cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Educational Choice in the Era Before Free Public Schooling: Evidence from German Immigrant Children in Pennsylvania, 1771–1817

Education clauses in 3,478 immigrant servant contracts are used to measure the incidence of schooling versus informal instruction by location, age, and sex. The proportion of servants receiving education was high, over 20 percent being taught outside of schools. Education expanded between 1770 and 1800 through a net increase in schooling rather than because of a substitution of schooling for informal instruction. In the 1770s formal schooling in rural areas lagged behind that in urban, but achieved parity by 1800. Little difference in education was found based on gender.
A positive feedback loop between HER2 and ADAM12 in human head and neck cancer cells increases migration and invasion

Increased activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members such as HER2/Erbb2 can result in more aggressive disease, resistance to chemotherapy and reduced survival of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. In order to identify mechanisms through which these receptor tyrosine kinases accelerate tumor progression, the regulation of metalloprotease expression by EGFR family members was investigated in 11 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines. HER2 expression was significantly correlated with ADAM12 (A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease 12) expression in these cell lines and was co-expressed in human head and neck cancers. Inhibition of HER2 or EGFR decreased ADAM12 transcripts whereas HER2 transfection upregulated ADAM12 expression. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying HER2 regulation of ADAM12, we investigated the signaling pathways directing ADAM12 production in SCC cells. Inhibition of phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase or mammalian target of rapamycin decreased ADAM12 transcripts in HER2-expressing SCC cells, whereas transfection with AKT increased ADAM12 mRNA. Experiments utilizing ADAM12 transfection or siRNA targeting of ADAM12 revealed that the protease increased both the migration and invasiveness of oral SCC cells. Surprisingly, ADAM12 also increased HER2 message, protein levels and activity through an Ets1-dependent mechanism. Collectively, these results reveal a novel positive activation loop between ADAM12 and HER2 that may contribute to HNSCC progression.
Interaction of potentially toxic bile acids with human plasma proteins: binding of lithocholic (3α-hydroxy-5β-cholan-24-oic) acid to lipoproteins and albumin

The binding of lithocholic acid to different plasma fractions was studied. When whole plasma was incubated for 8 hr, approximately 25% of the incubated [14C]lithocholic acid was bound to the lipoprotein and lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fractions. An average of 87.6% of the bound-lithocholic acid was present in the lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fraction, 7.2% in high density lipoproteins, 2.2% in low density lipoproteins, 1.0% in intermediate density lipoproteins and 2.0% in very low density lipoproteins. Expressed as binding per microgram protein, considerably less [14C]lithocholic acid was bound to the lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fraction, than to the lipoproteins. The binding of [14C]lithocholic acid after the incubation of the isolated plasma fractions was similar to that found after the incubation of whole plasma. The highest transfer of [14C]lithocholic acid occurred from the lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fraction to the lipoprotein fractions. The studies indicate, that, although the largest amount of lithocholic acid is bound to the lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fraction, per microgram protein, the binding of lithocholic acid to lipoproteins is more pronounced and stable than that bound to the lipoprotein-free, albumin-rich fraction. Since lipoproteins, in contrast to albumin, are internalized by most tissues, they may be important carriers into cells of lithocholic acid and other potentially toxic or tumorigenic bile acids.
Behavior of sutures used in anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery

This study was performed to determine the material properties of sutures commonly used in orthopedic surgery in order to allow selection of the most appropriate one for securing a hamstring or quadriceps tendon graft in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Three suture materials (number 5 Ticron, number 5 Ethibond, and 5 mm Mersilene tape) were tested. The ultimate tensile load (UTL) with and without a knot, modulus of elasticity, effect of conditioning on the behavior of the suture, and plastic deformation were determined for each suture. Prior conditioning significantly improved the plastic deformation characteristics of all three sutures. Mersilene possessed the highest UTL both with and without knots, and its plastic deformation was significantly lower than that of Ticron or Ethibond. We feel that these characteristics make it the best suture for use in securing hamstring or tendon grafts in ACL surgery. Because of the high UTL achieved by Mersilene tape in the knotted surgical loop construct (nearly 500 N), it may be possible to achieve fixation integrity approaching that of interference fixation with bone blocks.
The effect of maternal amino acid imbalance on fetal cerebral polyribosomes

Abstract Intravenous injection of an isotonic solution of L-phenylalanine or L-tryptophan to pregnant rats on the 20th day of gestation resulted in hyperaminoacidemia in the mother rats and increased concentration of the corresponding amino acid in the fetal cerebral cortices. Disaggregation of the polyribosomes from the fetal cerebral cortices was observed in the polyribosome profiles generated by ultracentrifugation in a linear sucrose gradient. Decreased capacity of in vitro protein synthesis was observed in a cell-free system using microsomal fractions from the phenylalanine or tryptophan-treated fetal cerebral cortices. These observations suggest that amino acid imbalance during pregnancy may be detrimental to fetal brain growth and development.
Respiratory Failure due to Strongyloides stercoralis in a Patient with a Renal Transplant

