cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy harvesting flexible regenerative power source for wearable devices

We present the design, development and testing of an electronics module to harvest, regulate and store vibrational energy. The module includes a flexible rechargeable battery to store the harvested vibrational energy generated from normal human physical motion. The proposed regenerative power source is examined by integrating with a Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensor suitable for continuous long term measurement of stress and fatigue levels of personnel working in physically demanding and extreme work conditions.
Mutation-based treatment recommendations from next generation sequencing data: A comparison of web tools.

e12564 Background: The purpose of this study was to examine if different websites identify similar or different therapeutic options for a given set of genomic anomalies detected during tumor profil...
Passive material properties of stroke-impaired plantarflexor and dorsiflexor muscles.

Abstract Background Following a stroke, intrinsic muscle properties such as stiffness may be altered, which is accompanied by increased spasticity and contractures. Previously, quantification of muscle stiffness has been based off of indirect measurements. Using shear wave ultrasound elastography, direct measurements of muscle material properties can be made. Methods Our aim was to evaluate material properties, specifically passive stiffness, using shear wave ultrasound elastography across a range of muscle lengths, in the medial gastrocnemius and the tibialis anterior in chronic stroke survivors. Findings Our main results show significant increases of 27.7% and 26.9% in shear wave velocity of stroke-impaired medial gastrocnemius compared to the unimpaired contralateral side at 90° ankle angle ( P = 0.033) and 15° plantarflexion ( P = 0.001), respectively. However, no significant difference was found in the tibialis anterior between the two sides. Relatively weak correlations were found between SW velocity in the medial gastrocnemius and joint stiffness for both the non-paretic (ρ = 0.384, P = 0.001), and paretic side (ρ = 0.363, P = 0.002). Additionally, muscle stiffness estimates of stroke-impaired tibialis anterior from joint torque and angle measurements were significantly greater by 23.1% ( P = 0.033) than the unimpaired contralateral side. However, no significant difference was found in the medial gastrocnemius. Interpretation These results indicate that there are non-uniform changes in passive stiffness of stroke-impaired muscle. Therefore, muscles need to be evaluated individually to assess alterations. Additionally, interpretation of joint-based calculations of muscle stiffness should be made cautiously. Having the ability to non-invasively assess muscle stiffness adaptations in vivo would aid in prognosis, evaluation, and treatment following a stroke.
Enhancing the electrochemical performance of Li-rich layered oxide Li1.13Ni0.3Mn0.57O2 via WO3 doping and accompanying spontaneous surface phase formation

Abstract WO3 doping and accompanying spontaneous formation of a surface phase can substantially improve the discharge capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability of Co-free Li-rich layered oxide Li1.13Ni0.3Mn0.57O2 cathode material. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in conjunction with ion sputtering, shows that W segregates to the particle surfaces, decreases the surface Ni/Mn ratio, and changes the surface valence state. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy further suggests that W segregation increases surface structural disorder. The spontaneous and simultaneous changes in the surface structure, composition, and valence state represent the formation of a surface phase (complexion) as the preferred surface thermodynamic state. Consequently, the averaged discharge capacity is increased by ∼13% from 251 to 284 mAh g−1 at a low rate of C/20 and by ∼200% from 30 to 90 mAh g−1 at a high rate of 40C, in comparison with an undoped specimen processed under identical conditions. Moreover, after 100 cycles at a charge/discharge rate of 1C, the WO3 doped specimen retained a discharge capacity of 188 mAh g−1, being 27% higher than that of the undoped specimen. In a broader context, this work exemplifies an opportunity of utilizing spontaneously-formed surface phases as a scalable and cost-effective method to improve materials properties.
Modeling self-service machine-learning agents for distributed stream processing

Many emerging application areas such as the Internet of Things rely on the usage of Machine Learning (ML) techniques that operate on continuous streaming data in order to automatically generate added business value. However, the integration of ML components into stream processing programs is still a challenging task that requires both technical expertise (e.g., selection of algorithms and parameters) and domain knowledge. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel development methodology and tool support involving multiple roles and tasks that aims to enable domain experts to leverage from ML algorithms within self-service stream processing pipelines. At its core, we introduce the concept of a reusable Machine Learning Pipeline Agent (MLPA). Such an MLPA can be defined by using a developed Domain-Specific Language (DSL) consisting of reusable building blocks. Afterwards, MLPAs can be used by domain experts using a graphical user interface. Our approach is based on distributed, scalable ML algorithms that are automatically deployed and contributes newly developed algorithms such as a scalable version for neural networks operating on data streams. In our evaluation, we show that the developed concepts and algorithms do scale in a distributed setting with an increasing number of nodes. Therefore, our solution bridges the gap between domain experts and technical experts and eases the access for non-technical users to advanced streaming ML analytics.
Aged blood inhibits hippocampal neurogenesis and activates microglia through VCAM1 at the blood-brain barrier

