cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly charged interface trap states in PbS1−x govern electro-thermal transport

This work describes our discovery of the dominant role of highly charged interfaces on the electrothermal transport properties of PbS, along with a method to reduce the barrier potential for charge carriers by an order of magnitude. High temperature thermoelectrics such as PbS are inevitably exposed to elevated temperatures during postsynthesis treatment as well as operation. However, we observed that as the material was heated, large concentrations of sulfur vacancy (VS) sites were formed at temperatures as low as 266 °C. This loss of sulfur doped the PbS n-type and increased the carrier concentration, where these excess electrons were trapped and immobilized at interfacial defect sites in polycrystalline PbS with an abundance of grain boundaries. Sulfur deficient PbS0.81 exhibited a large barrier potential for charge carriers of 0.352 eV, whereas annealing the material under a sulfur-rich environment prevented VS formation and lowered the barrier by an order of magnitude to 0.046 eV. Through ab initio calculations, the formation of VS was found to be more favorable on the surface compared to the bulk of the material with a 1.72 times lower formation energy barrier. These observations underline the importance of controlling interface-vacancy effects in the preparation of bulk materials comprised of nanoscale constituents.
Inoperable Biliary Tract and Primary Liver Tumors: Palliative Treatment Options

Primary liver tumors are most commonly hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Although surgical resection offers a chance for cure, these tumors generally present at a late, inoperable stage, necessitating an understanding of noncurative and palliative treatment options. These options include ablative therapies, including radiofrequency ablation; intra-arterial therapies, including transcatheter chemoembolization; biliary decompression; radiotherapy; systemic therapies, including traditional chemotherapeutic agents; and molecular therapies, such as sorafenib. Selection of nonoperative treatment depends on patient and tumor factors as well as institutional resources and expertise.
Physical punishment and child maltreatment

Abstract This chapter provides a review of parental physical punishment of children, which has been shown to be associated with abuse of children and several negative developmental, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. Resources and methods to effectively address the issue of parental physical punishment with parents and educate them about alternatives are described. This chapter also describes current best practices in interviewing about child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, psychological abuse, and witnessing domestic violence) and illustrates best practice guidance on mandated reporting of suspected maltreatment.
Origin of dislocation structures in an additively manufactured austenitic stainless steel 316L

Abstract In this experiment, the origin of dislocation structures in AM stainless steels was systematically investigated by controlling the effect of thermal stress through geometric constraints for the first time. Stainless steel 316L parts were produced in the form of “1D” rods, “2D” walls, and "3D" rectangular prisms to evaluate the effect of constraints to thermal expansion/shrinkage on the development of defect microstructures and to elucidate the origin of additively manufactured (AM) dislocation microstructures. Dislocation density, organization, chemical micro-segregation, precipitate structures, and misorientations were analyzed as a function of increasing constraints around solidifying material in 1D, 2D, and 3D components built using both directed energy deposition (DED) and powder-bed selective laser melting (SLM). In DED parts, the dislocation density was not dependent on local misorientations or micro-segregation patterns, but evolved from approximately ρ ⊥ = 10 12 m − 2 in 1D parts to ρ ⊥ = 10 14 m − 2 in 3D parts, indicating that it is primarily thermal distortions that produce AM dislocation structures. In DED 3D parts and SLM parts, dislocation densities were highest (ρ⊥ ≈ 1014 m-2) and corresponded to the formation of dislocation cells approximately 300-450 nm in diameter. Dislocation cells overlapped with dendrite micro-segregation in some but not all cases. The results illustrate that dendritic micro-segregation, precipitates, or local misorientations influence how the dislocations organize during processing, but are not responsible for producing the organized cell structures. This work shows that AM dislocation structures originate due to thermal distortions during printing, which are primarily dictated by constraints surrounding the melt pool and thermal cycling.
Remain or Leave? Britain and the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) in the Context of Brexit

This chapter brings to light unexpected similarities in Britain’s vacillating behaviour over space cooperation with Europe in the 1960s and its economic links with the European Union (EU) today. At one level it demonstrates how institutional technological cooperation has long existed beyond the reach of the EU. At another, it shows that, absent of political commitment to the broader process of (Western) European integration, changes in domestic political and economic circumstances had major repercussions on these collaborative ventures with other countries, to the chagrin (not to say the anger) of Britain’s continental partners. The two cases, separated in time by over 50 years, expose the deep-rooted differences in priorities between the British government and the six founder members of the EU, and the scope that excessive pragmatism leaves for a reactive foreign ‘policy’ bereft of leadership and driven by ad hoc muddling-through.
SpiroSonic: monitoring human lung function via acoustic sensing on commodity smartphones

