cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy-loss distributions for 2.5-MeV He+ ions incident on Si single crystals.

The energy distributions for 2.5-MeV He[sup +] ions incident on thin Si single crystals are studied. Detailed angular scans are taken through the [l angle]110[r angle] and [l angle]100[r angle] axial directions along the [l brace]111[r brace] and [l brace]110[r brace] planar directions as well as perpendicular to the planar directions for Si(110) (0.74- and 1.4-[mu]m-thick) and Si(100) (0.75-[mu]m-thick) samples, respectively. Complex structures in the distributions are observed throughout the angular scans. The experimental distributions are reasonably well reproduced by a Monte Carlo simulation using the semiclassical approximation [N. M. Kabachnik, V. N. Kondratev, and O. V. Chumanova, Phys. Status Solidi B 145, 103 (1988)] for energy loss to core electrons and the two-component free-electron-gas model for energy loss to valence electrons. Systematic deviations between theory and experiment are observed and discussed in terms of an increased penetration depth necessary for He[sup +] ions to become fully ionized when channeled.
Fifty-Five Fun-Filled Years in Circuit Design

I read with admiration (and a little envy) in the biographies of illustrious colleagues about how they were attracted to electronics at an early age and then followed their passion to become top experts in electric circuits. My path to becoming a dedicated circuit theorist and designer was nothing like theirs. It was more like a binary (or ternary) search, the choice between available options frequently decided more by fate than by my plans or preferences. The happy outcome was thus due more to luck than to foresight!
Extended tabulations for Dickey-Fuller tests

Abstract The previously available tabulations of the distributions of the Dickey-Fuller τ τ and π τ statistics are surprisingly limited in the number of sample sizes and critical levels covered. This paper supplies more detailed tables.
Pay fairness and employee outcomes: Exacerbation and attenuation effects of financial need

The consequences of pay fairness perceptions are rarely explored, in part because of the lack of a compelling theory which relates pay attitudes directly to distal health and behavioural outcomes. We propose e nancial need as a potential moderator of the relationship between pay fairness and employees’ physical health, psychological health, and work-related behaviours. Di Verential exacerbating and attenuating e Vects are predicted for various outcomes. In a longitudinal study of 651 employees of e ve American mid-western organizations, exacerbation predictions were strongly supported in cross-sectional analyses for life satisfaction, depression, and somatic complaints. Attenuation predictions received support cross-sectionally and longitudinally for job search intent, but were not supported for performance, absenteeism, or voluntary turnover. The importance of these results for understanding pay dynamics and for outlining mid-range theories is highlighted.
Human motion tracking using mean shift clustering and discrete cosine transform

Human motion tracking is an active area of research in computer vision and machine intelligence. It has many applications in video surveillance and human-computer interface. Most of the existing algorithms track multiple humans in a given image. This paper proposes a detection approach which can track a specific person from a crowded environment. Mean shift clustering algorithm is employed in the difference image to get the candidate cluster which is found to converge within few iterations. The number of clusters and the cluster centers are automatically derived by mode seeking with the mean shift procedure. Discrete cosine transform is applied to each cluster and to the known target to extract features of the clusters and the target. To get the target cluster from a given image, Mahalanobis distance is measured between each transformed candidate cluster and the target. The cluster with the minimum distance is taken as the desired target. Tracking is carried out by updating the cluster parameters over time using the mean shift procedure.
A sensitive test for antibody against the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HB-c).

Abstract. Radioimmunoprecipitation of Dane particle core radiolabeled in a DNA polymerase reaction was used for detecting anti-HBc in the sera of blood donors positive for HBBAg and patients with acute hepatitis B. The test for anti-HBc was a specific and sensitive indicator of current or recent virus infection. Human anti-HBS hyperimmune immunoglobulin contained small amount of anti-HBc, but the antibody was not detected in the serum of hyperimmunized chimpanzees.
“Zola Fantastique”: An Analysis of the Story “La Mort D'Olivier Bécaille”

(1999). “Zola Fantastique”: An Analysis of the Story “La Mort D'Olivier Becaille”. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 69-81.
Development of the primary afferent projection in human spinal cord

