cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methodologies for Assessing Bioaerosol Exposures

Bioaerosols include viruses, bacteria, fungi, pollen, and their fragments as well as animal allergens. Bioaerosol exposure is common in indoor and outdoor environments and may cause infections, allergies, irritation, and toxic effects. The size of biological particles varies widely, from nanoscale (virions and microbial fragments) to approximately 100 μm (pollen grains). The same physical principles that are applied to nonbiological particles can be applied to bioaerosol sampling in terms of sampling efficiency of a given particle size range. When sampling bioaerosols for exposure assessment purposes, one has to consider what biological property would be the most relevant measure for the health effect in question. Cultivation and microscopic counting are traditional analytical methods, but recently several new methods are emerging that are based on chemical, biological, or immunochemical analysis of bioaerosol components. Data interpretation is based on comparisons of results in target and reference areas or populations. When comparing data with previously published values, only results that are obtained using the same methodology should be directly compared.
Association of Anhedonia With Adolescent Smoking Susceptibility and Initiation.

Introduction Emerging literature implicates anhedonia-diminished capacity to experience pleasure-as a maintaining factor underlying cigarette smoking in adults. The role of anhedonia in adolescent smoking uptake has largely been uninvestigated, leaving unclear whether anhedonia is associated with smoking initiation and with psychosocial determinants of susceptibility to smoking initiation that could be targeted in prevention. This study examined the association of anhedonia with smoking initiation (ever smoke: yes/no) and factors indicative of susceptibility to smoking initiation among never-smokers (smoking outcome expectancies, curiosity about smoking, and willingness and future intention to initiate smoking). Methods Ninth grade students enrolled in high schools in Los Angeles, CA (N = 3299; mean [SD] age = 14.1 [0.42] years) were administered in-classroom surveys of anhedonia, depression, smoking, and other characteristics. Results For every 1 SD unit increase in anhedonia, there was (1) a 42% increase in odds of smoking initiation in the overall sample (odds ratio [95% CI] = 1.42 [1.30-1.56], p < .0001) and (2) higher scores on each marker of smoking initiation susceptibility in the subsample never-smokers (βs = .10-.19; ps ≤ .002). The associations remained after adjusting for demographics and major depression symptoms. Conclusions By early adolescence: (1) anhedonia is associated with smoking initiation and (2) adolescents with higher (vs. lower) anhedonia who have never tried smoking may be more susceptible to smoking initiation perhaps due to stronger prosmoking intentions or willingness to smoke. Preventive interventions that target anhedonia and smoking-related intentions warrant consideration in interventions aimed at reducing risk of smoking initiation in affectively vulnerable youth. Implications These data suggest that anhedonia may be useful to incorporate into theoretical models of the emotional determinants of smoking initiation risk and provide impetus for addressing anhedonia in smoking prevention efforts.
Background and Perspective

Publisher Summary The field of polymer science and technology has undergone an enormous expansion over the past several decades primarily through chemical diversity. First, there was the development of new polymers from a seemingly endless variety of monomers. Next, random copolymerization was used as an effective technique for tailoring or modifying polymers. Later, more controlled block-and-graft copolymerization was introduced. Though the list of new concepts in polymer synthesis has not been exhausted, it has become clear that new chemical structures or organizations are not always needed to meet new needs or to solve old problems. The successful implementation of the concept of physically blending two or more existing polymers to obtain new products or for problem solving requires different knowledge and techniques than that used to develop new polymers. This chapter provides an overview of polymer blends. The thermodynamics of polymer-polymer mixtures or composites is one of the most important fundamental elements because it plays a major role in the molecular state of dispersion, the morphology of two phase mixtures, the adhesion between phases, and consequently influences most properties and applications. The chapter also highlights the possible phase and transition behavior in polymer blends. Blends with two phases can be organized into a variety of morphologies. Many properties and uses of a blend depend critically on the nature of this arrangement of the two phases. The purpose of polymer blending is to achieve commercially viable products through either unique properties or lower cost than some other means might provide. Commercial products are based on miscible blends such as polystyrene-poly (phenylene oxide), PVF2–PMMA, PVF2–PEMA, and PVC-nitrile rubber and immiscible blends such as rubber blends in tires, impact-modified plastics, and coextruded film and fibers.
Management of southern blight on tomato with SDHI fungicides

