cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contexts of Reception Seen and Constituted from Below: The Production of Refugee Status Apathy

Refugee status is often imagined as a holy grail. Yet it can have radically different meanings for refugees, even under inclusive policy regimes replete with legal and symbolic resources. Though Brazil is seen as a model of contemporary refugee protection, asylum seekers and refugees there often feel indifferent about the status they seek and obtain. Why are immigrants sometimes apathetic about a status they pursue, even in the face of favorable policies? To resolve this puzzle, this article introduces a cultural sociological approach to contexts of reception by bringing culturalist accounts of the state to bear on this arena of immigration research. Existing scholarship presents the context of reception as a landscape immigrants traverse, shaping various outcomes and in which their sense of belonging is nested. The perspective espoused here builds on this literature by capturing how contexts of reception are imagined and constituted from below. It interrogates how policy regimes are perceived from the migrant perspective, and it conceptualizes context of reception and political subjectivity as mutually constitutive. Based on an ethnography of the asylum process in Brazil, this article employs that framework to explain the production of refugee status apathy—a measured disinterest and lack of enthusiasm about refugee status amongst those in search of safe haven. Taking seriously how refugees themselves understand the legal status they seek and obtain, and how those perceptions develop in and through their encounters with the state and beyond, illuminates how experiences of the legal and socioeconomic contexts of reception in process and practice affect the salience of migratory status—in ways missed when we pursue immigrant meanings as driven by and embedded in formal policy environments.
Smooth Approximations for Hybrid Optimal Control Problems with Application to Robotic Walking

Abstract This paper investigates optimal control problems formulated over a class of hybrid dynamical systems which display event-triggered discrete jumps. Due to the discontinuous nature of the underlying dynamics, previous approaches to solving optimal control problems over this class of systems generally rely on fixing the number and sequence of discrete jumps a priori, or search over possible mode sequences in a combinatorial manner. Employing contributions from the geometric theory of hybrid systems, we instead formulate a family of smooth approximate problems formulated over a family of smooth control systems which faithfully approximate the dynamics of the original hybrid system, in an appropriate metric. Efficient gradient-based methods can be used to solve the smooth approximations, without specifying the sequence of discrete transitions ahead of time. Under appropriate hypothesis, the gradients of the smooth problem are shown to be well-conditioned and closely approximate the gradients of the non-smooth problem (when they exist). Two cases studies demonstrate the utility of the approach, including an in-depth application to generating a stable walking motion for a bipedal robot.
Approach for Assessing Feed Loss Damage by Starlings at Livestock Feedlots

The problems of assessing damage in a feedlot situation are discussed with reference to past approaches. The rationale of bird activity indexes as an indirect estimate of feed loss is presented as a feasible assessment technique. Preliminary regression models of bird activity were generated using time-lapse photography and paired with feed consumed over time. These regression models predict that for every 1000 bird-minutes of starling activity, 4.80 kg of pelletized feed is consumed, whereas the model for a granular hog meal predicts only 0.59 kg of feed consumed for every 1000 starling-minutes. The practical basis of this method in utilizing observers to estimate bird activity is discussed in relation to problems of estimation and sampling bird activity.
DEAR: a device and energy aware routing protocol for mobile ad hoc networks

Energy efficient routing has been the subject of intensive study. Most work has been focused on residual battery power related cost metrics for a homogeneous ad hoc network where all the nodes are considered identical in terms of functioning and available resources. We propose a device and energy aware routing protocol (DEAR) for a heterogeneous wireless ad hoc network with two different classes of nodes, externally-powered nodes and battery-powered nodes. We embed both the energy and the device awareness into the routing protocol so that externally-powered nodes would forward more traffic and perform more routing functions. The simulation results show that DEAR protocol achieves better system lifetime when compared to the conventional energy efficient routing protocols.
X‐Ray Quality Control Program

In order to improve or maintain an optimal achievable level of healthcare, most medical facilities usually have some type of quality assurance program. The quality assurance programs encompass a variety of functions, such as development of comprehensive safety rules, establishment of infection control guidelines, provisions for the efficient management of critically ill patients, establishment of accurate record-keeping functions, and the development of adequate educational training for the staff (1). In radiology, a portion of the overall quality assurance program is devoted to a quality control program for the X-ray equipment. Most X-ray QC programs have several very specific goals toward which they are directed. The list merely enumerates these items. (1) Image quality, (2) patient radiation doses, (3) safety, (4) consistency, (5) economic factors, (6) Regulatory requirements. Keywords: quality control (QC); X-ray; CT; fluoroscopy image quality
Szent‐Györgyi Von Nagyrapold, Albert (1893–1986)

This article has no abstract. Keywords: Szent-gyorgyi von Hagyrapold, Albert (cellular respiration)
Identifying valuable information from twitter during natural disasters

