cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association between environmental factors and BMI: evidence from recent immigrants from developing countries.

To study the association between the surrounding local environmental factors and the body mass index of immigrants in the USA. We use the New Immigrant Survey, to study the association of obesity prevalence in a region on body mass index. We consider local obesity rate as an outcome of the local environmental factors. Using ordinary least squares, three versions of equations are estimated to quantify the contribution of individual-level, acculturation, and environmental effects on immigrants’ body mass index. We find statistically significant results for the correlation of local obesity rate and body mass index. For every 1% increase in the obesity rate, the body mass index levels increase by 0.182 kg/m2. Evidence also suggests dietary assimilation in immigrants is influenced by local environmental factors and that dietary change affects body mass index of female immigrants. Immigrants’ body mass index increase with the increase in the local obesity rate of the region where they reside.
A Specter of Extraterritoriality: The Legal Status of u.s. Troops in China, 1943–1947

The Sino-u.s. agreement of May 1943 that granted the u.s. military exclusive criminal jurisdiction over its troops in China was a continuation of extraterritorial rights that the United States supposedly abolished the previous January. In light of the earlier British-u.s. negotiations on the same issue, China was an integral part of a legal regime that during World War ii shielded globally deployed u.s. troops from local laws. The Chinese Guomindang (gmd) government’s renewal of the 1943 agreement in June 1946 extended the wartime legal privileges of u.s. troops into an era of precarious peace in China and set a precedent for the Status of Forces Agreements between the United States and various allies during the Cold War. The demonstrations after the Shen Chong Incident in late 1946, a largely nationalist movement that the Chinese Communist Party (ccp) co-opted, highlighted the inadequacy of public indignation and ccp manipulation in mounting a consistent legal effort to challenge the entrenched extraterritorial privileges of u.s. troops and restore Chinese jurisdiction. The gmd government also lost the opportunity to use the jurisdictional issue to demonstrate its nationalist credentials to an agitated public.
The Last Supper of the Dinosaurs

I grew up in a small town in Central Florida called “DeLand.” My grandfather was the town undertaker and also owned the town’s main furniture store. He inherited both from his father, whose father before him had been one of the founders of the town, having moved to Florida to recover his health which had been lost while he was a Union Army prisoner in the notorious Confederate prison called Andersonville.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities

Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native American men and women are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, including arrests, convictions, and incarceration, which means their children are also disproportionately affected. Although these disparities often motivate research on the consequences of incarceration for children and families, studies that explicitly engage with the dynamics of race/ethnicity and the criminal justice system are rare. In this chapter, we review quantitative and qualitative research that takes on the important task of understanding how parental criminal justice involvement interacts with race/ethnicity to shape children’s life experiences. We first summarize statistics on racial/ethnic disparities in the criminal justice involvement of parents. We then review research that examines whether the impact of parental criminal justice involvement varies by race/ethnicity and perspectives on why differences in the consequences may exist. Next, we consider how these disparities contribute to overall inequalities in child well-being. We consider a range of social outcomes and domains, from infant mortality to physical health and problems at school as well as avenues for future research on race/ethnicity and criminal justice system contact.
Service learning: A method of instruction for community health content in nursing curriculums

Abstract Service learning methodology provides students with opportunities to apply classroom learned content in a real world setting, while offering services to the community. The Department of Nursing Education of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette incorporates service learning strategies through a clinical assignment called Community as a Client. This assignment is discussed in this article to incorporate research methodologies, evidence based practice, intervention creation and implementation based on data collection, for inclusion in nursing programs.
Impact of triptolide during ex vivo lung perfusion on grafts after transplantation in a rat model.

Abstract Objective Ex vivo lung perfusion creates a proinflammatory environment leading to deterioration in graft quality that may contribute to post-transplant graft dysfunction. Triptolide has been shown to have a therapeutic potential in various disease states because of its anti-inflammatory properties. On this basis, we investigated the impact of triptolide on graft preservation during ex vivo lung perfusion and associated post-transplant outcomes in a rat transplant model. Methods We performed rat normothermic ex vivo lung perfusion with acellular Steen solution containing 100 nM triptolide for 4 hours and compared the data with untreated lungs. Orthotopic single lung transplantation after ex vivo lung perfusion was performed. Results Physiologic and functional parameters of lung grafts on ex vivo lung perfusion with triptolide were better than those without treatment. Graft glucose consumption was significantly attenuated on ex vivo lung perfusion with triptolide via inhibition of hypoxia signaling resulting in improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress. Also, intragraft inflammation was markedly lower in triptolide-treated lungs because of inhibition of nuclear factor-κB signaling. Furthermore, post-transplant graft function and inflammatory events were significantly improved in the triptolide group compared with the untreated group. Conclusions Treatment of lung grafts with triptolide during ex vivo lung perfusion may serve to enhance graft preservation and improve graft protection resulting in better post-transplant outcomes.
Livia: Data-Centric Computing Throughout the Memory Hierarchy