Abstract Southern blight, caused by the soilborne basidiomycete fungus Athelia rolfsii (formerly Sclerotium rolfsii) is a persistent disease affecting tomato throughout the southern United States and other countries. Post-transplant applications of succinate-dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) or quinone-outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides may be effective alternatives to broad-spectrum fumigation to manage this disease. In vitro, fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin applied directly to dormant sclerotia or to tomato stems inoculated with nontreated sclerotia reduced sclerotial germination and colony diameter. Penthiopyrad applied to tomato stems also reduced sclerotial germination and colony diameter. In 2015 and 2016, pyraclostrobin, penthiopyrad, and fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin were applied twice post-transplanting and quintozene was applied once at transplanting to tomato in the field. Fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin and quintozene reduced southern blight compared to the nonsprayed control in both years, whereas efficacy of pyraclostrobin and penthiopyrad varied. Quintozene, however, stunted 43–75% of the plants. Fruit number and weight did not differ among treatments in either year. Fluxapyroxad + pyraclostrobin or penthiopyrad followed by pyraclostrobin can be applied to reduce incidence of southern blight on tomato.
Mobile Communities: The Tentative Ties of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers

The United States agricultural industry relies heavily on the labor of an estimated three to five million migrant and seasonal farmworkers comprised mostly of foreign-born people of Hispanic, African, Asian, and other ethnic backgrounds.
Random vibration analysis of 3-Arc-Fan compliant interconnects

Abstract Microelectronic packaging compliant interconnects offer increased reliability when compared to traditional rigid solder ball interconnects. These interconnects are subject to various forms of mechanical damage including thermal cycle fatigue, drop impact shock, and vibration environments that often lead to mechanical or electrical failure. Second-level compliant interconnects seek to alleviate this issue by decoupling the substrate and board, facilitating independent deformation while experiencing lower stresses and strains. In order to develop compliant interconnects as an effective alternative to rigid solder balls, various design optimization, thermal cycling test, and drop impact studies have been performed. However, the area of vibration characterization and analysis is lacking for microelectronic packaging and nonexistent for compliant interconnects. Therefore, this paper will present a complete vibration analysis of a particular multi-path compliant interconnect design, the 3-Arc-Fan compliant interconnect. This design features three electroplated copper arcuate beams that provide a spring-like effect to increase compliance and mechanical reliability. Experimental vibration characterization was performed and used to validate the simulation model. Following which a random vibration analysis method wais established, and the samples were tested at various conditions. Finally, both experimental and simulation results were integrated to develop a preliminary fatigue life prediction model to demonstrate the increased reliability.
The Use and Usefulness of Cultural Dimensions in Product Development

Insights from cultural dimensions can be translated into UI guidelines to make technology products locally relevant. Such design suggestions originate from academia but little insight exists in how this knowledge is being applied and tested with global industry products, indicating a gap between research and practice. We contribute two case studies, developed based on work experience and interviews with Product Owners for e-commerce localization in Booking.com and Managing Editors involved in the development for the AI Cortana, Microsoft's intelligent assistant, that provide insight into the efforts to develop or optimize a locally relevant product. These case studies contribute to the academic discussion of the use and usefulness of cultural dimensions by examining the value of existing academic research when applied in specific circumstances. We found that cultural dimensions are used for idea generation, to inform design interventions at a global scale, and to justify personal experiences and intuitions. We also found that designers in industry rely more on personal experiences and knowledge than on the use of cultural dimensions. We discuss the complexities of optimizing for local markets and how insights from the case studies can help to further close the gap between industry and research.
A thermo-electrodynamic electric field dependent molecular ionization model to design electrical insulation system of HVDC wet-mate connectors under transient conditions

A powerful engineering software tool is elaborated to design proper dimensions/ systems/materials in a wet-mate DC connector under transient conditions. By using this tool, designers can examine various preventive measures to avoid streamer growth or limit it to only glow discharge in the oil portion of a wet-mate DC connector. In this regard, for a compact design of a wet-mate DC connector envisaged in this paper four mitigation methods including 1) using a dielectric solid covering the front portion of the moving contact, 2) increasing the relative permittivity of the dielectric solid, 3) using the dielectric oil with molecular constituents having high molecular ionization potentials, and 4) increasing the radius of curvature of the edge are evaluated.
Ideal reversible polymer networks

In this article we introduce the concept of ideal reversible polymer networks, which have well-controlled polymer network structures similar to ideal covalent polymer networks but exhibit viscoelastic behaviors due to the presence of reversible crosslinks. We first present a theory to describe the mechanical properties of ideal reversible polymer networks. Because short polymer chains of equal length are used to construct the network, there are no chain entanglements and the chains' Rouse relaxation time is much shorter than the reversible crosslinks' characteristic time. Therefore, the ideal reversible polymer network behaves as a single Maxwell element of a spring and a dashpot in series, with the instantaneous shear modulus and relaxation time determined by the concentration of elastically-active chains and the dynamics of reversible crosslinks, respectively. The theory provides general methods to (i) independently control the instantaneous shear modulus and relaxation time of the networks, and to (ii) quantitatively measure kinetic parameters of the reversible crosslinks, including reaction rates and activation energies, from macroscopic viscoelastic measurements. To validate the proposed theory and methods, we synthesized and characterized the mechanical properties of a hydrogel composed of 4-arm polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers end-functionalized with reversible crosslinks. All the experiments conducted by varying pH, temperature and polymer concentration were consistent with the predictions of our proposed theory and methods for ideal reversible polymer networks.
Uses and Physicochemical Properties of the Photoprotein Aequorin

