cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Orientation-specific possibility priming for novel three-dimensional objects

Priming effects on the object possibility task, in which participants decide whether line drawings could or could not be possible three-dimensional objects, may be supported by the same processes and representations used in recognizing and identifying objects. Three experiments manipulating objects’ picture-plane orientation provided limited support for this hypothesis. Like old/new recognition performance, possibility priming declined as study-test orientation differences increased from 0° to 60°. However, while significant possibility priming was not observed for larger orientation differences, recognition performance continued to decline following 60°–180° orientation shifts. These results suggest that possibility priming and old/new recognition may rely on common viewpoint-specific representations but that access to these representations in the possibility test occurs only when study and test views are sufficiently similar (i.e., rotated less than 60°).
Electron emission resulting from fast ion impact on thin metal foils: Implications of these data for development of track structure models

Experimental information useful in improving and testing theoretical models of energy deposition and redistribution in particle-condensed phase media is discussed. An overview of information available from previous, and ongoing, studies of the electron emission from thin foils is presented and the need for doubly differential electron energy and angular distribution data stressed. Existing data are used to demonstrate that precisely known, and controllable, surface and bulk conditions of the condensed-phase media are required for experimental studies of this type. Work in progress and improvements planned for future studies at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory are outlined.
Relationships between upper-limb functional limitation and self-reported disability 3 months after stroke.

This study explored relationships between upper- limb (UL) functional limitations and self-reported disability in stroke patients with relatively pure motor hemiparesis who were enrolled in an acute rehabilitation treatment trial. All participants were enrolled in the VECTORS (Very Early Constraint Treat- ment for Recovery from Stroke) study. VECTORS is a single- center pilot clinical trial of early application of constraint- induced movement therapy (CIMT). All 39 subjects who com- pleted 90 days of VECTORS were included in this analysis. Trained study personnel who were blinded to the treatment type performed all evaluations. Data in this article examine relation- ships between assessments performed 90 days after stroke. Functional limitation measures included the Action Research Arm (ARA) test and Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and self-reported disability measures included the Functional Inde- pendence Measure (FIM) and Motor Activity Log (MAL) (by telephone). Mean plus or minus standard deviation time from stroke onset to randomization was 9.4 plus or minus 4.3 days, and median time to follow-up was 99 days (range 68-178). Subjects with perfect or near-perfect scores on the ARA test or WMFT reported residual disability on the FIM and MAL. Qual- ity of movement on the WMFT (functional ability score) was not strongly associated with self-reported frequency, and speed of movement on the WMFT (timed score) was not associated with self-reported frequency (MAL amount of use). In this early UL intervention trial, we found that perceived disability measures captured information that was not assessed by functional limita- tion and impairment scales. Our results indicate that excellent motor recovery as measured by functional limitation and impair- ment scales did not equal restoration of everyday productive UL use and speed of task completion did not translate to actual use. Our results confirm the need for a measurement strategy that is sensitive to change, assesses a broad performance range, and detects meaningful clinical improvements in early rehabilitation intervention trials.
Rapid Quality Estimation of Neural Network Input Representations

The choice of an input representation for a neural network can have a profound impact on its accuracy in classifying novel instances. However, neural networks are typically computationally expensive to train, making it difficult to test large numbers of alternative representations. This paper introduces fast quality measures for neural network representations, allowing one to quickly and accurately estimate which of a collection of possible representations for a problem is the best. We show that our measures for ranking representations are more accurate than a previously published measure, based on experiments with three difficult, real-world pattern recognition problems.
Purified Plasma Factor XIIa Aggregates Human Neutrophils and Causes Degranulation

Plasma kallikrein has been shown to aggregate human neutrophils and release human neutrophil elastase. However, neutrophils resuspended in factor XII-deficient plasma released only 30% of the elastase compared with normal plasma. Isolated human neutrophils were aggregated in a concentration-dependent fashion by 0.06 to 0.6 U/mL factor XIIa (0.022 to 0.22 mumol/L). Factor XIIa (0.1 to 1.0 U/mL) also induced neutrophil degranulation as evidenced by a concentration-dependent release of the specific granule protein, lactoferrin, and azurophilic granule protease, elastase. The release of neutrophil elastase was biphasic, reaching 40% of maximum at 15 seconds with maximal release by 90 minutes. The active site of factor XIIa was required, since the synthetic inhibitor, D-Pro-Phe-Arg-CH2Cl, which reacts with an essential histidine, and the natural plasma inhibitor, Cl-inhibitor, which interacts with the critical serine, both inhibit by more than 90% the release of elastase. The heavy chain is also required, since factor XII fragments failed to aggregate neutrophils or stimulate degranulation. Factor XIIa (0.6 U/mL) can completely correct the defect in elastase release evident in factor XII-deficient plasma. These studies demonstrate that factor XIIa, at concentrations potentially obtainable in plasma in disease states, can activate neutrophils, and thus may participate in the inflammatory response.
Learning hierarchical 3D kernel descriptors for RGB-D action recognition

