cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FTIR evidence for alcohol binding and dehydration in phospholipid and ganglioside micelles.

We theorize that intoxicants and modern anesthetics bind at the membrane-water interface and displace (dehydrate) bound water molecules by breaking the hydrogen bonds. We tested this hypothesis by examining the effect of butanol on the binding of water to the polar regions of lipids in reversed micelles. Understanding the mechanisms of intoxication requires studies in physiologically relevant systems such as systems containing sialoglycoconjugates, especially gangliosides, which concentrate in the synapses of neural tissue. Therefore, we compared butanol effects on phospholipid with effects on ganglioside. Hydrogen-bond breaking activity of 1-butanol was studied in reversed micelles made of dipalmitoylphosphotidylcholine (DPPC), ganglioside (GM1 and GT1b) or the lipid mixture in a D2O-CCl4 medium. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data indicated that 1-butanol binds to DPPC and to gangliosides. Adding GM1 to the DPPC micelles introduces a new binding site for the alcohol. GTlb binds more butanol than GM1, because of more binding sites provided by extra sialic acid moieties. Spectral red shifts indicate that both water and butanol bind to the C = O group of sialic acid. Butanol partially releases the surface-bound water by disrupting hydrogen bonds, as indicated by an appearance of a sharp new free OD stretching band of the released D2O molecules. However, control studies with lipid-free systems in CCl4 revealed that a free OD peak could occur from a deuterium exchange reaction between D2O and 1-butanol(ol-h). Thus, in lipid systems involving D2O and 1-butan(ol-h), deuterium exchange and partial release of water take place at the same time, and it is not possible to distinguish one from the other. Nonetheless, we could demonstrate butanol-induced displacement of bound water with H2O + 1-butan(ol-h) and D2O + 1-butan(ol-d) in lipid-free/CCl4 and lipid/CCl4 systems. Here, the alcohol also produced a new and large free OH peak that was larger than the OH peak produced when the same amount of butanol was used in the absence of water. This “free” water probably forms dimers and trimers with unbound butanol.
Formation and removal of DNA adducts in Fischer-344 rats exposed to 2,4-diaminotoluene

32P-Postlabeling was used to examine DNA adduct formation and removal in Fischer-344 rats exposed to the animal carcinogen 2,4-diaminotoluene (DAT). Adduct formation and persistence were compared between target (liver and mammary gland) and non-target organs (kidney and lung) to determine if possible differences could explain the observed organ specificity of DAT induced carcinogenesis. The effects of different exposure conditions on genesis. The effects of different exposure conditions on DNA adduct formation and removal were also examined by varying the concentration and frequency of compound administration. DAT produced three distinct DNA adducts. Among the organs examined, DNA binding was highest in the liver, with levels approximately 10 times greater than that of the mammary gland and up to 50 times greater than of the two nontarget sites. Despite the large differences in the initial extent of adduct formation, the persistence of adducts among sites was not significantly different. In the liver, there were dose-dependent differences in DNA adduct formation, but adduct removal following different dosages did not vary significantly. The effects of multiple administration on DNA adduct formation and removal were examined by treating rats with 5 mg/kg DAT daily for 10 consecutive days. Adduct yields from multiple treatment were greater than from a single 50 mg/kg exposure. The persistence of adducts following multiple treatment was also greater than after an equivalent single exposure. The results demonstrated organ-specific and dose-dependent differences in initial extent of DNA adduct formation, but no differences in adduct persistence. However, the results did suggest that adduct formation and persistence may change with repeated administration of DAT.
Carrier recombination and lifetime in highly doped silicon

The predominance of phonon-assisted band-band Auger recombination in highly doped silicon is demonstrated by showing that no recombination mechanism involving common (unavoidable) defects in silicon can yield carrier lifetimes that are consistent with the measured lifetimes, which exhibit an inverse-quadratic doping-density dependence, and/or with their temperature dependence. Both trap-assisted-Auger and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination mechanisms are considered, and dependences of the defect density on the doping density, which are implied by theory and experiment, are accounted for.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra of Bisphthalocyaninatolanthanide (III).

Abstract The NMR spectra of bisphthalocyaninatolanthanide(III) complexes (La, Nd, Sm, and Eu) have been examined. An effect of a macrocyclic-ring current and an induced shift caused by lanthanide(III) ions were discussed.
Treatment for chronic depression using Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP).

