cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced PEDOT adhesion on solid substrates with electrografted P(EDOT-NH 2)

Conjugated polymers, such as poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT), have emerged as promising materials for interfacing biomedical devices with tissue because of their relatively soft mechanical properties, versatile organic chemistry, and inherent ability to conduct both ions and electrons. However, their limited adhesion to substrates is a concern for in vivo applications. We report an electrografting method to create covalently bonded PEDOT on solid substrates. An amine-functionalized EDOT derivative (2,3-dihydrothieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-2-yl)methanamine (EDOT-NH2), was synthesized and then electrografted onto conducting substrates including platinum, iridium, and indium tin oxide. The electrografting process was performed under slightly basic conditions with an overpotential of ~2 to 3 V. A nonconjugated, cross-linked, and well-adherent P(EDOT-NH2)-based polymer coating was obtained. We found that the P(EDOT-NH2) polymer coating did not block the charge transport through the interface. Subsequent PEDOT electrochemical deposition onto P(EDOT-NH2)-modified electrodes showed comparable electroactivity to pristine PEDOT coating. With P(EDOT-NH2) as an anchoring layer, PEDOT coating showed greatly enhanced adhesion. The modified coating could withstand extensive ultrasonication (1 hour) without significant cracking or delamination, whereas PEDOT typically delaminated after seconds of sonication. Therefore, this is an effective means to selectively modify microelectrodes with highly adherent and highly conductive polymer coatings as direct neural interfaces.
CREB Protein Mediates Alcohol‐Induced Circadian Disruption and Intestinal Permeability

Background Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD) is commonly associated with intestinal permeability. An unanswered question is why only a subset of heavy alcohol drinkers develop endotoxemia. Recent studies suggest that circadian disruption is the susceptibility factor for alcohol-induced gut leakiness to endotoxins. The circadian protein PER2 is increased after exposure to alcohol and siRNA knockdown of PER2 in vitro blocks alcohol-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction. We have shown that blocking CYP2E1 (i.e., important for alcohol metabolism) with siRNA inhibits the alcohol-induced increase in PER2 and suggesting that oxidative stress may mediate alcohol-induced increase in PER 2 in intestinal epithelial cells. The Aim of the current study was to elucidate whether a mechanism incited by alcohol-derived oxidative stress mediates the transcriptional induction of PER2 and subsequent intestinal hyperpermeability. Methods Caco-2 cells were exposed to 0.2% alcohol with or without pretreatment with modulators of oxidative stress or PKA activity. Permeability of the Caco-2 monolayer was assessed by transepithelial electrical resistance. Protein expression was measured by Western Blot and mRNA with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Wild-type C57BL/6J mice (WT) mice were fed with alcohol diet (29% of total calories, 4.5% v/v) for 8 weeks. Western Blot was used to analyze PER2 expression in mouse proximal colon tissue. Results Alcohol increased oxidative stress, caused Caco-2 cell monolayer dysfunction, and increased levels of the circadian clock proteins Per2 and Clock. These effects were mitigated by pre-treatment of Caco-2 cells with an anti-oxidant scavenger. Alcohol-derived oxidative stress activated CREB via the PKA pathway and increased PER2 mRNA and protein. Inhibiting CREB prevented the increase in PER2 and Caco-2 cell monolayer hyperpermeability. Conclusions Taken together, these data suggest that strategies to reduce alcohol-induced oxidative stress may alleviate alcohol mediated circadian disruption and intestinal leakiness, critical drivers of ALD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Trends in availability and usage of biophysical agents among physical therapists in the United States

BackgroundBiophysical agents (BPA) are adjuncts to care plans prescribed by physical therapists to patients in clinic. Recent statements by the American Physical Therapy Association caution usage of certain BPAs. Currently, information is lacking as to which BPAs are available and utilized in physical therapy settings in the United States, rationale for inclusion of BPAs in patient care plans and perceptions of importance of inclusion in a DPT curriculum.ObjectivesA survey was sent out to 520 physical therapists in the United States (response rate 25%)Major FindingsOver 80% of respondents reported access to BPAs and of those, 92% used BPAs with patients. The most commonly used BPAs were cold packs, hot packs, and varied applications of electrical stimulation, while mechanical compression and diathermy were least frequently used. The most common rationale for BPA use was prior positive experience. Respondents’ perceptions of importance of inclusion of specific BPAs in a DPT curriculum mirrored some of the ...
Electron field emission from Q-carbon