The development of spinal cord circuitry in humans is poorly characterized, primarily because standard anatomical tracers must be actively transported, which requires living tissue. Intensely fluorescent lipid-soluble tracers have largely eliminated this problem, at least for circuits that can be traced over short distances. We have, therefore, used the carbocyanine dye DiI (1, 1-dioctadecyl-3, 3, 3, 3-tetramethyl-indocarbocyanine perchlorate) to study the development of the dorsal root afferent projection to fetal human spinal cord between 8 and 19 weeks of gestation. We show here that the dorsal root afferents enter the gray matter of the spinal cord very early in gestation. By 8 weeks, a few axons have already reached the motor pools. These axons, presumably spindle afferents, traverse the length of the spinal gray matter in fascicles to reach different groups of motor neurons. As development progresses, these axons project to the ventral horn and branch in a restricted area in the intermediate zone as well as in the motor pools. Between 11 and 19 weeks of gestation, axons in the ventral horn elaborate boutons that appear to be in proximity to the motor neuron somata and their proximal dendrites. Other groups of axons penetrate the gray matter of the spinal cord all along the mediolateral extent of the dorsal horn. These axons descend to lamina IV, and then turn upward to terminate in laminae III and IV, arborizing primarily rostrocaudally. The time course of the development of these axons parallels that of the axons projecting to the ventral horn. On the basis of their laminar termination and patterns of distribution, we suggest that these are the central axons from dorsal root ganglion neurons that innervate low-threshold mechanoreceptors in the periphery. Axon arborizations in laminae I and II were sparse, even at the latest developmental stages examined. It is unclear whether their specific connections have not yet developed or whether DiI does not diffuse well along these small-caliber axons. This characterization of the development of the laminar specific projections of dorsal root ganglion neurons provides a foundation for studies of the expression of genes that may be implicated in dorsal root axon growth and branching in humans. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Regulation of the Expression of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Antigen CD34: Role of c-myb

The CD34 antigen defines a subset of hematopoietic progenitor cells with self-renewal capacity and the ability to reconstitute hematopoiesis in irradiated primates and marrow-ablated humans, but its function remains unknown. The c-myb protooncogene plays a fundamental role in hematopoiesis, most likely via its transcriptional regulator function. We report that c-myb protein transactivates the CD34 promoter via specific interaction with multiple Myb binding sites in the 5' flanking region of the gene and induces expression of the endogenous CD34 mRNA in rodent fibroblasts. Also, constitutive expression of c-myb in CD34-negative human glioblastoma cells induces expression of CD34 mRNA and synthesis of the surface membrane antigen. These data directly demonstrate that c-myb regulates the expression of the hematopoietic stem cell antigen CD34 and raise the possibility that c-myb regulates hematopoiesis inducing a cascade of differentiation-related events.
Isolation and characterization of Muscodor albus I-41.3s, a volatile antibiotic producing fungus

Abstract Muscodor albus is an endophytic fungus of tropical tree species that produces volatile organic compounds (VOC's) that have antibiotic activity. A new isolate of this organism has been obtained from a small, unidentified vine, generally used by the indigenous people of the Tesso Nilo region in Central Sumatra, Indonesia, to treat snakebites. This unique organism produces a number of VOC's not previously observed in other M. albus isolates including tetrohydofuran, 2-methyl furan; 2-butanone; aciphyllene, and large amounts of an unusual azulene derivative. Noticeably absent from the VOC mixture was 1-butanol, 3-methyl-. Scanning electron micrographs of the organism showed a unique fishnet-like deposit of what appears to be a biopolymer covering the hyphae. The ITS-5.8S rDNA partial sequence data showed 99% identity to the original M. albus strain cz-620. In addition, an artificial mixture of some of the VOC's produced by this new isolate generally mimicked the inhibitory as well as lethal effects of the fungal VOC's on the test microorganisms. One of the most sensitive test fungi was Stachybotrys chartarum , an organism associated with the “toxic mold” syndrome of buildings. Fungi belonging to the Muscodor genus regularly appear in tropical rainforests throughout the world and these isolates appear to have chemical, biological, and structural characteristics that make them potentially useful in medicine, agricultural and industrial applications.
Comparison Between the Mean dP/dt During Isovolumetric Contraction and Other Echocardiographic Indexes of Ventricular Systolic Function.

Echocardiographic assessments of ventricular function derived from estimates of the mean dP/dt during isovolumetric contraction (mean dP/dt(ic)) were compared with those obtained from measurements of the shortening fraction and the stress-velocity index (SVI). Mean dP/dt(ic) correlated well with the shortening fraction, r = 0.74, P 1000 mmHg/sec had a shortening fraction > 0.28. A good correlation also existed between mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI, r = 0.73, P 2 standard deviations below normal, whereas all patients with mean dP/dt(ic) > 1000 mmHg/sec had normal or increased SVI. The correlation between mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI was strengthened when mean dP/dt(ic) was adjusted for heart rate and preload. Hence, assessments of ventricular function derived from measurements of mean dP/dt(ic) appear to agree well with those provided by the shortening fraction and SVI. Because the determination of mean dP/dt(ic) is not hampered by unusual anatomy or wall motion (conditions which compromise the validity of the shortening fraction and SVI), mean dP/dt(ic) may be a good index of ventricular function in cases where measurements of the shortening fraction and SVI would be unreliable.
Epilepsy: Guidelines on vagus nerve stimulation for epilepsy

An evidence-based guideline update on vagus nerve stimulation for treatment of epilepsy supports consideration of its use in children, in patients with Lennox–Gastaut syndrome, and to improve mood in adults. Its efficacy may also increase over prolonged treatment. These conclusions are tentative, however, highlighting our knowledge gaps.
The Balanced Dynamical Bridge: Detection and Sensitivity to Parameter Shifts and Non-Gaussian Noise

