cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Voltage-Controlled Series Resonant DC-DC Converter for Solid State Transformer Applications

Resonant converters are used in wide range of power electronic converters applications such as solid state transformers (SST). Over a wide range of load, LLC resonant converters allows converter to achieve ZVS/ZCS. The cost of SSTs are reported to be more than five times higher than the traditional transformers partly due to complex control methods used in their designs. This paper proposes an amplitude modulation technique based on resonant current control for voltage regulation. The error in the output voltage is used to regulate the quantum energy in the resonant tank. The converter switching frequency is synchronized with the resonant current to achieve a self-tuned controller. The controller achieves softs witching across the MOSFETs of the primary converter. Its implementation is based on simple and cost effective logic gates which eliminates the need for complex programming of DSPs and FPGAs. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller which is validated with experimental results
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 and Autoantibody Profiles in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of 3 Teenaged Patients With COVID-19 and Subacute Neuropsychiatric Symptoms.

Importance Neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 have been reported in the pediatric population. Objective To determine whether anti–SARS-CoV-2 and autoreactive antibodies are present in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of pediatric patients with COVID-19 and subacute neuropsychiatric dysfunction. Design, Setting, and Participants This case series includes 3 patients with recent SARS-CoV-2 infection as confirmed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction or IgG serology with recent exposure history who were hospitalized at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital and for whom a neurology consultation was requested over a 5-month period in 2020. During this period, 18 total children were hospitalized and tested positive for acute SARS-CoV-2 infection by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test. Main Outcomes and Measures Detection and characterization of CSF anti–SARS-CoV-2 IgG and antineural antibodies. Results Of 3 included teenaged patients, 2 patients had intrathecal anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. CSF IgG from these 2 patients also indicated antineural autoantibodies on anatomic immunostaining. Autoantibodies targeting transcription factor 4 (TCF4) in 1 patient who appeared to have a robust response to immunotherapy were also validated. Conclusions and Relevance Pediatric patients with COVID-19 and prominent subacute neuropsychiatric symptoms, ranging from severe anxiety to delusional psychosis, may have anti–SARS-CoV-2 and antineural antibodies in their CSF and may respond to immunotherapy.
Quantitative Imaging Biomarkers in Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Eye Disease: A Step Closer to Precision Medicine

The management of retinal diseases relies heavily on digital imaging data, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA). Targeted feature extraction and the objective quantification of features provide important opportunities in biomarker discovery, disease burden assessment, and predicting treatment response. Additional important advantages include increased objectivity in interpretation, longitudinal tracking, and ability to incorporate computational models to create automated diagnostic and clinical decision support systems. Advances in computational technology, including deep learning and radiomics, open new doors for developing an imaging phenotype that may provide in-depth personalized disease characterization and enhance opportunities in precision medicine. In this review, we summarize current quantitative and radiomic imaging biomarkers described in the literature for age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease using imaging modalities such as OCT, FA, and OCT angiography (OCTA). Various approaches used to identify and extract these biomarkers that utilize artificial intelligence and deep learning are also summarized in this review. These quantifiable biomarkers and automated approaches have unleashed new frontiers of personalized medicine where treatments are tailored, based on patient-specific longitudinally trackable biomarkers, and response monitoring can be achieved with a high degree of accuracy.
Stated preferences for size and bag limits of Alaska charter boat anglers

Over the last several years, significant regulatory changes related to Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis have occurred in the for-hire recreational charter boat fishing sector in Alaska. In addition to limited entry restrictions and adoption of a catch sharing plan that provides a formal means of determining allocation between the commercial and charter boat fishing sectors, more restrictive harvest regulations were placed on anglers fishing from charter boats. This article provides insights into how the value anglers place on charter boat fishing is affected by these regulations, principally bag and size limits. Such information is helpful in assessing the trade-offs in economic benefits associated with different regulatory tools used to manage angler harvest levels. Stated preference choice experiment data from a 2012 survey are analyzed using a panel rank-ordered mixed logit model to estimate the economic value, or willingness to pay (WTP), non-resident anglers place on saltwater charter boat fishing trips in Alaska and to assess how changes in characteristics of fishing trips, particularly harvest restrictions related to Pacific halibut, affect this value. The model specification accounts for a wide array of size and bag limit restrictions that have been recently implemented or are under consideration by Pacific halibut fishery managers. The results indicate that very strict harvest restrictions have the effect of driving WTP to zero, while allowing at least one (potentially) large fish to be caught is valuable to anglers. The results also suggest that WTP for fishing trips with bag limits that allow two or more fish to be harvested with no size restrictions on the first fish harvested are not statistically different from the value for trips for larger bag limits or for the case where all the fish in the limit can be any size. This suggests that fishery managers can restrict the size of the second fish in a two-fish bag limit and still maintain economic values for fishing trips.
Ureterocolic fistula secondary to a self-expanding retrievable ureteral stent

Self-expanding stents are relatively new in the field of urology and have primarily been used for permanent remodeling of benign or malignant stricture. We are presenting a rare and interesting case of a ureterocolic fistula that formed secondary to placement of an expandable, retrievable metal stent in the ureter. After multiple retrieval efforts, the self-expanding metal stent was finally retrieved and a ureterocolic fistula was appreciated on antegrade pyelography. The patient chose to manage it non-surgically, with routine nephroureteral catheter exchanges, and her creatinine continues to remain stable.
EXECUTIONS OF WHITES FOR CRIMES AGAINST BLACKS: Exceptions to the Rule?