Social media is a vital source of information during any major event, especially natural disasters. However, with the exponential increase in volume of social media data, so comes the increase in conversational data that does not provide valuable information, especially in the context of disaster events, thus, diminishing peoples’ ability to find the information that they need in order to organize relief efforts, find help, and potentially save lives. This project focuses on the development of a Bayesian approach to the classification of tweets (posts on Twitter) during Hurricane Sandy in order to distinguish “informational” from “conversational” tweets. We designed an effective set of features and used them as input to Naive Bayes classifiers. In comparison to a “bag of words” approach, the new feature set provides similar results in the classification of tweets. However, the designed feature set contains only 9 features compared with more than 3000 features for “bag of words.” When the feature set is combined with “bag of words”, accuracy achieves 85.2914%. If integrated into disaster-related systems, our approach can serve as a boon to any person or organization seeking to extract useful information in the midst of a natural disaster.
Improving the prospects of cleavage-based nanopore sequencing engines

Recently proposed methods for DNA sequencing involve the use of cleavage-based enzymes attached to the opening of a nanopore. The idea is that DNA interacting with either an exonuclease or polymerase protein will lead to a small molecule being cleaved near the mouth of the nanopore, and subsequent entry into the pore will yield information about the DNA sequence. The prospects for this approach seem promising, but it has been shown that diffusion related effects impose a limit on the capture probability of molecules by the pore, which limits the efficacy of the technique. Here, we revisit the problem with the goal of optimizing the capture probability via a step decrease in the nucleotide diffusion coefficient between the pore and bulk solutions. It is shown through random walk simulations and a simplified analytical model that decreasing the molecule's diffusion coefficient in the bulk relative to its value in the pore increases the nucleotide capture probability. Specifically, we show that at sufficiently high applied transmembrane potentials (≥100 mV), increasing the potential by a factor f is equivalent to decreasing the diffusion coefficient ratio D(bulk)/D(pore) by the same factor f. This suggests a promising route toward implementation of cleavage-based sequencing protocols. We also discuss the feasibility of forming a step function in the diffusion coefficient across the pore-bulk interface.
Measuring a device's susceptibility to LTE: Preliminary approaches

Previous testing has shown that measuring a device's susceptibility to a radiated, broadband signal can present a different set of challenges than those faced when testing with a narrow-band signal. Decisions ranging from choosing a measurement facility to defining the measurement of the radiated electric field to defining when a DUT has failed can all have an impact on the final test results. In previous publications we've outlined these challenges via the use of experiments involving cable communications equipment and its susceptibility (or lack thereof) to radiated LTE signals. Here, we continue with those experiments, but shift the focus to proposing solutions to these questions. We discuss these solutions in a general sense, with hopes that they will encourage discussion in the community.
Dietary protein intake and renal function

Recent trends in weight loss diets have led to a substantial increase in protein intake by individuals. As a result, the safety of habitually consuming dietary protein in excess of recommended intakes has been questioned. In particular, there is concern that high protein intake may promote renal damage by chronically increasing glomerular pressure and hyperfiltration. There is, however, a serious question as to whether there is significant evidence to support this relationship in healthy individuals. In fact, some studies suggest that hyperfiltration, the purported mechanism for renal damage, is a normal adaptative mechanism that occurs in response to several physiological conditions. This paper reviews the available evidence that increased dietary protein intake is a health concern in terms of the potential to initiate or promote renal disease. While protein restriction may be appropriate for treatment of existing kidney disease, we find no significant evidence for a detrimental effect of high protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons after centuries of a high protein Western diet.
Bond Durability Factor for Externally Bonded CFRP Systems in Concrete Structures

Lack of understanding and confidence in the long-term performance of externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in concrete structures still inhibits their application in repair of aged structures. While synergistic effects of multiple exposure conditions can be severe, it is generally agreed that the single most significant issue with externally bonded FRP composites is their susceptibility to degradation when exposed to moisture. This research utilized small-beam three-point bending test specimens to study FRP-concrete bond performance when subjected to accelerated conditioning environments (immersion in water and exposure to high humidity at elevated temperatures). Bond strength retention (Rb) was determined by dividing the conditioned strength by the average control strength. Test results from the present research were combined with other test data to form a database of over 700 test results. By utilizing an apparent analogy of FRP-concrete bonded systems to adhesive anchors, a bond durability factor (BDF) that quantifies loss in bond capacity due to accelerated conditioning is determined equivalently as a characteristic test value for adhesive anchors. Given their resistance to the environment, only carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites were examined. For the purpose of the analyses, and based on available data, it was determined that all CFRP systems may be split into three categories: wet-layup without putty, wet-layup with putty, and precured laminate. BDF corresponding to wet-layup without putty was determined to be 0.60. BDF for wet-layup with putty was not established due to the observed sensitivity to increasing conditioning temperature. CFRP laminate specimens failed prematurely by composite rupture or at the adhesive-composite interface; BDF was not determined as long term durability data corresponding to FRP-concrete bond failure mode was not available.
Sources of Role Strain among Dual-Career Couples.