We report a case of respiratory failure caused by Strongyloides stercoralis in a patient with a renal transplant; the respiratory failure showed dramatic response to therapy with thiabendazole. The clinical aspects of infestation with S stercoralis in the immunocompromised host are discussed, and features are demonstrated which may have significant implications concerning primary treatment and prophylaxis.
On the form and meaning of Hindi passive sentences

Abstract Passive sentences in Hindi share distinctive verbal morphology, and case marking of the agent phrase, if it is expressed. But in meaning and use, the sentences fall into three not totally distinct sub-groups, each with somewhat different meaning, and each loosely associated with a typical form. Since there is no absolute association of particular sentence form with one of the three meanings (ability, prohibition, neutral), it is not possible to relate form and meaning solely with transformations, optional or obligatory, abstract elements, or interpretive rules. If, as is proposed, the passive form is ‘marked’ by comparison with the active or usual form, the speaker's choice of the passive form is the basis for conversational inference, to derive from the literal contents a closely related conveyed meaning. Formal devices like transformations state the syntactic equivalence of active and passive sentences, but particular shades of meaning are represented as possible inferences conversationally and not linguistically related to particular sentence structures.
Iron overload can induce mild copper deficiency.

Dietary copper in the U.S. often is lower than that proved insufficient for men and women under controlled conditions. Iron overload can have adverse effects on copper nutriture and can produce cardiac disease in people. The hypothesis that iron can interfere with copper utilization to produce adverse effects related to cardiovascular function was tested. Rats were fed a diet high in iron and marginal, but not deficient in copper for comparison with similar diets containing iron at the recommended amount. Copper and iron were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy; cholesterol was measured by fluorescence, ceruloplasmin was measured by oxidase activity and hematology was done by an automated cell counter. When dietary copper was 2.0 mg/kg of diet, high iron decreased (p<0.008) cardiac and hepatic copper, plasma copper and ceruloplasmin, and increased (p<0.02) cardiac weight, hepatic iron and plasma cholesterol. When dietary copper was increased to 2.5 mg/kg, copper in heart and plasma decreased (p<0.04) and hepatic iron increased (p=0.001) with high iron but other effects disappeared. No harmful changes in hematology, such as hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, etc. were found. High iron increased the dietary copper requirement of the animals. People with iron overload may benefit from copper supplementation, particularly if they habitually consume a diet low in copper.
Ground-based High-Resolution Imaging of Mercury

Images obtained during the 1974–1975 Mariner 10 flybys of Mercury revealed nearly 50% of the surface of the planet at very high spatial resolutions. Since then, Mercury's close proximity to the Sun has foiled nearly all ground-based and space-based attempts to achieve high-resolution images of the remainder of the planet. We have used a novel technique to obtain nearly diffraction-limited images of Mercury using the Mount Wilson Observatory 60 inch (1.5 m) reflecting telescope. These images are unique in that they show a portion of Mercury that was not imaged during the Mariner 10 mission, including a bright, possibly impact-related feature in the northern hemisphere, as well as other prominent albedo markings across the disk.
The application of image analysis techniques to mineral processing

With the increasing demand for minerals, the development of efficient techniques for mineral recovery is important. The application of image analysis techniques to mineral beneficiation studies is described in this paper. We carry out ore identification not pixel-by-pixel but rather by considering the average reflectance of grains. This is accomplished by first carrying out segmentation, a process in which a facet model based edge operator is used to delineate the boundaries of grains.
A nuclear magnetic resonance study of the pyridine extraction of coal

Abstract Coal extracts prepared using different pyridine extraction methods have been investigated using 13 C CP/MAS, 1 H CRAMPS and 1 H liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results show that short and straight alkyl groups are transferred preferentially to the extract of the coal, but for the most part, the structural distribution in the extract resembles that of the original coal. Incorporation of the solvents, pyridine and THF, was observed to occur during the extraction procedure and/or the subsequent workup to isolate the extract. The information obtained from the different n.m.r. techniques was complementary.
Optimal bounded-degree approximations of joint distributions of networks of stochastic processes

We propose two algorithms to identify approximations for joint distributions of networks of stochastic processes. The approximations correspond to low-complexity network structures - connected, directed graphs with bounded indegree. The first algorithm identifies an optimal approximation in terms of KL divergence. The second efficiently finds a near-optimal approximation. Sufficient conditions are introduced to guarantee near-optimality.
Beta adrenergic blockade prevents cardiac dysfunction following status epilepticus in rats

