cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Concentric and Eccentric Training on H Reflex in Rat Gastrocnemius

Objective:To investigate the effects of different trainings on the characteristics of rat H reflex.Methods:72 SD rats were selected and divided into three groups with 24 for each randomly:the control group(C),the concentric group(EC) and the eccentric group(EE).The control group did not do any training.The concentric group took concentric training on a treadmill at 4° gradient.The eccentric group took eccentric training on a treadmill at-14° gradient.After 8 weeks training,the main parameters of H reflex in Rat right lateral gastrocnemius were collected.Results:The waves of Mmax in the EE were significantly greater than the waves in the EC and C group.Significant difference was also found in Hmax between EE and C.The result of the ratio Hmax/Mmax revealed that there were not significant differences among the three groups.However,the emerging time of Mmax wave and Hmax wave were significantly delayed in the EE compared to the EC and C.Conclusion:Different trainings have different effects on H reflex of rats.Especially after eccentric training,the adaptation of neuromuscular system of rats has been improved.
Normal Magnetic Resonance Imaging Anatomy of the Capsular Ligamentous Supporting Structures of the Knee

Recognition of the normal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearances of the capsular ligaments of the knee is of great importance. These ligaments contribute to stability of the knee joint and are frequently injured. In this article, we describe the normal MR imaging anatomy of the capsular ligaments of the knee including the lateral and medial collateral ligamentous complexes, the extensor mechanism, and the supporting ligamentous structures of the proximal tibiofibular joint. Normal MR imaging findings and important anatomic variants of the neurovascular structures of the knee are also described.
Review of Intervention to Reduce Spread of HIV Infection at Bageza in the MSH Pro Act Project

High level advocacy and behavioral change interventions was also carried out on the rd and th of October During their market days which yield some positive result as four others were tracked back to care with referral to GH Argungu
Looking Back: The Auditing of New Labour

So the big questions that remain to be settled are whether all this New Labour activity has been worthwhile, and whether in consequence New Labour is worth supporting. These are in essence simple questions, of course, but they are also ones whose importance precludes the giving of simple answers. Many people will answer them simply — that is the downside of a democratic process that allows prejudice and reason equal measure in the exercise of the vote — but in an electorate as sophisticated as the one that New Labour faces, the government will find itself in 2005/06, as it did in 2001, not simply tested but also tested rigorously, against its own targets and the targets set for it by its political opponents. And so it should, for if there is one feature of this government that marks it out from all previous UK governments, it is surely New Labour’s passion for performance indicators as the trigger to performance growth. Well, what is good for the goose is also presumably good for the gander: so if performance indicators are the flavour of the month, it is surely legitimate for us now to examine in detail just how well New Labour itself has so far performed?
Tertiary Structure-Based Prediction of How ATRP Initiators React with Proteins.

The growth of polymers from the surface of proteins via controlled radical polymerization depends on the attachment of small molecule initiators to amino acid residues. Our ability to control and harness the power of polymer-based protein engineering is reliant on the accuracy of prediction where and how fast atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators will react with a protein surface. We performed a systematic characterization of the reaction between a bromine-functionalized N-hydroxysuccinimide amine-reactive ATRP initiator and the amino groups in lysozyme and chymotrypsin. The tertiary structures of the proteins were used to predict computationally α-amino group and lysine side-chain accessibility and analyze the chemical and structural environment of the amino groups. To predict reactivity from accessibility calculations, a probe radius that resembled the size of the initiator molecule was used. Experimental data showed that the rate of initiator–protein modification at each amine site was...
The relationship between local government economic freedom and bond ratings

Purpose With a newly developed measure of economic freedom across US local government jurisdictions, this paper aims to estimate the relationship between economic freedom and bond ratings. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a battery of cross-sectional econometric models to identify the impact that economic freedom might have on bond ratings using a sample of US municipal governments. Findings Overall, the results indicate that relatively more economic freedom within a local jurisdiction is associated with higher bond ratings and thus lower borrowing costs. However, similar to Roychoundhury and Lawson (2010), no specific subcomponent seems to affect bond ratings. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge this is the first scholarly work to address this topic at the local level.
Antibody Exchange: Information extraction of biological antibody donation and a web-portal to find donors and seekers.