The calcium-sensitive bioluminescent photoprotein aequorin is proving to be a useful tool for the measurement of [Ca2+] in living cells. Use of this protein has distinct advantages over other available methods that employ either dyes which change their absorption or emission characteristics, or ion-selective electrodes. The photoprotein consists of a single polypeptide chain to which a low molecular weight chromophore, an imidazolopyrazinone derivative, is tightly bound. Light is emitted through the generation of an excited state which occurs as a result of the oxidation of the chromophore, but free molecular O2 is not required. It is likely that Ca+ causes light emission of aequorin by inducing a conformational change in the protein allowing the chromophore to come into apposition with oxygen which is also bound within the protein. Previous studies had demonstrated that aequorin emits light at a very low level in the absence of Ca2+ and that the calcium-independent and calcium-dependent components of luminescence may be influenced differentially by experimental conditions such as temperature, ionic strength and the presence of specific ions. In particular, Mg2+ decreased calcium-independent light and markedly shifted the curve describing the relationship between luminescence and Ca2+.
Complex engineered, organizational and natural systems: Issues Underlying the Complexity of Systems and Fundamental Research Needed To Address These Issues Contract: National Science Foundation; grant number 0538768

This paper describes an effort to determine the rationale and content for a research agenda in complex systems. This effort included a workshop conducted with 50 thought leaders in complex engineered, organizational, and natural systems. The results of this workshop were subsequently presented to seven groups in academia and industry across the United States. In this way, additional comments, suggestions, and insights were gained from roughly 200 participants in these presentations. The objectives of these eight events were to understand the underlying issues that cause us to perceive a system to be complex, and formulate a set of fundamental research questions whose pursuit would advance abilities to address these issues. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng: 260–271, 2007
Utility of Prazosin in the Management of Patients with Severe Chronic Congestive Heart Failure

Despite many years of use and numerous investigations regarding its clinical efficacy, the utility of prazosin in the management of severe chronic heart failure remains undefined. Initial reports indicated that the drug produced marked increases in cardiac output and decreases in left ventricular filling pressure and systemic vascular resistance [11], and these benefits were accompanied by long-term amelioration of dyspnea and fatigue [1]. Unfortunately, these initial reports largely evaluated only the hemodynamic effects of first doses of prazosin; subsequent reports indicated that repeated administration of the drug was accompanied by a rapid loss of hemodynamic efficacy, such that there was no notable effect seen after 48h of continuous administration [12]. The importance of this short-term hemodynamic “tachyphylaxis” remained largely unknown, however, since numerous reports indicated that the drug produced long-term hemodynamic and clinical benefits [1, 3, 5, 8, 9]. These investigators, however, did not keep the dose of concomitantly administered diuretics constant and thus could not distinguish between the hemodynamic benefits attributable to prazosin from those resulting from changes in diuretic therapy. Previous reports also did not generally withdraw prazosin at the end of the trial in order to determine whether or not the drug exerted persistent long-term effects.
Dynamics of Alienation in French Black Literature.

whispered Senghor wiping a tear of doubt out of his young and tormented conscience, as he weaves his way along the hard and tedious road that leads to recognition. Why is it that alienation appears to be the basic fundamental principle that moves almost all creative art forms in the preand postcolonial Africa? What are the diverse forms, results, and directions taken by alienation in French speaking, black artistic creation? These are the objectives that the present essay will try to elucidate.
South African township residents describe the liminal potentialities of tourism

The townships of South Africa are peri-urban neighbourhoods defined by racial segregation, economic disparity, and geographic isolation. A product of the racist policies of apartheid, these spaces ...
Personal Manuscript Acceptance Rates: Metrics for Self-assessment in Scholarship.