In this paper we discuss a parametric sensing strategy employing noise activated escape in a bistable resonator; a system we refer to as the “balanced dynamical bridge.” Noise acting on a bistable system causes random switching between the two metastable states, and the occupation probabilities are very sensitive to system parameters in the weak noise limit. We calculate this sensitivity and the measurement time required when the bridge is employed as a general use detector. The bridge sensitivity is found to be inversely proportional to the noise strength and the measurement time is exponential. We then proceed to consider the dynamical bridge as a detector of non-Gaussian noise. We develop the conditions under which the bridge population ratio is exponentially sensitive only to third and higher moments of a perturbing non-Gaussian noise. As an example, we discuss the implementation of the bridge using a micro- or nano-scale resonator modeled by Duffing’s equation. The locus of parameter values for which the bridge is balanced is presented and we give an example of measuring the statistics of a shot noise process. We also briefly discuss how this class of systems can be employed in micro/nano-scale resonator applications, including mass and force spectroscopy and electron transport.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Glyoxylate metabolism by isolated rat liver peroxisomes.

Abstract Isolated rat liver peroxisomes catalyze the reduction of glyoxylate to glycolate. The peroxisomal glyoxylate reductase preferentially utilizes NADH and glyoxylate. It also reduces hydroxypyruvate and pyruvate, but no dehydrogenase activity is measurable at pH 9.2. Michaelis constants were 11.5 mM for glyoxylate and 10.5 μM for NADH, and the pH optimum was 6.4. A glutamate-glyoxylate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.4) is also present in rat liver peroxisomes. NADH-glyoxylate reductase (EC 1.1.1.26) in liver peroxisomes may function in a substrate-mediated electron shuttle for the oxidation of cellular NADH.
NeuroD regulates proliferation of photoreceptor progenitors in the retina of the zebrafish.

neuroD is a member of the family of proneural genes, which function to regulate the cell cycle, cell fate determination and cellular differentiation. In the retinas of larval and adult teleosts, neuroD is expressed in two populations of post-mitotic cells, a subset of amacrine cells and nascent cone photoreceptors, and proliferating cells in the lineages that give rise exclusively to rod and cone photoreceptors. Based on previous studies of NeuroD function in vitro and the cellular pattern of neuroD expression in the zebrafish retina, we hypothesized that within the mitotic photoreceptor lineages NeuroD selectively regulates aspects of the cell cycle. To test this hypothesis, gain and loss-of-function approaches were employed, relying on the inducible expression of a NeuroDEGFP fusion protein and morpholino oligonucleotides to inhibit protein translation, respectively. Conditional expression of neuroD causes cells to withdraw from the cell cycle, upregulate the expression of the cell cycle inhibitors, p27 and p57, and downregulate the cell cycle progression factors, Cyclin B1, Cyclin D1, and Cyclin E2. In the absence of NeuroD, cells specific for the rod and cone photoreceptor lineage fail to exit the cell cycle, and the number of cells expressing Cyclin D1 is increased. When expression is ectopically induced in multipotent progenitors, neuroD promotes the genesis of rod photoreceptors and inhibits the genesis of Muller glia. These data show that in the teleost retina NeuroD plays a fundamental role in photoreceptor genesis by regulating mechanisms that promote rod and cone progenitors to withdraw from the cell cycle. This is the first in vivo demonstration in the retina of cell cycle regulation by NeuroD.
High-Quality Manganese-Doped ZnSe Nanocrystals

We demonstrate high-quality, highly fluorescent, ZnSe colloidal nanocrystals (or quantum dots) that are doped with paramagnetic Mn2+ impurities. We present luminescence, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements to confirm that the Mn impurities are embedded inside the nanocrystal. Optical measurements show that by exciting the nanocrystal, efficient emission from Mn is obtained, with a quantum yield of 22% at 295 K and 75% below 50 K (relative to Stilbene 420). MCD spectra reveal an experimental Zeeman splitting in the first excited state that is large (28 meV at 2.5 T), depends on doping concentration, and saturates at modest fields. In the low field limit, the magnitude of the effective g factor is 430 times larger than in undoped nanocrystals. EPR experiments exhibit a six-line spectrum with a hyperfine splitting of 60.4 × 10-4 cm-1, consistent with Mn substituted at Zn sites in the cubic ZnSe lattice.
Studies on the Reactions of Dihydrogen with Salts of Platinum Carbonyl Cluster Anions (Chini Clusters) and Redox Active Countercations

Reactions of An[Pt12(CO)24] (A = methylene blue (MB+), safranine O (Saf+), nicotinamide benzyl chloride (BNA+), n = 2; A = methylviologen (MV2+), n = 1) with dihydrogen in DMF and DMSO have been st...
Integration of Interprofessional Education and Culture into Advanced Practice Simulations

