cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Planning for correctional emergencies: The need for an emergency life cycle‐based posttraumatic stress disorder management component

Every correctional emergency has the potential to cause Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in staff, their families, and inmates. A national survey of state Departments of Correction finds that only 78% of DOCs have a written policy that defines employee PTSD as an emergency recovery issue to be addressed by providing traumatized employees access to various combinations of correctional and community counseling services. Employee family and inmate PTSD vulnerability is much less frequently considered during DOC emergency management planning. It is suggested that employee, employee family, and inmate PTSD needs can be effectively managed through incorporation of an Emergency Life Cycle‐based PTSD Management Model into emergency planning activities.
Evolution of a Holocene delta driven by episodic sediment delivery and coseismic deformation, Puget Sound, Washington, USA

Episodic, large-volume pulses of volcaniclastic sediment and coseismic subsidence of the coast have influenced the development of a late Holocene delta at southern Puget Sound. Multibeam bathymetry, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and vibracores were used to investigate the morphologic and stratigraphic evolution of the Nisqually River delta. Two fluvial‐deltaic facies are recognized on the basis of GPR data and sedimentary characteristics in cores, which suggest partial emplacement from sediment-rich floods that originated on Mount Rainier. Facies S consists of stacked, sheet-like deposits of andesitic sand up to 4 m thick that are continuous across the entire width of the delta. Flat-lying, highly reflective surfaces separate the sand sheets and comprise important facies boundaries. Beds of massive, pumice- and charcoalrich sand overlie one of the buried surfaces. Organic-rich material from that surface, beneath the massive sand, yielded a radiocarbon age that is timecorrelative with a series of known eruptive events that generated lahars in the upper Nisqually River valley. Facies CF consists of linear sandbodies or palaeochannels incised into facies S on the lower delta plain. Radiocarbon ages of wood fragments in the sandy channel-fill deposits also correlate in time to lahar deposits in upstream areas. Intrusive, sand-filled dikes and sills indicate liquefaction caused by post-depositional ground shaking related to earthquakes. Continued progradation of the delta into Puget Sound is currently balanced by tidal-current reworking, which redistributes sediment into large fields of ebb- and flood-oriented bedforms.
Elastic electron fine structure: Application to the study of local order

Oscillations are found in the integrated intensity of elastic electrons scattered from amorphous Si. These oscillations are attributed to the multiple scattering of elastic waves between a central atom and its neighbors, an effect which is similar to but more general than that found in extended x‐ray absorption fine structure and related phenomena. The Fourier analysis of the signal obtained with amorphous Si produces a dominant peak which closely corresponds to twice the nearest‐neighbor distance. The result of a first‐principle multiple‐scattering calculation reproduces remarkably well in the experiment and clearly demonstrates the physical processes responsible for these oscillations.
Support-Vector-Machine-Enhanced Markov Model for Short-Term Wind Power Forecast

Wind ramps introduce significant uncertainty into wind power generation. Reliable system operation, however, requires accurate detection and forecast of wind ramps, especially at high penetration levels. In this paper, to deal with the wind ramp dynamics, a support vector machine (SVM)-enhanced Markov model is developed for short-term wind power forecast, based on one key observation from the measurement data that wind ramps often occur with specific patterns. Specifically, using the historical data of the wind turbine power outputs recorded at an actual wind farm, data analytics-based finite-state Markov models are first developed to model the normal fluctuations of wind generation, while taking into account the diurnal nonstationarity and the seasonality of wind generation. Next, the forecast by the SVM is integrated cohesively into the finite-state Markov models. Based on the SVM-enhanced Markov model, both short-term distributional forecasts and point forecasts are then derived. Numerical test results, using real wind generation data traces, demonstrate the significantly improved accuracy of the proposed forecast approach.
Surgical pearl: Punch technique to improve granulation over exposed tendons in chronic wounds

T he treatment of chronic wounds with exposed tendons presents a clinical challenge. Establishment of a healthy base of granulation tissue is critical, and such a base can serve as either a bed for grafting or a substrate over which the patient’s own epithelial cells may migrate. Additionally, healthy granulation tissue is better able to effectively deliver host resistance factors to the wound bed and thus resists infection more readily than exposed tendons.1 For example, bacteria on exposed tendons have been reported to form adhesive colonies that are resistant to treatment, a phenomenon that may be similar to difficult-to-treat infections such as those found in catheters and artificial heart valves.2 Unfortunately, tendons are relatively avascular, and when a large area is exposed, this represents a poor substrate for coverage by granulation tissue. We describe a simple technique to accelerate the growth of granulation tissue over visible tendons. Using a 2-mm punch biopsy tool, we punch through the tendon to the underlying tissue after local anesthetic has been given (Figs 1 and 2). Depending on the size of the visible tendon, we stagger these spaces at 8to 10-mm intervals. Usually, 2 to 4 holes are placed. Care must be taken to avoiding weakening the tendon by removing too much of it. The
Interferon-Alpha Administration Enhances CD8+ T Cell Activation in HIV Infection