Introduction There is no established baseline for how frequently clinical researchers personally encounter manuscript rejection, making it difficult for faculty to put their own evolving experience in context. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of obtaining personal acceptance per submission (APS) and acceptance per manuscript (APM) rates for individual faculty members. Methods We performed a cross-section survey pilot study of clinical faculty members of two departments (family medicine and pediatrics), in one academic health center in the academic year 2017-2018. The survey asked participants to report the number of attempted submissions required per journal article they have had accepted in the prior 2 years as well as any submissions that did not lead to publication. Results Sixty-eight of 136 eligible faculty (50%) completed the questionnaire. Academic clinicians in the sample eventually published 80% of the manuscripts submitted, with 39% of papers rejected per submission attempt. Associate professors had the highest APS (0.71) and APM (0.88). Conclusions In this pilot, we demonstrated the feasibility of retrospectively collecting data that could identify baseline manuscript acceptance rates and were able to generate department averages and rank specific averages for manuscript acceptance and rejection. We confirmed that rejection is common among academic clinicians. The APS and APM can be used by academic clinicians to track their own progress from day one of their publishing careers as a method of self-assessment, rather than having to wait for citations to accumulate.
Cognitive Construal-Consistent Instructor Language in the Undergraduate Biology Classroom.

Researchers investigated the prevalence of intuitive cognitive construals (anthropic, teleological, and essentialist thinking) in undergraduate biology instructor language. Because construals have ...
Decay of turbulent wakes behind a disk in homogeneous and stratified fluids

Body-inclusive large-eddy simulations of disk wakes are performed for a homogeneous fluid and for different levels of stratification. The Reynolds number is 5 × 104 and the Froude number ( ) takes the values of , 50, 10 and 2. In the axisymmetric wake of a disk with diameter in a homogeneous fluid, it is found that the mean streamwise velocity deficit ( ) decays in two stages: during and, subsequently, . Consequently, none of the simulated stratified wakes is able to exhibit the classical 2/3 decay exponent of in the interval before buoyancy effects set in. Stratification affects the wake within approximately one buoyancy time scale, after which, we find three regimes: weakly stratified turbulence (WST), intermediately stratified turbulence (IST) and strongly stratified turbulence (SST). WST begins when the turbulent Froude number ( ) decreases to , spans and, while the mean flow is strongly affected by buoyancy in WST, turbulence is not. During IST, which commences at when , the mean flow has arrived into the non-equilibrium (NEQ) regime with , but the turbulence state is still in transition, as indicated by progressively increasing turbulence anisotropy. When at , the wake transitions into SST, where the turbulent vertical Froude number ( ) asymptotes to a constant. There is strong anisotropy ( ), and both and satisfy decay, signifying the arrival of the NEQ regime for both turbulence and mean flow. Turbulence is patchy and temporal spectra are broadband in the SST wake. The wake height decreases as in IST/SST. Energy budgets reveal that stratification prolongs wake life during WST/early-IST by both an energy transfer from mean potential energy to mean kinetic energy and reduction of turbulent production. In the late-IST/early-SST stages, production is enhanced and, additionally, there is injection from turbulent potential energy slowing down turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) decay. Only in the SST stage, when NEQ is realized for both the mean and turbulence, does the turbulent buoyancy flux become negative again, acting as a sink of TKE.
A public health approach to family supports: Empowering families of children with autism through the ECHO model

Abstract Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often receive many direct services designed to improve their clinical outcomes. Indeed, direct service provision is critical to helping those with ASD reach their fullest potential. However, this approach often ignores the contextual factors that are likely to impact the effectiveness of those interventions. Given that a majority of the US health care system is not designed to support families, we argue (1) for taking a public health approach to supporting families and (2) that this will ultimately improve child outcomes. We use the Bioecological Theory of Human Development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) as a model of how families, who are often responsible for coordinating care, providing in-home and long-term supports, and coordinating the services a child receives, should receive additional support. We use family well-being to frame the public health problem and review several family support programs. In particular, we use an innovative program, ECHO for Families, as an example of how families can be empowered to support their children, and how this improves family well-being. Additionally, we describe the importance of scaling up family support programs and how the ECHO for Families has been able to meet the unique needs of a vast frontier state with limited resources. Finally, we argue that conceptualizing family supports as a matter of public health may lead to novel funding mechanisms that could improve well-being of the whole family, as well as improve outcomes for children with ASD.
Hepatitis B virus antibody status provides new insights in diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the seventh most common cancer in the United States, and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of NHL, accounting for about 1/3 of newly diagno...
Intratympanic Steroid Injection Complicated by Iatrogenic Perilymphatic Fistula: A Cautionary Tale

Intratympanic (IT) steroid therapy is a mainstay treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) for both initial therapy and salvage therapy. We report a rare case of iatrogenic perilymphatic fistula that resulted from trauma during an IT steroid injection for SSNHL. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment in the current case and compare it with previous reports from the literature. Laryngoscope, 131:2088-2090, 2021.
Bilingual problem-solving training for caregivers of adults with dementia: A randomized, factorial-design protocol for the CaDeS trial.

