cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding Greek Religion

Understanding Greek Religion is one of the first attempts to fully examine any religion from a cognitivist perspective, applying methods and findings from the cognitive science of religion to the ancient Greek world. In this book, Jennifer Larson shows that many of the fundamentals of Greek religion, such as anthropomorphic gods, divinatory procedures, purity beliefs, reciprocity, and sympathetic magic arise naturally as by-products of normal human cognition. Drawing on evidence from across the ancient Greek world, Larson provides detailed coverage of Greek theology and local pantheons, rituals including processions, animal sacrifice and choral dance, and afterlife beliefs as they were expressed through hero worship and mystery cults. Eighteen in-depth essays illustrate the theoretical discussion with primary sources and include case studies of key cult inscriptions from Kyrene, Kos, and Miletos. This volume features maps, tables, and over twenty images to support and expand on the text, and will provide conceptual tools for understanding the actions and beliefs that constitute a religion. Additionally, Larson offers the first detailed discussion of cognition and memory in the transmission of Greek religious beliefs and rituals, as well as a glossary of terms and a bibliographical essay on the cognitive science of religion. Understanding Greek Religion is an essential resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of Greek culture and ancient Mediterranean religions.
Ketoconazole plus Lenalidomide in patients with Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC): results of an open-label phase II study

Introduction Ketoconazole is CYP-17 inhibitor with demonstrated activity in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Lenalidomide is an antiangiogenic and immunomodulatory agent with broad antitumor activity. We hypothesized that the modulation of the cellular immune response to apoptosis caused by ketoconazole may be increased with the addition of lenalidomide. Methods This is an open-label, non-randomized, single-arm phase II study evaluating the efficacy and safety of the combination of ketoconazole and lenalidomide in patients with CRPC. Treatment schema included standard ketoconazole 400 mg orally three times daily plus hydrocortisone orally (20 mg in the morning and 10 mg at night) in combination with lenalidomide 25 mg orally daily for 21 days in a 28-day cycle and aspirin 75 mg daily. The primary endpoint of this study was response (either by ≥ 50% PSA decline or objective disease assessed by RECIST v1.0). Exploratory endpoints included changes in T cell, dendritic cell (DC) marker counts, and their correlation with PSA response to treatment. Results A total of 34 CRPC patients, median age 69 years, 76% ECOG 0 and 76% with metastases participated in the study. Patients received a median of 2 cycles (range 1–35); nine patients (26%) received >10 cycles of treatment. PSA responses were observed in 17 patients (50%) with 11 patients (32%) achieving a PSA decline of >90%. Among the 9 patients with measurable disease, 2 patients (22%) had PR and 2 other (22%) had SD as best response. Median time to failure (TTF) was 2.7 months (range 0.2–32.8); and 8 patients were treated for ≥ 15 months. Most common adverse events included fatigue (76%), skin reactions (62%), lymphopenia (44%) and anemia (44%). One possible treatment-related death was noted. For 16 patients with available serial correlative data, there was a significant increase in the dendritic cells subsets BDCA-1 (+146.7, −20.1 to +501.1%, p = 0.018) and BDCA-3 (39.8%, −100 to 282.6%, p = 0.001) after 8 weeks of treatment. No association between immune cell counts and PSA response at 8 weeks was observed. Conclusion The combination of ketoconazole and lenalidomide was well tolerated but did not meet the primary endpoint of response, despite durable responses were observed in a selected group of patients. Although ketoconazole has now been replaced with more active novel agents, the combination of novel CYP-17 inhibitors with agents capable of modulating the immune system warrants further prospective investigation. NCT00460031.
Human Leukocyte Antigen Typing by Next-Generation Sequencing

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele ambiguities are the result of limitations of current HLA typing methodologies. Ambiguities maybe due to polymorphisms in unsequenced regions of HLA genes or cis/trans variants that cannot be distinguished by Sanger sequencing. Next generation sequencing (NGS) can resolve these two sources of ambiguity because the entire gene can be sequenced. Commercially available HLA NGS genotyping kits enable laboratories to deliver high-quality and unambiguous HLA typing results at an affordable cost. Third generation sequencing technologies are poised to further improve sequencing quality, shorten turn-around and library preparation times, as well as provide full-gene phasing.
Association of Unintended Pregnancy With Spontaneous Fetal Loss in Women With Epilepsy: Findings of the Epilepsy Birth Control Registry.