An aged circulatory environment can promote brain dysfunction and we hypothesized that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) mediates at least some of these effects. We observe brain endothelial cells (BECs) in the aged mouse hippocampus express an inflammatory transcriptional profile with focal upregulation of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM1), a protein that facilitates vascular-immune cell interactions. Concomitantly, the shed, soluble form of VCAM1 is prominently increased in the aged circulation of humans and mice, and aged plasma is sufficient to increase VCAM1 expression in cultured BECs and young mouse hippocampi. Systemic anti-VCAM1 antibody or genetic ablation of VCAM1 in BECs counteracts the detrimental effects of aged plasma on young brains and reverses aging aspects in old mouse brains. Thus, VCAM1 is a negative regulator of adult neurogenesis and inducer of microglial reactivity, establishing VCAM1 and the luminal side of the BBB as possible targets to treat age-related neurodegeneration.
Sentence production in Parkinson’s disease

While growing evidence reports changes in language use in non-demented individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), the presence and nature of the deficits remain largely unclear. Researchers have proposed that dysfunctioning fronto-basal ganglia circuit results in impaired grammatical processes, predicting qualitatively similar language impairments between individuals with PD and agrammatic Broca's aphasia, whereas others suggest that PD is not associated with language-specific grammatical impairment. In addition, there is a paucity of research examining syntactic production in PD at the sentence-level. This study examined sentence production of individuals with PD, healthy older adults, and individuals with agrammatic Broca's aphasia. In Experiment 1, using a Cinderella story-telling task, proportion of grammatical sentences, number of embedded clauses and production of verb arguments in sentences were examined. In Experiment 2, a structured sentence elicitation task was used in which syntactic complexity of sentences (canonical vs. non-canonical word order) was systematically manipulated while minimizing demands for non-syntactic processing. Only the participants with agrammatic Broca's aphasia showed significantly impaired syntactic production in both experiments. Participants with PD did not show impaired syntactic production in either task, despite impairments in lexical retrieval, repetition of words and sentences, and speech production. These findings suggest that impaired syntactic processing may not be a core deficit underlying the changes in language use in non-demented PD. Changes in language use in PD are qualitatively different from language deficits in aphasia.
Corticosteroid-Binding Globulin (CBG) of Man and Other Species

In 1956, Daughaday (1956 a) and Bush (1957) independently demonstrated by equilibrium dialysis techniques the presence in human plasma of a specific protein capable of binding corticosteroids with very high affinity but low capacity. These qualities clearly distinguished the interacting protein from albumin; it was termed the corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG). At the same time, Sandberg, Slaunwhite and Antoniades (1957) reported steroid binding data obtained with human plasma and plasma protein fractions which could not be accounted for by albumin binding; they were interpreted Sandberg and Slaunwhite, 1958; Slaunwhite and Sandberg, 1959) as indicating the existence of a special protein of high binding affinity for corticosteroid hormones which was named transcortin. The background to this demonstration of transcortin has been recounted by Sandberg et al. (1966). Upton and Bondy (1958) confirmed in ultrafiltration studies the strong binding of small amounts of cortisol to a plasma protein other than albumin. Desgrez (1967) has summarized some of the observations that led to the recognition of CBG.
Properties and Applications of Effective Interactions Derived from Free Nucleon-Nucleon Forces

Techniques are outlined for deriving effective internucleon interactions for nucleon-nucleus and nucleus-nucleus scattering at bombarding energies (Ep) between 10 and 200 MeV per nucleon. Below Ep=65 MeV, the effective interaction is based on G matrices constructed from realistic internucleon potentials. For Ep≳100 MeV a complex effective interaction is derived directly from the free nucleon-nucleon t-matrix. These interactions are applied to a variety of nucleon-nucleus scattering processes and charge exchange reactions which sample some of the most important characteristics of the interactions and illustrate the roles played by the central, spin-orbit and tensor parts of the force.
Collective motion of an atom array under laser illumination

Abstract We develop a theoretical formalism for the study of light-induced motion of atoms trapped in a two-dimensional (2D) array, considering the effect of multiple scattering of light between the atoms. We find that the atomic motion can be described by a collective diffusion equation, wherein laser-induced dipole–dipole forces couple the motion of different atoms. This coupling leads to the formation of collective mechanical modes of the array atoms, whose spatial structure and stability depend on the parameters of the illuminating laser and the geometry of the 2D array. We demonstrate the application of our formalism for the analysis of light-induced heating of the 2D array. The presented approach should be useful for treating the optomechanical properties of recently proposed quantum optical platforms made of atomic arrays.
Infrared Quantum Dots: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

