cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kant on the Generality of Model-Based Reasoning in Geometry

Kant can be seen as the philosophical ancestor of contemporary attempts to articulate the epistemological and practical significance of model-based reasoning. His recognition of the role of singular, immediate representations, or intuitions, in synthetic judgment–and thus in our ampliative claims about the world–is not only central to his philosophical program, but also grounded in many of the same insights that underwrite the contemporary MBR research program. Kant’s account of the necessary role of intuition in synthetic judgment is introduced by way of his philosophy of mathematics. Mathematics, and most significantly Euclidean geometry, is what first opens Kant’s eyes to the crucial role of what we would now call models in establishing contentful, novel claims about the world. Similarly, contemporary work in model-based reasoning in mathematics has also focused on Euclidean geometry (Giardino 2017). In this paper, I hope to bring out some of the ways that Kant’s reflections on geometry not only anticipate this contemporary work, but also rest on the very same features of Euclidean proof. Furthermore, some of the challenges faced by Kant’s model-based account of geometrical reasoning are still very much with us.
Survival, Struggle, and Statehood: The Fight for Life and Livelihood in the Warsaw Ghetto and Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

In the Holocaust, before the Nazis sentenced Jews to death in the extermination camps, they were sent to ghettoes all across Europe. The largest Ghetto in Poland was the Warsaw Ghetto. In here, the Jews suffered from diseases, starvation, execution or other malicious forces as a result of the conditions created by the Germans. After numerous years of suffering, two major groups of Jews decided to rise up against the Germans, leading to the first Jewish revolt of the modern period that ended in the complete destruction of the Ghetto and its inhabitants. In this Uprising, the Jews fought for their lives, but also fought to live their lives the way they wanted, whether it be in Europe or in Israel, which would form a few years after World War II.
Lift & Learn: Physics-informed machine learning for large-scale nonlinear dynamical systems

Abstract We present Lift & Learn, a physics-informed method for learning low-dimensional models for large-scale dynamical systems. The method exploits knowledge of a system’s governing equations to identify a coordinate transformation in which the system dynamics have quadratic structure. This transformation is called a lifting map because it often adds auxiliary variables to the system state. The lifting map is applied to data obtained by evaluating a model for the original nonlinear system. This lifted data is projected onto its leading principal components, and low-dimensional linear and quadratic matrix operators are fit to the lifted reduced data using a least-squares operator inference procedure. Analysis of our method shows that the Lift & Learn models are able to capture the system physics in the lifted coordinates at least as accurately as traditional intrusive model reduction approaches. This preservation of system physics makes the Lift & Learn models robust to changes in inputs. Numerical experiments on the FitzHugh–Nagumo neuron activation model and the compressible Euler equations demonstrate the generalizability of our model.
The clinical study on 28 cases of patients with spiral fractures under the third of tibia combined with retral ankle fractures

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and diagnosis,treatment measure of spiral fractures under the third of tibia combined with retral ankle fractures in 28 cases.Methods 28 cases with spiral fractures under the third of tibia combined with retral ankle fractures were analyzed retraspectively.Results Follow-up for a year later showed,4 cases happened osteoarthritis,smoothly recovery rate was 85.7％.Conclusion It should expand diagnostic scope of X-ray at early stage,and give careful observation during treatment,for the aim of discovering disease in time. Key words: Tibial fractures; Ankle injuries; Therapies, clinical study
Novels and Short Stories from Macau: Two Different Perspectives

Critical studies about the Macanese and their literature in the former Portuguese colony of Macau have been scant. Novelists like Austin Coates (City of Broken Promises, 1967) from Great Britain and Henrique de Senna Fernandes (A tranca feiticeira, 1993) from Macau, as well as short story writers Deolinda da Conceicao (Macau) and Maria Ondina Braga (Portugal), depict life in colonial Macau. While the plots of these works display similarities, Coates’s and Braga’s perspectives are filtered through the lenses of European colonialism and Fernandes and da Conceicao work through the legacy of coloniality.
Gastric Acid Secretion The H,K-ATPase and Ulcer Disease

Acid secretion by the parietal cell of the gastric mucosa depends on activation of the acid pump, the gastric H,K-ATPase. This enzyme is expressed in high quantities by the parietal cell. The site of acid secretion in the parietal cell is the secretory canaliculus. This specialized structure is considered to be an infolding of the apical plasma membrane. The active H,K-ATPase is present in the microvilli lining the secretory canaliculus. When inactive the pump is found in cytoplasmic tubules.
Gamifying learning for learners

The majority of user models in gamification are based on user’s gamer personality. However, the motivations driving individuals’ learning behavior differ from their motivations when playing. There is no evidence that learners’ experiences in gamified activities are described by these models. Thus, an alternative model capturing learners’ motivational experiences and relating them to the motivational mechanisms of gamification design is needed. To fill this gap we propose a context-specific typology which groups learners based on their type of motivation and perceived ability associated with a learning activity. The purpose of this proposal is to provide a framework for connecting each learner’s type to a set of motivational affordances to which that type is susceptible. Facilitating the task of selecting motivational affordances matching learner’s type aids the design of customized gamified learning.
Independent risk factors for chronic illicit substance use during pregnancy.