Abstract Objective Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) often experience debilitating caregiver burden and emotional distress. To address these negative emotional consequences of caregiving, we will test and refine a strategy training intervention – Problem-Solving Training (PST) – that promotes self-efficacy and reduces caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Previous research supports efficacy of PST; however, we do not know exactly how many PST sessions are needed or if post-training “boosters” are required to maintain PST benefits. Additionally, we translated and culturally-adapted PST into “Descubriendo Soluciones Juntos” (DSJ), our novel intervention for Spanish-speaking caregivers. Method In this 2 × 2 factorial design randomized controlled trial, we will test remotely-delivered PST/DSJ sessions for both English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of persons with ADRD to determine the optimal number of PST/DSJ sessions and ongoing “booster” sessions needed to best help caregivers navigate their current and future needs. Aims 1) Compare the efficacy of three vs. six PST/DSJ sessions each with and without booster sessions for decreasing caregiver burden and depression and enhancing caregiver problem-solving; 2) Identify key factors associated with efficacy of PST/DSJ, including age, gender, primary language, relationship to care recipient, and uptake of the PST/DSJ strategy. Results These results will establish guidelines needed for an evidence-based, culturally-adapted, and implementable problem-solving intervention to reduce caregiver stress and burden and improve caregiver health and well-being. Conclusion This work promotes inclusion of diverse and underserved populations and advances therapeutic behavioral interventions that improve the lives of caregivers of individuals with chronic conditions.
Artificial Intelligence and Integrated Intelligent Systems in Product Design and Development

Product-process design in product development creates a design entity in accordance with the market-related, functional, technical, manufacturing, ergonomic and aesthetic requirements. It is a very complex process involving many sophisticated procedures, and requires a team of designers and engineers with different aspects of knowledge and experience to work together. In recent years, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and product data management (PDM) and their integration have been the focal research areas in advancing design and manufacturing automation. Many CAD systems have incorporated some of the functional requirements necessary to support integrated design, e.g., direct interface to analytical, parametric feature-based design or CAM (such as Pro/Engineer and CADDS), and other design techniques. However, most of existing CAD systems still adopt the traditional design methods with various design activities being carried out sequentially. The integration of the design activities and product life cycle issues have not yet been taken into account sufficiently and intelligently. The sequential and non-intelligent approaches are costly, tedious, and could not help in optimizing the product-process design. They are also used relatively late in the design process, in general, during the detailed design phase, and no intelligent and collaborative actions between designers or participants are supported.
1977 annual meeting in Seattle.

Abstract You are invited to Seattle for the 1977 Annual Meeting, its theme to be “Change, Comparison, and Controversy.” Suggestions are made for activities in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, including the cohost city, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Comparison of Two Theories of Scattering from Quasi-Homogeneous Media

Two perturbative expansions used in scattering calculations are the Rytov and the Born series. The terms in each series at any given order and the coupling of one order to the next are different. This fact has led to much discussion as to whether the leading term of the Born, or the Rytov series provides a better approximation to the exact solution.[1]
Convex Analysis and Subdifferential Calculus

This chapter deals with several properties of convex functions, especially in connection with their regularity, on the one hand, and the characterization of their minimizers, on the other. We shall explore sufficient conditions for a convex function to be continuous, as well as several connections between convexity and differentiability. Next, we present the notion of subgradient, a generalization of the concept of derivative for nondifferentiable convex functions that will allow us to characterize their minimizers. After discussing conditions that guarantee their existence, we present the basic (yet subtle) calculus rules, along with their remarkable consequences. Other important theoretical and practical tools, such as the Fenchel conjugate and the Lagrange multipliers, will also be studied. These are particularly useful for solving constrained problems.
Protein–Ligand Interactions: Computational Docking

A pharmaceutical drug compound is usually a small organic molecule, also termed as ligand, that binds to the target protein and alters the natural activity of the protein, thus, leading to a therapeutic effect. Computational docking or computer-aided docking is an extremely useful tool to gain an understanding of protein–ligand interactions which is important for the drug discovery. Computational docking is the process of computationally predicting the placement and binding affinity of the ligand in the binding pocket of the protein. Docking methods rely on a search algorithm which computes the placement of the ligand in the binding pocket and a scoring function which estimates the binding affinity, that is, how strongly the ligand interacts with the protein. A variety of methods have been developed to solve the computational docking problems that range from simple point-matching algorithms to explicit physical simulation methods. Key Concepts: Computational docking methods play an important role in the drug discovery process. A docking method computes the placement of a ligand in the binding pocket of a protein and estimates the binding affinity. Rigid-body docking methods treat both the protein and ligand as rigid bodies. Flexible ligand methods treat the ligand as a flexible molecule and flexible receptor methods treat both the ligand and the protein as flexible molecules. Two main features of computational docking techniques are a conformation search algorithm and a scoring function that estimates binding affinity. Most of the computational docking programs treat the protein as a rigid molecule and the ligand as a flexible molecule. Protein flexibility is an important determinant of the accuracy of docking programs. Efforts have been made to account for protein flexibility in docking methods, but more needs to be done. Keywords: docking; drug design; protein–ligand docking; flexible docking; flexible receptor; scoring function
Array Unification: A Locality Optimization Technique