This article examines the relationship between status and law in general and race and the death penalty in particular. It focuses on cases in which whites have been executed for crimes against blac...
Regulation of protein synthesis directed by coliphage MS2 RNA. I. Phage protein and RNA synthesis in cells infected with suppressible mutants.

Abstract In actinomycin-treated Escherichia coli infected with coliphage MS2 three phage-specific proteins have been detected after acrylamide gel electrophoresia. These proteins have been identified by the use of Suppressible mutants of MS2 as the phage coat protein, “maturation” or assembly protein and RNA synthetase. In MS2-infected cells RNA synthetase appeared before the other two proteins were detectable. All three proteins then increased, but the synthesis of maturation protein and RNA synthetase rapidly declined between 30 and 40 minutes post-infection, whereas the synthesis of coat protein continued at a high rate throughout the infectious cycle. The synthesis of phage RNA paralleled that of the RNA synthetase and maturation protein. Non-permissive cells infected with suppressible RNA synthetase mutants made no detectable phage proteins. Cells infected with maturation protein mutants showed a normal pattern of coat protein and RNA synthetase formation. Infection with a coat protein mutant resulted in a greater than normal rate of formation of RNA synthetase and maturation protein relative to the amount of phage RNA, and a higher percentage of each of these proteins was made late in infection compared to the situation in MS2-infected cells. However, the increase of these proteins was not co-ordinate: RNA synthetase formation increased more than the synthesis of maturation protein. In cells doubly infected with a maturation protein mutant and a coat protein mutant the derepression of synthetase and maturation protein seen in cells singly infected with the coat mutant was largely reversed. Our major conclusion is that the coat protein of MS2 serves as a repressor of the synthesis of maturation protein and RNA synthetase.
Library Organization Information Literacy Units

(2007). Library Organization Information Literacy Units. Science & Technology Libraries: Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 93-106.
Concentration of the Stationary Distribution on General Random Directed Graphs

We consider a random model for directed graphs whereby an arc is placed from one vertex to another with a prescribed probability which may vary from arc to arc. Using perturbation bounds as well as Chernoff inequalities, we show that the stationary distribution of a Markov process on a random graph is concentrated near that of the "expected" process under mild conditions. These conditions involve the ratio between the minimum and maximum in- and out-degrees, the ratio of the minimum and maximum entry in the stationary distribution, and the smallest singu- lar value of the transition matrix. Lastly, we give examples of applications of our results to well-known models such as PageRank and G(n, p).
The Federal Financial Consumer Protection Agency: A New Era of Protection or More of the Same?

In 2007 and 2008 Professor Elizabeth Warren proposed a new federal consumer financial protection agency. The aim was to ensure the financial products consumers purchase meet minimum safety standards. That proposal has become part of the Dodd – Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This article explores whether the Act will usher in a new era of robust consumer protection. The focus of this article is on consumer protection in the mortgage markets. Its study of the mortgage markets occurs in an environment in which two public policy approaches were embraced and tested in the last three decades: a principle – based approach to regulation and a net societal benefits standard as the threshold for regulatory intervention. Part One of this article explores market outcomes in the 1982 to 2009 era of principles- based regulation. Contrary to the predicted benefit of congruence with the legislative purposes of safe and sound mortgage lending and fairness in lending transactions, this regulatory approach led to a significant increase in offerings of unsafe and unsound lending products, as well as unfair products. The Dodd – Frank Act alters the regulatory structure through the re-embrace of a rules-based standard for mortgage market operations, in the form of mandatory underwriting standards and specified, prescribed conduct. However, experience has demonstrated that a change in regulatory approach can more effectively lead to legislative congruence only if combined with enforcement measures that convince industry members that compliance is wise from a cost-benefit perspective. Industry cost-benefit evaluations, before and after the Dodd-Frank Act, are explored in Part three of this article.Part Two of the article examines outcomes in a regulatory regime that has embraced a net societal benefits threshold for regulatory intervention. The mortgage market experience in the post-1994 period is explored. It reveals that a net societal benefits threshold for regulatory intervention can easily lead to inaction on the part of regulatory agencies. In the long-term, the mortgage markets witnessed the evaporation of the net societal benefits that had led to regulatory inaction in the period prior to 2009. The Dodd – Frank Act reaffirms the legislative goal of fairness in credit market transactions but then, for the first time, expressly embraces a net societal benefits threshold for future regulatory interventions. This calls into question the likelihood that the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency will adequately protect consumers against future abusive lending practices.
Metals releases and disinfection byproduct formation in domestic wells following shock chlorination