Importance If unintended pregnancy is common among women with epilepsy and is associated with increased risk of spontaneous fetal loss (SFL), it is important to develop guidelines for safe and effective contraception for this community. Objective To assess whether planned pregnancy is a determinant of SFL in women with epilepsy. Design, Setting, and Participants The Epilepsy Birth Control Registry conducted this web-based, retrospective survey between 2010 and 2014. It gathered demographic, epilepsy, antiepileptic drug (AED), contraceptive, and reproductive data from 1144 women with epilepsy in the community between ages 18 and 47 years. Data were analyzed between March 2018 and May 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence intervals for SFL in unplanned vs planned pregnancies. The secondary outcome was the identification of some potentially modifiable variables (maternal age, pregnancy spacing, and AED category) of SFL vs live birth using binary logistic regression. Results The participants were proportionally younger (mean [SD] age, 28.5 [6.8] years), and 39.8% had household incomes of $25 000 or less. Minority women represented only 8.7% of the participants. There were 530 of 794 unplanned pregnancies (66.8%) and 264 of 794 planned pregnancies (33.2%). The risk for SFL in 653 unaborted pregnancies in women with epilepsy was greater for unplanned (n = 137 of 391; 35.0%) than planned (n = 43 of 262; 16.4%) pregnancies (RR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.59-2.90;P Conclusions and relevance The Epilepsy Birth Control Registry retrospective survey finding that unplanned pregnancy in women with epilepsy may double the risk for SFL warrants prospective investigation with outcome verification.
Group-based trajectories of parent-child communication and parental knowledge between sexual minority and heterosexual girls and their associations with substance use.

Abstract Introduction Sexual minority girls (SMGs) may be at high risk for substance use partially due to anti-gay discrimination. Low levels of parent-child communication and parental knowledge may contribute to this risk. This study seeks to identify parent-child communication and parental knowledge trajectories, determine the likelihood of SMGs following these trajectories, and describe the relationships between these trajectories, sexual orientation, and substance use. Methods This is a secondary data analysis of the Pittsburgh Girls Study (N = 2450), a longitudinal study on the changes in behaviors among girls throughout childhood. We generated group trajectory models of parentchild communication and parental knowledge starting from age 12 to age 17 years. We then tested the likelihood of SMGs belonging to these group trajectories and the association between group trajectory membership and substance use at age 18 years. Results SMGs were more likely than were heterosexual girls to follow the infrequent decreasing parent-child communication trajectory and the slowly decreasing parental knowledge trajectory and were more likely than were heterosexual girls to engage in substance use at age 18 years. Parent-child communication and parental knowledge trajectories were statistically significant mediators between sexual orientation and substance use. Conclusion Frequency of parent-child communication and levels of parental knowledge may be determinants of substance use among SMGs. These results have implications for developing substance use prevention programs among sexual minority youth targeting parent-child relationships.
Tunable Orthogonal Reversible Covalent (TORC) Bonds: Dynamic Chemical Control over Molecular Assembly

Dynamic assembly of macromolecules in biological systems is one of the fundamental processes that facilitates life. Although such assembly most commonly uses noncovalent interactions, a set of dynamic reactions involving reversible covalent bonding is actively being exploited for the design of functional materials, bottom-up assembly, and molecular machines. This Minireview highlights recent implementations and advancements in the area of tunable orthogonal reversible covalent (TORC) bonds for these purposes, and provides an outlook for their expansion, including the development of synthetically encoded polynucleotide mimics.
Propagation of Degradation-Induced Defects in Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks

Isolated defects induced by water and acid gases have been extensively characterized in ZIF-8, a prototypical metal–organic framework material, but there is little understanding regarding how these...
Cerebellum and Limb Flexion Conditioning

“A bell sounds and the conditioned dog lifts its forepaw. Although the physiological explanation of this seemingly simple sequence of events has been sought intensively ever since conditioned responses were first discovered more than half a century ago (Pavlov, 1927), we still lack today a satisfactory picture of the underlying neural mechanism”. Sperry, R.W. ‘On the Neural Basis of the Conditioned Response’, 1955.
A longitudinal analysis of the effect of public rail infrastructure on proximate residential property transactions

Value capture offers the promise of recouping the additional value that public transportation infrastructure investments confer to local property. The totality of the empirical evidence supports th...
Millimeter-Wave Base Station Diversity for 5G Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) Applications

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) will be used for fifth-generation (5G) wireless systems. While many recent empirical studies have presented propagation characteristics at mmWave bands, macrodiversity and Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) have not been carefully studied. This paper describes a large-scale mmWave base station diversity measurement campaign at 73 GHz in an urban microcell (UMi) in downtown, Brooklyn, NY, USA, and provides the first detailed analysis of CoMP and macrodiversity performance based on extensive measurements. The research employed nine different base station locations in a 200 m by 200 m area and considered 36 individual transmitter–receiver combinations for extensive co- and cross-polarized varying directional beam channel impulse response measurements. From the measured data, hypothesis testing with cross-validation shows that large-scale shadow fading of directional path loss at an RX from multiple base stations can be modeled as being independent. To consider life-like human blockage in CoMP and macrodiversity analysis, simulated human blockage traces are superimposed on the directional measurements to quantitatively show that a user that is served by multiple base stations undergoes dramatically less outage in the presence of rapid fading events, compared to a single serving base station. Moreover, the base station diversity measurements are used to determine the effectiveness of downlink precoding techniques for mmWave CoMP. While results show that the coordination can improve network performance by suppressing interference when it exists, nearly half of the 680 000 directional CoMP measurements (~43%) result in no interference for either user, meaning that macrodiversity alone may offer sufficient link and capacity improvement and that CoMP may not be necessary for interference coordination at mmWave when narrow directional beams are used.
Digital pedagogy in three parts: screencasting, course blog, remote guests

