cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Array of plasmonic particles enabling optical near-field concentration: A nonlinear inverse scattering design approach

The main idea of this paper is to design an array of core-shell plasmonic nanoparticles manipulating a desired near-field focusing pattern in optical spectrum. The interactions between the array elements are formulated by using dyadic Green's function analysis and by employing the closed-form formula for electric polarizability of each plasmonic particle (dipolar mode approach). The point-matching technique is applied to optimize the plasmonic-array field performance as close as to the desired near-field pattern. The final equation for finding the polarizability of each element will be a system of nonlinear equations that can be solved successfully by Levenberg-Marquardt technique. Controlling the inner and outer radii of each element using magnitude and phase contours of polarizability demonstrates a near-field subwavelength concentration. The accuracy of our theoretical model is successfully compared with a full-wave numerical analysis using CST commercial software. Interesting physical features for the optical near-field engineering are illustrated.
Zolpidem-induced changes in activity, metabolism, and anxiety in rats

Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor modulators constitute the majority of clinically relevant sedative-hypnotics. Zolpidem (Ambien) is a nonbenzodiazepine GABA-A receptor modulator that binds with high affinity to GABA-A receptors expressing alpha-1 subunits. The present study examined the effects of a new approach to the oral administration of zolpidem on locomotor activity, body weight, food intake, relative food intake, feed efficiency, anxiety, and visceral adiposity in rats. Effects of withdrawal associated with cessation of the drug were also recorded. A daily chronically administered oral 10 mg/kg dose of zolpidem caused a decrease in locomotor activity, an increase in food intake and relative food intake, and a more positive feed efficiency during the drug-administration period. Anxiety and visceral adiposity also increased in animals receiving the drug. During withdrawal of zolpidem, there was a decrease in body weight, food intake, relative food intake, and anxiety, as well as a negative feed efficiency. These results suggest that zolpidem can modulate locomotor activity, metabolism, and anxiety-related behavior. A highly positive feed efficiency and increased visceral adiposity associated with zolpidem intake were unique findings of this study.
Social actors, cultural capital, and the state: The standardization of bank accounting classification and terminology in early twentieth-century China

Abstract In 1920 the Shanghai Bankers Association launched an initiative to standardize Chinese bank accounting classification and terminology, which in 1924 led to the first standard terminology that was gradually adopted by all Chinese banks. This paper examines that neglected experience by employing a framework informed by Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice. We delineate the relations among foreign banks, Chinese modern banks, and native banks in the field of Chinese banking; explore the habitus of modern bankers that motivated the standardization initiative; and analyze how the initiative accrued cultural capital and social legitimacy to modern bankers and how social actors’ interaction with the state determined the interaction among them, resulting in the domination of modern banks in the field and the domination of the state over the field.
Storage-phosphor computed radiography versus film radiography in the detection of pathologic periradicular bone loss in cadavers.

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this study was to compare D-speed film, E-speed film, and the Soredex Digora system with respect to the detection of periradicular pathosis. Study Design. Radiographic images of 100 cadaver jaws were made with E-speed film, D-speed film, and the Soredex Digora. Each set of 100 images was interpreted by four observers, with 30 days separating each of three viewing sessions from the next. The presence or absence of pathologic (inflammatory) periradicular bone resorption was determined by histologic examination of the samples. The observer performance was compared with the true histologic findings and evaluated with receiver operating characteristic and corrected receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results. No statistically significant differences were found in diagnostic performance among the three radiographic techniques. In addition, no imaging technique was a good indicator of pathosis as determined by histologic analysis. Conclusion. Under the conditions of this study, it was determined that D-speed film, E-speed film, and the Soredex Digora were equivalent diagnostic imaging modalities with regard to the detection of pathologic periradicular bone resorption. No technique predictably indicated inflammatory resorption.
Sulfur chemistry in dense interstellar clouds

A model is presented for the gas phase chemistry of molecules containing sulfur in dense interstellar clouds. The sulfur chemistry is different from that used in previous models as a result of an extensive search of the recent literature and the availability of new laboratory data. The changes have a significant effect on the calculated abundance of sulfur compounds. The linked chemistry of sulfur and oxygen in the present model requires a severe depletion of sulfur and low fractional abundances of both O and O2 in the dense clouds. In contrast, the high abundance of SO and the low abundance of CS relative to SO in the HVS in the KL may indicate an oxygen-rich, high temperature environment compared to OMC-1. The formation of S-H bonds is slow because of the absence of radiative association between S(+) and H2. The present model underestimates the abundance of H2S unless a radiative association reaction between HS(+) and H2 is postulated.
Single carrier transmission with two-stage overlap frequency domain equalisation for long-haul optical systems

Two-stage overlap frequency domain equalisation (OFDE) is proposed to compensate for chromatic dispersion and polarisation mode dispersion in practical long-haul optical systems. The transmission performance of 25 Gbit/s coherent optical single carrier transmission (SC) with two-stage OFDE is evaluated. The results show that SC using two-stage OFDE attains the Q factor of 11.4 dB over 4320 km of singlemode fibre using 16-point FFT for demodulation.
CMR films structure as a function of growth and processing

