cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Catastrophic optical bulk degradation in high-power single- and multi-mode InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers: part II

High-power single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well (QW) lasers are critical components for both terrestrial and space satellite communications systems. Since these lasers predominantly fail by catastrophic and sudden degradation due to catastrophic optical damage (COD), it is especially crucial for space satellite applications to investigate reliability, failure modes, precursor signatures of failure, and degradation mechanisms of these lasers. Our group reported a new failure mode in MM and SM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers in 2009 and 2016, respectively. Our group also reported in 2017 that bulk failure due to catastrophic optical bulk damage (COBD) is the dominant failure mode of both SM and MM lasers that were subject to long-term life-tests. For the present study, we continued our physics of failure investigation by performing long-term life-tests followed by failure mode analysis (FMA) using nondestructive and destructive micro-analytical techniques. We performed long-term accelerated life-tests on state-of-the-art SM and MM InGaAs- AlGaAs strained QW lasers under ACC mode. Our life-tests have accumulated over 25,000 test hours for SM lasers and over 35,000 test hours for MM lasers. We first employed electron beam induced current (EBIC) technique to identify failure modes of degraded SM lasers by observing dark line defects. All the SM failures that we studied showed catastrophic and sudden degradation and all of these failures were bulk failures. Since degradation mechanisms responsible for COBD are still not well understood, we also employed other techniques including focused ion beam (FIB) and high-resolution TEM to further study dark line defects and dislocations in post-aged lasers. Keywor
School-to-Prison Pipeline Revisited / Looking to the Future

When describing The School during his interview, Mr. Frederek said, “It’s like a Fort Knox.” Surveillance cameras in every hallway, isolation of teachers and administration, and suspension of students regularly—these were the norm. This was Mr. Frederek’s understanding of the issue focused on in this book.
The Nature of Social Worlds

The notion of social worlds is used here to refer to a form of social organization which cannot be accurately delineated by spatial, territorial, formal, or membership boundaries. Rather, boundarie...
Numerical Comparisons of Path-Following Strategies for a Primal-Dual Interior-Point Method for Nonlinear Programming

An important research activity in primal-dual interior-point methods for general nonlinear programming is to determine effective path-following strategies and their implementations. The objective of this work is to present numerical comparisons of several path-following strategies for the local interior-point Newton method given by El-Bakry, Tapia, Tsuchiya, and Zhang. We conduct numerical experimentation of nine strategies using two central regions, three notions of proximity measures, and three merit functions to obtain an optimal solution. Six of these strategies are implemented for the first time. The numerical results show that the best path-following strategy is that given by Argaez and Tapia.
Neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NrCAM) is expressed by sensory cells in the cochlea and is necessary for proper cochlear innervation and sensory domain patterning during development.

Background In the cochlea, auditory development depends on precise patterns of innervation by afferent and efferent nerve fibers, as well as a stereotyped arrangement of hair and supporting cells. Neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NrCAM) is a homophilic cell adhesion molecule that controls diverse aspects of nervous system development, but the function of NrCAM in cochlear development is not well understood. Results Throughout cochlear innervation, NrCAM is detectable on spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) afferent and olivocochlear efferent fibers, and on the membranes of developing hair and supporting cells. Neonatal Nrcam-null cochleae show errors in type II SGN fasciculation, reduced efferent innervation, and defects in the stereotyped packing of hair and supporting cells. Nrcam loss also leads to dramatic changes in the profiles of presynaptic afferent and efferent synaptic markers at the time of hearing onset. Despite these numerous developmental defects, Nrcam-null adults do not show defects in auditory acuity, and by postnatal day 21, the developmental deficits in ribbon synapse distribution and sensory domain structure appear to have been corrected. Conclusions NrCAM is expressed by several neural and sensory epithelial subtypes within the developing cochlea, and the loss of Nrcam confers numerous, but nonpermanent, developmental defects in innervation and sensory domain patterning. Developmental Dynamics 247:934-950, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Outcomes and swallowing evaluations after injection laryngoplasty for type I laryngeal cleft: Does age matter?

