cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social support and health behavior in hostile black and white men and women in CARDIA. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults.

Objective These cross-sectional analyses of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) data were stimulated by previous CARDIA analyses that showed an adverse association between hostility and several health behaviors: physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and caloric intake, in both black and white men and women, such that the higher the hostility, the worse the health behavior profile. The current study investigated whether high social support was associated with better health behavior than low social support in individuals with high hostility scores. Methods The subjects were 5115 healthy black and white men and women ranging in age from 18 to 30 years. The hypothesis was that the association between hostility and certain adverse health behaviors would be diminished in the presence of high social support. Race-gender specific median cutpoints of the Cook-Medley Hostility scale and an index of social support defined levels of high and low hostility and social support. Results After controlling for age and body mass index (BMI), support was positively associated with more exercise in all groups except black women, but when coupled with high hostility, this positive association between support and exercise remained only in men. White women with high support were less often smokers but this association did not hold when examined only in the high-hostile group. Black men and white women with high support in the presence of high hostility consumed more alcohol, but the amount was moderate. Conclusions We conclude that social support in the presence of high hostility only sometimes reduces the association of hostility to adverse health behaviors and that these effects are complex. Additional research investigating types of social support on health behavior in different race-gender groups is advocated.
Extinction Risk at High Latitudes

Of the abiotic changes associated with the current phase of warming occurring on Earth, the loss of sea ice, snow cover, and glaciers are among the most apparent, rapid, and potentially ecologically devastating. These physical effects make polar regions the most likely places to experience first extinctions due to climate change. Have extinctions already been recorded in high latitude species, or do population trends suggest that extinctions are imminent? This chapter answers these questions.
The endolithic guild: an ecological framework for residential cavities in hard substrates

Endolithic organisms that live inside rocks, shells and wood use two processes, bioerosion and embedment, to produce boring and bioclaustration residential cavities. In the trace fossil record, borings and bioclaustrations preserve the distinctive and often stereotypic activity of particular endolithic organisms, thereby linking important biological and ecological information to this special group of trace fossils. In order to use these fossils to study aspects of evolutionary paleoecology, an ecologically-significant framework is needed to logically group and subdivide hard substrate trace fossils.
Dream Camp: Drawing on Community Cultural Wealth Capital to Make Sense of Career Dreams.

ABSTRACTIn this qualitative study, we examine the experiences of South African multilingual learners and one local teacher after participating in a community-based, digital storytelling project on ...
Aging Analysis of Low Dropout Regulator for Universal Recycled IC Detection

Recycled counterfeit integrated circuits (ICs) are previously used chips that originate from improperly disposed electronics (i.e., e-waste) and are then sold in the market as new. Recycled ICs are dangerous and prone to early failure due to mishandling and deterioration from prior use. With the number of IoT devices expected to reach 125 billion in 2030, ewaste and therefore recycled ICs will face a commensurate rise. Although recycled IC detection and avoidance methods have been emerging over the last decade, there still lacks an all-inone solution. Previously, we discovered low dropout regulator (LDO) aging can be detected with high confidence by measuring the LDO's power supply rejection ratio (PSRR). Since LDOs are embedded in the power management circuitry of virtually all ICs, our method could be applied to avoid recycled chips in any IoT setup, thus bolstering IoT security. Since commercial LDO designs are proprietary to individual design houses, it is difficult to determine the most important sources of degradation. Thus, in order to study this phenomenon further, we have fabricated a custom design generic LDO in 65nm process. Our analysis in this paper reveals ways to improve counterfeit IC detection based on LDOs as well as to develop LDO designs that are even more sensitive to aging/use.
Vehicle Speed Prediction for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles Using Communication and Perception

Real-time traffic prediction is crucial for the optimization and control of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) to save energy. The energy optimization for CAVs typically decides control actions for a forward-looking time horizon. To ensure a safe operation and comply with traffic rules, it is necessary to predict future traffic conditions and consider these `constraints' during the energy optimization. For example, the knowledge of preceding vehicles' future trajectory determines the bounds of car-following distance for the target vehicle. A key challenge of traffic prediction is how to handle mixed traffic scenarios where both CAVs and non-CAVs co-exist. In this work, a traffic prediction framework is developed based on the traffic flow model to improve the energy efficiency of CAVs in mixed traffic scenarios. Information from connected vehicles (CVs) provides partial measurement of traffic states (traffic speed and density). The unknown traffic states are estimated using a state observer. Once the full traffic states are known, future traffic states are predicted by propagating the traffic flow model forward in time. With on-board perception sensors, CVs can detect the location and speed of adjacent vehicles. This information is used as additional measurement for the traffic state observer. The proposed traffic prediction framework has been studied comprehensively for various penetration rates of connectivity and locations of CVs for a signalized roadway. Simulation results have shown that with additional information from perception sensors, traffic prediction error is reduced by 25%.
Use of Telomere Fingerprinting to Identify Clonal Lineages of Colletotrichum fioriniae in Kentucky Mixed-Fruit Orchards