We propose a hierarchical kernel based method to learn the non-linear correlations between RGB and depth action data for action recognition.We employ the efficient match kernels (EMK) in our framework, which allows us to learn nonlinear correlations between body parts.We also apply hierarchical kernel descriptors (HKD) as higher level of our framework to aggregate patch-level features into one representative feature vector for each video.Through extensive experiments we demonstrate the proposed approach achieves superior performance on four standard RGB-D sequences benchmarks. Human action recognition is an important and challenging task due to intra-class variation and complexity of actions which is caused by diverse style and duration in performed action. Previous works mostly concentrate on either depth or RGB data to build an understanding about the shape and movement cues in videos but fail to simultaneously utilize rich information in both channels. In this paper we study the problem of RGB-D action recognition from both RGB and depth sequences using kernel descriptors. Kernel descriptors provide an unified and elegant framework to turn pixel-level attributes into descriptive information about the performed actions in video. We show how using simple kernel descriptors over pixel attributes in video sequences achieves a great success compared to the state-of-the-art complex methods. Following the success of kernel descriptors (Bo, et?al., 2010) on object recognition task, we put forward the claim that using 3D kernel descriptors could be an effective way to project the low-level features on 3D patches into a powerful structure which can effectively describe the scene. We build our system upon the 3D Gradient kernel descriptor and construct a hierarchical framework by employing efficient match kernel (EMK) (Bo, and Sminchisescu, 2009) and hierarchical kernel descriptors (HKD) as higher levels to abstract the mid-level features for classification. Through extensive experiments we demonstrate the proposed approach achieves superior performance on four standard RGB-D sequences benchmarks.
Bioelastic Materials as Matrices for Tissue Reconstruction

Bioelastic materials are elastomeric polypeptides whose origins are repeating peptide sequences in mammalian elastic fibers (Sandberg et al., 1985; Yeh et al., 1987; Indik et al., 1987). Physical properties of synthetic high polymers of the repeats have been extensively studied (Urry, 1991;1988), and they have been designed to exhibit properties not present in elastic fibers. A key property is that these elastomeric polypeptides exhibit reversible transitional behavior in which they become more-ordered on increasing the temperature through a critical temperature range (Urry, 1992). This is called an inverse temperature transition; its onset temperature is designated as Tt; and it is due to hydrophobic folding and assembly. The reverse process of hydrophobic unfolding and disassembly on lowering the temperature is well-known in proteins as cold denaturation (Privalov, 1990). The temperature, Tt, at which the transition occurs depends on the amino acid composition allowing for a Tt-based hydrophobicity scale to be developed (Urry et al., 1992a) which allows the bioelastic material to be designed to have its transition temperature set as desired within the available aqueous range or returned to a desired temperature when functional peptide sequences have been added that change the value of Tt. In spite of becoming more-ordered on raising the temperature, the more-ordered state in cross-linked matrices is a dominantly entropic elastomer (Urry, 1991) with the potential for great durability to sustain repeated stretch/relaxation cycles.
Experience with Wide-Area Network Nuclear Medicine PACS

This article reviews our experience with designing, implementing and operating a nuclear medicine picture archiving and communications system (PACS). PACS hardware, software and changes in the professional tasks for both technologists and physicians are presented. Educational and research benefits are also discussed.
What Is This Thing Called Love? Emotional Scenarios in Historical Perspective

AbstractFrom a social-constructionist standpoint, emotional expressions are constitu-ents of lived narratives, and gain their meaning from their position within these narratives. These special forms of narrative, termed emotional scenarios, are themselves lodged within a broader cultural and historical landscape. This article compares major features of romantic love scenarios as they have changed from 19th century romanticist culture, through 20th century modern-ism, and into the contemporary postmodern context. We identify major ways in which the individual participant in romantic scenarios may identify the self, gender variations in performance, the character of sequencing in the scenario, and the vocabulary of emotional expression as these have evolved over the past century. Such transformations allow enormous freedom of expression to the contemporary "romantic," but also result in simultaneous loss in both the sense of authenticity and security. (Social Psychology)
The response of symptomatic neurosyphilis to high-dose intravenous penicillin G in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Background Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may affect both the natural course of syphilis and the response to treatment. We examined the response to treatment with high-dose penicillin G in HIV-infected patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis. Methods Neurosyphilis was defined by reactivity in serum treponemal tests for syphilis, neurologic manifestations consistent with neurosyphilis, and a positive Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test on cerebrospinal fluid. We identified 11 HIV-infected patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis; 5 had been treated previously for early syphilis with penicillin G benzathine. Patients were treated with 18 million to 24 million units of penicillin G per day administered intravenously for 10 days. Cerebrospinal fluid was examined approximately 6 and 24 weeks after treatment, when the polymerase chain reaction and rabbit inoculation were used to detect Treponema pallidum. Results In four of the seven patients studied 24 weeks after treatment, ...
Fetoscopic Repair of Meningomyelocele.