Abstract Objectives To improve the recognition of differences in presentation amongst patients with type 1 laryngeal clefts of various ages and better understand the age dependent outcomes of injection laryngoplasty. A second aim was to analyze the discrepancies between swallow assessment modalities in various age groups with type I laryngeal clefts undergoing injection laryngoplasty. Methods A retrospective review of electronic medical records of patients who underwent injection laryngoplasty from 2009 through 2015 at a tertiary care children's hospital. Data extracted included: Demographics, histories and physical exam findings, diagnostic studies, and medical and surgical treatments. Results Most (72/102, 70.6%) patients were male with a median gestational age at birth of 37 weeks (range 24–41 weeks). Formula thickening and GERD medications were used in 94/102 (92.2%) and 97/102 (95.1%) patients, respectively. Comorbid GERD, laryngomalacia, tracheomalacia, and subglottic stenosis were present in 98/102 (96.1%), 40/102 (39.2%), 9/102 (8.8%), and 14/102 (13.7%) patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in demographics, comorbidities or medical therapy between age groups. Symptoms at presentation differed between age groups with stridor (χ2(1) = 11.6, p = 0.002) and cyanosis (χ2(1) = 8.13, p = 0.012) being more common in the 0–3-month group compared to the 12–36 month group. Symptom resolution and the odds of undergoing additional surgery (second injection or suture repair) over time, however, did not differ. There was a significant reduction in aspiration with thins during FEES (McNemar χ2(1) = 10.7, p = 0.002) and aspiration with nectar during MBS (McNemar χ2(1) = 5.26, p = 0.035) post-injection. After injection, there was significant agreement in aspiration with thins between FEES and MBS (kappa = 0.308 ± SE 0.170, p = 0.035). However, finding aspiration with thins was more common during MBS than during FEES (McNemar χ2(1) = 7.00, p = 0.016). There were no differences in swallow evaluation findings between the age groups. Conclusions Symptoms of type I laryngeal clefts may differ by age. However, there was no impact of age on the safety and efficacy of surgical intervention.
Source-based morphometry reveals gray matter differences related to suicidal behavior in criminal offenders.

Relative to the general population, criminal offenders have a higher risk of suicide. Neurobiological deficits related to suicidal behavior have been identified in the general population, but unexamined in offenders to date. We examined the association between brain morphology and suicidal behavior in adult male criminal offenders. Brain morphology was examined using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and source-based morphometry (SBM), a multivariate alternative to VBM which analyzes brain volume in between-subject spatially independent networks. Results showed that offenders with past suicide attempts (n = 19), relative to offenders without past suicide attempts (n = 19) and non-offenders (n = 26), had reduced gray matter in an SBM component that comprised the posterior cingulate, dorsal prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. The SBM source weights were significantly associated with suicide attempts independent of other suicide risk variables (e.g., depression). VBM results were similar to the SBM results but less robust. The results reveal a potential neurobiological marker of vulnerability to suicidal behavior among criminal offenders and illustrate the utility of multivariate methods of gray matter analyses.
Using Evolutionary Systems and Ideation Techniques to Enhance Student Cybersecurity Learning

Evolution is an established biological theory, but basic concepts can be abstracted and applied to the education domain for knowledge sharing. There is a gap in literature that explores how evolutionary processes can be applied to cybersecurity education. This paper presents an evolutionary algorithm and pairs it with an ideation technique to illustrate how certain evolutionary processes can be applied to cybersecurity education and learning.
The tech for the next decade: promises and challenges in genome biology

The 19th Annual Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting came back to Marco Island, Florida, and was held in the renovated venue from 27 February to 2 March 2019. The meeting showed a variety of new technology, both in wet lab and in bioinformatics. This year’s themes included single-cell technology and applications, spatially resolved gene expression measurements, new sequencing platforms, genome assembly and variation, and long and linked reads.
Frequency, Risk Factors, Causes, and Consequences of Diagnostic Errors in Critically Ill Medical Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective Diagnostic errors are a source of significant morbidity and mortality but understudied in the critically ill. We sought to characterize the frequency, causes, consequences, and risk factors of diagnostic errors among unplanned ICU admissions. Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of randomly selected nonsurgical ICU admissions between July 2015 and June 2016. Setting Medical ICU at a tertiary academic medical center. Subjects Critically ill adults with unplanned admission to the medical ICU. Measurements and main results The primary investigator reviewed patient records using a modified version of the Safer Dx instrument, a validated instrument for detecting diagnostic error. Two intensivists performed secondary reviews of possible errors, and reviewers met periodically to adjudicate errors by consensus. For each confirmed error, we judged harm on a 1-6 rating scale. We also collected detailed demographic and clinical data for each patient. We analyzed 256 unplanned ICU admissions and identified 18 diagnostic errors (7% of admissions). All errors were associated with harm, and only six errors (33%) were recognized by the ICU team within the first 24 hours. More women than men experienced a diagnostic error (11.7% vs 2.7%; p = 0.015, χ test). On multivariable logistic regression analysis, female sex remained independently associated with risk of diagnostic error both at admission (odds ratio, 5.18; 95% CI, 1.34-20.08) and at 24 hours (odds ratio, 11.6; 95% CI, 1.37-98.6). Similarly, Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score greater than or equal to 2 at admission was independently associated with diagnostic error (odds ratio, 5.73; 95% CI, 1.72-19.01). Conclusions Diagnostic errors may be an underappreciated source of ICU-related harm. Women and higher acuity patients appear to be at increased risk for such errors. Further research is merited to define the scope of error-associated harm and to clarify risk factors for diagnostic errors among the critically ill.
Contesting slave masculinity in the American South

Scholarship on enslaved masculinity has seen a resurgence as of late. Sergio A. Lussana's intriguing My Brother Slaves: Friendship, Masculinity, and Resistance in the American South arrived in 2016...
A Novel Diagnostics Method for Determining the Unknown Permittivity Profile of 3D Printed Lenses