Bio-molecular reagents, like antibodies that are required in experimental biology are expensive and their effectiveness, among other things, is critical to the success of the experiment. Although such resources are sometimes donated by one investigator to another through personal communication between the two, there is no previous study to our knowledge on the extent of such donations, nor a central platform that directs resource seekers to donors. In this paper, we describe, to our knowledge, a first attempt at building a web-portal titled Antibody Exchange (or more general ‘Bio-Resource Exchange’) that attempts to bridge this gap between resource seekers and donors in the domain of experimental biology. Users on this portal can request for or donate antibodies, cell-lines, and DNA Constructs. This resource could also serve as a crowd-sourced database of resources for experimental biology. Further, we also studied the extent of antibody donations by mining the acknowledgement sections of scientific articles. Specifically, we extracted the name of the donor, his/her affiliation, and the name of the antibody for every donation by parsing the acknowledgements sections of articles. To extract annotations at this level, we adopted two approaches—a rule based algorithm and a bootstrapped pattern learning algorithm. The algorithms extracted donor names, affiliations, and antibody names with average accuracies of 57% and 62%, respectively. We also created a dataset of 50 expert-annotated acknowledgements sections that will serve as a gold standard dataset to evaluate extraction algorithms in the future.
838 Continuous improvement effort shown to be worth its weight in blood

Background The Department of Pathology identified an opportunity to optimise specimen turn-around-time (TAT) to meet customer expectation (patient and providers). More than 10% of the blood specimen are not resulted within the 60 min customer expectation. The team focused on the top five specimen analytes representing over 80% of the volume through the lab. The team followed the DMAIC process to utilising Lean and Six Sigma tools to identify predicted and unpredicted opportunities in specimen processing. Objectives Optimised specimen turn-around to create a process that meet customer expectation of=60 mins 95% of the time. Methods Implementation of project improvements by the team included a daily shift huddles using a common format with visual controls, supervisor standard work to view huddles weekly, elimination of multiple non-value activities (e.g., specimen initializing), level loading, cross-training, and the identification of a daily ‘Flow Master’ to communicate issues in real-time. These combined improvements yielded significant TAT reductions in all 5 tests. The improvements in TAT among the five test ranged from 8% to 26%. Results Conclusions Since the implementation of solutions the laboratory continues to track and maintain improvements. A control plan is in place to evaluate laboratory performance when it is out of specification and action is required. This project clearly demonstrated that improvements can be magnified when used in combination with Lean Six Sigma methodology and tools.
Chronic Opioid Therapy in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Patients’ Perspectives on Risks, Monitoring, and Guidelines

Background Chronic opioid therapy (COT) is common in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV), but is not well studied. We assessed opioid risk behaviors, perceptions of risk, opioid monitoring, and associated Current Opioid Misuse Measure (COMM) scores of PLHIV on COT. Methods COT was defined as ≥3 opioid prescriptions ≥21 days apart in the past 6 months. Demographics, substance use, COMM score, and perceptions of and satisfaction with COT monitoring were assessed among PLHIV on COT from 2 HIV clinics. Results Among participants (N = 165) on COT, 66% were male and 72% were black, with a median age of 55 (standard deviation, 8) years. Alcohol and drug use disorders were present in 17% and 19%, respectively. In 43%, the COMM score, a measure of potential opioid misuse, was high. Thirty percent had an opioid treatment agreement, 66% a urine drug test (UDT), and 12% a pill count. Ninety percent acknowledged opioids' addictive potential. Median (interquartile range) satisfaction levels (1-10 [10 = highest]) were 10 (7-10) for opioid treatment agreements, 9.5 (6-10) for pill counts, and 10 (8-10) for UDT. No association was found between higher COMM score and receipt of or satisfaction with COT monitoring. Conclusions Among PLHIV on COT, opioid misuse and awareness of the addictive potential of COT are common, yet COT monitoring practices were not guideline concordant. Patients who received monitoring practices reported high satisfaction. Patient attitudes suggest high acceptance of guideline concordant care for PLHIV on COT when it occurs.
Aggression and Related Conduct Difficulties

It is well documented that one of the more prevalent, chronic, and socially disruptive problems among those with mental retardation is that of aggressive behavior and related difficulties of conduct. Eyman and Call (1977), for example, investigated the prevalence of maladaptive behaviors among groups of individuals with mental retardation living in institutions, in community facilities, and with their parents. They reported that 45% of the institutionalized sample, 20% of persons in community facilities, and 20% of those living with their parents threatened to or actually did engage in physical violence to other people. Evidence of the durability of aggression and related conduct difficulties is provided by Eyman, Borthwick, and Miller (1981). These researchers evaluated the changes in maladaptive behaviors (e.g., threatens or does physical damage to others, damages own or others’ property, uses profane or hostile language) over a 2-year period in groups of persons with mental retardation residing either in residential facilities or in various community placements. As is typical, the institutional group exhibited more maladaptive behaviors than did the community groups. Also, the less severe the level of mental retardation, the more severe the maladaptive behavior in the institutional group. Of most interest was the finding that “whatever maladaptive behavior was present at the time of the individual’s referral for service did not significantly change over a two-year-period for any of the subgroups of clients studied” (Eyman et al., 1981, p. 476). Further support of this observation is provided by Koller, Richardson, Katz, and McLaren (1983) who reported that 33% of individuals studied in childhood and later as young adults presented recurring aggressive conduct disorders.
Fluorescent Methods to Study Transcription Initiation and Transition into Elongation