Background Type I interferons play important roles in innate immune defense. In HIV infection, type I interferons may delay disease progression by inhibiting viral replication while at the same time accelerating disease progression by contributing to chronic immune activation. Methods To investigate the effects of type I interferons in HIV-infection, we obtained cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples from 10 subjects who participated in AIDS Clinical Trials Group Study 5192, a trial investigating the activity of systemic administration of IFNα for twelve weeks to patients with untreated HIV infection. Using flow cytometry, we examined changes in cell cycle status and expression of activation antigens by circulating T cells and their maturation subsets before, during and after IFNα treatment. Results The proportion of CD38+HLA-DR+CD8+ T cells increased from a mean of 11.7% at baseline to 24.1% after twelve weeks of interferon treatment (p = 0.006). These frequencies dropped to an average of 20.1% six weeks after the end of treatment. In contrast to CD8+ T cells, the frequencies of activated CD4+ T cells did not change with administration of type I interferon (mean percentage of CD38+DR+ cells = 2.62% at baseline and 2.17% after 12 weeks of interferon therapy). As plasma HIV levels fell with interferon therapy, this was correlated with a “paradoxical” increase in CD8+ T cell activation (p<0.001). Conclusion Administration of type I interferon increased expression of the activation markers CD38 and HLA DR on CD8+ T cells but not on CD4+ T cells of HIV+ persons. These observations suggest that type I interferons may contribute to the high levels of CD8+ T cell activation that occur during HIV infection.
Operant responding for conditioned and unconditioned reinforcers in rats is differentially enhanced by the primary reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine

Nicotine self-administration in rats is modest when response-contingent nicotine infusions are delivered alone (primary reinforcement) but robust when nicotine infusions are combined with a mildly reinforcing non-pharmacological stimulus. Furthermore, response-independent (non-contingent) nicotine administration also elevates responding for that same non-pharmacological stimulus, suggesting that in addition to primary reinforcement, nicotine can enhance the incentive value of other reinforcers. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the reinforcement-enhancing effects of non-contingent nicotine are more dependent on the reinforcing strength of the non-pharmacological stimulus than are the effects of contingent nicotine. A weakly reinforcing light-tone stimulus was established as a conditioned reinforcer by repeated pairings with sucrose for some rats, or by delivery in an explicitly unpaired design with sucrose to other rats. Subsequently, both groups lever pressed for the stimulus with contingent nicotine, non-contingent nicotine (0.06 mg kg−1 per infusion, freebase), or non-contingent saline, according to fixed ratio and progressive ratio reinforcement schedules. Compared to sucrose-unpaired training, repeated association with sucrose established the light-tone stimulus as a robust conditioned reinforcer. Contingent and non-contingent nicotine equally elevated responding for this conditioned stimulus. Conversely, for the less reinforcing (sucrose-unpaired) stimulus contingent nicotine more effectively elevated behavior compared to non-contingent nicotine. The reinforcement-enhancing effect of nicotine increases behavior controlled by both conditioned and unconditioned reinforcers; however, for less salient stimuli associative processes derived from the primary reinforcing effects of contingent nicotine may also be important. These data suggest that nicotine present in tobacco may differentially modulate stimulus-driven behavior in smokers.
Measurement of specific absorption rate for clinical EPR at 1200 MHz

The specific absorption rate (SAR) has been measured experimentally at 1200 MHz under the conditions and in the configuration used for in vivo electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of human subjects. The measurement of SAR was based on an analysis of the time dependence of the temperature of a model tissue (isolated bovine skeletal muscle) placed adjacent to the surface loop of the EPR resonator. The measured SAR in the tissue at the position that should have the greatest density of microwaves, directly under the wire of the loop, was 3.7±1.2 W/kg at 100 mW incident radio-frequency power to a surface loop resonator with an efficiency of about 0.1 mT/W1/2. This is substantially below the recommended limit in the relevant regulation for extremities. The method of measurement of SAR used in this study can be adapted for other resonators and other types of clinical applications of EPR spectroscopy and imaging.
Structural, magnetic properties and steep magnetoresistance change with low saturation magnetic fields in Co/Ni multilayer thin films

We have fabricated Co/Ni multilayer thin films with a constant Co thickness of 2.2 nm, Ni thickness changing from 0.5 to 5.0 nm, and a total of 20 bilayers using dc magnetron sputtering. The magnetic measurements show that these multilayers have an in-plane uniaxial anisotropic properties. These multilayers show a steep magnetoresistance change with low saturation magnetic field, an especially large magnetoresistance change between magnetic field H applied parallel and perpendicular to the in-plane easy axis. For H parallel to the multilayer easy axis and H at 45/spl deg/ to the current I, a magnetoresistance ratio of 15.0% with a FWHM of 13 Oe was obtained. While for H perpendicular to the multilayer easy axis and H at 45/spl deg/ to the current I, a magnetoresistance ratio of 19.1% with a FWHM of 34 Oe was obtained. The former implies a magnetoresistance sensitivity of 1.15%/Oe, while the sensitivity of the latter is just 0.56 %/Oe. All the peaks of the magnetoresistance curve appeared at the coercive field H/sub c/ of the multilayers. The most important characteristic of the magnetoresistance change were a sharp increase in resistance followed by a very steep decrease with increasing H.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of Arabidopsis