Multiple species in the fungal genus Colletotrichum cause anthracnose fruit rot diseases that are responsible for major yield losses of as much as 100%. Individual species of Colletotrichum typically have broad host ranges and can infect multiple fruit species. Colletotrichum fioriniae causes anthracnose fruit rots of apples, blueberries, and strawberries in Kentucky orchards where these fruits grow in close proximity. This raises the possibility of cross-infection, which may have significant management implications. The potential occurrence of cross-infection was investigated by using telomere fingerprinting to identify C. fioriniae clones in several mixed-fruit orchards. Telomere fingerprints were highly polymorphic among a test group of C. fioriniae strains and effectively defined clonal lineages. Fingerprints were compared among apple, blueberry, and strawberry isolates of C. fioriniae from three different orchards and similarity matrices were calculated to build phylograms for each orchard group. Multiple clonal lineages of C. fioriniae were identified within each orchard on the same fruit host. Related lineages were found among isolates from different hosts, but the results did not provide direct evidence for cross-infection of different fruit species by the same clones. Recovery of the same clonal lineages within orchards across multiple years suggested that local dispersal was important in pathogen population structure and that C. fioriniae strains persisted within orchards over time. Isolates from blueberry were less diverse than isolates from apple, perhaps related to more intensive anthracnose management protocols on apple versus blueberry. Telomere fingerprinting is a valuable tool for understanding population dynamics of Colletotrichum fruit rot fungi.
Injection molding for manufacturing of solid poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) microneedles

A solid microneedle array can be used for “poke and flow” transdermal delivery of a drug, which involves the infusion or diffusion of a drug through pores in the skin that were created by the microneedle array. In this paper, solid microneedle arrays were created out of the polymer RESOMER LG 855 S—poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) using injection molding. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the microneedle in the injection-molded four-by-one microneedle array closely matched the dimensions that were used for injection molding. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the carbon bonding in the microneedle material matched that expected for poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide). The reduced elastic modulus of the microneedle material, 6.04 ± 0.17 GPa, was noted to be appropriate for skin penetration applications. The microneedle array was used for the delivery of the model drug methyl blue to surgically discarded human underarm skin. These results suggest that injection molding of RESOMER LG 855 S—poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) may be an appropriate approach for large-scale manufacturing of solid microneedles.
Elucidating the impact of three metallic nanoagrichemicals and their bulk and ionic counterparts on the chemical properties of bulk and rhizosphere soils in rice paddies.

Abstract Growing applications of nanoagrichemicals have resulted in their increasing accumulation in agricultural soils, which could modify soil properties and affect soil health. A greenhouse pot trial was conducted to determine the effects of three metallic nanoagrichemicals on several fundamental chemical properties of a rice paddy soil, including zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) at 100 mg/kg, and silicon oxide nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) at 500 mg/kg, as well as their bulk and ionic counterparts. The investigated soil amendments displayed significant and distinctive impact on the examined soil chemical properties relevant to agricultural production, including soil pH, redox potential, soil organic carbon (SOC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and plant available As. For example, all amendments increased the bulk soil pH at day 47 to some extent, but the increase was substantially higher for SiO32− (37.7%) than other amendments (5.8%–13.7%). Soil Eh was elevated markedly at day 47 after the addition of soil amendments in both the bulk soil (45.9%–74.4%) and rice rhizosphere soil (20.3%–68.9%). CuO NPs and Cu2+ generally exhibited greater impact on soil chemical properties than other agrichemicals. Significantly different responses to soil amendments were observed between bulk and rhizosphere soils, suggesting the essential role of plants in affecting soil properties and their responses to environmental disturbance. Overall, our results confirmed that the tested amendments could have remarkable impacts on the fundamental chemical properties of rice paddy soils.
Concepts and Complexities of Population Genetics

This chapter discusses diverse research that either complicates heuristic traditions or corrects misconceptions or both. The focus is on diploid, sexually reproducing arthropods with discrete generations. The models described are monogenic (a single autosomal locus). It has been assumed that mutations to the gene do not occur during the period of selection. Natural selection of arthropod populations occurs in heterogeneous landscapes where management tactics are applied in a variable manner over time and space. The number and intensity of selective treatments are the most important operational factors determining how quickly resistance evolves. Dominance is important, and its variability must not be underestimated. The greater the dominance of resistance in heterozygotes in all life stages under treated conditions, the faster the resistance evolution occurs. On the other hand, the greater the fitness costs, the slower the evolution of resistance occurs. Other conditions and processes highlighted in this chapter represent part of the complexity of real systems in which an attempt to manage resistance has been done. Epistasis and linkage of genes likely will have unpredictable effects on IRM. Random genetic drift may slow the evolution of resistance during its early phases. Gene flow, dispersal, and mating behaviors must be carefully evaluated and measured before making predictions about how they will influence IRM.
The impact of Sun-weather research on forecasting