Abstract. Shock chlorination is used for rapid disinfection to control pathogens and nuisance bacteria in domestic wells. A typical shock chlorination procedure involves adding sodium hypochlorite in liquid bleach solutions to achieve concentrations of free chlorine of up to 200 mg L−1 in the standing water of a well. The change in pH and oxidation potential may bring trace metals from aquifer materials into solution and chlorine may react with dissolved organic carbon to form disinfection byproducts. We carried out experiments with four wells to observe and determine the persistence of increased concentrations of metals and disinfection byproducts. Water samples from shock chlorinated wells were analyzed for Pb, Cu, As, radionuclides and disinfection byproducts (haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes), immediately prior to treatment, after sufficient treatment time with chlorine had elapsed, and at intervals determined by the number of casing volumes purged, for up to four times the well casing volume. Elevated concentrations of lead and copper dissipated in proportion to free chlorine (measured semi-quantitatively) during the purging process. Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids were formed in wells during disinfection. In one of two wells tested, disinfection byproducts dissipated in proportion to free chlorine during purging. However, one well retained disinfection byproducts and free chlorine after 4 WV had been purged. Although metals returned to background concentrations in this well, disinfection byproducts remained elevated, though below the MCL. This may have been due to well construction characteristics and interactions with aquifer materials. Simple chlorine test strips may be a useful method for indicating when purging is adequate to remove metals and disinfection by-products mobilized and formed by shock chlorination.
Colloid generation during batch leaching tests: mechanics of disaggregation

Abstract Batch leaching tests are commonly used to assess the leaching potential of various organic and inorganic contaminants from soil. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), a batch leaching test developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, employs an aggressive mixing technique that may allow colloidal fractions to appear in the filtrate. This study quantified the generation of colloid fractions during TCLP testing of a coal-tar contaminated soil, and explored the mechanics of disaggregation. Particle count data indicated that the concentration of 0.72 and 0.83 μm diameter colloids in the filtrate increased with agitation. The shear rate in the agitation vessel was determined, as well as the hydrodynamic forces acting on the 0.72 and 0.83 μm colloids attached to the soil grains. Through use of force and moment balances, and the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts and Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov adhesion models, it was determined that the operative detachment mechanism is most likely rolling or sliding, depending on the contact radius and the coefficient of static friction. Colloid generation during the TCLP test results in an increase in total colloidal surface area in the filtrate, and may concomitantly result in an overprediction of the aqueous phase concentration of hydrophobic contaminants.
Large-scale order batching in parallel-aisle picking systems

This article discusses an order batching formulation and heuristic solution procedure suitable for a large-scale order picking situation in parallel-aisle picking systems. Order batching can decrease the total travel distance of pickers not only through reducing the number of trips but also by shortening the length of each trip. In practice, some order picking systems retrieve 500–2000 orders per hour and include ten or more aisles. The proposed heuristic produces near-optimal solutions with run times of roughly 70 s in a ten-aisle system. The quality of the solutions is demonstrated by comparing with a lower bound developed as a linear programming relaxation of the batching formulation developed in this article. A simulation study indicates that the proposed heuristic outperforms existing methods described in the literature or used in practice. In addition, the resulting order picking operations are relatively robust to picker blocking.
Oral discussions on Session: “Markets” - Part II

This paper contains the first part of the transcribed oral discussions of Session “Markets” of the 2013 IREP Symposium-Bulk Power System Dynamics and Control Sunday, held on Wednesday morning, August 28, 2013. Papers [1]–[4] were presented.
Striations on electron micrographs of organic crystals resulting from multiple elastic scattering.

When suitably oriented crystals of the inhanthrene dyes blue RS, red FBB, and olive T, and the pigment phthalocyanine are imaged in the electron microscope under conditions which permit extinction contours to be recorded, the images show striations which result from multiple elastic scattering. The most striking of these striations are those associated with forbidden reflections in the selected-area diffraction patterns. These striations differ from the ones which are out-of-focus interference patterns by being present on the in-focus image and, when associated with forbidden reflections, having twice, or nearly twice, the molecular plane spacing. It is suggested that some of the striations present on crystal images of antigorite with superlattice spacings might also result from forbidden reflections in the electron diffraction pattern.
Polarization transfer in elastic electron scattering from nucleons and deuterons