The course is one of a set of ten modules in the College of Engineering’s offerings under the Introduction to Engineering umbrella. All incoming freshmen have to choose two modules, according to their interests, with topics varying from mechanical design, photonics, biomedical engineering environments, among others. This module is aimed at motivating the subject of bio-inspired engineering through the study of the way animals move in the air by either falling, gliding, or flying.
Beam Deflection Measurements of Transient Nonlinear Refraction in Air in the Mid-IR

Using the Beam Deflection Technique, the bound-electronic and nuclear reorientation contributions to the nonlinear refraction of air are separately measured in the mid-infrared as a function of time below the ionization threshold.
Big brains reduce extinction risk in Carnivora

Why are some mammals more vulnerable to extinction than others? Past studies have explored many life history traits as correlates of extinction, but have not been successful at developing a unified understanding of why some species become extinct while other species persist despite living at the same time, under similar conditions, and facing equivalent challenges. I propose that the lens of wildlife behavior may bring into focus a more comprehensive view of why some species have gone extinct while others persist. The fossil record has recorded extinction events over carnivoran history; unfortunately, behavior is not well recorded in the fossil record. As a proxy for behavior, I examine relative encephalization (RE), brain size after controlling for body mass and phylogeny, as it has been found to be biologically relevant in understanding a wide variety of animal behavioral traits. I focus on the data-rich order Carnivora for which there are comprehensive data on brain size and extinction between 40 and 0.012 million years ago. I use Cox proportional-hazards models to assess the role that RE and body size have played on extinction risk for 224 species in the order Carnivora that existed between 40 and 0.012 million years ago. I show generally that carnivoran species with reduced RE had higher relative risks of extinction. Additionally, I find an interaction between RE and body size such that RE had the largest effects on relative extinction risk in the smallest-bodied species. These results suggest that RE is important for understanding extinction risk in Carnivora over geologic time frames.
Acute Respiratory Distress During Stem Cell Infusion

Dextran is a standard and unique constituent used in cryopreservation of umbilical cord stem cells About 0.01%–0.6% of the population are at risk for severe grade III-V anaphylactic reactions to dextran, including coronary vasospasm and takotsubo-type cardiotoxicity
Reduced cannabinoid 2 receptor activity increases susceptibility to induced seizures in mice.

Objective The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is comprised of cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1R and CB2R), endogenous ligands, and regulatory enzymes, and serves to regulate several important physiological functions throughout the brain and body. Recent evidence suggests that the ECS may be a promising target for the treatment of epilepsy, including epilepsy subtypes that arise from mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel SCN1A. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of modulating CB2R activity on seizure susceptibility. Methods We examined susceptibility to induced seizures using a number of paradigms in CB2R knockout mice (Cnr2-/- ), and determined the effects of the CB2R agonist, JWH-133, and the CB2R antagonist, SR144528, on seizure susceptibility in wild-type mice. We also examined seizure susceptibility in Cnr2 mutants harboring the human SCN1A R1648H (RH) epilepsy mutation and performed Electroencephalography (EEG) analysis to determine whether the loss of CB2Rs would increase spontaneous seizure frequency in Scn1a RH mutant mice. Results Both heterozygous (Cnr2+/- ) and homozygous (Cnr2-/- ) knockout mice exhibited increased susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures. The CB2R agonist JWH-133 did not significantly alter seizure susceptibility in wild-type mice; however, administration of the CB2R antagonist SR144528 resulted in increased susceptibility to PTZ-induced seizures. In offspring from a cross between the Cnr2 × RH lines, both Cnr2 and RH mutants were susceptible to PTZ-induced seizures; however, seizure susceptibility was not significantly increased in mutants expressing both mutations. No spontaneous seizures were observed in either RH or Cnr2/RH mutants during 336-504 hours of continuous EEG recordings. Significance Our results demonstrate that reduced CB2R activity is associated with increased seizure susceptibility. CB2Rs might therefore provide a therapeutic target for the treatment of some forms of epilepsy.
Pushing Boundaries: How Coding Is (and Isn't) Taught in Accredited Journalism Programs.