The article presents an overview of the chronic depression construct in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMs) since 1980, including developmental etiology and psychopathological patterns of the chronically depressed adult. Then the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), an empirically supported psychotherapy and the only therapy developed specifically to treat chronic depression, is described. CBASP addresses the idiosyncratic problems of the chronically depressed adult using Situational Analysis, the Interpersonal Discrimination Exercise, and Behavioral Skill Training/Rehearsal techniques. The first two techniques are illustrated using a verbatim case example.
Spiral Groove Face Seal Concepts; Comparison to Conventional Face Contact Seals in Sealing Liquid Sodium (400 to 1000 Deg F)

Conventional face contact seal performance was improved by incorporation of the spiral-groove geometry. Both conventional face contact seals and seals with spiral grooves were used to seal liquid sodium at a pressure of 20 lb per sq in. gage (14.0 N/cm2 gage), and a sliding velocity of 79 fps (24 m/sec). In comparison with conventional face contact seals, seals with spiral grooves had negligible leakage. The wear and contact patterns indicated that the spiral-groove seal operated with separation of the sealing surfaces, which is necessary for long life. Supporting studies (sealing oil) on face contact seals employing the spiral-geometry are discussed. Successful low-leakage operation was not achieved with conventional face contact seals having carbide seal seats and nosepieces (hard on hard). Thermal and pressure distortions caused edge contact, wear, and scoring. Conventional face contact seals having seal seats and nosepieces with wear-in properties (soft on hard) showed more leakage than those with carbide sealing surfaces.
Developmentally appropriate sexual risk reduction interventions for adolescents: rationale, review of interventions, and recommendations for research and practice.

Background: Despite awareness of the need to design developmentally appropriate sexual risk reduction interventions for adolescents, limited information exists to identify the aspects of intervention design or content that make an intervention developmentally appropriate.Purpose: (a) To clarify the rationale for designing developmentally appropriate interventions, (b) to review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adolescent sexual risk reduction interventions, (c) to identify developmentally appropriate strategies, (d) to examine the relationship between developmental appropriateness and sexual risk outcomes, and (e) to provide recommendations for research.Methods: The authors examined studies (n = 24) published before 2003 that evaluated a risk reduction intervention, sampled adolescents, used an RCT study design, and evaluated sexual behavior outcomes.Results: Content analysis indicated that the interventions tested were often tailored to the cognitive level of adolescents, as indicated by the use of exercises on decision making, goal setting and planning, and concrete explanation of abstract concepts. Interventions also addressed the social influences of risky sex such as peer norms and provided communication skills training. Overall, the interventions tested in RCTs were more effective in delaying the onset of sexual activity than in promoting abstinence among sexually active youth. Interventions with booster sessions were effective in reducing sexual risk behavior. The use of process measures, linked with developmental constructs, was rare. However, improvements in sexual communication skills and perceived norms for safer sex were associated with reductions in sexual risk outcomes.Conclusions: Developmental transitions during adolescence influence sexual behavior and should be considered when developing and evaluating risk reduction interventions for youth. Future research should assess process measures of key developmental constructs as well as risk behavior and biological outcomes.
Collaboration in Emergency Medicine Research

This article expands on several key points about collaboration between emergency physicians and other researchers. Nontraditional areas of collaboration are important in broadening the scope of emergency medicine research.
The investigation of neurotic fears: transcript of a seminar.

Formal exposition of behavior therapy, in lectures or textbooks, no matter how thorough, largely bypasses the presuppositions and questions of students who are new to the field. The following transcript of a seminar with students who had had a substantial amount of preliminary teaching illustrates this. It also shows how the comments of students can be a springboard for discussion of principles and for exploration of techniques and their rationale.
Variability of choline acetyltransferase in ocular tissues of rabbits, cats, cattle and humans

In order, to determine if one eye could serve as control for the other, the variation of choline acetyltransferase in the two eyes of rabbits, cats, cattle and humans was investigated. The enzyme activities of the two corneas, irides, ciliary bodies, retinas and pigment epithelium-choroids of each species varied, on the average, by less than 20% with these exceptions: human corneas (35%), feline ciliary bodies (24%), bovine ciliary bodies (49%), feline retinas (44%), bovine retinas (28)% and rabbit pigment epithelium-choroids (39%). Ocular choline acetyltransferase activity has been shown to vary markedly within a given species, e.g., the corneal activity of one rabbit could be 50 times that of another rabbit. When the enzyme activities of littermates and highly inbred rabbits were compared to those from randomly bred animals, the data suggested that ocular choline acetyltransferase activity was partially under genetic control. Highly inbred rabbits (F = 82–85%) exhibited significantly less variation (P < 0·005) than randomly chosen rabbits. The location and distribution of corneal epithelium choline acetyltransferase were investigated by performing regional assays and denervation experiments in rabbits. Central cornea had the highest enzyme activity (P < 0·05) and superior and temporal cornea had the least. Denervation by retrobulbar ethanol did not lower corneal choline acetyltransferase activity although that of iris-ciliary body fell 63–91% within one week. It was concluded that corneal choline acetyltransferase resides primarily, or entirely, within the epithelial cells and not in the sensory terminals of the trigeminal nerve.
Lattice chiral symmetry with hopping interactions

We formulate Dirac fermions on a (1+1)-dimensional lattice based on a Hamiltonian formalism. The species doubling problem of the lattice fermion is resolved by introducing hopping interactions that mix left- and right-handed fermions around the momentum boundary. Approximate chiral symmetry is realized on the lattice. The deviation of the fermion propagator from the continuum one is small.
Risk adjustment for health care financing in chronic disease: what are we missing by failing to account for disease severity?