Abstract Among the family encompassed by the complex metal oxides are the colossal magneto-resistive perovskites with potential applications in advanced high density magnetic data storage and sensor devices based on single or multilayers of these materials fabricated by vapor phase deposition methods. Realization of this potential requires solving basic thin film fabrication problems coupled to understanding the resulting structure-properties relationships. The specific objectives addressed in this study were to determine the dependence of growth and transport properties: (1) reproducibility on the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) target, (2) on sputter deposition chamber gas and substrate, and (3) on a post-deposition anneal in a reducing atmosphere. Toward these ends, we have grown La 0.67 Ca 0.33 MnO 3 films on perovskite substrates by PLD and RF off-axis sputter deposition from stoichiometric targets at temperatures from 400 to 900°C. The PLD films were grown from a new commercial target and post-deposition annealed in O 2 to reproduce, for comparison, the conditions used previously for the films grown with an in-house fabricated target. The sputter deposited films were grown in both ArO 2 mixed and Ar-only atmospheres, some grown simultaneously on different substrates; one ArO 2 grown film was post-annealed in a reducing atmosphere. Microstructures were studied by scanning probe microscopies and temperature-dependent transport properties by 4-point resistance measurements. Previously we reported on characterization of the T substrate ( T s )-dependent microstructure of PLD as-deposited and post-annealed films grown from an in-house fabricated target. Annealed films grown from the new commercial target exhibited improved consistency in T -dependent transport and magnetization properties, independent of growth temperature. None of the as-grown sputter deposited films grown in the ArO 2 mixture exhibited a metallic transition while those grown in Ar-only at T s > 800°C had a range of transition temperatures between 110 and 180 K. The variation in substrate-dependent structure demonstrated again the sensitivity of growth mechanism to template. Finally, the 500°C film grown in the ArO 2 mixture, went from insulating at all T 's to exhibiting a 215°C metallic transition after the reducing anneal treatment.
Examination of the effect of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators on health-related quality of life: based on results from the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Trial-II.

Background While implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) improve survival, their benefit in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is negligible.
Identifying Barriers to Self‐employment: The Development and Validation of the Barriers to Entrepreneurship Success Tool

ABSTRACT The present study sought to add to our knowledge about forces that negatively affect an individual's decision to start a business by identifying barriers they encounter. By identifying barriers to starting a business, we stand to learn much about how an individual identifies, confronts, and responds to decisions which may seem to be beyond their control. Such data will be instrumental in developing practical applications for helpingindividuals overcome unresolved barriers that potentially prevent them from starting a business. An instrument was developed utilizing factor analysis and yielded a six-barrier construct. The barriers identified in this study were: lack of confidence, personal problems, lack of skills, start-up logistics, financial needs and time constraints. In addition, the instrument was also administered to a test group of new entrepreneurs participating in a training program to determine pre- and post-test intervention effects. The study concludes with suggestions for further development of the BEST tool as well as practical applications for program planners.
Genetic selection for breast width, in a strain of Rhode Island Reds.

Abstract THERE are two basic reasons for attempting to breed poultry with a greater breast width. One is to increase the amount of breast meat and the other is to improve the appearance of the carcass by making it less angular. This problem has been under study for ten years or more by a number of investigators. Several methods for measuring breast width have been proposed. These include the ratio of shank length to the cube root of body weight (Jaap and his associates, 1938, 1939, 1941), subjective grades (Knox and Marsden, 1944, and others), breast width at one-fifth full body depth (Bird, 1945, 1948, and El-Ibiary and Jull, 1948) and the width at varying distances from the apex of a tracing of breast conformation obtained with a lead tape (Asmundson, 1944Asmundson, 1945Asmundson, 1948, and others). None of the methods has proved entirely satisfactory. The lead tape procedure, however, has given . . .
Overview of compendial standards for solid oral dosage forms

AbstractCompendial standards define acceptable articles at the time of use, in contrast to process control and product release strategies. The establishment of drug names and the setting of requirements for identity, strength, quality, purity, packaging, storage, and labeling are addressed by compendial standards. Because the solid oral dosage forms of drugs are used most frequently in drug therapy, it is crucial to examine how the attributes of these forms affect the development of quality standards. Compendial selections of tests for identity, dose uniformity, dissolution/disintegration, and limits and of assays to confirm content are surveyed in this article. Also discussed are the packaging and storage standards established by the compendia and the relationships between drug names and labeling requirements.
Large piezoresistivity phenomenon in SiCN–(La,Sr)MnO3 composites