In order to scale, future systems will need to dramatically reduce data movement. Data movement is expensive in current designs because (i) traditional memory hierarchies force computation to happen unnecessarily far away from data and (ii) processing-in-memory approaches fail to exploit locality. We propose Memory Services, a flexible programming model that enables data-centric computing throughout the memory hierarchy. In Memory Services, applications express functionality as graphs of simple tasks, each task indicating the data it operates on. We design and evaluate Livia, a new system architecture for Memory Services that dynamically schedules tasks and data at the location in the memory hierarchy that minimizes overall data movement. Livia adds less than 3% area overhead to a tiled multicore and accelerates challenging irregular workloads by 1.3 × to 2.4 × while reducing dynamic energy by 1.2× to 4.7×.
Relapse of Nephrotic Syndrome after Adrenocorticotropic Hormone-Induced Remission: Implications of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone Antibodies

Background Prolonged use of corticosteroids continues to be the mainstay in the management of most proteinuric glomerulopathies, but is limited by extensive side effects. Alternative medications such as adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) have been recently used to treat refractory glomerulopathies and have shown superior outcomes when compared with steroids. However, the clinical responsiveness to ACTH therapy varies considerably with a number of patients exhibiting de novo or acquired resistance. The underlying mechanism remains unknown. Methods A patient with steroid-dependent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) developed severe steroid side effects impacting quality of life and was converted to repository porcine ACTH therapy. Immediate response in the form of remission of nephrotic syndrome was noted followed by relapse in 10 weeks. Suspecting the role of some ACTH-antagonizing factors, the patient's serum was examined. Results Immunoblot-based antibody assay revealed high titers of de novo IgG antibodies in the patient's serum that were reactive to the porcine corticotropin with negligible cross-reactivity to human corticotropin. In vitro, in cultured B16 melanoma cells that express abundant melanocortin receptors, addition of the patient's serum substantially abrogated the porcine corticotropin triggered signaling activity of the melanocortinergic pathway, marked by phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, thus suggesting a mitigating effect on the biological functionality of porcine corticotropin. Conclusion ACTH is a useful alternative therapeutic modality for refractory proteinuric glomerulopathies like FSGS. However, as quintessential therapeutic biologics, natural ACTH, regardless of purity and origin, is inevitably antigenic and may cause the formation of neutralizing antibodies in some sensitive patients, followed by resistance to ACTH therapy. It is imperative to develop ACTH analogues with less immunogenicity for improving its responsiveness in patients with glomerular diseases.
Modeling and assessment of two-phase transonic steam flow with condensation through the convergent-divergent nozzle

Abstract In the Fukushima accident, it was found that the Reactor Core Isolation Cooling (RCIC) system played a crucial role in delaying core meltdown by almost three days in Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2, because of self-regulated operation of the steam driven RCIC turbine-pump injection system. Steam flow in the convergent-divergent nozzles of the RCIC Terry turbine is two-phase non-equilibrium transonic flow with homogenous nucleation condensation. To more accurately predict the dynamic process and behavior of the transonic compressible steam flow, a one-dimensional transient two-phase analytical model is presented. A simplified four-fluid model was employed in the present work with the consideration of four separate fluid fields: vapor, liquid film, entrained droplets and condensed droplets. The mass, momentum and energy interactions between the fluids were considered and modeled. An extended seven-equation non-equilibrium critical flow model was developed to obtain the critical pressure and velocities of each phase at the nozzle throat. To predict the wetness in the divergent section, a mechanistic nucleation condensation model was integrated in the nozzle analysis model, considering the generation and consequent growth of droplets. The governing differential equations on a staggered grid were discretized using the second-order Lax-Wendroff scheme with a flux limiter, and the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equation (SIMPLE) algorithm was employed to solve the discrete linear system. To demonstrate the predictability and reliability of the physical models and the numerical method proposed in the present work, three representative nozzles were modeled and simulated. The results show good agreement with the available experimental data, even for condensation shock.
Chapter 241 – Spiders

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the Spiders, like insects, belong to the phylum Arthropoda, but they are in the class Arachnida. Arachnids are only distantly related to the other major terrestrial arthropod group, the insects, and represent a separate evolutionary transition from marine to terrestrial living, because their closest living relatives are thought to be the marine horseshoe crabs (xiphosurans) and sea spiders, pycnogonids. Spiders can easily be distinguished from other arachnids by their lack of visible segmentation and the marked constriction between the prosoma and the opisthosoma, dividing the body into cephalothorax and abdomen, respectively. Although much less diverse than insects in habits and morphology, spiders, which are in the order Araneae, nonetheless occupy nearly all terrestrial environments and can be found wherever there are other terrestrial arthropods to prey upon. Spiders are unique among arthropods in their use of silks at all stages of their lives. Silks are produced in the abdomen in specialized silk glands, each of which yields a different kind of silk. The general structure of a silk gland is a tail area that secretes the liquid silk proteins into a sac-like lumen, or storage area. Research into spider biology, particularly the diversity of silks, webs, and venoms, together with the associated ecology and behaviors, has increased greatly in recent decades. Moreover, phylogenetic advances are beginning to provide the context for comparisons between spider taxa and between spiders, other arachnids, and other terrestrial arthropods.
Same-sex sexual behavior and selection for indiscriminate mating