Abstract We report field electron emission investigations in Q-carbon composite structures formed by pulsed laser annealing of amorphous carbon layers. Under the optimum fabrication conditions, a dense microstructured morphology of Q-carbon was obtained, which is important for local electric field enhancement in field-emission device applications. The turn-on field required to draw an emission current density of 1 μA/cm2 is found to be 2.4 V/μm. The Q-carbon films show good electron emission stability as a function of time up to 4 h. The microstructure and morphology of the field emitting Q-carbon films was analyzed by a variety of techniques, including field emission scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Our results show a very high emission current density value of ~30 μA/cm2 at an applied electric field of 2.65 V/μm, which is hysteresis-free and stable. The generated emission current has been found to have low fluctuations (
Baseline Thromboelastogram as a Predictor of Left Ventricular Assist Device Thrombosis

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) pump thrombosis occurs in up to 8.4% of patients within 3-months postimplantation. Thromboelastography (TEG) could be used to signal hypercoagulability at LVAD implantation to predict patients at high risk for thrombosis. We sought to evaluate whether TEG maximum amplitude (MA) hypercoagulability (MA ≥69 mm) at the time of LVAD implantation predicts pump thrombosis. A single center, retrospective, nested case-control study was conducted using patients from January 1, 2005, to March 31, 2015. Each pump thrombosis case was matched to two control subjects based on age ± 5 years, sex, and duration of follow-up. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on the matched sets; the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to estimate the relative risk. Thirty-seven age- and sex-matched case-control sets were included for a total of 111 study participants. TEG-MA hypercoagulability occurred in 10.8% of the case group versus 6.8% of controls. There was no association between TEG-MA hypercoagulability and device thrombosis (odds ratio 1.71, 95% confidence interval 0.42-7.05, p = 0.46). Utilization of baseline TEG-MA hypercoagulability to detect individuals at risk for LVAD thrombosis is a novel concept. This study found no significant association between TEG-MA and LVAD thrombosis.
Selected Arid Land Plants, their Ecophysiology and Uses

There are probably at least 20 000 economic species in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. The plants mentioned in this chapter are those whose adaptations or ecology have been discussed in the previous chapters. Many well-known plants in the economies of the developed countries have been omitted while many of what may appear to be of little economic importance have been included. However, it should be borne in mind that items that people of the developed world take for granted, such as string, soap, toothbrushes, medicines and pesticides, are often only available as raw plant products by peoples of the less developed arid and semi-arid lands. Some economic plants have been omitted either because of lack of information or because their form of ecophysical behaviour and adaptations appear sufficiently similar to others already described. Also, not all the economic plants mentioned earlier in the text are discussed here for reasons of space limitations.
Transcriptional involvement of the Hepatitis B Virus Protein in Cellular Transduction Systems. Protein-Protein Interactions with Bzip transactivators

The Hepatitis B virus genome is 3.2 Kb and contains fourrecognized open reading frames, three of which encode virion structural proteins, Tiollais et al. (1985). These include the S gene (surface antigen), the C-gene (core antigen) and the viral polymerase. The fourth open reading frame, which is conserved among all mammalian hepadnaviruses, encodes a 16.5 KDa protein, termed X antigen. The X gene product is expressed during viral infection, producing a 1Kb mRNA, Tiollais et al. (1985). Direct evidence for the ability of the X gene to encode a protein has been obtained by its expression in both prokaryotic, Moriarty et al. (1985) and eukaryotic systems, Kay et al. (1985). The importance of the X gene product in viral infection has been demonstrated by frameshift X mutants of ground squirrel hepatitis virus, which failed to grow in animal hosts, Siddiqui et al. (1987). Recent evidence obtained from transgenic animal experiments supports the role of the HBV X gene product in the development of hepatocellular carcinomas, Kim et al. (1991), although its mechanism is currently unknown.
Why Is It so Hard to Do Good Science

"Good science" means answering important questions convincingly, a challenging endeavor under the best of circumstances. Our inability to replicate many biomedical studies has been the subject of numerous commentaries both in the scientific and lay press. In response, statistics has re-emerged as a necessary tool to improve the objectivity of study conclusions. However, psychological aspects of decision making introduce preconceived preferences into scientific judgment that cannot be eliminated by any statistical method. The psychology of decision making, expounded by Kahneman, Tversky, and Thaler, is well known in the field of economics, but the underlying concepts of cognitive psychology are also relevant to scientific judgments. I repeated experiments carried out on undergraduates by Kahneman and colleagues four to five decades ago, but with scientists, and obtained essentially the same results. The experiments were in the form of written reactions to scenarios, and participants were scientists at all career stages. The findings reinforce the roles that two inherent intuitions play in scientific decision making: our drive to create a coherent narrative from new data regardless of its quality or relevance and our inclination to seek patterns in data whether they exist or not. Moreover, we do not always consider how likely a result is regardless of its p value. Low statistical power and inattention to principles underpinning Bayesian statistics reduce experimental rigor, but mitigating skills can be learned. Overcoming our natural human tendency to make quick decisions and jump to conclusions is a deeper obstacle to doing good science; this too can be learned.
An analysis of Peru: Is water driving mining conflicts?