We present the results on SiCN–(La,Sr)MnO3 (LSMO) composites correlating the observed large piezoresistance behavior with the microstructural features and defect chemistry. Scanning electron microscopy characterization revealed the presence of self-assembled periodic microvalleys in the microstructure with width of 1–5 μm and depth of 600–1000 nm. The microvalleys act as stress concentration points providing change in volume with applied stress. High resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements conducted on composites showed that LSMO grains consist of SiCN phase but no inclusions were observed.
Internal quality of Russet Burbank potatoes following chilling

Russet Burbank potatoes were chilled at 25 F (−3.8 C), 27.5 F (−2.5 C), or 30 F (−1.1 C) for various periods of time and were then held at 45 F (7.2 C) for one or four weeks before testing. Susceptibility to injury was quite variable between the two crops and among tubers of the same lot exposed to the same treatment. The greatest amount of low temperature breakdown occurred in tubers chilled at 27.5 F (−2.5 C) for 10 hours. Flesh color, reducing sugar content, mealiness, and amount of sloughing in tubers that survived chilling were not markedly different from those in control samples although certain trends were observed indicating that the quality of chilled tubers was beginning to deteriorate. Chilling increased yellowness of flesh color in most treatments and darkness in several. Chilled tubers had a reducing sugar content slightly to moderately higher than the controls. They sloughed less than the controls and tended to be less mealy
A laboratory evaluation of antibiotic therapy for ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Purpose The emergence of ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) has created a new therapeutic challenge in ophthalmology. We evaluated ophthalmic antibiotics in vitro and in a rabbit keratitis model to determine effective therapy. Design Experimental laboratory investigation. Methods The susceptibilities of 12 CRPA isolates were determined in vitro for amikacin, ceftazidime, tobramycin, polymyxin B, gentamicin, ticarcillin, and the fluoroquinolones (that is, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, and moxifloxacin) using E-tests and National Committee of Clinical Laboratory Standards. A rabbit keratitis model was used to determine the reduction in colony counts of CRPA and ciprofloxacin-susceptible P. aeruginosa (CSPA) isolates following topical treatment with polymyxin B/trimethoprim, tobramycin (14 mg/ml), ceftazidime (50 mg/ml), and ciprofloxacin (3 mg/ml). Results For 12 CRPA isolates, the susceptibilities and median minimum inhibitory concentrations ([MIC]μg/ml) were as follows: amikacin (92%, 14.0), ceftazidime (75%, 4.0), tobramycin (67%, 1.75), polymyxin B (42%, 7.0), gentamicin (17%, 7.0), ticarcillin (0%, >32.0), and all fluoroquinolones (0%, >32.0). While no antibiotic regimen reduced colony counts in the time frame of the animal model for CRPA, ciprofloxacin alone demonstrated a significant decrease in colony counts for CSPA. Comparing CRPA with CSPA, both tobramycin and ciprofloxacin demonstrated a significant decrease in colony counts for CSPA. Conclusion Our laboratory studies suggest that current antibiotics may be suboptimal in treating CRPA keratitis. Until new antibiotics are available, combination therapy such as fortified tobramycin and ticarcillin, and others may prove effective in aggressive topical long-term therapy.
Dimension distortion of hyperbolically convex maps

In this note, we provide an answer to a question of D. Mejia and Chr. Pommerenke, by constructing a hyperbolically convex subdomain G of the unit disc D so that the conformal map from D to G maps a set of dimension 0 on ∂D to a set of dimension 1.
Sulfur isotope fractionation in the Pb-S system

Abstract Sulfur isotope fractionation among phases of the Pb-S system was investigated by silica tube experiments. Strong kinetic effects were observed when Pb reacts with S to form PbS. The difference in reaction rates of 32 S and 34 S gives lead sulfide enriched in the light S-isotope. The most pronounced effect was recorded at the moment when all Pb had reacted. After establishment of phase equilibrium a period of sulfur isotope homogenization follows and an equilibrium fractionation factor of 1.0025 results at 300°C. Isotopic equilibrium at this temperature was reached three orders of magnitude more slowly than was phase equilibrium. The reaction rate of isotope homogenization is strongly dependent on temperature and is for instance 100 times faster at 500°C than at 400°C. Experiments showed that natural galena rapidly exchanges its sulfur with sulfur vapor. Galenas in ore may exchange isotopes with vapors or gases that contain sulfur and lose their initial isotope ratios.
Selective reduction of yeast transfer ribonucleic acid with sodium borohydride

A method for the selective reduction of dihydrouridine in transfer RNA from yeast has been developed. The chemistry of the reaction, which uses sodium borohydride as a reducing agent, was studied with dihydrouracil, dihydrouridine and dihydrouridine-2′(3′)-phosphate as starting materials. 3-Ureidopropane-1-ol, N-ribosyl-3-ureidopropane-1-ol and N-(2′(3′)-phosphorylribosyl)-3-ureidopropane-1-ol, respectively, were proved to be the major reduction products by spectral and chemical evidence. 3-Ureidopropane-1-ol was also synthesized by an independent route. In nucleotide mixtures and in yeast transfer RNA, dihydrouridine was reduced with sodium borohydride with high selectivity. The major nucleotides, pseudouridine and glucosyl-2-thiouridine, were found to be inert towards the reducing agent. N4-Acetyl-cytidine was reduced to N1-ribosyl-N4acetyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydrocytidine and 4-thiouridine to N-ribosyl-2-oxohexahydropyrimidine under the conditions used for the reduction of RNA.
The effects of progesterone and its metabolites on the induction of sexual receptivity in rats