Infrared technologies provide tremendous value to our modern-day society. The need for easy-to-fabricate, solution-processable, tunable infrared active optoelectronic materials has driven the development of infrared colloidal quantum dots, whose band gaps can readily be tuned by dimensional constraints due to the quantum confinement effect. In this Perspective, we summarize recent progress in the development of infrared quantum dots both as infrared light emitters (e.g., in light-emitting diodes, biological imaging, etc.) as well as infrared absorbers (e.g., in photovoltaics, solar fuels, photon up-conversion, etc.), focusing on how fundamental breakthroughs in synthesis, surface chemistry, and characterization techniques are facilitating the implementation of these nanostructures into exploratory device architectures as well as in emerging applications. We discuss the ongoing challenges and opportunities associated with infrared colloidal quantum dots.
Beyond Calories: The New Economics of Nutrition

The economics of human nutrition has changed greatly in recent years as researchers have moved beyond supply and demand of specific foods and total calories to functional aspects of diet quality, s...
Overactive bladder and urgency urinary incontinence in men undergoing artificial urinary sphincter placement.

Purpose To assess persistent and de novo rates of overactive bladder (OAB) and urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) in patients with incontinence after prostate treatment (IPT) focusing on differences between surgical intervention vs radiation. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 79 patients who underwent primary artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) placement and activation from a single surgeon between February 2012 and November 2017. Four patients with neurogenic bladder were excluded and two with insufficient follow-up. The primary outcome measures were persistent OAB, persistent UUI, and pad usage before and after AUS placement. Results After activation of the AUS, 67% of non-radiated patients had resolution of urgency incontinence vs only 31% of the radiated patients (P = .096). After activation of the AUS, resolution of OAB symptoms was more common in the non-radiated group. We found 53% of the non-radiated group vs only 22% of the radiated group had resolution of their urinary urgency (P = .045). Previous history of radiation was a risk factor for OAB after implantation of AUS (odds ratio [OR], 3.63; P = .010). Postoperative oral medical pharmacotherapy for OAB was higher in those with previous radiation vs those without prior radiation (66.7% vs 25.7%, P = .001). A history of OAB or UUI did not affect social continence after AUS placement. Conclusion Radiation is a risk for continued OAB after AUS activation. Appropriate counseling is necessary pre- and postoperatively to manage patient expectations and provide additional medical therapies. Mixed urinary incontinence or OAB symptoms should not exclude patients from undergoing AUS placement.
Patent Law's Philosophical Fault Line

Under the conventional view, utilitarian theory has come to dominate patent law. Patents are viewed as the incentive we offer for innovation, from which all of society ultimately benefits, despite short-term monopoly costs. Patent doctrines are, in turn, assessed against the goals of optimizing that incentive and reducing those costs. On the other side, a minority of embattled jurists and scholars defend the relevance of freestanding moral principles, such as desert, autonomy, or justice, and argue for their reincorporation into contemporary patent doctrine and policy. This Article challenges the conventional terms of this debate by offering a unique reframing: a resilient thread of moral principles does remain woven into patent law, but largely only in one half of the tapestry. Whereas utilitarian theories generally do an excellent job of explaining modern patent validity law, many of the core doctrines in patent infringement law are heavily influenced by broad moral principles—and sometimes even hostile to a traditional economic approach. The Article examines in detail the most significant doctrines governing patent validity—novelty, non-obviousness, subject-matter eligibility, utility, written description, enablement, and inventorship—and demonstrates the strength of their relationship to utilitarian frameworks at the (often explicit) expense of others. The Article then explores the most significant doctrines with respect to patent infringement—relief (whether injunctive or damages), scope (vis-a-vis the doctrine of equivalents), and defenses (inequitable conduct and prior use)—and builds the case that reference to non-utilitarian, moral frameworks is often needed to explain their contours. This fault line, the article argues, can likely be traced to three interrelated causes: the adjudicatory split between the USPTO and district courts, the influence of traditional property law, and the mix of private-law and public-law features that patents exhibit. Finally, the article concludes by briefly examining the implications for policymakers, using two case studies of reform efforts: patents on surgical techniques and plants.
Homemade virtual clinical: A low-cost, high-impact solution for clinical

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for quality nurses and nursing education. Virtual simulation emerged as a key component of providing clinical experiences to nursing students. Problem Commercial virtual simulation products can be costly, and it is difficult to ensure the content meets student needs. In addition, there is a potential for cheating as answers are available online. Methods Faculty recorded 16 different scenarios in pre-determined segments, including patient report, assessment, provider communication, and conclusion. During the clinical experience, the students watched the videos and participated in faculty-led discussion. At the conclusion of the activity, students completed a reflection assignment providing qualitative data for review. Results Student feedback was positive. Themes identified in the comments include critical thinking, variety of scenarios, observer role, debriefing, and overall quality of experience. Conclusions Homemade virtual clinical has the potential to be a low-cost, high-impact method for virtual simulation across nursing curricula. Further research is needed.
Multi-Objective Optimization of Automotive Front Rail Based on Surrogate Model and NSGA-II