Objective: We aimed to determine the incidence of chronic illicit substance use during pregnancy and to identify associated risk factors. Design: A 2-year time-matched retrospective maternal quality control database (n = 4,470) analysis of parturients with chronic illicit substance use compared to controls. Setting: A tertiary academic medical center located in a rural setting. Results: The rate of chronic illicit substance use was 1.95 percent. Demographic factors associated with chronic illicit substance use in pregnancy-included lower body mass index (BMI; OR: 0.93; 95 percent CI: 0.89-0.96, p < 0.0001), higher gravidity (OR: 1.24; 95 percent CI: 1.13-1.36, p < 0.0001), higher parity (OR: 1.38; 95 percent CI: 1.22-1.57, p < 0.0001), and more live births (OR: 1.30; 95 percent CI: 1.16-1.46, p < 0.0001). A history of smoking (OR: 10.51; 95 percent CI: 5.69-19.42, p < 0.0001), alcohol use (OR: 48.98; 95 percent CI: 17.33-138.40, p < 0.0001), anxiety (OR: 1.88; 95 percent CI: 1.16-3.05, p = 0.01), depression (OR: 2.44; 95 percent CI: 1.55-3.85, p = 0.0001), transfer on admission (OR: 2.12; 95 percent CI: 1.16-3.87, p = 0.01), payor insurance (OR: 2.12, 95 percent CI: 2.10-5.04, p < 0.0001), and Apgar scores < 7 at 1 minute (OR: 0.50; 95 percent CI: 0.25-1.00, p = 0.049) were significant. Multiple variable logistic regression-revealed BMI, smoking, alcohol use, and Apgar score < 7 at 1 minute as significant factors. Conclusions: Awareness of these factors can assist in identifying and treating parturients with chronic illicit substance use.
Zero car growth: A challenge for transport justice

This paper discusses the challenges to transport justice in the context of zero-car-growth policies. It analyses the car-dependence created by sprawling cities that necessitate access to automobiles if citizens want to fully participate in the economy, maintain social connections and achieve a desirable quality of life. It specifically highlights the complications this presents for cities in their efforts towards environmental, equity and economic goals largely achieved through reduced car use.
Compromising beauties: affective movement and gendered (im)mobilities in women's competitive tufo dancing in Northern Mozambique

In Mozambique's northern coastal provinces, growing numbers of women are joining competitive dance groups that perform tufo, a popular song-and-dance genre. Originally performed by men for importan...
Risk Attitude Optimization and Heterogeneous Stock Market Participation

This paper studies equilibrium portfolio choice and asset returns using a new model of recursive preferences called optimal risk attitude utility. Our model is an extension of recursive expected utility that allows an individual to optimally select her risk aversion parameter in response to the uncertainty that she faces. Choosing a lower level of risk aversion comes at a cognitive cost, and therefore is only undertaken in response to sufficiently large risk exposure. In addition to separating risk aversion from the elasticity of intertemporal substitution, our model can also separate risk attitudes toward small and large risks. We solve the dynamic stochastic general equilibrium of a calibrated economy and show that optimal risk attitude utility can provide a partial resolution to both the stock market participation puzzle and the equity premium puzzle. Our model generates a moderate premium for equity as well as endogenous heterogeneity in risk exposure, with one segment of the population holding minimal risk while the other holds a disproportionate share of aggregate risk, even when consumers have identical preferences and even among wealthy households. Using simple binary gambles as a rationality check for our model, we demonstrate that the preference parameters used in our calibration exhibit descriptively accurate levels of risk aversion for gambles ranging from one hundred dollars up to ten percent of wealth.
MINOR SALIVARY GLAND TUMORS: TYPES, INCIDENCE, AND MANAGEMENT

SUMMARY This article has discussed oromaxillary minor salivary gland malignancy. It defines benign disease as being essentially of two types, and discusses malignant disease in the context of six major classifications. The elements of histogenesis, differentiation, diagnosis, and treatment are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on the premise that, despite their relatively infrequent occurrence and an often contradictory literature, the malignant members of this group are all potentially lethal and generally, therefore, should be managed with the same aggressiveness as oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Output-Based Adaptive Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Higher-Order Finite Element Solutions on a Multielement Airfoil

In this work, the effects of adaptivity and discretization order are studied on the solutions of a two-dimensional multielement high-lift airfoil test case. The flow in this test case is simulated ...
COVID and Climate: Exploring Categorical Resilience in the Built Environment