Arabidopsis thaliana is now widely used as a model system in molecular and developmental biology, as well as in physiology and cell biology. However, ecologists and evolutionary biologists have turned their attention to the mouse ear cress only much more recently and almost reluctantly. The reason for this is the perception that A. thaliana is not particularly interesting ecologically and that it represents an oddity from an evolutionary standpoint. While there is some truth in both these attitudes, similar criticisms apply to other model systems such as the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which has been extensively studied from an organismal perspective. Furthermore, the shortcomings of A. thaliana in terms of its restricted ecological niche are counterbalanced by the wealth of information on the molecular and developmental biology of this species, which makes possible to address evolutionary questions that can rarely be pursued in other species. This chapter reviews the history of the use of A. thaliana in organismal biology and discusses some of the recent work and future perspectives of research on a variety of field including life history evolution, phenotypic plasticity, natural selection and quantitative genetics. I suggest that the future of both molecular and especially organismal biology lies into expanding our knowledge from limited and idiosyncratic model systems to their phylogenetic neighborhood, which is bound to be more varied and biologically interesting.
In Memoriam: Robert M. Berne, MD

Robert M. Berne, MD, former chairman of the Department of Physiology at the University of Virginia Medical Center, died on Thursday, October 4, 2001, at his home in Charlottesville, Va. Dr Berne’s service to cardiovascular research was exemplary. He was on the editorial board of Circulation Research for most of his professional life, and he was Editor in Chief from 1970 to 1975. Dr Berne was a man of many accomplishments: a devoted and steadfast husband, a loving father and grandfather, a leader of the University of Virginia, and a scientist of world class. He touched family, friends, scientific colleagues, and many others through whose life he passed, especially those whose growth he nurtured. Dr Berne was born in Yonkers, NY, grew up and was schooled in Brooklyn, and attended the University of …
Differential and integral cross sections of the N(2D)+H2-->NH+H reaction from exact quantum and quasi-classical trajectory calculations.

Exact quantum mechanical state-to-state differential and integral cross sections and their energy dependence have been calculated on an accurate NH 2 potential energy surface (PES), using a newly proposed Chebyshev wave packet method. The NH product is found to have a monotonically decaying vibrational distribution and an inverted rotational distribution. The product angular distributions peak in both forward and backward directions, but with a backward bias. This backward bias is more pronounced than that observed previously on a less accurate PES. Both the differential and integral cross sections oscillate mildly with collision energy, indicating the dominance of short-lived resonances. The quantum mechanical results are compared with those obtained from quasi-classical trajectories. The agreement is generally reasonable and the discrepancies can be attributed to the neglect of quantum effects such as tunneling. Detailed analysis of the trajectories revealed that the backward bias in the differential cross section stems overwhelmingly from the fast insertion component of the reaction, augmented with some flux from the abstraction channel, particularly at high collision energies.
Continuous wetting transitions in adsorbed Xe films

A continuous wetting transition, long observed in model calculations but yet to be found experimentally, is predicted for Xe adsorbed on NaF as well as for Xe adsorbed on Cs and Rb substrates plated with one or more layers of a variety of other materials, including gold, copper, and MgO. The analysis is based on the Dzyaloshinskii-Lifshitz-Pitaevskii dielectric formalism together with the simple, but accurate, scheme for calculating surface tension differences introduced for the helium on cesium problem. Critical exponents are given, and the crossover from first order to continuous wetting as a function of plating material thickness is discussed.
Side-groove effects in three-dimensional small-scale yielding: A load and thickness-scaling model

Abstract This study investigates the influence of side grooves on near-front fields that drive cleavage fracture processes in ferritic steels under 3D small-scale yielding conditions. High-fidelity, finite-strain analyses of boundary-layer models for initially straight crack fronts provide elastic–plastic fields. Numerical solutions demonstrate that non-dimensional, self-similar scaling of crack-front fields for plane-sided specimens also holds for the side-grooved configurations. Furthermore, Weibull stress values exhibit a non-dimensional, thickness scaling controlled by a single non-dimensional parameter. This thickness scaling holds for low-to-high hardening rates typical of ferritic steels under imposed loading levels that range in a 3D setting from near plane-strain to near plane-stress conditions.
Enhanced superoxide production by alveolar macrophages and air-space cells, airway inflammation, and alveolar macrophage density changes after segmental antigen bronchoprovocation in allergic subjects.