The DNA-dependent RNA polymerases induce specific conformational changes in the promoter DNA during transcription initiation. Fluorescence spectroscopy sensitively monitors these DNA conformational changes in real time and at equilibrium providing powerful ways to estimate interactions in transcriptional complexes and to assess how transcription is regulated by the promoter DNA sequence, transcription factors, and small ligands. Ensemble fluorescence methods described here probe the individual steps of promoter binding, bending, opening, and transition into the elongation using T7 phage and mitochondrial transcriptional systems as examples.
Introducing International Commercial Arbitration and Its Lawlessness, by Way of the Dissenting Opinion

The arbitration method of dispute resolution is similar to, and also differs from, adjudication and judgment in the courts. Practitioners more acquainted with resolution of commercial disputes in the judiciary will find some aspects of arbitration to be troubling, or worse. In addition, some commentators have described arbitration, especially that involving international commercial disputes, to be (quite bluntly) lawless. This article discusses (i) the salient differences between the arbitration and court adjudication methods and (ii) those features of arbitration characterized as lawless-through the vehicle of the dissenting opinion. Seen most frequently in the decisions of appellate courts in common law jurisdictions, the dissenting opinion provides for an opportunity to highlight the differences between the two methods of dispute resolution. The separate dissenting opinion is seen less often in most civil law systems, and arbitrators from those jurisdictions as a group disapprove of such opinions in arbitral tribunal decisions. Such disapproval may be seen by others (usually from the common law setting) as one example of the lawlessness in international commercial arbitration.
Integration of Rule-based Process Selection with Virtual Machining for Distributed Manufacturing Planning

Efficient utilisation of both design geometry information and process information is at the heart of modern CAPP systems. The need to consider them both in development and implementation of process planning algorithms and optimisation is the focus of this chapter. The chapter describes a framework for integration of process information in the form of rulebased process selection with geometry data in the form of virtual machining. A rule-based process selection module considers the part geometry and tolerances, and identifies a set of machining processes, tools, and/or machines needed to produce the feature with the required quality. Each selected process candidate is sent to a virtual machining module, which uses the process data and part geometry to generate a virtual machining model and simulates the process in a virtual 3D world enabling the users to verify the process parameters, identify any undesired part/tool collisions, and create an intermediate workpiece geometry required for fixture design. The virtual machining model also enables ranking of alternative candidates for the same feature and verification of the sequence of processes required for a single feature. Procedures and algorithms for both process selection and virtual machining and approaches for their integration are demonstrated on several complex mechanical parts.
Turbulence kinetic energy budget and conditional sampling of momentum, scalar, and intermittency fluxes in thermally stratified wind farms

ABSTRACTA description of the turbulence kinetic energy budget is investigated to understand the dynamics and turbulence energy transfer between the atmospheric boundary layer and large wind farms. The turbulence kinetic energy budget terms are a dominant factor in explaining the energy supply process in wind farms. Large eddy simulations are used to generate the thermally stratified wind turbine array boundary layer, where stable and unstable conditions are considered. The wakes represent a sink of mean kinetic energy, and turbulence transport redistributes energy in the wake region. The energy balance between the budget terms is dependent on the physical location in the wind farm. During the unstable scenario, turbulence is driven by the production, transport, and buoyancy terms. Further, the contribution of the turbulence kinetic energy budget terms is reduced with increasing atmospheric stability, especially above the shear layer, where the mechanical production is the dominant term. Pressure diffusion...
Bacterial TLR4 and NOD2 signaling linked to reduced mitochondrial energy function in active inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been linked to active signaling with bacterial components and reduced mitochondrial ATP production; however, synergism between both of these disease characteris...
Federalism and the Judges: How the Americans Made Us What We Are

Federalism as we know it now is an American invention. But those who wrote and adopted the United States Constitution do not deserve full creative credit, for their document had little to say about how its two levels of government should relate to each other. Producing principles of federalism became a job for judges, to whom conflicts between the governments under the new system were referred. Faced with a similar set of conflicts a century on, Australian judges turned to their American counterparts for guidance.This is an edited version of a public lecture given at Trinity College, University of Melbourne, on April 21, 1999.
Axisymmetric peridynamic analysis of crack deflection in a single strand ceramic matrix composite

Abstract This study employs Peridynamic (PD) theory to predict crack deflection in axisymmetric ceramic matrix composites (CMC). It specifically employs the weak form of PD equations of motion which enables the direct imposition of natural and essential boundary conditions. The results indicate that the critical stress ratio between the coating and matrix have a strong influence on crack deflection in a CMC. Also, it was observed that the smaller this ratio is, the earlier the crack deflection in the fiber coating occurs.
Annals On Call - Clinical Reasoning and COVID-19 Part 2.

