoci zlepseni stavu v teto oblasti.Metodika: Pro zjistěni soucasneho stavu edukace v oblasti kardiovaskularnich chorob z pohledu obcanů bylo využito dotaznikoveho setřeni prostřednictvim kombinace nestandardizovaneho dotazniku se standardizovaným dotaznikem SF-36. Toto setřeni probihalo v cele Ceske republice ve dnech 1.-20. dubna 2016. Statisticka analýza dat probihala za využiti programu SASD ve verzi 1.4.12. Výběrový soubor obcanů cital 1 992 respondentů a z hlediska věkoveho cleněni zakladniho souboru jsou tato data reprezentativni pro jednotlive skupiny obcanů CR ve věku 40 let a vice.Výsledky a zavěr: Bylo zjistěno, že 71,5 % obcanů CR ve věku 40 let a vice bylo v ordinaci lekaře pouceno o způsobech zlepseni sveho zdravotniho stavu. 71,4 % obcanů jako nositele edukace oznacilo lekaře a 25,4 % respondentů sestru. Z oblasti ovlivnitelných rizikových faktorů bylo 50,8 % respondentů edukovano v oblasti výživy, 51,0 % v oblasti domaciho měřeni krevniho tlaku a 52,9 % v oblasti fyzicke aktivity. O problematice kouřeni bylo edukovano 43,9 % dotazaných, o problematice naduživani alkoholu 36,0 % z dotazaných. Rovněž bylo prokazano, že ve větsi miře byli edukovani respondenti, ktere můžeme z různých důvodů považovat za rizikove. To se z dlouhodobe perspektivy, s ohledem na demograficke trendy a koncept aktivniho starnuti, jevi jako nedostatecne. A to zejmena proto, že význam edukace neni pouze ve snaze přispět ke zlepseni kvality života, ale take v oddaleni manifestace onemocněni a ekonomických rizik spojených se snižujicim se poctem ekonomicky aktivnich osob.
Results and assessment of uranium-series dating of vertebrate fossils from Quaternary alluviums in Colorado

An average uranium-series age of 102,000 ± 14,000 yr for bones from Louviers Alluvium, near Denver, Colorado, is compatible with the inferred geologic age of from 120,000 to 150,000 yr. A uranium-s...
Dietary Indoles with Antiestrogenic Activity in Common Vegetables and Their Implications

The development of cancer is a highly complex process involving the interplay of many factors that modulate formation and growth of cancer cells in various target tissues. Several studies have indicated that the diet can influence the process of carcinogenesis, and both fruit and vegetables are reported to possess antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties in human, animal, and cell models (Wattenberg et al, 1975; Wattenberg, 1978; Fiala et al, 1985; Hocman, 1989; Preobrazhenskaya et al, 1993). Cruciferous vegetables—including broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage—contain several compounds such as indoles, isothiocyanates, and dithiolthiones that modulate carcinogenesis in different animal models. For example, glucobrassicin (3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate)—a major component of cauliflower (0.1 to 1.6 mmol/kg) cabbage (0.1 to 1.9 mmol/kg), and Brussels sprouts (0.5 to 3.2 mmol/kg)—is readily converted to indole-3-carbinol (I3C) (Bradfield and Bjeldanes, 1987; Preobrazhenskaya et al, 1993) (see Figure 1). Indole-3-carbinol has been extensively investigated as an anticarcinogen in several animal models. In one study, 13C inhibits age-dependent development of spontaneous tumors and carcinogen-induced tumors in several rodent models (Kim et al, 1994). For example, I3C inhibits diethylnitrosamine-induced preneoplastic and neoplastic liver lesions in Sprague-Dawley rats (Kim et al, 1994), benzo[a]pyrene-induced forestomach tumors in mice (Wattenburg and Loub, 1978), and aflatoxin-B1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rainbow trout (Nixon et al, 1984). Lung neoplasia was decreased in mice pretreated with I3C and initiated with the tobacco-related carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (Morse et al, 1990). Tanaka and coworkers (1990, 1992) have also reported that I3C inhibits initiation and post-initiation phases of 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-induced tongue carcinogenesis in male AC1/N1 rats. I3C and related compounds also inhibit formation or growth of estrogen-regulated tumors in the rodent mammary, endometrium, and uterus, suggesting that this compound may be acting as an antiestrogen (Stoewsand et al, 1988; Bradlow et al, 1991; Kojima et al, 1994; Grubbs et al, 1995). This chapter documents the antiestrogenic activities of I3C and outlines the mechanisms of action of I3C that may play a role in the antitumorigenic properties of this compound.
Risk, Rationality and Liberalism