Abstract Background Interprofessional education and culture are often taught independently. Students are not afforded the opportunity to practice these competencies before engaging in clinical practice. Method Graduate family nurse practitioner (FNPs), athletic training, and physical therapy students (N = 108) participated in uniquely developed advanced practice, culturally competent interprofessional simulations. Results The Cultural Awareness Scale revealed that FNPs became more comfortable interacting with diverse patients. Critical reflection essays and clinical case analysis supported that FNPs are becoming culturally competent. On the Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale athletic training, and physical therapy students felt team collaborations were poor but shared leadership was valued; the FNP data was just the opposite. Conclusion This initiative was successful in simultaneously incorporating interprofessional education and culture in simulation; however, the students' varying experiences influenced outcomes.
The Value of Ideas: Problems Versus Possibilities in Learning

The advantages of involving students in authentic problem-solving activity is one thing about which all contemporary learning theorists agree. Such an approach fits well with the strategy-based performance model advanced by information processors, the impasse or perturbation learning model advanced by cognitive constructivists, and the socially mediated apprenticeship model advanced by the cultural anthropologists. Despite its pedagogical popularity, a focus on practical problem solving is subject to criticism because it downplays the transformative role of experience in education; the tendency in this approach is to define the world in negative terms, as a series of obstacles or impediments to be overcome. In the alternative view presented in this article, termed idea-based social constructivism, the focus is less on problems and more on the possibilities inherent in a given situation.
A method for correcting NaI spectra for attenuation losses in hand-held instrument applications

In this paper we present the gross-count material basis set (GC-MBS) method for estimating transmission losses in measurements of radionuclides using low-resolution gamma-ray detectors such as NaI or CdZnTe. The application to continuum-subtracted peaks measured with high-purity Ge detectors is also discussed. To illustrate the method, we apply it to the correction of spectra from enriched uranium that have been distorted by various intervening absorbers. We also examine the application to simultaneous determination of the uranium enrichment through an unknown absorber using an NaI detector.
Identity Boxing: A New Technique for Consistent Global Identity

Today, users of the grid may easily authenticate themselves to computing resources around the world using a public key security infrastructure. However, users are forced to employ a patchwork of local identities, each assigned by a different local authority. This forces each grid system to provide a mapping from global to local identities, creating a significant administrative burden and inhibiting many possibilities of data sharing. To remedy this, we introduce the technique of identity boxing. This technique allows a high-level identity to be attached directly to each process and resource that a user employs, rendering the local account name irrelevant. This allows a grid user to be known by the same name consistently at all sites, thus reducing administrative burdens and enabling new forms of sharing. We have implemented identity boxing at the user level within a secure system-call interposition agent and applied it to a distributed storage and execution system. The performance overhead of this implementation is only 0.7 to 6.5 percent for a selection of scientific applications, but as high as 35 percent for a metadata-intensive software build. We conclude with some reflections on how the operating system might be modified to better support grid computing.
NSAIDS and the risk of myocardial infarction: do they help or harm?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are commonly used for pain relief and appear to work primarily by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Aspirin and other traditional NSAIDS non-selectively inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2 isoforms. In contradistinction, the various coxibs more selectively inhibit COX-2, with differing degrees of specificity. Aspirin has unequivocally been demonstrated to reduce myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with established coronary artery disease.1 The predominant mechanism by which aspirin provides cardiovascular protection is believed to be via irreversible inhibition of COX-1-mediated platelet aggregation. Prior reports in the literature regarding cardiovascular effects of NSAIDS have been conflicting, whereas the cardiovascular effect of COX-2 inhibitors has been nothing but controversial. The important report by Helin-Salmivaara et al . in this issue of the European Heart Journal is the largest population-based matched case–control study of NSAIDS performed to date.2 A total of 33 309 patients with first MI were identified between 2000 and 2003 in Finland. The study found that NSAID use increased the risk of first MI by ∼40%, with a similar increase in risk noted for conventional NSAIDS as well as for COX-2 inhibitors. The age of the user did not appear to modulate the risk. Concerningly, the signal of increased risk began with even short durations of therapy consisting of just a few weeks. The longer the duration from NSAID discontinuation, the more attenuated the association became—this finding is supportive of a causal relationship. In addition, heavy NSAID use in the prior year was a significant risk factor for MI, again supportive of a causal relationship. Although largely demonstrating a class effect for NSAIDS and COX-2 inhibitors, this analysis found that rofecoxib was associated with a significant risk of MI, but not celecoxib … *Corresponding author. Tel: +1 216 445 4042; fax: +1 216 445 8531. E-mail address : bhattd{at}ccf.org
Responsive aperiodic services in high-speed networks