The possible impact of Sun-weather research on forecasting is examined. The type of knowledge of the effect is evaluated to determine if it is in a form that can be used for forecasting purposes. It is concluded that the present understanding of the effect does not lend itself readily to applications for forecast purposes. The limits of present predictive skill are examined and it is found that skill is most lacking for prediction of the smallest scales of atmospheric motion. However, it is not expected that Sun-weather research will have any significant impact on forecasting the smaller scales since predictability at these scales is limited by the finite grid size resolution and the time scales of turbulent diffusion. The predictability limits for the largest scales are on the order of several weeks although presently only a one week forecast is achievable.
Entre l’extrême et l’ordinaire : le réalisme traumatique chez Ruth Klüger et Charlotte Delbo

Cet article entend montrer comment s’exprime, dans l’ecriture du temoignage, une forme de « realisme traumatique ». A la lumiere d’une etude precise de certains passages des Memoires de Ruth Kluger, Weiter leben [Refus de temoigner] et de la trilogie de Charlotte Delbo, Auschwitz et apres, nous verrons comment chaque auteur tisse des liens entre l’extreme et l’ordinaire afin de representer l’« univers concentrationnaire » nazi. Au surplus, les textes de Kluger et de Delbo offrent des materiaux a une entreprise critique s’inscrivant dans la mouvance des theories recentes du trauma, dont l’influence est considerable dans le champ des etudes culturelles ou litteraires. Alors que certains theoriciens envisagent la categorie du trauma d’un point de vue totalisant et homogeneisant, les textes examines ici nous invitent a penser la violence traumatique sous un angle different. Ils permettent egalement de saisir la portee politique du temoignage et d’approfondir notre connaissance de la violence extreme tout en favorisant une meilleure reconnaissance sociale du contexte social post-traumatique.
A Taylor series condition for harmonic extension.

For a harmonic function on an open subset of real $n$-space, we propose a condition on the Taylor expansion that implies harmonic extension to a larger set, by a result on the size of the domain of convergence of its Taylor series. The result in the $n=2$ case is due to M.\ B\^ocher (1909), and the generalization to $n>2$ is given a mostly elementary proof, using basic facts about multivariable power series.
Zirconium Cladding Deformation in a Steam Environment with Transient Heating

Zircaloy-4 cladding is being tested under loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) conditions to determine its deformation behavior and to provide data for verification of analytical models. Data obtained thus far from 34 single-rod tests imply less ballooning, and consequently less flow restriction, than would be predicted from earlier data. The instrumented simulators, consisting of unirradiated Zircaloy-4 cladding with an internal heater to simulate fuel pellet heating, are tested to failure in superheated steam over a wide range of internal pressures at a temperature increase rate of about 28°C/s. Cladding surface temperature and internal pressure data are recorded during the transient and deformation measurements are obtained posttest. An analytical expression is given for the burst temperature as a function of burst pressure. The experimental results show excellent correlation between cladding deformation and surface temperature distribution. Deformation is extremely sensitive to small temperature variations.
The Effects of High Phosphorus Intake on Calcium Homeostasis

Survey data confirm that the dietary pattern of many American women who are at high risk of developing osteoporosis is typically high in phosphorus and low in calcium. The imbalance between calcium and phosphorus intake may become more pronounced with continued changes in food preferences and the growing use of phosphorus-containing food additives. Recent studies in young women have shown that a high phosphorus diet moderately low in calcium results in a mild secondary hyperparathyroidism that persists over 4 weeks. Plasma levels of calcitriol did not change despite changes in PTH and serum ionized calcium. Studies on men have shown that dietary phosphorus at levels within the normal range of intakes can affect the renal production and serum concentration of calcitriol. High phosphorus intakes for ten days reduced their plasma calcitriol levels; a 70% reduction in phosphate intake significantly increased their plasma calcitriol. Thus, several lines of evidence indicate that prolonged high phosphorus intake may impair the usual homeostatic mechanisms that come into play when dietary calcium is limited. This, in turn, could impair achievement of maximal bone mass or accelerate bone loss. Although no clinical studies have linked high phosphorus intake with lower bone mass or higher rates of bone loss in humans, this relationship has been demonstrated in animal models. For example, young beagles fed high phosphorus, moderately low calcium diets showed a significant reduction in vertebral bone mass. Current dietary patterns of high phosphorus, low calcium consumption result in persistent changes in calcium regulating hormones that are not conducive to maximizing peak bone mass during growth or slowing the rate of aging bone loss. The net effect of the present dietary pattern on bone status, particularly in teenage and young adult women, needs to be determined. Optimal nutrition early in life, which may include higher calcium and lower phosphorus intakes, together with adequate exercise, may be the most cost-effective approach to the prevention of osteoporotic fractures.
Discrete Manifolds: The Graph-Based Theory