Most scientific researchers, American governmental regulators, and principal business leaders maintain that there is very little risk and a myriad of benefits in genetically engineering food. They argue that biotechnological methods of splicing and transferring genes for the production of food could result in enhanced farming profits, less environmental contamination, and new agricultural products that are valued by consumers. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 68 percent of the soybeans, 69 percent of the cotton, and 26 percent of the corn harvested in 2001 were genetically altered (pew, 2003). However, notwithstanding its existence in the American food supply, convincing arguments by producers, and data offered by governmental agencies, agricultural biotechnology has its critics. While there is no scientific evidence that genetically engineered food is unsafe to eat, some people worry about the potential for unknown allergens, the increase in natural toxic substances, the decrease in nutritional value, and unintended environmental consequences (Burros, 1999b). Environmental concerns in particular have led to the illegal destruction of genetically engineered crops by protestors, the voluntary rejection of gene-altered ingredients by certain companies, and the discussion of reforming the regulatory approval process by governmental agencies (Barboza, 1999a).
Playfulness in Studies of Play, Imagination, and Creativity

This chapter discusses various investigations that use play as a setting in which physical, social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of behavior are tested. It also presents those studies that are concerned with play itself as a legitimate area of analysis. It also presents the research that deals with the salient aspects of play even in a nonplay setting. The majority of studies, especially those with an experimental framework, focus on the reaction of the consumer of humor. One advantage of viewing sense of humor within the playfulness conceptualization is that it allows to examining the individual not only as a consumer of humor but also as its producer. By stipulating that there is a behavior syndrome that encompasses humor, joy, and spontaneity, the natural linkings of these three dimensions are underlined. Psychological distancing in humor, the focus on the producer of humor in natural settings, the relationship of humor to cognitive mastery, and the existence of friendly wit are the specific findings supporting the conceptualization of playfulness.
Factors That Influence the Therapeutic Response

The use of drugs in the treatment of malignancies is of much more recent origin than the use of surgery or radiation therapy. The first recorded clinical trial of a chemotherapeutic agent took place in 1942, when nitrogen mustard was given to a patient with advanced lymphosarcoma (Goodman et al., 1946). A dramatic but unfortunately brief tumor response was achieved in this patient. Later in that same decade, Sidney Farber observed what he termed an “acceleration phenomenon” in a retrospective analysis of children with acute leukemia treated with folate conjugates. This experience led him to a trial of folate antagonists, and in 1948, he reported dramatic responses in 10 of 16 children treated with the folate antagonist aminopterin (Farbet et al., 1948).
Crystal Growth-Sidearm Precipitation

In Chap. 3 we described Ostwald ripening, an important process of the crystallization. In this section we describe a model of another process of crystal growth.
Effective Elastoplastic Behavior of Two-Phase Metal Matrix Composites: Micromechanics and Computational Algorithms

ABSTRACT A micromechanical framework is presented to predict effective elasto-(visco-)plastic behavior of two-phase particle-reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMC). Emanating from Ju and Chen's (1994a,b) work on effective elastic properties of composites containing many randomly dispersed inhomogeneities, effective elastoplastic deformations and responses of PRMMC are estimated by means of the "effective yield criterion" derived micromechanically by considering effects due to elastic particles embedded in the elastoplastic matrix. The matrix material is elastic or plastic, depending on local stress and deformation, and obeys general plastic flow rule and hardening law. Arbitrary (general) loadings and unloadings are permitted in our framework through the elastic predictor-plastic corrector two-step operator splitting methodology. Innovative return mapping algorithms are proposed and implemented.
Sexual and Physical Aggression Involve Different Relationship Dynamics

We assessed differences in relationship functioning in physically and in sexually aggressive student men and women. Forty-seven university students in beginning psychology classes completed the Bornstein Relationship Profile Test (RPT) and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) for partners and for others. The RPT categorizes people on dependency-detachment and yields three subscales: Destructive Overdependence, Dysfunctional Detachment, and Healthy Dependency. The CTS2 measures both the extent of to-partner and to-other aggression and the use of physical and sexual aggression in dealing with conflict. Students who were sexually aggressive toward partners and/or others had lower scores on Bornstein’s Healthy Dependence scale than those who were not sexually aggressive, F(1,43) = 6.57, p = .01.
Putative Stem Cell Origins in Solitary Tunicates

Stem cells are primordial cells in complex metazoans, inside a developing embryo (blastocyst) and are understood to be totipotent (capable of differentiating into every cell type). Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are characterized by their capacity of self-renewal, multi-lineage differentiation. Because solitary tunicates are protochordates, they are believed to share certain developmental features of vertebrates and as such they are excellent, inexpensive, non-controversial animal models, when searching for stem cell strategies that are not likely to cause ethical, political or moral concerns. In the pharyngeal region and in the body wall there are collections of cells that form nodules capable of responding to antigenic stimulation. Turning to another approach related to differentiation in nodules vs. circulating cells, lymphocyte-like cells (LLCs) proliferate m response to allogeneic stimuli. In vitro labeling of proliferative hemocytes (blood cells) revealed significantly greater proliferative activity among individuals immunized with allogeneic tissue in contrast to autogeneically primed and naive animals. Enhanced proliferation was restricted to discrete crypts of dividing cells within the body wall of recipients. Here, increased proliferative activity was specifically associated with LLCs. A discrete circulatory hemocyte population mediates the recognition of histocompatibility antigens in Styela plicata. These immunocompetent cells, which bear an overt morphological similarity to vertebrate lymphocytes, specifically infiltrate incompatible tissue transplants prior to obvious allograft rejection. Host lymphocyte-like cells (LLC’s) accumulate around and within graft vascular tissue and appear to initiate rejection by means of cytotoxic activity. Yet to be tested are experiments that would show regeneration or transfer of immunological memory by removing these cells, characterizing their appearance with the aim of confirming whether they are terminally differentiated or may be cells with greater potential, i.e. protochordate stem cells.
Coordinated Model Predictive Control of Aircraft Gas Turbine Engine with Simplified Electrical System Model