This research examined the extent of role strain among husbands and wives in 69 dual-career couples. The results indicated that, for wives, number of children and importance of the parental role were significant predictors of role strain. For husbands, role strain was related to age of the youngest child and the extent to which childcare tasks were shared. Results demonstrate that a number of career- employed husbands are doing more than simply “helping out” with childcare. They, too, are influenced by the demands of parenthood and feel some degree of role strain from parenting responsibilities.
Lumbar Disc Herniation

he article, “Lumbar disc herniation: New treatment modalities,” is the basis for T this AORN .Iournal independent study. The behavioral objectives and examination for this program were prepared by Janet S. West, RN, BSN, CNOR, clinical editor, with consultation from Susan Bakewell, RN, MS(N), education coordinator, Center for Perioperative Education. A minimum score of 70% on the multiplechoice examination is necessary to earn two contact hours for this independent study. Participants receive feedback on incorrect answers. Each applicant who successfully completes this study will receive a certificate of completion. The deadline for submitting this study is Nov 30, 1994. Send the completed application form, multiple-choice examination, learner evaluation, and appropriate fee to: AORN Customer Service c/o Home Study Program 2 170 S Parker Rd, Suite 300 Denver, CO 8023 1-57 1 1
Osteoporosis Knowledge, Beliefs, and Calcium Intake of College Students: Utilization of the Health Belief Model

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between osteoporosis knowledge, beliefs and calcium intake among college students. This study also examined perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers and self-efficacy related to osteoporosis prevention. Participants: Seven hundred and ninety two (n = 792) men and women ages 17 - 31 of all ethnicities at a mid-western regional university in the US participated in the study. Methods: The Osteoporosis Knowledge Test, Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale, and Osteoporosis Preventing Behaviors Survey were utilized. Each of these tools were previously validated and found reliable. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were completed. Results: Participants did not perceive themselves as susceptible to osteoporosis and perceived minimal barriers to calcium intake. Their knowledge was minimal concerning alternate sources of calcium. Conclusions: Prevention programs should aim to increase osteoporosis knowledge of risk factors and osteoprotective behaviors and to decrease high-risk behaviors during college years when behavior changes can have the strongest impact on bone health.
Changing Roles for Temporal Representation of Odorant During the Oscillatory Response of the Olfactory Bulb

It has been hypothesized that the brain uses combinatorial as well as temporal coding strategies to represent stimulus properties. The mechanisms and properties of the temporal coding remain undetermined, although it has been postulated that oscillations can mediate formation of this type of code. Here we use a generic model of the vertebrate olfactory bulb to explore the possible role of oscillatory behavior in temporal coding. We show that three mechanisms—synaptic inhibition, slow self-inhibition and input properties—mediate formation of a temporal sequence of simultaneous activations of glomerular modules associated with specific odorants within the oscillatory response. The sequence formed depends on the relative properties of odorant features and thus may mediate discrimination of odorants activating overlapping sets of glomeruli. We suggest that period-doubling transitions may be driven through excitatory feedback from a portion of the olfactory network acting as a coincidence modulator. Furthermore, we hypothesize that the period-doubling transition transforms the temporal code from a roster of odorant components to a signal of odorant identity and facilitates discrimination of individual odorants within mixtures.
PEE6: COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ARTIFICIAL SKIN SUBSTITUTE VS ALLOGRAFT FOR BURN PATIENTS

INTRODUCTION: Healing after a burn injury requires a temporary wound cover until the skin epithelium heals. Traditional wound covering, human cadaver allograft (HCA), is expensive, and limited by availability. OBJECTIVE: To determine if artificial skin substitute (Transcyte) wound cover is cost-effective for temporary wound coverage in patients with major total body surface (TBSA) burns. METHODS: Incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) in 2000 US dollars is estimated assuming a base case adult patient who has 40% TBSA burn with no inhalation injury, complications, or facial burn followed for one year after HCA or Transcyte procedure. A societal perspective is used. Utilities were surveyed from burn-unit hospital employees. Other variables are taken from literature. RESULTS: Under the base case, Transcyte saves $3600 over HCA, and adds 0.04 QALYs. Quality of life was significantly greater in the Transcyte group (0.54, 95% CI = 0.48–0.59) vs. HCA group (0.65, 95% CI = 0.57–0.74, p = 0.04) while in the hospital, but not significantly different while recovering at home, after recovery, and at work. The incremental QALY of Transcyte minus HCA must be <−0.07 in order for the ICER to reach a threshold of $50,000. Sensitivity analysis shows that a 33% increase in Transcyte price will reach the threshold ICER of $50,000. In addition, this model is highly sensitive to utility at work; a 22% decrease of at-work utility with Transcyte will result in an ICER greater than $50,000. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that use of Transcyte as a temporary wound covering for 40% TBSA burns is a dominant strategy relative to standard HCA. Use of this artificial skin results in cost savings, due to faster healing and less operation room time. A gain in QALYs is seen with Transcyte, due to less scarring and pain during the healing process.
Diatom assemblages as upwelling indicators in surface sediments off Portugal