A census of Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)–accredited journalism programs reveals that less than a quarter require students to learn code. Despite i...
FairFuzz -TC: a fuzzer targeting rare branches

FairFuzz is a coverage-guided mutational fuzzing tool based on AFL, which targets its mutation strategy towards rare branches in the program. FairFuzz was built to run on command-line C $${\backslash }$$ C++ programs which accept a single file as input. We introduce the modifications to FairFuzz which enable it to run on Test-Comp benchmarks; we refer to this altered version as FairFuzz-TC. FairFuzz-TC placed in the middle of the testing competition. FairFuzz-TC had better performance on the error-finding benchmarks than on the branch coverage benchmarks. We analyze the results and find that the benchmarks on which FairFuzz-TC has the most difficulties are those where (a) most functionality is under hard comparisons (requiring precise input values), (b) getting a seed input on which the program does not crash or time out is difficult, or (c) the program takes too much time to execute.
A Case for Higher Corporate Tax Rates

In this report, Fox and Liscow argue that, while conventional wisdom holds that we should lower taxes on corporations because of international competition, two recent changes militate in favor of higher corporate taxes, which would close the deficit, fund social programs, and reduce inequality. First, changes in tax law have increasingly targeted the corporate tax at economic “rents,” the supersized returns that businesses receive when they enjoy advantages like market power. Because taxing rents is progressive and does little to harm economic activity, a higher rate is justified. Second, shifts in the American economy have allowed companies to earn more economic rents, increasing the revenue a tax on rents could raise — and increasing the appeal of the tax as a deterrent to harmful behaviors like lobbying government officials to get or maintain market power. Although the authors cannot say exactly what the corporate rate should be, principally because the international dimension remains so important, they offer reasons to favor a higher rate and describe reforms that could help ease the adoption of higher, but still efficient, taxes on corporate returns. Fox and Liscow suggest that, at minimum, proponents of lower corporate tax rates present an incomplete picture and that the “lower corporate tax rates” conclusion is a nonobvious one.
Decision Right Allocation and Platform Market Effectiveness: Evidence from Online P2P Lending

This study proposes that platform owners can mitigate problems of information asymmetry in platform markets and enhance market effectiveness through allocation of key decision rights among particip...
Continuous and Rapid Solution Exchange in a Lipid Bilayer Perfusion System Based on Droplet-Interface Bilayer

Because of the high sensitivity of lipid bilayers to external pressure fluctuations, a major challenge in functional studies of biological pores or ion channels is the difficulty in exchanging solutions rapidly while maintaining the stability of the lipid bilayer in a model membrane. Here we describe a droplet-interface bilayer-based perfusion system that has been routinely used in our research and is currently the most robust and stable perfusion system that provides prompt solution exchange surrounding a lipid bilayer. In this model membrane system, solutions can be completely exchanged within 1-2 s to obtain prompt responses of a lipid bilayer or membrane pores to the membrane environments. Also, our system is stable enough to sustain continuous perfusions up to at least dozens of minutes. To demonstrate, we show that acidification-induced protein channel insertion, substrate binding to protein channels, and pH gradient-driven protein translocation of anthrax toxin can be sequentially initiated by continuous perfusions in our system. Moreover, by rapidly switching the solutions, the protein translocation based on ratchet mechanisms can be paused and reinitiated iteratively in our system. Overall, this perfusion system provides a controllable and reliable solution exchange platform for investigations of pores and translocations on lipid bilayers.
Patient Markers of Successful Diabetes Management.

PURPOSE | For individuals with diabetes, diabetes health status may not align with A1C targets. Patients may use nonclinical targets when assessing their diabetes management success. Identifying these targets is important in developing patient-centered management plans. The purpose of this study was to identify patient markers of successful diabetes management among patients in an urban academic health system. METHODS | A secondary analysis of semistructured interviews was completed with 89 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Participants had a recent diabetes-related emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalization or were primary care patients with an A1C >7.5%. Interviews were conducted to saturation. Demographic data were collected via self-report and electronic medical records. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis. This analysis focused on patient perceptions of successful management coded to “measuring management success.” RESULTS | Although most participants cited A1C or blood glucose as a marker of successful diabetes management, they had varied understanding of these metrics. Most used a combination of targets from the following categories: 1) A1C, blood glucose, and numbers; 2) engagement in medical care; 3) taking medication and medication types; 4) symptoms; 5) diet, exercise, and weight; and 6) stress management and social support. CONCLUSION | Individuals not meeting glycemic goals and/or with recent diabetes-related ED visits or hospitalizations had varied understanding of A1C and blood glucose targets. They use multiple additional markers of successful management and had a desire for management discussions that incorporate these markers. These measures should be incorporated into their care plans along with clinical targets.
Rapid Re-encroachment by Juniperus virginiana After a Single Restoration Treatment