With the trends towards More Electric Aircraft and All Electric Aircraft, the electrical power requirements for aircraft have been steadily increasing, making the interactions between the electrical system and gas turbine engine significant and requiring advanced control strategies for safe and efficient operation of the aircraft. Thus, in this paper, a coordinated control strategy for a gas turbine engine, an advanced dual generator subsystem, and energy storage elements with a simplified electrical bus model, is developed to accommodate large transient thrust and electrical loads. A rate-based Model Predictive Control approach is utilized to track setpoints and ensure system constraints. The bus voltage behaviors are stabilized by imposing a power rate constraint without having additional states in the controller design. Energy storage elements assist the generators to improve system performance as well as the transient bus voltage behavior. The incorporation of energy storage elements provides the potential to extend system operation range for future more electric aircraft and all electric aircraft.
Powering Preemptive Rights with Presubscription Disclosure

Preemptive rights can prevent cheap-issuance tunneling by a controller when outside investors know that the offered securities are cheap. But when outsiders cannot tell whether the securities are cheap or overpriced, preemptive rights fail to prevent such tunneling. Afraid of purchasing overpriced securities, outsiders may rationally refrain from purchasing (even when the securities are in fact cheap), and then suffer cheap-issuance losses. I put forward a mechanism to make preemptive rights more effective: requiring disclosure of a controller’s subscription commitment, before outside investors must finalize their own, so that outsiders can choose to mimic it.
Исследование процесса генерации термоэлектричества при утилизации низкопотенциального тепла cбросных газов

Purpose of research. The purpose of the study is to develop an experimental design of an integrated air heater, conduct and analyze experiments as well as to determine the main characteristics of a thermoelectric generator in low-grade heat recovery of waste gases. Methods . The experimental unit consists of two blocks – a thermoelectric generator operating on the principle of cross heat exchange for heat recovery with concurrent heating of the incoming air, which is supplied as a mixture to the burner device of the boiler unit; and an adsorber block filled with blast furnace slag for cleaning the waste gases from nitrogen, sulphur and carbon oxides. To achieve these goals, the work is based on the proposed thermoelectricity effect, which works on the principle of converting thermal energy into electricity at a temperature difference between hot and cold junctions in thermoelectric sections consisting of two metals different in their electronegativity. At the same time, in an integrated air heater, the intensification of the process of adsorption of harmful components by granulated blast furnace slag takes place, which reduces the heat content and temperature of waste gases, reduces emissions of flue gases and, as a result, increases environmental safety of the area adjacent to the boiler. In particular, the study of countercurrent heat exchange in the design of the thermoelectric generator was carried out. Results. The main result of the research work is the development of an experimental design of an integrated air heater, an experimental technique and the determination of the main characteristics of the thermoelectricity generation process. Conclusion. The use of such an integrated air heater can improve the efficiency of heat-generating units of low, medium and high power installed in the central heating stations, multi-family and single-family houses. The gained electric power with the subsequent transformation can be used for power supply of automatiс equipment of boilers of low, medium and high power, and for power supply of the stations of cathodic protection against electrochemical corrosion of back-end surfaces formed as a result of the presence of water vapors in waste gases.
Conjugating the Universal and the Particular: A Symposium on Two New Books on Montesquieu

Vickie B. Sullivan, Montesquieu and the Despotic Ideas of Europe: An Interpretation of “The Spirit of the Laws” (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2017)Keegan Callanan, Montesquieu’s Libera...
Can pretransplant TIPS be harmful in liver transplantation? A propensity score matching analysis.