Abstract Mining projects face community opposition in various parts of the world, and water is often perceived as a primary source of such opposition. Despite the proliferation of community conflicts at mine sites, there is a dearth of documented, quantitative analyses for insights as to the factors contributing to such conflicts. Peru provides a useful case study for such an analysis given the history of data collection on mining-related conflicts. We provide a statistical analysis with data from Peru from 2007 to 2016. During this time period the country was plagued with numerous mining related conflicts. We have separated out those conflicts that were perceived to be water related. Apart from reviewing national trends, this paper also analyses region-level data. We find that quality and availability of water are drivers for those water-related social conflicts with mining companies. However, other factors such as past conflicts and revenue payments to the sub-national level play a bigger role.
Fundamental Physics Implications for Higher-Curvature Theories from Binary Black Hole Signals in the LIGO-Virgo Catalog GWTC-1

Gravitational-wave astronomy offers not only new vistas into the realm of astrophysics, but it also opens an avenue for probing, for the first time, general relativity in its strong-field, nonlinear, and dynamical regime, where the theory's predictions manifest themselves in their full glory. We present a study of whether the gravitational-wave events detected so far by the LIGO-Virgo scientific collaborations can be used to probe higher-curvature corrections to general relativity. In particular, we focus on two examples: Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet and dynamical Chern-Simons gravity. We find that the two events with a low-mass $m\ensuremath{\approx}7\text{ }\text{ }{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ BH (GW151226 and GW170608) place stringent constraints on Einstein-dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\mathrm{EDGB}}^{1/2}\ensuremath{\lesssim}5.6\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}$, whereas dynamical Chern-Simons gravity remains unconstrained by the gravitational-wave observations analyzed.
Role of adjuvant radiation or re-excision for early stage vulvar squamous cell carcinoma with positive or close surgical margins

Abstract Objectives This study aims to evaluate whether re-excision or adjuvant radiation for stage I vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with either a close or positive surgical margin improves recurrence-free survival. Methods Patients with pathologically confirmed FIGO stage I vulvar SCC who underwent primary surgical management between January 1, 1995 and September 30, 2017 and had positive or close ( Results Of 150 patients with stage I vulvar SCC, 47 (31.3%) had positive or close margins. Median follow-up time was 25 months (IQR 13–59 months). Twenty-one (44.6%) patients received additional treatment with re-excision (n = 17) or vulvar radiation (n = 4); 26 (55.3%) patients received no additional therapy. Patients with positive margins were more likely to receive additional therapy compared to patients with close margins (80% vs 35.1%, p = 0.03). The 2-year recurrence rates were similar between the no further therapy and the re-excision/vulvar radiation groups (11.5% vs 4.8%, p = 0.62). Local recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were similar between patients who received re-excision/vulvar radiation and patients who received no further therapy (p = 0.10 and p = 0.16, respectively). Subgroup analysis of the 37 patients with close margins demonstrated no difference in RFS or OS when patients received re-excision or adjuvant vulvar radiation compared to no additional therapy (p = 0.74 and p = 0.82, respectively). Conclusions In our study, any additional treatment following primary surgical resection did not improve RFS or OS in stage IA and IB vulvar SCC. Larger studies are warranted in order to definitively determine the role of re-excision and adjuvant radiation in early stage disease.
Evolution of Myeloma Testing in Clinical Chemistry with Mass Spectrometry.

Dramatic improvement in the treatment response of multiple myeloma (MM)2 patients to new chemotherapy and immunotherapy has sparked a reevaluation of long-held assumptions about this disease. In the forefront is the hope that MM may be curable, and perhaps it is time to start treating MM patients until all signs of the disease are eradicated. For those of us in the clinical laboratory, this poses a challenge to provide more sensitive assays capable of detecting minimal residual disease. The long-standing routine electrophoretic methods are not capable of providing the needed sensitivity, and laboratorians have turned to bone marrow biopsies and hunting for traces of the malignant plasma cells with high-sensitivity flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing. At our institution, agarose gel electrophoresis has been used for detecting MM since 1967. Since that time, the assay has seen relatively …
Building fault detection and diagnostics: Achieved savings, and methods to evaluate algorithm performance

Abstract Fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) represents one of the most active areas of research and commercial product development in the buildings industry. This paper addresses two questions concerning FDD implementation and advancement 1) What are today's users of FDD saving and spending on the technology? 2) What methods and datasets can be used to evaluate and benchmark FDD algorithm performance? Relevant to the first question, 26 organizations that use FDD across a total 550 buildings and 97 M sf achieved median savings of 8%. Twenty-seven FDD users reported that the median base cost for FDD software, annual recurring software cost, and annual labor cost were $8, $2.7 and $8 per monitoring point, with a median implementation size of approximately 1300 points. To address the second question, this paper describes a systematic methodology for evaluating the performance of FDD algorithms, curates an initial test dataset of air handling unit (AHU) system faults, and completes a trial to demonstrate the evaluation process on three sample FDD algorithms. The work provided a first step toward a standard evaluation of different FDD technologies. It showed the test methodology is indeed scalable and repeatable, provided an understanding of the types of insights that can be gained from algorithm performance testing, and highlighted the priorities for further expanding the test dataset.
Multi-Objective Flight Control for Ride Quality Improvement for Flexible Aircraft