A fast packet-switched network is considered that transmits fixed-sized packets or cells and provides connection-oriented services. A number of rate-based service disciplines that offer timing guarantees have recently been proposed. These disciplines work well for connections which exhibit low burstiness or whose burstiness can be managed by admission control. However, some messages have irregular arrival patterns, but must be delivered with low delay. These aperiodic messages include connection set-up/tear-down messages, link-slate updates, and other status or alarm messages. The authors propose techniques that significantly minimize aperiodic message delay without jeopardizing guarantees made to existing connections. Simple hardware implementations of these techniques that can be embedded in output queues of fast packet-switches are also described. >
Broadband Antireflective Properties of Inverse Motheye Surfaces

A new method for synthesizing broadband antireflective (AR) surfaces at microwave and millimeter wave frequencies is demonstrated. The AR surface, we call an inverse motheye, was formed by machining a multi-layer grating of subwavelength circular holes into a non-absorptive dielectric. This created low reflected energies (<; - 30 dB) over reasonably large bandwidths and incidence angles. An optimization algorithm, based on a direct pattern search, integrated with a rigorous electromagnetic model was used to design the grating geometries. Experimental results are provided at Ka-band demonstrating the validity of the method.
Plasticity in Excitatory Amino Acid Receptor-Mediated Descending Pain Modulation after Inflammation

The role for excitatory amino acids (EAAs) in the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) in descending pain modulation after persistent noxious input is unclear. In an animal model of inflammatory hyperalgesia, we examined the effects of intra-RVM microinjection of EAA receptor agonists and antagonists on paw withdrawal and tail-flick responses in lightly anesthetized rats. N -Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) produced effects that depended upon the postinflammatory time period. At 3 h postinflammation, NMDA induced facilitation at a lower dose (10 pmol) and inhibition at a higher dose (1000 pmol). At 24 h postinflammation, NMDA (0.1–1000 pmol) produced a dose-dependent inhibition. The facilitation and inhibition, respectively, were attenuated significantly by the preadministration of an NMDA receptor antagonist, dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) (10 pmol, P f )quinoxaline (100 pmol, P P
Retaining Majority Ownership and Control After the IPO

This article examines the issues pertaining to ownership and control of U.S. firms at their initial public offering (IPO). Several recent Wall Street Journal articles have discussed the potential advantages and disadvantages of company founders using dual-class shares at the IPO to maintain control of the firms they have created. If dual-class shares are not offered, the management of the company needs to de-termine what percentage of company shares should be sold at the IPO. The authors discuss the pros and cons associated with dual-class shares for a firm. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Photolysis of 3-nitrophenyl azide: trapping the reactive intermediates

Abstract Irradiation of 3-nitrophenyl azide gives four trappable intermediates; the singlet nitrene, two isomeric dehydroazepines, and the triplet nitrene.
Near-optimality of second price mechanisms in a class of asymmetric auctions

Consider a setting with n sellers having i.i.d. costs with log-concave density f from cumulative F, and a buyer who puts a premiumi on procuring from seller i. We show how for any given �1;��� ;�n; a sim- ple second price bonus auction can be chosen which comes surprisingly close to giving the auctioneer the same surplus as an optimal mecha- nism. The bonuses depend only on the magnitude and monotonicity of the slope of virtual costs given F: We show that these in turn depend only on fairly coarse information about F: We explore how this result generalizes to asymmetrically distributed costs. Abstract
Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts

Hydrocephalus is a congenital or acquired condition in which cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulates in the ventricles and the subarachnoid space around the brain (Fig. 1). It can lead to an increase in intracranial pressure. It has existed since primitive man roamed the earth. Man’s understanding of anatomy and physiology has often consisted mainly of myth and superstition. The earliest recording of the awareness of CSF can be found in the Edwin Smith Papyrus (2200 BC) (1,2) that describes the “spillage of clear fluid from the inner brain” in ancient Egypt. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) is credited with attributing the enlargement of the head to a buildup of fluid. His treatment consisted of drilling a hole in the skull and puncturing the meninges to allow the fluid to escape (3). Erasistratus of Alexandria (280 BC) was the first author to describe the ventricular system based on human dissection. He believed that the seat of the soul lay within the fourth ventricle (4). The great Roman physician Galen (129-210 AD) described CSF as a waste product of the “animal spirit” that was discharged from the nose as the “pituita” (5).
Increased Vascular Senescence and Impaired Endothelial Progenitor Cell Function Mediated by Mutation of Circadian Gene Per2

Background— Alteration of the circadian rhythm and increased vascular senescence are linked to cardiovascular disease. Per2, a circadian gene, is known to regulate endothelium-dependent vasomotion. However, the mechanism by which Per2 affects endothelial function is unknown. We hypothesize that endothelial dysfunction in Per2 mutant (Per2m/m) mice is mediated in part by increased vascular senescence and impaired endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function. Methods and Results— Endothelial cells from Per2m/m mice exhibit increased protein kinase Akt signaling, greater senescence, and impaired vascular network formation and proliferation. Indeed, Per2m/m mice have impaired blood flow recovery and developed autoamputation of the distal limb when subjected to hind-limb ischemia. Furthermore, matrigel implantation into Per2m/m mice resulted in less neovascularization. Because EPCs contribute to angiogenesis, we studied the role of Per2 in these cells using bone marrow transplantation. Basal EPC levels were simi...
Optimizing human apyrase to treat arterial thrombosis and limit reperfusion injury without increasing bleeding risk

In patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing reperfusion therapy to restore blood flow through blocked arteries, simultaneous inhibition of platelet P2Y12 receptors with the current standard of care neither completely prevents recurrent thrombosis nor provides satisfactory protection against reperfusion injury. Additionally, these antiplatelet drugs increase the risk of bleeding. To devise a different strategy, we engineered and optimized the apyrase activity of human nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-3 (CD39L3) to enhance scavenging of extracellular adenosine diphosphate, a predominant ligand of P2Y12 receptors. The resulting recombinant protein, APT102, exhibited greater than four times higher adenosine diphosphatase activity and a 50 times longer plasma half-life than did native apyrase. Treatment with APT102 before coronary fibrinolysis with intravenous recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator in conscious dogs completely prevented thrombotic reocclusion and significantly decreased infarction size by 81% without increasing bleeding time. In contrast, clopidogrel did not prevent coronary reocclusion and increased bleeding time. In a murine model of myocardial reperfusion injury caused by transient coronary artery occlusion, APT102 also decreased infarct size by 51%, whereas clopidogrel was not effective. These preclinical data suggest that APT102 should be tested for its ability to safely and effectively maximize the benefits of myocardial reperfusion therapy in patients with arterial thrombosis.
A non-linear dimensionality-reduction technique for fast similarity search in large databases

To enable efficient similarity search in large databases, many indexing techniques use a linear transformation scheme to reduce dimensions and allow fast approximation. In this reduction approach the approximation is unbounded, so that the approximation volume extends across the dataspace. This causes over-estimation of retrieval sets and impairs performance.This paper presents a non-linear transformation scheme that extracts two important parameters specifying the data. We prove that these parameters correspond to a bounded volume around the search sphere, irrespective of dimensionality. We use a special workspace-mapping mechanism to derive tight bounds for the parameters and to prove further results, as well as highlighting insights into the problems and our proposed solutions. We formulate a measure that lower-bounds the Euclidean distance, and discuss the implementation of the technique upon a popular index structure. Extensive experiments confirm the superiority of this technique over recent state-of-the-art schemes.
Positron emission tomography imaging studies of dopamine receptors in primate models of addiction

Animal models have provided valuable information related to trait and state variables associated with vulnerability to drug addiction. Our brain imaging studies in monkeys have implicated D2 receptors in cocaine addiction. For example, an inverse relationship between D2 receptor availability and rates of cocaine self-administration has been documented. Moreover, environmental variables, such as those associated with formation of the social hierarchy, can impact receptor availability and sensitivity to the abuse-related effects of cocaine. Similarly, both D2 receptor availability and cocaine self-administration can be altered by chronic drug administration and fluctuations in hormone levels. In addition, cocaine self-administration can be altered in an orderly fashion by presentation of an acute stressor, such as acting as an intruder into an unfamiliar social group, which can shift the cocaine dose–response curve to the left in subordinate monkeys and to the right in dominant animals, suggesting an interaction between social variables and acute stressors. Conversely, irrespective of social rank, acute environmental enrichment, such as increasing the size of the living space, shifts the cocaine dose–response curve to the right. These findings highlight a pervasive influence of the environment in modifying the reinforcing effects of cocaine and strongly implicate brain D2 receptors.
Alcohol outlets and clusters of violence

Alcohol related violence continues to be a major public health problem in the United States. In particular, there is substantial evidence of an association between alcohol outlets and assault. However, because the specific geographic relationships between alcohol outlets and the distribution of violence remains obscured, it is important to identify the spatial linkages that may exist, enhancing public health efforts to curb both violence and morbidity. The present study utilizes police-recorded data on simple and aggravated assaults in Cincinnati, Ohio. Addresses of alcohol outlets for Cincinnati, including all bars, alcohol-serving restaurants, and off-premise liquor and convenience stores were obtained from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control and geocoded for analysis. A combination of proximity analysis, spatial cluster detection approaches and a geographic information system were used to identify clusters of alcohol outlets and the distribution of violence around them. A brief review of the empirical work relating to alcohol outlet density and violence is provided, noting that the majority of this literature is cross-sectional and ecological in nature, yielding a somewhat haphazard and aggregate view of how outlet type(s) and neighborhood characteristics like social organization and land use are related to assaultive violence. The results of the statistical analysis for Cincinnati suggest that while alcohol outlets are not problematic per se, assaultive violence has a propensity to cluster around agglomerations of alcohol outlets. This spatial relationship varies by distance and is also related to the characteristics of the alcohol outlet agglomeration. Specifically, spatially dense distributions of outlets appear to be more prone to clusters of assaultive violence when compared to agglomerations with a lower density of outlets. With a more thorough understanding of the spatial relationships between alcohol outlets and the distribution of assaults, policymakers in urban areas can make more informed regulatory decisions regarding alcohol licenses. Further, this research suggests that public health officials and epidemiologists need to develop a better understanding of what actually occurs in and around alcohol outlets, determining what factors (whether outlet, neighborhood, or spatially related) help fuel their relationship with violence and other alcohol-related harm.
Probing adults' conceptual understanding and transfer of learning via problem posing