With the rapid development of automotive industry, more and more attention has been paid to the lightweight and safety design. Crashworthiness optimization is an essential part in automotive design. In this study, a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) based on Kriging model is proposed to optimize the structure of automotive frontal rail to meet the requirements of crashworthiness and lightweight. The material of frontal rail is mild steel, which performs well in strength. Kriging surrogate model is employed to replace traditional finite element model, which will reduce much computational time and improve the efficiency. Then NSGA-II is applied to solve the multi-objective optimization problem. The results illustrate that the Pareto optimal front obtained by NSGA-II exhibits good performance on convergence and diversity. And then the optimal scheme for design is selected, the accuracy is proved to be high. Compared to baseline model, the optimized automotive frontal rail shows significant improvement on crashworthiness and achieves 7.5% weight reduction.
COVID‒19 Pandemic as an Opportunity to Transform Drug Development

The impact of COVID-19 on our society is significant. To continue to offer new treatment options to society during and after the pandemic, experiences and ideas gained during this period should be utilized to transform drug development. Collaboration within the industry and with health authorities across the world is required, and now is the time to start the dialogue. To promote transformation, deploying methodologies based on high ethical standards and scientific rigor, prioritizing the safety of study participants, and securing transparency and the quality of deliverables are essential. In addition, broad acceptance of patient and public involvement is needed to promote understanding of drug development and to enable proactive participation of patients and family members. Utilization of digital tools and improving their reliability, the application of model informed drug development and real world data, improvement of regulatory procedures, continuous regulatory harmonization, and collaboration among companies and health authorities are required to continue to deliver breakthroughs that have a positive impact on society.
Eigenanalysis of unsteady flows about airfoils, cascades, and wings

A general technique for constructing reduced order models of unsteady aerodynamic flows about two-dimensional isolated airfoils, cascades of airfoils, and three-dimensional wings is developed. The starting point is a the domain computational model of the unsteady small disturbance flow. For illustration purposes, we apply the technique to an unsteady incompressible vortex lattice model. The eigenmodes of the system, which may be thought of as aerodynamic states, are computed and subsequently used to construct computationally efficient, reduced order models of the unsteady flowfield. Only a handful of the most dominant eigenmodes are retained in the reduced order model. The effect of the remaining eigenmodes is included approximately using a static correction technique. An important advantage of the present method is that once the eigenmode information has been computed, reduced order models can be constructed for any number of arbitrary modes of airfold motion very inexpensively. Numerical examples are presented that demonstrate the accuracy and computational efficiency of the present method. Finally, we show how the reduced order model may be incorporated into an aeroelastic flutter model
SU-A-210-03: Panel Discussion

The purpose of this student annual meeting is to address topics that are becoming more relevant to medical physicists, but are not frequently addressed, especially for students and trainees just entering the field. The talk is divided into two parts: medical billing and regulations. Hsinshun Wu – Why should we learn radiation oncology billing? Many medical physicists do not like to be involved with medical billing or coding during their career. They believe billing is not their responsibility and sometimes they even refuse to participate in the billing process if given the chance. This presentation will talk about a physicist’s long career and share his own experience that knowing medical billing is not only important and necessary for every young medical physicist, but that good billing knowledge could provide a valuable contribution to his/her medical physics development. Learning Objectives: The audience will learn the basic definition of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes performed in a Radiation Oncology Department. Understand the differences between hospital coding and physician-based or freestanding coding. Apply proper CPT coding for each Radiation Oncology procedure. Each procedure with its specific CPT code will be discussed in detail. The talk will focus on the process of care andmore » use of actual workflow to understand each CPT code. Example coding of a typical Radiation Oncology procedure. Special procedure coding such as brachytherapy, proton therapy, radiosurgery, and SBRT. Maryann Abogunde – Medical physics opportunities at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) The NRC’s responsibilities include the regulation of medical uses of byproduct (radioactive) materials and oversight of medical use end-users (licensees) through a combination of regulatory requirements, licensing, safety oversight including inspection and enforcement, operational experience evaluation, and regulatory support activities. This presentation will explore the career options for medical physicists in the NRC, how the NRC interacts with clinical medical physicists, and a physicist’s experience as a regulator. Learning Objectives: Explore non-clinical career pathways for medical physics students and trainees at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Overview of NRC medical applications and medical use regulations. Understand the skills needed for physicists as regulators. Abogunde is funded to attend the meeting by her employer, the NRC.« less
Fracture mechanics of composites with residual stresses, traction-loaded cracks, and imperfect interfaces

Abstract By partitioning the total stresses in a damaged composite into either mechanical and residual stresses or into initial and pertubation stresses, it was possible to derive several exact results for the energy release rate due to crack growth. These general results automatically include the effects of residual stresses, traction-loaded cracks, and imperfect interfaces. By considering approximate solutions based on admissible stress states and admissible strain states, it was possible to derive rigorous upper and lower bounds to the energy release rate for crack growth. Two examples of using these equations are mode I fracture in adhesive double cantilever beam specimens and analysis of microcracking in composite laminates.
FORCES OF CONSENT