One of the key challenges facing computer architects and compiler writers is the increasing discrepancy between processor cycle times and main memory access times. To alleviate this problem for a class of array-dominated codes, compilers may employ either control-centric transformations that change data access patterns of nested loops or data-centric transformations that modify the memory layouts of multi-dimensional arrays. Most of the layout optimizations proposed so far either modify the layout of each array independently or are based on explicit data reorganizations at runtime. This paper describes a compiler technique, called array unification, that automatically maps multiple arrays into a single data (array) space to improve data locality. We present a mathematical framework that enables us to systematically derive suitable mappings for a given program. The framework divides the arrays accessed by the program into several groups and each group is transformed to improve spatial locality and reduce the number of conflict misses. As compared to the previous approaches, the proposed technique works on a larger scope and makes use of independent layout transformations as well whenever necessary. Preliminary results on two benchmark codes show significant improvements in cache miss rates and execution time.
Diagnostic utility of signal-averaged electrocardiography for detection of cardiac sarcoidosis.

Introduction: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) occurs in up to 25% of patients with pulmonary involvement. Early diagnosis is critical because sudden death from ventricular arrhythmias can be the initial presentation. We sought to evaluate the diagnostic utility of signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) for detection of cardiac involvement of sarcoidosis. Methods: Subjects with biopsy proven sarcoidosis and symptoms suggestive of possible cardiac involvement were included in the cohort. Standard criteria for SAECG were used. Subjects were considered to have CS if they met criteria established by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare modified to include cardiac MRI. Results: Of the 88 patients in the cohort 27 had evidence of CS independent of the SAECG results. The SAECG was abnormal in 14 of these 27 patients and 11 of the 61 of the subjects without cardiac involvement (P < 0.01). The sensitivity of SAECG detection of CS was 52% with a specificity of 82%. For the entire cohort, SAECG had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 0.56 and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 0.79. Within a subgroup of 67 patients with an unfiltered QRS duration of <100 ms, the specificity for diagnosing cardiac sarcoidosis improves to 100% with a reduced sensitivity of 36.8. Of the SAECG parameters, LAS40 was significantly associated with the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis for the entire cohort (P < 0.01) and among the subgroup of patients with an unfiltered QRS duration of <100 ms (P < 0.01). Conclusions: SAECG is a useful screening tool in the evaluation of sarcoidosis for detection of cardiac involvement. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2011;16(1):70–76
Long noncoding RNAs in biology and hematopoiesis

Genome and transcriptome sequencing have revealed a rich assortment of noncoding RNAs in eukaryote cells, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), which regulate gene expression independent of protein coding potential. LncRNAs modulate protein coding gene expression in many cell types by regulating multiple processes, including epigenetic control of transcription, mRNA stability, and protein localization. Although little is known about lncRNAs in hematopoiesis, they are likely to exert widespread roles in this process.
Interpretation of compositional patterns found by quantitative energy dispersive X-ray analysis for cement paste constituents

More than 200 individual particles within a portland scement paste were morphologically categorized by backscatter SEM and analyzed systematically by EDXA. Nearly all of the analyses fall either in a dense cluster around a mean C-S-H gel composition or along tie lines connecting this composition to theoretical compositions for calcium hydroxide, monosulfate, ettringite, and ferrite. “Phenograin” C-S-H gel (formed as a direct replacement product within large cement grains) contains small amounts of Al, Fe, and S, but otherwise shows almost negligible compositional variation. In contrast, smaller groundmass particles and shells of gapped phenograins show a slightly differentc S-H gel composition. Some of these, despite being morphologically homogeneous, show compositions falling along tie lines to the other recognized phases. This is attributed to extensive occurrence of intimate mixtures of C-S-H gel with the other components below the scale of SEM observation. Ionic substitutions appear to be minor except for the monosulfate and ettringite components in such mixtures. These show a variable but usually high deficiency in the sulfate content.
A heat transfer model for thermal fluctuations in a thin slider/disk air bearing