Abstract Grasslands across the world are transitioning to woody-dominated states with major consequences for ecosystem service provisioning. Managers have consequently turned to woody plant removal or “brush management” as a tool for grassland restoration. Yet the lifespan of brush management treatments depends on rates of re-encroachment, which are often unknown and seldom considered in restoration planning. In this study, we determine the rate of re-encroachment for Juniperus virginiana L. after 16 yr of fire-based restoration actions in the Loess Canyons Experimental Landscape in Nebraska. In this experimental landscape, reclamation fires are used to collapse J. virginiana woodlands and have been applied almost every yr since 2002 as part of a regional restoration initiative. We observed rapid rates of re-encroachment after fire-based restoration. Seedlings re-established within 1−2 yr and reached densities similar to unburned woodlands in 5−11 yr. Cover was low and stable 8−10 yr after restoration and then transitioned to a rapid growth phase as trees escaped the herbaceous layer. The tallest trees reached heights associated with the onset of seed production after 7−11 yr, marking a demographic transition in the re-encroachment process as restoration sites become sources of seed exposure. These results suggest that single restoration treatments are likely to be short-lived. A key implication is that follow-up J. virginiana treatments are needed to maintain restored grasslands at fairly regular intervals.
Fully automated multiorgan segmentation of female pelvic magnetic resonance images with coarse-to-fine convolutional neural network.

PURPOSE Brachytherapy combined with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is the standard treatment for cervical cancer and has been shown to improve overall survival rates compared to EBRT only. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is used for radiotherapy (RT) planning and image guidance due to its excellent soft tissue image contrast. Rapid and accurate segmentation of organs at risk (OAR) is a crucial step in MR image-guided RT. In this paper, we propose a fully automated two-step convolutional neural network (CNN) approach to delineate multiple OARs from T2-weighted (T2W) MR images. METHODS We employ a coarse-to-fine segmentation strategy. The coarse segmentation step first identifies the approximate boundary of each organ of interest and crops the MR volume around the centroid of organ-specific region of interest (ROI). The cropped ROI volumes are then fed to organ-specific fine segmentation networks to produce detailed segmentation of each organ. A three-dimensional (3-D) U-Net is trained to perform the coarse segmentation. For the fine segmentation, a 3-D Dense U-Net is employed in which a modified 3-D dense block is incorporated into the 3-D U-Net-like network to acquire inter and intra-slice features and improve information flow while reducing computational complexity. Two sets of T2W MR images (221 cases for MR1 and 62 for MR2) were taken with slightly different imaging parameters and used for our network training and test. The network was first trained on MR1 which was a larger sample set. The trained model was then transferred to the MR2 domain via a fine-tuning approach. Active learning strategy was utilized for selecting the most valuable data from MR2 to be included in the adaptation via transfer learning. RESULTS The proposed method was tested on 20 MR1 and 32 MR2 test sets. Mean ± SD dice similarity coefficients are 0.93 ± 0.04, 0.87 ± 0.03, and 0.80 ± 0.10 on MR1 and 0.94 ± 0.05, 0.88 ± 0.04, and 0.80 ± 0.05 on MR2 for bladder, rectum, and sigmoid, respectively. Hausdorff distances (95th percentile) are 4.18 ± 0.52, 2.54 ± 0.41, and 5.03 ± 1.31 mm on MR1 and 2.89 ± 0.33, 2.24 ± 0.40, and 3.28 ± 1.08 mm on MR2, respectively. The performance of our method is superior to other state-of-the-art segmentation methods. CONCLUSIONS We proposed a two-step CNN approach for fully automated segmentation of female pelvic MR bladder, rectum, and sigmoid from T2W MR volume. Our experimental results demonstrate that the developed method is accurate, fast, and reproducible, and outperforms alternative state-of-the-art methods for OAR segmentation significantly (p < 0.05).
Imaging of the Posttherapeutic Brain.

AbstractThis review covers important topics relating to the imaging evaluation of glioblastoma multiforme after therapy. An overview of the Macdonald and Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria as well as important questions and limitations regarding their use are provided. Pseudoprogression
Accuracy and Efficiency in the Numerical Analysis of Transonic Flows

Analysis of details in calculations of (generally unsteady) transonic flows is necessary to provide general coding rules. A brief discussion of examples is given.
Editorial: What Is ProudFlesh?

What in the world would PROUD FLESH be? Or Who. Skins standing out and standing up, evidently, unmistakably, in a history of war and wounds and struggles full of wonder. A letter from Soledad Brother by George Jackson reads: “I have only the proud flesh of very recent years to hold up as proof that I did not die in the sickbed in which I lay for so long.” “I’ve drunk deeply from the cisterns of gall, swam against the current in Blood Alley, Urban Fascist Amerika, experienced the nose rub in shit, armed myself with a monumental hatred and tried to forget and pretend. A standard black male defense mechanism.” “It hasn’t worked.” “My recall is nearly perfect, time has faded nothing. I recall the very first kidnap…”
Arabinose-Leucine Deletion Mutants of Escherichia coli B/r