BACKGROUND:Currently, maternal-fetal surgery for repair of myelomeningocele requires an upper-segment hysterotomy, which likely increases maternal postsurgical risks. If fetoscopic repair of myelomeningocele achieves similar or better fetal outcomes while decreasing maternal risks, it would be a bet
Prevailing Preferences Actual Work Hours and Work-Hour Preferences of Partners

Studies of paid work hours have overlooked preferences partners have with respect to each other’s hours. The author uses the National Survey of Families and Households to examine how closely partne...
Development of III-Nitride Thermoelectric Characterizations and Materials

The pursuit of III-Nitride based thermoelectric material will be presented from materials, simulations, and device characterizations. The use of superlattice approach for achieving improved thermoelectric material will also be discussed. Article not available.
Reconciling after civil conflict increases social capital but decreases individual well-being

Civil wars divide nations along social, economic, and political cleavages, often pitting one neighbor against another. To restore social cohesion, many countries undertake truth and reconciliation efforts. We examined the consequences of one such effort in Sierra Leone, designed and implemented by a Sierra Leonean nongovernmental organization called Fambul Tok. As a part of this effort, community-level forums are set up in which victims detail war atrocities, and perpetrators confess to war crimes. We used random assignment to study its impact across 200 villages, drawing on data from 2383 individuals. We found that reconciliation had both positive and negative consequences. It led to greater forgiveness of perpetrators and strengthened social capital: Social networks were larger, and people contributed more to public goods in treated villages. However, these benefits came at a substantial cost: The reconciliation treatment also worsened psychological health, increasing depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder in these same villages. For a subset of villages, we measured outcomes both 9 months and 31 months after the intervention. These results show that the effects, both positive and negative, persisted into the longer time horizon. Our findings suggest that policy-makers need to restructure reconciliation processes in ways that reduce their negative psychological costs while retaining their positive societal benefits.
Increased cardiac output by downstream pumping with a reversed unidirectional intra-aortic balloon.

Downstream and upstream pumping with unidirectional intra-aortic balloons was compared in 8 open-chest normal mongrel dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. Downstream pumping effected a 32 per cent increase in cardiac index, a 24 per cent decrease in systemic resistance, and a 2 per cent decrease in heart rate. Upstream pumping did not significantly affect these parameters. Mean aortic pressure proximal and distal to the balloon was not altered significantly by pumping in either direction. This unique observation of increased cardiac output may have important implications for the treatment of low output cardiac failure. Preliminary studies including baroreceptor denervation suggest that a reflex mechanism may be involved.
Gender, Health, and Responsible Research

In women, the prevention or management of diseases and disorders particular to middle-age, as well as those that do not present until later life, requires a substantially improved knowledge base to differentiate those conditions whose causes stem from ovarian hormone insufficiency (and thus are treatable by hormone therapy) from those that do not. Only then can we prevent misdiagnosis, avoid dismissing middle-aged women's medical complaints as "menopausal," and attempt to change the perception that physicians do not render the same attention to women or take women's health care concerns seriously. It is inevitable that dramatic changes in the health care system will be required to accommodate changing population demographics resulting from the burgeoning aging population. Currently, more than 35 million women, or one third of the total female population, is postmenopausal. Last year alone, the number of women reaching age 50 (the average age for menopause in the United States), reached 1.3 million, and this number will approach 2 million per year in the first decade of the 21st century as peak numbers of women from the baby-boom generation reach this milestone. Clearly, as the proportion of older women continues to grow, the need to expand our scientific and medical knowledge base assumes even greater urgency in order to develop efficacious strategies for the delivery of preventive, diagnostic, and clinical health care to older women. These strategies are crucial in reducing morbidity and maintaining the independence of this rapidly growing segment of the population.
Survey of U.S. Ancillary Services Markets

In addition to providing energy to end-consumers, power system operators are also responsible for ensuring system reliability. To this end, power markets maintain an array of ancillary services to ensure it is always possible to balance the supply and demand for energy in real-time. A subset of these ancillary services are commonly procured through market-based mechanisms: namely, Regulation, Spinning, and Non-spinning Reserves.
Numerical Simulation of Jamming Transition in Granular System Under Cyclic Compression Using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics

The jamming of granular materials, which indicates how disordered particle systems change from mechanically unstable to stable states, has attracted significant recent interest due, but not limited, to the appearance of jamming transition or similar behavior in a broad variety of systems. Recent experiments on jamming transition have revealed the relationship between mean coordination number and packing fraction for different jammed states. In this paper the jamming states of two dimensional granular materials under cyclic compression using Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) approach is numerically investigated. The SPH method allows one to study the stress developed within individual granular particles of arbitrary shape. In this study the granular system is cyclically and isotropically compressed or expanded. The system undergoes a range of jamming states over a large number of cycles. We measure the evolution of global pressure, mean coordination number, and packing fraction. The force chains and probability density function of force for different compression cycles are also investigated.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Stochastic passenger train timetabling using a branch and bound approach