Summary Status epilepticus (SE) can result in temporary cardiac dysfunction in patients, characterized by reduced ejection fraction, decreased ventricular contractility, and alterations in electrical activity of the heart. Although reversible, the cardiac effects of seizures are acutely life threatening, and may contribute to the delayed mortality following SE. The precise mechanisms mediating acute cardiac dysfunctions are not known. These studies evaluated effects of self-sustaining limbic SE in rats on cardiac performance 24 h following seizures, and determined if sympathetic nervous system activation during seizures contributed to cardiac dysfunction. Rats subjected to SE received either vehicle (saline) or the B1 adrenergic antagonist atenolol (AT) prior to and during 90 min of seizure activity. Control rats were similarly treated, except they did not undergo seizures. Twenty-four hours after SE, animals were anesthetized and catheterized for measurement of cardiac performance variables. Animals undergoing SE demonstrated significantly reduced cardiac output, decreased ventricular contractility and relaxation, increased blood pressure, and prolonged QT interval. However, heart rate was not altered. Treatment with AT prevented all changes in cardiac performance due to SE, and attenuated the increase in QT interval. These data demonstrate that SE in the rat results in cardiac dysfunction 24 h following seizures, mediated by the sympathetic nervous system.
Dance and the Theatricality of Berlin School Cinema

The Berlin School has been identified as a new cinema movement of realist-style observation, deliberate pacing, and reductive aesthetics. This essay proposes a new direction of inquiry. A comprehensive exploration of the dance scenes in a host of films opens up the Berlin School as a cinema of spectacle and theatricality that harks back to the aesthetics of the early “cinema of attractions.” Careful examinations of the complex dance scenes in Valeska Grisebach's Mein Stern (Be My Star) (2001) and Sehnsucht (Longing) (2006), Angela Schanelec's Platze in Stadten (Places in Cities) (1998) and Mein langsames Leben (Passing Summer) (2001), Maren Ade's Alle Anderen (Everybody Else) (2009), and Jan Kruger's Unterwegs (On the Road) (2004) introduce a new layer of engagement with the cinema of the Berlin School that stresses its important relationship to the theatrical and musical traditions of filmmaking and spectatorship.
KAr dates and paleomagnetic evidence for Cretaceous alteration of Mesozoic basaltic lava flows, Mesa Range, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

Abstract The Mesozoic tholeiite basalts in the Transantarctic Mountains are probably Jurassic in age based on a fragmentary fossil record, on their stratigraphic relation to the older sedimentary rocks of the Beacon Supergroup, and on a few 40 Ar 39 Ar and RbSr age determinations. However, the whole-rock KAr dates of these basalts vary widely between ∼ 100 and ∼ 200 Ma and do not constrain the age of these rocks. New whole-rock AAr dates of flows on the summit of Pain Mesa in the Mesa Range of northern Victoria range from 103 ± 4 to 174 ± 7 Ma and confirm previously published results. However, chemical analyses indicate that the K2O concentrations of these flows on Pain Mesa decrease with increasing volatile content (loss on ignition) and that most of the low-K flows in the Mesa Range yield low KAr dates. This evidence suggests that K was lost as a result of alteration of the flows by aqueous solutions and that the alteration was accompanied by even greater losses of radiogenic 40Ar. Accordingly, the new KAr dates of these rocks indicate that the age of alteration is 176 ± 8 Ma. The discordance of KAr dates of the lava flows of the Mesa Range, as well as those at Litell Rocks reported by other investigators, suggests that northern Victoria Land experienced a geologic event during the Cretaceous Period that caused low-grade thermal metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration of the flows. The occurrence of such an event is supported by paleomagnetic evidence indicating that the basalt flows of the Mesa Range and the Litell Rocks as well as sedimentary rocks of early Paleozoic age of the Bowers Terrane in northern Victoria Land, have anomalous virtual geomagnetic pole positions caused by remagnetization during the Cretaceous Period. The tectonothermal and hydrothermal activity in northern Victoria Land during the Cretaceous Period indicated by these results may have been caused by the reactivation of deep crustal faults in the area during the separation of Australia from Antarctica.
Fertility of Bull Semen Stored Up to Four Days at 5° C. In 20% Egg Yolk Extenders

Summary Three fertility trials comparing experimental extenders CUE and CU-16 with a standard 50% egg yolk-citrate-sulfanilamide control were conducted in 1957 and 1958. Semen was extended to ten million motile spermatozoa per milliliter of extender in all trials. The first trial included four bulls, and the semen was used for insemination primarily one and two days after collection. A second field trial was designed to use semen extended with CUE and CU-16 more extensively three to four days after collection, and a third field trial, conducted on a larger scale, was designed to obtain results with all three extenders over a four-day storage period. The combined number of first services and weighted mean percentages of 60- to 90-day nonreturns for all three trials was 6,069 and 73.4 for the control 2.9 CSAY, 6,280 and 76.6 for the CUE, and 6,145 and 76.0 for the CU-16. The adoption of CUE for routine use by the local artificial breeding cooperative resulted in an immediate and consistent increase of about two percentage units, bringing the 60- to 90-day nonreturn rate to an average of 74.9% for nearly 300,000 first inseminations.
Secure Lempel-Ziv compression with embedded encryption