In this episode of Annals On Call, Dr. Centor discusses diagnosis of COVID-19 with Drs. Ann Marie Kumfer and Sharmin Shekarchian.
Hydroxynorketamine Blocks N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Currents by Binding to Closed Receptors

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, is experiencing a clinical resurgence as a fast-acting antidepressant. In the central nervous system, ketamine acts primarily by blocking NMDA receptor currents. Although it is generally safe in a clinical setting, it can be addictive, and several of its derivatives are being investigated as preferable alternatives. 2R,6R-Hydroxynorketamine (HNK), a ketamine metabolite, reproduces some of the therapeutic effects of ketamine and appears to lack abuse liability. Here, we report a systematic investigation of the effects of HNK on macroscopic responses elicited from recombinant NMDA receptors expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. We found that, like ketamine, HNK reduced NMDA receptor currents in a dose-, pH-, and voltage-dependent manner. Relative to ketamine, it had 100-fold-lower potency (46 µM at pH 7.2), 10-fold-slower inhibition onset, slower apparent dissociation rate, weaker voltage dependence, and complete competition by magnesium. Notably, HNK inhibition was fully effective when applied to resting receptors. These results revealed unexpected properties of hydroxynorketamine that warrant its further investigation as a possible therapeutic in pathologies associated with NMDA receptor dysfunction. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: NMDA receptors are excitatory ion channels with fundamental roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity, and their dysfunction associates with severe neuropsychiatric disorders. 2R,6R-Hydroxynorketamine, a metabolite of ketamine, mimics some of the neuroactive properties of ketamine and may lack its abuse liability. Results show that 2R,6R-hydroxynorketamine blocks NMDA receptor currents with low affinity and weak voltage dependence and is effective when applied to resting receptors. These properties highlight its effectiveness to a subset of NMDA receptor responses and recommend it for further investigation.
Safety and efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy and hyperthermia in the bladder: results of a porcine study

Hyperthermia (heating to 43 °C) activates the innate immune system and improves bladder cancer chemosensitivity. To evaluate the tissue penetration and safety of convective hyperthermia combined wi...
A DG-based interface element method for modeling hydraulic fracturing in porous media

Abstract Fracture propagation coupled with fluid flow in porous media has very important applications in fracking in oil and gas reservoirs, corrosion in ceramics, and degradation of human bones. Modeling fracture failure in porous media governed by the coupled solid and fluid field equations is challenging and time-consuming. This paper extends discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element methods to model crack openings in porous media through exploiting an easy construction of interfaces for potential crack paths by locally breaking continuous elements. Consequently, a finite element mesh for fracture apertures is completely and gracefully constructed using DG interface objects as well as the definitions of jumps of displacements across the DG interfaces defined for bulk matrices. Furthermore, rigid cohesive laws often adopted for crack openings can be naturally implemented in DG formulations without introducing artificial stiffness, which may eventually improve the performance for implicit formulations in handling crack openings in porous media. In this work, we perform a consistent, fully implicit, and fully coupled hybrid DG/continuous finite element formulation for three field equations including the solid, bulk fluid, and fluid in fracture apertures resulting from crack openings. We verify our DG formulation and implementation using the Khristianovich-Geertsma-DeKlerk analytical solutions. Finally, we further demonstrate a good performance of the proposed DG method by modeling fracking in an oil reservoir containing two nature fractures.
Ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection for proximal plantaris tendinopathy: A case report

Minimal literature is available on the diagnosis and treatment of proximal plantaris tendinopathy. Calf pain is a common complaint in runners, ranging from myofascial pain to acute strains. Rarely, the plantaris tendon can be involved in mid-calf pain. This case highlights a 23-year-old female elite runner with a case of symptomatic proximal plantaris tendinopathy. Insidious mid-calf pain and/or tightness with tenderness to palpation was noted, and ultrasonographic examination provided an accurate diagnosis. An ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection was performed, providing complete pain relief without recurrence, even 1 year after the initial injection. The patient was able to return to full activity. Successful treatment of this rare condition with ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection should be considered once a proper diagnosis is made.
Wood Deterioration by Insects

This chapter examines postharvest beetles and termites, as the principal xylophagous insects damaging wooden Cultural Heritage.
Prolate Spheroidal Wavelet Sampling in Computerized Tomography

In computerized tomography, an image must be recovered from data given by the Radon transform of the image. This data is usually in the form of sampled values of the transform. In this work, a method of recovering the image is based on the sampling properties of the prolate spheroidal wavelets which are superior to other wavelets. It avoids integration and allows the precomputation of certain coefficients. The approximation based on this method is shown to converge to the true image under mild hypotheses. The algorithm is then tested on the standard Shepp–Logan image and shown to be surprisingly good.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Utilization and Experience.