In this paper, we present a novel diagnostics technique that can reconstruct through reverse engineering the permittivity profile of an inhomogeneous dielectric lens which was misprinted due to either voxelization method errors and/or printer tolerances. The technique can be classified as an inverse scattering tool. It is based on a novel combination of Curved Ray Geometrical Optics (GO) for inhomogeneous media and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The lens inhomogeneous permittivity profile is synthesized to reconstruct the known measured near fields when illuminated by the also known feed radiation pattern. Once the true permittivity profile is known, a new optimization can be ran to determine a new optimal focal point to illuminate the lens from in order to restore the performance of the lens back to original designs expectation. An example of a fabricated 3D printed 18cm lens misprinted to both voxelization errors and printing tolerance errors is given. The actual permittivity is found through the diagnostics technique and a new focal point is found through optimization which restores the pattern performance of the lens back to the theoretical values.
“Don’t Hold Back”: Ranveer Singh, Masculinity and New Media Ecology

When asked about his ambitions, Ranveer Singh’s answer is always the same, “I have always wanted to be a mainstream Hindi film hero”. This is a surprisingly precise answer. It speaks to a desire to be part of a mainstream Hindi cinema tradition and a specific Hindi film masculine ideal that since the Bachchan era encompasses the hoi polloi and the bourgeoisie. To be a mainstream Hindi film, hero in the twenty-first century means addressing the increasing fragmentation of the socio-economic terrain of neoliberal India and the variations of classed, regional and caste masculinity. Singh strategically endeavours to represent local, national, and transnational ideals of masculinity. While he is increasingly known for his versatility on-screen, his off-screen persona is central to his rising stardom: He is the brand spokesperson for “hoi-polloi” brands such as Rupa, Thumbs Up and he also represents transnational and cosmopolitan brands such as Adidas, Durex, and Switzerland. Singh’s stardom crafted for and within a social media-driven ecology, ushers in a post-Khan iteration of stardom in Bollywood. Attentive to the pace of Internet media and shaped by his own background in advertising, he creates himself through his flamboyant fashions and his explicit repudiation of “bourgeois elitism” and “manners”, mobilizing his facility with English and his international education to embody the neoliberal, transnational upper-class urban Indian male. At the same time, his rejection of traditional ideas of gendered, classed decorum and his uninhibited performances (both on- and off-screen) mark him as potentially “declasse”. This paper examines the contradictions inherent in Ranveer Singh’s stardom as both caused by, and an effect of, the shifting habitus of the neoliberal Indian middle classes; the transnational circuits of taste; the (trans)national, classed structures of masculinity; and a changing media ecology.
Dog Driven Robot: Towards Quantifying Problem-Solving Abilities in Dogs

Training a working dog for a role such as bomb detection or search and rescue can take years, incurring a large cost. As detection work requires visual and odor-based problem-solving abilities, we have started to investigate how to quantify these abilities to assess a dog's potential. Towards this goal, we studied if and how a dog can remotely drive a robot through a simple maze. In our feasibility study, the dogs interact with an affordance mounted on a raised platform which triggers robot movement while also providing visual feedback from the robot. This study evaluated three affordances (tug, button press, and proximity) on two participants to drive the robot through a straight course. By identifying the best robot-canine interaction method, we show the potential for canines extending visual problem-solving abilities to an external device.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis of corrosion product layer formation on pipeline steel

Abstract Pipeline steels exhibit intergranular corrosion (IGC) and stress corrosion cracking at active dissolution potentials in carbonate-bicarbonate solutions. The evolution of electrochemical behavior of API X70 pipeline steel during active dissolution in 1 M NaHCO3 was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Electrochemical modeling of EIS revealed that the metal dissolution rate is limited by slow inward diffusion of CO3−2 ions through a porous precipitated corrosion product layer to the steel surface. The porosity of the carbonate layer decreases over time as its thickness increases, both factors contributing to a strongly suppressed corrosion rate due to impeded CO3−2 diffusion. Decreasing steel corrosion rates with time in carbonate-bicarbonate solutions can be understood on this basis. Growth of the carbonate layer at the steel-carbonate interface intensifies tensile wedging stress in corroded grain boundaries, thereby facilitating intergranular crack initiation.
Impact of stressors in the aviation environment on xenobiotic dosimetry in humans: physiologically based prediction of the effect of +Gz-forces

The application of physiologically based modeling approaches in evaluating health risks in diverse environments is limited by scarcity of comprehensive reviews detailing how physiological parameter...
Enabling Warp Speed Using the Hypervelocity Innovation Model: A Blue Print for Drug Development in Pandemics