This paper describes a multi-objective flight control system design for ride quality improvement for flexible aircraft using multi-functional distributed flight control surfaces. A multi-objective optimal control design is developed to provide an acceleration suppression capability in conjunction with a gust load alleviation in order to provide ride quality improvement. A gust estimation is developed to estimate the gust load using a recursive least-squares algorithm. A ride quality assessment study is conducted using a flexible wing generic transport model. Six different flight control designs are implemented. The study shows that ride quality can be significantly improved with the acceleration suppression control.
Pioneering meiotic recombination

To induce cell type-specific forms of gene regulation, pioneer factors open tightly packed, inaccessible chromatin sites, enabling the molecular machinery to act on functionally significant information encoded in DNA. While previous studies of pioneer factors have revealed their functions in transcriptional regulation, pioneer factors that open chromatin for other physiological events remain undetermined. In this issue of Genes & Development, Spruce and colleagues (pp. 398-412) report the functional significance of a "pioneer complex" in mouse meiotic recombination. This complex, comprised of the zinc finger DNA-binding protein PRDM9 and the SNF2 family chromatin remodeler HELLS, exposes nucleosomal DNA to designate the sites of DNA double-strand breaks that initiate meiotic recombination. Both HELLS and PRDM9 are required for the determination of these recombination hot spots. Through the identification of a pioneer complex for meiotic recombination, this study broadens the conceptual scope of pioneer factors, indicating their functional significance in biological processes beyond transcriptional regulation.
Variation in Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations by Primary Care Providers Surveyed in Wisconsin

Cancer screening is chiefly performed by primary care providers (PCPs) who rely on organizational screening guidelines. These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations; however, they are often without unanimity leading to divergent screening recommendations. Due to the high incidence of breast cancer, the availability of screening methods, and the presence of multiple incongruent guideline recommendations, we sought to understand breast cancer screening practices in Wisconsin to identify patterns that would allow us to improve evidence-based screening adherence. A 46-question survey on breast cancer screening beliefs and practices for average-risk women was sent to healthcare providers in Wisconsin in 2018, who provided cancer screening services to women. Providers included physicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), and midwives. A total of 295 people responded to the survey, for a response rate of 28.6%. Most respondents were physicians (64.1%), followed by NPs (25.7%), PAs (5.3%), and midwives (1.5%). Of physicians, most practiced family medicine (65.3%), followed by internal medicine (25.3%) and gynecology (9.4%). The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) was reported as being “very influential” for 60.5% of providers, followed by the American Cancer Society at 46.8%. For patients 40–49 years old, 75.6% of providers performed clinical breast exams and 58.5% recommended self-breast exams; these numbers increased for women 50+ years old to 78.7% and 61.2%, respectively. Mammography was more likely to be recommended annually for women aged 40–49 rather than biennially by non-physician clinicians compared to physicians (p < .001). PCPs in Wisconsin continue to overestimate the efficacy of clinical and self-breast exams as well as overuse these in clinical practice. Providers find multiple screening guidelines influential but favor the USPSTF; however, these guidelines are frequently not being followed. Further research needs to be done to investigate the lack of national guideline adherence by providers to improve compliance with evidence-based screening recommendations.
Evaluating the Quality of Changes in Voter Registration Databases: Part of Special Symposium on Election Sciences

The administration of elections depends crucially upon the quality and integrity of voter registration databases. In addition, political scientists are increasingly using these databases in their r...
Lipid metabolic features of skeletal muscle in pathological and physiological conditions

Abstract Skeletal muscle comprises approximately 40% of body mass and it is the largest metabolic organ in the human body. Skeletal muscle plays a major role in regulating the metabolism of lipids, which have various functions such as signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and energy production. Fatty acid transporters move fatty acids into skeletal muscle where they can function in signal transduction pathways such as protein kinase C (PKC), phospholipase C (PLC) mediated Ca2+ release, and as hormones. In addition, fatty acids serve as ligands to transcriptionally regulate nuclear receptors that control expression of metabolic pathways in skeletal muscle, as well as myogenic differentiation of stem cells. Furthermore, fatty acids are major substrates for oxidative pathways to generate energy and the mechanisms controlling the fate of lipids in sedentary and aerobic exercise trained states are discussed. We also introduce a brief description of angiopoietin-like proteins 3, −4, and −8, which are emerging topics of interest in the coordination of integrative metabolism by controlling lipoprotein lipase activity in skeletal muscle. Throughout the chapter, a thorough description of physiological and pathological mechanisms controlling skeletal muscle lipid metabolic control are presented. Where possible, a comparison and contrast between human and rodent muscle physiology is highlighted along with potential future directions of research.
Ultrafast and Controlled Ring-Opening Polymerization with Sterically Hindered Strong Bases