We present a description, including relevant formulas and numerical estimates, of a set of polarization transfer experiments which appear to offer a feasible way to separate the deuteron charge and quadrupole form factors and measure the neutron and proton electric form factors. The experiments require a 2 to 4 GeV high-intensity, high-duty factor, longitudinally polarized electron beam and require that the polarization of the recoiling hadron be measured in a second, analyzing, scattering. The relevant asymmetries are fairly large, and our calculations show that they are sensitive to different models obtained from existing data. Attention is called to the fact that the proposed deuteron measurements will require new 10% measurements of vector and tensor analyzing powers of deuterons with kinetic energy from 150 to 450 MeV.
Open your eyes...speak your mind...help desk communicating

We have centralized and decentralized our Information Systems department at Baylor, so staying In Touch with the campus community as well as our own Information Technology (IT) group can be a difficult task these days. In this poster presentation we want to share with you the ways in which we communicate with each other and our campus community by means of our websites, phones, and knowledgebase system.The Help Desk staff provides front end support for all technology related calls. We utilize the HEAT® Service & Support Software, an Automated Service Desk Solution by FrontRange Solutions USA Inc., to track and allocate all calls received at the Help Desk.During the past year we have reconstructed our Help Desk website using the Content Management System to make it more user-friendly for our clients. We have the option to display alerts for new virus threats or other vital information and a system maintenance section that displays any planned outages or maintenance that may affect our clients.For outages and any known problems with our servers, we post them to our DOWN line that can be accessed by dialing 254.710.3696 (DOWN). We are also implementing a knowledgebase to work with our Heat call tracking system so that clients can search a problem/answer on their own and if needed submit a ticket for an IT tech to fix the problem. This knowledgebase is also being customized for detailed support information that will be used by our Help Desk consultants and IT support staff.
The Alimentary Forms of the Global Life: The Pacific Island Trade in Lamb and Mutton Flaps

In this article, we track the controversial flow of lamb and mutton flaps (sheep bellies) from New Zealand and Australia to Papua New Guinea and Fiji. We focus on a multivalent fetish, a commodity that has the power to make a range of important things happen for differently located people. Some view flaps as trash, others, as treasure. They are objects of distaste or desire. As such, they are agents of social differentiation or of commonality. By exploring the different ways in which lamb and mutton flaps are fetishized in this part of the Pacific, we learn much about how contemporary socialities and economies are constructed and understood.
They heard a cry: psychosocial resources moderate perception of others' distress

Two studies tested whether psychosocial resources affect perception of another's distress. Participants' had their resources depleted, left unchanged, or boosted by elaborately recalling either someone who had betrayed them, a neutral person, or a close and trusted other, respectively. Participants then listened to disturbing baby cries, and rated how much distress the cries conveyed. As predicted, participants who recalled a betrayal subsequently heard the cries as conveying more distress than did other participants (Study 1). However, recalling a betrayal did not amplify cry ratings if, prior to cry rating, betrayal-related thoughts and feelings were disclosed (Study 2). The moderating effect of disclosure on cry ratings indicates that boosting resources (disclosure) can counteract the effects of resource depletion (betrayal). Results in both studies remained significant even after controlling for mood. This research is the first to show that social contexts, and emotional disclosure, each affects perception of others' distress. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
INHIBITION OF HOST CELL MACROMOLECULAR SYNTHESIS BY HIGH MULTIPLICITIES OF POLIOVIRUS UNDER CONDITIONS PREVENTING VIRUS SYNTHESIS.

At an input multiplicity of 1,000 to 10,000 plaque-forming units (approximately 100,000 to over 1,000,000 physical particles) per cell, purified type 1 poliovirus caused rapid and profound inhibition of protein synthesis in HeLa cells and a less rapid but definite inhibition of RNA synthesis in the presence of 0–0025 M -guanidine. This concentration of guanidine completely prevents replication of the poliovirus RNA genome. Under these conditions cytopathic effects were visible within 6 hours and most cells were dead or dying within 10 to 24 hours. Puromycin and fiuorophenylalanine, at levels which inhibit protein synthesis and virus-directed RNA synthesis, failed to suppress or delay these high multiplicity effects on cell synthesis. It appears that some component(s) of the mature virus particle is capable of inhibiting host cell synthesis when added in sufficient quantity.
Targeted deletion and lipidomic analysis identify epithelial cell COX-2 as a major driver of chemically induced skin cancer.