The widespread presence of same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) has long been thought to pose an evolutionary conundrum1-3, as participants in SSB suffer the cost of failing to reproduce after expending the time and energy to find a mate. The potential for SSB to occur as part of an optimal strategy has received almost no attention, although indiscriminate sexual behavior may be the ancestral mode of sexual reproduction4. Here, we build a simple model of sexual reproduction and create a theoretical framework for the evolution of indiscriminate sexual behavior. We provide strong support for the hypothesis that SSB is likely maintained by selection for indiscriminate sexual behavior, by showing that indiscriminate mating is the optimal strategy under a wide range of conditions. Further, our model suggests that the conditions that most strongly favor indiscriminate mating were likely present at the origin of sexual behavior. These findings have implications not only for the evolutionary origins of SSB, but also for the evolution of discriminate sexual behavior across the animal kingdom.
Genome-wide association analysis of idiopathic epilepsy in the Belgian shepherd

Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is a common neurological disorder in the domestic dog, and is defined as repeated seizure activity having no identifiable underlying cause. Some breeds, such as the Belgian shepherd dog, have a greater prevalence of the disorder. Previous studies in this and other breeds have identified ADAM23 as a gene that confers risk of IE, although additional loci are known to exist. The present study sought to identify additional loci that influence IE in the Belgian shepherd dog. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed a significant association between IE and CFA 14 (p < 1.03 E− 08) and a suggestive association on CFA 37 (p < 2.91 E− 06) in a region in linkage disequilibrium with ADAM23. Logistic regression identified a 2-loci model that demonstrated interaction between the two chromosomal regions that when combined predicted IE risk with high sensitivity. Two interacting loci, one each on CFAs 14 and 37, predictive of IE in the Belgian shepherd were identified. The loci are adjacent to potential candidate genes associated with neurological function. Further exploration of the region is warranted to identify causal variants underlying the association. Additionally, although the two loci were very good at predicting IE, they failed to capture all the risk, indicating additional loci or incomplete penetrance are also likely contributing to IE expression in the Belgian shepherd dog.
Severe Anaplasmosis presenting as possible CVA: Case report and 3-year Anaplasma infection diagnosis data is based on PCR testing and serology.

Abstract Introduction Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne illness caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. A review of CDC reports showed an increase in Anaplasmosis, with 1,193 cases reported in 2009 compared to 5,672 cases reported in 2017, with the majority of cases between May and October. Neurologic manifestations are uncommon. Case A 72-year-old male presented in August with acute left-sided weakness. Patient was found to have an acute kidney injury (creatinine 5.3 mg/dL), thrombocytopenia (platelet count 25,000/mL), and rhabdomyolysis (CPK 25,000 units/L). Workup for an acute stroke was negative. Peripheral blood smears showed Anaplasma neutrophil inclusions in >30 % of the buffy coat prep. PCR testing was positive for Anaplasmosis. He was treated with doxycycline for 10 days, with improvement within 48 h. He was discharged home after a 13-day hospital course with no residual neurological deficits. A review of our medical system between January 1st, 2016 and December 31st, 2018 revealed 20 cases of Anaplasmosis. All cases presented between May and December and had fever of unclear etiology, but only our case presented with stroke-like symptoms. All cases involved people living in heavily wooded areas, with a mean age of 70 years. Discussion The typical presentation of Anaplasmosis is a nonspecific febrile illness with leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Although headache is common, stroke-like symptoms are a rare but known complication. Elderly and immunocompromised patients living in heavily wooded areas are at higher risk for Anaplasmosis. Delayed diagnosis was common (55 % of case review) and associated with worse prognosis.
The Natural Course of Recovery After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement According to the International Hip Outcome Tool-12 and Hip Outcome Score Sports Subscale.