The control of ara gene expression was studied in mutants of Escherichia coli B/r containing deletions which fused the l-arabinose gene complex with the leucine operon (the normal gene order being araDABIOC...leuDCBAO). Complementation experiments with stable merodiploids showed that expression of ara genes cis to araC-leu deletions was controlled by the trans-acting product of the araC gene. Expression of ara genes cis to araB-leu deletions was under leucine control. These studies confirm the existence of a region between genes araC and araB essential for normal activator controlled expression of the ara structural genes. One deletion was characterized as an araO-leu deletion. Its effect on ara gene expression was unique in that ara genes were susceptible to potential regulation by both l-arabinose and leucine. These experiments suggest that two different species of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) may be produced for the ara-leu region as a result of this deletion. One, under l-arabinose-activator control, is initiated in the l-arabinose region; the other, under leucine control, is initiated in the leucine region. The latter indicates that araI can be transcribed. Whether araI is transcribed in the former instance (mRNA made under activator control) remains to be established.
The Trypsin-catalyzed Hydrolysis of Nα-Benzyloxycarbonyl-l-Lysine p-Nitrophenyl Ester in Dimethylsulfoxide at Sub-Zero Temperatures

Abstract The effect of sub-zero temperatures and aqueous dimethylsulfoxide solutions on the trypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of Nα-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-lysine p-nitrophenyl ester has been investigated. With increasing dimethylsulfoxide concentration at 0°, kcat decreases in proportion to the decreased water concentration; however, Km increases by 2 orders of magnitude. The effect on Km can be accounted for by a combination of dielectric and competitive inhibition effects. The Arrhenius plot for the deacylation reaction in 65 % aqueous dimethylsulfoxide is linear over the range 0 to -45° and extrapolates to a value of kcat at 25° in excellent agreement with that obtained in the absence of the organic solvent. At -45° and below, turnover occurred very slowly, but acylation was quite rapid. The effect of dimethylsulfoxide concentration and sub-zero temperatures on the ultraviolet spectral properties of the enzyme showed no evidence of any structural changes. All of the experimental observations were consistent with the conclusion that 65 % aqueous dimethylsulfoxide and sub-zero temperatures have no significant effect on the pathway of trypsin-catalyzed reactions. Preliminary results using Nα-acetyl-l-lysine methyl ester indicated that detectable perturbations in the environment of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in trypsin occur during catalysis.
Enhanced piezoelectric properties of lead zirconate titanate sol-gel derived ceramics using single crystal PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 cubes

Piezoceramic materials have attracted much attention for sensing, actuation, structural health monitoring, and energy harvesting applications in the past two decades due to their excellent coupling between energy in the mechanical and electrical domains. Among all piezoceramic materials, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has been the most broadly studied and implemented, in industrial applications due to its high piezoelectric coupling coefficients. Piezoceramic materials are most often employed as thin films or monolithic wafers. While there are numerous methods for the synthesis of PZT films, the sol-gel processing technique is the most widely used due to its low densification temperature, the ease at which the film can be applied without costly physical deposition equipment and the capability to fabricate both thin and thick films. However, the piezoelectric properties of PZT sol-gel derived films are substantially lower than those of bulk materials, which limit the application of sol-gel films. In comparison, single crystal PZT materials have higher piezoelectric coupling coefficients than polycrystalline materials due to their uniform dipole alignment. This paper will introduce a novel technique to enhance the piezoelectric properties of PZT sol-gel derived ceramics through the use of single crystal PbZr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 microcubes as an inclusion in the PZT sol-gel. The PZT single crystal cubes are synthesized through a hydrothermal based method and their geometry and crystal structure is characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). A mixture of PZT cubes and sol-gel will then be sintered to crystallize the sol-gel and obtain full density of the ceramic. XRD and SEM analysis of the cross section of the final ceramics will be performed and compared to show the crystal structure and microstructure of the samples. The P - E properties of the samples will be tested using a Sawyer–Tower circuit. Finally, a laser interferometer will be used to directly measure the piezoelectric strain-coupling coefficient of the PZT sol-gel ceramics with and without PZT cube inclusions. The results will show that with the integration of PZT crystal inclusions the d 33 coupling coefficient will increase more than 200% compared to that of pure PbZr 0.52 Ti 0.48 O 3 sol-gel.
Choice of adjuvant and first-line metastatic chemotherapy (CT) for colorectal cancer (CRC) treated in the Carolinas

17039 Background: CT choice is influenced by many factors including published evidence, guidelines, cost, reimbursement, patient considerations, key opinion leaders, and anecdote. Substantial locoregional variation in practice patterns can exist, and therefore studies of locoregional practice provide important information on local drivers of care. Methods: Using a population-based strategy, we identified CRC patients who developed metastatic disease since 6/1/03 from 9 Duke Oncology Network community practices and 1 academic practice in North and South Carolina. Demographic, comorbidity, diagnostic, stage, initial treatment, and metastatic treatment data were abstracted by retrospective chart review, double-entered and verified for accuracy. Results: Of the first 743 charts screened, 306 were eligible (mean age 61 (SD 13), 49% male; 65% white; 22% black; 77% colon cancer and 19% rectal; stages II 8%, III 16%, IV 64%). 26 earlier stage rectal cancer patients received neoadjuvant treatment, 50% infusional f...
Fecal carriage of Streptococcus bovis and colorectal adenomas