Under Anglo-American law, the consent of the masochist furnishes no defense to a charge of assault arising from sadomasochistic sexual practices. Our unwillingness to recognize consent in this context suggests disquiet with the ways in which S/M reflects the operations of law. Although the case law casts the masochist as a victim, other accounts represent masochism as a forceful enactment of submission. Masochism also challenges certain ideals of masculinity central to legal reason. Misgivings about the legitimacy of consent to S/M find a useful analogy in critiques of psychoanalytic treatment that understand consent in that context as irreducibly fraught.
Chapter 3 Gaseous Source UHV Epitaxy Technologies for Wide Bandgap II-VI Semiconductors

Publisher Summary The use of alternative nonequilibrium growth approaches, as applied to wide bandgap II-VI binaries, ternaries, and quaternaries, is clearly highly desirable, particularly to facilitate flux control of high vapor pressure species. The anticipated benefits are expected to parallel the advantages recognized and enjoyed by the III-V community for the growth of (In,Ga)(As,P) employing gas source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) and metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE). A few similarities include multiple high vapor pressure constituent species and the need to utilize quaternaries for lattice-matching and for bandgap engineering of sophisticated electronic and photonic devices. Significant contrasts in the growth of the II-VIs and the I-Vs, however, include substantial differences in the growth temperatures and the fact that the II-VI elements do not have unity sticking coefficients, as does Ga during the growth of gallium arsenide (GaAs). The application of new techniques requires a great deal of research and investigation to discover the appropriate operating parameters required to optimize device performance.
A preprocessor architecture to equalize focal-plane detector-array elements

Requirements always exist to improve and extend the uniformity and linearity of detector (or any sensor) responses in order to improve performance of a device of a system, or to increase the yield and lower the cost of "acceptably good" sensors or arrays of sensors. In this paper, the mechanization of a concept which was proposed by Sawchuk [1] is examined, one which uses array data directly to construct a distribution function of the input from each sensor, and which compares that function with a stored reference function in order to generate a correction map.
Counter-Enlightenment, Post-Enlightenment, and Neo-Enlightenment

As indicated, the Enlightenment proceeds as the “agent provocateur” or unwitting factor of the perpetuation or revival of the pre-Enlightenment, notably the Dark Middle Ages, from what Weber may call the terminal condition of caput mortuum (“presumed dead”) or total darkness. This perpetuation or revival of the medieval pre-Enlightenment assumed the form of an adverse reaction (and selection) and counterrevolution, namely radical, including violent or militant, revolt against the Enlightenment, simply the counter- or anti-Enlightenment.
The influence of averaging and noisy decision strategies on the recognition memory ROC

Many single- and dual-process models of recognition memory predict that the ratings and remember-know receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) are the same, but Rotello, Macmillan, and Reeder (2004) reported that the slopes of the remember-know and ratings z-transformed ROCs (zROCs) are different The authors show that averaging introduces nonlinearities to the form of the zROC and that ratings and remember-know zROCs are indistinguishable when constructed in a conventional manner. The authors show, further, that some nonoptimal decision strategies have a distinctive, nonlinear effect on the form of the single-process continuous-state zROC. The conclusion is that many factors having nothing to do with the nature of recognition memory can affect the shape of zROCs, and that therefore, the shape of the zROC does not, alone, characterize different memory models.
EMS-Initiated Refusal of Transport: The Current State of Affairs

The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the number and characteristics of emergency medical services (EMS) agencies within the 200 largest US cities that sanction EMS-initiated refusal of transport; and 2) to determine the extent of no-cost alternative transport mechanisms among those agencies that allow EMS-initiated refusal of transport. EMS agencies located within the 200 largest US cities were contacted via telephone and surveyed as to whether their agency sanctioned EMS-initiated refusal of transport (EMS-IROT). Agencies with a policy were further questioned regarding its components and usage patterns. The telephone survey contacted 100% (200) of the target population. Currently, 7.0% (14) of EMS agencies have EMS-IROT protocols, with 64% (9) of those requiring direct medical oversight. Five (2.5%) of the 200 agencies sanctioned EMS-IROT without requiring online medical approval. Average annual call volume of the five agencies not requiring direct medical oversight was 70,800; their EMS-IROT protocols have been in existence a mean of 19.8 years. None of these agencies had a no-cost alternative transport mechanism. Three (1.5%) agencies terminated EMS-IROT protocols in the past. EMS-initiated refusal of transport continues to be a rare entity among US EMS agencies. Those that do not require direct medical oversight tend to have well-established programs, though no agency offered a formal no-cost alternative transport mechanism.
Hypothesis: Low Dietary K May Lead to Renal Failure in Blacks with Hypertension and Severe Intimal Thickening