Abstract Diatom abundance and assemblage composition have been determined for 169 surface sediment samples from the Portuguese margin, an area where seasonal upwelling occurs each year from April to October. Absolute diatom abundance distribution patterns reflect the more intense and/or persistent and more homogeneous upwelling north of the Nazare Canyon, the position of the “inner” upwelling front south of Lisbon, and the eastern continuation of the coastal upwelling jet along the Algarve coast. Distribution patterns of species and of ecologically defined groups, meroplanktonic, oceanic, freshwater and marine benthic, support the hypothesis that diatom species and assemblages are good indicators of the changing character of the upwelling system. Small species of the genus Thalassiosira occur in areas of persistent upwelling where availability of nutrients is more constant and/or higher. Paralia sulcata (Ehr.) Cleve is an abundant species whose mean cell diameter increases as nutrient availability decreases. Resting spores, mainly of Chaetoceros Ehrenberg, record the position of the zone where higher variability occurs, the “inner” upwelling front.
Removal of Color Pigments From Corn Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (DDGS) to Produce an Upgraded Food Ingredient

Processing steps including bleaching, deodorizing, and milling are imperative for improving the functionality of distillers grains in various food matrices, as well as improving consumer acceptance. Utilization of distillers grains in food products is of particular interest. Various parameters were explored for the removal of pigments, including raw DDGS (diameter 0.384) or milled DDGS (0.329 mm), number of extractions (1, 2, or 3), time (30, 60, or 90 min.), and ethanol concentration (5, 10, or 15 mL/g). Altogether, the experimental design was a 2 x 3 x 3 x 3 factorial, resulting in 54 trials, which were each replicated twice. Physical and chemical properties of the resulting DDGS were analyzed. Protein content was impacted by time and number of extractions. A decrease in lipid content resulted in an inverse increase in protein content. Lipid and pigment analysis showed similar decreasing trends, signifying that lipid contents decreased while increasing solvent extraction time, ethanol concentration, and number of extractions. Physical property analysis showed ethanol extraction to be a moderately effective bleaching technique for DDGS. Chemical property data showed that the treatments were extremely effective in reducing lipid and pigment values, while increasing protein. Effective removal of pigments can improve the color of food products containing DDGS, which can lead to greater consumer acceptability of this ingredient.
Cavity Detuning and Multimode Operation of an Optically Pumped Gas Laser

In an earlier paper, the problem of the optically pumped gas laser was treated within the formalism of a modified Boltzmann equation and the equation of radiative transfer. The laser cavity was tuned precisely to the center of the atomic lasing frequency and only one cavity mode was excited above threshold. These restrictions are now removed and the effects on the laser population inversion, gain, and power output are presented. In the limit that Doppler broadening dominates collisional broadening, it is found that the power output for the single-mode operation increases as the laser cavity is detuned, until an optimum occurs when the cavity detuning is equal to the collisional linewidth. In the limit that collisional broadening dominates Doppler effects, power output is independent of detuning, until the detuning approaches the collisional linewidth. For multimode operation, it is shown that power output increases approximately linearly with the number of modes in oscillation, provided that the Doppler width is much larger than the collisional width and mode interaction is not occurring. When collisional broadening dominates, no increase in total power output is achieved by allowing more than one mode to go into oscillation. Most of these results are well known, for low levels of lasing intensity, through the semiclassical analysis of Lamb. However, the formulation here provides a more quantitative evaluation of the relative roles of inhomogeneous and homogeneous broadening for all collisional linewidths and high lasing intensities.
Seeking Harmony Among Cancer Killers