This chapter presents a general-purpose definition of discrete curves, surfaces, and manifolds. This definition only refers to a simple graph, \(G=(V,E)\) and its topological structure. Similar to digital manifolds defined in Chap. 5, the ideas presented in this chapter still use recursive definitions for discrete curves, surfaces, solid objects, and so on. Specifically, a vertex is a point-cell, and an edge is a line-cell. A surface-cell (2-cell) is defined as a special simple closed “curve”—a closed semi-curve with the minimum cycle property. In general, a k-cell will be a closed semi \((k-1)\)-manifold with minimum “cycle” property. For a graph G, all i-cells, \(i=0,...,n+1\), will provide topological structure to the discrete space G. An n dimensional discrete manifold M is defined as: (1) M consists of n-cells and any two n-cells are \((n-1)\)-dimensionally connected, (2) each \((n-1)\)-cell in M is contained by one or two n-cells, and (3) there is no \((n+1)\)-cell in M. We also consider the definition of orientable and non-orientable surfaces with a corresponding decision procedure. Finally, some unconventional examples of the definitions, such as quadtree surface-cell representation, an octree solid-cell representation, Voronoi decomposition, and Delaunay simplifications are presented.
Optimal Finite Field Multipliers for FPGAs

With the end goal of implementing optimal Reed-Solomon error control decoders on FPGAs, we characterize the FPGA performance of several finite field multiplier designs reported in the literature. We discover that finite field multipliers optimized for VLSI implementation are not optimized for FPGA implementation. Based on this observation, we discuss the relative merits of each multiplier design and show why each does not perform well on FPGAs. We then suggest how to improve the performance of many finite field multiplier designs.
Severe rainfall events in Northwestern Peru (visualization of scattered meteorological data)

The ordinarily arid climate of coastal Peru is disturbed every few years by a phenomenon called El Nino, characterized by a warming in the Pacific Ocean. Severe rainstorms are one of the consequences of El Nino, which cause great damage. An examination of daily data from 66 rainfall stations in the Chiura-Piura region of northwestern Peru from late 1982 through mid-1983 (associated with an El Nino episode) yields information on the mesoscale structure of these storms. These observational data are typical of a class that are scattered at irregular locations in two dimensions. The use of continuous realization techniques for qualitative visualization (e.g., surface deformation or contouring) requires an intermediate step to define a topological relationship between the locations of data to form a mesh structure. Several common methods are considered, and the results of their application to the study of the rainfall events are analyzed. >
Company Mention Detection for Large Scale Text Mining

Text mining on a large scale that addresses actionable prediction needs to contend with noisy information in documents, and with interdependencies between the NLP techniques applied and the data representation. This paper presents an initial investigation of the impact of improved company mention detection for financial analytics using Named Entity recognition and coreference. Coverage of company mention detection improves dramatically. Improvement for prediction of stock price varies, depending on the data representation.
There exist graphs with super-exponential Ramsey multiplicity constant

The Ramsey multiplicity M(G;n) of a graph G is the minimum number of monochromatic copies of G over all 2-colorings of the edges of the complete graph Kn. For a graph G with a automorphisms, ν vertices, and E edges, it is natural to define the Ramsey multiplicity constant C(G) to be $\lim_{{n} \to \infty} {M}(G;n){a/v}!{n \choose v}$, which is the limit of the fraction of the total number of copies of G which must be monochromatic in a 2-coloring of the edges of Kn. In 1980, Burr and Rosta showed that 0 ≥ C(G) ≤ 21-E for all graphs G, and conjectured that this upper bound is tight. Counterexamples of Burr and Rosta's conjecture were first found by Sidorenko and Thomason independently. Later, Clark proved that there are graphs G with E edges and 2E-1C(G) arbitrarily small. We prove that for each positive integer E, there is a graph G with E edges and C(G) ≤ E-E/2 + o(E). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 57: 89–98, 2008
Patronage in continually delivered business service contexts

Abstract A conceptual model of customer evaluations of service provision in continually delivered business service contexts (CDBS) is presented and empirically tested in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry. The study demonstrates the importance of considering specific aspects of service provision, rather than relying solely upon global evaluations of service provision, when seeking to understand how customers evaluate and react to services. Assessments of service performance, economic outcomes, and social interaction quality are found to have differing influences on global evaluations of service provision. Importantly, the assessments are shown to also have differing effects on patronage intentions—an outcome often linked directly to more generalized evaluations of service provision. Implications for theory and practice are derived.
Gap detection as a function of stimulus bandwidth with fixed high-frequency cutoff in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners.