Background:A paucity of literature exists regarding trajectories of functional and sports-specific recovery after hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS).Purpose:To determi...
Mutually Unbiased Quantum Observables

We begin by defining mutually unbiased (MU) observables on a finite dimensional Hilbert space. We also consider the more general concept of parts of MU observables. The relationships between MU observables, value-complementary observables and two other conditions involving sequential products of observables are discussed. We next present a special motivating case of MU observables called finite position and momentum observables. These are atomic observables related by a finite Fourier transform. Finite position and momentum observables are employed to give examples of parts of MU observables that are value-complementary and those that are not value-complementary. Various open problems involving these concepts are presented. These problems mainly involve extending this work from sharp observables to unsharp observables.
Technology and addiction: Subjectivity, scientific knowledge and the economy of jouissance

As with any number of clinical ‘schools’ and approaches, Lacanian psychoanalysts encounter individuals whose presenting complaint is drug addiction. Psychoanalysis has often been underestimated in its effectiveness in treating addiction, data for other approaches being less stellar than often realized. Within the Lacanian orientation, addiction has been widely addressed, not as a specific syndrome but as a symptom with implications for the frame of the psychoanalytic work. In such Lacanian formulations, both clinical and cultural contexts are examined in disentangling the effects of drug use for addicted persons and within the social ideals, representations and prohibitions that undergird the value and significance of drug use in any given culture. Formal elements and functions of the process and products of speaking within psychoanalytic work inform Lacanian clinical practice. These elements can be discerned within individuals’ desires and speech and within the social contract. Lacanian concepts of subjectivity necessarily interact with the traditions and meanings inherent to Western societies. Such elements may be posited as the aftermath of the social necessity of speech, a process that fundamentally informs subjectivity. This article illustrates – using analysis of recent technological inventions – fantasies about technology, cultural representations of technology, and important parallels between technology and addiction. The authors take a psychoanalytic look at technology through current Lacanian clinical thinking on the subjective structure related to addiction.
Quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine: a review of safety, efficacy, and pharmacoeconomics

Summary What is known and background: The introduction of vaccines has lead to a significant reduction in morbidity and mortality from diseases such as measles, rubella and poliomyelitis, as well as the eradication of smallpox (Ertl HC, Xiang Z (1996) The Journal of Immunology, 156, 3579–3582). A recent vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the recombinant quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Merck, Gardasil®). Concerns raised with this preventive measure include safety and efficacy issues as well as the financial implications. Furthermore, the use of the vaccine in women outside the currently approved age ranges and in adolescent boys and men has also been a source of debate. Objective: A review of two licensed HPV vaccines (Gardasil, Merck and Cervarix, GalxoSmithKline) in the light of these issues. Methods: Literature searches were conducted using the MEDLINE (1966 – December 2008) and PubMed databases in addition to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Bibliographies of selected references were also evaluated for relevant articles. Published guidelines and press releases were utilized as were the manufacturer’s package inserts. The collection of information for this review was limited to the most recently available human data. Results and discussion: The HPV quadrivalent vaccine has been effective in the management of HPV by preventing vaccine subtype-related persistent infection and precancerous lesions as evidenced by numerous clinical trials. It is also regarded as a generally safe and well-tolerated vaccine, based on an assessment of reported adverse events submitted through governmental databases and analyzed by independent researchers. The majority of adverse events were non-serious and the vaccine has not been conclusively implicated with serious events. The FDA continues to focus on routine post-marketing surveillance monitoring of reported adverse events. The bivalent vaccine has also been shown to be effective in reported trials. Its adverse effect profile also appears acceptable. What is new and conclusion: The HPV vaccines appear safe and effective. Additional clinical research on the vaccines on women outside the currently approved age ranges and in males is necessary. Studies on longer-term outcomes, including cervical cancer and the emergence of new viral genotypes are also necessary.
Overview of Chromatography

Chromatography in its many different forms is an indispensable separation technique for purification or analysis of one or multiple components from a mixture that may contain a variety of simple as well as complex molecules. This unit is focused on a specific type of chromatography known as liquid chromatography (LC), with particular reference to separation of proteins. Theory of chromatography is discussed in the context of partition of the components of a mixture between a solid stationary phase and a liquid mobile phase. Although very useful for chromatographic separation of small molecules, there is, however, considerable deviation observed in the case of separation of proteins. Principles of three commonly used chromatographic techniques for separation of proteins, such as size exclusion, ion exchange, and affinity chromatography are discussed. The unit is expected to be useful for biologists and biochemists, as well as engineers. Keywords: chromatography; liquid chromatography; theory of chromatography; plate model; size exclusion chromatography; gel filtration; ion exchange chromatography; affinity chromatography
Social Scripting for the Web

As our business and personal lives move online, we must learn to carry out increasingly complicated tasks on the Web. The Koala project at IBM's Almaden Research Center (www. research.ibm.com/koala) is aiming to create the next best thing: a wiki-type repository of instructions for Web applications that can help users automate common tasks. In addition to being human-readable, Koala scripts are machine-understandable - the system can interpret each instruction and perform it automatically. At each step, Koala shows you what button to push and then does it for you. It can also fill in fields with your name, address, and other personal information.
Observations on the Group C Streptococcal Bacteriophage and Lytic Enzyme System