BACKGROUND Adjustment for differing risks among patients is usually incorporated into newer payment approaches, and current risk models rely on age, gender, and diagnosis codes. It is unknown the extent to which controlling additionally for disease severity improves cost prediction. Failure to adjust for within-disease variation may create incentives to avoid sicker patients. We address this issue among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Doppler winds mapped around the lower thermospheric terminator of Venus: 2012 solar transit observations from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope

Abstract Doppler shifts of sub-millimeter 12 CO (346 GHz) and 13 CO (330 GHz) and millimeter 12 CO (230 GHz) line absorptions were mapped around the circum-disk terminator of Venus before, during, and after the June 5, 2012 solar transit, employing the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT). Radiative transfer analysis of the solar transit 12 CO thermal line absorptions yields cross-terminator winds in the Venus lower thermosphere (100–120 km) over the local time (LT) and latitude extent of the atmospheric limb presented by the inferior conjunction, nightside apparent disk of Venus. The unique solar transit geometry provides enhanced spatial resolution of the terminator (0.2 h in local time, LT) associated with solar illumination of this atmospheric limb region, and so provides the first characterization of the instantaneous distribution of cross terminator flow in the Venus lower thermosphere versus LT and latitude. Furthermore, by mapping Doppler winds over the nightside disk preceding and following the solar transit, we place the highly variable zonal and subsolar-to-antisolar (SSAS) circulation components of the nightside lower thermosphere (Clancy, R.T., Sandor, B.J., Moriarty-Schieven, G.H. [2012a]. Icarus 217, 794–812) in the context of the day-to-night cross terminator flow that drives this chaotic nightside dynamical regime. The solar transit observations indicate substantially supersonic (200–300 m/s) day-to-night cross terminator winds that are significantly (by 50–150 m/s) stronger over the evening versus the morning terminator. They also exhibit surprisingly large (50%) variations over a 1–2 h timescale that challenge explanation. These behaviors likely contribute to both the variability and the apparent retrograde zonal component of circulation in the Venus nightside upper atmosphere. Hence, these observations support dynamical arguments for preferential deceleration of the morning sector SSAS circulation (e.g., Alexander, M.J. [1992]. Geophys. Res. Lett. 19, 2207–2210), as recently simulated in the Venus thermospheric general circulation model of Hoshino et al. (Hoshinom, N. et al. [2013]. J. Geophys. Res. 118, 2004–2015).
CAN THE POOR COUNTRIES CATCH UP? MIXED RESULTS FROM EXTENDED SOURCES OF GROWTH PROJECTIONS FOR THE EARLY 21st CENTURY

Illustrative projections of per capita income gaps between two groups of developing economies and the rich economies for the period 1998–2030 are made on the basis of an extended sources of growth equation which accounts for interactions between trends in capital and labor productivity. The equation takes into consideration Kaldor–Verdoorn effects, possible impacts on labor productivity of trade liberalization and/or astute industrial policy, human and physical capital accumulation, employment and population growth, shifting shares of labor in income and traded goods in output, shifts in capital productivity, productivity growth retardation due to convergence and specific regional effects. Under optimistic assumptions about all these factors and in the historically unprecedented absence of adverse macroeconomic shocks over three decades, relative and absolute convergence of both regions to the rich countries may be possible.
The entropy of a coincidence-related grain boundary

Abstract The Einstein model of a crystal, in conjunction with the Morse potential, can be adapted to the computer calculation of grain boundary entropy. The entropy of a boundary arises from the lower vibrational frequency of boundary atoms, the availability of multiple equilibrium sites, and the anharmonic character of atomic vibrations; these give rise respectively to frequency-originated entropy, configurational entropy, and anharmonic entropy. Each of these phenomena has been analyzed in a classical statistical manner and the resulting expressions for interfacial entropy have been applied to a coincidence-related boundary. In particular, a computer calculation of the entropy of a 22.6° symmetric [001] tilt boundary (in gold) has been accomplished. The result is a boundary entropy of 0.38 erg/cm 2 °K with the frequency-originated, configurational, and anharmonic terms contributin|g roughly in the ratio 3:2:3. The free energy calculated from this result and existing computations for the internal energy is within 20% of the measured value.
Hereditary multiple intestinal atresias: 2 new cases and review of the literature