This chapter provides a perspective on the parallels between resilience activities associated with climate change and the ongoing COVID responses in the U.S. Through the lens of the built environment, this chapter provides selected insights into how various disaster, organizational, and engineering resilience activities have likely positively shaped COVID responses within the healthcare sector. These reciprocal influences are contextualized within extensive efforts within public health and healthcare management to calibrate community resilience frameworks and practices for utilization in everything from advancing community health to the continuity of health care facilities and operations. Thereafter, the chapter shifts focus to speculate on how ongoing experiences under COVID might yield positive impacts for future resilience designs, plans and policies within housing and the built environment. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the theoretical limitations of resilience that are further exposed by the dual and concurrent challenges of climate change and COVID. In particular, limitations to social learning and adaptive capacity for multilateral communication intelligence are explored as future avenues for resilience development. Through this perspective, the chapter hopes to highlight those often overlooked aspects of the physical and social parameters of the built environment that may be understood as providing opportunities to inform future disaster, public health, and climate change preparations and responses.
Fabric Pipelines and Earth Containment Structures

Spun-bonded fabrics are produced by spinning filaments from spinnerets to make a mat of continuous filaments; these are then bonded at their junctions with heat and pressure. The principal advantage of spun-bondeds is reduced production costs. Construction methods are proposed for the use of spun-bonded fabrics in submarine pipes, retaining walls, and dredge-filled marine structures. Estimated costs are compared with existing costs of construction by alternative methods.
The Usury Issue in Public Utility Late Payment Charges

Notwithstanding the legislative and judicial trend towards greater protection for consumers, the late charge billing systems of public utilities have escaped consumer regulation. Consumer advocates have argued, inter alia, that the late payment charge is really a form of interest and therefore subject to statutory usury limitations. Courts and commissions have resisted this attack by classifying late charges in other ways, thereby increasing confusion among jurisdictions about the real nature of the late payment charge. The author proposes to unravel this complexity by examining and comparing the different judicial perceptions of the late payment charge, as well as by providing a comprehensive analysis of the interest classification.
Translation initiation factor eIF-5A expressed from either of two yeast genes or from human cDNA. Functional identity under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Translation initiation factor eIF-5A (previously named eIF-4D) is an essential and highly conserved protein in eukaryotic cells that promotes formation of the first peptide bond. One of its lysine residues is post-translationally modified by spermidine to form hypusine, a unique residue required for eIF-5A activity. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae eIF-5A is encoded by two highly homologous genes, TIF51A and TIF51B. The two genes are regulated reciprocally by oxygen, where under aerobic conditions TIF51A is expressed and TIF51B is repressed, and under anaerobic conditions the opposite occurs. In order to study the products of the two genes individually, yeast strains were constructed that express either TIF51A or TIF51B under control of a galactose promoter. Each gene gives rise to two isoelectric variants, eIF-5Aa (more acidic) and eIF-5Ab (more basic), both of which carry the hypusine modification. Expression of either TIF51A or TIF51B promotes growth under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, indicating that the two gene products function indistinguishably. The human cDNA encoding eIF-5A also was expressed in yeast, and the plasmid shuffle technique was used to demonstrate that the human protein can substitute for the homologous yeast protein in vivo. These results indicate that human and yeast eIF-5A are not only conserved at the sequence level but are functionally interchangeable in vivo.
Instantaneous mean qualities in time-frequency analysis

The authors present two different approaches for the calculation of instantaneous quantities in joint time-frequency analysis. They specialize it to the case of instantaneous mean frequency and its spread. They consider bilinear distributions such as the Wigner and Rihaczek distributions and show that there are an infinite number of bilinear distributions which give positive expressions for the standard deviation of frequency at a given time. >
Motivation to Quit Smoking among Relatives of Lung Cancer Patients

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to motivation to quit among smoking family members of lung cancer patients. Design and Sample: Relatives of multidisciplinary lung cancer clinic patients were recruited during family members' treatment. Participants (N=29) were primarily female and Caucasian. Measures: The items assessed included the effect of their relative's disease on motivation to quit, intent to quit in the next 6 months, stage of change, perceived risk from smoking, and attitudes about being approached about cessation. Results: Most indicated that their relative's disease had increased motivation to quit smoking (71%); 72% planned to quit within 6 months. One fourth (28%) were in precontemplation stage of change; 65% in contemplation; and 7% in preparation. The average perceived risk of developing lung cancer was 6.3. Two thirds were glad or very glad that someone had talked with them about quitting; 91% thought it was somewhat or very appropriate to talk about cessation with family members of lung cancer patients. Motivation to quit smoking was positively correlated with stage of change and perceived lung cancer risk. Conclusions: Public health nurses who interact with families of lung cancer patients may be able to promote cessation in an at-risk group that is motivated to quit smoking.
Effect of variation in form on the cost of terrestrial locomotion