“I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we’re together” sings troubadour Jack Johnson. In the clinical development of anticancer regimens, medical oncologists often echo this refrain. Sometimes therapeutic combinations have clear synergy, but in other cases, piling on more agents adds to the toxicity burden without meaningful benefit. Rationally selecting which combinations, out of a variety of options, are most likely to benefit patients presents an important challenge to translational researchers. Now, Beug et al . present an example of a finely tuned combination regimen with potent antitumor activity in preclinical models. The authors began with the hypothesis that smac mimetic compounds (SMCs)—anticancer agents in early clinical development that sensitize cells to apoptosis—can be favorably combined with immune-stimulating agents that trigger proapoptotic signaling. First, Beug et al . partnered the SMC LCL161 with the oncolytic virus VSVΔ51, which is known to induce a robust antiviral cytokine response. Screening a panel of human and mouse tumor cell lines, the authors demonstrated synergistic tumor-killing activity in vitro, a finding that they expanded to several additional SMC–oncolytic virus combinations. Using small interfering RNA knockdown to probe the mechanism behind this killer activity, the authors identified an indispensable role for cytokines interferon-β and tumor necrosis factor–α in the synergy observed with the SMC–oncolytic virus therapeutic combination. Next, they tested this combination in a series of transplantable syngeneic and xenograft tumor models, observed potent antitumor activity, and confirmed the central importance of cytokine production in vivo using cytokine-depleting antibodies. Last, the authors found that alternative immune-activating agents polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid and CpG were similarly active partners for SMCs, supporting the proposed cytokine-dependent synergy. Taking two types of anticancer agents already in clinical development, Beug et al. present a rational approach to developing combination therapies. Clinical trials will be required to test how well these agents harmonize in patients, but a robust preclinical analysis may help us pick the first two notes. S. T. Beug et al ., Smac mimetics and innate immune stimuli synergize to promote tumor death. Nat. Biotechnol . 32 , 182–190 (2014). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n2/abs/nbt.2806.html
The influence of recent growth history on the phenotype of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli, strain 300U, was grown for 450 generations in 6 different media. Each line was then subcultured into each of the 6 media, and allowed to grow for about 12 generations. The growth rates and rates of induced β-galactosidase synthesis were, as expected, highly dependent on the medium in which the cells were growing at the time of sampling. Both parameters, and particularly β-galactosidase synthesis, also showed some influence of the medium in which the cells had previously been grown. Of 26 soluble protein components separated by gel electrophoresis in the same experiment, 9 were highly dependent on the current medium, with insignificant effects of the previous growth conditions; 4 were significantly affected by the previous medium but were not influenced by the current medium; 3 were influenced both by current and earlier growth conditions; and 10 components showed no variation. In further experiments, the kinetics of labelled phenylalanine incorporation into soluble proteins were studied by pulse-labelling during growth upshifts and downshifts. The responses of the various protein components to the growth shift were kinetically variable; some responded immediately while in others the response was delayed. In other cases, a series of oscillations were observed after an initial response, while a final category showed little response to the growth shift. The proportional incorporation of phenylalanine into the different bands was still changing 1–2 generations after the shift. It is concluded that a period of adaptation of at least 12 generations is required for cells to reach a new equilibrium after a growth shift.
Change in prevalence of psychiatric disorders from ages 21 to 30 in a community sample.

Abstract:The authors examined change and demonstrated variation in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders from ages 21 to 30 in a prospective community study (n = 352) using generalized estimating equations and investigated effects of past and recent psychiatric disorder on emerging adult functioni
Checkpointing virtual machines against transient errors

This paper proposes VM-μCheckpoint, a lightweight software mechanism for high-frequency checkpointing and rapid recovery of virtual machines. VM-μCheckpoint minimizes checkpoint overhead and speeds up recovery by saving incremental checkpoints in volatile memory and by employing copy-on-write, dirty-page prediction, and in-place recovery. In our approach, knowledge of fault/error latency is used to explicitly address checkpoint corruption, a critical problem, especially when checkpoint frequency is high. We designed and implemented VM-μCheckpoint in the Xen VMM. The evaluation results demonstrate that VM-μCheckpoint incurs an average of 6.3% execution-time overhead for 50ms checkpoint intervals when executing the SPEC CINT 2006 benchmark.
Deriving components of genetic variance for multilocus models.

Several authors have considered two-locus models as a basis for the inheritance of complex diseases. The purpose of this paper is to give a simple general formulation to derive the additive, dominant, and epistatic effects, and hence the corresponding variance components, for any multilocus model. These variance components should be useful for investigating the power of model-free linkage analysis to detect various modes of multilocus inheritance. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Factors Associated with Utilization of the Calcium Salt of Methionine Hydroxy Analogue by the Young Chick

Abstract Six growth assays were conducted using crystalline amino acid diets to investigate the efficacy of methionine hydroxy analogue (OH-M) as a precursor of sulfur bearing amino acids (SAA). The influence on OH-M utilization of dietary modifications of the methionine-cystine ratio, inorganic sulfate as K2SO4 and supplemental mixtures of the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) was explored. Performance of chicks fed OH-M was inferior to those fed an equivalent molar quantity of dl -methionine. Additional dietary sulfate or supplemental mixtures of the branched-chain amino acids did not improve OH-M utilization. OH-M was found to support growth equal to that of 0.35% methionine and 0.35% cystine when fed at a level 25% above the SAA level provided by methionine and cystine. On a weight basis the calcium salt of OH-M has 88.15% OH-M activity. From assays reported herein the calcium salt of OH-M was calculated to have approximately 70% methionine activity.
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS IN DECISION THEORY