Estrogen-primed female rats were administered progesterone, 5 a-pregnan-3,20-dione, 5a-pregnan-3a-ol-20-one, 5a-pregnan-3β-ol-20-one, 4-pregnen-20a-ol-3-one, and 5a-pregnan-20a-ol-3-one in oil or oil alone and tested for the display of lordosis behavior 3 and 5 hr after progestin treatment. Progesterone was the most effective progestin in facilitating lordosis behavior. 5a-Pregnan- 3,20-dione and 5a-pregnan-3a-ol-20-one were partially effective, while the other progestins were no more effective than oil. The data suggest that the neuronal system which controls lordosis behavior is not entirely specific for progesterone.
Key establishment for layered group-based Wireless Sensor Networks

Establishing pairwise keys for sensors is crucial to secure communications in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Several key pre-distribution schemes have been proposed to establish pairwise keys, but they are not scalable and suffer from a dramatic degradation of security when the number of compromised sensor exceeds a threshold. In this paper, we propose a Layered Group-based Key Establishment (LGKE) scheme, in which a logic top layer ensures the scalability through an Exclusion Basic System (EBS) technique while a logic low layer adopts a group-based key preload scheme to ensure the security. The security analysis and quantitative evaluation show the superiority of LGKE with regard to scalability, resilience, robustness and communication overhead.
Asymmetric induction in the nucleophile addition to η6-arene-tricarbonyl-chromium(0) complexes

Abstract The addition of 2-lithio-2-methylpropionitrile ( 1 ) to chirally modified η 6 -arene-tricarbonylchromium complexes ( 5 ) leads to the formation of 2-(cyclohex-2-en-1-on-5-yl)-2-methylpropionitrile ( 4 ) in good yields and, under thermodynamically controlled conditions, with up to 48% ee.
Long-term effects of neonatal methamphetamine exposure in rats on spatial learning in the Barnes maze and on cliff avoidance, corticosterone release,and neurotoxicity in adulthood

Methamphetamine (MA) is a commonly abused stimulant and because of its addictive properties, abusers may not cease use during pregnancy, thereby exposing the fetus to the drug. The consequences of such exposure remain largely unknown however data from animal models show that long-term deficits in spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze (MWM) occur. In this study we explored the spatial learning ability of rats treated four times daily with MA (5 mg/kg/dose) during the sensitive period for induction of MWM deficits, postnatal days (P) 11-20, using a different maze. In adulthood the animals were tested in a non-swimming spatial task, the Barnes maze, using either aversive (bright light) or appetitive (food reward) motivation. Approximately 30 days after behavioral testing, the pituitary and adrenal response to forced swim was assessed and susceptibility to MA-induced neurotoxicity measured. MA-treated animals tested in the aversive, but not the appetitive, version of the Barnes maze demonstrated spatial learning deficits. An attenuated corticosterone response in MA-treated animals was observed following forced swimming, however no differences in ACTH were found. Following acute MA administration in adulthood to all animals, the neonatally MA-treated animals displayed longer latencies to fall from a cliff than neonatally saline-treated rats given the same acute MA dose. This effect supports previous data showing hypoactivity in neonatally MA-treated animals. Acute MA treatment caused comparable striatal monoamine depletions in all groups, although females treated with MA as neonates displayed increased basal levels of corticosterone three days after the acute dose. These data demonstrate that MA administration during the neonatal period impairs spatial learning in an aversive non-swimming task and alters the adrenal response to a forced swim stressor, suggesting that the adrenal output during learning may contribute to the spatial learning deficits.
A compact design of a temperature gradient furnace for synchrotron microradiography

A compact, convenient and economic design of a temperature gradient furnace for synchrotron microradiography is described. The thermal control of the furnace, in terms of cooling rate and temperature gradient, was achieved by programmable temperature controllers, and provided necessary thermal conditions for real time observations of dendritic solidification in real alloys. The experiments at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) demonstrate that the design is well suited to the melting and solidification of alloys with liquidus temperatures up to intermediate ranges (≈650 °C), such as aluminium alloys. Real time observations with this furnace of dendritic solidification in Al–25 wt% Cu alloy by synchrotron microradiography show interesting and promising results.
On an interval splitting problem

Let X1, X2,…, be i.i.d. random variables, which are uniformly distributed on [0,1]. Further let I1(0) = [0, 1] and let Ik(n) denote the kth largest interval generated by the points 0, X1, X2,…, Xn−1, 1 (or equivalently, the interval corresponding to the kth largest spacing at the nth stage). This note studies the question for which classes of sequences k = k(n), will the interval Ik(n)(n) be hit (a.s.) only finitely often, as well as infinitely often.
Stage Specific Lymph Node Metastasis Mapping in Radical Cystectomy Specimens