Pharmacologic and global gene deletion studies demonstrate that cyclooxygenase-2 (PTGS2/COX-2) plays a critical role in DMBA/TPA–induced skin tumor induction. Although many cell types in the tumor microenvironment express COX-2, the cell types in which COX-2 expression is required for tumor promotion are not clearly established.Here,celltype–specificCox-2genedeletionrevealsavitalroleforskinepithelialcellCOX-2expressionin DMBA/TPA tumor induction. In contrast, myeloid Cox-2 gene deletion has no effect on DMBA/TPA tumorigenesis. The infrequent, small tumors that develop on mice with an epithelial cell–specific Cox-2 gene deletion have decreasedproliferation andincreasedcelldifferentiationproperties.Bloodvessel densityisreducedintumorswithan epithelial cell–specific Cox-2 gene deletion, compared with littermate control tumors, suggesting a reciprocal relationship in tumor progression between COX-2–expressing tumor epithelial cells and microenvironment endothelial cells. Lipidomics analysis of skin and tumors from DMBA/TPA–treated mice suggests that the prostaglandins PGE2 and PGF2a are likely candidates for the epithelial cell COX-2–dependent eicosanoids that mediate tumor progression. This study both illustrates the value of cell type–specific gene deletions in understanding the cellular roles of signal-generating pathways in complex microenvironments and emphasizes the benefit of a systems-based lipidomic analysis approach to identify candidate lipid mediators of biologic responses. Implications:Cox-2 gene deletion demonstrates that intrinsic COX-2 expression in initiated keratinocytes is a principal driver of skin carcinogenesis; lipidomic analysis identifies likely prostanoid effectors. Mol Cancer Res; 1–12. � 2014 AACR.
Processing and Analysis of Ceramic Mesoscale Combustors Fabricated by Co-Extrusion

In this work, millimeter-scale tubular combustion channels were fabricated from ceramic precursor materials. Co-extrusion of structured feedrods holds promise for the development of multi-layered, functionally graded and/or textured combustor walls, but requires a polymer binder that is difficult to remove before structures can be sintered to full density. In conventional thermal debinding, cracking is a major issue, where crack formation is attributed to a lack of pore space for outgassing of pyrolysis products. The main focus of this study is to validate a manufacturing process that uses a combination of solvent de-binding and thermal debinding, which is applied to a simple combustor geometry. Alumina powder was batched with a mixture of polyethylene butyl-acrylate (PEBA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a torque rheometer. A 19mm feedrod, consisting of a carbon-black/binder mixture as core, and a surrounding ceramic/binder mixture forming the wall, was extruded through a 5.84 mm die. The binder removal involves two processing steps, where the PEG content was removed by solvent extraction (SE) to initiate pore formation, after which thermal de-binding by pyrolysis removes the remaining binder and carbon-black. Solvent extraction was performed in water at three different temperatures for various times. The 1:1 mixture of PEG:PEBA showed the highest PEG removal of 80wt% for 6 hrs extraction. The thermal de-binding cycle was designed based on thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and successfully performed with a ramping rate of 1.25°C/min to 1000°C without any crack formation. After de-binding, samples were sintered at 1600°C for 1 hr. SEM analysis showed some void spaces in the solvent extracted samples but confirmed that solvent extraction followed by thermal de-binding yielded the best results. The viability of sintered ceramic tubes was tested for conditions typical for thermal cycling in a combustion environment.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Highly dispersible, superparamagnetic magnetite nanoflowers for magnetic resonance imaging

A one-pot reaction process was developed to synthesize highly dispersible, superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoflowers; the potential of these nanoflowers as MRI contrast agents was investigated.
A PHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF THE PECULIAR BINARY STAR V SAGITTAE

High-speed photometric UBV observations of the nova-like variable V Sagittae conducted during 1994 and 1995 are reported. The data consist of a total of 152 hours of observations, covering the entire 12.3 hr orbital period. Analysis of the photometry using the new Wilson eclipsing-binary code suggests a model where mass is being transferred from a 0.86 Msun, evolved, Helium-burning star, which fills its Roche lobe, to a 3.48 Msun evolved companion. Thirteen new timings of primary eclipse in conjunction with published timings from 1946 to 1996 show that the orbital period is changing at a rate dot {P} = -5.1(± 1.0) x 10-10 . We derive a lower limit to the mass loss rate from the primary star of dot {M1} ~ -4.4(± 0.1) x 10-7 Msun yr-1 . V Sge appears to be in a short-lived evolutionary state with a lifetime of ~ 2 x 106 yr.
Concentration-jump analysis of voltage-dependent conductances activated by glutamate and kainate in neurons of the avian cochlear nucleus

We have examined the mechanisms underlying the voltage sensitivity of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate receptors in voltage-clamped outside-out patches and whole cells taken from the nucleus magnocellularis of the chick. Responses to either glutamate or kainate had outwardly rectifying current-voltage relations. The rate and extent of desensitization during prolonged exposure to agonist, and the rate of deactivation after brief exposure to agonist, decreased at positive potentials, suggesting that a kinetic transition was sensitive to membrane potential. Voltage dependence of the peak conductance and of the deactivation kinetics persisted when desensitization was reduced with aniracetam or blocked with cyclothiazide. Furthermore, the rate of recovery from desensitization to glutamate was not voltage dependent. Upon reduction of extracellular divalent cation concentration, kainate-evoked currents increased but preserved rectifying current-voltage relations. Rectification was strongest at lower kainate concentrations. Surprisingly, nonstationary variance analysis of desensitizing responses to glutamate or of the current deactivation after kainate removal revealed an increase in the mean single-channel conductance with more positive membrane potentials. These data indicate that the rectification of the peak response to a high agonist concentration reflects an increase in channel conductance, whereas rectification of steady-state current is dominated by voltage-sensitive channel kinetics.
Efficient and Accurate Approaches to the Laboratory Diagnosis of α1-Antitrypsin Deficiency: The Promise of Early Diagnosis and Intervention