An encryption scheme called the Randomized Dictionary Table (RDT), which embeds encryption into the LZ78 data compression method, is proposed and analyzed in this research. The basic idea is to construct multiple dictionaries with a different entry order and then randomly select one dictionary in each compression step according to a pseudo-random sequence. Our scheme incurs light computation overhead to encrypt the compressed data and does not impair the LZ compression ratio. Security analysis demonstrates that the proposed RDT scheme achieves high security strength under both the ciphertext only attack and the known/chosen plaintext attack.
Eigenvalues and Eigenvalue Sensitivities of a Beam Supported by Viscoelastic Solids

The eigenvalues and the first and second-order eigenvalue sensitivities of a uniform Euler–Bernoulli beam supported by the standard linear solid model for viscoelastic solids are studied in detail. A method is proposed that yields the approximate eigenvalues and allows the formulation of a frequency equation that can be used to obtain approximate eigenvalue sensitivities. The eigenvalue sensitivities are further exploited to solve for the perturbed eigenvalues due to system modifications, using both a first- and second-order Taylor series expansion. The proposed method is easy to formulate, systematic to apply, and simple to code. Numerical experiments consisting of various beams supported by a single or multiple viscoelastic solids validated the proposed scheme and showed that the approximate eigenvalues and their sensitivities closely track the exact results.
Riding the Geoscience Cyberinfrastructure Wave of Data: Real Time Data Use in Education Workshop

This workshop brings together scientists, technologists, and educators in a discussion of how data rich geoscience cyberinfrastructure frameworks can be more effectively deployed in high school and early undergraduate settings.
Revisiting Hispanic adolescents' resilience to the effects of parental problem drinking and life stress

Two previous studies found that life stress and parental alcoholism were not as highly related to distress for Hispanic adolescents as they were for European American adolescents (M. Barrera Jr., S. A. Li, and L. Chassin, 1993, 1995). Those findings could be interpreted as evidence of Hispanic youths' resilience, but limitations of the stress measure and the homogeneity of the Hispanic sample threatened this interpretation. The present study improved on those previous studies by using a new measure of uncontrollable stressors and a more heterogeneous Mexican American sample. Participants in this study were 175 Mexican American and 59 European American adolescents and their parents. Unlike the previous studies, results did not show that Mexican American adolescents were more resilient to parental problem drinking or life stress than were European American adolescents. Overall, life stress was related to adolescents', mothers', and fathers' reports of adolescents' psychological distress above and beyond the effects of ethnicity and socioeconomic factors.
Kinetics of miniemulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate with nonionic and anionic surfactants

The kinetics of miniemulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate, in which nonionic surfactant, Brij-35 [polyoxyethylene(23) lauryl ether], and hexadecane were used, was investigated. For comparison, experiments were also carried out using an anionic surfactant (sodium lauryl sulfate). The results show that, for all experiments, both distributions for the particle size of the latices and the molecular weight of polymers were unimodal. The effects of surfactant and initiator levels on the particle number and the polymerization rate were studied. For the system using Brij-35, the power orders for the dependence of particle number on surfactant and initiator concentrations were 1.33 and 0.68, respectively. The polymerization rate was proportional to the 0.38 power of surfactant level and the 0.84 power of initiator concentration. The hydration layer outside the monomer-swollen particles in the system of nonionic surfactant may exert a retardation effect on the entry of oligomeric radicals into the particles. The result of GPC analysis indicates that the surfactant concentration inversely affects the molecular weight. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1691–1699, 2001
Does central sleep apnea occur in children with syndromic craniosynostosis

Abstract Aim To evaluate the prevalence and cause of central sleep apnea (CSA) and central sleep apnea syndrome (CAS) in patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. Materials and methods This prospective study included ambulant sleep study data to assess, central apneas and obstructive apneas. Data on hindbrain herniation were obtained using cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. Results One-hundred and thirty-eight syndromic craniosynostosis patients with a median (range) age of 7.8 (1.0–18.0) were included. Central apneas decreased significantly with increasing age ( R = −0.25, p = 0.003). An increased central apnea index according to the AASM was present in 5 of 138 patients (3.6%; median central apnea index 2.38 (1.12–3.04)). The prevalence of OSAS was 34%, but the median central apnea index in OSAS patients was not pathologically increased. Patients with hindbrain herniation did not have more central apneas compared to patients without hindbrain herniation ( F = 1.38, p = 0.24). Conclusion There is no CSA syndrome in children with syndromic craniosynostosis despite white matter abnormalities, OSAS and hindbrain herniation.
Prevention of cytomegalovirus infection in the pediatric renal transplant recipient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most important single infectious complication of organ transplantation, affecting more than 70% of transplant recipients. Its emergence as a major pathogen has coincided with the use of cytotoxic therapy. Manifestations of serious CMV disease include: pneumonia, hepatitis, gastrointestinal disease, leukopenia and chorioretinitis. CMV is associated with superinfection with opportinistic organisms, graft failure and increased mortality. Serious infection most frequently occurs with primary CMV infection in which latently infected cells from CMV-positive donors are given to seronegative recipients. Pediatric patients who have a lower pre-transplant rate of CMV seropositivity are at particularly high risk of developing serious CMV disease. Preventative efforts range from the ideal but impractical use of only CMV-negative donors (organ and blood products), to the use of CMV hyperimmune globulin and antiviral chemotherapy. Data support the use of prophylactic hyperimmune globulin and preliminary information supports the use of prophylactic high-dose acyclovir in renal transplant patients. Prophylactic gancyclovir alone or with hyperimmune globulin and pre-transplant vaccination with live-attenuated Towne strain CMV vaccine remain investigational.
Reach-to-Recovery Program of the American Cancer Society.