Abstract Background Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt has been established as an effective treatment for complicated portal hypertension. This retrospective study investigated the effect of pretransplant transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement on intraoperative graft hemodynamics and surgical outcomes after liver transplantation. Methods Of 1,081 patients who underwent liver transplantation between January 2007 and June 2017 at Cleveland Clinic (OH, USA), 130 patients had transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement before liver transplant. We performed a 1:2 propensity score matching to compare intraoperative graft hemodynamics and surgical outcomes between the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt group (n = 130) and the no-transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt group (n = 260). Results The transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt did not increase operative time, the volume of blood transfusion, duration of hospital stay, or complication rates. Graft and patient survivals were similar between the groups. Mean intraoperative cardiac output and graft portal flow in the transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt group were greater than in the no-transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt group (P = .03 and P = .003, respectively). In multivariate analysis, male sex, younger age, low platelet count, absence of portal vein thrombosis, and pretransplant transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement were independently associated with increased portal flow volume (P Conclusion Our findings suggest that pretransplant transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement increases graft portal flow but does not compromise surgical outcomes after liver transplantation. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt malposition, however, is not uncommon and may increase the complexity of transplantation.
Variation in COVID-19 Outbreaks at U.S. State and County Levels

Background The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented threat to the health and economic prosperity of the world’s population. Yet, some countries or regions within a country appear to be affected in different ways. Objectives This research aims to understand whether the outbreak varies significantly between U.S. states and counties. Methods A statistical model is estimated using publicly available outbreak data in the U.S., and regional differences are statistically analyzed. Results There is significant variance in outbreak data between U.S. states and counties. At the state level, the outbreak rate follows a normal distribution with an average relative growth rate of 0.197 (doubling time 3.518 days). But there is a low degree of reliability between state-wide and county-specific data reported (ICC = 0.169, p Conclusions The results emphasize the need for policy makers to look at the pandemic from the smallest population subdivision possible, so that countermeasures can be implemented, and critical resources provided effectively. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for these regional differences.
Role of perinatal long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in cortical circuit maturation: Mechanisms and implications for psychopathology

Accumulating translational evidence suggests that the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plays a role in the maturation and stability of cortical circuits that are impaired in different recurrent psychiatric disorders. Specifically, rodent and cell culture studies find that DHA preferentially accumulates in synaptic and growth cone membranes and promotes neurite outgrowth, dendritic spine stability, and synaptogenesis. Additional evidence suggests that DHA may play a role in microglia-mediated synaptic pruning, as well as myelin development and resilience. In non-human primates n-3 fatty acid insufficiency during perinatal development leads to widespread deficits in functional connectivity in adult frontal cortical networks compared to primates raised on DHA-fortified diet. Preterm delivery in non-human primates and humans is associated with early deficits in cortical DHA accrual. Human preterm birth is associated with long-standing deficits in myelin integrity and cortical circuit connectivity and increased risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood, and psychotic disorders. In general, ADHD and mood and psychotic disorders initially emerge during rapid periods of cortical circuit maturation and are characterized by DHA deficits, myelin pathology, and impaired cortical circuit connectivity. Together these associations suggest that early and uncorrected deficits in fetal brain DHA accrual may represent a modifiable risk factor for cortical circuit maturation deficits in psychiatric disorders, and could therefore have significant implications for informing early intervention and prevention strategies.
Identifying pediatric neurology patients with unmet palliative care needs

Context: Palliative care is most effective when implemented early in the disease course, but timely identification of pediatric patients appropriate for palliative care is challenging. Aim: We aim to identify a quantitative measure which can be used for early detection of pediatric neurology patients with unmet palliative care needs and then test this measure by screening 100% of patients admitted to the neurology service over 6 months. Method: In the first cycle of this project the authors randomly screened patients admitted to our pediatric neurology service for 3 quantifiable features of hospital utilization: number of emergency room visits, …
Association Between Long-Term Aspirin Use and Frailty in Men: The Physicians' Health Study.

Background Chronic inflammation may lead to frailty, however the potential for anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin to prevent frailty is unknown. We sought to examine the association between long-term aspirin use and prevalent frailty. Methods We included 12 101 men ≥60 years who participated in the Physicians' Health Study I, a completed aspirin randomized controlled trial (1982-1989). Annual questionnaires collected self-reported data on daily aspirin use, lifestyle, and clinical variables. Average aspirin use was summed into 2 categories: ≤60 days/year and >60 days/year. Frailty was assessed using a 33-item index 11 years after trial completion. A score of ≥0.21 was considered frail. Propensity score inverse probability of treatment weighting was used for statistical control of confounding. Logistic regression models estimated odds of frailty as a function of categories of average aspirin use. Results Mean age was 70.5 years (range 60-101). Following an average of 11 ± 0.6 years of follow-up, aspirin use was reported as ≤60 days/year for 15%; 2413 participants (20%) were frail. Frequency of aspirin use was associated with smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, but negatively associated with bleeding and Coumadin use. The odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) for frailty was 0.85 (0.76-0.96) for average aspirin use >60 days/year versus aspirin use ≤60 days/year. Results were similar using an alternate definition of frailty. Conclusions Long-term regular aspirin use is inversely associated with frailty among older men, even after consideration of multimorbidity and health behaviors. Work is needed to understand the role of medications with anti-inflammatory properties on aging.
The first principles of instruction: an examination of their impact on preservice teachers’ TPACK