ABSTRACTPurpose: We provide an accurate map of lymph node (LN) metastasis in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection.Materials and Methods: We analyzed data on 176 consecutive patients operated on by the same surgeon. The extent of node dissection included presacral, bilateral common iliac and pelvic, and perivesical. The number of LNs removed from each site and the number of metastases bearing nodes were recorded separately. Stage specific maps were constructed.Results: The median number of LNs removed was 25 (range 2 to 80). Metastases were found in the lymph nodes of 43 patients (24.4%) and the median number of positive nodes was 3 (range 1 to 63). Of these patients 22 (51%) had lymph node involvement at more than 1 site. The mean number of positive/total LNs sampled ± SD in LN positive cases was 26% ± 28% and the median was 13% (range 1.9 to 100%). Only 1 of the patients with pT1 (3.6%) had LN metastases, which was in the pelvic region. Only 2 of the...
Effective assessment of mobile communication networks performance with clustering and neural modeling

In this paper, we present the core network model of universal mobile telecommunication system with calls that belong to one of four service classes and arrive randomly. Arriving calls are granted service based on specific service class, required maximum and minimum bandwidth, and available network resources. Performance of priority-based dynamic capacity allocation, suitable for the wireless ATM system is analyzed. Scheduling of the ATM cell transmission in each time division multiple access frame for the uplink is based on a priority scheme. Blocking probability and throughput parameters for bandwidth sharing policy are considered, and partial overlap link is implemented. The clustering procedure for the mobile communication networks performance assessment is developed where the blocking probability and throughput measurements are introduced with two-dimensional Markov reward model enhanced with vector quantification and neural modeling. The link occupancy probability distribution is optimized using neural network that was trained on the base of Kohonen rules. Simulation and numerical results are shown.
Footprinting of mammalian promoters: use of a CpG DNA methyltransferase revealing nucleosome positions at a single molecule level

Promoters are molecular 'modules', which are con- trolled as individual entities yet are often analyzed by nuclease digestion methodologies which, a priori, destroy this modularity. About 40% of mammalian genes contain CpG islands in their promoters and 15 exonic regions, which are normally unmethylated. We developed a footprinting strategy to map the chromatin structure at unmethylated CpG islands by treatment of isolated nuclei with the CpG- specific DNA methyltransferase SssI (M.SssI), fol- 20 lowed by genomic bisulfite sequencing of individual progeny DNA molecules. This gave single molecule resolution over the promoter region and allowed for the physical linkage between binding sites on individual promoter molecules to be maintained. 25 Comparison of the p16 promoters in two human cell lines, J82 and LD419, expressing the p16 gene at 25-fold different levels showed that the two cell lines contain remarkably different, heterogeneously positioned nucleosomes over the promoter region, 30 which were not distinguishable by standard methods using nucleases. Our high resolution approach gives a 'digitized' visualization of each promoter providing information regarding nucleosome occupancy and may be utilized to define transcription factor binding 35 and chromatin remodeling.
The growth of gravity-capillary waves in a coupled shear flow

The growth rates and phase speeds of gravity-capillary wind waves are investigated through numerical solution of a linear, viscous, coupled, shear-flow perturbation model. Numerical results are obtained by transforming the boundary-value problem of a perturbed mean laminar shear flow into a matrix-eigenvalue problem using standard finite-difference methods.Detailed calculations are performed for a basic state composed of a logarithmic-linear mean flow profile in the air and a linear-logarithmic mean flow profile in the water. We exclude turbulent Reynolds stresses. Calculated growth rates show excellent agreement with corresponding experimental growth rates. This implies that the initial growth of gravity-capillary wind waves is almost certainly due to the instability of the coupled laminar shear flow in the air and water.The investigation also demonstrates that the shear flow in the water cannot be ignored in wave growth studies, since the usual 3-4%, highly sheared, wind-induced surface drift produces a significant increase in the growth of wind-generated gravity-capillary waves.
Medical Care Prices in the United States: Private Dominion and the Relative-Value Scale

ABSTRACT: Medical care in the US is priced by commercial forces. The forces are not free-market, but rather are controlled and owned by specific private entities. The legally-mandated method to set medical care prices (the Relative Value Scale) mandates the use of specific, privately-owned commercial billing tools. Prices, and a pricing method, ultimately direct what kinds of medical care is available in the US, and the existing structure values less-needed and inappropriate care above needed shortage care. The pricing method’s origin, its designers’ market biases, and its use to enforce a specific private locus of control are examined. A critical perspective on the sanctioned scale’s validity, its consequences for US medical care services, and exclusive control by a specific technocratic elite are examined.
Two systems for targeted gene deletion in Coxiella burnetii