Previous work has demonstrated racial/ethnic differences in emergency department (ED) utilization, but less is known about racial/ethnic differences in the experience of care received during an ED visit. To examine differences in self-reported healthcare utilization and experiences with ED care by patients’ race/ethnicity. Adult ED patients discharged to community (DTC) were surveyed (response rate: 20.25%) using the Emergency Department Patient Experience of Care (EDPEC) DTC Survey. Linear regression was used to estimate case-mix-adjusted differences in patient experience between racial/ethnic groups. 3122 survey respondents who were discharged from the EDs of 50 hospitals nationwide January–March 2016. Six measures: getting timely care, doctor and nurse communication, communication about medications, receipt of sufficient information about test results, whether hospital staff discussed the patient’s ability to receive follow-up care, and willingness to recommend the ED. Black and Hispanic patients were significantly more likely than White patients to report visiting the ED for an ongoing health condition (40% Black, 30% Hispanic, 28% White, p<0.001), report having visited an ED 3+ times in the last 6 months (26% Black, 25% Hispanic, 19% White, p<0.001), and report not having a usual source of care (19% Black, 19% Hispanic, 8% White, p<0.001). Compared with White patients, Hispanic patients more often reported that hospital staff talked with them about their ability to receive needed follow-up care (+7.2 percentile points, p=0.038) and recommended the ED (+7.2 points, p=0.037); Hispanic and Black patients reported better doctor and nurse communication (+6.4 points, p=0.008; +4 points, p=0.036, respectively). Hispanic and Black ED patients reported higher ED utilization, lacked a usual source of care, and reported better experience with ED care than White patients. Results may reflect differences in care delivery by staff and/or different expectations of ED care among Hispanic and Black patients.
Dynamic Modeling, Analysis, and Design Synthesis of a Reduced Complexity Quadruped with a Serpentine Robotic Tail

Serpentine tail structures are widely observed in the animal kingdom and are thought to help animals to handle various motion tasks. Developing serpentine robotic tails and using them on legged robots has been an attractive idea for robotics. This article presents the theoretical analysis for such a robotic system that consists of a reduced complexity quadruped and a serpentine robotic tail. Dynamic model and motion controller are formulated first. Simulations are then conducted to analyze the tail's performance on the airborne righting and maneuvering tasks of the quadruped. Using the established simulation environment, systematic analyses on critical design parameters, namely, the tail mounting point, tail length, torso center of mass (COM) location, tail-torso mass ratio, and the power consumption distribution, are performed. The results show that the tail length and the mass ratio influence the maneuvering angle the most while the COM location affects the landing stability the most. Based on these design guidelines, for the current robot design, the optimal tail parameters are determined as a length of two times as long as the torso length and a weight of 0.09 times as heavy as the torso weight.
Using experiential learning to teach and learn digital forensics: Educator and student perspectives

ABSTRACT Due to its complexity, designing digital forensics curriculum can be quite challenging. This paper describes how authors used experiential learning theory to design and teach digital forensics in post-secondary education settings. Furthermore, drawing on survey data collected from students at the end of a graduate level digital forensics course and from cybersecurity educators participating in a three-day professional development workshop, this study examined educator and student perspectives. Results suggest that both students and educators had a positive learning experience. However, when asked about challenges encountered and anticipated with experiential learning in their own context, cybersecurity educators cited challenges with designing the required hands-on experiences, lack of space in curricula, and lack of instructional supports. Recommendations for teaching digital forensics are offered and discussed.
Can floral nectars reduce transmission of Leishmania

Insect-vectored Leishmania are the second-most debilitating of human parasites worldwide. Elucidation of the environmental factors that affect parasite transmission by vectors is essential to develop sustainable methods of parasite control that do not have off-target effects on beneficial insects or environmental health. Many phytochemicals that inhibit growth of sand fly-vectored Leishmania- which have been exhaustively studied in the search for phytochemical-based drugs- are abundant in nectar, which provide sugar-based meals to infected sand flies. In a quantitative meta-analysis, we compare inhibitory phytochemical concentrations for Leishmania to concentrations present in floral nectar and pollen. We show that nectar concentrations of several flowering plant species exceed those that inhibit growth of Leishmania cell cultures, suggesting an unexplored, landscape ecology-based approach to reduce Leishmania transmission. Strategic planting of antiparasitic phytochemical-rich floral resources or phytochemically enriched baits could reduce Leishmania loads in vectors, providing an environmentally friendly complement to existing means of disease control.
Intersystem crossing and internal conversion dynamics with GAIMS-TeraChem: Excited state relaxation in 2-cyclopentenone.