The mass-specific minimum cost of terrestrial locomotion (Cmin) decreases with an increase in body mass. This generalization spans nearly eight orders of magnitude in body mass and includes two phyla. The general relationship between metabolic cost and mass is striking. However, a significant amount of unexplained interspecific variation in Cmin exists at any given body mass. To determine how variation in morphology and physiology affects metabolic energy cost, we measured the oxygen consumption of three comparably sized insects running on a miniature treadmill; the American cockroach Periplaneta americana, the caterpillar hunting beetle Calosoma affine and the Australian field cricket Teleogryllus commodus. Steady-state oxygen consumption (VO2ss) increased linearly with speed. Cmin was similar for crickets and cockroaches (8.0 and 8.5 ml O2 g-1km-1, respectively), but was substantially lower for beetles (4.6 ml O2 g-1km-1). The predicted value of Cmin for all three insects was within the 95% confidence intervals of the Cmin versus body mass function. However, the 95% confidence intervals extend approximately 2.5-fold above and 40% below the regression line, making the variation at any given body mass nearly sixfold. Normalizing for the rate of muscle force production by determining the metabolic cost per stride failed to account for the interspecific variation in the cost of locomotion observed in the three insects. Ground contact costs (i.e. VO2ss multiplied by leg contact time during a stride) in insects were similar to those measured in mammals (1.5-3.1 J kg-1) and were independent of speed, but did not explain the interspecific variation in the cost of locomotion. Muscles of the caterpillar hunting beetle may have a greater mechanical advantage than muscles of the Australian field cricket and American cockroach. Variation in musculo-skeletal arrangement, apart from variation in body mass, could translate into significant differences in the minimum cost of terrestrial locomotion.
Import of the iron-sulfur protein of the cytochrome b.c1 complex into yeast mitochondria.

The yeast gene for the Rieske iron-sulfur protein of the cytochrome b.c1 complex was subcloned into the expression vector, pSP64, then transcribed and translated in vitro in a reticulocyte lysate in the presence of [35S]methionine. Import studies in vitro of the newly synthesized precursor form of the iron-sulfur protein into isolated yeast mitochondria revealed that the precursor form of the iron-sulfur protein is processed into the mature form via an intermediate form. After the import reaction at 18 or 27 degrees C, treatment of mitochondria with exogenous protease indicated that both intermediate and mature forms had been internalized into mitochondria where they were resistant to digestion by external protease. Import and processing of the iron-sulfur protein into mitochondria also occurred at temperatures ranging from 2 to 27 degrees C in a temperature-dependent manner. Processing of the precursor form to the intermediate form appeared to be less sensitive to temperature than the processing of the intermediate form to the mature form. Moreover, at temperatures of 12 degrees C or lower, the mature form produced was completely digested by exogenous protease suggesting that it was assembled incorrectly in the membrane and not assembled into the b.c1 complex. The successive disappearance of first the mature form and then the intermediate form of the iron-sulfur protein by increasing concentrations of the metal chelators, EDTA and o-phenanthroline, suggested that two different proteases requiring divalent metal ions are involved in the two-step processing of the presequence of the iron-sulfur protein. Furthermore, mitoplasts containing only the matrix/inner membrane fraction were able to import and process the precursor form of the iron-sulfur protein indicating that both proteolytic processing events occur in the matrix/inner membrane fraction.
INFECTION IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

The improved survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients since the 1950s is the result of not only better treatment of SLE, but also supportive treatment of renal failure (transplant and dialysis) and the wealth of antibiotics now available. Ironically, the wider use of immunosuppressives, especially the alkylating drugs, and the longer survival of patients with renal insufficiency and renal failure have made the identification and appropriate treatment of infection in SLE an on-going challenge. It has always seemed extremely ironic that SLE patients have an increased risk for infection, given that they exhibit so many signs of B-cell hyperactivity. SLE patients, after all, are characterized by having hypergammaglobulinemia and elevated antibody titers to multiple viruses and other pathogens. It is this paradox—that SLE patients, whose immune systems attack themselves, are often unable to mount an effective attack against outside agents—that is explored in this article.
Ion energy and momentum flux dependence of diamond-like carbon film synthesis in radio frequency discharges

Abstract An investigation of the ion energy and ion momentum flux dependence of the properties of plasma-deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC) films is presented. The DLC films are deposited in low pressure radio frequency (RF) discharges operating at 13.3 Pa with methane as the source gas. The discharge is characterized in situ for the negative direct current (d.c.) self-bias voltage at the powered electrode, the average discharge current, and the total power, from which the average ion energy and average incident momentum flux can be determined. Ion energies explored in this study range from 50 to 250 eV. Films are deposited on [100] n-type silicon wafers and are characterized by a variety of analytical methods to determine film hardness, density, and stress. It is shown that the maximum film density (1.7 g/cm 3 ) and hardness (18 GPa) correspond to conditions of maximum deposition rate (5×10 −6 g/s) and maximum film stress (1.8 GPa) all at ion energies of approximately 160 eV. These values are comparable with those previously reported in the literature. The relationship between film properties and impinging ion energy and ion momentum flux is discussed within the framework of existing models of diamond-like carbon formation.
Spinal-fusion surgery -- advances and concerns.