Respiratory diseases have been a significant public health challenge. Efficient disease evaluation and monitoring call for daily spirometry tests, as an effective way of pulmonary function testing, out of clinic. This requirement, however, is hard to be satisfied due to the large size and high costs of current spirometry equipments. In this paper, we present SpiroSonic, a new system design that uses commodity smartphones to support complete, accurate yet reliable spirometry tests in regular home settings with various environmental and human factors. SpiroSonic measures the humans' chest wall motion via acoustic sensing and interprets such motion into lung function indices, based on the clinically validated correlation between them. We implemented SpiroSonic as a smartphone app, and verified SpiroSonic's monitoring error over healthy humans as
Probability law of turbulent kinetic energy in the atmospheric surface layer

We investigate the significance of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE, $k$) and its variability in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL), needed in many applications. The statistics of $k$ around its mean state is studied using the probability density function $p(k)$ for ASL flows with significant buoyancy forcing. A nonlinear Langevin equation that preserves $p(k)$ but allows linear relaxation of $k$ to its mean state is suggested and tested using multiple ASL data sets that span various stabilities and surface roughness conditions. Model parameters for the proposed Langevin equation are derived from similarity theory, reproducing measured $p(k)$ with minimal Kullback-Leibler divergence.
Development of the Child- and Parent-Rated Scales of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA)

Background Anxiety can be excessive and impairing in children with food allergy (FA). There is no accepted condition-specific measure of anxiety for this population. Objective To evaluate the validity and reliability of new child- and parent-rated measures of FA-related anxiety in youth. Methods Items for the Scale of Food Allergy Anxiety (SOFAA) were developed by a cognitive-behavioral therapist specializing in pediatric anxiety, in consultation with FA medical professionals and parents of children with FA. Dyads (n = 77) of children with FA (aged 8-18 years; 42.9% females) and their parents (95.5% females) completed full versions of the SOFAA (21 items; scored 0-4) via online survey. Results The child-rated SOFFA-C mean score was 29.1 ± 18.3; the parent-rated SOFAA-P mean score was 33.9 ± 16.1. Higher scores indicate higher reported anxiety. Coefficient alphas were 0.94 and 0.92. Factor analyses and item-response theory analyses supported the creation of the 14-item SOFAA-C-brief and the 7-item SOFAA-P-brief, accounting for 93% and 79% of total variance, respectively. Correlations revealed strong convergence between child- and parent-report for both the full (r = 0.85) and brief (r = 0.79) versions. Correlations with a generic measure of child anxiety (Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders) and the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire ranged from moderate to strong, whereas those with a generic measure of child eating problems (About Your Child’s Eating) were weak to moderate, supporting convergent and divergent validity. Scores of 48 dyads who completed SOFAAs at time 2 (mean, 16.0 days) appeared stable over time, supporting test-retest reliability. Conclusions The 21-item SOFAA-C and SOFAA-P are reliable and valid scales for measuring condition-specific anxiety in youth with FA. As shorter screening measures, the SOFAA-C-brief and the SOFAA-P-brief are also reliable and valid.
Cone arrestin identified by targeting expression of a functional family.

Abstract High acuity, color vision in humans is initiated in cones by a receptor/G-protein-linked phototransduction cascade. G-protein-linked receptors are rapidly deactivated by receptor phosphorylation and the binding of a member of the "arrestin" family of proteins. Divergence in amino acid sequence at the carboxyl terminus of S-antigen (rod photoreceptor arrestin) and beta-arrestin 1 and beta-arrestin 2 (beta-adrenergic receptors) suggests that receptor specificity may be coded within this region. An anchor primer strategy was utilized to screen for carboxyl-terminal variability with a rat pineal library, identifying three known arrestins plus three unknowns (C-arrestin, D-arrestin, and E-arrestin). cDNA was prepared by reverse transcription of mRNA from 12 rat tissues, and members of the arrestin family were amplified by polymerase chain reaction using the anchor primer and customized 3'-primers for the individual arrestins. The amplified arrestins were then digested by selected restriction endonucleases, producing a pattern of characteristic cleavage products for each arrestin isoform. The procedural combination of epitope domain anchor and tissue screening demonstrated that C-arrestin is enriched in the retina. C-arrestin was isolated from a lambda MAX1 human retinal cDNA library and sequenced, revealing significant identity to known arrestins and divergence within the 3'-region. The mRNA for C-arrestin was visualized by in situ hybridization, localizing in the retina with cone photoreceptors and in the pineal to a subpopulation of pinealocytes. A gene for human C-arrestin was mapped to the X chromosome, making C-arrestin a candidate for several inherited X-linked retinopathies. The localization of C-arrestin to cone photoreceptors suggests that it, like others in the arrestin family, may bind to phosphorylated receptors and participate in deactivation of the phototransduction cascade.
A data mining approach in home healthcare: outcomes and service use