This paper explores linear programming-like sensitivity analysis in decision theory. In particular, the paper considers the sensitivity of an optimal decision to changes in probabilities of the states of nature and the development of “confidence spheres” to bound arbitrary parametric changes in the probability vector. Such information can be used to assess the accuracy required in assigning probabilities and the confidence in the maximumutility decision.
Assessment of unscheduled and replicative DNA synthesis in rat kidney cells exposed in vitro or in vivo to unleaded gasoline.

Abstract Unleaded gasoline (UG) induces renal toxicity and neoplasia in male but not female rats after chronic inhalation exposure. Before a meaningful determination of the potential human health risk of UG can be made, it is imperative that the mechanism responsible for its carcinogenic action be understood. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine whether the induction of kidney tumors by UG is related to genotoxic or to cell-proliferative effects. Unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS), as an indicator of genotoxicity, was measured autoradiographically as the incorporation of [3H]thymidine in isolated rat kidney cells following in vivo or in vitro exposure to UG. As an indicator of proliferative activity, cells in S-phase were quantitated in isolated cell preparations obtained from exposed rats. UG was administered to rats by inhalation (2000 ppm) or by gavage (up to 5000 mg/kg). The ability of the in vivo/in vitro kidney cell UDS assay to detect genotoxicants was verified using a variety of compounds. No UDS activity was elicited by UG under any of the conditions employed, including inhalation exposure to a concentration that produced kidney tumors in the 2-year bioassay. A five- to eightfold increase in the percentage of cells in S-phase was observed in male rats exposed to UG for 18 days either by inhalation or by gavage. Cell turnover was not markedly enhanced in identically treated female rats. These data indicate that UG does not evoke UDS in the rat kidney even after exposures that, in all probability, resulted in greater tissue concentrations of UG components than was realized in the long-term inhalation bioassay. The sex-specific induction of replicative DNA synthesis in the kidney paralled the carcinogenic activity of UG, suggesting that induced cell turnover may be an important factor in the carcinogenic action of this motor fuel.
Measures of quantum computing speedup

We introduce the concept of strong quantum speedup. We prove that approximating the ground-state energy of an instance of the time-independent Schr\"odinger equation, with $d$ degrees of freedom and large $d$, enjoys strong exponential quantum speedup. It can be easily solved on a quantum computer. Some researchers in discrete complexity theory believe that quantum computation is not effective for eigenvalue problems. One of our goals in this paper is to explain this dissonance.
Strong Field Ionization in Classical and Quantum Dynamics

A coherently driven anharmonic oscillator is used as a generic model for strong field ionization from the ground state. Both classical and quantum dynamics are treated in numerical computation. We find qualitative agreement on the ionization probability as a function of relative frequency and the strength of the field. The correlation of ionization probability with quantum delocalization is also demonstrated.
Advocacy Practice for Social Justice, 2nd edn

Richard Hoefer, Chicago, IL, Lyceum Books, Inc., 2012, 232 pp, ISBN: 978 1-9-35871-07-1 ((US$39.95)) Richard Hoefer's (2012), second edition of Advocacy Practice for Social Justice is an engaging a...
Polyethylene Subluxation: A Radiographic Sign of Locking Mechanism Failure After Modular Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Tibial insert locking mechanisms are intended to limit interface motion and “backside” wear in modular total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Nevertheless, anterior polyethylene subluxation is occasionally apparent on lateral radiographs after TKA, suggesting locking mechanism failure. We retrospectively identified 10 modular posterior-stabilized implants of a single design that were found to have failure of the locking mechanism at the time of revision surgery for osteolysis. Operative reports were reviewed for the presence of backside wear, and preoperative radiographs were inspected for polyethylene subluxation. All 10 implants demonstrated significant backside wear. Nine had anterior polyethylene subluxation evident on preoperative radiographs. Anterior polyethylene subluxation on the lateral radiograph is a subtle sign of failure of the locking mechanism in this modular posterior-stabilized TKA.
The quantification of an acid stable esterase in human gastric juice by single linear immunodiffusion.

Abstract The technique of single linear immunodiffusion was applied to the quantification of the acid-stable esterase of human gastric juice. The esterase was purified by DEAE-chromatography and Sephadex G 200 gel-filtration and used for calibration of a routine standard extracted from human gastric mucosa. A specific computer program was used for calculation of the esterase concentration and secretion in routinely obtained fractions of gastric juice. Basic factors and methodological errors involved in the immunodiffusion method were studied.
Genes selectively expressed in the infectious (metacyclic) stage of Leishmania major promastigotes encode a potential basic-zipper structural motif.