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii is a ubiquitous zoonotic bacterial pathogen and the cause of human acute Q fever, a disabling influenza-like illness. C. burnetii9s former obligate intracellular nature significantly impeded the genetic characterization of putative virulence factors. However, recent host cell-free (axenic) growth of the organism has enabled development of shuttle vector, transposon, and inducible gene expression technologies, with targeted gene inactivation remaining an important challenge. In the present study, we describe two methods for generating targeted gene deletions in C. burnetii that exploit pUC/ColE1 ori-based suicide plasmids encoding sacB for positive selection of mutants. As proof of concept, C. burnetii dotA and dotB, encoding structural components of the type IVB secretion system (T4BSS), were selected for deletion. The first method exploited Cre-lox-mediated recombination. Two suicide plasmids carrying different antibiotic resistance markers and a loxP site were integrated into 5′ and 3′ flanking regions of dotA. Transformation of this strain with a third suicide plasmid encoding Cre recombinase resulted in the deletion of dotA under sucrose counterselection. The second method utilized a loop-in/loop-out strategy to delete dotA and dotB. A single suicide plasmid was first integrated into 5′ or 3′ target gene flanking regions. Resolution of the plasmid cointegrant by a second crossover event under sucrose counterselection resulted in gene deletion that was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot. ΔdotA and ΔdotB mutants failed to secrete T4BSS substrates and to productively infect host cells. The repertoire of C. burnetii genetic tools now allows ready fulfillment of molecular Koch9s postulates for suspected virulence genes.
Influence of Ovine Milk in Mixture with Bovine Milk on the Quality of Reduced Fat Muenster-Type Cheese

Abstract Reduced fat Muenster-type cheeses were manufactured from a mixture of bovine skim milk and ovine whole milk and from bovine milk only (control). Cheeses were evaluated at 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 d of age for numbers and type of microflora, casein hydrolysis, and amounts of free fatty acids. α s1 -Casein degradation was similar for both cheeses during the aging period, but β -casein degradation proceeded at a faster rate in the control cheese. The total amounts of free fatty acids remained constant throughout the ripening time; however, the cheeses produced with bovine/ovine milk yielded a significantly larger amount of caprylic (C 8:0 ) and capric (C 10:0 ) acids compared with the bovine milk cheeses. Lactobacilli increased during the aging period, while the populations of lactic acid bacteria, yeast and molds, and lipolytic organisms did not increase. Both cheeses had comparable cheese flavor intensity, but the bovine/ovine milk cheese had a greater occurrence of off flavors. The bovine/ovine milk cheeses were firmer than the bovine cheeses throughout the aging period.
The Coase Theorem and patient safety.

Coiera and Braithwaite1 suggest a daring new “market-based” strategy to improve patient safety (see page 99) . Their cap and trade idea is predicated on the assumption that some level of preventable adverse events in health care is appropriate but that the level of adverse events should be set by balancing the harms produced by the adverse events and the cost of avoiding them. Recognising that the costs of avoiding adverse events may vary across settings, they suggest that a cap and trade system could be used to make healthcare providers (or the systems they work for) pay for the harm resulting from those adverse events through a system in which they must pay for the right to produce (or have produced) those adverse events at a price that would be set by a market based on an agreed upon amount of adverse events for the system as a whole. The attractive aspect of the logic of the system they propose, like the cap and trade system for pollutants, is that those entities best suited to reduce errors at low cost would have incentives to do so, while those entities that find it most costly to reduce errors would not spend an excessive amount of resources attempting to eliminate them. From this perspective, the proposed system would seem to be attractive because it would be expected to produce the agreed upon level of error at the lowest cost. Unfortunately, regardless of any attraction of the proposal from that perspective, a variety of fundamental challenges arise. First, setting the right level of errors would be exceptionally difficult. Presumably, the …
Selective W for Coating and Releasing MEMS Devices

Two major problems associated with Si-based MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) devices are stiction and wear. Surface modifications are needed to reduce both adhesion and friction in micromechanical structures to solve these problems. In this paper, we will present a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process that selectively coats MEMS devices with tungsten and significantly enhances device durability. Tungsten CVD is used in the integrated-circuit industry, which makes this approach manufacturable. This selective deposition process results in a very conformal coating and can potentially address both stiction and wear problems confronting MEMS processing. The selective deposition of tungsten is accomplished through the silicon reduction of WF6. The self-limiting nature of this selective W deposition process ensures the consistency necessary for process control. The tungsten is deposited after the removal of the sacrificial oxides to minimize stress and process integration problems. Tungsten coating adheres well and is hard and conducting, requirements for device performance. Furthermore, since the deposited tungsten infiltrates under adhered silicon parts and the volume of W deposited is less than the amount of Si consumed, it appears to be possible to release stuck parts that are contacted over small areas such as dimples. The wear resistance of selectively coated W parts has been shown to be significantly improved on microengine test structures.
Phylogenetic Characterization of a Mixed Microbial Community Capable of Degrading Carbon Tetrachloride