Airway inflammation is a principal determinant of airway responsiveness and function in asthma and allergic diseases. Alveolar macrophages (AM) may contribute to inflammation in multiple ways, including release of reactive oxygen species such as Superoxide (SO) anion. We hypothesized that SO production by AM increases after segmentai bronchoprovocation (SBP) with relevant antigen and contributes to airway injury. Eight ragweed-sensitive subjects with allergic rhinitis were studied by bronchoalveolar lavage and ragweed SBP to determine the SO production and characteristics of cells recruited after antigen challenge. No significant changes in cell numbers or total protein concentration were observed immediately after antigen challenge. Purification (to > 94%) of AM on discontinuous gradients of Percoll revealed significantly increased spontaneous and opsonized-zymosan-driven SO production immediately after antigen challenge. Forty-eight hours later, total air-space cells, AM, eosinophils, and total protein ...
Variational problems with free interfaces

A large class of problems arise in the material sciences involving free interfaces. To establish the existence and regularity (including the regularity of free interfaces) of solutions has been an important and interesting issue. Here we were able to do so in a model case accounted in optimal designs.
The measurement of norepinephrine clearance and spillover rate into plasma in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The clearance of norepinephrine from plasma and the spillover rate of norepinephrine into plasma were determined in conscious unrestrained spontaneously hypertensive rats by measuring the concentrations of 3H-norepinephrine and norepinephrine in arterial plasma after 90 min of i. v. infusion with 3H-norepinephrine. In 50 conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats treated with saline (control animals), the following basal values were obtained: plasma norepinephrine concentration = 149 ± 5 pg/ml; plasma epinephrine concentration = 61 ± 4 pg/ml; norepinephrine clearance = 188 ± 4 ml min-1 kg-1; and norepinephrine spillover rate = 27.5 ± 0.8 ng min-1 kg−1. A significant portion of infused 3H-norepinephrine appeared to be cleared from the plasma by the uptake, process, since desipramine decreased norepinephrine clearance by 32%. The vasodilating agents hydralazine and minoxidil produced dose-related increases in norepinephrine spillover rate and plasma norepinephrine concentration, but the percent increases in norepinephrine spillover rate exceeded the percent increases in plasma norepinephrine concentration because of concomitant increases in norepinephrine clearance, particularly after treatment with minoxidil. The increase in norepinephrine clearance caused by hydralazine and minoxidil probably resulted from the increase in cardiac output and resultant increase in hepatic and/or pulmonary blood flow. Adrenal secretion of norepinephrine did not appear to contribute to the elevation in norepinephrine spillover rate elicited by hydralazine and minoxidil. Chlorisondamine suppressed norepinephrine spillover rate by 77%, in association with a 70% decline in plasma epinephrine concentration, whereas bretylium lowered norepinephrine spillover rate by only 41%, with no change in plasma epinephrine concentration. The decrements in norepinephrine clearance caused by chlorisondamine (−23%) and bretylium (−15%) were more or less proportional to the magnitude of the vasodepression caused by these drugs. Both norepinephrine spillover rate and clearance fell in a dose-related fashion after treatment with clonidine. After treatment with the sympathoinhibitory agents chlorisondamine, bretylium and clonidine, the percent decreases in norepinephrine spillover rate always exceeded the percent decreases in plasma norepinephrine concentration. Based on these observations, we conclude that norepinephrine spillover rate provides a more accurate measurement of the activity of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system than does plasma norepinephrine concentration in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Cardiovascular Responses to Hypoxic Stimulation of the Carotid Bodies

The hemodynamic responses to hypoxic stimulation of the carotid bodies were investigated in the dog with controlled respiration. A dual, rotating disc oxygenator system was utilized to perfuse the vascularly isolated carotid region alternately with blood of high or low pO2. Perfusion of the carotid bodies with hypoxic blood caused a large reduction of heart rate. The bradycardia response was reduced, but not abolished, by vagotomy. However, the subsequent administration of hexamethonium completely abolished the response. The contractility of the atrium was reduced by carotid body hypoxia, and varying degrees of heart block were frequently observed. These responses were abolished by vagotomy and considered to be due to efferent vagal activity. Ventricular function curves showed that carotid body hypoxia usually caused a reduction, never an increase, of ventricular contractility. This indicates a reduction of sympathetic discharge to the heart. The reduction in heart rate after vagotomy and the reduction in ventricular contractility were associated with a concomitant increase of total peripheral resistance. These findings indicate that hypoxic stimulation of the carotid bodies causes a dichotomous sympathetic response, that is, a reduction of sympathetic discharge to the heart and a simultaneous increase of sympathetic discharge to the peripheral vasculature. Systemic hypoxia caused an increase of both ventricular contractility and total peripheral resistance. Consequently, the hemodynamic responses to systemic hypoxia cannot be entirely ascribed to a primary chemoreceptor reflex from the carotid bodies. It is suggested that the cardiac sympathetic responses seen in systemic hypoxia are due, at least in part, to direct hypoxic stimulation of the central nervous system.
Tracheal extubation of adult surgical patients while deeply anesthetized: a survey of United States anesthesiologists.