The Reach-to-Recovery program and its importance is explained by asking readers to imagine themselves as patients recovering from a mastectomy. The expansion of the Reach-to-Recovery program is discussed including reconstruction visitation, preoperative visits, the man-to-man program, teaching breast self-examination, and the new "specialized visitor."
Silicon in the Nedagolla ataxite and the relationship between Si and Cr in reduced iron meteorites

Abstract The Nedagolla ataxite contains 0.14% Si in the metal. The high Cr contents of this meteorite and the previously studied high-Si iron, Tucson, suggest an association between Cr and Si. A study of irons with contents of Ni, Ga, Ge and Ir similar to those of Nedagolla and Tucson resulted in the discovery of 2 ataxites with slightly elevated Cr contents, but Si concentrations less than 30 ppm.
Renal Protective Effect of Long Term Antihypertensive Therapy with Enalapril

This review focuses on recent human studies with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril, prescribed either alone or in combination with a diuretic, to patients with essential hypertension and to patients with hypertension associated with moderate to severe renal parenchymal disease. Data suggest that enalapril therapy may provide a renal protective effect. In addition to lowering and controlling systemic arterial blood pressure, enalapril therapy is associated with stabilisation of, and/or improvement in effective renal plasma flow, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and urinary protein excretion. Such renal protective effects are probably mediated by normalisation of both the systemic arterial blood pressure and intraglomerular capillary hydraulic pressure, and by an increase in the glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient. Drug therapy enabling control of both systemic and glomerular hypertension may prevent hypertensive renal end-organ damage and attenuate the natural progression of renal parenchymal disease.
First Report of Beet necrotic yellow vein virus Infecting Spinach in California

In 2009, plants from two spinach (Spinacia oleracea) experimental fields in Monterey County and one commercial spinach field in Ventura County of California exhibited vein-clearing, mottling, interveinal yellowing, and stunting symptoms. For experimental fields, up to 44% of spinach plants have symptoms. With a transmission electron microscope, rigid rod-shaped particles with central canals were observed from plant sap of the symptomatic spinach. Analysis with a double-antibody sandwich-ELISA assay for Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) showed that all 10 symptomatic plants we tested were positive and 5 asymptomatic plants were negative. Symptomatic spinach from both counties was used for mechanical transmission experiments. Chenopodium quinoa, Tetragonia expansa, and Beta vulgaris (sugar beet) showed chlorotic local lesions and B. macrocarpa and spinach showed vein-clearing, mottling, and systemic infections. To further confirm the presence of BNYVV, reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was conducted. Tot...
Induction of renal damage in rats by a diet deficient in antioxidants

Abstract Male albino rats. age 28 days, were fed a diet containing both vitamin E (10 g/kg) and selenium (5 mg/kg) or a diet lacking these antioxidants. Animals were examined for renal function after 4, 8, 12 and 16 wk on the respective diets. After 8 wk, animals on the deficient diet weighed less than controls (15%, p
Small-angle X-ray scattering from sulphonated polyurethane ionomers based on toluene diisocyanate

Abstract A series of sulphonated polyurethane ionomers based on poly(tetramethylene oxide), poly(propylene oxide), and polybutadiene (PTMO, PPO, and PBD) polyols was examined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). As the polyol molecular weight is increased, the ionic aggregate number density decreases and the aggregate size increases. PPO-based ionomers form smaller and more regularly spaced aggregates than do PTMO- or PBD-based ionomers. The limited data suggest that the aggregate size decreases with increasing valency. For PTMO-based materials neutralized with zinc and cadmium, increasing the temperature increased the fraction of ionic groups dissolved in the polymer matrix, especially for the zinc-neutralized sample. The degree of phase separation for these two samples paralleled the modulus-temperature trend.
Toward Control of the Metal−Organic Interfacial Electronic Structure in Molecular Electronics: A First-Principles Study on Self-Assembled Monolayers of π-Conjugated Molecules on Noble Metals