Pharmaceutical R&D is organized around prioritized investments, delivering on assets with the greatest return of investments Linear sequencing of trials and financial risks are determinants of speed in an enterprise There is less flexibility in leveraging expertise around priorities that are thrust on the system by external forces This commentary provides an insight into enabling warp speed using a hypervelocity mindset for mobilizing resources and scientific creativity, for accelerated timelines in response to pandemics
Low soil phosphorus availability triggers maize growth stage specific rhizosphere processes leading to mineralization of organic P

In this study, we examine the rhizosphere processes influencing organic P (Po) utilization in soil with low inorganic P (Pi) availability and how they change with plant development. Interactions between plants and the rhizosphere microbial community triggered by P deficiency may provide insights into the role of P availability on degradation of soil organic matter (SOM). Maize (Zea mays) plants were grown in low P containing soil. Soil pH, potential acid phosphatase activities, soil C and P pools, microbial biomass C and P, microbial community structure, and plant P content were analyzed at different vegetative growth stages (VGS). At early VGS, the plants were P deficient which correlated with greater rhizosphere potential acid phosphatase activity, degradation of SOM and a reduction in the Po pool. At late VGS, the plants appeared to recover which correlated with a decrease in Meh (III) extractable P, an increase in microbial biomass C and P, change in microbial community structure, and greater total P (TP) in the plant biomass. The mineralization of organic C and Po are coupled in low P soil where N is not limited. The overall findings from this study advance our understanding of the coupled biogeochemical rhizosphere processes controlling P cycling at different plant growth stages and notably the importance of Po to the overall P needs of plants in soil with low Pi availability.
Building Bridges in China for a More Harmonious Society: Origins and Evolution of Personal Insolvency in Taiwan and Shenzhen

A much-heralded new law in Shenzhen, China, is not nearly as new as it might appear, and this law’s past offers revealing and important lessons for its successful future. Effective in March 2021, the groundbreaking Shenzhen personal bankruptcy regulation is an impressive monument of Chinese legislation, but it is not the first Chinese personal insolvency law, as has commonly been announced. Rather, Shenzhen’s statute was founded on and still reveals vestiges of a predecessor law with a rich background of informative development. The origin law emerged 13 years earlier across the Strait in Taiwan. In fact, although it was originally based on this Taiwanese law, the Shenzhen successor has powerfully evolved to take into account lessons from earlier struggles in Taiwan and the rest of the world, as catalogued in a landmark report by the World Bank. The Shenzhen model embodies an especially elegant product of building on common experience toward common goals. This article charts the progression of policy choices and results in Taiwan, through the decades of trial-and-error analyzed in the World Bank report, and culminating in the state-of-the-art new Shenzhen regulation, which is poised for potential rollout to all of Mainland China.
Statistical Methods for Genome‐Wide and Sequencing Association Studies of Complex Traits in Related Samples

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and sequencing studies are routinely conducted for the identification of genetic variants that are associated with complex traits. Many genetic studies for association mapping include related individuals. When relatives are included in an association analysis, familial correlations must be appropriately taken into account to ensure correct type I error and to increase power. This unit provides an overview of statistical methods that are available for GWAS and sequencing association studies of complex traits in samples with related individuals.
Fetal heart rate accelerations and late decelerations during the course of intrauterine death in chronically catheterized rhesus monkeys

The appearance of late decelerations and the disappearance of accelerations in the fetal heart rate were observed during the days that preceded intrauterine fetal death in nine chronically instrumented rhesus monkeys. All nine animals had recovered satisfactorily from the initial surgical procedure, as evidenced by normal biophysical and biochemical parameters. After recovery, all the fetuses had shown accelerations and no late decelerations with spontaneous uterine contractions. The mean duration of the preparations was 16.1 days. The duration of the preterminal observation period varied from 3 to 13 days, during which time no experiments were performed. The fetuses died during labor at a mean gestational age of 143 days. Late decelerations were the first sign of fetal deterioration and occurred with a slight but significant decrease in fetal PaO2 without changes in pH, whereas accelerations in fetal heart rate were still present. The loss of accelerations in fetal heart rate was a later phenomenon and was associated with significant reductions in fetal pH and PaO2.
Effects of Mn levels on resistance of Bacillus megaterium spores to heat, radiation and hydrogen peroxide

Aims: To determine the effects of Mn levels in Bacillus megaterium sporulation and spores on spore resistance. Methods and Results: Bacillus megaterium was sporulated with no added MnCl2 and up to 1 mmol l−1 MnCl2. The resultant spores were purified and loosely bound Mn removed, and spore Mn levels were found to vary c. 100-fold. The Mn level had no effect on spore γ-radiation resistance, but B. megaterium spores with elevated Mn levels had higher resistance to UVC radiation (as did Bacillus subtilis spores), wet and dry heat and H2O2. However, levels of dipicolinic acid and the DNA-protective α/β-type small, acid-soluble spore proteins were the same in spores with high and low Mn levels. Conclusions: Mn levels either in sporulation or in spores are important factors in determining levels of B. megaterium spore resistance to many agents, with the exception of γ-radiation. Significance and Impact of the Study: The Mn level in sporulation is an important factor to consider when resistance properties of B. megaterium spores are examined, and will influence the UV resistance of B. subtilis spores, some of which are used as biological dosimeters.
Role of DNA-dependent protein kinase in neuronal survival

DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is a DNA repair enzyme composed of a DNA-binding component called Ku70/80 and a catalytic subunit called DNA-PKcs. Many investigators have utilized DNA-PKcs-deficient cells and cell lines derived from severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice to study DNA repair and apoptosis. However, little is known about the CNS of these mice. This study was carried out using primary neuronal cultures derived from the cerebral hemispheres of new-born wild-type and scid mice to investigate the effects of loss of DNA-PK function on neuronal maturation and survival. Purified neuronal cultures developed comparably in terms of neurite formation and expression of neuronal markers, but scid cultures showed a significant increase in the percentage of dying cells. Furthermore, when apoptosis was induced by staurosporine, scid neurons died more rapidly and in higher numbers. Apoptotic scid neurons exhibited nuclear condensation, DNA fragmentation and caspase-3 activation, but treatment with the general caspase inhibitor, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-(O-methyl) fluoromethyl ketone did not prevent staurosporine-induced apoptosis. We conclude that a DNA-PK deficiency in cultured scid neurons may cause an accumulation of DNA damage and increased susceptibility to caspase-independent forms of programmed cell death.
Antibodies prepared to Bacillus cereus phospholipase C crossreact with a phosphatidylcholine preferring phosoholipase C in mammalian cells

Antibodies against Bacillus cereus phospholipase C were prepared in rabbits and used to affinity purify a phosphatidylcholine-preferring phospholipase C from a human monocytic cell line. Affinity chromatography resulted in an approximately 3000-fold, one-step enrichment of phospholipase C. The human enzyme had an apparent molecular mass of 40,000 daltons as determined by SDS gel electrophoresis. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that this protein interacted specifically with the rabbit antibody raised against bacterial phospholipase C. The purified enzyme preferred phosphatidylcholine as a substrate, was neutral pH active and was inhibited by EGTA. These studies demonstrate that antibodies raised against bacterial phospholipase C may be useful in purifying phospholipase C from a human source.
Recent Warming Event in the Pacific May be an El Nino

A recent anomalous warming event in the tropical Pacific consist of a series of intraseasonal episodes, observations from four spaceborne sensors and simulation by an ocean general circulation model show. Four distinct groups of equatorial westerly wind anomalies near the date line were observed by scatterometer. Anomalous integrated water vapor was observed by a microwave radiometer. To study the warming event, the anomalous sea level and sea surface temperature were simulated with an ocean general circulation model forced by realistic winds.
Decomposing the alpha rhythms: comparative performance evaluation of parametric bispectral algorithms for EEG

The alpha wave is often harmonically related or coupled to frequencies in other EEG bands. Several autoregressive and eigenstructure-based bispectral algorithms have proven to be effective in the detection and estimation of alpha coupling. The authors extend the triple Kronecker product method of Swindlehurst and Kailath (1989) to estimation of biphases through a generalized eigenvalue approach. As a major concentration of significant bispectral peaks lie in the alpha-alpha coupling region, low model order can be used for accurate results with these methods. >
Isolated gastric malakoplakia: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract A 62-year-old African American woman presented with weight loss and dyspepsia. She did not have any clinical evidence of immunodeficiency. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed multiple small polypoid lesions in the gastric body and fundus that appeared larger and more erythematous than usual fundic gland polyps. Examination of biopsy specimens revealed an infiltrate of large histiocytes with eosinophilic granular cytoplasm located in the lamina propria and containing Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. These histologic findings were diagnostic of gastric malakoplakia. Gastrointestinal malakoplakia is uncommon, and exclusive gastric involvement is extremely rare. Because occult bacterial infection has been postulated as the underlying cause of malakoplakia, the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection was investigated using immunohistochemical and serologic techniques, and the presence of Yersinia enterocolitica or Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection was investigated by polymerase chain reaction ass...
Enzymatic modification of triolein: Incorporation of caproic and butyric acids to produce reduced-calorie structured lipids

Lipase-catalyzed acidolysis of triolein with caproic and butyric acids was performed to produce reduced-calorie structured lipids (SL). The SL were obtained by incubating a 1:4:4 mole ratio of triolein, caproic acid, and butyric acid, respectively, with 10% of lipase (w/w of total substrates) in 1.5 mL hexane at 55°C for 24 h. Of nine commercially avaialble lipases screened, IM60, which contains the lipase from Rhizomucor miehei, was the most effective and produced 13 mol% unreacted triolein, 49% disubstituted, and 38% monosubstituted triacylglycerols that contained short-chain fatty acids. The products were analyzed by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector. Reaction parameters studied included time course, temperature, enzyme load, and substrate mole ratio. The yields obtained demonstrate that a structured lipid with long-chain and short-chain fatty acids can be synthesized by using IM60 lipase in organic medium.
Inversion of tridiagonal matrices