Abstract This paper reports on two experiments in which high-performing university students having finished an introductory physics course were asked to pose mechanics problems. In Experiment 1, subjects were given problem situations (i.e., a story line accompanied with a diagram from which problems could be constructed) and asked to generate “textbook-like” problems that could be solved with specified concepts (e.g., conservation of mechanical energy, Newton's Second Law). In Experiment 2, subjects were given Concept Scenarios (i.e., a description of the principles and concepts that apply to a problem and the order in which they apply) and asked to generate problems that matched the scenarios. Interviews conducted immediately following the experiment asked subjects to explain how the problems posed matched either the specified concepts, or the Concept Scenarios. Findings indicate that, when followed by an interview, problem posing is a powerful assessment tool for probing students' understanding of physics concepts, as well as their ability to transfer their knowledge to novel contexts. In many instances, students posed appropriate, solvable problems, yet displayed major flaws in conceptual understanding. This suggests that even good novices are lacking in the way their conceptual knowledge is organized in memory and linked to problem contexts and procedures. Suggestions for using problem posing as a pedagogical tool are presented.
Prepregnancy Obesity and Adverse Health Conditions in Rhode Island.

Obesity during pregnancy is a well-known risk factor for many adverse health conditions for both mother and baby, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, cesarean delivery, fetal macrosomia, preterm birth, miscarriage, and stillbirth. 3-8 It also increases the risk of certain birth defects, including anencephaly, spina bifida, and some heart defects. 3-6 Children born to obese mothers are twice as likely to be obese and to develop type 2 diabetes in life. Obesity during pregnancy is also associated with increased use of health care services, including more prenatal fetal tests, obstetrical ultrasonographic examinations, medications dispensed from the outpatient pharmacy, prenatal visits with physicians, and longer hospital stays, all of which can increase the cost of medical care. 7,8
Nuclear Data Sheets for186W

Abstract Nuclear structure data pertaining to 186 W have been compiled and evaluated, and incorporated into the ENSDF data file. This evaluation of 186 W supersedes the previous publication (C. Baglin, Nuclear Data Sheets 82, 1 (1997) (literature cutoff date 31 August 1997)), and includes literature available by 17 February 1999. The newly incorporated references are: 98Wh02 (high-K structures), 97Ge15 (lower limit on T 1/2 for g.s.), 88GoZC (extensive new (n,n′γ) data).
Rapid Sterilization of Cell Phones Using a Novel Portable Non-Thermal Plasma Device

Non-thermal plasma has become an increasingly useful technology across a wide variety of disciplines. Currently a number of plasma-based technologies, which deliver reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), are being investigated for therapeutic steriliza- tion in the biomedical field. We report on a novel, non-thermal plasma/free radical system de- veloped by SteriFre Inc., the Sterifre Countertop Sterilizer (SCS), which uses a remote source to deliver a sustained mixture of highly active RONS in a closed loop system. Our technology significantly reduces the footprint of traditional non-thermal plasma generators, and it can be packaged into a desktop unit. Herein, we demonstrate that SCS reliably and rapidly sterilizes one of the more ubiquitous and sensitive personal electronic devices, the cellular phone, which is well known to harbor microorganisms, including pathogenic species, such as Staphylococ- cus aureus. Cell phones treated with SCS for 10 minutes had 100% reduction in bacterial growth and sterilization with no detrimental or residual effects on phone performance or ap- pearance. Effective against a wide variety of microorganisms, SCS is an innovative, low cost, and portable technology that could potentially revolutionize the current practice of device sterilization in both industrial and private settings, including hospitals and other health-care environments.
LIMIT-CYCLE ANALYSIS OF PLANAR ROTOR/AUTOBALANCER SYSTEM INFLUENCED BY ALFORD'S FORCE