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of organic molecules provide an important tool to tune the work function of electrodes in plastic electronics and significantly improve device performance. Also, the energetic alignment of the frontier molecular orbitals in the SAM with the Fermi energy of a metal electrode dominates charge transport in single-molecule devices. On the basis of first-principles calculations on SAMs of π-conjugated molecules on noble metals, we provide a detailed description of the mechanisms that give rise to and intrinsically link these interfacial phenomena at the atomic level. The docking chemistry on the metal side of the SAM determines the level alignment, while chemical modifications on the far side provide an additional, independent handle to modify the substrate work function; both aspects can be tuned over several eV. The comprehensive picture established in this work provides valuable guidelines for controlling charge-carrier injection in organic electronics and current−voltage ch...
On the complexity of turbo decoding algorithms

We evaluate the computational complexity of several turbo decoding algorithms: log maximum a posteriori (log-MAP), maximum log-MAP (max-log-MAP) and the soft output Viterbi (see IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, vol.16, no.2, p.260-64,1998) algorithm (SOVA). The computational complexity is analyzed in terms of mathematical operations and the results are normalized by an equivalent addition operation for easy comparison. Furthermore, these algorithms are programmed on a DSP and the number of CPU cycles per decoded bit is measured. Our approach leads to a quick complexity estimate of a turbo decoder with respect to the conventional Viterbi decoder. Both analyzed and measured results suggest that the max-log-MAP algorithm is the best implementation choice because it is the least complex and exhibits only minor performance loss.
DNA methylation of the allergy regulatory gene interferon gamma varies by age, sex, and tissue type in asthmatics

Asthma is associated with allergic sensitization in about half of all cases, and asthma phenotypes can vary by age and sex. DNA methylation in the promoter of the allergy regulatory gene interferon gamma (IFNγ) has been linked to the maintenance of allergic immune function in human cell and mouse models. We hypothesized that IFNγ promoter methylation at two well-studied, key cytosine phosphate guanine (CpG) sites (-186 and -54), may differ by age, sex, and airway versus systemic tissue in a cohort of 74 allergic asthmatics. After sampling buccal cells, a surrogate for airway epithelial cells, and CD4+ lymphocytes, we found that CD4+ lymphocyte methylation was significantly higher in children compared to adults at both CpG sites (P <0.01). Buccal cell methylation was significantly higher in children at CpG -186 (P = 0.03) but not CpG -54 (P = 0.66). Methylation was higher in males compared to females at both CpG sites in CD4+ lymphocytes (-186: P <0.01, -54: P = 0.02) but not buccal cells (-186: P = 0.14, -54: P = 0.60). In addition, methylation was lower in CD4+ lymphocytes compared to buccal cells (P <0.01) and neighboring CpG sites were strongly correlated in CD4+ lymphocytes (r = 0.84, P <0.01) and weakly correlated in buccal cells (r = 0.24, P = 0.04). At CpG -186, there was significant correlation between CD4+ lymphocytes and buccal cells (r = 0.24, P = 0.04) but not at CpG -54 (r = -0.03, P = 0.78). These findings highlight significant age, sex, and tissue-related differences in IFNγ promoter methylation that further our understanding of methylation in the allergic asthma pathway and in the application of biomarkers in clinical research.
The art of stacking: structural folding and self-assembly of branched π-conjugation assisted by O–H⋯O and C–H⋯F hydrogen bonds

An intimate interplay of O–H⋯O/C–H⋯F hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions allows a phenyleneethynylene-based dendritic molecule to fold and self-assemble into two distinctively different molecular crystals as pseudopolymorphs.
Co-dfns: Ancient Language, Modern Compiler

The APL language allows subject matter experts with no computer science experience to create large and complex software implementations of ideas without excessive software engineering and external development costs. The rapid increase in data sizes challenges existing APL systems, which are all interpreters, to scale with the domain expert's problem size. The Co-dfns project, currently in early development stages, focuses on delivering new language innovations and a high-performance compiler for modern APL that enables domain experts to scale their ideas to their data using modern hardware architectures. The Co-dfns language provides concise primitives that allow domain experts to utilize concurrency and explicit task parallelism in their code. The compiler addresses critical performance bottlenecks of the Dyalog APL interpreter, while maintaining strong integration and compatibility with existing APL workflows. Co-dfns will allow domain experts to scale their code more successfully without requiring them to rewrite critical portions of their code in other languages. Early benchmarking efforts indicate that even naive and unoptimized versions of the Co-dfns compiler compete well with Dyalog on code that naturally lends itself to APL.
Increased Androgen Response to Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Administration in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Context: In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), excess ovarian androgen production is driven by increased LH secretion. Studies conducted in animals suggest that the granulosa cell may influence LH-stimulated theca cell androgen production. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether FSH enhances androgen production in women with PCOS compared with that of normal women. Design: A prospective study was conducted to compare androgen production in response to FSH in two groups of women. Setting: The study was conducted in a General Clinical Research Center in a tertiary academic medical center. Patients: Women with PCOS, 18–35 yr (n = 20), and normal ovulatory controls, 18–35 yr (n = 10), were recruited for study. Interventions: Serial blood samples were obtained over a 24-h period after an iv injection of recombinant human FSH (150 IU). Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures were serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione (A), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA),...
Collector signal delay in the presence of velocity overshoot