Spinal arthrodesis (the creation of a fusion) was developed for the treatment of instability and deformity due to tuberculosis, scoliosis, and traumatic injury. Modern spinal surgery was helped by the introduction in 1911 of the tibial graft by Albee and the iliac-crest graft by Hibbs. These techniques required prolonged postoperative bed rest and the use of braces and casts for immobilization, and their use was complicated by a rate of pseudarthrosis of at least 20 percent. Surgical implants for the spine were developed later in the century in an attempt to improve the rate of fusion and hasten the recovery . . .
Glutamate Dehydrogenase Affects Resistance to Cell Wall Antibiotics in Bacillus subtilis

The glutamate dehydrogenase RocG of Bacillus subtilis is a bifunctional protein with both enzymatic and regulatory functions. Here we show that the rocG null mutant is sensitive to β-lactams, including cefuroxime (CEF), and to fosfomycin but that resistant mutants arise due to gain-of-function mutations in gudB, which encodes an otherwise inactive glutamate dehydrogenase. In the presence of CEF, ΔrocG ΔgudB mutant cells exhibit growth arrest when they reach mid-exponential phase. Using microarray-based transcriptional profiling, we found that the σW regulon was downregulated in the ΔrocG ΔgudB null mutant. A survey of σW-controlled genes for effects on CEF resistance identified both the NfeD protein YuaF and the flotillin homologue YuaG (FloT). Notably, overexpression of yuaFG in the rocG null mutant prevents the growth arrest induced by CEF. The YuaG flotillin has been shown previously to localize to defined lipid microdomains, and we show here that the yuaFGI operon contributes to a σW-dependent decrease in membrane fluidity. We conclude that glutamate dehydrogenase activity affects the expression of the σW regulon, by pathways that are yet unclear, and thereby influences resistance to CEF and other antibiotics.
The Logics of Social Structure

Preface Introduction Part I. Metatheoretical Considerations: 1. Epistemic strategies in contemporary science 2. The dynamics of emergence: the case against reductionism 3. The nature of hierarchical and heterarchical organization 4. Some formal theses on hierarchy and heterarchy Part II. Compositionist Logics: 5. Methodological individualism 6. Constructionism/compositionism: elementary notions 7. Complex systems of interaction Part III. Logics of Hierarchy: 8. Hierarchy theory and postfunctional analysis 9. The hierarchical theory of social structure Part IV. Heterarchical Logics: 10. Heterarchical thinking in social thought 11. Neural networks as a model of structure Part V. The Phenomenology of Social Structures: 12. Modalities and systems of interaction 13. Heterarchical levels of social structure 14. On structural totalities 15. In conclusion Appendix: the logics of structuration: an inventory Glossary Bibliography Index.
Daily Cyber Incivility and Distress The Moderating Roles of Resources at Work and Home

Given that many employees use e-mail for work communication on a daily basis, this study examined within-person relationships between day-level incivility via work e-mail (cyber incivility) and employee outcomes. Using resource-based theories, we examined two resources (i.e., job control, psychological detachment from work) that may alleviate the effects of cyber incivility on distress. Daily survey data collected over 4 consecutive workdays from 96 employees were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results showed that on days when employees experienced cyber incivility, they reported higher affective and physical distress at the end of the workday that, in turn, was associated with higher distress the next morning. Job control attenuated the concurrent relationships between cyber incivility and both types of distress at work, while psychological detachment from work in the evening weakened the lagged relationships between end-of-workday distress and distress the following morning. These findings...
A Machine Learning-Based Design Representation Method for Designing Heterogeneous Microstructures

In designing microstructural materials systems, one of the key research questions is how to represent the microstructural design space quantitatively using a descriptor set that is sufficient yet small enough to be tractable. Existing approaches describe complex microstructures either using a small set of descriptors that lack sufficient level of details, or using generic high order microstructure functions of infinite dimensionality without explicit physical meanings. We propose a new machine learning-based method for identifying the key microstructure descriptors from vast candidates as potential microstructural design variables. With a large number of candidate microstructure descriptors collected from literature covering a wide range of microstructural material systems, a 4-step machine learning-based method is developed to eliminate redundant microstructure descriptors via image analyses, to identify key microstructure descriptors based on structure-property data, and to determine the microstructure design variables. The training criteria of the supervised learning process include both microstructure correlation functions and material properties. The proposed methodology effectively reduces the infinite dimension of the microstructure design space to a small set of descriptors without a significant information loss. The benefits are demonstrated by an example of polymer nanocomposites optimization. We compare designs using key microstructure descriptors versus using empirically-chosen microstructure descriptors to validate the proposed method.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Biodiscovery of aluminum binding peptides