The purpose of this research is to understand the performance of home healthcare practice in the US. The relationships between home healthcare patient factors and agency characteristics are not well understood. In particular, discharge destination and length of stay have not been studied using a data mining approach which may provide insights not obtained through traditional statistical analyses. The data were obtained from the 2000 National Home and Hospice Care Survey data for three specific conditions (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and hip replacement), representing nearly 580 patients from across the US. The data mining approach used was CART (Classification and Regression Trees). Our aim was twofold: 1) determining the drivers of home healthcare service outcomes (discharge destination and length of stay) and 2) examining the applicability of induction through data mining to home healthcare data. Patient age (85 and older) was a driving force in discharge destination and length of stay for all three conditions. There were also impacts from the type of agency, type of payment, and ethnicity. Patients over 85 years of age experience differential outcomes depending on the condition. There are also differential effects related to agency type by condition although length of stay was generally lower for hospital-based agencies. The CART procedure was sufficiently accurate in correctly classifying patients in all three conditions which suggests continuing utility in home health care.
Robust Clustering Using Outlier-Sparsity Regularization

Notwithstanding the popularity of conventional clustering algorithms such as K-means and probabilistic clustering, their clustering results are sensitive to the presence of outliers in the data. Even a few outliers can compromise the ability of these algorithms to identify meaningful hidden structures rendering their outcome unreliable. This paper develops robust clustering algorithms that not only aim to cluster the data, but also to identify the outliers. The novel approaches rely on the infrequent presence of outliers in the data, which translates to sparsity in a judiciously chosen domain. Leveraging sparsity in the outlier domain, outlier-aware robust K-means and probabilistic clustering approaches are proposed. Their novelty lies on identifying outliers while effecting sparsity in the outlier domain through carefully chosen regularization. A block coordinate descent approach is developed to obtain iterative algorithms with convergence guarantees and small excess computational complexity with respect to their non-robust counterparts. Kernelized versions of the robust clustering algorithms are also developed to efficiently handle high-dimensional data, identify nonlinearly separable clusters, or even cluster objects that are not represented by vectors. Numerical tests on both synthetic and real datasets validate the performance and applicability of the novel algorithms.
Market Structure in the Residential Real Estate Brokerage Market

This study provides empirical evidence regarding brokerage firm concentration in a local market multiple listing service setting over the years 1992-1995. To evaluate the level of brokerage firm co...
Formalizing creole sound change: An Optimality Theoretic account

This article examines sound change in French Lexifier Creoles and the neutralization of contrast involving the feature [round]; secondary concerns include the nature of diachronically related inputs, base richness and decreolization. Phonological restructuring is described in an Optimality Theoretic grammar distinguishing between perceptual, declarative and procedural strata. Base richness holds only at the declarative stratum, as input to the perceptual and procedural strata are constrained by experience and feature licensing, respectively. Explanation of phonological restructuring centers on the perception grammar, where constraints refer to the parsing of experiential input. In the incipient creole, neutralization of contrast predicated by [round] is initially attributed to substrate grammatical transfer, reflecting first language attenuation. The possibility of creole-specific learning or attenuation to second language contrasts is also addressed and shown to lead to distinct output scenarios, depending upon the reranking of constraints under each stratum. Crucially, reranking at either the declarative or procedural strata is dependent upon learning at the perceptual stratum; rankings that do not mirror those of either the lexifier or substrate lead to output variability, the frequency of which is hypothesized to frame the eventual stabilization of representations.
Bill Averaging Programs and Consumer Behavior: Theory and Evidence

This paper examines consumer behavior under "bill smoothing," a common pricing program for utility customers where monthly payments are equalized over a one year cycle.
Theoretical Commitment and Implicit Knowledge: Why Anomalies do not Trigger Learning

A theory consists of a mental model, laws that specify parameters of the model and one or more explanatory schemas. Models represent by being isomorphic to real systems. To explain an event is to reenact its genesis by executing the relevant model in the mind's eye. Schemas capture recurring structural features of explanations. To subscribe to a theory is to be committed to explaining a particular class of events with that theory (and nothing else). Given theoretical commitment, an anomaly, i.e., an event that cannot be explained, is an occasion for theory change, but in the absence of commitment, the response is instead to exclude the anomalous event from the domain of application of the theory. Lay people and children hold their theories implicitly and hence without commitment. These observations imply that the analogy between scientist's theories and children's knowledge is valid, but that the analogy between theory change and learning is not.
Transcriptional regulation of the ovalbumin and conalbumin genes by steroid hormones in chick oviduct.