Abstract The signal readout of a magnetoresistive (MR) transducer is very sensitive to temperature. To study the thermal effects on the MR transducer when the slider flies close to the surface of the disk, we introduce a heat transfer model with discontinuous boundary conditions in the thin slider/disk air bearing and solve it numerically. It is found that the heat flux is primarily due to heat conduction, which transfers heat from the slider to the air bearing when the slider has a higher surface temperature than the disk, and viscous dissipation, which transfers heat from the air bearing to the slider. Whether an air bearing acts as a coolant or heater depends on which part, the heat conduction or viscous dissipation, dominates the heat transfer. Since the magnitude of viscous dissipation is relatively small, the heating effect often plays a weaker role unless the temperature difference between the slider and disk is very nearly equal to zero. Simulation results show that the effect of the heat conduction increases with a decrease in the flying height, but the effect of the viscous dissipation decreases with a decrease in the flying height. In other words, the cooling effect increases with a decrease in the flying height.
Quasi-phase-matching and quantum-path control of high-harmonic generation using counterpropagating light

Quasi-phase-matching and quantum-path control of high-harmonic generation using counterpropagating light
EFFECT OF SMOKEHOUSE TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY AND AIR VELOCITY ON RATE OF HEATING AND QUALITY OF FRANKFURTERS

The effects of air velocity, relative humidity, temperature and presence of glucono delta lactone (GDL) on the quality of frankfurters, were evaluated. Rate of heating was inversely proportional to rate of weight loss during processing. High humidity processes at slow air flows had the fastest heating rates; however, quality was unacceptable because of fat separation and pale color. A process where the smokehouse temperature was slowly increased by 6°C increments, and where a low relative humidity and high air flow were used, gave the best quality. Color and texture was more desirable on products having higher shrink. The presence of GDL had no effect on the final color of products processed under the same conditions; however, maximum color appeared to develop earlier in samples containing GDL.
Cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (MetE): a face-to-face double barrel that evolved by gene duplication

Cobalamin-independent methionine synthase (MetE) catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from methyltetrahydrofolate to L-homocysteine (Hcy) without using an intermediate methyl carrier. Although MetE displays no detectable sequence homology with cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (MetH), both enzymes require zinc for activation and binding of Hcy. Crystallographic analyses of MetE from T. maritima reveal an unusual dual-barrel structure in which the active site lies between the tops of the two (βα)8 barrels. The fold of the N-terminal barrel confirms that it has evolved from the C-terminal polypeptide by gene duplication; comparisons of the barrels provide an intriguing example of homologous domain evolution in which binding sites are obliterated. The C-terminal barrel incorporates the zinc ion that binds and activates Hcy. The zinc-binding site in MetE is distinguished from the (Cys)3Zn site in the related enzymes, MetH and betaine–homocysteine methyltransferase, by its position in the barrel and by the metal ligands, which are histidine, cysteine, glutamate, and cysteine in the resting form of MetE. Hcy associates at the face of the metal opposite glutamate, which moves away from the zinc in the binary E·Hcy complex. The folate substrate is not intimately associated with the N-terminal barrel; instead, elements from both barrels contribute binding determinants in a binary complex in which the folate substrate is incorrectly oriented for methyl transfer. Atypical locations of the Hcy and folate sites in the C-terminal barrel presumably permit direct interaction of the substrates in a ternary complex. Structures of the binary substrate complexes imply that rearrangement of folate, perhaps accompanied by domain rearrangement, must occur before formation of a ternary complex that is competent for methyl transfer.
Novel tunneling technique for measuring electron scattering rates in superconductors: Application to Sn and Sn-In films.

The low-voltage resistances R/sub j/(T,I/sub s/) of low-resistance SnSn-oxideCu and Sn/sub 0.95/In/sub 0.05/Sn-In--oxideCu tunnel junctions were measured as functions of temperature and supercurrent along the Sn or Sn-In film. From precise numerical fits to a recent theory, we determined the electron-phonon scattering rate at T/sub c/ for both Sn and Sn-In to be tau/sub e//sub -ph/(T/sub c/)/sup -1/approx. =2.8 x 10/sup 9/s/sup -1/ +- 10%, with the assumption of an electron-phonon coupling ..cap alpha../sup 2/F(..omega..)proportional..omega../sup 2/. We determined that the crystalline anisotropy of the order parameter ..delta.. was proportional to electron mean free path squared, as expected theoretically. Extrapolation to infinite mean free path gave a value for the mean-square anisotropy in ..delta.. in pure Sn of /sub 0/ = 0.0053 +- 13%. The consistency of these results from sample to sample, and the agreement between all of these results and published theoretical and experimental work, verifies the theory and demonstrates the feasibility of using such measurements to study electron scattering in novel superconducting materials
Correlation of histometric, microbial, and clinical indicators of periodontal disease status before and after root planing