Abstract We investigate the integrated scheduling of freight and passenger trains in complex railway networks and the timetabling for passenger trains to improve the efficiency of the schedules. In the proposed model, the objective is to study the robust passenger train timetable considering the uncertainty in freight train departure times. The joint routing and scheduling are considered between the two types of trains. We propose a branch and bound framework with hybrid heuristics to solve the problem. On each search tree node, a Lagrangian method is first developed to solve for a relaxed passenger train schedule and then a feasibility recovery heuristic is applied. Then a labeling algorithm is proposed to jointly optimize the freight and passenger trains sequentially. Numerical experiments show the proposed solution approach outperforms other heuristics on actual railway networks.
CHADS-VASC TO PREDICT READMISSION TO PREDICT READMISSION WITH NEW-ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, ATRIAL FLUTTER, OR ACUTE CVA

Although the risk factors for atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF/AFL) occurrence are well known, identifying patients more likely to develop AF/AFL within the near future remains challenging. Identifying such patients might impact their follow-up and treatment. Using the Nationwide Readmission
Prevalence and correlates of large weight gains and losses.

Objective: To examine the prevalence and correlates of large weight gains and losses over a 3 y period in a heterogeneous population of participants in a study of weight gain prevention. Design and Measures: Analyses based on a cohort of 823 participants in a weight gain prevention study whose weight was measured on at least two of four annual examinations. Results: Weight gains and losses of ≥5% body weight over 1 y were observed in 9.3 and 15% of the population, respectively. Weight gains among those initially losing weight were significantly greater (3.9 kg) than among those experiencing stable weight (0.8 kg) or a large weight gain (1.5 kg) over the following 2 y. Cumulative weight changes over 3 y were −2.6, 1.0 and 7.6 kg among large loss, weight stable and large gain groups, respectively. Large weight loss was more common in smokers, large gains were more common in younger people and in those with a more extensive weight loss history, and stable weight was observed more often in individuals with less extensive histories of weight loss. Conclusion: The high prevalence of large short-term weight gains and losses in this heterogeneous population, their apparent resistance to short-term reversal, and the strength of their relationship to longer-term weight trends suggest that rapid weight change over relatively short time intervals is a phenomenon that deserves more research attention. Short periods of rapid weight gain may contribute importantly to rapidly rising obesity rates.
Democracy's Dilemma: Explaining Racial Inequality in Egalitarian Societies'

While contemporary criticisms of Gunnar Myrdal's liberal reformism provide an important perspective on racial ideology (G. Myrdal (1944) An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Democracy. New York: Harper & Row), most people miss Myrdal's most provocative point. Rather than assuming that egalitarianism could only oppose racial inequality, Myrdal argued that commitment to egalitarianism led Euro-Americans to avoid the dilemma presented by racial inequality in an egalitarian society. Rather than predicting the disappearance of racism, this analysis can be used to predict an increasing demand for racism in the wake of de jure attempts to eliminate racial inequality.
Conditions of oocyte storage and use of noninseminated as compared with inseminated, nonfertilized oocytes for the hemizona assay

Objectives To examine differences in sperm binding to the zona and recovery of oocytes from the storage vessel after oocyte preservation for the hemizona assay (HZA) by the method currently in predominant use, salt storage at 4°C, as compared with a new method that should allow for indefinite preservation of zona receptors, dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO)/sucrose in liquid nitrogen (−196°C). A second objective was to compare sperm binding to noninseminated zona as opposed to zona from inseminated, nonfertilized oocytes and to examine whether differences in binding potential were related to the patient's fertilization rate from the cycle in which the oocytes for the HZA originated. Design Binding and recovery were evaluated after 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 17 to 25months of storage. Setting In vitro fertilization and andrology laboratories at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; academic tertiary care center. Results Binding of sperm was significantly lower for nonfertilized oocytes stored >12months in salt at 4°C than for those stored in liquid nitrogen. Binding was similar after storage for 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, and 12months. Oocyte recovery was significantly lower after storage in salt for >12months as compared with storage in liquid nitrogen. Greater variability in sperm binding was observed between matching zona halves of nonfertilized as compared with noninseminated oocytes. Nonfertilized oocytes also bound fewer total sperm than noninseminated oocytes. The number of sperm bound to noninseminated oocytes was not related to the patient's fertilization rate from the cycle in which the oocytes originated. However, significantly fewer sperm bound to the zona of nonfertilized oocytes when the oocyte originated from a cycle in which the patient's fertilization rate was >50%. Conclusions These results indicate that storage of oocytes in DMSO/sucrose in liquid nitrogen results in superior long-term (>12months) preservation of zona receptors for sperm binding and improves oocyte recovery as compared with salt storage at 4°C. Although noninseminated oocytes appear to be optimal for use in the HZA, nonfertilized oocytes can be used successfully if the oocytes originate from an IVF cycle in which the fertilization rate is ≤50%.
Food Ethics as More Than Food Security: Asia’s Critical Role in Discourses Around Animal Welfare and Environmental Challenges