Study objective To examine current practice regarding the performance of tracheal extubation of adult surgical patients while deeply anesthetized (deep extubation). Design and setting Survey comprised of an anonymous written questionnaire mailed to 1,000 randomly selected active American Society of Anesthesiologists members. Measurements and main results Questionnaires were mailed between February and April 1998. Five hundred eighty-three completed forms were returned, 538 of which were suitable for data analysis. Responses from anesthesiologists who infrequently or never administer general anesthetics to adult surgical patients were excluded. The overall frequency of deep extubation of adults was "never" for 106 respondents (19.7%), "rarely" for 87 (16.2%), and "more frequently" for 345 (64.1%). The most common reasons for never performing deep extubations were lack of necessity and concern regarding potential laryngospasm and aspiration. The most frequent indications for deep extubations were unclipped intracranial aneurysm, reactive airway disease, and open-globe eye surgery. The most frequent contraindications to deep extubations for those who otherwise perform the technique were difficult airway, aspiration risk, and obesity. After performing a deep extubation, 44.0% of respondents remain with the patient in the operating room until he or she is awake. Deep extubations were perceived to have no consistent effect on operating room turnover time by 61.6% of anesthesiologists who perform them. Conclusions Most anesthesiologists in this survey perform deep extubations in adult surgical patients. Lack of necessity and potential respiratory complications were the main reasons cited by those who do not use the technique. Future investigations are necessary to examine the risk-to-benefit ratio of the technique in adults. Our results may be used to determine which potential indications should be examined in such studies and to help delineate the standard of care followed in this country.
An adjustable reset pulse phase frequency detector for phase locked loop

In this paper, an adjustable reset pulse phase frequency detector (PFD) for phase-locked loop (PLL) is proposed and analyzed. The proposed PFD adjust the width of the reset pulse when the reference clock and the feedback clock of the PLL are in phase to reduce the static phase error at the PLL output. The proposed PFD is implemented using 45nm CMOS thin oxide device with a 0.9-V supply voltage. A comparison between PLL using proposed PFD architecture and PLL using conventional PFD architecture is done. The pre-layout simulation results show a reduction of ∼61% in static phase error when the proposed PFD is implemented on the PLL compared to when the conventional PFD is implemented.
Neurons Detect Increases and Decreases in Oxygen Levels Using Distinct Guanylate Cyclases

Homeostatic sensory systems detect small deviations in temperature, water balance, pH, and energy needs to regulate adaptive behavior and physiology. In C. elegans, a homeostatic preference for intermediate oxygen (O2) levels requires cGMP signaling through soluble guanylate cyclases (sGCs), proteins that bind gases through an associated heme group. Here we use behavioral analysis, functional imaging, and genetics to show that reciprocal changes in O2 levels are encoded by sensory neurons that express alternative sets of sGCs. URX sensory neurons are activated by increases in O2 levels, and require the sGCs gcy-35 and gcy-36. BAG sensory neurons are activated by decreases in O2 levels, and require the sGCs gcy-31 and gcy-33. The sGCs are instructive O2 sensors, as forced expression of URX sGC genes causes BAG neurons to detect O2 increases. Both sGC expression and cell-intrinsic dynamics contribute to the differential roles of URX and BAG in O2-dependent behaviors.
Sweet's syndrome.

39-year-old woman with no past medical history preented to the Emergency Department with a chief comlaint of right hand pain. Several weeks before presenation, the patient had noted painful red “spots” on the hest, upper arms and fingers. One week before presenation, she developed painful red papules on the dorsal spects of the right third and fourth fingers; these lesions nlarged, and became ulcerative. A similar lesion develped on the patient’s left forearm. The patient had one episode of fever to 38.6°C 101.5°F) approximately one week before presentation, ut denied any recent upper respiratory infection, arthralias, myalgias, swollen glands, or weight loss. There was o history of travel, animal exposure, or sexually transitted disease. She took no medication or dietary suplements, and listed horse serum as her only allergy. On examination, the patient was alert and afebrile, ith normal vital signs. Head and neck examination was nrevealing; specifically, the conjunctiva were clear and here were no lesions involving the oral mucosa. Heart nd lungs were normal; the liver was not enlarged or ender. No generalized lymphadenopathy was present. xamination of the skin demonstrated several erythemtous papules on the anterior chest wall and left upper rm. The left forearm had a 5-cm irregular erythematous lcer, which was exquisitely tender (Figure 1). Similar lcers were present on the dorsal aspects of the right third nd fourth fingers (Figure 2). There was edema of the soft issue beneath the ulcers, but no lymphangitic streaking.
Cloud optical depth measured with ground-based, uncooled infrared imagers

Ground-based, low-cost, uncooled infrared imagers are specially calibrated and deployed for long-term measurements of spatial and temporal cloud statistics. Measurements of cloud optical depth are shown for thin clouds, and validated with a dual-polarization cloud lidar. Good comparisons are achieved for thin clouds having 550-nm optical depth of 3 or less.
Reductions of Listeria innocua and Brochothrix thermosphacta on beef following nisin spray treatments and vacuum packaging