Gap detection was measured as a function of noise bandwidth with constant high‐frequency cutoff in both normal‐hearing and cochlear‐impaired listeners. Band‐widening functions were measured in a low‐frequency region (0.6‐kHz upper cutoff) and a high‐frequency region (2.2‐kHz upper cutoff). Measures of frequency selectivity were also obtained in the two frequency regions. The results for the normal‐hearing listeners indicated that, on a double logarithmic scale, gap thresholds improved more steeply with increasing bandwidth in the higher frequency region than in the lower. However, performance at the narrow bandwidths was independent of frequency region. For the cochlear‐impaired listeners, gap thresholds were generally longer than normal in both frequency regions. However, in the higher frequency region, progressively more listeners approached normal values as bandwidth was increased. The elevated gap thresholds were due in part to the higher absolute thresholds and in part to poor ability to process stimulus fluctuation. No correspondence was found between gap detection performance and frequency selectivity.
Randomized controlled trial of peer mentoring for individuals with traumatic brain injury and their significant others.

Abstract Hanks RA, Rapport LJ, Wertheimer J, Koviak C. Randomized controlled trial of peer mentoring for individuals with traumatic brain injury and their significant others. Objectives To examine the efficacy of a peer-mentoring program for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their significant others, and to determine the relationship of this mentoring program to 3 main outcomes: (1) emotional well-being; (2) post-TBI quality of life; and (3) community integration. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Midwestern rehabilitation hospital. Participants Persons with TBI (n=96) and significant others/caregivers (n=62). Interventions Persons with TBI and friends/caregivers who knew the person prior to their injury were randomly assigned to a treatment (mentored) or no-treatment (no mentoring) control group immediately prior to discharge from the rehabilitation unit and were mentored for up to 2 years. Main Outcome Measures Peer Mentoring Questionnaire; Brief Symptom Inventory-18; Family Assessment Device; Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations; Short Michigan Alcohol Screening Test; Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey; and Community Integration Measure. Results Eighty-eight percent of individuals who were involved in the mentoring program reported positive experiences. t tests revealed that among persons with TBI, individuals who received mentoring had significantly better behavioral control and less chaos in the living environment ( P =.04), lower alcohol use ( P =.01), less emotion-focused ( P =.04) and avoidance coping ( P =.03), and good physical quality of life ( P =.04) compared with those who did not receive mentoring. Among significant others, mentored individuals demonstrated greater community integration ( P =.03) than the nonmentored control group. Conclusions Mentoring can be an effective way to benefit mood and healthy coping after TBI, and it can help to prevent maladaptive behaviors, such as substance abuse and behavioral dyscontrol, in the living situation.
Quantifying the Safety Benefits of Wedge Resection: A Society of Thoracic Surgery Database Propensity-Matched Analysis

Background Wedge resection is often used instead of anatomic resection in an attempt to mitigate perioperative risk. In propensity-matched populations, we sought to compare the perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing wedge resection with those undergoing anatomic resection. Methods The Society of Thoracic Surgery database was reviewed for stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer patients undergoing wedge resection and anatomic resection to analyze postoperative morbidity and mortality. Propensity scores were estimated using a logistic model adjusted for a variety of risk factors. Patients were then matched by propensity score using a greedy 5- to 1-digit matching algorithm, and compared using McNemar's test. Results Between 2009 and 2011, 3,733 wedge resection and 3,733 anatomic resection patients were matched. The operative mortality was 1.21% for wedge resection versus 1.93% for anatomic resection ( p = 0.0118). Major morbidity occurred in 4.53% of wedge resection patients versus 8.97% of anatomic resection patients ( p Conclusions Wedge resection has a 37% lower mortality and 50% lower major morbidity rate than anatomic resection in these propensity-matched populations. The mortality benefit is most apparent in patients with forced expiratory volume in 1 second less than 85% predicted. These perioperative benefits must be carefully weighed against the increase in locoregional recurrence and possible decrease in long-term survival associated with the use of wedge resection for primary lung cancers.
A Pseudopolynomial Network Flow Formulation for Exact Knapsack Separation

The NP-complete separation problem for the knapsack polyhedron is formulated as a side-constrained network flow problem with a pseudopolynomial number of vertices and edges. It is demonstrated that the primal polyhedron associated with this formulation can be projected onto an appropriate subspace to yield and that the dual polyhedron can be projected onto an appropriate subspace to yield the polar of . Practical consequences of the formulation are discussed.
A New Heart-Cross-Reactive Antigen in Streptococcus pyogenes Is Not M Protein

To identify tissue-cross-reactive antigens other than M protein in Streptococcus pyogenes, proteins of M-positive strains and an M-negative strain were probed in Western blots for reactivity with cross-reactive streptococcal monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 36.2.2 and 54.2.8. A protein(s) near a molecular mass of 60 kDa in extracts of five group A streptococcal serotypes and the M-negative strain reacted with the MAbs. A study of human antibody responses to purified membranes of S. pyogenes indicated a hyperreactivity to a 60-kDa protein in acute rheumatic fever. Since MAbs 36.2.2 and 54.2.8 are known to cross-react with myosin or actin and streptococcal M protein, the data suggest that a homology or conformation is shared between the 60-kDa antigen and M protein. Therefore, the 60-kDa antigen is a new heart- or tissue-cross-reactive antigen of S. pyogenes that shares immunologic epitopes with but is distinct from M protein.
Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Organic Marker Compounds in Fine Particulate Matter Using Solid-Phase Microextraction