The controlled anionic ring-opening polymerization of lactones and siloxanes is carried out in continuous-flow reactors. Anionic ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters with strong, soluble ba...
The Efficacy of Cash Supports for Children by Race and Family Size: Understanding Disparities and Opportunities for Equity

More than one-third of US children live in families with three or more children. The contemporary impact of larger family size on children’s family resources remains an under-explored point of inequity. Larger family size is not only more common among Black and Hispanic children, but Black and Hispanic children in larger families (Black children, especially so) face higher poverty risks relative to White children in larger families. This analysis uses children’s number of siblings and children’s race and ethnicity to chart the intersectional aspects of disparity in the risk and incidence of poverty and the anti-poverty effects of large federal cash supports, the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. It draws upon 2014–2017 Current Population Survey data and the NBER TAXSIM calculator to apply 2018 tax law, inclusive of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. It reveals well-documented disparities in poverty rates and benefit access and receipt experienced by children of color are further exacerbated by policy structures that discriminate against an under-acknowledged aspect of children’s family life: their family size. Racial bias in policy design that sees tax credit access mechanisms and earnings and benefit structures disproportionately exclude that Black and Hispanic children also disproportionately exclude Black and Hispanic children by their family size. Without reforms that tackle both inequities, policy action that closes the poverty gap between larger and smaller families will see the racial gap in child poverty remain.
Researchers Experience Moral Distress Too

Traditional approaches to human subjects protections in the United States focus on the ethical principles from the Belmont Report: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Since research regu...
Postbaccalaureate terminal degree and career choices of students who performed undergraduate research.

This study analyzed terminal degree and career choices of students who performed undergraduate research. In one analysis, the study compared terminal degree and career choices between a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) and traditional non-course-based undergraduate research experiences at one primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). Students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees at levels exceeding 75%, with no significant difference between a CURE experience and a traditional research experience. Analysis of terminal degree and career choices at four PUIs providing traditional research experiences showed a marked difference in the number of students pursuing terminal degrees. Two PUIs showed rates > 75%, whereas students at the other two PUIs pursued terminal degrees 70% of the students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees. INBRE undergraduates displayed a marked preference for the M.D. degree (73.9% vs. 17.4%), whereas the REU students chose the Ph.D. degree (75.0% vs. 22.9%). American Indian students were also analyzed separately for career choice and showed an equal preference for the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees when pursuing postbaccalaureate education. Overall, the results provide evidence that undergraduate student research stimulates student careers in areas needed by the nation's citizen stakeholders.
More than Skin Deep: a Response to “The Whiteness of AI”

This commentary responds to Stephen Cave and Kanta Dihal’s (2020) call for further investigations of the whiteness of AI. My response focuses on three overlapping projects needed to more fully understand racial bias in the construction of AI and its representations in pop culture: (1) unpacking the intersections of gender and other variables with whiteness in AI’s construction, marketing, and intended functions; (2) observing the many different ways in which whiteness is scripted, and (3) noting how white racial framing exceeds white casting and thus cannot be undone by more diverse and inclusive hiring (or engineering). Our techno-utopian fantasies, I conclude, are morally suspect in ways that go beneath and beyond the white plastic covering on robotic bodies.
Eyewitness: Adult's Vulnerability to Suggestion

The accuracy of eyewitness accounts is critical in the criminal justice system. Numerous studies over the past 100 years have produced a variety of results on the processes that enhance and impair eyewitness memory. Groundbreaking advances include Binet's distinction between suggestion and autosuggestion, Bartlett's theory that memory is reconstructive, Loftus' pivotal work that produced the misinformation effect, and Brainerd and Reyna's fuzzy trace theory. Although eyewitness memory can be quite accurate, a variety of factors can interfere with accurate retention. For example, conversing among witnesses, co-witness contamination, and autosuggestion are potential sources of misinformation that can adversely affect the accuracy of eyewitness memory. Time delays, such as those between experiencing an event and a subsequent police interview, and false memories, due to autosuggestion or overt implantation, must also be considered when evaluating the memory of a witness. Fortunately, warnings against both misinformation and the potential for false memories can improve accuracy. DNA testing has resulted in many exonerations of those convicted because of inaccurate eyewitness memories recounted before a court, and, as a result, those in the criminal justice system have become increasingly aware of the importance of improving eyewitness accuracy. In this article we identify some of the key factors that affect adult eyewitness memory in forensically meaningful ways. Keywords: eyewitness; suggestibility; memory; adult; witness; accuracy; misinformation
Using regression coefficient as a stability parameter in plant breeding programs