Excited states relaxation in complex molecules often involves two types of nonradiative transitions, internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC). In the situations when the timescales of IC and ISC are comparable, an interplay between these two types of transitions can lead to complex nonadiabatic dynamics on multiple electronic states of different characters and spin multiplicities. We demonstrate that the generalized ab initio multiple spawning (GAIMS) method interfaced with the fast graphics processing unit-based TeraChem electronic structure code can be used to model such nonadiabatic dynamics involving both the IC and ISC transitions in molecules of moderate size. We carried out 1500 fs GAIMS simulations leading to the creation of up to 2500 trajectory basis functions to study the excited states relaxation in 2-cyclopentenone. After a vertical excitation from the ground state to the bright S2 state, the molecule quickly relaxes to the S1 state via conical intersection. The following relaxation proceeds along two competing pathways: one involves IC to the ground state, and the other is dominated by ISC to the low-lying triplet states. The time constants describing the population transfer between the six lowest singlet and triplet states predicted by the GAIMS dynamics are in good agreement with the characteristic times of IC and ISC obtained from the analysis of the time-resolved photoelectron spectrum.
Fully Automated Single-Zone Elliptic Grid Generation for Mars Science Laboratory (Msl) Aeroshell and Canopy Geometries

A procedure for generating smooth uniformly clustered single-zone grids using enhanced elliptic grid generation has been demonstrated here for the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) geometries such as aeroshell and canopy. The procedure obviates the need for generating multizone grids for such geometries, as reported in the literature. This has been possible because the enhanced elliptic grid generator automatically generates clustered grids without manual prescription of decay parameters needed with the conventional approach. In fact, these decay parameters are calculated as decay functions as part of the solution, and they are not constant over a given boundary. Since these decay functions vary over a given boundary, orthogonal grids near any arbitrary boundary can be clustered automatically without having to break up the boundaries and the corresponding interior domains into various zones for grid generation.
Constitutional Aesthetics: Appending Amendments to the United States Constitution

Ever since the First Federal Congress in 1789 adopted the Bill of Rights, amendments to the United States Constitution have not been interwoven with the original text but appended to it. An examination of the historical background reveals that this decision of Congress was based on a misconception of the nature of a constitution and of constitutional rights in particular. It was furthermore motivated by the opponents of the Bill of Rights who tried to diminish the meaning and significance of the amendments. This somewhat arbitrary and misinformed decision about constitutional design had a subtle but significant influence on further constitutional developments: on the practice of making amendments, on the symbolic nature of the Constitution and the character of the Bill of Rights, and on constitutional interpretation. “Form, sir, is always of less importance than the substance; but on this occasion, I admit that form is of some consequence.”
Fiber Composites for Bridge Rehabilitation

Results from tests of one rectangular and one T-beam are reported. The beams were strengthened by epoxy-bonding a 1/4 in. (6 mm) thick Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic plate along the tension face. It is shown that the nominal load carrying capacity of the beams was significantly increased. The parametric study presented indicates that the method is most effective when applied to beams with low flexural steel reinforcement ratios.
The complexity of zero knowledge

We give an informal introduction to zero-knowledge proofs, and survey their role both in the interface between complexity theory and cryptography and as objects of complexity-theoretic study in their own right.
INFLUENCIA DE MICORRIZAS ARBUSCULARES Glomus spp. EN EL CRECIMIENTO Y ACUMULACIÓN DE COBRE EN GIRASOL Helianthus annuus L.

La actividad minera del cobre (Cu) en Chile genera grandes cantidades de desechos toxicos que contaminan los suelos; una alternativa para recuperar estos suelos es utilizar micorrizas, microorganismos del suelo adaptados a esta condicion para inocular las raices de las plantas. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la influencia de micorrizas arbusculares (MA) del genero Glomus spp. en el crecimiento y la acumulacion de Cu de girasol (Helianthus annuus L.). En la cuenca del rio Aconcagua, Chile central, se recolectaron muestras de suelo contaminados con Cu; los suelos 1 y 2 del Valle de Catemu y el suelo 3 del Valle de Puchuncavi. En esos suelos, inoculados (M+) y no inoculados (M-) con MA se sembraron semillas de girasol. A los 50 d se midio la biomasa seca, colonizacion micorrizica y concentracion de Cu en los tejidos de las plantas. Los suelos presentaron una textura franco-arenosa, 3.5-12.8 % materia organica, pH 6.7-6.9, Cu total 382-7678 mg kg -1, y Cu disponible 72-574 mg kg -1. El mayor crecimiento de las plantas se presento en los tratamientos M+ (p≤0.05) respecto a sus testigos M- . Hubo una disminucion significativa (p≤ 0.05) en la colonizacion (67, 32 y 58 %) al aumentar el Cu en el suelo y las plantas M+ presentaron mayor capacidad para acumular Cu (285-697 mg kg -1) en los tres suelos respecto a sus testigos M- . La acumulacion de Cu fue mayor en la raiz que en el tejido aereo. Se concluye que las MA (Glomus spp.) contribuyen al crecimiento y la acumulacion de Cu en girasol y favoreciendo los procesos de recuperacion de suelos
Structural Studies on Lamb Kidney Na,K-ATPase