Hypertension can precipitate renal failure in blacks. The key hypertensive lesion in the renal vasculature is severe intimal thickening in interlobular arteries without fibrinoid necrosis. Hypertensive endothelial injury is the likely cause of the intimal thickening. High K diets prevent wall thickening of small renal arteries and arterioles in hypertensive Dahl S rats and greatly reduce both medial and intimal thickening of the aorta and mesenteric and carotid arteries in hypertensive stroke-prone SHRsp rats. In view of this, it is likely that the low K diet characteristically consumed by blacks exaggerates their hypertensive intimal thickening. A high K diet could possibly preserve these arteries and avert much renal failure.
The 5-4-3-2-1 Go! Brand to Promote Nutrition and Physical Activity: A Case of Positive Behavior Change but Negative Change in Beliefs

In recent years, community-based obesity prevention programs have taken an ecological approach and addressed social determinants of obesity. The branded 5-4-3-2-1 Go! obesity prevention program aims to change obesity risk behaviors in low-income neighborhoods in Chicago with a multilevel approach. This study follows a previous evaluation, which showed 5-4-3-2-1 Go! exposure to be associated with increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The authors examined whether increased positive beliefs about fruit and vegetable consumption were associated with exposure to program messages. Exploratory factor analysis identified a fresh fruit/vegetable availability satisfaction factor. The authors compared outcome measures between baseline and follow-up samples and between exposure and control conditions. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to evaluate the effects of program exposure on changes in nutrition beliefs. The study found that participants’ (n = 246) beliefs about fruit and vegetable co...
Using striated tooth marks on bone to predict body size in theropod dinosaurs: a model based on feeding observations of Varanus komodoensis, the Komodo monitor

Mesozoic tooth marks on bone surfaces directly link consumers to fossil assemblage formation. Striated tooth marks are believed to form by theropod denticle contact, and attempts have been made to identify theropod consumers by comparing these striations with denticle widths of contemporaneous taxa. The purpose of this study is to test whether ziphodont theropod consumer characteristics can be accurately identified from striated tooth marks on fossil surfaces. We had three major objectives (1) to experimentally produce striated tooth marks and explain how they form; (2) to determine whether body size characteristics are reflected in denticle widths; and (3) to determine whether denticle characters are accurately transcribed onto bone surfaces in the form of striated tooth marks. We conducted controlled feeding trials with the dental analogue Varanus komodoensis (the Komodo monitor). Goat (Capra hircus) carcasses were introduced to captive, isolated individuals. Striated tooth marks were then identified, and striation width, number, and degree of convergence were recorded for each. Denticle widths and tooth/body size characters were taken from photographs and published accounts of both theropod and V. komodoensis skeletal material, and regressions were compared among and between the two groups. Striated marks tend to be regularly striated with a variable degree of branching, and may co-occur with scores. Striation morphology directly reflects contact between the mesial carina and bone surfaces during the rostral reorientation when defleshing. Denticle width is influenced primarily by tooth size, and correlates well with body size, displaying negative allometry in both groups regardless of taxon or position. When compared, striation widths fall within or below the range of denticle widths extrapolated for similar-sized V. komodoensis individuals. Striation width is directly influenced by the orientation of the carina during feeding, and may underestimate but cannot overestimate denticle width. Although body size can theoretically be estimated solely by a striated tooth mark under ideal circumstances, many caveats should be considered. These include the influence of negative allometry across taxa and throughout ontogeny, the existence of theropods with extreme denticle widths, and the potential for striations to underestimate denticle widths. This method may be useful under specific circumstances, especially for establishing a lower limit body size for potential consumers.
Understanding Strong Field Learning Control of Atomic and Molecular Dynamics

This talk will focus on uncovering mechanism in closed loop coherent control experiments. The experiments, which use shaped ultrafast laser pulses, range from strong field population transfer in atoms to fragmentation of polyatomic molecules.
The assessment of schizotypal features over two points in time

The expression of schizotypal personality traits was assessed in mid-adolescence and again in young adulthood for three groups of offspring defined by the psychiatric diagnosis of their parents. Parental diagnoses included schizophrenic disorder (47 offspring), affective disorder (39 offspring), and 'no psychiatric disorder', or normal controls (82 offspring). Initially, schizotypal traits were assessed from video-taped semi-structured psychiatric interviews, subsequently rated by trained psychiatrists blind to the parental psychiatric status of the subjects, and/or direct clinical interviews (Schedule for Affective Disorders-Lifetime Version (SADS-L)). The second assessment was conducted by trained social workers and psychologists by means of a semi-structured interview specifically for DSM-III-R personality disorders (Personality Disorder Examination) and sections of the SDS-L where indicated. These interviewers were blind to the parental status and to previous psychiatric assessments of the offspring. The rates of stability of features or the rates of progression to axis I psychotic disorders (Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, and Unspecified Functional Psychosis) were evaluated. Concordance of assessments over time is reported as a function of threshold for expression of traits at initial evaluation, i.e., two or more, three or more, or four or more features present. Concordance increases as the threshold for expression increases, as expected. The effect of comorbid clinical status, e.g., the coexistence of schizotypal traits and anxiety and/or depressive features on the concordance pattern, is also examined by parental diagnostic group status. The offspring of affective disorder parents exhibited higher rates of anxiety and/or depressive features at both points in time, exhibited higher concordance for anxiety and/or depressive features, and exhibited higher rates of 'transformation' of initial schizotypal features to anxiety and/or depressive features at the second assessment.
Evidence for up-regulated low density lipoprotein receptor in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549