Expanding the regression coefficient as stability parameter (Finlay and Wilkinson 1963) requires an unbiased interpretation of the parameter. Information on the covariances among the genotypes of the population must be specific, particularly when the assumed relatedness of the genotypes appears questionable. Such a problem, however, is not expected when the covariances between the genotypes are either zero or equal and possibly non zero.
Analysis of Sprinkler Irrigation Losses

An analysis of spray and evapotranspiration losses from day and night sprinkler irrigation is presented. Determination of the combined losses of spray evaporation and drift was based on the average depth of the water applied and the average depth of the water caught in catch cans. Two lysimeters were used to determine and compare the evapotranspiration of irrigated and nonirrigated areas prior to, during, and after irrigation. Eleven day tests and six night tests were conducted. These limited tests suggest that the total losses are probably the same for day and night sprinkling, although the individual components which make up this total loss are not necessarily equal.
A generalized Archimedean property.

We introduce and discuss a condition generalizing one of the Archimedean properties characterizing parabolas.
Comparison of Canine and Human Gastrointestinal Physiology

In this review, the gross physiology of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs is compared with that of humans, particularly as it pertains to drug absorption and dosage-form performance. Gastrointestinal (GI) motility and pH are the main parameters considered. Although similar motility patterns and pH profiles prevail in the two species for the most part, there are some differences that could affect the time profile and extent of drug absorption. These include slower gastric emptying in the fed state, faster small intestine transit, and higher and more variable intestinal pH in dogs compared with humans. An attempt is made to identify drug and dosage-form properties that would lead to differences in drug absorption in the two species, e.g., drug physicochemical properties, dosage-form size, and pH dependency of dosage-form release characteristics.
MEDIATION AND PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME: Considerations for an Intervention Model

Parental alienation syndrome (PAS), a term that originated in the mid-1980s, refers to a disturbance in which children are preoccupied with viewing one parent as all good and the other parent as all bad. Conscious or unconscious words and actions of custodial parents cause the child(ren) to align with them in rejection of noncustodial parents during divorce or custody disputes. Issues of concern for mediators include detection of PAS and an understanding of appropriate remedial plans that will allow the child to restore his or her relationship with the noncustodial parent. An area of growing demand and concern for family mediators is in the minefields of child custody litigation. With no-fault divorce, and a standard for determining custody in light of the child’s best interests, judges are besieged with a backlog of disputed custody cases without clear and concrete guidelines to follow in deciding whether to favor the mother or the father. Many experts in family law — from both the legal and mental health arenas — have observed an increase in deceptive and manipulative tactics used by divorcing couples. This article looks at parental alienation syndrome (PAS), which is a complex manifestation of mental and emotional abuse resulting from conflicted parents fighting for custody. Recommendations are given for a model that could be employed by family mediators to ensure that families suffering from PAS receive prompt and effective intervention.
Corrosion/migration study of flip chip underfill and ceramic overcoating

Temperature, humidity and voltage (bias) represent a well-known combination of stress parameters that activate failure mechanisms and decrease reliability of microelectronic packages. The following work focuses mainly on the impact of such mechanisms on a high volume flip chip package at IBM. This package consists of a silicon flip chip on alumina with C4 enhancement underfill and a package overcoat The test conditions for HAST were 130 C, 85%RH and 5 V, while 85 C, 85% RH and 5 V were used for THB. In order to have a sampling most representative of manufacturing conditions, two IBM manufacturing sites were selected to both build and stress parts. Parts were selected from respective sites at a rate of 6 parts per week over a 6-month period. Results showed that the underfill and overcoating environment postpones the metal migration mechanism far beyond the product life cycle. The study also revealed that the Cr/Cu/Cr conductor lines and the Pb/Sn C4 structures were the regions most susceptible to migration. The acceleration factor of copper conductor migration between HAST and THB was 86 based on a visual inspection at 100X, yielding an activation energy (Ea) of 1.23 eV using the Arrhenius model. It was not possible to calculate the acceleration factor involving Pb/Sn sites, but electrical failures were found in HAST. The failure mechanism was Pb migration between C4 balls and the nearest Cr/Cu/Cr conductor line. It has also been identified that a C4 having a large void will fail earlier due to the bigger diameter. Based on a recent study (S. Peck), the average Ea in the microelectronics packaging industry has evolved from 0.79 eV some 10 years ago to about 0.9 eV today. In light of this, an Ea of 1.23 ev (copper migration) for an application with 50 microns cathode-to-anode is deemed very acceptable.
A magnetized, spherical plasma expansion in an inhomogeneous plasma: Transition from super‐ to sub‐Alfvénic