Two bacterial communities (NO92 and GBS) capable of degrading carbon tetrachloride (CT) were enriched from in-house CT-contaminated water. These communities are able to degrade CT in the presence of toluene. To characterize the community structure and diversity, one enrichment (NO92) was subjected to 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene-based molecular analysis. The 16S rRNA genes were amplified from the bulk genomic community DNA and cloned into plasmid vectors. Unique 16S rRNA gene clones, i.e., phylotypes, were detected by four tetrameric restriction enzymes. Together, 123 16S rRNA gene clones were obtained; thirty-one showed different restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns. About 73% of the clones belong to two dominant RFLP patterns. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of 10 major phylotypes showed that all the phylotypes that were sequenced were affiliated with the high G+C Gram-positive bacteria. Whereas seven of the phylotypes (∼80% of the clones) were closely related to Rhodococcus, the other three (∼5% of the clones) were related to Curtobacterium. These results suggest that this CT-degrading community is diverse but is predominated by closely related bacterial groups.
A comprehensive risk assessment of mortality following donation after cardiac death liver transplant – An analysis of the national registry

Background & Aims Organ scarcity has resulted in increased utilization of donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors. Prior analysis of patient survival following DCD liver transplantation has been restricted to single institution cohorts and a limited national experience. We compared the current national experience with DCD and DBD livers to better understand survival after transplantation. Methods We compared 1113 DCD and 42,254 DBD recipients from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients database between 1996 and 2007. Patient survival was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier methodology and Cox regression. Results DCD recipients experienced worse patient survival compared to DBD recipients ( p 0.001). One and 3year survival was 82% and 71% for DCD compared to 86% and 77% for DBD recipients. Moreover, DCD recipients required re-transplantation more frequently (DCD 14.7% vs. DBD 6.8%, p 0.001), and re-transplantation survival was markedly inferior to survival after primary transplant irrespective of graft type. Amplification of mortality risk was observed when DCD was combined with cold ischemia time >12h (HR=1.81), shared organs (HR=1.69), recipient hepatocellular carcinoma (HR=1.80), recipient age >60years (HR=1.92), and recipient renal insufficiency (HR=1.82). Conclusions DCD recipients experience significantly worse patient survival after transplantation. This increased risk of mortality is comparable in magnitude to, but often exacerbated by other well-established risk predictors. Utilization decisions should carefully consider DCD graft risks in combination with these other factors.
Emotions, Coping Strategies, and Performance: A Conceptual Framework for Defining Affect-Related Performance Zones

This article presents the crisis theory (Bar Eli & Tenenbaum, 1989) and its related approach for determining individual affect-related performance zones (IAPZ: Kamata, Tenenbaum, & Hanin, 2002). The theory and methodology delineate the uniqueness of each individual's ability to appraise stressful conditions and perceive them as functional or dysfunctional to his performance. In addition, the theory and methodology allow incorporating self-regulatory behaviors and coping strategies used during the encounter with situations, which vary in stress appraisal. The article also describes coping mechanisms used to energize (i.e., activate) and relax persons facing situations that vary in cognitive, physical, and affective demands. In particular, the use of imagery and self-talk as coping strategies in stressful situations are presented in more details. Since performance of military personnel involves substantially stressful circumstances (Wallenius, Larsson, & Johansson, 2004), the article advises how sport psych...
Spousal support in a behavior change intervention for cholesterol management.

Abstract Objective To evaluate spousal involvement in a nurse-led intervention for patients with high cholesterol in which patients set health goals and spouses learned support strategies. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 patients and 26 spouses who received the intervention during a trial. Interviews were stratified by patient LDL-C change (better, same, worse). Coded text was content analyzed, and organized into thematic matrices, with columns indicating individuals (spouse or patient) and rows indicating dyads. Results Patients and spouses reported no drawbacks to spousal involvement; some patients whose LDL-C did not improve wanted more focus on spouse health. Spouses said that the nurse's expertise and interest were helpful and they were better able to communicate with patients about health. Although the program helped couples work together, spouses with better or same LDL-C talked more about functioning as a unit, whereas those whose partners had worse LDL-C talked more about functioning as individuals. Conclusion Although the spousal role was accepted, there were variations in level of involvement. More active spousal involvement might relate to better patient outcomes. For less involved spouses, more focus on their health may improve commitment or involvement. Practice implications These findings can inform ways to generate spousal support in future trials.
A new interleaved forward converter with inherent demagnetizing feature

A new forward converter with natural magnetizing reset and interleaved parallel-connection features is proposed in this paper, the theoretical analysis indicates that by using the auxiliary diodes and unique architecture, the proposed forward converter can realize natural magnetizing reset, all leakage and magnetizing energies in the transformers can be recycled, and the voltage stress on each switch is clamped at V/sub in/ in addition, parallel connection of transformer, the output rectifier and filters can distribute power losses and thermal stresses of the transformers and semiconductors, and the interleaved operation can reduce the current ripple in output capacitors. All these features make the proposed forward converter suitable for the DC-DC converters with high input voltage, high output current, and high power density. The theoretical analysis is proved by a 200 W experimental prototype.
The Symphony Callable Library for Mixed Integer Programming