Abstract Fox, Eugene N. (La Rabida-University of Chicago Institute, Chicago, Ill.), and Masako K. Wittner. Observations on the group C streptococcal bacteriophage and lytic enzyme system. J. Bacteriol. 89:496–502. 1965.—The phage-associated lytic enzyme of group C streptococci was assayed by measuring the solubilized portion of radioactive cell walls. By this sensitive assay system, the induced synthesis of the lytic enzyme was observed intracellularly during phage infection; at least half of the total enzyme was synthesized and remained intracellular during the eclipse period, and was then released with the liberation of mature phage. Lytic enzyme could be detected in only two of eight lysogenic strains during temperate-phage production after ultraviolet induction. Virulent phage purified by density-gradient centrifugation contained lytic enzyme presumably associated with the virus per se. No hyalyronidase was detected in association with the phage, nor was this enzyme induced during phage synthesis. Variant strains of group C streptococci, no longer serologically active, were isolated as phage-resistant mutants. These strains still adsorbed the phage, but without subsequent virus reproduction, indicating that the group polysaccharide was not the primary receptor for the virus.
Adapting Web Services Security Standards for Mobile and Wireless Environments

Web services are an important way for enterprises to interoperate. They are also becoming important for user access to services that depend on location and they are appearing in mobile devices. We consider the security standards needed for the use of web services in wireless networks. Web services security standards are used for the secure design of the communications between a web service and a mobile client and for the storage of the web service and its data. However, because those standards are designed to be flexible, they are also complex and verbose, and most often difficult to understand and implement. In addition, wireless devices have specific technological constraints and their own standards. We show here the use of patterns as a way to adapt web services security standards to the wireless environment. We also present a new pattern for the Liberty Alliance PAOS service.
Fibromyalgia syndrome among the elderly. Comparison with younger patients.

Thirty-one elderly fibromyalgia (EFM) patients (60 years of age and older) were studied by protocol and compared with 63 younger fibromyalgia (YFM) patients with this syndrome. Common and characteristic features of fibromyalgia among the elderly included diffuse musculoskeletal aching and stiffness at multiple sites; modulation of aches and pains by physical fatigue, poor sleep and weather factors; associated symptoms of general fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety/tension and subjective soft tissue swelling; and multiple tender points on physical examination. These features were similar to those among the younger patients, with the exception of chronic functional headaches, self-assessed anxiety/tension, and symptom aggravation by weather factors, mental stress, and by poor sleep, all of which were significantly less common among the elderly (P less than .05). Importantly, fibromyalgia was recognized by referring physicians in only 17% of the elderly patients with this condition. Misdiagnoses and inappropriate treatment were common among these patients, with corticosteroid therapy in 40% before their rheumatology consultation.
Polycentricity, Commuting Pattern, Urban Form: The Case of Southern California

This article investigates the dynamics of commuting patterns using the 2005 American Community Survey for Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties in Southern California. Using various analytical approaches, the article illustrates that spatial/temporal patterns of employment should be utilized to develop a better understanding of the spatial dynamics of commuting patterns. The results suggest that (1) counter to popular belief, not all residents of suburban locations suffer from long commutes, (2) polycentric urban employment patterns may provide a better explanation of commuting patterns, and (3) the commuting pattern of low‐income populations may be the most challenging issue to resolve, given the decentralized nature of service employment. Overall, the article suggests that advocacy for any particular urban form may be premature and less than efficient if we do not take into account the reality of commuting patterns as they relate to our fragmented and decentered metropolitan areas.
Brain cytochrome oxidase: purification, antibody production, and immunohistochemical/histochemical correlations in the CNS

Cytochrome oxidase (CO) is a mitochondrial energy-generating enzyme used in brain studies as a marker of neural functional activity. The activity of CO in different brain regions, revealed histochemically, is distributed nonhomogeneously but in distinct patterns. Localized differences in CO activity could arise from localized differences in enzyme amount or from localized regulation of enzyme turnover number (molecular activity). To distinguish between these alternatives, we used antibodies against purified calf brain CO to assess the immunohistochemical distribution of CO amount (protein immunoreactivity) in several brain regions. Calf brain mitochondria (synaptic and nonsynaptic populations) were isolated from gray matter homogenates by differential centrifugation. CO was purified from detergent extracts of the mitochondria by cytochrome c-Sepharose 4B affinity chromatography. Antisera against the purified CO were raised in rabbits. The antibodies reacted specifically with CO, predominantly subunit IV, in SDS immunoblots. The antibodies did not react in SDS immunoblots with any other proteins solubilized from mitochondria or caudate nucleus but did cross-react with brain CO from other mammalian species and with bovine heart CO. The immunohistochemical distribution of CO amount matched the histochemical distribution of CO activity in all regions tested, including the monkey hippocampus and the mouse olfactory bulb, somatosensory (barrel) cortex, and cerebellum. Thus, the amount of CO in neural tissue is distributed in the same nonhomogeneous pattern as the histochemical activity of CO. The results suggest that mechanisms exist by which CO molecules are selectively distributed within neurons to meet local metabolic demands posed by neural functional activity.
Effect of Ozone Treatment on Airway Reactivity and Epithelium-Derived Relaxing Factor in Guinea Pigs