Relative rates of ovalbumin and conalbumin mRNA transcription were measured in isolated oviduct nuclei by allowing endogenous RNA polymerases to synthesize [32P]RNA that was then hybridized to immobilized recombinant DNA containing the respective gene sequences. Administration of either estrogen or progesterone to withdrawn birds increased the rate of conalbumin mRNA (mRNA,,,) transcription 2- to 3-fold within 30 min. The rate of ovalbumin mRNA (mRNA,,) transcription was undetectable before hormone administration and increased at least 20-fold during the first 12 h. The maximum rates of transcription achieved after 12 h of hormonal stimulation are only 10 to 25% of those observed after several days of hormone treatment; these transcription rates are consistent with the low levels of nuclear estrogen or progesterone receptors measured during the first 12 h of induction. The induction of mRNA, and mRNAcon in oviduct explant cultures was quantitatively comparable to that observed in vivo. Relative rates of transcription were also measured in this system by pulse-labeling with [3H]uridine. In addition, absolute rates of transcription were determined by measuring the specific activity of the UTP pool during the labeling period. The accumulation of mRNA., sequences was consistent with the absolute rate of transcription measurements, indicating that this mRNA has a long
Video surveillance with PTZ cameras: the problem of maximizing effective monitoring time

The effectiveness of the surveillance (monitoring a set of mobile targets with a set of cameras) depends on the resolution of the monitored images and the duration for which the targets are monitored. PTZ cameras are a natural choice to maintain a desired level of resolution for mobile targets. Maintaining resolution by controlling the camera parameters above a desired threshold value, however, implies that the field of regard of a camera cannot be arbitrarily broadened to include multiple targets. Camera for each target needs to be judiciously chosen to ensure monitoring for prolonged time interval. In this paper we propose a metric viz. average effective monitoring time (AEMT), towards capturing the effectiveness of video based surveillance. To achieve enhanced AEMT, we formulate an optimization problem in terms of associating cameras with the targets based on an appropriate weight function and design an efficient distributed algorithm. Simulation results show that our approach contributes significantly towards improving AEMT.
Mauro Bonaiuti (ed.): From bioeconomics to degrowth: Georgescu-Roegen’s “New Economics” in eight essays

NicholasGeorgescu-Roegen (1906–1994) is considered to be one of themost profound economists of the twentieth century. Paul Samuelson (1967, p. vii) referred to him as “a scholar’s scholar, an economist’s economist” andKenneth Boulding (1972, p. 1100) said in a review in Science of Georgescu’s best-known book The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, “if the right 500 people were to read it science perhaps would never be quite the same again.” Georgescu is not an easy read. He makes few concessions to his readers and still fewer when it comes to conceptualizing the relationships between physical reality, human institutions, and the economic process. The book under review, From Bioeconomics to Degrowth, reprints eight of Georgescu’s essays on bioeconomics, a “term intended tomake us bear inmind continuously the biological origin of the economic process and thus spotlight the problem of mankind’s existence with a limited store of accessible resources, unevenly located and unequally appropriated” (Georgescu-Roegen 1978, p. 103). Mauro Bonaiuti has done a masterful job not only in selecting eight of the most pertinent of hundreds of articles penned by Georgescu but also in framing them in two important essays at the beginning and the end of the book. Prof. Bonaiuti is a prominent figure in the “degrowth” (la decroissance) movement, an emergent school of economic/social/ecological thought centered in southern Europe and drawing its inspiration in part from Georgescu’s dis-
Two-Dimensional Lattice Fermions with Random Gap

We calculate the localization lengths for lattice fermions with random gap in two dimensions. This is done by means of the transfer matrix approach. Numerical results are analyzed for finite-size scaling and they exhibit a metal-insulator and a insulator-insulator transition. At these transitions we calculate the critical exponent of the localization length.
The orientation of the carbonate anion on Ag(110)

Abstract The structure of surface carbonate on Ag(110) was studied by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure. The dependence of the intensity of the C (1 s ) → π ∗ and the C (1 s ) → σ ∗ transitions of the carbonate on the orientation of the electric field vector of the incident light indicate that the species lies in a plane parallel to the surface. By comparison of the energy of the C (1 s ) → σ ∗ transition to CdCO 3 the CO bonds are found to be identical and 1.29 ± 0.04 A in length. The vibrational spectrum of this species reveals the C s symmetry of the surface-adsorbate complex.
Aaron Belkin. Bring Me Men: Military Masculinity and the Benign Façade of American Empire, 1898–2001

Aaron Belkin. Bring Me Men: Military Masculinity and the Benign Facade of American Empire, 1898–2001. New York: Columbia University Press, 2012. ISBN 978–0–231–70284–3. There is perhaps no more rec...
Concerning the metalloenzyme ascorbate oxidase.

Abstract Apoascorbate oxidase has been shown to have a molecular weight of 137,000 ± 3,000 and essentially the same gross quaternary conformation as native ascorbate oxidase. The apoenzyme, however, lacks much of the conformational stability of the native enzyme. The removal of the copper from the oxidase protein, and the simultaneous reduction of the disulfide bonds results in an apoenzyme of lower structural stability than the native oxidase. The aging of apoascorbate oxidase has been found to involve a loss of ionizable tyrosine residues and a dissociation to subunits and component polypeptide chains, which was not observed with the more stable native and holoenzymes. The molecular weight of holoascorbate oxidase has been determined to be 285,000. An s 20,ω 0 of 9.79 has been determined for the holoenzyme. Holoascorbate oxidase has been shown to have an electrophoretic mobility on polyacrylamide gels that is 23% lower than either the native or apoenzyme. Furthermore, electrophoresis of the holoenzyme in buffers containing dodecyl sulfate, and also isoelectric focusing of the holoenzyme, produce patterns of greater similarity to those of apoascorbate oxidase than the native enzyme.
Collaboration to Expand Accessibility: The Role of Consumers in Web Content Development