Intestinal atresias are a common cause of newborn bowel obstruction (Dalla Vecchia LK, Grosfeld JL, West KW, et al, Intestinal atresia and stenosis: a 25-year experience with 277 cases. Arch Surg 1998; 133[5]:490-496). Hereditary multiple intestinal atresias, first reported by Guttman et al in 1973, is the rarest form of multiple atresias (Guttman FM, Braun P, Garance PH, et al, Multiple atresias and a new syndrome of hereditary multiple atresias involving the gastrointestinal tract from stomach to rectum. J Pediatr Surg 1973;8:633-640; Bass J, Pyloric atresia associated with multiple intestinal atresias and immune deficiency. J Pediatr Surg 2002;37:941-942.). It has been proposed to be autosomal recessive, to involve atresias in a variable combination of sites from stomach to rectum, and to be universally fatal (Bilodeau A, Prasil P, Cloutier R, et al, Hereditary multiple intestinal atresia: thirty years later. J Pediatr Surg 2004;39:726-730; Moreno LA, Gottrand F, Turck D, et al, Severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome associated with autosomal recessive familial multiple gastrointestinal atresias: study of a family. Am J Med Genet 1990;37:143-146). Patients have significant intestinal dysfunction and unrelenting sepsis stemming from a poorly defined, severe immunologic defect. Our case report presents 2 full siblings to nonconsanguineous parents with pyloric atresia, multiple small bowel and colonic atresias, and severe immune dysfunction. Care was withdrawn within 3 months of life on both siblings after multiple bouts of sepsis. Data suggest that the immune defect may not be primary, but in fact be secondary to intestinal dysfunction. Although the subjects in this article ultimately had fatal outcomes, a comprehensive immunologic/physiologic picture is presented in hopes of furthering the understanding of this grave disease.
Pathogenicity of Streptococcus ictaluri to channel catfish

The pathogenicity of a Streptococcus ictaluri isolate in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus at the fry (0.5 g), fingerling (15 g), and juvenile (55 g) stages was determined by experimental bath immersion and injection experiments. Channel catfish were exposed in 1-L immersion baths containing 10(8), 10(9), 10(10), 10(11) or 10(12) colony-forming units (cfu) of S. ictaluri. Fish were also injected intraperitoneally with 0.1 mL of bacterial solution for final doses of 10(4), 10(5), 10(6), 10(7), or 10(8) cfu of S. ictaluri per fish. Streptococcus ictaluri caused mortality in fry, fingerling, and juvenile channel catfish within 21 d postinfection. When mortalities were calculated based on size and challenge route, the cumulative percent mortalities were 11% for fry and 0% for fingerlings by the bath immersion route and 14% for fingerlings and 6% for juveniles by the injection route. Isolation of S. ictaluri from moribund and dead catfish was confirmed by the newly established BIOLOG profile (MicroLog3 system). The results indicate that channel catfish were only susceptible to high concentrations of S. ictaluri and that juvenile channel catfish were less susceptible, possibly explaining why little mortality has been attributed to S. ictaluri infection in catfish aquaculture.
Thermostable continuous coupled assay for measuring glucose using glucokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from the marine hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima.

Abstract A novel, thermostable adaptation of the coupled-enzyme assay for monitoring glucose concentrations was developed for an optimal temperature of 85 °C. This is the first report of a thermostable glucostat from a marine hyperthermophile. The continuous assay, using glucokinase (Glk) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gpd) from Thermotoga maritima, demonstrated robust activity over a range of temperatures (75–90 °C) and pH values (6.8– 8.5). Purified glucokinase had a monomeric molecular mass of 33.8 kDa while that of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase ( d -glucose 6-phosphate:NADP oxidoreductase) was 57.5 kDa. The high-temperature assay provided a method for directly assaying the activity of another hyperthermophilic enzyme, 1,4-β- d -glucan glucohydrolase (GghA) from Thermotoga neapolitana. To provide a benchmark for protein-engineering experiments involving GghA, a three-enzyme continuous assay (performed at 85 °C), linking wild-type GghA, Glk, and Gpd, measured glucose produced from GghA’s hydrolysis of cellobiose, one of GghA’s secondary substrates. The assay established the kinetic behavior of wild-type GghA toward cellobiose and was used to screen for changes in the catalytic efficiency of variant GghA(s) induced by random mutagenesis. The assay’s development will allow high-throughput screening of other thermostable glucose-producing enzymes, including those applicable to commercial biomass conversion.
Development and Implementation of a Perioperative Assistant Training Program

Due to health care reform, many institutions have had to examine the way they deliver patient care. This article describes how, in response to this challenge, an interdisciplinary OR team at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY, developed and implemented the role of perioperative assistant in the OR. The authors describe the education curriculum for program completion, along with specific results. The program's difficulties and challenges are described, as well as what was learned as the program proceeded. The authors stress that program implementation depended on the efforts of all staff members, their willingness to help develop the perioperative assistant role, and their ability to function as a team.
New FTIR Techniques For Studying Biological Membranes