Abstract Complementary DNA clones representing transcripts selectively expressed in the non-dividing, infective (metacyclic) stage of Leishmania major promastigotes (MP) were identified by differential and subtractive screening. The majority of the selected clones hybridized on Northern blots to a set of transcripts highly expressed by MP, but to a much lower extent in proliferating and stationary-phase attenuated promastigotes. Stationary, but not log-phase cultures, of each 5 L. major strains showing a potential for differentiation to metacyclics, expressed these transcripts (MAT-1; MP-associated transcripts). From sequence analysis of full-length cDNA clones corresponding to the predominating MAT-1 species, and open reading frame encoding a 139 aa polypeptide (15.4 kDa) was predicted and supported by immunoprecipitation by kala-azar sera of reticulocyte extract translation products using in vitro transcribed RNA. Although no significant primary sequence homology to database nucleic acid and protein sequences was found, the sequence displays similarities to the basic-zipper families of transcription regulatory proteins.
Iron extraction from soybean lipoxygenase 3 and reconstitution of catalytic activity from the apoenzyme.

Lipoxygenases contain a unique nonheme iron cofactor with a redox role in the catalyzed reaction. The conditions for the extraction of the metal atom were investigated for one of the soybean lipoxygenase isoenzymes. Removal of the iron by o-phenanthroline was attained in the presence of substrate under anaerobic conditions, but the apoenzyme could not be isolated and reconstituted. The freshly regenerated sodium form of Chelex-100 also removes the iron atom from native soybean lipoxygenase 3, but only in sodium bicarbonate buffer at pH 8.0. The soluble but inactive apoenzyme was reconstituted with ferric ammonium sulfate in Tris--HCl buffer at pH 7.0. Stoichiometric iron in the reconstituted enzyme was established using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The reconstituted enzyme contained 90 +/- 10% of the specific activity of the native enzyme. The native configuration of the reconstituted iron site was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Aperture averaging and the temporal spectrum of optical scintillations

By using a recently developed theory of scintillation that is valid under fluctuation conditions that include the focusing and saturation regimes, we develop a general model for predicting power fluctuations (or aperture averaging) over a finite-size collecting aperture. In addition, we calculate the covariance function and implied temporal spectrum of such power fluctuations. Increasing the size of the collecting aperture decreases the high frequency content of the irradiance spectrum.
Mechanism of cadmium uptake by activated sludge

The significance of metabolic activity in cadmium uptake by unacclimated activated sludge was studied. Below 30 mg/l cadmium in solution, biosorption was found to follow the Freundlich isotherm, which is the most common pattern for physico-chemical adsorption. More than 95% of total cadmium uptake was achieved within 5 min metal-sludge contact time. Biosorption increased strongly when the initial cadmium concentration in solution was raised from 10 to 100 mg/l, whereas in the same concentration range the metabolic activity of the sludge, as measured by respiratory activity and extracellular protein production, was very significantly inhibited. The addition of nutrients at low but significant levels failed to increase cadmium uptake in 2 h contact time, while in 24 h the addition of nutrients caused the biosorption to increase by only 5–10% without any significant growth of the biomass. Biosorption was found to increase with temperature between 5° C and 40° C, in correlation with an increase in the metabolic activity of the sludge. Pretreatment of the sludge with metabolic inhibitors (NaN3 and UV rays) appeared to cause only a very slight decrease (5–10%) of biosorption. These results suggest that metabolic uptake of cadmium was low and that adsorption to the surface of the cells was the major mechanism of uptake.
Examining the viability of broadband wireless access under alternative licensing models in the TV broadcast bands

One application of cognitive radios is to provide broadband wireless access (BWA) in the licensed TV bands on a secondary access basis. This concept is examined to see under what conditions BWA could be viable. Rural areas require long range communication which requires spectrum to be available over large areas in order to be used by cognitive radios. Urban areas have less available spectrum at any range. Furthermore, it is not clear what regulatory model would best support BWA. This paper considers demographic (urban, rural) and licensing (unlicensed, nonexclusive licensed, exclusive licensed) dimensions. A general BWA efficiency and economic analysis tool is developed and then example parameters corresponding to each of these regimes are derived. The results indicate that an unlicensed model is viable; however, in urban areas spectrum needs can be met with existing unlicensed spectrum and cognitive radios have no role. In the densest urban areas, the licensed models are not viable. This is not simple because there is less unused spectrum in urban areas. Urban area cognitive radios are constrained to short ranges and many broadband alternatives already exist. As a result the cost per subscriber is prohibitively high. These results provide input to spectrum policy issues.
Differences in auditory processing of words and pseudowords: An fMRI study