Cell surface peptide display systems are large and diverse libraries of peptides (7-15 amino acids) which are presented by a display scaffold hosted by a phage (virus), bacteria, or yeast cell. This allows the selfsustaining peptide libraries to be rapidly screened for high affinity binders to a given target of interest, and those binders quickly identified. Peptide display systems have traditionally been utilized in conjunction with organic-based targets, such as protein toxins or carbon nanotubes. However, this technology has been expanded for use with inorganic targets, such as metals, for biofabrication, hybrid material assembly and corrosion prevention. While most current peptide display systems employ viruses to host the display scaffold, we have recently shown that a bacterial host, Escherichia coli, displaying peptides in the ubiquitous, membrane protein scaffold eCPX can also provide specific peptide binders to an organic target. We have, for the first time, extended the use of this bacterial peptide display system for the biodiscovery of aluminum binding 15mer peptides. We will present the process of biopanning with macroscopic inorganic targets, binder enrichment, and binder isolation and discovery.
Obesity-related differences in muscular capacity during sustained isometric exertions.

Abstract Over one-third of the world adult population is overweight or obese, and the prevalence continues to increase. Obesity is a risk factor for injury, and the growing prevalence may be associated with increases in the future incidence and cost of injuries. In this study, we examined obesity-related differences in muscular capacity during sustained isometric exertions involving hand grip, shoulder flexion, and trunk extension. Thirty-six young individuals who were obese or not obese (aged 18–29) completed these exertions at fixed levels of absolute loads involving low-moderate levels of effort. Individuals who were obese had an overall ∼20% higher absolute strength, but ∼20% lower relative strength. These differences were most evident in the hand grip and shoulder exertions. Parameters of fitted exponential relationships between endurance time and task demands (as a percentage of strength) were similar in both groups. Perceptual and performance responses were also consistent between groups. Accordingly, we conclude that obesity may not substantially influence muscular capacity for these tasks.
Gain Apodization in Highly-Doped Fiber DFB Lasers

Axial gain apodization can lead to lower thresholds for fiber DFB lasers. Modeling shows the lasing threshold is reduced over 21% for a phase-shifted DFB laser without penalty on spectral-mode discrimination.
Molecular biology: The Bloom's complex mousetrap.

Genomic instability often underlies cancer. Analyses of proteins implicated in a cancer-predisposing condition called Bloom's syndrome illustrate the intricacies of protein interactions that ensure genomic stability.
COMPRESSIBILITY, ZERO-POINT ENERGY, AND SPECIFIC HEAT IN SUPERCONDUCTORS

It is reported that the lattice specific heats of certain superconductors, including Al, In, Pb, Nb, and Sn, are considerably smaller than lattice specific heats measured in the normal state. The changes in compressibility between the normal and superconducting states are calculated. It is shown from these calculations that variations in the Debye temperature ( THETA /sub D/) less than 0.01% may be responsible for the specific heat changes. It is suggested that the specific heat anomalies may be caused by a temperature dependence of the lattice zero-point energy. (T.F.H.)
Warning variables affecting personal protective equipment use

Abstract This paper describes two studies conducted to test selected warning variables for their influence on the use of personal protective equipment. Both of the studies were field demonstrations; one conducted in a recreational setting and the other as part of a consumer product scenario. Each of the studies involved manipulations that could be practically implemented in many warning situations. Both studies showed that cost strongly influenced the use of personal protective equipment. “Cost” was shown to include parameters of time and difficulty with obtaining the equipment. The results indicate that a small increase in cost can devastate equipment use rates. Additional factors that were shown to positively influence equipment use under at least some circumstances include: (1) the addition of “specific consequence” information, including accident frequency and severity data, to standard warning signs/labels; and (2) product labels requiring physical manipulation by the consumer for product use.
Wild Kenaf,Hibiscus cannabinus L. (Malvaceae), and related species in Kenya and Tanzania

Kenaf,Hibiscus cannabinus L., occurs as a wild and ruderal plant in Kenya and Tanzania. It is polymorphic, varying in height, growth habit, spininess, flower color, and size of floral parts, capsules, and seeds. It occupies several distinct environmental niches, from low-lying meadows close to swamps and streams to semi-arid grassland /thornbush plains. It is also found in various weedy situations, such as cultivated and fallow fields, and fence- and hedgerows. At least one ecotype appears to be specifically adapted as a weed of cultivated fields. Leaves and stem-tips of this plant are used as food. It is not cultivated for this purpose, although it is sometimes encouraged in fields of maize, cassava, and perhaps other crops. It is apparently not used for fiber by the natives, possibly because fiber of the introduced sisal (Agave sisalana Perr.) is readily available everywhere. Kenaf fiber is produced commercially on a plantation in Tanzania, from a cultivar developed in Guatemala. The occurrence of twelve other taxa of Hibiscus section Furcaria in East Africa is discussed briefly.
Social Services Workers and Workplace Violence