This paper presents a simple algorithm for inverting nonsymmetric tridiagonal matrices that leads immediately to closed forms when they exist. Ukita's theorem is extended to characterize the class of matrices that have tridiagonal inverses.
New Perspectives for in Vitro Risk Assessment of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes: Application of Coculture and Bioinformatics

Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding field with wide application for industrial and medical use; therefore, understanding the toxicity of engineered nanomaterials is critical for their commercialization. While short term in vivo studies have been performed to understand the toxicity profile of various nanomaterials, there is a current effort to shift toxicological testing from in vivo observational models to predictive and high-throughput in vitro models. However, conventional monoculture results of nanoparticle exposure are often disparate and not predictive of in vivo toxic effects. A coculture system of multiple cell types allows for cross-talk between cells and better mimics the in vivo environment. This review proposes that advanced coculture models, combined with integrated analysis of genome-wide in vivo and in vitro toxicogenomic data, will lead to the development of predictive multi-gene expression-based models to better determine toxicity profiles of and the potential human health risk of exposure to nanomaterials.
Anesthetic and physiologic effects of tiletamine, zolazepam, ketamine, and xylazine combination (TKX) in feral cats undergoing surgical sterilization

Tiletamine (12.5 mg), zolazepam (12.5 mg), ketamine (20 mg), and xylazine (5 mg) (TKX; 0.25 ml, IM) combination was evaluated as an anesthetic in 22 male and 67 female adult feral cats undergoing sterilization at high-volume sterilization clinics. Cats were not intubated and breathed room air. Oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), mean blood pressure (MBP), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and core body temperature were recorded. Yohimbine (0.25 ml, 0.5 mg, IV) was administered at the completion of surgery. TKX produced rapid onset of lateral recumbency (4+/-1 min) and surgical anesthesia of sufficient duration to complete surgical procedures in 92% of cats. SpO(2) measured via a lingual pulse oximeter probe averaged 92+/-3% in male cats and 90+/-4% in females. SpO(2) fell below 90% at least once in most cats. MBP measured by oscillometry averaged 136+/-30 mm Hg in males and 113+/-29 mm Hg in females. MBP increased at the onset of surgical stimulation suggesting incomplete anti-nociceptive properties. HR averaged 156+/-19 bpm, and RR averaged 18+/-8 bpm. Neither parameter varied between males and females or over time. Body temperature decreased significantly over time, declining to 38.0+/-0.8 degrees C at the time of reversal in males and 36.6+/-0.8 degrees C at the time of reversal in females. Time from anesthetic reversal to sternal recumbency was prolonged (72+/-42 min). Seven cats (8%) required an additional dose of TKX to maintain an adequate plane of anesthesia at the onset of surgery, and this was associated with significantly longer recovery times (108+/-24 min).
The Origin of GregariousMuscidifurax(Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in North America: An Analysis Using Molecular Markers

Parasitic wasps of the genus Muscidifurax (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) are pupal parasitoids of vari- cause significant economic loss in livestock production ous diptera and are important biological control worldwide (Rutz and Patterson, 1990) and Muscidiagents of flies that breed in accumulated animal furax species are important components of biological wastes and garbage. Most species of Muscidifurax, in- control of filth flies in poultry and livestock systems cluding both North American species Muscidifurax (Miller and Rutz, 1990; Petersen et al., 1990). In North raptor and Muscidifurax zaraptor, oviposit a single America north of Mexico, the two commonly found speegg on each host (solitary oviposition). Recent collec- cies, Muscidifurax raptor and Muscidifurax zaraptor, tions in the central United States, however, have re- both have solitary oviposition (i.e., females oviposit a vealed populations of Muscidifurax with gregarious single egg on each host). When more than a single egg oviposition. Previously, the only known gregarious is laid on a host the first instar larvae fight after hatchMuscidifurax was the South American species Muscid- ing, using their enlarged mandibles in combat so that ifurax raptorellus, which is gregarious in Chile but all but one larva is killed in the process. In contrast, solitary in Peru. We have developed species-specific gregarious oviposition (many eggs laid per host, with molecular markers for the genus Muscidifurax by the broods developing and emerging together from a RAPD‐PCR and have used these markers to identify host) has been described only from a South American the origin of gregariousness in North America. Banding patterns from three of four primers clearly distin- species, Muscidifurax raptorellus (Legner, 1987, guished M. raptor, M. zaraptor, and M. raptorellus, and 1988a,b). Populations of M. raptorellus from Chile are those from the gregarious North American population mostly gregarious, while populations from Peru are most closely resembled those of South American M. mostly solitary. raptorellus. We conclude that the appearance of gre- Recent collections in the central United States in garious oviposition in central North America resulted Missouri (Smith et al., 1987) and Nebraska (Petersen from the introduction of gregarious M. raptorellus, and Cawthra, in press) have revealed previously underather than a novel development of gregariousness scribed gregarious populations of Muscidifurax in within existing populations of M. raptor or M. zarap- North America. This gregarious form has been denoted tor. Gregarious Muscidifurax are very aggressive in Muscidifurax sp. nr. raptorellus because it morphologithe laboratory and are effective biological control cally resembles M. raptorellus and because M. raptorelagents, but how they interact with other parasitoid lus is the only known gregarious member of this genus.
Computers and medieval english lexicography