The flipped approach has been widely adopted in higher education, yet its theoretical framework and use in teacher preparation courses have been limited. To address these gaps, this study examined the impact of the First Principles of Instruction when applied to designing face-to-face and flipped technology integration courses. Participants were 32 preservice teachers enrolled during the 2017 spring and fall semesters. Employing a 3-way mixed factorial research design, we measured participants’ technological, pedagogical, content knowledge (TPACK) outcomes in each group and compared the outcomes between the face-to-face and flipped groups. In both groups, preservice teachers’ self-perceptions and application of TPACK statistically significantly increased. The magnitude of the TPACK application results (F2F p < .001, d = 1.17; Flippeda p < .001, d = 1.97) strongly demonstrates the First Principles’ potential to frame effective course design. Further analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between groups’ TPACK outcomes. These non-significant differences suggest the First Principles of Instruction may be equally effective for designing flipped and face-to-face courses. We conclude the article by discussing implications for course design and detailing considerations for future research on flipped approaches.
Jazz, Pandemics, and Our Stubborn Humanity

Tragedies, whether individual, regional, or global (categories that every decade become less mutually exclusive) disrupt everyday life and our understanding of the world. They tax our ability to de...
OSH in the future: where next?

Since 2002 when the Community Strategy on Health and Safety at Work called on the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work to set up a Risk Observatory, EU-OSHA has worked to address the challenges presented by the changing world of work. As our society evolves under the influence of new technology and shifting economic and social conditions, our workplaces, work practices and processes are constantly changing. These new situations bring with them new risks and challenges for workers and employers, which in turn demand political, administrative and technical approaches that ensure high levels of safety and health at work. Changes that are underway due to digitalisation, for example, affect not only the tasks that make up jobs, but also the nature of work in terms of how it is organised and how it is managed and supervised. Digitalisation also provides important opportunities, whether through the automation of dangerous or monotonous tasks or facilitating the work of the labour inspectorate. Europe benefits from a comprehensive body of OSH regulations, but if the OSH challenges posed by the new world of work are to be managed and the opportunities realised, it is essential that social dialogue be at the centre of regulation, support and guidance, enforcement and monitoring.
Contextualized Knowledge Reduces Misconceived COVID-19 Health Decisions

How do we resolve conflicting ideas about how to protect our health during a pandemic? Prior knowledge influences our decisions, potentially creating implicit cognitive conflict with new, correct information. COVID-19 provides a natural condition for investigating how an individual’s health-specific knowledge (e.g., understanding mask efficacy) and their personal context (e.g., outbreak proximity) influence their protective health behavior endorsement, as information about the virus, its spread, and lethality has changed over time. Using a dual-process-model framework, we investigated the role cognitive conflict has on health decision-making. We used a computer mouse-tracking paradigm alongside geographical information systems (GIS) as a proxy for context. The results support a contextualized-deficit-model framework in which relevant knowledge and context-based factors help individuals override cognitive conflict to make more preventative health decisions. Findings from this study may provide evidence for a more effective way for experts to combat non-adherence due to conflicting health information.
Effects of Using Recycled Aggregates and Large Stones for Base and Subbase Layers on Modulus Properties of Pavements

Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), and large stones were used to replace natural aggregates to build pavement base and subbase layers in this study. Two RCA materials with different gradations and a mixture of RCA and RAP materials were used to build recycled aggregate base (RAB) layers at the same thickness. Moreover, large stones were used to build large stone subbase (LSSB) layers at two different thicknesses. Two different geogrids (triaxial and biaxial) and one type of geotextile were applied between the thinner LSSB and subgrade layers, whereas no geosynthetics were used in the thicker LSSB layers. Light weight deflectometer (LWD) and falling weight deflectometer (FWD) tests were performed during construction to make a preliminary stiffness evaluation of the built test cells. In addition, the results of the two field tests were compared with each other. Test results showed that the highest moduli were observed in the test cells built with RAB layers in which RCA materials were used. On the other hand, the lowest moduli were observed in test cells built with the thinner LSSB layers. The two field tests yielded similar modulus trends overall.
Studies of electron excitation of rare-gas atoms into and out of metastable levels using optical and laser techniques

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a new phase of electron excitation, excitation into or out of metastable levels of the rare-gas atoms. As metastable atoms in laboratory experiments radiate at a very slow rate compared with the total destruction rate, the detection of the metastable atoms is difficult and experiments to measure the electron excitation cross sections into or out of metastable levels that require novel experimental techniques. These experiments are very important because they allow to test whether the physical description of electron excitation derived from the experiments on excitation out of the ground levels, is also valid for excitation out of the metastable levels. Metastable atoms and molecules play a prominent role in many natural phenomena, such as atmospheric processes and gas discharges and plasmas. The chapter also discusses the experiments on the electron excitation of rare-gas atoms into or out of metastable levels, The chapter presents various methods of measuring integrated cross sections or differential cross sections into metastable levels including methods based on metastable detection, such as laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) or absorption and Auger-electron or channel-electron multipliers, or electron energy loss measurements. The differential cross section data are used to provide absolute calibration for measurements of total cross sections. The chapter describes the measurements of total cross sections out of metastable levels for rare gases.
Quantifying primary reactive nitrogen emissions using open-path, quantum cascade laser-based sensors