Researchers and workplace violence experts have cited risk factors that theoretically increase the likelihood that individuals will experience workplace violence. Those include working alone, contact with the public, traveling to dangerous areas, as well as other factors. By the very nature of what social services workers do, many encounter these risk factors on a regular basis. Using national data, trends in workplace violence experienced by social services workers are examined, and comparisons are made between the rates of workplace violence among similar workgroups. Results suggest that social services workers are nearly six times more likely than other workers to experience workplace violence. In the discussion, attention is given to strategies to prevent violence against social services workers.
The acoustic field of a point source in a uniform boundary layer over an impedance plane

The acoustic field of a point source in a boundary layer above an impedance plane is investigated anatytically using Obukhov quasi-potential functions, extending the normal-mode theory of Chunchuzov (1984) to account for the effects of finite ground-plane impedance and source height. The solution is found to be asymptotic to the surface-wave term studies by Wenzel (1974) in the limit of vanishing wind speed, suggesting that normal-mode theory can be used to model the effects of an atmospheric boundary layer on infrasonic sound radiation. Model predictions are derived for noise-generation data obtained by Willshire (1985) at the Medicine Bow wind-turbine facility. Long-range downwind propagation is found to behave as a cylindrical wave, with attention proportional to the wind speed, the boundary-layer displacement thickness, the real part of the ground admittance, and the square of the frequency.
The stabilization of animal fats with antioxidants during rendering

Studies have been made to determine the feasibility of stabilizing inedible animal fats with antioxidants during rendering. Results show that in many instances a very high stability fat and meat and bone scrap can be obtained from this practice. Factors affecting the variability of results are discussed.
Determination of low-molecular-weight organic acid concentrations in seawater and pore-water samples via HPLC

Abstract A method is described for the preparation of 2-nitrophenylhydrazide derivatives of low-molecular-weight organic acids in aqueous samples and their subsequent analysis via HPLC with absorbance detection. The method has been optimized for derivatization of marine sediment pore-water samples and is suitable for use with fresh or saline waters with variable carbonate alkalinity. The HPLC analysis utilizes a reversed-phase column and ion-pairing solvents. Baseline resolution of lactate, acetate, formate, propionate, n - and iso -butyrate, and n - and iso -valerate is demonstrated. The chemical behavior of the derivatives allows their preconcentration on a concentrator column in the sample loop. The concentration sensitivity of the method is thereby extended into the sub-micromolar range and is currently limited only by the blank. The derivatives are colored and the absorption of derivatized samples at 550 nm can be used as the basis of a colorimetric assay for total carboxylic acids. Examples of the use of this method for quantifying C 1 to C 5 organic acids and total carboxylic acids in marine sediment pore waters are given.
Heterologous expression of human 5-aminolevulinate dehydratase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A cDNA coding for human 5-aminolevulinate dehydratase was placed in a yeast expression vector under the control of the GAL10 promoter. The resulting multicopy plasmid was then used to transform a yeast mutant which contains a defective hem2 gene coding for 5-aminolevulinate dehydratase. Expression of the human cDNA was shown in four ways: (1) restoration of normal growth on glycerol/galactose as primary carbon source, (2) decrease in intracellular 5-aminolevulinic acid concentration, (3) restoration of cytochrome biosynthesis and (4) direct, in situ assay of 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase. Curing transformed cells of plasmid restored the hem2 mutant phenotype. This heterologous system could be used to produce large quantities of human 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase for physical and biochemical studies.
Observation by laser ionization spectroscopy of vibrationally excited nitric oxide following O(1D2) + N2O → 2NO

Nitric oxide in ν < has been detected using one-proton resonant laser ionization spectroscopy following the reaction of electronically excited oxygen atoms with nitrous oxide. The nascent rotational distribution appears to differ significantly from that observed at 300 K.
Segmentation and quantification of pulmonary artery for noninvasive CT assessment of sickle cell secondary pulmonary hypertension