Dictionaries and related language reference works constitute a rich but under-exploited resource for the history of languages and of language study in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, the size and complexity of typical medieval dictionaries make editions and analyses by traditional methods prohibitively expensive in time and money. Using as an example the Latin-Middle English dictionaryMedulla grammatice, the paper describes some central problems in the study of medieval English lexicography and the solutions provided by computers, which, with their immense speed, profound memory, and perfect accuracy can help scholars analyze, edit, and promulgate medieval documents and the linguistic data they contain.
Short stories as a springboard for increasing inferential skills

Abstract In order to foster and to create a heightened awareness of the inferential process, it is recommended that selected short stories be used in college reading skill classes as an instructional tool. Short stories are an excellent medium because short story writers utilize techniques of suggestion, conciseness, and unity of theme in order to tell a story in the shortest space possible. In contrast to other forms of writing which are usually more explicit, much of the meanings or implications in short stories are unstated and implied, thus it is left to the reader's imagination to supply the missing parts. Short stories are really an “artistic” form of cloze; in fact reading a short story for understanding parallels a cloze experience in that the reader must become actively involved in the reading process in order to “cloze” the gaps of words and information deliberately omitted by the author for artistic purposes. Readers are forced consequently, to become active and involved using problem‐solving s...
Optical Models of the Eye

Model eyes are schematic descriptions of an eye's optical system. Some models emphasize anatomical fidelity, others seek to mimic the eye's functional properties. The balance between anatomical fidelity and mechanistic simplicity is driven by applications.
Multidrug resistance in human tumors--molecular diagnosis and clinical significance.

Background : Multidrug resistance (MDR) of human tumors is one of the major reasons for the failure of chemotherapy in refractory cancer patients. MDR can be intrinsic or acquired, depending on the time of its occurrence, either at diagnosis or during chemotherapy. Molecular investigations in MDR during the last two decades have resulted in the isolation and characterization of genes coding for P-glycoprotein, multidrug resistance-associated protein, lung resistance-related protein, drug resistance-associated protein, breast cancer resistance protein, and adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette protein. Several molecular probes, primer pairs, and monoclonal antibodies have been developed over these years to quantify the regulation and expression of these drug resistance markers in tumor cells. Methodologies have also been standardized to estimate the gene amplification, mRNA and protein expression, and functionality of drug resistance proteins in clinical specimens from cancer patients. Methods and Results : This review describes these drug resistance genes and techniques for detection and quantification of their expression and function. Conclusions : Because these markers have clinical significance and usefulness, currently available technology warrants the application of these markers in clinical oncology.
Computational considerations in non-linear diffusion

The numerical solution of non-linear diffusion problems is considered from the computational view- point. The advantage of various aspects of the problem solution are considered toward enhancing the computational understanding of the system. First is the analytical solution to the reduced linear case which acts as an error check on the numerical solutions as well as providing a base for a perturbation theory approach. Next are two different numerical solutions which are utilized to generate solution redundancy. These are based upon the method of differential quadrature and the method of finite differences. The application to non-linear transient slab diffusion with a general reservoir boundary condition is shown as an example of the various methods.
What determines age-related disease: do we know all the right questions?

The average human lifespan has increased throughout the last century due to the mitigation of many infectious diseases. More people now die of age-related diseases than ever before, but these diseases have been resistant to elimination. Progress has been made in treatments and preventative measures to delay the onsets of these diseases, but most cancers and vascular diseases are still with us and they kill about the same fraction of the population year after year. For example, US Caucasian female deaths from breast plus genital cancers have remained a fairly constant ~7% of the age-related disease deaths from 1938 to 1998 and have been consistently ~2-fold greater than female colon plus rectal cancer deaths over that span. This type of stability pattern pervades the age-related diseases and suggests that intrinsic properties within populations determine these fractions. Recognizing this pattern and deciphering its origin will be necessary for the complete understanding of these major causes of death. It would appear that more than the random processes of aging drive this effect. The question is how to meaningfully approach this problem. This commentary discusses the epidemiological and aging perspectives and their current limitations in providing an explanation. The age of bioinformatics offers hope, but only if creative systems approaches are forthcoming.
Viscoplasticity of agglomerated suspensions.