Sections of UV sterilized lean and adipose tissues from the surfaces of post-rigor (24 h post-mortem) beef carcasses were inoculated withBrochothrix thermosphactaorListeria innocuato obtain approximately 4.50 log8cfu cm−2and subjected to spray treatments with sterile water or nisin (5000 AU ml−1). Untreated and spray treated samples were vacuum-packaged, and incubated at 4°C for up to 4 weeks. Bacterial populations from untreated vacuum-packaged tissues and spray treated, vacuum-packaged tissues were enumerated on non-selective and selective media at 0, 7, 14, 21 or 28 days. Nisin spray treatments of lean and adipose vacuum-packaged tissues reduced the numbers ofL. innocuaup to 2.83 log8cfu cm−2. Additionally, nisin sprays and vacuum packaging effectively suppressedL. innocuaduring the 4-week incubation such that the remaining bacteria did not grow to the same level as untreated or water-treated, vacuum-packaged tissues. Nisin spray treatments and vacuum packaging of lean and adipose tissues reducedB. thermosphactato undetectable levels. Data from this study demonstrate that nisin spray treatments followed by vacuum packaging under refrigerated conditions could increase the shelf life by suppressing or inhibiting the growth of undesirable bacteria present on fresh beef.
High-LET Radiations

Radiation oncology, like most branches of medicine, is predominantly a clinical art, with the admixture of a small amount of science. Changes and improvements in this field may be empirical, based on a gradual evolution of accepted techniques, or they may be a direct result of laboratory-based research. While most advances in radiation oncology have been of the former kind, the introduction of high-LET radiations in undoubtedly one of the first concrete examples of the latter.
Diminished response of arctic plants to warming over time.

The goal of this study is to determine if the response of arctic plants to warming is consistent across species, locations and time. This study examined the impact of experimental warming and natural temperature variation on plants at Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska beginning in 1994. We considered observations of plant performance collected from 1994–2000 “short-term” and those from 2007–2012 “long-term”. The plant traits reported are the number of inflorescences, inflorescence height, leaf length, and day of flower emergence. These traits can inform us about larger scale processes such as plant reproductive effort, plant growth, and plant phenology, and therefore provide valuable insight into community dynamics, carbon uptake, and trophic interactions. We categorized traits of all species monitored at each site into temperature response types. We then compared response types across traits, plant growth forms, sites, and over time to analyze the consistency of plant response to warming. Graminoids were the most responsive to warming and showed a positive response to temperature, while shrubs were generally the least responsive. Almost half (49%) of response types (across all traits, species, and sites combined) changed from short-term to long-term. The percent of plants responsive to warming decreased from 57% (short-term) to 46% (long-term). These results indicate that the response of plants to warming varies over time and has diminished overall in recent years.
Prefetch-aware shared resource management for multi-core systems

Chip multiprocessors (CMPs) share a large portion of the memory subsystem among multiple cores. Recent proposals have addressed high-performance and fair management of these shared resources; however, none of them take into account prefetch requests. Without prefetching, significant performance is lost, which is why existing systems prefetch. By not taking into account prefetch requests, recent shared-resource management proposals often significantly degrade both performance and fairness, rather than improve them in the presence of prefetching. This paper is the first to propose mechanisms that both manage the shared resources of a multi-core chip to obtain high-performance and fairness, and also exploit prefetching. We apply our proposed mechanisms to two resource-based management techniques for memory scheduling and one source-throttling-based management technique for the entire shared memory system. We show that our mechanisms improve the performance of a 4-core system that uses network fair queuing, parallelism-aware batch scheduling, and fairness via source throttling by 11.0%, 10.9%, and 11.3% respectively, while also significantly improving fairness.
Evaluation of Milk Mineral Antioxidant Activity in Beef Meatballs and Nitrite-cured Sausage

: The objective of this study was to determine the antioxidant activity of 1.5% milk mineral (MM) added to uncured cooked beef meatballs and to evaluate possible synergistic effects of MM in combination with 20-ppm or 40-ppm sodium nitrite in beef sausages. All treatments were also formulated with 1.5% salt and 10% added water. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values and Hunter color values were determined at 1 d, 8 d, and 15 d of storage at 2°C. Meatball cooked yield was also measured. Cooked yield was not different (P < 0.05) between control meatballs and those containing MM. As expected, treatments containing nitrite had higher redness (CIE a*) than samples without nitrite. Redness values increased with storage time in sausages containing 40-ppm nitrite. However, redness values decreased (P < 0.05) during storage for control meatballs, associated with increased lipid oxidation (higher TBA values). Lipid oxidation was lower (P < 0.05) in samples containing 1.5% MM with TBA values <1.2 after 15 d of storage compared with 6.1 for control samples. There was no synergistic inhibition of lipid oxidation in samples containing 20-ppm or 40-ppm sodium nitrite plus 1.5% MM. Milk mineral alone at 1.5% of meat weight was sufficient for inhibition of lipid oxidation in cooked beef samples.
ACCEPTOR ACTIVITY, ISOACCEPTOR PROFILES AND FUNCTION IN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS OF TRANSFER RNAs FROM REGENERATING SKELETAL MUSCLE