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the results of structural studies on lamb kidney Na,K-ATPase. The isolation of proteolipid components from purified enzyme labeled with a photoaffinity derivative of ouabain is also discussed. The first preparative-scale procedure for the isolation of the proteolipid associated with the Na, K-ATPase is developed in the chapter and have called this very hydrophobic protein the γ component of the enzyme. This procedure has been modified to provide increased yields. The lyophilized γ fraction from the Sepharose CL-6B column was dissolved in a minimum volume of 88% formic acid and chromatographed on a Sephadex LH-60 column in a 3 : l (v/v) mixture of 95% ethanol and 88% formic acid. Highly purified lamb kidney Na, K-ATPase was photoaffinity labeled with tritiated NAB-ouabain. The enzyme was labeled on the α and γ components, as determined by polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis (PAGE). This labeling pattern is qualitatively the same as that obtained previously with labeled pig kidney Na, KATPase.
Do Adolescent Smokers Know the Risks

Professor Slovic challenges Professor Viscusi by suggesting that "risk" is a term with varying meanings and the potential for misinterpretation by study participants. He distinguishes between the probability and severity of a risk, and suggests that teens who know the probability of smoking causing cancer are not aware of the severity of the experience of cancer. He goes on to note that people often perceive themselves as being less at risk than others, and observes that Professor Viscusi's study posed questions about others, instead of asking teens to assess their own risks. Thirdly, he argues that teens perceive each individual cigarette as posing a small risk even if they seem to be aware of the larger risk of smoking. Finally, since many teen smokers intend to quit, he contends, they do not see smoking as hazardous to themselves. He argues that Professor Viscusi underrates the misperception of the risks of personal addiction. Professor Slovic augments his argument with original research demonstrating that smoking teens are more likely than nonsmoking teens to perceive the short term risks of smoking as trivial.
Electromagnetic particle codes on unstructured grids

The most widely used computational model of collisionless plasmas is the Lagrangian-Eulerian hybrid technique known as particle-in-cell or PIC. In the electromagnetic version, Maxwell's equations are solved on an Eulerian grid and electromagnetic forces are interpolated form the grid to particle locations. Particles are then moved in Lagrangian fashion while their currents are interpolated back onto the grid to provide sources for the fields on the next cycle. There are many applications where one needs to model plasmas and electromagnetic waves inside regions of complicated shape. Traditional methods for solving Maxwell's equations employ finite differences on regular grids to replace differential operators. These methods are awkward for complicated boundary shapes, often replacing smoothly curved or slanted boundaries with stairsteps. The desire to incorporate realistic boundaries into plasma simulations is motivated by a host of situations in which proper representation of the boundary shape is expected to be critical. Our approach to solving this problem is to design electromagnetic particle codes based on the use of unstructured grids. The arbitrary connectivity of unstructured grids provides the flexibility to place nodes wherever needed to fit the most complex boundary shapes. The most significant problems that must be addressed as a result ofmore » this strategy are: grid generation, field solution, and particle tracking. Our solutions to these problems, along with a few preliminary results, are presented in this paper. 10 refs., 6 figs.« less
Association Between Testosterone Supplementation Therapy and Thrombotic Events in Elderly Men.

Objective To determine the prevalence of thrombotic events and all-cause mortality in men older than 65 years with hypogonadism treated with testosterone therapy (TST). Patients and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 217 hypogonadal men >65 years. We compared men who received TST (n = 153) to hypogonadal men (n = 64) who did not receive TST. We evaluated all-cause mortality, prevalence of myocardial infarction (MI), transient ischemic attack (TIA), cerebrovascular accident (CVA or “stroke”), and deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism (DVT/PE). All events were verified by contacting patients. We excluded men with previous thrombotic events, men previously on androgen deprivation therapy, and men who had used TST before age of 65 years. Results Median age and Charlson Comorbidity Index of men on TST (74y; 5.1) was similar to hypogonadal men not on TST (73y, P = .48; 5.3, P = .36). Median follow-up was 3.8 vs 3.5 years (TST vs no TST). No man on TST died, whereas 5 hypogonadal men who did not receive TST died (P = .007). There were 4 thrombotic events (1 MI, 2 CVA/TIA, and 1 PE) in men who received TST and 1 event (CVA/TIA) among men who did not receive TST (P = .8). All events (1 death, 6-month follow-up) occurred at least after 2 years of follow-up. Conclusion There was increased all-cause mortality in hypogonadal men not treated with testosterone compared to men who received TST. There was no difference in prevalence of MI, TIA/CVA, or PE between patients treated with testosterone and hypogonadal men not treated with testosterone.
Creation of a Human Secretome: A Novel Composite Library of Human Secreted Proteins: Validation Using Ovarian Cancer Gene Expression Data and a Virtual Secretome Array