Using the case example of a Web project on NCTSN.org, this article examines the importance of including the perspectives of parents, caregivers, and young adults throughout a project from conceptio...
The iPhone in Medical Libraries

This article provides an overview of the Apple iPhone, compares the phone to PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and other smartphones on the market, and examines possible uses of the iPhone in medical libraries. Medical software applications that are available for the iPhone via the Safari Web browser, such as Unbound Medicine, Epocrates, and Skyscape, are also discussed.
Line variability and the broad emission line region of quasi-stellar objects. II - Changes in Balmer decrements

Evidence is presented for significant variations of broad emission lines in five QSOs supporting an earlier report by Zheng et al. (1987). The Balmer decrements before and after variations are compared in an effort to extract information on the broad-line regions. The broad hydrogen lines are found to vary in step with the underlying continuum, indicating that the continuum is the probable energy source for emission lines. The ratios of H-beta/H-alpha for both the varying and steady parts of the the broad lines are about 0.2, suggesting that the regions in which these line fluxes originate are exposed to similar ionizing flux and are therefore at about the same distance to the central source. The average ratio of H-gamma/H-beta is 0.8 for the variable components, considerably higher than that of the constant components. Thus, the region producing the varying line fluxes may have higher density and lower optical depth.
Habenular lesions and discrimination responding to olfactory and visual stimuli

Abstract Twenty albino rats with either bilateral habenular lesions or sham operations were trained to discriminate on the basis of olfactory cues between two compartments of a Grice apparatus modified for odor presentation. The discriminative stimulus consisted of different relative concentrations of the odor substance Lilial ranging from 0.1% to 10% air-diluted concentrations. The animals were initially trained using a 10% relative odor stimulus and subsequently tested with a descending series of odorant concentrations. All animals except one acquired the initial discrimination, but successive lowering of the odor concentration disrupted the performance of the experimental group while all controls successfully reached criterion at the lowest concentration used. The rat failing to make the initial odor discrimination was able to discriminate between the two compartments when a visual cue was substituted for the olfactory stimulus. We conclude that the habenular area serves as an important link between olfactory sensory input and motor systems in the rat. It appears that the behavioral changes observed are related more to threshold elevation or an impairment in olfactory integration than to generalized disruption of response inhibition mechanisms.
Short Communication: Patterns of Fecal Shedding of Klebsiella by Dairy Cows

Patterns and persistency of fecal shedding of Klebsiella spp. by healthy adult dairy cattle were explored with probabilistic, statistical, and molecular methods. Fecal shedding was monitored longitudinally in 92 animals in 1 herd for 5 mo. Shedding patterns followed a random binomial distribution, and associations with host factors were not detected. For 12 animals from 4 herds, strain-typing of multiple fecal Klebsiella isolates was performed by means of random-amplified polymorphic DNA typing. For 2 animals, additional typing was performed on isolates from samples collected on several consecutive days. A large variety of Klebsiella strains was detected within samples (on average, 3.1 strains per 4 isolates) and between samples (18 of 20 strains were detected only once in feces from cows that were sampled for 5 d consecutively). Results from each method suggest that fecal shedding of Klebsiella is associated with transient rather than persistent presence of the organism in the gastrointestinal tract.
Dynamic behavior of flexible, semirigid and rigid steel frames

Abstract A single story steel structure was constructed such that the connections could be changed from flexible to semirigid and finally to rigid connections. The structures having these three types of connections were subjected to base excitation, simulating several major past earthquakes, using the shaking table. A total of 44 shake table tests were conducted. The parameters of study were, type of connections (three types), type of earthquake (three types) and peak ground accelerations (from 0·05 g to 0·5 g). The behavior of flexible and semirigid structures under dynamic loading was studied, and their respective responses were compared to that of the rigid structure subjected to similar earthquakes. The use of flexible and semirigid structures in seismic zones is studied and commented on.
The entry into host cells of Sindbis virus, vesicular stomatitis virus and Sendai virus

We have compared the mechanisms of entry into host cells of three enveloped viruses: Sendai virus, vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and Sindbis virus. Virus entry by membrane fusion should antigenically modify the surface of a newly infected cell in such a way that it will be killed by anti-viral antibody and complement. On the other hand, virus entry by a mechanism involving uptake by the cell of the whole virion should not make cells sensitive to antibody and complement. As expected, cells newly infected with Sendai virus were readily and completely lysed by anti-Sendai antibody and complement. In marked contrast, however, cells newly infected with either Sindbis virus or VSV were killed by anti-viral antibody and complement only when infected at an extremely high multiplicity of infection, in excess of 1000 plaque-forming units per cell. We favor the following explanation for these results with Sindbis virus and VSV: a very large majority of the Sindbis and VSV virions entered the infected cells by some means other than membrane fusion, presumably engulfment of the whole particle. Efficient entry by way of membrane fusion may therefore not be a general characteristic of enveloped viruses.
Effect of Vitamin C on Serum Cholesterol in Patients with Hypercholesterolemia and Arteriosclerosis