A compact QCL-based open-path NO sensor is developed at 5.26 μm for high sensitivity and fast response. Combined with existing NH 3 and N 2 O sensors, this system measures primary emissions of reactive nitrogen to the atmosphere.
A molecular phenotype atlas of the zebrafish retina

The rasborine cyprinid Danio rerio (the zebrafish) has become a popular model of retinal function and development. Its value depends, in part, on validation of homologies with retinal cell populations of cyprinine cyprinids. This atlas provides raw and interpreted molecular phenotype data derived from computationally classified sets of small molecule signals from different cell types in the zebrafish retina: L-alanine, L-aspartate, L-glutamine, L-glutamate, glutathione, glycine, taurine and γ-aminobutyrate. This basis set yields an 8-dimensional signature for every retinal cell and formally establishes molecular signature homologies with retinal neurons, glia, epithelia and endothelia of other cyprinids. Zebrafish photoreceptor classes have been characterized previously: we now show their metabolic profiles to be identical to those of the corresponding photoreceptors in goldfish. The inner nuclear layer is partitioned into precise horizontal, bipolar and amacrine cell layers. The horizontal cell layer contains at least three and perhaps all four known classes of cyprinine horizontal cells. Homologues of cyprinid glutamatergic ON-center and OFF-center mixed rod-cone bipolar cells are present and it appears likely that all five classes are present in zebrafish. The cone bipolar cells defy simple analysis but comprise the largest fraction of bipolar cells, as in all cyprinids. Signature analysis reveals six molecular phenotypes in the bipolar cell cohort: most are superclasses. The amacrine cell layer is composed of ≈64% GABA+ and 35% glycine+ amacrine cells, with the remainder being sparse dopaminergic interplexiform cells and other rare unidentified neurons. These different amacrine cell types are completely distinct in the dark adapted retina, but light adapted retinas display weak leakage of GABA signals into many glycinergic amacrine cells, suggesting widespread heterocellular coupling. The composition of the zebrafish ganglion cell layer is metabolically indistinguishable from that in other cyprinids, and the signatures of glial and non-neuronal cells display strong homologies with those in mammals. As in most vertebrates, zebrafish Muller cells possess a high glutamine, low glutamate signature and contain the dominant pool of glutathione in the neural retina. The retinal pigmented epithelium shows a general mammalian signature but also has exceptional glutathione content (5–10 mM), perhaps required by the unusually high oxygen tensions of teleost retinas. The optic nerve and the marginal zone of the retina reveal characteristic metabolic specializations. The marginal zone is strongly laminated and its nascent neurons display their characteristic signatures before taking their place in the retina proper.
The primary structure of the phase-1 flagellar protein of Salmonella typhimurium. I. The tryptic peptides.

Abstract Salmonella paratyphi B SL 877 was shown to be a suitable source of flagellar protein whose amino acid sequence was determined by the H-1 structural gene of Salmonella typhimurium. Isolated flagellin gave one band at a variety of pH levels in acrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of disaggregating agents and contained a small amount of carbohydrate. The amino acid content of this flagellin was determined and the NH2-terminal amino acid was identified as alanine. Analysis of the flagellin by gel filtration on agarose in 6 m guanidine HCl-0.1 m 2-mercaptoethanol and acrylamide gel electrophoresis in 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate both indicated a molecular weight of 49,000 for the protein, a value not in agreement with previous suggestions. Digestion of the flagellin with trypsin was performed in the presence of 2 m urea, and 29 peptides were isolated from the resulting digest by combinations of column and paper chromatography. The combined amino acid content of the purified peptides corresponded to 46% of the total amino acids present in the molecule (based on a mol wt of 49,000). The amino acid sequence was determined for the peptides isolated and four peptides were found to contain adjacent glycine residues.
Low computation vision-based navigation for a martian rover

In the design and construction of mobile robots vision has always been one of the most potentially useful sensory systems. In practice however, it has also become the most difficult to successfully implement. At the MIT Mobile Robotics (Mobot) Lab we have designed a small, light, cheap, and low power Mobot Vision System that can be used to guide a mobile robot in a constrained environment. The target environment is the surface of Mars, although we believe the system should be applicable to other conditions as well. It is our belief that the constraints of the Martian environment will allow the implementation of a system that provides vision based guidance to a small mobile rover.
A convenient and rapid procedure for extraction of RNA polymerase II from cultured mammalian cells.