Although there has been great interest in the neuroanatomical basis of reading, little attention has been focused on auditory language processing. The purpose of this study was to examine the differential neuroanatomical response to the auditory processing of real words and pseudowords. Eight healthy right-handed participants performed two phoneme monitoring tasks (one with real word stimuli and one with pseudowords) during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan with a 4.1 T system. Both tasks activated the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL). Pseudoword processing elicited significantly more activation within the posterior cortical regions compared with real word processing. Previous reading studies have suggested that this increase is due to an increased demand on the lexical access system. The left inferior frontal gyrus, on the other hand, did not reveal a significant difference in the amount of activation as a function of stimulus type. The lack of a differential response in IFG for auditory processing supports its hypothesized involvement in grapheme to phoneme conversion processes. These results are consistent with those from previous neuroimaging reading studies and emphasize the utility of examining both input modalities (e.g., visual or auditory) to compose a more complete picture of the language network.
Local changes in subcellular distribution of dopamine β hydroxylase (EC 1.14.2.1) after blockade of axonal transport

— The distribution of DBH activity between soluble and sedimentable fractions of hypotonic homogenates was examined in rat sympathetic ganglia and nerves after interruption of axonal transport. Local application of colchicine to superior cervical ganglia caused an increase mainly in particulate DBH activity, which was presumably bound to membranes. Likewise, in sciatic nerves, particulate DBH activity accumulated on both sides of a ligature and disappeared from a region well below a ligature much faster than did soluble activity. On the other hand, 18 h after simultaneous application of two ligatures to the nerve, neither total DBH activity nor subcellular distribution of this activity changed in the isolated nerve region. More detailed analysis showed that ligation affected the distribution of DBH activity within a fraction that sedimented at 140,000 g after homogenization of nerves in isotonic sucrose. Just above a ligature, osmotically releasable DBH activity was a smaller proportion of the sedimentable activity than in control nerves. However, as compared to controls, osmotically releasable DBH activity was a larger proportion of the activity in the sedimentable fraction from a region well below a ligature. A model was developed which accounts for some of these results by postulating that DBH is associated with different compartments in sciatic nerve which have different rates of transport and different proportions of soluble and bound enzyme.
It is our moral obligation and the time is now.

The recent outbreaks of violence in the United States that took lives by gunfire and bombings have stimulated numerous commentaries and concerns. Local and Federal officials have rushed to create new laws to limit the availability of firearms, both rifles and handguns. Such laws in the past have had limited effect on violence as attributed to in my native Chicago, which has perhaps the most restrictive such laws and still has one of the most violent, if not the most violent murder rates by handguns in the United States. Also such laws do not hinder bombers. The other major resulting concern has been with the medical community. Lay people do not understand why such troubled individuals, some of who have been under Psychiatric care, have not been recognized as potentially violent and handled accordingly. Their concerns are realistic and important, but the reality is that there are not well documented guidelines Psychiatrically regarding the diagnosis and effective treatments in such individuals. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the official guide for diagnosis and treatment used by Psychiatrists, is constantly being changed. There is a clear need for a review of the problem and development of scientifically based solutions. The issue needs a broader view than Psychiatry alone. During the past 15 years there has been a significant research surge in both basic and clinical brain science, especially in intricate and dynamic imaging of the nervous system. All these areas are highly specialized and complicated. It seems logical then that the complex issue of mental illness and potential violence is best evaluated by a multidisciplinary approach that includes the basic brain scientists, anatomists, physiologists, chemists, and now nanotechnologists, clinical experts, Neurologists and Neurosurgeons, and Psychiatrists and Forensic Psychologists. There are a number of Forensic Psychologists practicing, but the singular work of Robert Hare, PhD stands out in this matter; his publications, The Psychopathy Checklist Revised and Without Conscience are landmarks. Funding of such an effort will be important. Initial funding could come through the scholarly societies that guide each subspecialty and when the group is established, funding could then come through the local, regional or State Law Enforcement Agencies using the service of the group. Such a group would also shed light on the mental functioning of terrorists that hound the civilized world today and might well contribute ways to deal with that massive problem.
A content analysis of institutional data policies

The newly issued requirement for a data management plan in proposals submitted to the U.S. National Science Foundation and other federal funding agencies prompted many institutions to develop their own policies to conform to this new requirement as well as to more effectively manage, share, publish, and provide access to research data. While the need for guidelines or a framework in developing such data policies is imminent, research is lacking in this area. The study reported here addresses this need by using a content analysis of 58 policy documents from 20 institutions. Our preliminary findings reveal an uneven distribution of data policies among the institutions and disciplines included in this study. We are currently analyzing our results.