Human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 was studied with respect to the metabolism of human low density lipoprotein (LDL) and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGR) activity. After incubation in medium containing lipoprotein-deficient serum (LPDS) for 24 h, the A549 cell line expresses a single class of high affinity LDL binding sites (KD at 37 degrees C of 15.1 +/- 0.7 nM and capacity of 118 +/- 2.8 ng/mg cell protein) and an HMGR activity of 111.4 +/- 7 pmol/min/mg cell protein. After binding, the LDLs were internalized and degraded by a common saturable process. The HMGR activity was higher in A549 cells than in fibroblasts but LDL affinity and binding capacity were similar in both cell types. However, in the presence of lipoproteins, A549 cells showed a two-fold higher binding capacity than fibroblasts. When the cells were deprived of cholesterol, the amount of LDLR sites increased but the extent of stimulation was lower in A549 than in fibroblast cells (2.5-fold versus six-fold respectively). This increase was accompanied by a similar increase in the specific LDLR mRNA cellular levels (two-fold versus six-fold respectively). When cells were deprived of exogenous and endogenous cholesterol (biosynthesis blocked by compactin), the binding capacity and the LDLR mRNA levels were yet again increased in A549 cells but not in fibroblasts. Taken together these results suggest that the level of expression of the LDLR is up-regulated in A549 cells compared to fibroblasts.
Equivalent stochastic and deterministic optimal control problems

This paper presents a method of converting a stochastic optimal control problem into a deterministic one, where probability distributions on the state space of the stochastic model are taken as states in the deterministic model. Relations between policies and rewards of the two models are given and counterparts to known deterministic results are developed for the stochastic model. A novel feature of our framework is the enlargement of the set of admissible control laws to include universally measurable policies rather than only Borel measurable policies. This feature together with a new measurable selection theorem allow us to dispense with the notions of p-optimality of Blackwell and Strauch [11,6] and the notion of p-essential infimum of Striebel [12], and obtain all results in a form comparable to that for deterministic problems.
Effects of methylmercury and trimethyltin on cardiac, platelet, and aorta eicosanoid biosynthesis and platelet serotonin release

The effects of two organometals on heart, platelet, and aorta prostaglandin biosynthesis were examined in vitro. Methylmercuric chloride (MMC, 39-796 nM) increased the biosynthesis of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) and prostacyclin (PGI2) in the heart and stimulated the biosynthesis of PGI2 in incubates of aorta rings. The aorta biosynthesis of PGI2 was monitored by its inhibition of platelet aggregation and serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] secretion, while the metabolites 6-keto-PGF1a and TxB2 were quantified by radioimmunoassay. In platelet experiments, low concentrations of MMC (5 microM) enhanced aggregation to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and at high concentrations MMC (50-100 microM) directly stimulated aggregation and 5-HT secretion. These effects of MMC were inhibited by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, thromboxane synthetase, and phospholipase A2 inhibitors. Trimethyltin (TMT), another highly toxic organometal, had no effect on prostaglandin biosynthesis in either heart or aorta incubates. TMT did not increase platelet aggregation responses to ADP, nor did it directly trigger aggregation. At moderate concentrations, TMT (20-45 microM) slightly depressed ADP aggregation; however, this was paradoxically associated with increased 5-HT secretion. In platelets pretreated with either NDGA or ASA, TMT in the absence of aggregation enhanced 5-HT secretion in response to ADP. TMT, unlike MMC, did not stimulate platelet TxB2 biosynthesis from exogenous [3H]arachidonic acid, whereas MMC stimulates heart, vascular, and platelet eicosanoid biosynthesis. TMT, unlike MMC, does not directly activate the arachidonic acid cascade.
PM-AM correlation measurements and analysis