Transfer RNAs have been prepared from control and regenerating rat skeletal muscle. The yield of tRNA is highest during the early stages of the regeneration process (5 and 8 days following the induction of regeneration) and decreases to near control values thereafter. The amino acid acceptor activity (extent of aminoacylation) of tRNA from regenerating muscle was also found to be higher for some amino acids than the activity of control tRNA, and the maximum increase in activity was observed between 5 and 8 days following the initiation of regeneration with a decrease to control levels through 15 and 30 days. The isoacceptor pattern, determined by RPC-5 chromatography, for methionyl-tRNAs from control muscle and 5-day regenerating muscle were essentially indistinguishable, while a minor peak of prolyl-tRNA was observed in the population from 5-, 8- and 15-day regenerates which was apparently absent from the control tRNA. Lysyl-tRNAs from control muscle contain two major isoacceptors while a third isoacceptor is observed in the tRNA preparations from 5-, 8- and 15-day regenerating muscle. The relative amount of this third isoacceptor is highest in the 8-day population and decreases in amount in tRNAs from 15- and 30-day regenerates. Control muscle also contains two major glutamyl-tRNA species while a third isoacceptor can be detected in regenerates. The relative amount of this species increases during the early course of the regeneration process but is present at near control levels by 30 days following Marcaine injection. Cell-free protein synthesis using muscle polyribosomes showed that tRNAs from regenerating muscle were more effective in stimulating [35S]methionine incorporation than tRNAs from control muscle.
Computational Technique to Assess Warhead Lethality against Ballistic Missile

This paper addresses a computational procedure to assess the lethality of kinetic energy projectile warheads against tactical ballistic missile payloads with an innovative and rational damage metric. The individual lethality of different projectile geometries impacting at hypervelocity at different configurations is estimated via a numerical damage index computed from hydrocode simulations. The highest count of possible impacts to the payload is achieved by optimizing the warhead’s configuration and time of detonation, a priori knowledge of the target’s location and speed. The total damage to the payload characterizes the warhead’s lethality for the particular engagement conditions. An example shows the application of the process and potential advantages.
Development of MITC isotropic triangular shell finite elements

We present a simple methodology to design isotropic triangular shell finite elements based on the Mixed Interpolation of Tensorial Components (MITC) approach. Several mixed-interpolated isotropic triangular shell finite elements are proposed. We perform well-established numerical tests and show the performance of the new elements.
Environmental policy choice with an uncertain chance of irreversibility

Abstract An uncertain chance of irreversibility leads to lower levels of investment than in the reversible case if there is downward irreversibility, higher levels of investment if there is upward irreversibility, and a possible effect in either direction in the case of complete irreversibility. In all of these situations there will be an effect on initial policy investments whenever there is a nonzero probability that the irreversibility constraint is binding. The policy design is based on equating initial marginal costs to conditional marginal benefits over the states in which the initial policy scale decision will be the policy choice. The maximum attainable policy value is convex with respect to the probability of irreversibility.
Finding needles in DNA stacks

Locating the 104 damaged nucleotides in a cell's DNA poses a significant challenge to DNA repair enzymes on a daily basis (1). Base excision repair (BER) glycosylases are responsible for finding subtle atomic-level changes in a base amidst a sea of undamaged bases, and they must do so before replication leads to improper nucleotide insertion causing a mutation (2). Many years ago it was recognized that random on-off binding of proteins to duplex DNA was an inefficient way to locate the sites of damage, leading to proposals of protein sliding on the duplex in addition to short hopping or longer-range jumping to different sections of the genome (3). In a recent issue of PNAS, new data from Boal et al. (4) provided evidence of an alternative mechanism in which the bacterial BER enzymes EndoIII and MutY communicate over a long segment of base-paired DNA by tapping into the ability of a perfectly complementary duplex to transport charge along the helix. Such a mechanism would greatly exceed the rate of 1D scanning by procession of a macromolecule along the DNA duplex.
How the Structural Aspects of Cholesterol Mediate Lipid Flip-Flop

Cholesterol is an integral component in eukaryotic cell membranes having an influential role in the phase behavior, lateral diffusion, and elasticity of lipid bilayers. One area which has not been widely explored is the role of cholesterol on the process of lipid flip-flop (or translocation). We have previously shown that cholesterol increases the rate of 1,2-diastearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) flip-flop by decreasing the activation energy, enthalpy and entropy. Two important aspects of cholesterol are its amphiphilic nature and rigid ring structure. In this study, we have analyzed the impact of these characteristics on modulating DSPC flip-flop by studying two cholesterol analogues, 5α-cholestan-3β-ol (cholestanol) which lacks the double bond in ring B and 5-cholestene (cholestene) which lacks the hydroxyl group. The nonlinear optical technique of sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) was used to measure the kinetics of DSPC lipid flip-flop when various concentrations of these sterols were present. The activation thermodynamics were retrieved from the kinetic data in order to interpret the thermodynamic role the hydroxyl group and double bond play in modulating DSPC flip-flop in membranes. The activation thermodynamics were found to be correlated with the elastic modulus of the membrane which was dependent upon the structure of the various analogues studied.
Integrating Sustainability Concepts into Introductory Programming Courses (Abstract Only)