[1] In this letter the transition of a strong 3-D collisionless shock into sub-Alfvenic waves is numerically. The transition occurs due to changes in the background plasma parameters. The Alfven speed eventually exceeds the shock speed; the shock does not run out of energy. At this velocity transition, the shock disassembles into two types of waves: the usual compressional Alfven wave and a left-hand polarized electromagnetic shear Alfven wave. This latter wave shows remarkable 3-D coherence, and preliminary analysis suggests that there are two possible sources of energy: one is coupling to the strong electromagnetic waves that exist within the collisionless shock and the other is the density and magnetic field gradients at the interface.
Serving regional demand in facility location

Location modelling is employed in urban and regional planning to site facilities that provide services of some sort. Issues to be considered usually include the number of facilities to locate, where to site those facilities and how demand is to be served. Given the geographic nature of location problems, a key issue is how to represent facilities and demand in geographic space. Traditionally, spatial abstraction as discrete demand is assumed as it simplifies model formulation and reduces computational complexity. However, errors in derived solutions are likely not negligible, especially when demand varies continuously across a region. This paper discusses a single facility location problem that considers demand to be continuously distributed and allows a facility to be located anywhere in space, the continuous Weber problem. An approach for dealing with continuous demand is proposed that is integrated through geographical information system (GIS) functionality. Empirical results highlight the advantages of the developed approach and the importance of solution integration with GIS.
Sequentially Pricing Multiple Products: Theory and Experiments

Advances in technology enable sellers to price discriminate based upon a customer's revealed purchasing intentions. E-tailers can track items already in a "shopping cart" and item level RFID tags enable retailers to do the same in bricks and mortar stores. As retailers attempt to leverage the information made available from these technologies, it is important to understand how this new visibility impacts pricing and market outcomes. This paper examines the theoretical implications of sequential pricing of multiple products. Specifically, the paper focuses on goods that have independent values, goods that have values which are positively or negatively correlated, and goods with super-additive or sub-additive values (i.e. complements or substitutes). The results indicate that sequential pricing increases profit relative to simultaneous pricing when the goods are substitutes. Further, when sellers can condition the second good's price on the buyer's decision to purchase the first good, sequential pricing increases profits relative to mixed bundling when the goods are highly positively correlated. The paper also uses experiments to examine sequential pricing in competitive markets where a fraction of customers comparison shop. The behavioral results indicate that conditional pricing does not lower social welfare or harm consumers when customers observe prices sequentially. Further, the ability to price discriminate does not change the price of the initially offered good, but does change the price of subsequently offered good. A comparison with previous bundling experiments suggests that sellers may be better able to extract surplus from consumers using sequential pricing rather than bundling.
Supply chain environmental assessment of the telecommunications sectors

This paper presents an assessment of the environmental effects of three sectors of the US telecommunications industry: telephone and telegraph communications and services, cable and other pay TV services, and radio and TV broadcasting. Nonrenewable and renewable resource inputs, as well as environmental outputs through an analysis of the telecommunications industry's supply chain are quantified. While these sectors generate comparably little pollution at the point of generation, through their extensive supplier chain purchases of manufactured goods and services from other sectors of the economy, telecommunications services are responsible for substantial environmental effects.
Enhancement of liquid-fluidized bed classification (LFBC) of plastic particle mixtures via selective thermal particle modification

Abstract A novel method, based on temperature programming of the fluidizing medium, is investigated to improve the separation of complex plastic mixtures via liquid-fluidized bed classification (LFBC). Experiments were performed in a liquid-fluidized bed apparatus that was designed to operate in both upflow and downflow modes, for “heavier-than-water” and “lighter-than-water” plastic particle species, respectively. Temperature programming was achieved by using heated or cooled fluidizing feed water from two different reservoirs controlled at the desired temperatures. Binary beds of plastic mixtures of typical consumer/industrial plastics (PVC, PET, PS PC, LDPE, HDPE, and PP) were used. Due to differences in the thermal properties of the various plastic types, namely thermal diffusivities and glass transition temperatures, the experimental results show that the separation performance of LFBC can be significantly improved by selective modification of particle size/density via temperature programming of the fluidizing medium, water.
Hemophilia presenting in an infant as a radial artery pseudoaneurysm following arterial puncture

The case presented is of an infant who developed a radial artery pseudoaneurysm following arterial puncture and was subsequently diagnosed with hemophilia. A discussion of radial artery pseudoaneurysms follows.
Identification of the in vitro Anticholinesterase Metabolite of Methyl Parathion