Asia’s livestock sectors are scaling up, supersizing and intensifying to meet soaring demand for high value animal sourced foods (ASF). This soaring growth in AFS consumerism in Asia is changing ‘foodways’ rapidly and bringing into focus the impacts of Asia’s ‘livestock revolution’ on future generations and local or smallholder farmers, animal welfare and the environment. This discussion considers the evolving storyline in Asia through the lenses of narrative ethics to reveal underlying values and responsibilities, and concerns, costs and opportunities. Consequently, I suggest that policy makers across Asia and morally able citizens take up a conception of the public trust doctrine (PTD), namely, a public trust emphasis (PTE) for animal agriculture as a pivotal platform to mitigate the current impacts of the tragedy of plenty and to guide the future trajectory of animal agriculture. PTE can be an ethical catalyst to (re)invigorate or (re)seed fairness and social justice in the food chain. In helping policy makers and the public across Asia think about animal welfare and environmental sustainability specifically and PTE generally in more concrete terms, I recommend operationalizing social justice and risk issues into familiar ethical categories: Safety, Quality, Security, Humaneness and Sustainability. These categories form the basis of some of our basic or common ethical commitments about our contemporary food system and relationship to food and to each other and in turn generate action-guiding principles (namely, Responsibility-Responsiveness, Innovation-Partnership, Respect, Resilience/Stewardship, Diversity-interdependence), which subsequently can motivate a framework for both shared ethical governance, and ethically inspired business models.
On the scaling behavior of water diffusion in human brain white matter.

Abstract Development of therapies for neurological disorders depends on our ability to non-invasively diagnose and monitor the progression of underlying pathologies at the cellular level. Physics and physiology limit the resolution of human MRI to be orders of magnitude coarser than cell dimensions. Here we identify and quantify the MRI signal coming from within micrometer-thin axons in human white matter tracts in vivo, by utilizing the sensitivity of diffusion MRI to Brownian motion of water molecules restricted by cell walls. We study a specific power-law scaling of the diffusion MRI signal with the diffusion weighting, predicted for water confined to narrow axons, and quantify axonal water fraction and orientation dispersion.
Critical Condition Modeling and Analysis in TMDL Development and Implementation

AbstractThe USEPA’s Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program under the Clean Water Act requires taking into account the critical conditions for stream flow, loading, and water quality parameters to ...
Maskless lithography

The high and rising cost of photomasks (largely driven by writing times exceeding 24 h) is driving the exploration of maskless lithography for applications requiring throughput about 1cm^2/s which is about one tenth that of an optical projection exposure system. Achieving this throughput with charged particle lithography requires currents 10,000 times larger than those presently used and hence sets up the need for charged particle optics radically different from those being used today. Achieving this throughput with optical maskless lithography at the required minimum features sizes of 65nm and below is a serious engineering challenge for the spatial light modulator. Meeting 10% or even 1% of the throughput requirement might still result in mask writing and inspection technologies that would lead to significantly less expensive masks. Furthermore, relaxing the requirements on control of individual edge positions (i.e., a fixed-shape projector) would significantly ease the above challenges.
Mate Retention Strategies of Dominance-Oriented and Prestige-Oriented Romantic Partners

What mate retention strategies do dominance-oriented and prestige-oriented romantic partners use to keep their relationships intact? In the current study, 329 participants in committed romantic relationships completed measures of their dominance orientation, prestige orientation, and mate retention behavior. It was predicted that dominance-oriented partners would engage in tactics designed to force or coerce relationship commitment, whereas prestige-oriented partners (primarily men) would engage in tactics such as resource display and avoid costly strategies such as rival violence. Results confirmed these hypotheses. Dominance-oriented individuals imposed costs on their partners and intrasexual rivals; prestige-oriented individuals, in contrast, attempted to increase their partners’ satisfaction by enhancing positive aspects of their relationships. These results suggest that romantic partners engage in strategic mate retention tactics corresponding with their dispositional levels of dominance and prestige motivation. Implications for relationship satisfaction and partner-directed violence are discussed.
Divine Action as Mediated

The general concern of Austin Farrer's deservedly well-known approach to our discernment of God's activity in the world is to ground it in our knowledge of our own selves as agents, especially as we interact with God as Divine Agent. In his book The Glass of Vision, Farrer develops an account of how this overall approach applies to the concept of revelation and religious language. The “text” he chose for this book, “Now we see through a glass darkly,” sounds as promising as the title.
The Complexity of Interactions Between Female Sex Hormones and Chlamydia trachomatis Infections