Abnormal human genes are rarely absolute predictors of the development of disease. With a few notable exceptions, abnormal genes predict risk of disease, and this risk is modified by environmental factors. When these environmental risk factors are known and minimized, early identification may translate into substantial health benefits. One of the best examples of the potential of this paradigm is α1-antitrypsin deficiency. α1-Antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is most often caused by inheritance of the so-called PI*Z allele (1)(2). “PI” is the former nomenclature for the SERPINA1 [serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade A (α1 antiproteinase, antitrypsin), member 1] gene locus and stands for protease inhibitor. While the number of AAT variants is >100, ∼95% of all AAT-deficient individuals are homozygous for the Z allele. The PI*Z allele is the result of a guanine-to-adenine base substitution, which in turn changes glutamic acid to lysine at position 342 of the mature AAT protein. This amino acid change alters the net charge of the protein and is the basis of its identification in isoelectric focusing gels. Inheritance of this allele increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) and liver disease (1)(2). The diagnosis of AAT deficiency is based exclusively on laboratory assays (3). Risk ratios for COPD range from 1.5–12-fold, depending on whether the Z allele is present in heterozygous or homozygous combinations (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Among normal …
Towards a code of conduct for the tourism industry: An ethics model

There are four areas of concern in the ethical pursuit of tourism. Too often, tourism development is planned without consideration of the local environment's or community's needs and characteristics. An ethical treatment of the environment and community should involve consideration and participation in the planning and decision-making process, as well as implementing effective guidelines to assure fairness in employing both traditional and non-traditional employees. Finally, the industry must pay special attention to the target market: tourists.
Addition of Livestock Performance and Economic Factors to Yield and Quality Analysis of Forage Management Experiments

Producers adopt new technology to gain an economic advantage. This study was conducted to determine whether agronomic data alone provide sufficient information to evaluate the profitability of forage management practices. Responses of four annual ryegrass cultivars (Lolium multiflorum L. and L. multiflorum×L. perenne L. hybrids) to four rates of A fertilizer were determined in a field study. We measured the following agronomic data: dry matter yield (DMY), in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and relative feed value (RFV). We calculated three measures of economic value: forage cost per ton, forage cost per acre, and returns per acre. Forage costs were computed using local costs for inputs. Return calculations were made using a hypothetical steer feeding operation as a model. Returns were defined as income over forage production, feed supplement, livestock purchase, and livestock overhead costs. Diets were formulated to feed steers from 600 to 800 Ib (1.2 and 3 Ib gain/d) using the forages from the field study. We varied purchase and selling prices from $0.70 to $0.95/Ib. Each agronomic measure clearly ranked the four cultivars. Yield and quality were negatively related, so a producer attempting to select a cultivar and A rate would be forced to estimate the relative values of yield and quality. Cost of production data also produced distinct rankings of the management treatments. Based on returns, the four varieties were ranked in six different orders depending on market conditions, so no one cultivar could be recommended as the most profitable. Return analysis does not clearly differentiate among management treatments unless livestock and economic conditions are specified within a narrow range. As a result, return analysis is not useful for routine interpretation of forage management trials. Livestock and economic factors should be used to make recommendations to individual producers, however, because agronomic data alone are not sufficient to justify the adoption of a new practice. All forage management research should include yield and quality data that will allow return estimates to be made
Fungal Meiosis and Parasexual Reproduction – Lessons from Pathogenic Yeast

Meiosis is an integral part of sexual reproduction in eukaryotic species. It performs the dual functions of halving the genetic content in the cell, as well as increasing genetic diversity by promoting recombination between chromosome homologs. Despite extensive studies of meiosis in model yeast, it is now apparent that both the regulation of meiosis and the machinery mediating recombination have significantly diverged, even between closely related species. To highlight this, we discuss new studies on sex in Candida species, a diverse collection of hemiascomycetes that are related to Saccharomyces cerevisiae and are important human pathogens. These provide new insights into the most conserved, as well as the most plastic, aspects of meiosis, meiotic recombination, and related parasexual processes.
Comparison of clinical outcome between patients continuing and discontinuing lamivudine therapy after biochemical breakthrough of YMDD mutants