Sustainability, defined by Penn State University as "the simultaneous pursuit of human health and happiness, environmental quality and economic well-being for current and future generations", is becoming a more frequent theme in colleges and universities. There is currently little published research involving the use of sustainability-themed modules or courses in Computer Science. As part of an institutional effort to integrate sustainability concepts into undergraduate courses, the author constructed a series of projects and activities to educate students about sustainability issues in three distinct CS1-style courses for non-majors. These projects and activities involve traditional introductory topics (e.g. loops, arrays) but each focuses a specific sustainability-related issue or domain. Examples of project issues included the impact of acid rain; the construction of an optimal planting schedule; the impact of air pollution; the benefits of trees on air quality; and the benefits of water catchment systems. These projects and activities included a discussion of the sustainability concept at hand while providing the student an opportunity to demonstrate his/her knowledge of the particular language and algorithmic concepts. Supporting efforts include the integration of speakers on sustainability topics and a parallel effort by undergraduate researchers to create graphics and animations for the project concepts. This poster will describe the results of the pilot study, the lessons learned, and future adjustments.
Resistive Glass IM-TOFMS

The design of a new ion mobility mass spectrometer (IM-MS) is presented. This new design features an ambient-pressure resistive glass ion mobility drift tube (RGIMS) coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) by an enhanced interface that includes two segmented quadrupoles. The interface design demonstrates an increase in sensitivity while maintaining high resolving power typically achieved for ambient-pressure IMS drift tubes. Performance of the prototype instrument was evaluated and the analytical figures of merit for standard solutions as well as complex samples such as human blood were determined. For a 3 μM solution of caffeine, the peak was collected in 36 s and gave a response of 10 counts/s. The detection limit (defined as 1 count/s) was calculated to be 300 nM concentration of caffeine from the response rate from the 36 s run. Controlled fragmentation of caffeine was achieved through adjustment of voltages applied on the interface lenses. Over 300 tentative metabolites ...
The Fate of Babies Dying before Baptism in Byzantium

In the city of the Laodikaians lived a devout, pure, and blameless priest. To this priest one night the local governor came in urgent haste, pressing him to rise up and baptize his child, whose breath was already beginning to fail. Leaping up right away, the priest ran into the church. But while he was preparing the water and the holy oil the child died, before it could be baptized. Taking the child, the priest placed it in front of the font and said to the attendant angel, ‘To you, my fellow servant, angel of God, I say: by the authority that Christ gave us to bind and loose in heaven and upon earth, restore the soul of the child in the body until I shall baptize it, lest it depart unenlightened into that age. For my Master and yours knows that I was not careless, but when I was called, I ran straight away.’ When the priest had spoken, the child returned to life. He then baptized it, kissed it, and said, ‘Go, child, into the kingdom of heaven.’ And immediately the child fell back asleep in the Lord.
A Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin induces programmed cell death in mosquito larvae.

We present evidence that a delta-endotoxin isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp.israelensis induces programmed cell death in polytene midgut cells of Culex pipiens larvae. After exposure to toxin, polytene nuclei in the anterior region of the larval midgut undergo many of the morphological and physiological changes which are characteristic of apoptosis, including the ability to stain with the vital dye, acridine orange, and fragmentation of nuclear DNA as demonstrated by agarose gel electrophoresis and in situ TUNEL labeling. The temporal sequence of toxin ingestion, acridine orange staining and larval death suggests a cause and effect relationship between programmed cell death and larval death. Amino sugars that interfere with toxicity also interfere with the time course of acridine orange staining of larval polytene nuclei. The toxin first causes programmed cell death of anterior midgut and gastric caeca cells and, subsequently, posterior midgut cells. This pattern is similar to the temporal sequence of larval polytene cell death that occurs during metamorphosis. From the size and distribution of the nuclei that are stained with acridine orange, it appears that only polytene midgut cells are affected by toxin and that the diploid regenerative cell are not affected.
Correlates of Patient Satisfaction Among Menopausal Women

Patient satisfaction can increase compliance and health outcomes in many populations. Menopausal-age women present unique physical and psychosocial concerns that separate them from other populations in their health care needs and preferences. We surveyed 48 women (ages 45–60) regarding their satisfaction with a recent annual exam office visit in a family practice clinic. Women reported the number of quality of life issues they discussed during this visit and which of these they considered most important, as well as menopausal symptoms and perceived health competence. Regression analyses identified variables most related to patient satisfaction. Of three components of visit satisfaction (Quality, Humaneness, and General Satisfaction), Quality was predicted by quality of life issues discussed. Physical, psychological, and functional domains were considered most important to the patients, whereas physical, psychological, and social domains were most often actually discussed in the visit.
Thin film channel waveguide electro-optic modulator in epitaxial BaTiO 3 on MgO

Rare-earth doping of ferroelectric integrated optic hosts have made many new multicomponent, monolithically integrated devices possible.