This review focuses specifically on the mechanisms by which female sex hormones, estrogen, and progesterone affect Chlamydia trachomatis infections in vivo and in vitro. Recent data support previous work indicating that estrogen enhances chlamydial development via multiple mechanisms. Progesterone negatively impacts Chlamydia infections also through multiple mechanisms, particularly by altering the immune response. Conflicting data exist regarding the effect of synthetic hormones, such as those found in hormonal contraceptives, on chlamydial infections. Numerous studies over the years have indicated that female sex hormones affect C. trachomatis infection. However, we still do not have a clear understanding of how these hormones alter Chlamydia disease transmission and progression. The studies reviewed here indicate that there are many variables that determine the outcome of Chlamydia/hormone interactions, including (1) the specific hormone, (2) hormone concentration, (3) cell type or area of the genital tract, (4) hormone responsiveness of cell lines, and (5) animal models.
No Peace, No Rest: Paying More Attention to Actors at the Wealth–Power Nexus:

Actors at the wealth–power nexus—oligarchs, cronies, plutocrats, and the like—have become increasingly consequential in the global economic, political, and organizational landscapes. Yet, we know l...
Generating random thermal momenta

Generation of random thermal particle momenta is a basic task in many problems, such as microscopic studies of equilibrium and transport properties of systems, or the conversion of a fluid to particles. In heavy-ion physics, the (in)efficiency of the algorithm matters particularly in hybrid hydrodynamics + hadronic transport calculations. With popular software packages, such as UrQMD 3.3p1 or THERMINATOR, it can still take ten hours to generate particles for a single Pb+Pb "event" at the LHC from fluid dynamics output. Below I describe reasonably efficient simple algorithms using the MPC package, which should help speed momentum generation up by at least one order of magnitude. It is likely that this wheel has been reinvented many times instead of reuse, so there may very well exist older and/or better algorithms that I am not aware of (MPC has been around only since 2000). The main goal here is to encourage practitioners to use available efficient routines, and offer a few practical solutions.
From Galicia to Galilee: The Ottoman and German Expeditionary Experiences in the First World War in Comparison

The Ottoman participation in Galicia and the German campaign in the Middle East were overshadowed by other fronts and thus showcased less in personal, professional, and commemorative publications. Yet a look at the coverage in the postwar memoirs and periodicals by the participants of these campaigns reveals an interesting insight to the ways Germans and Turks envisioned expeditions and their perspective roles in them. It also allows a glimpse into the ways they regarded each other as allies and cultures. The main part of the chapter focuses on the German experience, but it brings in the Ottoman case with the aim of contextualizing the Central Powers’ view on expeditionary forces in the war.
Spline Summability of Cardinal Sine Series and the Bernstein Class

In an article published in 1976, I. J. Schoenberg conjectured that if the function f is in the Bernstein class Bπ and Sk({f(n)}, x) is the piecewise polynomial cardinal spline of order 2k that interpolates (n, f(n)), n = 0, ±1, ±2, … , then for some constant c $$\displaystyle\lim _{k \to \infty } S_k(\{f(n)\}, x) = f(x) - c \sin \pi x$$ uniformly on compact subsets of the real axis \({\mathbb R}\).
Similarity of individual functional brain connectivity patterns formed by music listening quantified with a data-driven approach.

This study aims to explore the similarities in functional connectivity (FC) patterns in individuals when listening to different music genres and, in comparison, to the spoken word, using a novel data-driven approach. Our model and findings can potentially be utilized for evaluating the neurological effects of therapeutic music interventions. Twelve healthy volunteers listened to seven different sound tracks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans: music of the volunteer’s choice with positive emotional attachment, two selections of unfamiliar classical music, one classical piece repeated with visual guidance and three spoken language tracks. FC network graphs were created, and selected graph properties were evaluated toward their commonalities across sound tracks. For comparison, FC patterns represented by the graph adjacency matrices were directly compared for high and low BOLD activation during listening. Graph properties averaged across subjects showed similar values for the same sound track compared to different sound tracks (p < 0.003). For high BOLD activation involving most areas in the auditory cortex, FC patterns for the same sound track correlated highly (0.74 ± 0.11), whereas FC patterns for different sound tracks did not (0.09 ± 0.07; p < 6e−5). For low BOLD activation involving additional brain regions, correlation of FC patterns for the sound tracks was still higher (0.43 ± 0.07) than for different sound tracks (0.09 ± 0.05; p < 8e−6). Similar music creates similar functional activation and connectivity patterns in the brain of healthy individuals as does listening to the spoken word. Direct comparison of FC patterns yielded higher correlations than indirect comparisons of graph properties derived from corresponding FC networks.
Stereospecific Overman Rearrangement of Substituted Cyclic Vinyl Bromides: Access to Fully Substituted α-Amino Ketones.