Effective diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease requires accurate evaluation of disease status before and after treatment. This study evaluated relationships among multiple parameters that have been used for periodontal disease evaluation. A total of 61 initially deep (greater than or equal to 6 mm) interproximal pockets from 16 patients examined before and after a 3-week course of root planing therapy were evaluated for probing depth, bleeding on probing, darkfield and cultural characterization of subgingival plaque, and histometric indices of infiltrated connective tissue (ICT) and mature plasma cell infiltrate. 36 sites were evaluated before treatment, and 25 after treatment. A comparison of mean scores for pre-treatment sites versus post-treatment sites indicated that there was an average improvement in most disease-related parameters. However, patterns of significant correlations among the parameters differed markedly. Motile bacteria enumerated by darkfield microscopy were significantly correlated with ICT and plasma-cell populations before, but not after treatment. In contrast, probing depth and populations of black pigmented Bacteroides (BPB's), principally B. gingivalis, were significantly correlated with ICT after, but not before, treatment. Bleeding on probing was not significantly correlated with ICT levels before or after treatment. This suggests that different sets of parameters should be used for evaluating periodontal disease status before or after treatment. Our data further suggest that B. gingivalis populations may be related to delayed healing of deep periodontal lesions after instrumentation.
Gene flow matters in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a potential widespread biofuel feedstock

There currently exists a large push for the use, improvement, and expansion via landscape modification of dedicated biofuel crops (feedstocks) in the United States and in many parts of the world. Ecological concerns have been voiced because many biofuel feedstocks exhibit characteristics associated with invasiveness, and due to potential negative consequences of agronomic genes in native wild populations. Seed purity concerns for biofuel feedstock cultivars whose seeds would be harvested in agronomic fields also exist from the agribusiness sector. The common thread underlying these concerns, which have regulatory implications, is gene flow; thus detailed knowledge of gene flow in biofuel crop plants is important in the formulation of environmental risk management plans. Here, we synthesize the current state of knowledge of gene flow in an exemplary biofuel crop, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), which is native to eastern North America and is currently experiencing conventional and technological advances in biomass yields and ethanol production. Surprisingly little is known regarding aspects of switchgrass pollen flow and seed dispersal, and whether native populations of conspecific or congeneric relatives will readily cross with current agronomic switchgrass cultivars. We pose that filling these important gaps will be required to confront the sustainability challenges of widespread planting of biofuel feedstocks.
Fast ion motion in glassy and amorphous materials

Abstract Seeking a broad perspective we define a decoupling index R τ , 1 τ 13 , which describes how well the (fast ion) conducting modes are decoupled from the amorphous matrix. For glassy electrolytes the R τ must be high, > 10 8 . For successful (polymer + salt) “solid” electrolytes, R τ can be low, ∼1, provided T g is low. We review recent findings for Group 1A and 1B cation glasses and contrast them with results for new LiI-rich organic cation glasses. The theoretical maximum conductivity for glassy systems, considering the quench rate factor, is analyzed, and the far IR conductivity is correlated with σ(ω) measurements. Then we consider the low R τ polymer + salt constrained-liquid “solid” electrolytes, and analyze the X- and T- dependences of σ o for such cases. Finally we correlate mechanical and electrical relaxation phenomena, and review insights from computer simulation studies for oxides and sulfides. These support a gated channel mechanism for migration.
Effect of molecular structure on the selective phototoxicity of triarylmethane dyes towards tumor cells

In response to transmembrane potentials which are negative on the inner side of both the plasma and mitochondrial membranes, cationic dyes displaying appropriate structural features naturally accumulate in the cytosol and inside the mitochondria. Because enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential is a prevalent tumor cell phenotype, a number of cationic dyes preferentially accrue and are retained for longer periods in the mitochondria of tumor cells as compared to normal cells. The opportunities brought about by this phenomenon in chemo- and photochemotherapy of neoplastic diseases is highlighted by the observation that the phototoxic effects associated with some of the cationic photosensitizers known to accumulate in cell mitochondria are much more pronounced in tumor cells than in normal cells. However, the structural determinants of selective phototoxicity towards tumor cells are not well understood, and the lack of a robust model to describe the relationship between molecular structure and tumor selectivity has prevented mitochondrial targeting from becoming a more dependable therapeutic strategy. In this report we describe how the lipophilic/hydrophilic character of a series of cationic triarylmethane dyes affects the selectivity with which these photosensitizers mediate the destruction of tumor cells. Our results indicated that only the more hydrophilic triarylmethanes show tumor selectivity, presumably because these are the only dyes capable of staining energized mitochondria with a high degree of specificity. The partition of the more lipophilic dyes into a variety of extra-mitochondrial subcellular compartments occurs with comparable efficiencies in tumor and in normal cells, and this less specific subcellular localization precludes tumor selectivity from taking place.