Abstract A convenient and rapid procedure has been developed to extract RNA polymerase II quantitatively from cultured mammalian cells. The procedure was successfully employed on HeLa, CHO, L, and MDBK cells. The easy extraction of RNA polymerase II by freeze-thaw of cells in a buffer of low ionic strength suggests that the enzyme is not tightly bound to chromatin.
CONSTRUCTING CULTURAL DIFFERENCE IN MANCHUKUO: STORIES OF GU DING AND USHIJIMA HARUKO

This article explores the role of Pan-Asian ideology in Japanese imperialism and how it is reflected in literary texts produced in Manchukuo. Through the analysis of Chinese and Japanese literary works this study examines the construction of ethnic identities and difference which was central to both Pan-Asian discourse and Manchukuo national identity. In both types of works the Japanese and Chinese characters use the concept of ethnicity or culture to reveal different realities of Manchukuo's ethnic politics. While the insoluble separation between the Japanese and the Chinese in Ushijima Haruko's “A Man Called Shuku” betrays the ethnic harmony proclaimed by the Manchukuo regime, Gu Ding's “A New Life” suggests a possibility of true harmony between the two ethnicities. Where the Japanese vice governor's distrust of his Chinese subordinate in Ushijima's story reflects the author's own fear and guilt about her privileged social position, the Chinese protagonist in Gu's story emphasizes the importance of Japanese modern medicine during a plague outbreak as well as his importance as a mediator between the colonizer and his countrymen in order to justify the author's association with Japanese imperialism.
Attempted asymmetric electrochemical reductions in magnetic fields

Because of negative, ambiguous or controversial results claimed by previous investigators studying the potential efficacy of magnetic fields in directing asymmetric syntheses and because of its potential importance as regards the origin of optical activity, we have attempted to confirm a recent report by Takahashiet al. (1986), who claimed that phenylglyoxylic acid (XIX) may be reduced electrochemically at a mercury cathode placed in a magnetic field of 0.168 T to optically active mandelic acid (XX), with optical yields favoring the S(+)-XX enantiomer as high as 25%. We have found that the complete reduction of XIX in pH 3.8 acetate buffer at a mercury cathode in magnetic fields of either 0.14 or 7.05 T leads only to racemic XX products. The earlier literature describing attempted absolute asymmetric syntheses in magnetic, electric and gravitational fields is briefly and critically reviewed.
The absorption of radiation near 600 Å by helium

Free-bound and free-free radiative absorptions by a pair of atoms are discussed and explicit formulas are derived for the free-bound and free-free absorption cross sections. The theory is applied to the interpretation of helium absorption near 600 a and it is argued that the first two bands observed arise from transitions into quasibound resonating vibrational levels of the A 1Σ u + state. The shape of the A 1Σ u + potential energy curve is derived for internuclear distances between 2 and 3 a. The absorption data analysis lead to a potential barrier of magnitude 0·049 ev. The effects on the absorption structure of replacing 4He by 3He are predicted. An iterative procedure is described that simultaneously locates the energy and evaluates the width of a quasibound-shape resonance state.
La contrainte de dose comme outil d’optimisation : mise en œuvre dans le groupe AREVA

Historiquement chacune des entites nucleaires du groupe AREVA mettait en œuvre separement la demarche ALARA. Malgre la diversite des metiers pratiques et la diversite des environnements radiologiques AREVA a choisi de federer l'ensemble des entites nucleaires autour d'une politique commune de surete nucleaire dont nous rappelons ici les grands principes. Ce processus volontariste, pour lequel l’autorite nucleaire reste incitative, et auquel participent tous les acteurs a chaque niveau de la chaine hierarchique, permet d’optimiser les resultats de radioprotection.
Competition for transport of amino acids into rat heart: effect of competitors on protein synthesis and degradation.

Abstract Transport of the neutral amino acids, 2-(methylamino)isobutyrate (MeAIB) and Phe, was examined in isolated rat hearts perfused by the Langendorff method. Hearts were perfused by recirculating for various time periods buffer containing [14C]-MeAIB or [14C]-Phe plus desired additions. Uptake of MeAIB was linear for approximately 30 minutes; Phe uptake was linear for a maximum of 5 minutes, and reached a steady state after 15 minutes.Km and Vmax for MeAIB were 1.1 ± 0.03 mmol/L and 37.7 ± 0.4 pmol/μL intracellular fluid (ICF)/min; values for Phe were 1.8 ± 0.02 mmol/L and 364 ± 5 pmol/μL ICF/minute. Uptake of MeAIB (0.2 mmol/L) was reduced 95% in the presence of Ser (10 mmol/L), and less severely by large neutral amino acids ([LNAA], 10 mmol/L) such as Phe and Leu (by 46% and 54%, respectively). Uptake of Phe (0.2 mmol/L) was reduced by LNAA such as Val, Leu, and Ile (by 51%, 78%, and 81%, respectively), or by commercial preparations used in parenteral nutrition, eg, Travasol or Travasol plus extra branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) (Branchamin); Ser had little effect (8% reduction). Insulin in the perfusion medium increased the fractional rate of protein synthesis. Individual BCAA at physiological concentrations (0.2 mmol/L) did not alter the rate of protein synthesis. Branchamin or Travasol plus Branchamin also had no effect on the rate of protein synthesis in heart, but did depress the rate of degradation. These studies suggest that amino acid transport into heart may be affected by normal levels of plasma amino acids, whereas protein synthesis is not.
Silica-scaled chrysophytes from east central New York