A versatile thermal Overman rearrangement of enantioenriched, cyclic allylic alcohols providing tertiary allylic amines has been developed. The vinyl bromide used to control enantioselectivity in a...
When Does Sexuality Matter? Cross-cultural Analysis of Gay Identity:

Many scholars have studied migrant gay men, but few have examined the changing salience (i.e., a subjective importance a person attributes to a particular identity) of sexual identity across cultur...
John Snow, Cholera, and South London Reconsidered

John Snow, the London doctor often considered the father of modern epidemiology, analyzed 1849 and 1854 cholera mortality for a population of nearly half a million in South London. His aim was to convince skeptics and “prove the overwhelming influence which the nature of the water supply exerted over the mortality." Snow's analysis was innovative - he is commonly credited with the first application of both randomization as an instrumental variable and differences-in-differences (DiD). This paper provides an historical review of Snow's three approaches to analyzing the data: a direct comparison of mixed (quasi-randomized) populations; a primitive form of difference-in-differences; and a comparison of actual versus predicted mortality. Snow's analysis did not convince his skeptics, and we highlight problems with his analysis. We then turn to a re-analysis of Snow's evidence, casting his analysis in the modern forms of randomization as IV and DiD. The re-examination supports Snow's claims that data demonstrated the influence of water supply. As a matter of historical interest this strengthens the argument against Snow's skeptics. For modern practitioners, the data and analysis provide an example of modern statistical tools (randomization and DiD) and the complementary use of observational and (quasi) experimental data.
Non-Dutch Petitions in the Seventeenth-Century Dutch Atlantic

This article argues for the centrality of petitions for colonial administration in the Dutch Atlantic. Moreover, through a study of non-Dutch petitioners, it demonstrates the diversity of individuals that exercised influence on colonial decision-making. This adds an important understanding of political exchanges to the well-established understanding of the Atlantic world as based on inter-imperial, cross-cultural, and multi-ethnic economic exchanges. The colonial inhabitants did not stand idly by as decisions in and from the European metropole or West India Company (WIC) administrators invaded their lives, but instead actively attempted to influence the rules and regulations that governed them. The space that allowed for this on-the-spot negotiation between the colonial government and those individuals it governed was open to virtually everybody and the topics covered were equally as varied, ranging from local decentralized authority to regulations for colonial commodities and issues of religion.
Magnetic Resonance Detection of Gas Microbubbles via HyperCEST: A Path Toward Dual Modality Contrast Agent.

Gas microbubbles are an established clinical ultrasound contrast agent. They could also become a powerful MR intravascular contrast agent, but their low susceptibility-induced contrast requires high circulating concentrations or the addition of exogenous paramagnetic nanoparticles for MR detection. In order to detect clinical in vivo concentrations of raw microbubbles via MR, an alternative detection scheme must be used. HyperCEST is an NMR technique capable of indirectly detecting signals from very dilute molecules that exchange hyperpolarized 129 Xe and that are present at concentrations that fall well below the NMR detection threshold. Here, we use quantitative hyperCEST to show that microbubbles are very efficient hyperCEST agents. They can accommodate and saturate millions of 129 Xe atoms at a time, allowing for their indirect detection at concentrations as low as 10 femtomolar. The increased MR sensitivity to microbubbles achieved via hyperCEST can bridge the gap for microbubbles to become a dual modality contrast agent.
Understanding SPKI/SDSI using first-order logic

SPKI/SDSI is a language for expressing distributed access control policy, derived from SPKI and SDSI. We provide a first-order logic (FOL) semantics for SDSI, and show that it has several advantages over previous semantics. For example, the FOL semantics is easily extended to additional policy concepts and gives meaning to a larger class of access control and other policy analysis queries. We prove that the FOL semantics is equivalent to the string rewriting semantics used by SDSI designers, for all queries associated with the rewriting semantics. We also provide a FOL semantics for SPKI/SDSI and use it to analyze the design of SPKI/SDSI. This reveals some problems. For example, the standard proof procedure in RFC 2693 is semantically incomplete. In addition, as noted before by other authors, authorization tags in SPKI/SDSI are algorithmically problematic, making a complete proof procedure unlikely. We compare SPKI/SDSI with RT 1 C, which is a language in the RTRole-based Trust-management framework that can be viewed as an extension of SDSI. The constraint feature of RT 1 C, based on Constraint Datalog, provides an alternative mechanism that is expressively similar to SPKI/SDSI tags, semantically natural, and algorithmically tractable.
Metal Transport and Bioavailability in Soil Contaminated with CCA-Treated Wood Leachates

A laboratory study was conducted to investigate metal transport and accumulation within soils contaminated with As, Cr, and Cu from CCA-treated wood leachates. New blocks of CCA-treated wood were leached using synthetic rainwater. Soil columns were constructed and filled with three different soils, including a sandy soil, an organic soil and a clay soil. The leachate was applied intermittently until 80 pore volumes were eluted through each column. Metal concentrations (Cu, Cr, and As) were measured in the leachate before passage through the columns as well as in each elutriate fraction collected. Chemical analysis was complemented with toxicity testing using Ceriodaphnia dubia, Selenastrum capricornutum, and MetPLATE™. Following application of 80 pore volumes of leachate, the columns were dissected and the profile of the metal concentrations within each column was determined. A comparison of the arsenic, chromium and copper leaching patterns found arsenic to be the most mobile, with copper the most retain...
Urban morbidity and air pollution. A first report.