In recent years, there has been much interest in the use of so-called automatic balancing devices (ABDs) in rotating machinery. Essentially, ABDs or “autobalancers” consist of several freely moving eccentric balancing masses mounted on the rotor, which, at certain operating speeds, act to cancel rotor imbalance at steady-state. This “automatic balancing” phenomenon occurs as a result of nonlinear dynamic interactions between the balancer and rotor, wherein the balancer masses naturally synchronize with the rotor with appropriate phase and cancel the imbalance. However, due to inherent nonlinearity of the autobalancer, the potential for other, undesirable, nonsynchronous limit-cycle behavior exists. In such situations, the balancer masses do not reach their desired synchronous balanced steady-state positions resulting in increased rotor vibration. In this paper, an approximate analytical harmonic solution for the limit cycles is obtained for the special case of symmetric support stiffness together with the so-called Alford's force cross-coupling term. The limit-cycle stability is assessed via Floquet analysis with a perturbation. It is found that the stable balanced synchronous conditions coexist with undesirable nonsynchronous limit cycles. For certain combinations of bearing parameters and operating speeds, the nonsynchronous limit-cycle can be made unstable guaranteeing global asymptotic stability of the synchronous balanced condition. Additionally, the analytical bifurcation of the coexistence zone and the pure balanced synchronous condition is derived. Finally, the analysis is validated through numerical time- and frequency-domain simulation. The findings in this paper yield important insights for researchers wishing to utilize ABDs on rotors having journal bearing support.
A comparison of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) ages at lower and upper treeline sites east of the continental divide in Colorado

-A series of isolated woodlands, composed largely of limber pine (Pinus flexilis), occupy an escarpment of the western Great Plains that extends from southeastern Wyoming into northeastern Colorado. Previous workers suggested that these limber pine stands are Pleistocene relicts. Although we and other investigators have reported limber pines more than 1500 yr old in the Rocky Mountains, we failed to find limber pines over 200 yr old in any of the Great Plains stands. Demographic similarities among all of the escarpment populations indicate that common factors control tree age in these stands. The stands also generally lack remnants of dead trees, and this suggests that they might represent recently founded populations. Alternately, they may be relict stands in which tree ages are limited and remnants removed by disturbances such as fires, droughts and logging. Partial support for the latter hypothesis comes from an elevational trend in limber pine ages E of the Continental Divide, in which maximum ages generally increase with elevation in response to decreasing stand disturbance frequency.
Analysis of cis and trans Requirements for DNA Replication at the Right-End Hairpin of the Human Bocavirus 1 Genome.

UNLABELLED Parvoviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that use the palindromic structures at the ends of the viral genome for their replication. The mechanism of parvovirus replication has been studied mostly in the dependoparvovirus adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) and the protoparvovirus minute virus of mice (MVM). Here, we used human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) to understand the replication mechanism of bocaparvovirus. HBoV1 is pathogenic to humans, causing acute respiratory tract infections, especially in young children under 2 years old. By using the duplex replicative form of the HBoV1 genome in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells, we identified the HBoV1 minimal replication origin at the right-end hairpin (OriR). Mutagenesis analyses confirmed the putative NS1 binding and nicking sites within the OriR. Of note, unlike the large nonstructural protein (Rep78/68 or NS1) of other parvoviruses, HBoV1 NS1 did not specifically bind OriR in vitro, indicating that other viral and cellular components or the oligomerization of NS1 is required for NS1 binding to the OriR. In vivo studies demonstrated that residues responsible for NS1 binding and nicking are within the origin-binding domain. Further analysis identified that the small nonstructural protein NP1 is required for HBoV1 DNA replication at OriR. NP1 and other viral nonstructural proteins (NS1 to NS4) colocalized within the viral DNA replication centers in both OriR-transfected cells and virus-infected cells, highlighting a direct involvement of NP1 in viral DNA replication at OriR. Overall, our study revealed the characteristics of HBoV1 DNA replication at OriR, suggesting novel characteristics of autonomous parvovirus DNA replication. IMPORTANCE Human bocavirus 1 (HBoV1) causes acute respiratory tract infections in young children. The duplex HBoV1 genome replicates in HEK293 cells and produces progeny virions that are infectious in well-differentiated airway epithelial cells. A recombinant AAV2 vector pseudotyped with an HBoV1 capsid has been developed to efficiently deliver the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene to human airway epithelia. Here, we identified both cis-acting elements and trans-acting proteins that are required for HBoV1 DNA replication at the right-end hairpin in HEK293 cells. We localized the minimal replication origin, which contains both NS1 nicking and binding sites, to a 46-nucleotide sequence in the right-end hairpin. The identification of these essential elements of HBoV1 DNA replication acting both in cis and in trans will provide guidance to develop antiviral strategies targeting viral DNA replication at the right-end hairpin and to design next-generation recombinant HBoV1 vectors, a promising tool for gene therapy of lung diseases.
National Fictions, Fictional Nations

In Europe and the United States, for the most part, the triumphant literary depiction of nationalism is Romantic. It is part of an earlier period when the forming of nations was a European concern, and before the experience of colonialism, world war and Fascism had soured people on what Edward Said has called nationalism’s ‘heroic narratives’. But the nationalist mood is, aesthetically as socially, more strongly felt in the emergent societies of the world today, including those ethnic or regional breakaways on the European continent itself (Basque, Irish, Albanian, and so on).