Purpose: To generate a comprehensive "Secretome" of proteins potentially found in the blood and derive a virtual Affymetrix array. To validate the utility of this database for the discovery of novel serum-based biomarkers using ovarian cancer transcriptomic data. Experimental Design: The secretome was constructed by aggregating the data from databases of known secreted proteins, transmembrane or membrane proteins, signal peptides, G-protein coupled receptors, or proteins existing in the extracellular region, and the virtual array was generated by mapping them to Affymetrix probeset identifiers. Whole genome microarray data from ovarian cancer, normal ovarian surface epithelium and fallopian tube epithelium were used to identify transcripts up-regulated in ovarian cancer. Results: We established the sercretome from 8 public databases and a virtual array consisting of 16,521 Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 probesets. Using ovarian cancer transcriptomic data, we identified candidate blood -based biomarkers for ovarian cancer and performed bioinformatic validation by demonstrating re-discovery of known biomarkers including CA125 and HE4. Two novel top biomarker (FGF18 and GPR172A) were validated in serum samples from an independent patient cohort. Conclusions: We present the secretome, comprising the most comprehensive resource available for protein products that are potentially found in the blood. The associated virtual array can be used to translate gene expression data into cancer biomarker discovery. A list of blood-based biomarkers for ovarian cancer detection is reported and includes CA125 and HE4. FGF18 and GPR172A were identified and validated by ELISA as being differentially expressed in the serum of ovarian cancer patients compared to controls.
Field line distribution of mass density at geostationary orbit

The distribution of mass density along the field lines affects the ratios of toroidal (azimuthally oscillating) Alfven frequencies, and given the ratios of these frequencies, we can get information about that distribution. Here we assume the commonly used power law form for the field line distribution, ρm = ρm,eq(LRE/R)α, where ρm,eq is the value of the mass density ρm at the magnetic equator, L is the L shell, RE is the Earth's radius, R is the geocentric distance to a point on the field line, and α is the power law coefficient. Positive values of α indicate that ρm increases away from the magnetic equator, zero value indicates that ρm is constant along the magnetic field line, and negative α indicates that there is a local peak in ρm at the magnetic equator. Using 12 years of observations of toroidal Alfven frequencies by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, we study the typical dependence of inferred values of α on the magnetic local time (MLT), the phase of the solar cycle as specified by the F10.7 extreme ultraviolet solar flux, and geomagnetic activity as specified by the auroral electrojet (AE) index. Over the mostly dayside range of the observations, we find that α decreases with respect to increasing MLT and F10.7, but increases with respect to increasing AE. We develop a formula that depends on all three parameters, α3Dmodel=2.2+1.3·cosMLT·15∘+0.0026·AE·cos(MLT−0.8)·15∘+2.1·10−5·AE·F10.7−0.010·F10.7, that models the binned values of α within a standard deviation of 0.3. While we do not yet have a complete theoretical understanding of why α should depend on these parameters in such a way, we do make some observations and speculations about the causes. At least part of the dependence is related to that of ρm,eq; higher α, corresponding to steeper variation with respect to magnetic latitude, occurs when ρm,eq is lower.
Harnessing natural product assembly lines: structure, promiscuity, and engineering

Many therapeutically relevant natural products are biosynthesized by the action of giant mega-enzyme assembly lines. By leveraging the specificity, promiscuity, and modularity of assembly lines, a variety of strategies has been developed that enables the biosynthesis of modified natural products. This review briefly summarizes recent structural advances related to natural product assembly lines, discusses chemical approaches to probing assembly line structures in the absence of traditional biophysical data, and surveys efforts that harness the inherent or engineered promiscuity of assembly lines for the synthesis of non-natural polyketides and non-ribosomal peptide analogues.
The Value of the Productive Time of Farm Wives: Iowa, North Carolina, and Oklahoma

Farm wives allocate their time outside of the household to two work activities, farm and off-farm work. Although few studies have attempted to determine the value of the time of farm wives devoted to farm production, the value of their time is important for understanding the level and fluctuation of farm household income and the changing time allocation of farm wives. The study on which this paper is based focuses on assessing the value of time spent by U.S. farm wives at farm work. The data on wives' farm work were derived from the 1964 Census ofAgriculture (U.S. Dep. Commerce 1967, 1968). These data have deficiencies, but until surveys are revised to better measure the working time of farm wives, these and similar data are the best available. The
Virtual gazing in video surveillance

Although a computer can track thousands of moving objects simultaneously, it often fails to understand the priority and the meaning of the dynamics. Human vision, on the other hand, can easily track multiple objects with saccadic motion. The single thread eye movement allows people to shift attention from one object to another, enabling visual intelligence from complex scenes. In this paper, we present a motion-context attention shift (MCAS) model to simulate attention shifts among multiple moving objects in surveillance videos. The MCAS model includes two modules: The robust motion detector module and the motion-saliency module. Experimental results show that the MCAS model successfully simulates the attention shift in tracking multiple objects in surveillance videos.
A Class of Variogram Matrices for Vector Random Fields in Space and/or Time

This paper studies vector (multivariate, multiple, or multidimensional) random fields in space and/or time with second-order increments, for which the variogram matrix is an important tool to measure the dependence within each component and between each pair of distinct components. We introduce an efficient approach to construct Gaussian or non-Gaussian vector random fields from the univariate random field with higher dimensional index domain, and particularly to generate a class of variogram matrices.