The daily oral administration of 1 Gm., 2 Gm., 4 Gm., and 6 Gm. of vitamin C for 5 to 16 weeks to 14 patients with hypercholesterolemia (300 mg. per cent or higher) and arteriosclerosis, failed to alter the concentration of serum cholesterol in all but one patient. This finding is in contradiction to previously reported Russian studies.
Hierarchical Modularity in ERα Transcriptional Network Is Associated with Distinct Functions and Implicates Clinical Outcomes

Recent genome-wide profiling reveals highly complex regulation networks among ERα and its targets. We integrated estrogen (E2)-stimulated time-series ERα ChIP-seq and gene expression data to identify the ERα-centered transcription factor (TF) hubs and their target genes, and inferred the time-variant hierarchical network structures using a Bayesian multivariate modeling approach. With its recurrent motif patterns, we determined three embedded regulatory modules from the ERα core transcriptional network. The GO analyses revealed the distinct biological function associated with each of three embedded modules. The survival analysis showed the genes in each module were able to render a significant survival correlation in breast cancer patient cohorts. In summary, our Bayesian statistical modeling and modularity analysis not only reveals the dynamic properties of the ERα-centered regulatory network and associated distinct biological functions, but also provides a reliable and effective genomic analytical approach for the analysis of dynamic regulatory network for any given TF.
Iron oxide nanoparticle synthesis in aqueous and membrane systems for oxidative degradation of trichloroethylene from water

The potential for using hydroxyl radical (OH•) reactions catalyzed by iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) to remediate toxic organic compounds was investigated. Iron oxide NPs were synthesized by controlled oxidation of iron NPs prior to their use for contaminant oxidation (by H2O2 addition) at near-neutral pH values. Cross-linked polyacrylic acid (PAA) functionalized polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes were prepared by in situ polymerization of acrylic acid inside the membrane pores. Iron and iron oxide NPs (80–100 nm) were directly synthesized in the polymer matrix of PAA/PVDF membranes, which prevented the agglomeration of particles and controlled the particle size. The conversion of iron to iron oxide in aqueous solution with air oxidation was studied based on X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy and BET surface area test methods. Trichloroethylene (TCE) was selected as the model contaminant because of its environmental importance. Degradations of TCE and H2O2 by NP surface generated OH• were investigated. Depending on the ratio of iron and H2O2, TCE conversions as high as 100 % (with about 91 % dechlorination) were obtained. TCE dechlorination was also achieved in real groundwater samples with the reactive membranes.
CAMP Contributes to Mossy Fiber LTP by Initiating Both a Covalently Mediated Early Phase and Macromolecular Synthesis-Dependent Late Phase

Memory storage has a short-term phase that depends on preexisting proteins and a long-term phase that requires new protein and RNA synthesis. Hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is thought to contribute to memory storage. Consistent with this idea, a cellular representation of these phases has been demonstrated in NMDA receptor-dependent LTP. By contrast, little is known about the NMDA receptor-independent LTP of the mossy fiber pathway. We find that mossy fiber LTP also has phases. Only late phase is blocked by protein and RNA synthesis inhibitors, but both phases are blocked by inhibitors of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and both are stimulated by forskolin and Sp-cAMPS. During early phase, paired-pulse facilitation is occluded. This occlusion decays with the onset of late phase, consistent with its using a different mechanism. Thus, although Schaffer collateral and mossy fiber pathways use very different mechanisms for early phase, both use a cAMP-mediated mechanism for late phase.
Presence of Sperm in the Pre-Vasectomy Reversal Semen Analysis: Incidence and Implications

AbstractPurpose: We determined the incidence of sperm in the ejaculate before vasectomy reversal, and correlated this result with intraoperative and postoperative findings.Materials and Methods: Before vasectomy reversal semen was analyzed and granulomas were palpated in 186 men. The results were correlated with intraoperative vasal fluid and postoperative analyses.Results: Of 18 men (9.7 percent) with sperm present in the pre-reversal analysis 94 percent had sperm in at least 1 vas intraoperatively. The presence of palpable granulomas at the vasectomy site did not correlate with either pre-reversal or post-reversal semen analyses, or the presence of sperm in the vasal fluid intraoperatively.Conclusions: Sperm are present in 9.7 percent of pre-reversal ejaculates and predict sperm in at least 1 vas intraoperatively. These findings also suggest the possibility of late vasectomy failures.
Three-dimensional microvascular fiber-reinforced composites.