This work is a theoretical study on the effects of agglomeration on the fluidity and plasticity of a suspension of neutrally buoyant particles in a Newtonian fluid. The dynamics of a cluster of permanently attached spherical particles in a simple shear field is analyzed. The viscous and plastic components of the drag force acting on each of the agglomerated particles is then calculated and found to depend on the size of the individual particle unit, its location being relative to the center of the cluster and the material properties of the engulfing fluid. This information in conjunction with the knowledge of the interparticle cohesive forces is used to establish criteria for the agglomerate size reduction during dispersive mixing. From the kinematics of the cluster movement and the forces acting on its particulate components the rate of energy dissipation is calculated and utilized to evaluate the viscosity and yield stress of the suspension. These rheological parameters depend on the volume fraction and architecture of the agglomerate, the number of fused particles per cluster, and the viscosity of the suspending fluid. The analysis is also extended to include the case of polydispersity of agglomerate sizes.
Cost Estimation of Parallel Constrained Producer-Consumer Algorithms

Cost estimation is crucial in the performance modeling of parallel algorithms and allocation of computational resources on distributed systems. This paper presents a novel methodology for estimating the cost of constrained producer-consumer (CPC) algorithms. In CPC algorithms, the computation is performed by classes of nodes (tasks), separated in time. The methodology combines data flow analysis with communication latencies to determine the production and consumption of data on different processors, which helps in determining the amount of computations and communication. The cost metric that we develop in this paper uses computational imbalances and communication load, and determines a single cost value. The resulting metric is unique, as it provides the first model that targets CPC algorithms. It has wide application in Genetic Algorithms, molecular dynamics, scheduling schemes and computational epidemiology. We provide a general method for determining the application-specific constants of the cost metric. As an example, we extract the constants for EpiSimdemics (a highly scalable contagion simulator), and give guidelines for applying the procedure to other CPC algorithms. Our evaluations show that the cost metric estimated the execution times of a contagion simulator with less than a 6.5% error. The metric can be used in optimal assignment of computational resources.
Emerging role for the cytoskeleton as an organizer and regulator of translation

The cytoskeleton is an intricate and dynamic fibrous network that has an essential role in the generation and regulation of cell architecture and cellular mechanical properties. The cytoskeleton also evolved as a scaffold that supports diverse biochemical pathways. Recent evidence favours the hypothesis that the cytoskeleton participates in the spatial organization and regulation of translation, at both the global and local level, in a manner that is crucial for cellular growth, proliferation and function.
A comparison of questionnaire versus monofilament assessment of neurosensory deficit

Abstract a Purpose Because neurosensory deficit is commonly reported by patients after orthognathic surgery, it is important to know how accurately patients can report their own sensory deficit. This analysis compares the results of objective neurosensory tests with the results of a subjective patient questionnaire. Materials and Methods Before and 6 months after bilateral mandibular sagittal ramus split osteotomy, 101 patients with Class II facial deformities were asked to rate sensations of numbness or tingling in the area of the mental nerve. Simultaneously, they were objectively tested using monofilament neurosensory tests (light touch and brush stroke direction). Results More than 70% of patients subjectively reported neurosensory problems, but objective assessment identified neurosensory deficits in less than 60% of the patients. The sensitivity and specificity of the patients' subjective assessments were 75.3% and 52.8%, respectively, for the light touch test, and 77.9% and 59.8%, respectively, for the brush stroke test. Conclusions It was concluded that when monfilament neurosensory testing is used as the gold standard, patients appear to overreport neurosensory problems; ie, the positive predictive value of patient reports is only 63.2%, resulting in frequent false positives.
Quantum field theory in the infinite temperature limit

Abstract The T = ∞ limit for renormalizable 4-dimensional Euclidean QFT is considered. A general argument is presented in three examples: φ3, QED, QCD. Using an expansion of the Green's functions generating functional, it is shown at T = ∞ quantum dynamics generally becomes 3 dimensional. All superficially divergent diagrams survive at T = ∞ and ensure renormalization of effective dynamics. The correction to naive dimensional reduction is studied; appearance of “electric” masses in QED and QCD is shown to be the result of such a correction. A curious symmetry of the generating functional in QED and QCD, its implications and breaking by the thermal corrections of heavy modes are discussed. Presence of the symmetry implies survival of some fermion modes at T = ∞.
A 11B NMR study of heteroatom boranes of the type B10H12E (E CNMe3, CH−, PR, AsR, As−, S, Se, and Te)

Abstract The 11B NMR spectra of B1OH12E compounds (E  BH−, CH . CNMe3, PR, AsR, As−, S, Se, and Te) have been partially assigned by use of labeled derivatives, proton decoupling, line-narrowing and spin-lattice relaxation studies. The spectra of all B1OH12E species are similar and in the most resolved cases display a series of doublets with the area ratios 1:2:2:2:1:2 (reading upfield). The assignment of these resonances is, for most compounds, B(5); B(2,3); B(8,11); B(9,10); B(1) and B(4,6): respectively. The resonance of B(5) which is antipodal to the E group has the largest shielding variation (19.4 ppm) across the series of compounds. The shielding of the B(5) position in various B1OH12E compounds decreases in the order E  CH− > CNMe3 > PR AsR > As- > S > Se > Te.