Abstract Background/Aims The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcome between patients continuing and discontinuing lamivudine therapy after the biochemical breakthrough of hepatitis B virus tyrosine–methionine–aspartate–aspartate (YMDD) mutant. Methods YMDD mutants were detected in 51 chronic hepatitis B patients who experienced a flare-up of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) during lamivudine treatment. Twenty-seven of them discontinued lamivudine therapy (group A), and 24 continued therapy (group B) after biochemical breakthrough. The follow-up period was 12 months in both the groups. Results There was no significant difference between groups A and B in the incidence and severity of ALT peaks and hepatic decompensation within the first 3 months after biochemical breakthrough. After the fourth month of biochemical breakthrough, however, group A experienced acute exacerbation more frequently [20/26 (77%) vs. 7/23 (30%); P =0.002] and higher ALT peaks than group B. The same result was found when the patients were divided into naive and retreated or cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic groups. Hepatic decompensation at the onset of biochemical breakthrough was associated with higher mortality (OR=70, 95% CI=6.06–807.75). Conclusions Patients who discontinued lamivudine therapy increased the frequency of flare-ups and higher ALT peaks than those who continued therapy after 4 months post-breakthrough.
PULSE HEIGHT RESPONSE CHARACTERISTICS FOR HEAVY IONS IN SILICON SURFACE- BARRIER DETECTORS.

Abstract A previous study of the pulse-height defect (PHD) for heavy ions (Ni, Cu, Ag, Au and U) in a silicon surface-barrier detector has been extended to include 10 different detectors and higher energy ions. Iodine was also added to the list of ions studied. All of the low-resistivity, heavy-ion type detectors showed nearly identical response characteristics. The PHD for these detectors appears to be a general phenomenon that can be described as the sum of a simple energy loss in the gold surface layer, a calculated nuclear-stopping defect, and a residual defect expressed as a linear dependence on the difference between the electronic stopping power of the ion in silicon and a constant critical value. High resistivity detectors exhibited larger residual defects, but qualitatively similar behavior.
Scaling Analysis on Dynamic Flammability Limits of Unsteady Premixed Methane/Air Flames

of mixture composition oscillations on a strained premixed methane/air flame. The problem is of practical relevance in direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) engines and gas-turbines, in which premixed flames propagate through temporally and spatially stratified mixture field. The primary focus of the study is to identify the dynamic flammability limit, defined as the minimum instantaneous mixture equivalence ratio that can sustain flame propagation. It is shown that the dierence between the dynamic and steady flammability limits, `t i`s, represents the extension of the flammability limit under unsteady condition, and is a function of the mean strain rate, frequency of oscillation, and mean equivalence ratio. A proper normalization is proposed in order to scale the dynamic flammability limit extension as a function of a nondimensional frequency. As an improvement from previous studies, the use of time scale based on the actual flame thickness and speed represents the correct physical time and length scales involved in the process, thereby yielding a good collapse of the data. As a related subject, a universal extinction criterion for unsteady flames is proposed based on the local Karlovitz number defined as the ratio of the local reaction time to the characteristic flow time. The results show that the maximum local Karlovitz number at the dynamic flammability limit is approximately constant, irrespective of strain rate, mean equivalence ratio, and frequency of oscillation. The results thus extends earlier studies on the local Karlovitz number in steady flame extinction.
Preparation of Benzyl γ-Benxoyloxybutyrates

Abstract As part of our investigation of intramolecular phenolic coupling reactions we required a series of diesters of the general structure, 5 1. Since esters of γ-hydroxybutyric acid have been prepared by acid2 or base3 catalyzed alcoholysis of γ-butyrolactone, it appeared that the desired esters might be prepared by alcoholysis of the lactone with a benzyloxide followed by trapping the new alkoxide, 1, with an acyl chloride. However, treatment of γ-butyrolactone with sodium benzyloxide under conditions analogous to those used in the preparation of ethyl γ-hydroxybutyrate3 failed to yield any of the corresponding benzyl ester. We were also unable to trap alkoxide 1 by acylation with acetyl chloride or benzoyl chloride.
Increasing phosphoproteomic coverage through sequential digestion by complementary proteases

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification known to regulate protein function, subcellular localization, complex formation, and protein degradation. Detailed phosphoproteomic information is critical to kinomic studies of signal transduction and for elucidation of cancer biomarkers, such as in non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma, where phosphorylation is commonly dysregulated. However, the collection and analysis of phosphorylation data remains a difficult problem. The low concentrations of phosphopeptides in complex biological mixtures as well as challenges inherent in their chemical nature have limited phosphoproteomic characterization and some phosphorylation sites are inaccessible by traditional workflows. We developed a sequential digestion method using complementary proteases, Glu-C and trypsin, to increase phosphoproteomic coverage and supplement traditional approaches. The sequential digestion method is more productive than workflows utilizing only Glu-C and we evaluated the orthogonality of the sequential digestion method relative to replicate trypsin-based analyses. Finally, we demonstrate the ability of the sequential digestion method to access new regions of the phosphoproteome by comparison to existing public phosphoproteomic databases. Our approach increases coverage of the human lung cancer phosphoproteome by accessing both new phosphoproteins and novel phosphorylation site information.
Detecting Critical Patterns in Maternal-Fetal Heart Rate Signals:

The present study examined how individuals detect critical patterns in maternal-fetal heart rate (MFHR) signals. Twenty-eight undergraduate students monitored simulated maternal-fetal heart rate signals for decelerations lasting either 30 or 44 seconds. They completed four 10-min sessions representing four different signal-to-noise S/N ratios (10, 4, 2, and 1), in which the S/N ratio represented the magnitude of the deceleration to background heart rate variability. The results showed that the introduction of any variability reduced the ability to detect signals and increased false alarms. Further, with S/N ratios of 2 and 1 participants made equivalent numbers of hits and false alarms. These results show that as the S/N ratio decreases, observers struggle to distinguish critical patterns from the background fetal heart activity. These findings highlight the source of one problem often observed when interpreting MFHR signals in clinical settings and underscore the need for auxiliary aids.
The Economics of Conversation

In a period of relatively high costs for new generation resources and potential supply deficits, utility planners are increasingly examining conservation as a supply alternative. Because conservation is dependent upon individual consumer actions, some utilities have also begun offering various incentives to motivate greater customer participation. This paper examines the issue of cost-effectiveness from three different perspectives: (1) societal, (2) customer (conserver), and (3) utility (nonparticipant rate-payer). A methodology is presented for determining the maximum incentive a utility can offer under a nonparticipant breakeven cost-effectiveness standard. Finally, two example applications of this methodology are presented.
Ternary quadratic forms and quaternion algebras

Abstract Let U be a definite rational quaternion algebra and Λ a special order in U . Consider the ternary quadratic form realized by restricting the reduced norm of U to the elements of trace zero. We derive a relation between a weighted average of the number of primitive representions of a positive integer m by the ternary form (summed over the isomorphism classes of Λ) and the class number of the imaginary quadratic field Q (√−m).
Evidence-based practice in primary prevention of spinal cord injury

A spinal cord injury (SCI) not only causes paralysis, but also has long-term impact on physical and mental health. There are between 236,000 to 327,000 individuals living with the consequences of SCI in the United States, and the economic burden on the individuals sustaining the injury, their support network, and society as a whole is significant. The consequences of SCI require that health care professionals begin thinking about primary prevention. Efforts are often focused on care and cure, but evidence-based prevention should have a greater role. Primary prevention efforts can offer significant cost benefits, and efforts to change behavior and improve safety can and should be emphasized. Primary prevention can be applied to various etiologies of injury, including motor vehicle crashes, sports injuries, and firearm misuse, with a clear goal of eliminating unnecessary injury and its life-changing impact.
Link Assignment And Routing Strategies For Rapidly Changing Satellite Networks

The objective of our research is to develop innovative techniques for routing packets in a satellite network using point-to-point laser communications. In this paper we summarize our findings on topology analysis, introduce a link assignment algorithm used to study the effects of link retargeting, and briefly present a 2-level hierarchal model which offers four node-disjoint paths between all source destination pairs and attempts to minimize network congestion while offering low propagation delays. Network survivability is a key consideration, and impulse changes to the network are assumed. Satellite losses, link losses, and traffic flow are expected in bursts.
Spin diffusion and injection in semiconductor structures: Electric field effects

In semiconductor spintronic devices, the semiconductor is usually lightly doped and nondegenerate, and moderate electric fields can dominate the carrier motion. We recently derived a drift-diffusion equation for spin polarization in semiconductors by consistently taking into account electric-field effects and nondegenerate electron statistics and identified a high-field diffusive regime which has no analog in metals. Here spin injection from a ferromagnet (FM) into a nonmagnetic semiconductor (NS) is extensively studied by applying this spin drift-diffusion equation to several typical injection structures such as FM/NS, FM/NS/FM, and FM/NS/NS structures. We find that in the high-field regime spin injection from a ferromagnet into a semiconductor is enhanced by several orders of magnitude. For injection structures with interfacial barriers, the electric field further enhances spin injection considerably. In FM/NS/FM structures high electric fields destroy the symmetry between the two magnets at low fields, where both magnets are equally important for spin injection, and spin injection becomes determined by the magnet from which carriers flow into the semiconductor. The field-induced spin injection enhancement should also be insensitive to the presence of a highly doped nonmagnetic semiconductor $({\mathrm{NS}}^{+})$ at the FM interface, thus ${\mathrm{F}\mathrm{M}/\mathrm{N}\mathrm{S}}^{+}/\mathrm{NS}$ structures should also manifest efficient spin injection at high fields. Furthermore, high fields substantially reduce the magnetoresistance observable in a recent experiment on spin injection from magnetic semiconductors.