SYMPHONY is a customizable, open-source library for solving mixed-integer linear programs (MILP) by branch, cut, and price. With its large assortment of parameter settings, user callback functions, and compile-time options, SYMPHONY can be configured as a generic MILP solver or an engine for solving difficult MILPs by means of a fully customized algorithm. SYMPHONY can run on a variety of architectures, including single-processor, distributed-memory parallel, and shared-memory parallel architectures under MS Windows, Linux, and other Unix operating systems. The latest version is implemented as a callable library that can be accessed either through calls to the native C application program interface, or through a C++ interface class derived from the COIN-OR Open Solver Interface. Among its new features are the ability to solve bicriteria MILPs, the ability to stop and warm start MILP computations after modifying parameters or problem data, the ability to create persistent cut pools, and the ability to perform rudimentary sensitivity analysis on MILPs.
A dosimetry study of deuterium-deuterium neutron generator-based in vivo neutron activation analysis

A neutron irradiation cavity for in vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNAA) to detect manganese, aluminum, and other potentially toxic elements in human hand bone has been designed and its dosimetric specifications measured. The neutron source is a customized deuterium-deuterium neutron generator that produces neutrons at 2.45 MeV by the fusion reaction 2H(d, n)3He at a calculated flux of 7 AÂ 10(8) AÂ± 30% s(-1). A moderator/reflector/shielding [5 cm high density polyethylene (HDPE), 5.3 cm graphite and 5.7 cm borated (HDPE)] assembly has been designed and built to maximize the thermal neutron flux inside the hand irradiation cavity and to reduce the extremity dose and effective dose to the human subject. Lead sheets are used to attenuate bremsstrahlung x rays and activation gammas. A Monte Carlo simulation (MCNP6) was used to model the system and calculate extremity dose. The extremity dose was measured with neutron and photon sensitive film badges and Fuji electronic pocket dosimeters (EPD). The neutron ambient dose outside the shielding was measured by Fuji NSN3, and the photon dose was measured by a Bicron MicroREM scintillator. Neutron extremity dose was calculated to be 32.3 mSv using MCNP6 simulations given a 10-min IVNAA measurement of manganese. Measurements by EPD and film badge indicate hand dose to be 31.7 AÂ± 0.8 mSv for neutrons and 4.2 AÂ± 0.2 mSv for photons for 10 min; whole body effective dose was calculated conservatively to be 0.052 mSv. Experimental values closely match values obtained from MCNP6 simulations. These are acceptable doses to apply the technology for a manganese toxicity study in a human population.
Role of Interligand Coupling in Determining the Interfacial Electronic Structure of Colloidal CdS Quantum Dots

Displacement of cadmium oleate (Cd(oleate)2) ligands for the exciton-delocalizing ligand 4-hexylphenyldithiocarbamate (C6-PTC) on the surfaces of CdS quantum dots (QDs) causes a decrease in the band gap (Eg) of the QD of ∼100 meV for QDs with a radius of 1.9 nm and ∼50 meV for QDs with a radius of 2.5 nm. The primary mechanism of this decrease in band gap, deduced in previous work, is a decrease in the confinement barrier for the excitonic hole. The increase in apparent excitonic radius of the QD that corresponds to this decrease in Eg is denoted ΔR. The dependence of ΔR on the surface coverage of C6-PTC, measured by 1H NMR spectroscopy, appears to be nonlinear. Calculations of the excitonic energy of a CdS QD upon displacement of native insulating ligands with exciton-delocalizing ligands using a 3D spherical potential well model show that this response includes the contributions to ΔR from both isolated, bound C6-PTC ligands and groups of adjacent C6-PTC ligands. Fits to the experimental plots of ΔR vs ...
Effect of Dissolved Species from Crumb-rubber Modifier on Micromechanical Properties of Asphalt Binder

This study presents a correlation between the crumb-rubber modifier's (CRM) released components into the crumb-rubber-modified asphalt (CRMA) and the developed micro-mechanical properties of a thin asphalt layer. This simulates the behavior of thin asphalt layers formed around the aggregate during mixing of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). This study provides a link between the modified asphalt's change in intrinsic materials properties (elastic modulus and hardness) and the CRM released components. The CRM dissolution and component release were calculated by performing dissolution tests and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) on the extracted CRM particles after interaction with asphalt. The utilization of TGA tests confirmed that the change in the CRMA's hardness and elastic modulus was dependant on the dissolution and/or release of CRM components. It was found that the enhancement of CRMA micromechanical properties is attributable to the release of most of the CRM natural and synthetic rubber components under specific interaction conditions. At the early stage of interaction time, minimal release in CRM components results in minor enhancement in the CRMA hardness and elastic modulus. Upon the increase of interaction time (up to 8 hours), major enhancement is observed as a result of the release of most of the CRM components.