and materials or lack of scalability and vascular complexity of the fabrication approach. Here we show that the introduction of sacrificial fibers into woven preforms enables the seamless fabrication of 3D microvascular composites that are both strong and multifunctional. Underpinning the method is the efficient thermal depolymerization of catalyst-impregnated polylactide (PLA) fibers with simultaneous evaporative removal of the resulting lactide monomer. The hollow channels produced are high-fidelity inverse replicas of the original fiber’s diameter and trajectory. The method has yielded microvascular fiber-reinforced composites with channels over one meter in length that can be subsequently filled with a variety of liquids including aqueous solutions, organic solvents, and liquid metals. By circulating fluids with unique physical properties, we demonstrate the ability to create a new generation of biphasic pluripotent composite materials in which the solid phase provides strength and form while the liquid phase provides interchangeable functionality. Microvascular composite fabrication begins with the mechanized weaving of sacrifi cial fi bers into 3D woven glass
Monte Carlo Simulations of the Chemical Potential and Free Energy for Trimer and Hexamer Rings

Abstract The chemical potential of a trimer and hexamer model ring system was determined by computer simulation over a range of temperatures and densities. Such ring molecules are important as model aromatic and naphthenic hydrocarbons. Thermodynamic integration of the pressure along a reversible path, Widom's ghost particle insertion method and Kirkwood's charging parameter method were used over a molecular density range of 0.05 to 0.30. Data were obtained by Monte Carlo simulation of a 96 molecule system that was modelled with a Lennard-Jones 6-12 truncated potential. The original insertion method, which does not take into account the orientation of the molecule when it is inserted, gives results for the chemical potential which deviate from that obtained using the thermodynamic pressure integration. At high density or temperature the deviation is significant. We have modified the Widom insertion technique to account for this short range orientation and find good agreement between this technique and the...
Hydrogen sulfide production and volatilization in a polymictic eutrophic saline lake, Salton Sea, California

The Salton Sea is a large shallow saline lake located in southern California that is noted for high sulfate concentrations, substantial algal productivity, and very warm water column temperatures. These conditions are well-suited for sulfide production, and sulfide has been implicated in summer fish kills, although no studies have been conducted to specifically understand hydrogen sulfide production and volatilization there. Despite polymictic mixing patterns and relatively short accumulation periods, the amount of sulfide produced is comparable to meromictic lakes. Sulfide levels in the Salton Sea reached concentrations of 1.2 mmol L(-1) of total free sulfide in the hypolimnion and 5.6 mmol L(-1) in the sediment pore water. Strong winds in late July mixed H2S into the surface water, where it depleted the entire water column of dissolved oxygen and reached a concentration of 0.1 mmol L(-1). Sulfide concentrations exceeded the toxicity threshold of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and combined with strong anoxia throughout the water column, resulted in a massive fish kill. The mixing of sulfide into the surface waters also increased atmospheric H2S concentrations, reaching 1.0 micromol m(-3). The flux of sulfide from the sediment into the water column was estimated to range from 2-3 mmol m(-2) day(-1) during the winter and up to 8 mmol m(-2) day(-1) during the summer. Application of the two-layer model for volatilization indicates that up to 19 mmol m(-2) day(-1) volatilized from the surface during the mixing event. We estimate that as much as 3400 Mg year(-1) or approximately 26% of sulfide that diffused into the water column from the deepest sediments may have been volatilized to the atmosphere.
An assessment of olfactory deficits in patients with damage to prefrontal cortex

Abstract The role of the prefrontal cortex in the mediation of olfactory processes was assessed. Patients with prefrontal lesions, alcoholic Korsakoff patients, and brain-damaged and normal controls received tests of odor detection, odor-quality discrimination, and hue discrimination. The patients with prefrontal lesions and the alcoholic Korsakoffs were both impaired on odor-quality discrimination, with the Korsakoffs also demonstrating difficulty with odor detection. A single patient with midline thalamic damage performed poorly on the odor-quality discrimination. No impairments on hue discriminations were noted. These findings provide further evidence that the thalamic- prefrontal circuit is involved in odor perception.
Multidisciplinary Design and Prototype Development of a Very Small Remotely-Piloted Reconnaissance Airplane

The multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) methodology is employed for the design of a very small remotely-piloted airplane for a reconnaissance mission. The airplane configuration established at the conceptual design level is optimized for minimum size subject to performance, stability, weight, and dimension constraints. The constrained optimization problem is solved using the extended interior penalty function method based on finite-difference approximations of the sensitivity derivatives. The MDObased design is validated both analytically and through the development and flight testing of a prototype airplane.
The Roman de la rose and Middle English Poetry