An association between fecal carriage of Streptococcus bovis and colorectal carcinoma has been reported. A relationship between S. bovis and colorectal adenomas has also been suggested. In the present study, the relationship between S. bovis and adenomas was investigated. Two of 18 current adenoma patients (11%) were found to have S. bovis in their stool compared with 12 of 84 controls (14%). Six of 38 patients who had ever had a diagnosis of adenoma (16%) had S. bovis compared with 8 of 64 controls (13%). These results rule out a strong association between fecal carriage of S. bovis and adenomas; however, because of the relatively small sample size, a weak to moderate association cannot be excluded.
The National Education Reports and Special Education: Implications for Students

This article examines the omission of special education from the national reports in terms of negative implications for low-achieving students and those currently receiving special services. Current economic and political variables have minimized both the interface between regular and special education and society's willingness to attend to the educational needs of all children. An analysis of a recent report of the Heritage Foundation underscores the growing jeopardy of special education programs. As proposed, many of the recommendations of the national reports including the “push for excellence” (as interpreted by the schools) will have devasting results for many students, particularly those with special educational needs. National educational reforms must include special education if they are to be successful for all children.
Therapy of Peri-Implant Diseases. Where is the Evidence?

Peri-implant diseases are a common problem in dentistry today and no definitive treatment protocol exists for their treatment. The purpose of this review was to examine the evidence concerning the management of these diseases. The evidence provided suggests that peri-mucositis can be managed with use of mechanical nonsurgical therapy. Peri-implantitis does not respond to nonsurgical therapy. Various surgical methods have been proposed for management of peri-implantitis with some success; however, no single method can be promoted based on the current evidence.
Coercive singular perturbations III: Wiener-Hopf operators

On etend la stabilite pour des perturbations singulieres differentielles coercives a la classe des operateurs de Wiener-Hopf a petit parametre qui ont la forme d'une colonne et dont les symboles sont des fonctions rationnelles de la variable conormale
Disability History Online

Students studies of eugenics, or the independent living movement, or disabled Civil War veterans, and still miss the real story of disability history, its cultural extent, its language, its emotional power. This is frustrating for the instructor with a passion for the subject. However, with a little creativity, such readings can be supplemented with primary sources to convey more of the variety and richness that researchers know firsthand. Teachers can use these sources to improve student understanding of (and interest in) the historical subject matter. This article explores some teaching strategies for using the vast and growing online treasury of primary documents in disability history. There are some standard arguments for the use of primary sources in the classroom, which apply across specific historical topics (i). Students gain appreciation for the nature of historical work, the difficulty of interpretation and the craft of assembling an eclectic range of materials into a coherent whole. While an historian's narrative of events can be a bit dry, an unfiltered on-the-scene account by a participant or journalist may hold more fascination. Personalizing the story of a complex movement, or a whole era, can have its own pitfalls. But if the goal is to spark an initial interest, having a "name and a face" to follow through the broader story can be very effective. Accessing historical primary sources online has many practical advantages (2). Online repositories are available day and night, even when brick-and-mortar archives are closed. New researchers may find a hushed, security-conscious special collections library intimidating, but the online environment is already familiar and comfortable to most students. It requires neither silence nor supervision. Delicate, rare, or expensive materials can be examined in their virtual state without any risk of damage or theft, and faraway materials become available at the click of a button. Such explorations not only expose students to the content itself, they also encourage good online research skills: careful selection of search terms and date ranges, source evaluation, and other thought processes with wide application (3). The following is a discussion of three typical disability history subjects disabled veterans, eugenics, and the disability rights movement and suggestions for incorporating online primary sources as part of the study materials. The idea is to present a variety of formats and voices for each topic, including firsthand accounts, images, sound and video files, journalism, and artistic expressions, to introduce students to the basic materials of historical research, to evoke thoughtful analysis and to develop personal interest in the subject.
Amphipathic Tail-anchoring Peptide and Bcl-2 Homology Domain-3 (BH3) Peptides from Bcl-2 Family Proteins Induce Apoptosis through Different Mechanisms *♦

Bcl-2 homology domain-3 (BH3) peptides are potent cancer therapeutic reagents that target regulators of apoptotic cell death in cancer cells. However, their cytotoxic effects are affected by different expression levels of Bcl-2 family proteins. We recently found that the amphipathic tail-anchoring peptide (ATAP) from Bfl-1, a bifunctional Bcl-2 family member, produced strong pro-apoptotic activity by permeabilizing the mitochondrial outer membrane. Here, we test whether the activity of ATAP requires other cellular factors and whether ATAP has an advantage over the BH3 peptides in targeting cancer cells. Confocal microscopic imaging illustrates specific targeting of ATAP to mitochondria, whereas BH3 peptides show diffuse patterns of cytosolic distribution. Although the pro-apoptotic activities of BH3 peptides are largely inhibited by either overexpression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL or nullification of pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak in cells, the pro-apoptotic function of ATAP is not affected by these cellular factors. Reconstitution of synthetic ATAP into liposomal membranes results in release of fluorescent molecules of the size of cytochrome c from the liposomes, suggesting that the membrane permeabilizing activity of ATAP does not require additional protein factors. Because ATAP can target to the mitochondrial membrane and its pro-apoptotic activity does not depend on the content of Bcl-2 family proteins, it represents a promising candidate for anti-cancer drugs that can potentially overcome the intrinsic apoptosis-resistant nature of cancer cells.
Optimal Spatial Deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage Given a Price on Carbon