We measure and analyze effects of nonlinear mixing of phase-noise modulation (PM) and amplitude-noise modulation (AM) in an oscillating signal by real-time correlations measured in the cross power spectral density (CPSD). We outline sensitive measurements of PM-AM correlation coefficients by means of a time-averaged CPSD measurement technique. Separate but simultaneous PM and AM measurements using a two-channel cross-correlation spectrum analyzer, quantifies the relevant effects of intermodulation mixing with excellent sensitivity compared to traditional 3IM measurements and the scatter-plot correlation technique. Time-averaged cross-spectrum measurements provide good estimates of correlation coefficients as a function of Fourier frequency (f). We use normalized PM-AM CPSD measurements of a 645 MHz quartz-MEMs oscillator as an example and find that 1/f PM-AM CPSD is exactly correlated, even for very widely differing levels of PM and AM noise, in which individual PSDs of PM and AM differ by >40 dB (or, greater than a factor of 10,000). We also verify that white-PM noise has uncorrelated PM-AM CPSD.
Thermodynamic calculations in biological systems

The ability to compute intra- and inter-molecular interactions provides the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of previously intractable problems in biochemistry and biophysics. This review presents three examples in which molecular dynamics calculations were used to gain insight into the atomic detail underlying important experimental observations. The three examples are the following: (1) Entropic contribution to rate acceleration that results from conformational constraints imposed on the reactants; (2) Mechanism of force unfolding of a small protein molecule by the application of a force that separates its N- and C-terminals; and (3) Loss of translational entropy experienced by small molecules when they bind to proteins.
Regulation of the rat S100β gene expression: The role of the 2 kb 5′‐upstream sequence in glial specific expression

We have studied the role of the 2047 bp 5'-upstream region and 232 bp first exon sequence of the rat S100 beta gene in glial specific expression. S100 beta luciferase expression vectors carrying serial deletions of the S100 beta 5' upstream sequence were constructed and transiently transfected into the peripheral nervous system (PNS) glial-type cell line RT4-D6, the PNS neuronal-type cell line RT4-E5, and the central nervous system (CNS) glial-type cell line C6. The hepatoma cell line HTC was also transfected as a nonneural control. From this functional analysis, we found a glial-specific positive regulatory sequence(s) mapped between -583 and -106 relative to the transcriptional start site. This region confers a significantly higher level of luciferase expression in the glial-type cell lines RT4-D6 and C6 than in the neuronal cell line RT4-E5 and the hepatoma cell line HTC. Also, a non-cell type specific positive regulatory element was identified in the first exon sequence between +78 and +232. Though non-cell type-specific, it was found to have a predominant effect in glial cells. From these observations, we have concluded that the 2047 bp 5'-upstream region and 232 bp of the first exon sequence confers the high levels of S100 beta expression in glial cells through these two positive elements.
Synthesis and properties of water-resistant poly(glucaramides)

Abstract Replacing nonrenewable polymers with renewable ones is desirable for packaging applications. For this purpose, a number of poly(glucaramides) were synthesized and tested for applications requiring water resistance. The polymers were prepared from the polycondensation of esterified glucaric acid and a diamine, the former being obtained from the oxidation of glucose, thus providing a renewable source for the monomer. Poly(glucaramides) were prepared with up to a 74% yield. The polymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The poly(glucaramides) were tested for their usefulness by incorporating them into pressed fiber-reinforced composite panels. Two poly(glucaramides) were chosen for further testing. These imparted a detectable degree of water resistance to the panels.
Quarter-micron gate length microwave high electron mobility transistor

Quarter-micron gate length high electron mobility transistors have been fabricated using an electron-beam direct-writing technique. A maximum stable gain of 10 dB at 18 GHz has been measured at room temperature. A room-temperature cutoff frequency fT as high as 45 GHz has also been obtained.
Clathrate and Ammonia Hydrates at High Pressure: Application to the Origin of Methane on Titan

The origin of methane at the present surface of Titan is modeled in light of new high-pressure phase diagrams of ammonia-water compounds and clathrate hydrate. Using recently published experimental data on the ammonia-water system at kilobar pressures, temperature-composition slices of the phase diagram are constructed at a series of pressures up to 12 kbar. A new phase of ammonia dihydrate is proposed and incorporated in the diagrams, to allow consistency with low-pressure data. These results, along with the high-pressure phase diagram of methane clathrate hydrate recently caculated by J. I. Lunine and D. J. Stevenson (1985a, Astrophys. J. Suppl.58, 493–531) are applied to a model for the origin of the methane presently on the surface of Titan. Using simple bounds on the accretional temperatures and postaccretional state of an ammonia-rich Titan, we show that an unstable interior configuration is likely immediately after accretion, in which a rock layer is positioned above a lower-density rock-ice core. When core overturns begins the methane in the core, which is released from the clathrate structure by virtue of the high pressures, migrates upward. A model for the cooling and freezing of an ammonia-water ocean in the upper mantle of Titan, based on the phase diagram, is applied and it is concluded that insufficient liquid water exists to retrap all of the upwelling methane as clathrate. However, alternative interpretations of the phase diagram permit an ocean thick enough to entrap the methane. For the bulk of the range of plausible accretion models, enough methane is available from the interior to account for the present-day surface hydrocarbon abundance; however, the amount of nitrogen extruded in this model may be much smaller.