The late medieval French allegory, Le Roman de la rose [The Romance of the rose], the conjoined production of Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, has long been recognized as an important literary influence on Middle English poetry. The majority of recent studies focus on Geoffrey Chaucer’s translation, citation, and adaptation of the Rose. Directions in scholarly study include increasing attention to the formal complexity and polyvalence the model of the Rose provides, on-going interest in constructions of sexuality and gender, and a greater emphasis on the inter-relation of Chaucer’s response to the Rose with the responses of French and Italian poets, including Guillaume de Machaut, Eustache Deschamps, Guillaume de Deguileville (or Digulleville), Christine de Pizan, and Giovanni Boccaccio. The discovery of a new manuscript fragment of the Middle English Romaunt of the Rose and the re-assessment of earlier linguistic exchange also set forth interesting possibilities for future exploration. Beyond the field of Chaucer studies, scholars of late medieval England’s alliterative poems, notably Cleanness but also Piers Plowman, have re-examined the ways the Rose may have shaped the construction of devotional, sexual, and social ideologies within this poetic tradition. The growing interest in Chaucer’s contemporary John Gower and in the English poetry of the fifteenth century, especially the works of Thomas Hoccleve and John Lydgate, has brought further recognition of the Rose’s widespread influence, as well as the continued influence of Rose-inspired intermediaries, including not only Guillaume de Deguileville and Christine de Pizan but also Evrart de Conty, Alain Chartier, and Charles d’Orleans. Recalling the attribution of the Rose’s authorship to an English ‘John Moon’ in early literary histories demonstrates one curious later misreading of Hoccleve’s Middle English response to the Rose and may also provoke a deeper appreciation for the strong continuity of interest in the Rose shared by French and English readers during the turbulent era of the Hundred Years War.
Are Fear Memories Made and Maintained by the Same NMDA Receptor-Dependent Mechanisms?

A recent finding indicates that inducible knockout of the NR1 NMDA receptor subunit promotes the loss of fear memories formed months earlier. One view is that posttraining NMDA receptor activation protects modified synapses from "synaptic drift." An alternative view is that NMDA receptors help maintain appropriate connectivity in memory-encoding networks.
Environmental Controls of Benthic Macrofaunal Patterns in Gulf of Mexico Adjacent to Mississippi Delta: ABSTRACT

Two communities of shelled benthic macrofauna are recognized south of the Mississippi delta by means of cluster analysis. The faunal pattern is correlated closely with water depth, pelecypod feeding type, and substrate texture. Correlation of faunal, lithologic, and environmental characteristics reflects joint sedimentation and biotic production in response to the present hydrologic regime. East of the Mississippi delta, 8 communities of benthic shelled macrofauna are recognized by means of cluster analysis. Distribution patterns of these communities (biofacies) appear to reflect the primary environmental factors controlling the nature of the water mass: distance from the delta front; water depth on the shelf away from the influence of the delta; and subdivision of the shelf by the Chandeleur-Breton islands. Faunal and substrate patterns are poorly correlated; histograms of sediment texture for each of the biofacies are not significantly different from the histogram of sediment texture for the whole area. The poor correlation of fauna with substrate texture is the result of the formation of the substrate distribution pattern during deposition of the St. Bernard delta. Fa nal distribution patterns are determined primarily by the environmental factors controlling present water-mass characteristics and only secondarily by the relict substrate texture pattern. If preserved in the geologic record, the co-occurring fauna and sediments would represent 2 different periods of deposition. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1699------------
Ursodiol Use Is Associated with Lower Prevalence of Colonic Neoplasia in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Ursodiol use appears to be associated with a lower frequency of colonic dysplasia in patients with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. A randomized trial investigating the chemop...
Neuroinflammation, COX-2, and ALS—a dual role?

Although the root cause of many neurodegenerative diseases is unknown, neuroinflammation may play a key role in these types of disease, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the context of neurodegeneration, it is unclear if the disease is propagated through inflammation, or whether in contrast, evidence of inflammation reflects an attempt to protect against further cellular injury. Inflammatory pathways involving the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes and subsequent generation of prostaglandins are potential target sites for treatments to halt the progression of ALS. In the CNS, COX enzymes are localized to neurons, astrocytes, and microglia and can be induced under various conditions. In addition, there appears to be a dual role for the prostaglandin products of COX enzymes in the nervous system. Some prostaglandins promote the survival of neurons, while others promote apoptosis. In this review, the pathways of COX activity and prostaglandin production form the center of the debate regarding the dual nature of neuroinflammation. We will also discuss how this duality may affect future treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS.
Creep Deformation in MgO‐Saturated Large‐Grain‐Size Al2O3

Samples of 65 μm-grain-size AL2O3 containing 0.05 wt% Mg and 40 μm-grain-size AL2O3 containing 0.13 wt% Mg, both MgO-saturated, undergo compressive deformation in the range 1580° to 1800°C with results interpreted as diffusional creep rate-limited by grain-boundary diffusion with the Coble boundary-diffusion model giving A lower deformation rate for an unsaturated composition indicates that MgO additions enhance grain-boundary diffusion.
Descriptive Statistics, Part I: Level of Measurement

Scientific Inquiry provides a forum to facilitate the ongoing process of questioning and evaluating practice, presents informed practice based on available data, and innovates new practices through research and experimental learning.