Abstract A gas chromatographic method that uses solid-phase microextraction for analysis of organic marker compounds in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is reported. The target marker compounds were selected for specificity toward emission from wood smoke, diesel or gasoline combustion, or meat cooking. Temperature-programmed volatilization analysis was used to characterize the thermal stabilities and volatile properties of the compounds of interest. The compounds were thermally evaporated from a quartz filter, sorbed to a solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber, and thermally desorbed at 280 °C in a gas chromatograph injection port connected via a DB 1701 capillary separating column. Various experimental parameters (fiber type, time, and temperature of sorption) were optimized. It was found that high extraction yield could be achieved using a polyacrylate fiber for polar substances, such as levoglucosan, and a 7-µm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated fiber for nonpolar compounds, such as hopanes and polya...
Evidence for a physical interaction between the transposed and the substituted sequences during mating type gene transposition in yeast

Abstract Mating type switches in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae occur by transposition of a replica of the "source" unexpressed loci HML and HMR to the mating type locus ( MAT ). The incoming information replaces previously expressed DNA, resulting in an interconversion of MAT alleles. A strain of genotype HML α/ HML α MAT α/mata-missense HMR α/ hmr a-nonsense HO/ho generates cells with the genotype HML α/ HML α MAT α/ MAT α HMR α/ hmr a-nonsense HO/ho ; that is, wild-type MAT a + recombinants are produced efficiently by a strain in which the incoming a information and the resident mat a allele bear different mutations. Production of the wild-type MAT a recombinants requires the homothallism (switching) function, and the incoming a information and the resident mat a allele must bear different mutations. This result is consistent with the formation of a heteroduplex between the incoming and the outgoing DNA at MAT . Thus a process of unidirectional gene conversion as a mechanism for mating type gene transposition is favored. A molecular model based on a single-strand transfer is proposed. Results also favor the idea that the direction of switching is controlled by cell's mating phenotype rather than by the genetic content of MAT .
Discovery of an extended sodium atmosphere around Europa

Europa, one of the satellites of Jupiter, has long been thought to be a dormant icy body, unlike its volcanically active neighbour, Io. Europa lies deep within Jupiter's magnetosphere, however, and is continuously bombarded by energetic ions, which modify the surface ices and are probably responsible for creating Europa's tightly bound oxygen atmosphere. Here we report the discovery of an atmosphere of atomic sodium that extends to at least 25 times Europa's radius. We suggest that this sodium is originally released by Io's volcanoes, after which it is ionized in the magnetosphere and implanted into Europa's surface ice; subsequent sputtering of the ice by magnetospheric ions releases the sodium to form the extended atmosphere. Although sodium is a minor constituent of Europa's atmosphere, it traces the distribution of the major atmospheric components which are not themselves directly observable. The sodium and oxygen could represent the extremes of the distribution of the atmospheric components, with only the heaviest molecules (such as the oxygen) being tightly bound; alternatively the sodium might be in the form of an extended corona, analogous to Io's atmosphere.
Immediate opportunity for large greenhouse gas emissions reductions with new mobile air conditioning refrigerants

Vehicle air conditioning, or “mobile air conditioning” (MAC), has a significant impact on the Earth's climate. HFC-134a, the predominant refrigerant in today's MAC, has a global warming potential (GWP) of 1430. MAC is responsible for a third of global HFC emissions and is the single largest user of HFC-134a. Fortunately, three technically and economically feasible low-GWP refrigerant alternatives exist, making MAC an immediate opportunity for non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emission reductions worldwide. This article presents cost-effective refrigerant alternatives and their potential for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. It will also cover policies that have been enacted to date to encourage the switch.
SU‐FF‐T‐178: Dosimetric and Technical Aspects of Intraoperative I‐125 Brachytherapy for Stage I Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose: Initial outcome data from our institution have shown that sublobar resection in combination with I‐125 brachtherapy is associated with recurrence rates of 2.0%, compared to 18.6% with sublobar resection alone. The objective of this work is to present the technical and dosimetric aspects required to execute this procedure from the radiationoncology perspective, as well as to analyze the dose distributions of patients treated with this technique. Method and Materials: I‐125 seeds in vicryl suture were embedded into vicryl mesh and surgically inserted providing a 2.0 cm margin on each side of the resection staple line. A nomogram was developed to determine the suture spacing in the vicryl mesh, as a function of seed activity in order to deliver 120 Gy at a distance of 0.5 cm above and below the seed array. Postoperative dosimetry consists of CT‐based planning and dose volume analysis. Results:Dose distributions, DVH data, mean dose and NTCP values for lung were analyzed in a group of patients. The mean doses ranged from 3.72 Gy to 9.10 Gy. NTCP values were below 1%. DVH data shows that a small volume of ipsilateral lung was irradiated for all patients. A comparison of brachytherapy with external beam therapy was investigated for one patient. Brachtherapy was judged to be superior to external beam therapy. Results showed that most of the ipsilateral lung volume received a lower dose when treated with an implant to 120 Gy compared to external beam therapy treated to 60 Gy. Conclusions:Lungbrachytherapy with I‐125 at the time of sublobar resection is a precise and conformal option of dosedelivery for stage I NSCLC patients with compromised physiologic reserve. Patient related toxicity has not been linked to this procedure. This simple technique provides significant lung sparing when compared to standard external beam therapy.
Compositional modulation of CuZn, CuAl and CuNi alloys