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) links together technologies that separate carbon dioxide (CO2) from fixed point source emissions and transport it by pipeline to geologic reservoirs into which it is injected underground for long-term containment. Previously, models have been developed to minimize the cost of a CCS infrastructure network that captures a given amount of CO2. The CCS process can be costly, however, and large-scale implementation by industry will require government regulations and economic incentives. The incentives can price CO2 emissions through a tax or a cap-and-trade system. This paper extends the earlier mixed-integer linear programming model to endogenously determine the optimal quantity of CO2 to capture and optimize the various components of a CCS infrastructure network, given the price per tonne to emit CO2 into the atmosphere. The spatial decision support system first generates a candidate pipeline network and then minimizes the total cost of capturing, transporting, storin...
MULTIPLE STATES OF A VISCOUS FREE SURFACE FLOW: TRANSITION FROM PRE‐METERED TO A METERING INFLOW

SUMMARY In a forward-roll coating gap or nip, steady laminar flow of liquid between counter-rotating cylinders or rolls is used to split the flow into a coated layer on one roll and a rejected layer on the other. Both layers have free surfaces in contact with air. Liquid may be carried into the gap as a layer on one or both rolls. If the arriving layer is not too thick, all of the liquid flows through the gap, a situation called pre-metered. If the arriving layer is too thick, part of the liquid is rejected and runs back down the lower roll. The flow rate through the gap is said to be metered and is not known a priori. The transition from a pre-metered regime to the metered situation was examined by solving the Navier‐Stokes system for steady, two-dimensional flow in a domain bounded by free surfaces, two rigid roll surfaces and chosen inflow and outflow surfaces. The free boundary condition, as described by Papanastasiou et al. (Int. j. numer methods fluids, 14, 587 (1992)), was explored and proved to accommodate both the pre-metered and metered regimes. A run-back flow state across the synthetic inlet plane was obtained, provided a condition on the thickness of the arriving layer was replaced by a kinematic condition at a certain stage. The coupled equation system was solved by Galerkin’s method with finite element basis functions. The resulting non-linear algebraic system was solved by Newton’s method with initialization by pseduo-arc-length continuation and automatic parameter step adjustment. Results show the existence of multiple solutions which can lead to hysteresis. Flow regime maps were constructed to portray the operating parameter range in which a coating bead can exist and the ranges in which a coating gap operates in either the pre-metered or the metering regime. 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Int. j. numer. methods fluids 24: 813‐831, 1997.
Pictorial Depth Perception and Education among Baganda School Children

Relative amount of pictorial perception of depth among rural Baganda school children was directly related to amount of formal education. Use of superimposition as a cue to pictorial depth perception appeared to be less dependent on education than object size and perhaps other cues.
The paraplegic hand: Electrodiagnostic studies and clinical findings*

Motor conduction times of median and ulnar nerves at the wrist were determined in 60 paraplegic male patients. In 30 of the patients (50%), 56 of the 240 nerves studied (23%) were abnormal. The incidence of abnormal conduction times was not reliably correlated with either age or duration of paralysis. The fact that patients a few years after injury had conduction times as severe as patients with long-standing paraplegia, regardless of age, indicates that an early disease process may take place in the patient's hands, although previous authors have reported different findings. Of patients with abnormal conduction times 44% were asymptomatic. Median nerve decompression was performed on these patients when they became symptomatic. Periodic examinations are recommended for all paraplegic patients so that early diagnosis can be made and differentiated from symptoms more proximal in the extremity. Although nerve conduction studies are not recommended for all asymptomatic patients, we now request them more liberally in younger patients with early symptoms to confirm the diagnosis.
Bridge Health Index for the City and County of Denver, Colorado. I: Current Methodology

Current Bridge Health Index (BHI) in Pontis Bridge Management System applied to assess the bridge health conditions for 615 bridges in city and county of Denver (CCD) does not provide CCD engineers a valuable analysis of the health condition of its relatively small bridge network. This paper explores both the calculation results and the computing methodology of the current BHI. The BHI was computed for the entire 615 CCD bridge network using the two current cost-based methodologies. Based on the analysis, it was concluded that the current BHI is subjective to a municipality’s often imprecise cost data. This coupled with the methodology of heavily correlating cost with a bridge’s condition reveals potential for modification to meet the needs of the CCD. The results of this study are used as a basis for developing an alternate BHI methodology.