Ozone (O(3)) is toxic to respiratory epithelium and causes airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. To evaluate the role of the epithelium in the development of hyperreactivity, we examined in guinea pigs the effects of inhaled O(3) (3 ppm for 1 h; 0-24 h after exposure) on 1) reactivity to inhaled methacholine (MCh), 2) reactivity of the isolated, perfused trachea (IPT) to MCh, 3) epithelium-derived relaxing factor (EpDRF)-mediated relaxations of IPT induced by mucosal hyperosmolar solutions, 4) neurogenic contraction and relaxation responses, 5) transepithelial potential difference, and 6) microscopic analysis of nitrotyrosine immunofluorescence, substance P fiber density, and tracheal morphology. At 0 h, O(3) caused hyperreactivity to inhaled MCh and mucosally but not serosally applied MCh in IPT (only in the presence of the epithelium) and a decrease in transepithelial potential difference. Inhibition of EpDRF-induced relaxation responses occurred at 2 h. All of these changes returned to control by 12 to 18 h. O(3) had no effect on neurogenic responses. Nitrotyrosine immunofluorescence appeared in the trachea at 0 h in detached epithelial cell ghosts and in intrapulmonary airways by 6 h. Substance P fiber density was elevated in smooth muscle at 0 and 18 h but not in epithelium or lamina propria of intrapulmonary and extrapulmonary bronchi. Loss of cilia and mucosubstances in the mucosa occurred at 0 h; the epithelium became markedly attenuated over 12 to 24 h. A reversible increase in epithelial permeability and a decrease in EpDRF production may contribute to O(3)-induced hyperreactivity to MCh.
Philosophical Arminianism: a breakthrough in the foreknowledge controversy?

Jonathan Kvanvig has proposed a novel approach to the topics of divine foreknowledge and providence, a view he terms ‘Philosophical Arminianism’. This article expounds and assesses the view; it is maintained that there are at least two major difficulties that have yet to be addressed.
Homoarginine in the shadow of asymmetric dimethylarginine: from nitric oxide to cardiovascular disease

It is well known that the endothelium maintains the vascular homeostasis. Importantly, endothelial dysfunction is regarded as a key early step in the development of atherosclerosis. Back in the early 1990s, it was found that asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an arginine metabolite derived from L-arginine (Arg) residues in proteins by asymmetric dimethylation on its guanidine group, is an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) isoforms. Inhibition of NO synthesis from Arg by the endothelial NOS isoform (eNOS) leads to endothelial dysfunction. Due to this action, ADMA participates in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and potentially contributes to cardiovascular events. Nowadays, homoarginine (hArg) is considered as a new key player in atherogenesis. hArg is a non-essential, non-proteinogenic amino acid which is synthesized from Arg by arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT). hArg is structurally related to Arg; formally, hArg is by one methylene (CH2) group longer than Arg, and may serve as a substrate for NOS, thus contributing to NO synthesis. For several decades, the pathophysiological role of hArg has been entirely unknown. hArg has been in the shadow of ADMA. Clinical studies have sought to investigate the relationship between circulating hArg levels and human disease states as well as cardiovascular prognosis. Recent studies indicate that hArg is actively involved in the vascular homeostasis, yet the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this article, we review the available literature regarding the role of ADMA and hArg in endothelial dysfunction and in cardiovascular disease as well as the possible associations between these endogenous Arg derivatives.
Nano-magnet based ultra-low power logic design using non-majority gates

In this paper we explore the intriguing possibility of nano-magnet based logic using non-majority gates. The design approach can offer significant area, delay and energy advantages, compared to a majority-gate based logic design. Our analysis based on NAND-gate based ring-oscillator (RO) shows an improvement of 29% in frequency and 33% in area compared to MQCA based design. Moreover, using the performance metric of millions of operations per second per micro-watt power (P) per micron square area (A) - MOPS/P/A, our RO design with narrow gap cladding H CLOCK enhancement, shows an improvement of 13X compared to an RO in 15nm CMOS technology.
Controlling formation of gold nanoparticles generated in situ at a polymeric surface