Abstract A differential reflectometer that is capable of measuring small differences in optical reflectivity or transmissivity of two specimens and therefore enhances the structure in the spectral reflectivity of materials was used to study various α-Cu-Zn, α-Cu-Al, and Cu-Ni alloys with the aim of investigating the changes in band structure as a function of composition. In Cu-Zn and Cu-Al alloys three main absorption peaks were identified that were associated with the Δ5 → Δ1, X5 → X4' and L2' → L1sitions. It was found that the Δ5→ Δ1transition increases slightly in energy with increasing Zn or Al concentration. These transitional energies are identical for both alloys in the entire α-phase region. The X5 → X4' and L2' → L1 transitions decrease in energy with increasing solute concentration. The shift in energy is significantly larger for the Cu-Al system. In Cu-Ni alloys no shift of the absorption edge around 2.2 eV was found, which is consistent with the predictions of the virtual-bound-state model.
Do competence skills moderate the impact of social influences to drink and perceived social benefits of drinking on alcohol use among inner-city adolescents?

Only a few studies have found competence skills to be a protective factor against adolescent alcohol use; others did not find a direct effect on alcohol. A possible reason for this is that competence skills may moderate the effects of risk factors for alcohol use and that aspect has not been examined often or in a longitudinal design. This study tested whether several competence skills served either as direct protective factors against alcohol use or moderators of the impact of social risk factors on alcohol use. Participants (N = 1318) completed questionnaires that included measures of decision-making skills, refusal skill techniques, resisting media influences, friends’ drinking and perceived social benefits of drinking, as well as current drinking amount and future drinking at baseline, one-year follow-up and two-year follow-up. Data analyses were conducted using multi-level mixed effects generalized linear models with random intercept. All the competence skills and the risk factors predicted current and future drinking. Several significant interactions were found between (1) perceived social benefits of drinking and decision-making skills, (2) perceived social benefits of drinking and refusal skill techniques and (3) friends’ drinking and refusal skill techniques. Competence skills served as protective factors, as well as moderators. One possible reason that competence enhancement approaches to alcohol prevention are effective may be due to the inclusion of the competence skills component.
Structural correlates of seizure behavior in the mongolian gerbil

Hippocampi of seizure-sensitive and seizure-resistant Mongolian gerbils were examined in search of structural correlates of seizure behavior. In animals with well-established seizure histories, differences were found in both presynaptic and postsynaptic structures. Seizing animals had less dense dendritic spines, a greater proportion of mossy tuft area devoted to presynaptic vesicles, and a smaller proportion devoted to spines. The possible relationship of these findings to epilepsy is discussed.
Energy Intake and Gross Efficiency Comparisons from Calorimetric and Field Data on the Same Lactating Cows

Abstract Field estimates on gross efficiency were obtained from intake and production data on 30 pluriparous Holsteins cows during wk 5, 7, 6, 11, 13, and 15 postpartum. Energy intake and efficiency from the energy chamber on the same cows were measured during wk 6, 10, and 14 postpartum. Measures of gross efficiency were expressed in terms of the utilization of metabolizable energy or net energy for lactation and maintenance. Within corresponding postpartum periods, chamber measures and field estimates were compared by canonical correlation analysis. All estimates from field data of energy and gross efficiencies closely approximated measures of the same traits from energy chamber data. Variation among cows in traits of energy partition and gross efficiency was similar for field estimates and energy chamber measures. Correlations were >.66 between field estimates and chamber measures on observations of maintenance energy and milk energy. Field estimates and chamber measurements of metabolizable energy and net energy had correlations of .76 and .70, respectively.
Frequency control in neuronal oscillators using colored noise

Introduction It is well-known that the natural frequency of nonlinear oscillators, like neurons, can be strongly affected when driven by a periodic force or when embedded in a network [1]. In contrast, the effects of stochastic forces on the frequency of nonlinear oscillators are incompletely understood. In this context, we have mathematically investigated how colored noise and its amplitude affect the firing frequency of neurons. Our result suggests that low-amplitude colored noise may be used in deep-brain stimulation protocols to control neuronal excitability efficiently.
Chemical reaction in microemulsions