Heretofore it has been assumed that phosphate analogs are formed during in vitro activation of phosphorothionate insecticides. To test this hypothesis. highly purified methyl parathion was incubated with liver microsomes from male white rats ( Rattus norregicus albinos ) XADH2, and pH 7.7 borax buffer at room temperature ami atmosphere. The formation of a potent cholinesterase inhibiting metabolite was demonstrated by manometric assay. The compound was isolated by column chroma tography and was shown to be methyl para-oxon hy infrared spectroscopy, thus confirming the hypothesis.
Temperature Profile Analysis in Combustion Synthesis: II, Experimental Observations

The temperature profiles associated with the passing of a self-propagating wave in the combustion synthesis of zirconium boride were investigated. The use of these profiles in the determination of the kinetics of the associated synthesis reaction was investigated. From profile analysis an activation energy of 144.5 ± 15 kJ · mol−1 was calculated and was found to agree very well with the corresponding value obtained from wave velocity measurements, 148.6 ± 12 kJ · mol−1. From these analyses, the thermal diffusivity of the reactants was also calculated. The thermal diffusivity decreased slightly with increasing combustion temperature, with the values ranging from 2.10 × 10−3 to 1.79 × 10−3 over the range of 2609 to 2909 K, respectively.
Diagnostic Utility of Cardiac Biomarkers in Discriminating Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy From Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) mimics acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We postulated that ventricular dysfunction in TC in the absence of significant myocardial necrosis would produce higher B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/troponin T (TnT) and BNP/creatine kinase MB fraction (CKMB) ratios than in AMI.Methods and Results: We studied 58 consecutive TC (age 65.8 +/- 12.9) and 97 AMI patients (age 59.8 +/-13.4). The ratios of BNP/TnT and BNP/CKMB were calculated with the use of first simultaneously drawn laboratory values. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to distinguish TC from AMI with 95% specificity based on cardiac biomarker ratios. Median BNP/TnT and BNP/CKMB ratios were, respectively,1,292 [interquartile range 443.4-2,657.9] and 28.44 [13.7-94.8] in the TC group and 226.9[69.91-426.32] and 3.63 [1.07-10.02] in the AMI group (P <.001). TC can be distinguished from AMI with 95% specificity with the use of BNP/TnT ratio ≥1,272 (sensitivity 52%) and BNP/CKMB ratio ≥29.9 (sensitivity 50%).Conclusions: The value of BNP is significantly higher in TC than in AMI. Early BNP/TnT and BNP/CKMB ratios help to differentiate TC from AMI with greater accuracy than BNP alone.
Phantom track generation through cooperative control of multiple ECAVs based on feasibility analysis

Radar deception through phantom track generation using multiple electronic combat air vehicles is addressed, which serves as a motivating example for cooperative control of autonomous multiagent systems. A general framework to derive sufficient conditions for the existence of feasible solutions for an affine nonlinear control system comprising of a team of nonholonomic mobile agents having to satisfy actuator and interagent constraints is presented. Based on this feasibility analysis, an algorithm capable of generating trajectories online and in real time, for the phantom track generation problem, is developed. A rigorous treatment of the phantom track generation problem, which includes results on its accessibility, feasibility, local asymptotic straightening of trajectories, and a limited result on system controllability, is given. The basic approach to the algorithm based on the results developed here is presented along with simulation results, validating the proposed approach.
Toll-like Receptor 2 Ligands Regulate Monocyte Fcγ Receptor Expression and Function

Fcγ receptor (FcγR) clustering on monocytes/macrophages results in phagocytosis and inflammatory cytokine production, which serve to eliminate antibody-opsonized targets and activate neighboring immune cells. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), which recognizes a range of both bacterial and fungal components, elicits strong proinflammatory responses in these cells when stimulated by ligands, either natural or synthetic. Thus, we explored the possibility that TLR2 agonists could strengthen FcγR activity within the context of antibody therapy. Human peripheral blood monocytes treated with the TLR2 agonist Pam2CSK4 showed significantly enhanced FcγR-mediated cytokine production as well as phagocytic ability. An examination of the molecular mechanism behind this enhancement revealed increased expression of both FcγRIIa and the common γ subunit following Pam2CSK4 treatment. Interestingly however, expression of the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIb was also modestly increased. Further investigation revealed that Pam2CSK4 also dramatically decreased the expression of SHIP, the major mediator of FcγRIIb inhibitory activity. Using a murine Her2/neu solid tumor model of antibody therapy, we found that Pam2CSK4 significantly enhanced the ability of anti-Her2 antibody to reduce the rate of tumor growth. To verify that the FcγR enhancement was not unique to the diacylated Pam2CSK4, we also tested Pam3CSK4, a related triacylated TLR2 agonist. Results showed significant enhancement in FcγR function and expression. Taken together, these findings indicate that TLR2 activation can positively modulate FcγR and suggest that TLR2 agonists should be considered for testing as adjuvants for antitumor antibody therapy.