This report attempts to correlate hospital admissions with air pollution with the view that air pollution may exert some stress on an already-ill individual and will push him past some threshold point and into the hospital. The correlation is masked by other factors, principally day of week, but still some evidence of correlations exists. Three disease groupings with most variation in admissions between high and low sulfur days (top third and bottom third) were infectious diseases, upper respiratory diseases, and bronchitis.
Dark Matter in Dwarf Galaxies

This review focuses on dark matter in the low-luminosity dwarf spheroidal galaxies that are satellites of our own Galaxy. Originally controversial, the large velocity dispersions in Draco and Ursa Minor are now incontestable and the dispersions of Carina, Sculptor, and Fornax have increased as the data have improved. Mass-to-light ratios from core fitting range from 5.7 for Fornax to 94 for Draco. These values are larger than those found for globular clusters and for most low-luminosity ellipticals, suggesting that all of the dwarf spheroidal satellites of our Galaxy contain dark matter. The presence of non-stellar dark matter in Draco, Ursa Minor, and Carina seems hard to avoid. The data are consistent with all the galaxies having dark halos with a central density of ~0.1 M⊙/pc−3.
The wealth effects of corporate lawsuits

Abstract The Pennzoil-Texaco lawsuit is a unique case that provides an excellent opportunity to study the impact of litigation on both the plaintiff and defendant. Market reaction to the lawsuit produces an asymmetrical effect on shareholder wealth. There is a large combined loss in market value resulting from the initial court decision, as much of Texaco's decline in wealth is not transferred to Pennzoil. However, anticipation of settlement causes a reversal of the effect. And, when measured over the entire lawsuit period, there is no evidence of a final loss in combined value. The asymmetric patterns indicate the presence of large transaction costs imposed upon Texaco as a result of the lawsuit and financial distress. There is a similar effect on bondholder wealth. In addition, it is hypothesized that the equity beta coefficient of both companies will be affected substantially during the lawsuit period. Pennzoil's beta declines significantly, and Texaco's beta rises significantly relative to the oil industry.
Overlapping functional activities of proteasome inhibitor, NPI-0052, and HDAC inhibitors contribute to synergistic cytotoxicity in leukemia cells

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 3255 We have previously shown that an irreversible proteasome inhibitor, NPI-0052 (Nereus Pharmaceuticals), and histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) synergistically induce apoptosis in leukemia cell lines in a caspase-8 and oxidant dependent manner. Furthermore, these lethal effects with NPI-0052 and HDACi were more potent than those obtained when HDACi were combined with the reversible proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib. To determine the mechanisms by which NPI-0052 and HDACi may be synergizing, we examined inhibition of proteasome activity and histone acetylation, the proximal targets of these compounds. Increased acetylation of histone-3 was detected by western blot in human Jurkat (T-cell ALL) cells treated with both NPI-0052 and MS-275 (SNDX-275) compared to cells exposed to either single agent. Interestingly, these results indicate that the proteasome inhibitor is also eliciting classical chromatin associated epigenetic alterations as demonstrated by hyper-acetylation of histone-3. In addition, real-time PCR revealed that three structurally different HDACi, MS-275, SAHA (vorinostat) and valproic acid, decreased expression of the proteasomal β5 subunit, which contains the rate limiting activity of the proteasome: the chymotrypsin-like (CT-L) activity. This reduction of β5 expression affected proteasome function since we detect a decrease in CT-L activity after 12 h with 5 μM MS-275 compared to cells treated with diluent (P < 0.01). Further inhibition of CT-L activity was achieved with the combination of 5 μM MS-275 and 0.5 nM NPI-0052 compared to either treatment alone (P < 0.005). This effect was reversed by N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant . Ex vivo combination treatment of mononuclear cells isolated from an AML patient with 5 nM NPI-0052 and HDACi, MS-275 (1-5 μM) or SAHA (100-500 nM), resulted in an increase of the subdiploid population. Analysis of a range of doses using the Chou and Talalay method determined NPI-0052 and HDACi treatment displayed greater synergism (CI = 0.241 for 5 μM MS-275 and CI = 0.248 for 500 nM SAHA) compared to bortezomib (CI = 0.401 for 5 μM MS-275 and CI = 0.701 for 500 nM SAHA). These data, together with the effects of HDACi on β5 subunit expression and proteasome activity, and NPI-0052 on acetylation reinforces the potential of clinical utility of combining these two compounds. Overall, our results suggest that overlapping activities by NPI-0052 and HDACi are contributing, along with caspase-8 activation and oxidative stress, to their synergistic cytotoxic effects in leukemia cells.