Abstract Microemulsions are colloidal dispersions consisting of monodisperse droplets of oil in water (o/w) or water in oil (w/o) ranging from about 8-80nm in diameter. These clear, stable fluids contain a high disperse phase volume fraction and a large amount of oil-water interfacial area. In recent years these media have been applied to the study of chemical reactions between oil and water soluble species. Although microemulsions with both oil and water continuous phases have been employed, studies in o/w systems will be emphasized. The chemical processes investigated include acid-base reactions, the formation of metalloporphyrins and other complex ions, and the hydrolysis of esters, as well as some photochemical and electrochemical reactions. Comparisons with similar processes in simple micellar systems are made, and both the similarities and unique differences between micelles and microemulsions are discussed.
Inhibitors of Cell Migration that Inhibit Intracellular Paxillin/α4 Binding: A Well-Documented Use of Positional Scanning Libraries

Abstract Screening combinatorial libraries for inhibition of Paxillin binding to the cytoplasmic tail of the integrin α4 provided the first inhibitors of this protein-protein interaction implicated in enhanced rates of cell migration and chronic inflammation. The preparation of substructure analogs of the lead identified features required for activity, those available for modification, and those that may be removed. The most potent lead structure was shown to inhibit α 4 β 1 -mediated human Jurkat T cell migration in a dose-dependent manner, validating the intracellular Paxillin/α4 interaction as a useful and unique target for therapeutic intervention. Moreover, the lead structure emerged from a library that was prepared in two formats: (1) a traditional small mixture format composed of 100 mixtures of 10 compounds and (2) a positional scanning library. Their parallel testing provided the rare opportunity to critically compare two approaches.
Effect of Temperature-Dependent Electrical Conductivity on Transport Processes in Magnetosolidmechanics

The effect of temperature-dependent electrical conductivity on transport processes for a solid block is analyzed on the basis of a one-dimensional steady-state model under specified thermal boundary conditions. Assumptions are that the solid has an infinitely segmented electrode configuration, the magnetic field (By) may be resolved into a constant applied field and an induced field, the gradient of the electrochemical potential is equal to the electrostatic potential, a constant potential difference is applied externally across each pair of opposite electrodes, and all material properties except electrical conductivity are constant. Conductivity is expressed in normalized form in terms of a baseline conductivity and a constant for the material. The application of the assumptions of the model to the general phenomenological relations yields the governing equations. Solution of these equations gives the distribution of temperature, electric current density, and magnetic field strength along the length of the solid. It is shown that significant differences exist between the case for constant electrical conductivity and the case where electrical conductivity is temperature dependent.
Coculture of bladder urothelial and smooth muscle cells on small intestinal submucosa: potential applications for tissue engineering technology.

Purpose: Small intestinal submucosa is a xenogenic, acellular, collagen rich membrane with inherent growth factors that has previously been shown to promote in vivo bladder regeneration. We evaluate in vitro use of small intestinal submucosa to support the individual and combined growth of bladder urothelial cells and smooth muscle cells for potential use in tissue engineering techniques, and in vitro study of the cellular mechanisms involved in bladder regeneration.Materials and Methods: Primary cultures of human bladder urothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were established using standard enzymatic digestion or explant techniques. Cultured cells were then seeded on small intestinal submucosa at a density of 1 × 105 cells per cm.2, incubated and harvested at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. The 5 separate culture methods evaluated were urothelial cells seeded alone on the mucosal surface of small intestinal submucosa, smooth muscle cells seeded alone on the mucosal surface, layered coculture of smooth muscle cel...
POLAROGRAPHIC DETECTION OF AN ENDOGENOUS REDUCTANT GENERATED DURING FLASH ILLUMINATION OF CHLOROPLASTS

— A Joliot-type polarographic electrode with the platinum surface biased 200 mV positive with respect to the Ag/AgCl junction was found to give a signal upon flash illumination of chloroplasts. The presence of either methyl viologen or ferricyanide as electron acceptors greatly enhanced the positivebias signal. By varying the electrode bias, a polarogram is obtained of this positive-bias signal. A half-wave reduction potential of 340 mV indicates that this signal is not due directly to superoxide (O-2) nor the direct interaction of reduced methyl viologen or ferrocyanide with the electrode. Instead, the reduced exogenous acceptors act as intermediates in the generation of superoxide, and superoxide reduces an unidentified acceptor which is endogenous to chloroplasts, has a 340 mV redox potential, and gives rise to the positive bias polarographic signal. The extent of intersystem electron carrier oxidation can be changed by varying electrode bias with ferricyanide present. As the platinum is made more positive than 250 mV with respect to the Ag/AgCl junction, P700 becomes largely oxidized during 5 min dark adaptation.