Two new techniques useful for FTIR studies of biolog-ical membranes are discussed. First, we have developed a sensitive new method of obtaining attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectra of unilamellar lipid bilayers in con-tact with bulk water, by coating the bilayers on infrared-transmitting-optical fibers. Second, we have made several improvements in commercially available software for collecting time-resolved FTIR spectra; our modifications result in a substantial increase in data collection speed and a decrease in baseline artifacts in microsecond time-resolved FTIR spectra of biological samples.
Identification of Phosphorylation Sites in the G Protein-Coupled Receptor for Parathyroid Hormone. Receptor Phosphorylation Is Not Required for Agonist-Induced Internalization

In some G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), agonist-dependent phosphorylation by specific GPCR kinases (GRKs) is an important mediator of receptor desensitization and endocytosis. Phosphorylation and the subsequent events that it triggers, such as arrestin binding, have been suggested to be regulatory mechanisms for a wide variety of GPCRs. In the present study, we investigated whether agonist-induced phosphorylation of the PTH receptor, a class II GPCR, also regulates receptor internalization. Upon agonist stimulation, the PTH receptor was exclusively phosphorylated on serine residues. Phosphoamino acid analysis of a number of receptor mutants in which individual serine residues had been replaced by threonine identified serine residues in positions 485, 486, and 489 of the cytoplasmic tail as sites of phosphorylation after agonist treatment. When serine residues at positions 483, 485, 486, 489, 495, and 498 were simultaneously replaced by alanine residues, the PTH receptor was no longer phosphorylated either basally or in response to PTH. The substitution of these serine residues by alanine affected neither the number of receptors expressed on the cell surface nor the ability of the receptor to signal via Gs. Overexpression of GRK2, but not GRK3, enhanced PTH-stimulated receptor phosphorylation, and this phosphorylation was abolished by alanine mutagenesis of residues 483, 485, 486, 489, 495, and 498. Thus, phosphorylation of the PTH receptor by the endogenous kinase in HEK-293 cells occurs on the same residues targeted by overexpressed GRK2. Strikingly, the rate and extent of PTH-stimulated internalization of mutated PTH receptors lacking phosphorylation sites were identical to that observed for the wild-type PTH receptor. Moreover, overexpressed GRK2, while enhancing the phosphorylation of the wild-type PTH receptor, had no affect on the rate or extent of receptor internalization in response to PTH. Thus, the agonist-occupied PTH receptor is phosphorylated by a kinase similar or identical to GRK2 in HEK-293 cells, but this phosphorylation is not requisite for efficient receptor endocytosis.
Vaccines to treat cancer‐an old approach whose time has arrived

There are extensive DNA changes in tumor cells and the genes of tumor cells continuously mutate at a high rate. While this can provide therapeutic targets, it makes it unlikely that an agent that is selective for a single target will work against all cells in a tumor. However, it may be possible to use tumor epitopes as sentinels to engage adaptive and innate immunological mechanisms and create a tumor destructive environment effective also against variant cells that have lost a given antigen or their ability to present it. We hypothesize that therapeutic tumor vaccines, in combination with the targeting, to tumors, of costimulatory molecules such as anti-CD137scFv, or lymphokines such as GMCSF, will expand anti-tumor responses for therapeutic benefit when used as an adjunct to surgery and chemotherapy.
Direct adaptive control of nonlinear systems using neural networks and stochastic approximation

The use of neural networks (NNs) in controlling a nonlinear stochastic system with unknown process equations is considered. The NN is used to model the resulting unknown control law. The approach is based on using the output error of the system to train the NN controller without the need to construct a separate model (NN or other type) for the unknown process dynamics. To implement such an approach, it is required that connection weights in the NN be estimated while the system is being controlled. As a result of the feedback of the unknown process dynamics, however, it is not possible to determine the gradient of the loss function for use in standard (backpropagation-type) weight estimation algorithms. Therefore, the authors consider the use of a new stochastic approximation algorithm for this weight estimation that is based on a simultaneous perturbation gradient approximation that only requires the system output error. It is shown that this algorithm can greatly enhance the efficiency over more standard stochastic approximation algorithms based on finite-difference gradient approximations. >
Fixed-Choice and Open-Ended Response Formats: A Comparison from HIV Prevention Research in Zimbabwe

This article examined similarities and differences in responses to open-ended and fixed-choice question formats gathered from Zimbabwean women participating in an HIV intervention study ( n = 227)....
The Invention of Evening: The pre-history of Romantic time