Abstract Forty-three scaled chrysophytes (Synurophyceae: 26 Mallomonas spp., nine Synura spp.; Chrysophyceae: three Chrysosphaerella and Spiniferomonas spp., and two Paraphysomonas spp.) in 41 water samples from Columbia, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Otsego and St. Lawrence Counties, New York, were identified using TEM. Fourteen taxa are new records from New York, including one new report for the U.S. Temperature, pH, and conductivity ranges of the prevalent species are discussed. Non-siliceous scales of two colorless free-living flagellates, Gyromitus disomatus, an organism of uncertain taxonomic affinity, and the organic scaled chrysophyte-like Pseudodendromonas vlkii, were also observed.
Thinking music with precision, depth, and passion

This text contains Mazzola's answers to the four questions proposed by Anja Volk and Aline Honingh about benefits of mathematical approaches to the field of music research, pitfalls that occurred within computational and/or mathematical approaches to music research, challenges we are facing now within computational and/or mathematical approaches to music, and how can we strengthen the connections between the three fields of mathematical, computational, and musicological approaches to music. My answers are given from the point of view of mathematical music theory and corresponding computer programs for analysis, composition, and performance.
The Effect of Emulsifier Type and Droplet Size on Phase Transitions in Emulsified Even-Numbered n -Alkanes

Phase transitions in emulsified even-numbered n-alkanes (C16, C18, and C20) are studied as a function of droplet size (0.15–3.45 μm) and surfactant type (polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate or caseinate) using microcalorimetry (DSC) and ultrasonic attenuation measurements (2.25 MHz). Two DSC exothermic peaks were observed during the heating of C18 and C20 emulsions stabilized by Tween 20: a minor peak around 15 and 25 °C, respectively, and a major double peak about 10 °C higher. We tentatively attribute the minor peak to crystal-rotator phase transition, and the split major peak to melting of the surface and core of the droplets. The C16 emulsions showed similar behavior for the major melting peak (15 °C), but the minor peak was absent-possibly as the sample was not cooled enough to cause the rotator phase to enter the low temperature crystalline state. For similar sodium caseinate stabilized emulsions of C18 and C20, the minor peak was much less pronounced (~25%), which we attribute to the lack of compatibility between the alkane and protein molecules. There were two ultrasonic attenuation peaks for the melting of C18 and C20 and one for C16 corresponding to the DSC peaks. In all cases, the magnitude of the attenuation decreased with increasing particle size. Using an extended scattering theory approach we were able to relate the changes in ultrasonic attenuation to the changes in the effective physical properties of the alkane molecules during melting.
A Mg2+ dependent hydroxyindole O-methyltransferase in rat Harderian gland

Abstract The rat Harderian gland contains an enzyme which catalyzes the biosynthesis of melatonin from N -acetylserotonin and S -adenosylmethionine. Unlike the pineal hydroxyindole O -methyltransferase, the activity of the Harderian gland enzyme is markedly stimulated by divalent cations.
Estimation of the variances in the branching process with immigration

Estimation theory for the variances of the offspring and immigration distributions in a simple branching process with immigration is developed, analogous to the estimation theory for the means given by Wei and Winnicki (1990). Conditional and weighted conditional least squares estimators are considered and their asymptotic properties for the full range of parameters are studied. Nonexistence of consistent estimators in the critical case is established, which complements analogous result of Wei and Winnicki for the supercritical case.
Infrared effects on the axial gauge quark propagator

Abstract The axial gauge quark propagator is studied when only the most singular infrared part of the gluon propagator is retained in the Dyson-Schwinger equation. With a new representation for the quark-gluon vertex a simple configuration space propagator and a momentum space form valid for all values of the gauge variable n · p are obtained. The propagator has no poles. The effective potential is minimized when there is no chiral symmetry breaking.
Determination of the Diffusivity and Location and Pressure Dependent Permeability of Porcine Coronary Arteries

The modeling of drug delivery into tissues utilizes coupled convective and diffusive transport and therefore requires the experimental determination of the governing constants used in these models [1, 2]. The use of minimally destructive methods to determine these properties ensures increased accuracy [3]. Having the ability to test for strain or intraluminal pressure dependence also provides improved accuracy to the definitions of these properties.© 2010 ASME
Bayesian hierarchical linear mixed models for additive smoothing splines

Bayesian hierarchical models have been used for smoothing splines, thin-plate splines, and L-splines. In analyzing high dimensional data sets, additive models and backfitting methods are often used. A full Bayesian analysis for such models may include a large number of random effects, many of which are not intuitive, so researchers typically use noninformative improper or nearly improper priors. We investigate propriety of the posterior for these cases. Our findings extend known results for normal linear mixed models to certain cases with Bayesian additive smoothing spline models.