Abstract This work shows that in situ reduction of metal ions bound at a polymer surface can form nanoparticles within the polymer matrix as well as at the interface, and the size and distribution of nanoparticles between the interface and subsurface depends upon the choice of reagents and reaction conditions. Tetrachloroaurate ions were bound to cross-linked SU-8 films that were functionalized using a variety of multi-functional amines, then reduced using one of several reagents. Reduction using sodium borohydride or sodium citrate generates bands of interspersed gold nanoparticles as much as 40 nm deep within the polymer, indicating that both the Au ions and the reducing agent can penetrate the surface enabling formation of nanoparticles within the polymer matrix. Nanoparticle formation can be confined nearer to the polymer interface by reducing with hydroquinone, or by processing the polymer film in aqueous media using high molecular-weight multifunctional amines that confine the gold ions at the interface.
Rapid Prototyping of Optimization Algorithms Using COIN-OR: A Case Study Involving the Cutting-Stock Problem

The rate at which research ideas can be prototyped is significantly increased when re-useable software components are employed. A mission of the Computational Infrastructure for Operations Research (COIN-OR) initiative is to promote the development and use of re-useable open-source tools for operations research professionals. In this paper, we introduce the COIN-OR initiative and survey recent progress in integer programming that utilizes COIN-OR components. In particular, we present an implementation of an algorithm for finding integer-optimal solutions to a cutting-stock problem.
5T SRAM With Asymmetric Sizing for Improved Read Stability

Conventional 6-transistor (6T) SRAM scaling to newer technologies and lower supply voltages is difficult due to a complex trade-off space involving stability, performance, power, and area. Local and global variation make SRAM design even more challenging. We present a 5-transistor (5T) bitcell that uses sizing asymmetry to improve read stability and to provide an efficient knob for trading off the aforementioned metrics. In this paper, we compare the 5T with the conventional 6T and the 8T and show how it can be a flexible, intermediate alternative between the two. We also investigate single-ended sensing for the 5T. Finally, we present measurement results in a 45 nm test chip that demonstrate the functionality of the 5T. Through a combination of write assists, the 5T can demonstrate comparable writability down to 0.7 V, while showing no read errors down to 0.5 V.
Childhood abuse, alexithymia and personality disorder

Abstract I examined the relationships among childhood abuse, alexithymia, and personality disorder. Participants were 60 adults who were receiving outpatient psychotherapy. Both the participants and their therapists used the Toronto Alexithymia Scale to provide independently information concerning the client's level of alexithymia. The therapists provided information concerning DSM-III-R personality disorder diagnoses, and participants completed portions of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire—Revised. Information concerning childhood abuse history was obtained from the therapists. As expected, childhood abuse, alexithymia, and personality disorder were all associated with each other. The abilities to identify and communicate emotions were differentially associated with childhood abuse and personality disorder.
Optimal Control Solutions to the Magnetic Resonance Selective Excitation Problem

Most magnetic resonance imaging sequences employ field gradients and amplitude modulated RF pulses to excite only those spins lying in a specific plane. The fidelity of the resulting magnetization distribution is crucial to overall image resolution. Conventional RF-pulse design techniques rely on the small tip-angle approximation to Bloch's equation, which is inadequate for the design of 90° and 180° pulses. This paper demonstrates the existence of a selective pulse, and provides a sound mathematical and computational basis for pulse design. It is shown that the pulses are optimal in the class of piecewise continuous functions of duration T. An optimal pulse is defined as the pulse on the interval that achieves a magnetization profile "closest" to the desired distribution. Optimal control theory provides the mathematical basis for the new pulse design technique. Computer simulations have verified the efficacy of the 90° and the 180° inversion and "pancake-flip" optimal pulses.
Segregation of Magma from a Mostly Crystalline Mush

A model based on the fluid dynamics of intermixed fluids indicated that favorable conditions for segregation of melt from a mostly crystalline mush upwelling from the asthenosphere included a high concentration of melt, a narrow conduit containing the mush, a large grain size, and a large ratio of the viscosity of grains to the viscosity of melt. The greater depth, inferred geochemically, of the source regions of seamount lavas, compared with mid-oceanic ridge lavas, is attributable to the dependence of segregation on conduit width. For thermal reasons, conduit width is smaller at greater depths for small sources of material such as seamounts. Observed systematic enrichment of seamount and island-arc lavas in radiogenic isotopics (which, for chemical reasons, would be most abundant in domains containing high fractions of water) relative to mid-oceanic ridge lavas may be due to disproportionate representation of ubiquitous, small-scale, water-rich domains in the source region of seamount lavas. The fraction of melt is strongly dependent on water content in the deep source regions of seamount lavas but only weakly dependent in the shallow source regions of mid-oceanic ridge lavas. This also complicates identification of subducted sediments in island-arc lavas. The viscosity of partial melt in the asthenosphere, inferred from seismic attenuation studies, is too high for that melt to segregate efficiently.
695 B AND T CELL ASSAYS IN ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA

Assays of B and T cells were carried out on the peripheral blood of 12 children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Six cases with few blast cells in the peripheral blood showed a decrease in T cells and an increase in IgM-lambda B cells. There were no unusual clinical features in this group. Three cases showed no specific findings on B and T cell assays. Three cases with white counts over 100,000 showed only B cell markers on the blast cells. Two of these cases have had frequent relapses within months of diagnosis with one death. The third case is still in remission eight months from diagnosis. One case of acute myeloblastic leukaemia by morphology, special stains and E/M with a white cell count of 104,000 showed large numbers of 3 cells in the peripheral blood. Serum immune globulin determinations and serum electrophoresis patterns were essentially normal in all cases. To cases of “T cell leukaemia” were noted. “β cell leukaemia” is a relatively uncommon variety of A.L.L. and cases reported in the literature have uniformly a poor prognosis with occasional exceptions. Despite problems in the techniques, and in interpretation of the findings, T and β cell assays provide important information in the subclassification and prognosis of A.L.L. in children.
Information loss in approximately Bayesian estimation techniques: A comparison of generative and discriminative approaches to estimating agricultural productivity

Summary Data assimilation and regression are two commonly used methods for combining models and remote sensing observations to estimate agricultural productivity. Data assimilation is a generative approach because it requires explicit approximations of a Bayesian prior and likelihood to compute a probability density function of biomass conditional on observations, and regression is discriminative because it models the conditional biomass density function directly. Both of these methods typically approximate Bayes’ law and therefore cannot be expected to be perfectly efficient at extracting information from remote sensing observations. In this paper we measure information in observations using Shannon’s theory and define missing information, used information, and bad information as partial divergences from the true Bayesian posterior (biomass conditional on observations). These concepts were applied to directly measure the amount and quality of information about end-of-season biomass extracted from observations by the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and Gaussian process regression (GPR). Results suggest that the simpler discriminative approach can be as efficient as the more complex generative approach in terms of extracting high quality information from observations, and may therefore be better suited to dealing with the practical problems associated with remote sensed data (e.g., sub-footprint scale heterogeneity). Our method for analyzing information use has many potential applications: approximations of Bayes’ law are used regularly in predictive models of environmental systems of all kinds, and the efficiency of such approximations has heretofore not been directly measured.
Post-translational protein modifications in antigen recognition and autoimmunity

It is estimated that 50-90% of the proteins in the human body are post-translationally modified. In the proper context, these modifications are necessary for the biological functions of a vast array of proteins and the effector functions of the cells in which they reside. However, it is now clear that some post-translational modifications can create new self antigens (Ags) or even mask Ags normally recognized by the immune system. In either case, they profoundly affect the recognition of Ag by bone marrow-derived cells, as well as their effector functions. How do post-translational protein modifications affect the processing of foreign and self Ags and what is their role in the origin of autoimmune responses?
Escherichia coli O157:H7 Biofilm Formation on Romaine Lettuce and Spinach Leaf Surfaces Reduces Efficacy of Irradiation and Sodium Hypochlorite Washes

Abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of leafy green vegetables is an ongoing concern for consumers. Biofilm-associated pathogens are relatively resistant to chemical treatments, but little is known about their response to irradiation. Leaves of Romaine lettuce and baby spinach were dip inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and stored at 4 °C for various times (0, 24, 48, 72 h) to allow biofilms to form. After each time, leaves were treated with either a 3-min wash with a sodium hypochlorite solution (0, 300, or 600 ppm) or increasing doses of irradiation (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, or 1 kGy). Viable bacteria were recovered and enumerated. Chlorine washes were generally only moderately effective, and resulted in maximal reductions of 1.3 log CFU/g for baby spinach and 1.8 log CFU/g for Romaine. Increasing time in storage prior to chemical treatment had no effect on spinach, and had an inconsistent effect on 600 ppm applied to Romaine. Allowing time for formation of biofilm-like aggregations reduced the efficacy of irradiation. D10 values (the dose required for a 1 log reduction) significantly increased with increasing storage time, up to 48 h postinoculation. From 0 h of storage, D10 increased from 0.19 kGy to a maximum of 0.40 to 0.43 kGy for Romaine and 0.52 to 0.54 kGy for spinach. SEM showed developing biofilms on both types of leaves during storage. Bacterial colonization of the stomata was extensive on spinach, but not on Romaine. These results indicate that the protection of bacteria on the leaf surface by biofilm formation and stomatal colonization can reduce the antimicrobial efficacy of irradiation on leafy green vegetables. Practical Application: Before incorporating irradiation into the overall GMP/GHP chain, a packer or processor of leafy green vegetables must determine at what stage of processing and shipping the irradiation should take place. As a penetrating process, irradiation is best applied as a postpackaging intervention. Time in refrigerated storage between packaging and processing may alter the antimicrobial efficacy of irradiation. Irradiation on a commercial scale should include efforts to minimize the time delay between final packaging and irradiation of leafy vegetables.