In 1746, William Collins and Joseph Warton each wrote odes to evening, which they intended to publish in the same volume. Of the two lyrics, only Collins' is remembered and anthologized today, but the joint nature of these poets' efforts – parallel hymns to a single time of day – is nevertheless a notable fact of literary history. By late century, many other poets had joined the chorus: William Cowper devoted the fourth book of The Task (1785) to describing a winter evening; Charlotte Smith, William Lisle Bowles, and other poets of Sensibility wrote numerous twilight sonnets in the 1780s and 90s; a Cambridge undergraduate named William Wordsworth composed a long topographical excursion entitled An Evening Walk (eventually published in 1793); and in 1796, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who had been a few years behind Wordsworth at university and admired An Evening Walk , published a volume of poetry inspired by the pensive nocturnal settings of his predecessors. Evening became the emblematic time of lyric utterance in the eighteenth century, and it will be the work of this chapter to suggest how this came about. What did it mean for Collins and Warton to write odes to Evening? I wish to begin by suggesting that to offer a hymn to Evening was to make a statement of poetic vocation – to describe what Collins called “the Poetical Character.”
Modeling kinetics and isotherms of functionalized filter media for nutrient removal from stormwater dry ponds

Sorption media with mixes of some recycled materials, such as sawdust and tire crumbs, combined with sand/silt and limestone, become appealing in nutrient removal for promoting urban stormwater management with sustainability implications. This article aims to present a specific type of functionalized filter medium and examine its physicochemical process for nutrient removal with the aid of Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and isolated filtration kinetics. Within a suite of batch tests, pollutants of concern include ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, orthophosphate, total dissolved phosphorus, etc. The potential for application in stormwater management facilities, such as dry ponds, was emphasized in terms of life expectancy and removal efficiency. When compared with the natural soil that was selected as the control case in the column tests, our “green sorption media mixture” with respect to three types of sorption, including adsorption, absorption, and ion exchange, proved relatively effective in terms of removing most of the target pollutants under various influent waste loads. Sensitivity analysis with respect to the pH values and initial concentrations simultaneously or separately was presented in the end to enhance the engineering reliability analysis. It shows that with the inclusion of limestone, drastic changes of pH values can be buffered well, so that the impacts on the ultimate removal efficiency of ammonia and nitrates can be isolated solely to the changes of initial concentrations. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2010
A new incision for surgery on tendo Achillis using a distally-based fasciocutaneous flap

The consequences of breakdown of the wound after surgery to tendo Achillis are considerable. Complex surgery is often required to reconstruct the tendon and to provide soft-tissue cover. We describe a new incision which approaches the tendon by using a distally-based fasciocutaneous flap. This reduces the risk of breakdown of the wound since it avoids making an incision directly over the tendon, provides good exposure, and maintains the vascularity of the skin overlying the tendon.
Reflected forward-backward SDEs and obstacle problems with boundary conditions

In this paper we study a class of forward-backward stochastic differential equations with reflecting boundary conditions (FBSDER for short). More precisely, we consider the case in which the forward component of the FBSDER is restricted to a fixed, convex region, and the backward component will stay, at each fixed time, in a convex region that may depend on time and is possibly random. The solvability of such FBSDER is studied in a fairly general way. We also prove that if the coefficients are all deterministic and the backward equation is one-dimensional, then the adapted solution of such FBSDER will give the viscosity solution of a quasilinear variational inequality (obstacle problem) with a Neumann boundary condition. As an application, we study how the solvability of FBSDERs is related to the solvability of an American game option.
Method of allocating multiple asynchronous data transfer (ADT) services to utilize residual TDMA channel space for high throughput service requests

The Integrated Waveform (DAMA UHF SATCOM), specified in MIL-STD-188-181C/182B/183B/185A, defines a TDMA communication system in an attempt to improve satellite bandwidth utilization over conventional SATCOM waveforms. To overcome some of the limitations of statically defined data rates for user communication services in MIL-STD-188-183A/-, a new type of user communication service that supports asynchronous data transfer (ADT) was introduced in MIL-STD-188-183B. Unfortunately as a satellite communication network becomes heavily loaded, the allocation of large timeslots for high throughput data services becomes increasingly difficult. By taking advantage of the unique features of ADT user communication services, it becomes possible for a terminal to utilize multiple smaller timeslots to attain the same throughput that could be achieved using a single larger timeslot. This paper will discuss a method to further improve the utilization of satellite resources by allocating one or more timeslots, each consisting of the residual space in a satellite channel after all other services have been allocated, to terminals requesting high throughput ADT user communication services.
A coupled-bunch ion instability in the SLC electron damping ring