Purpose: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive vascular disease that results in high mortality and morbidity in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. PAH diagnosis is invasive via right heart catheterization, but manual measurements of the main pulmonary artery (PA) diameters from computed tomography (CT) have shown promise as noninvasive surrogate marker of PAH. The authors propose a semiautomated computer-assisted diagnostic (CAD) tool to quantify the main PA size from pulmonary CT angiography (CTA). Methods: A follow-up retrospective study investigated the potential of CT and image analysis to quantify the presence of PAH secondary to SCD based on PA size. The authors segmented the main pulmonary arteries using a combination of fast marching level sets and geodesic active contours from smoothed pulmonary CTA images of 20 SCD patients with proven PAH by right heart catheterization and 20 matched negative controls. From the PA segmentation, a Euclidean distance map was calculated and an algorithm based on fast marching methods was used to compute subvoxel precise centerlines of the PA trunk (PT) and main left∕right PA (PM). Maximum distentions of PT and PM were automatically quantified using the centerline and validated with manual measurements from two observers. Results: The pulmonary trunk and main were significantly larger (p<0.001) in PAH∕SCD patients (33.73±3.92 mm for PT and 25.17±2.90 for PM) than controls (27.03±2.94 mm for PT and 20.62±3.06 for PM). The discrepancy was qualitatively improved when vessels’ diameters were normalized by body surface area (p<0.001). The validation of the method showed high correlation (mean R=0.9 for PT and R=0.91 for PM) and Bland–Altman agreement (0.4±3.6 mm for PT and 0.5±2.9 mm for PM) between CAD and manual measurements. Quantification errors were comparable to intraobserver and interobserver variability. CAD measurements between two different users were robust and reproducible with correlations of R=0.99 for both PT and PM and Bland–Altman agreements of −0.13±1.33 mm for PT and −0.08±0.84 mm for PM. Conclusion: Results suggest that the semiautomated quantification of pulmonary artery has sufficient accuracy and reproducibility for clinical use. CT with image processing and extraction of PA biomarkers show great potential as a surrogate indicator for diagnosis or quantification of PAH, and could be an important tool for drug discovery and noninvasive clinical surveillance.
Ribosomal proteins and the conformation of ribosomal ribonucleic acid

Abstract Heat-denatured 16 s ribosomal RNA from Escherichia coli will combine with the total 30 s ribosomal proteins to form partially active 30 s ribosomes. The reconstitution process results in a change in the structure of the RNA, which can be demonstrated by chromatography on columns of methylated albuminkieselguhr. The change in RNA structure requires 30 s proteins and elevated temperatures.
Mapping agricultural fields with GPR and EMI to predict offsite movement of agrochemicals

Offsite movement of waterborne agrochemicals is increasingly targeted as a nonpoint source of water quality degradation. Our research has indicated that subsurface water movement is variable and site-specific, and that a small soil volume frequently conducts a large volume of flow. This concentrated flow is usually caused by soil morphology, and it often results in water moving rapidly offsite from certain areas of fields; little or no lateral subsurface flow may occur in other areas. Identifying these subsurface regions is difficult using conventional soil survey and vadose zone sampling techniques. In this study, traditional surveying is combined with electromagnetic induction (EMI) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) mapping to identify areas with high potential for subsurface offsite movement of agrochemicals, optimizing these identification techniques, and expanding the mapping procedures to make them useful at the field-scale for agricultural production practices. Conclusions from this research are: (1) EMI mapping provides rapid identification of areas of soil with a high potential for offsite movement of subsurface water, (2) GPR mapping of areas identified by EMI mapping provides a means to identify features that are known to conduct concentrated lateral flow of water, and (3) combining the capabilities of EMI and GPR instrumentation make possible the surveys of large areas that would otherwise be impossible or unfeasible to characterize.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Nodular bilateral amygdala degeneration in demented individuals

Among more than 2,050 brains in our Alzheimer disease brain banks, we came across three brains with well-demarcated indurated white-yellow nodules in the amygdalas. Microscopically, these nodules were composed of numerous lipid-laden macrophages located in the central region surrounded by an eosinophilic hyaline-like material with minimal reactive gliosis in the periphery. Neurons within these lesions had a normal appearance but were moderately decreased in number. Beta-amyloid, tau and alpha-synuclein immunostaining revealed no abnormal deposits within the nodules. The three patients had long histories of dementia (one linked to a presenilin-1 mutation). The neuropathological diagnoses were Alzheimer disease in two of them and an unclassified tauopathy with argyrophilic grains in the third. In conclusion, the pathogenesis of these lesions is uncertain. We favor that the degeneration has some relationship to the underlying dementing disease, either secondary to deafferentation or an alteration in metabolic demand, perhaps related to the bi-directional anatomical and functional connections that exist between the amygdala and the hippocampus or less likely as a primary event.
Immobilization of enzymes on polytetrafluoroethylene particles packed in HPLC columns

The use of polytetrafluoroethylene particles packed in short, high performance liquid chromatography columns for the immobilization of enzymes is examined. In particular, lactate dehydrogenase chosen as a model system was investigated with regard to activity and stability when immobilized on polytetrafluoroethylene. (Refs. 7).
Radiation produced aggregation in crystalline preparations of ribonuclease, lysozyme, and trypsin.

SummarySoluble and insoluble aggregates are major inactive radiation products in vacuo from crystalline lysozyme, ribonuclease, and trypsin. Soluble aggregates can be cleanly separated from active monomer materials by gel filtration on P-100 columns. This separation also permits quantitation of aggregate formation. Such products increase with increasing dose. If H2S is present during radiation, aggregate yield is decreased in ribonuclease and increased in lysozyme and trypsin. In the case of the latter two enzymes aggregates produced in the presence of H2S retain significant activity levels. These results indicate the free radical scavenger, H2S, promotes aggregate formation from active monomers in which free radicals have been produced by irradiation.