It is pointed out that the well-known expression equating the collector signal delay to one-half of the transit time through the base-collector depletion region is incorrect in the presence of a nonconstant carrier velocity, as occurs in the case of velocity overshoot. The correct expression yields a smaller signal delay than the conventional estimate for typical situations, further emphasizing the benefit of velocity overshoot in bipolar devices. >
John William Draper 1811–1882 photographic scientist

The scientific life of John William Draper is briefly reviewed and personally reflected upon.
Health in All Policies: Addressing the Legal and Policy Foundations of Health Impact Assessment

The concept of Health in All Policies aims to improve the health outcomes associated with policies in an attempt to mitigate health disparities and provide optimal environments for healthier living. This multidisciplinary framework seeks to improve health through effective assessment and reformation of policy for organizations of any level and stature. The importance of integrating health in policy assessment and decision making is a key concept in the growing field of Health Impact Assessment. The World Health Organization defines Health Impact Assessment (HIA) as “a combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population.” HIA provides a mechanism for collaboration between various sectors and disciplines bridging the gap between research, policymaking, and implementation of policies, programs, and projects affecting health outcomes. In the United States, while some HIA efforts have focused on proposed public policies, HIA has been used primarily to analyze the health effects of proposed development projects and plans related to community design and transportation.
Operations Research Improves Sales Force Productivity at IBM

In 2004, IBM introduced a set of broad operations research-based initiatives designed to improve the efficiency and productivity of its global sales force. The first solution, OnTARGET, provides a set of analytical models designed to identify new sales opportunities at existing IBM accounts and at noncustomer companies. The second solution, the Market Alignment Program (MAP), optimally allocates sales resources based on field-validated analytical estimates of future revenue opportunities in operational market segments. IBM Research developed the operations research models and initial internal websites for both solutions. The IBM Software Group initially implemented OnTARGET, which was subsequently made available to over 13,000 sales representatives across IBM sales organizations worldwide. The IBM Sales and Distribution organization deployed MAP as an integral part of its sales model to better align sales resources with the best market opportunities. We describe the development of both analytical models, and the underlying data models and websites used to deliver the solutions. We conclude with a discussion of the business impact, which we estimate as hundreds of millions of dollars annually for the combined initiatives.
VACUOLAR IMPORT OF PROTEINS AND ORGANELLES FROM THE CYTOPLASM

▪ Abstract Many cellular processes require a balance between protein synthesis and protein degradation. The vacuole/lysosome is the main site of protein and organellar turnover within the cell due ...
Migrating controller based framework for mutual exclusion in distributed systems

A new framework for migrating controller based distributed mutual exclusion algorithms is presented. A salient feature of the proposed framework is the separation of two orthogonal aspects of the problem, viz., migrating controller and the granting of critical section entry. Two new algorithms are presented to illustrate the derivation of specific algorithms from the generalized framework. >
Global Gene Expression Profiling in R155H Knock-In Murine Model of VCP Disease

Dominant mutations in the valosin-containing protein (VCP) gene cause inclusion body myopathy associated with Paget disease of bone and frontotemporal dementia, which is characterized by progressive muscle weakness, dysfunction in bone remodeling, and frontotemporal dementia. More recently, VCP has been linked to 2% of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases. VCP plays a significant role in a plethora of cellular functions including membrane fusion, transcription activation, nuclear envelope reconstruction, postmitotic organelle reassembly, and cell cycle control. To elucidate the pathological mechanisms underlying the VCP disease progression, we have previously generated a VCP(R155H/+) mouse model with the R155H mutation. Histological analyses of mutant muscle showed vacuolization of myofibrils, centrally located nuclei, and disorganized muscle fibers. Global expression profiling of VCP(R155H/+) mice using gene annotations by DAVID identified key dysregulated signaling pathways including genes involved in the physiological system development and function, diseases and disorders, and molecular and cellular functions. There were a total of 212 significantly dysregulated genes, several of which are involved in the regulation of proteasomal function and NF-κB signaling cascade. Findings of the gene expression study were validated by using quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses to test genes involved in various signaling cascades. This investigation reveals the importance of the VCP(R155H/+) mouse model in the understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms causing VCP-associated neurodegenerative diseases and in the discovery of novel therapeutic advancements and strategies for patients suffering with these debilitating disorders.
Modeling the social consequences of testimonial norms