Under abnormally poor vacuum conditions in the electron damping ring, described in a companion paper at this conference, an emittance blowup was observed related to a transverse instability. The instability was only observed with two bunches in the ring, and could not be seen with single bunch operation, even at the same total beam current as for the two bunches. Measurements of the transverse beam transfer function indicate strong coupling between the two bunches when ions are present. This is described in terms of a simple model where the oscillating ion cloud provides the coupling between the two bunches. The frequency shift due to coupling can also cause the ion cloud to become unstable, and disappear, when the betatron tune of the electron bunch is just below the 1/2 integer.
Shallow seismic trapping structure in the San Jacinto fault zone near Anza, California

SUMMARY We analyse fault zone trapped waves, generated by ∼500 small earthquakes, for high-resolution imaging of the subsurface structure of the Coyote Creek, Clark Valley and Buck Ridge branches of the San Jacinto fault zone near Anza, California. Based on a small number of selected trapped waves within this data set, a previous study concluded on the existence of a lowvelocity waveguide that is continuous to a depth of 15‐20 km. In contrast, our systematic analysis of the larger data set indicates a shallow trapping structure that extends only to a depth of 3‐5 km. This is based on the following lines of evidence. (1) Earthquakes clearly outside these fault branches generate fault zone trapped waves that are recorded by stations within the fault zones. (2) A traveltime analysis of the difference between the direct S arrivals and trapped wave groups shows no systematic increase (moveout) with increasing hypocentral distance or event depth. Estimates based on the observed average moveout values indicate that the propagation distances within the low-velocity fault zone layers are 3‐5 km. (3) Quantitative waveform inversions of trapped wave data indicate similar short propagation distances within the low-velocity fault zone layers. The results are compatible with recent inferences on shallow trapping structures along several other faults and rupture zones. The waveform inversions also indicate that the shallow trapping structures are offset to the northeast from the surface trace of each fault branch. This may result from a preferred propagation direction of large earthquake ruptures on the San Jacinto fault.
Radiation propagation in random media: From positive to negative correlations in high-frequency fluctuations

We survey research on radiation propagation or ballistic particle motion through media with randomly variable material density, and we investigate the topic with an emphasis on very high spatial frequencies. Our new results are based on a specific variability model consisting of a zero-mean Gaussian scaling noise riding on a constant value that is large enough with respect to the amplitude of the noise to yield overwhelmingly non-negative density. We first generalize known results about sub-exponential transmission from regular functions, which are almost everywhere continuous, to merely “measurable” ones, which are almost everywhere discontinuous (akin to statistically stationary noises), with positively correlated fluctuations. We then use the generalized measure-theoretic formulation to address negatively correlated stochastic media without leaving the framework of conventional (continuum-limit) transport theory. We thus resolve a controversy about recent claims that only discrete-point process approaches can accommodate negative correlations, i.e., anti-clustering of the material particles. We obtain in this case the predicted super-exponential behavior, but it is rather weak. Physically, and much like the alternative discrete-point process approach, the new model applies most naturally to scales commensurate with the inter-particle distance in the material, i.e., when the notion of particle density breaks down due to Poissonian—or maybe not-so-Poissonian—number-count fluctuations occur in the sample volume. At the same time, the noisy structure must prevail up to scales commensurate with the mean-free-path to be of practical significance. Possible applications are discussed.
Repeat Surgery After Breast Conservation for the Treatment of Stage 0 to II Breast Carcinoma A Report From the National Cancer Data Base, 2004-2010

Importance Although complete excision of breast cancer is accepted as the best means to reduce local recurrence and thereby improve survival, there is currently no standard margin width for breast conservation surgery. As a result, significant variability exists in the number of additional operations or repeat surgeries patients undergo to establish tumor-negative margins. Objective To determine the patient, tumor, and facility factors that influence repeat surgery rates in US patients undergoing breast conservation surgery. Design, Setting, and Patients Patients diagnosed as having breast cancer at a Commission on Cancer accredited center from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2010, and identified via the National Cancer Data Base, a large observational database, were included in the analysis. A total of 316 114 patients with stage 0 to II breast cancer who underwent initial breast conservation surgery were studied. Patients who were neoadjuvantly treated or whose conditions were diagnosed by excisional biopsy were excluded. Main Outcomes and Measures Patient, tumor, and facility factors associated with repeat surgeries. Results A total of 241 597 patients (76.4%) underwent a single lumpectomy, whereas 74 517 (23.6%) underwent at least 1 additional operation, of whom 46 250 (62.1%) underwent a completion lumpectomy and 28 267 (37.9%) underwent a mastectomy. The proportion of patients undergoing repeat surgery decreased slightly during the study period from 25.4% to 22.7% ( P P P P P Conclusions and Relevance Approximately one-fourth of all patients who undergo initial breast conservation surgery for breast cancer will have a subsequent operative intervention. The rate of repeat surgeries varies by patient, tumor, and facility factors and has decreased slightly during the past 6 years.
DNA tape measurements of AraC.

A new method for measuring distances between points in the AraC–DNA complex was developed and applied. It utilizes variable lengths of single-stranded DNA that connect double-stranded regions containing the two half-site binding sequences of AraC. These distances plus the protein interdomain linker distances are compatible with two classes of structure for the dimeric AraC gene regulatory protein. In one class, the N-terminal regulatory arm of one dimerization domain is capable of interacting with the DNA-binding domain on the same polypeptide chain for a cis interaction. In the other class, the possible arm-DNA-binding domain interaction is trans, where it adds to the dimerization interface.
The kinetics of interaction of copper(II) species with apo-transferrin

Abstract The reaction between copper (II) species and human serum apo-transferrin has been studied spectrophotometrically using the stopped-flow method. An initial rapid step which is conveniently studied is first-order in concentration of both transferrin and copper (II) species under the experimental conditions; a pH near 8 was maintained by tris buffer and the solutions contained the synergistic bicarbonate ion. The rate of reaction appears to decrease in tris concentration. At 25°C second order rate constants of 2.1 × 10 4 and 2.9 × 10 4 M −1 at pH 8.08 and 7.86 respectively (0.050 M tris and 0.050 M bicarbonate ion) can be determined The reaction appears to represent a principal binding of copper to the protein, and the results are discussed in the context of other kinetic data for substitution at copper (II).
Real-Time Optimization for Eye-in-Hand Visual Search

This paper presents a multistage, real-time optimization algorithm to perform visual searches. A cost function relates the success of the visual search at any given pose in the workspace. This function is measurable at every camera pose, but it is not necessarily known as a function of changing pose, and its gradient with respect to the workspace or joint space coordinates is not known. In the first stage, a camera is constrained on a fixed sphere centered on the robot and searches for a general target direction by multidirectional direct search. In the second stage, the camera is constrained on a series of spheres centered on refined estimates of the search target's position. A series of extremum seeking control (ESC) algorithms are executed to search the best pose to observe the target. Since there is no existing method to detect when ESC has converged, we propose a novel frequency domain criteria to decide when to terminate the current ESC and launch another on the next candidate sphere. We prove that, under certain conditions, ESC will converge to known neighborhood of the optimal point in finite time. Simulations and experiments are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Flexible module generation in the FACE design environment

The Flexible Architecture Compilation Environment (FACE) provides a common object-oriented representation for design information. A module-generation system built within the FACE environment that uses parameterized procedural module descriptions is discussed. These generators capture the knowledge of a designer and facilitate a high level of reuse of the modules and leaf cells. The system provides a general mechanism to parameterize design information and supports complex generators ranging from tiled structures to entire chips. This approach is applicable to many hardware architectures. Experience in the design of working VLSI chips is discussed. >
Exploring the process of progressive disorientation

While an increasing number of behavioral studies examining spatial cognition use experimental paradigms involving disorientation, the process by which one becomes disoriented is not well explored. The current study examined this process using a paradigm in which participants were blindfolded and underwent a succession of 70° or 200° passive, whole body rotations around a fixed vertical axis. After each rotation, participants used a pointer to indicate either their heading at the start of the most recent turn or their heading at the start of the current series of turns. Analyses showed that in both cases, mean pointing errors increased gradually over successive turns. In addition to the gradual loss of orientation indicated by this increase, analysis of the pointing errors also showed evidence of occasional, abrupt loss orientation. Results indicate multiple routes from an oriented to a disoriented state, and shed light on the process of becoming disoriented.
Rat lab for fun and profit

Many applied behavior analysts have little or no personal exposure to the basic animal experimentation that provided the foundation for applied behavior analysis. However, personal experience in the animal laboratory provides many benefits to students of applied behavior analysis. Animal laboratory experience provides convincing, vivid illustrations of basic principles of learning and facilitates generalization and application of the basic principles. The laboratory experience also teaches interpersonal skills that may be important in future employment in applied fields. The animal laboratory can also provide public relations opportunities, especially with university-sponsored events such as the Rat Olympics. These points, as well as concerns about the resources needed for an animal laboratory and compliance with federal animal-use guidelines, are addressed. It is concluded that the animal laboratory offers many educational profits to students while making learning fun for a reasonable outlay of effort and resources.
Register Requirements for High Performance Code Scheduling

To enable concurrent instruction execution, scientific computers generally rely on pipelining, which combines with faster system clocks to achieve greater throughput. Each concurrently executing instruction requires buffer space, usually implemented as a register, to receive its result. This work focuses on the issue of how many registers are required to achieve optimal performance in pipelined scientific computers. Four machine models are considered: single, double, and triple issue scalar machines, and vector machines with various register lengths. A model is presented that accurately relates the register requirements for optimum performance cyclically scheduled loops with tree-dependence graphs to the degree of function unit pipelining, the instruction issue bandwidth, and code properties. A method for finding upper and lower bounds on the minimum register requirements is also presented.