This paper approaches the problem of testimony from a new direction. Rather than focusing on the epistemic grounds for testimony, it considers the problem from the perspective of an individual who must choose whom to trust from a population of many would-be testifiers. A computer simulation is presented which illustrates that in many plausible situations, those who trust without attempting to judge the reliability of testifiers outperform those who attempt to seek out the more reliable members of the community. In so doing, it presents a novel defense for the credulist position that argues one should trust testimony without considering the underlying reliability of the testifier.
Adverse effect of anticonvulsants on efficacy of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Summary Background Many antileukaemic agents or their metabolites are inactivated by liver enzymes. Most anticonvulsant drugs induce drug-metabolising enzymes and thereby increase the clearance of anticancer agents. We investigated whether anticonvulsants compromise the efficacy of cancer chemotherapy. Methods We identified whom of 716 children treated consecutively for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at a single academic hospital in the USA between 1984 and 1994 received treatment for 30 days or longer with anticonvulsants (phenytoin, phenobarbital, carbamazepine, or a combination) at the same time as antileukaemic therapy. Cox's proportional-hazards models were used to assess the prognostic significance of anticonvulsants on event-free survival and risk of haematological and central-nervous-system (CNS) relapse, with stratification for treatment protocol. Findings 40 (5·6%) of 716 patients received anticonvulsants. Use of these drugs was associated with age over 10 years (p=0·003), non-hyperdiploid leukaemia (p=0·031), and T-cell immunophenotype (p=0·022). After adjustment for age and ploidy, anticonvulsant therapy was significantly related to worse event-free survival (hazard ratio 2·67 [95% CI 1·50–4·76]; p=0·0009), haematological relapse (3·40 [1·69–6·88]; p=0·0006), and CNS relapse (2·90 [1·01–8·28]; p=0·047) among the 566 patients with B-lineage leukaemia. No such associations were seen among the 114 patients with T-cell leukaemia (p=0·61, 0·35, and 0·53, respectively). Faster clearance of teniposide (p=0·0001) and methotrexate (p=0·051), but not cytarabine (p=0·26) was found among patients receiving anticonvulsants. Interpretation Long-term anticonvulsant therapy increases the systemic clearance of several antileukaemic agents and is associated with lower efficacy of chemotherapy. Alternatives to enzyme-inducing anticonvulsants should be prescribed for patients receiving chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Aging and Physical Function in Type 2 Diabetes: 8 Years of an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a serious threat to public health both in the United States (1,2) and globally (3). T2DM is largely a disease of obesity and aging (4), and its prevalence is expected to increase in the United States over the next two decades as a result of our overweight and aging population (5,6). The combined effect of T2DM and aging on physical functioning (PF) threatens independence of older adults (7), compromises glucose storage and clearance via loss of muscle mass (8), and reduces quality of life (9). Existing data reinforce the public health significance of this problem, in that older adults with T2DM have twice the prevalence of physical disability as those without the disease (10), and the severity of obesity further increases this risk (11). In the Look AHEAD study, a large multicenter trial examining the effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) on cardiovascular events in T2DM, the first 4 years of the ILI treatment led to a 48% reduction in limitations with specific mobility-related activities compared with diabetes support and education (DSE) (12). In addition, across the first 8 years of the study, participants in the ILI treatment had higher scores on the SF-36 composite index for physical health than those in DSE (13). The current study is a secondary data analysis of 8 years of data within Look AHEAD that examines self-reported PF using the 10-item subscale from the SF-36 composite physical health index. Although we first examine treatment differences between ILI and DSE, and expected to find that ILI would have higher PF than DSE, our primary goal was to examine whether age or history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at enrollment moderated these treatment effects. Published results from both the Diabetes Prevention Program (14) and Look AHEAD (15) would suggest that older participants should derive more benefit in PF from the ILI treatment than younger participants. Also, based on the published results for the primary outcome paper in Look AHEAD (16), we anticipated that preexisting CVD would mitigate the benefit from ILI compared with those without preexisting CVD and that the decline in PF across time would be greater for participants with than participants without CVD.
Students Anchoring Predisposition: An Illustration From Spring Training Baseball

The anchoring tendency results when decision makers anchor on initial values and then make final assessments that are adjusted insufficiently away from the initial values. The professional literature recognizes that auditors often risk falling into the judgment trap of anchoring and adjusting (Ranzilla et al., 2011). Students may also be unaware of the anchoring pitfall. This paper describes a brief case study that illustrates an innovative approach for auditing students to gain a better understanding of this judgmental trap. Using a simple baseball pricing exercise, students determined ticket selling prices for two Major League Baseball spring training games. Data for this study was collected from the public posting of baseball tickets listed for sale on an internet company called StubHub. The results showed that when students had sunk cost break-even information students tried to avoid losses and anchored on this information. Ranzilla et al. (2011) assert that awareness of when and how judgments can be biased is an important mitigating step to educating students regarding the anchoring and adjusting tendency.
Nanostructuring triacylglycerol crystalline networks under external shear fields: a review

Years of study on fats and oils showed that the quality of fat-containing foods is influenced by both the chemical composition of the triacylglycerol's molecules as well as the physical properties of the underlying fat crystal network. The structure of the solid crystalline network at different length scale (macro/micro/nano) is mainly optimized during the processing conditions. A number of research works studied the kinetics of fat structure formation under different thermo-mechanical regimes and introduced the physico-chemical aspects involved in lipids crystallization. Some of the more recent and important advances in improving the fat network characteristics under external fields, such as shear flow rate, are discussed in this review.