cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaction: Proteins from Chemocatalysis; It’s What’s for Dinner

Lucas D. Ellis received his BS from California Polytechnic State University, MS from Dartmouth College, and PhD focusing on heterogeneous catalysis from the University of Colorado. He is currently a Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His research focuses on developing heterogeneous catalysts and chemical processes capable of reducing the impact of climate change. Gregg T. Beckham is a senior research fellow at NREL. He received a PhD and MSCEP from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS from Oklahoma State University. He currently leads an interdisciplinary team on the conversion of biomass to chemicals and materials and in the area of plastics upcycling.
GCV/VCVG prophylaxis against CMV DNAemia in pediatric renal transplant patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

CMV disease continues to stand as a significant threat to the longevity of renal transplants in children. More pediatric recipients are CMV-negative with CMV-positive donor serologies resulting in a HR mismatch. The length of prophylaxis with GCV or VGCV required to optimally prevent recurrence of CMVDNAemia remains unknown. This study is a meta-analysis comparing GCV/VGCV prophylaxis regimens provided for 12 months of prophylaxis (23% and 15%, respectively, P = 0.23). Regardless of the length of prophylaxis, there was no statistical difference in the incidence of CMV DNAemia in the HR patients (6 to <12 months vs <6 months, P = 0.62; 6 to <12 months vs ≥12 months, P = 0.78; ≥12 months vs <6 months, P = 0.83). This study identifies no optimal length of prophylaxis for HR mismatch pediatric renal transplant patients as many develop CMV DNAemia.
Second Language Learners’ Attitudes Toward French Varieties: The Roles of Learning Experience and Social Networks

People often believe that certain language varieties are more prestigious than others (e.g., Kircher, 2014; Zhang & Hu, 2008), which can cause speech from perceived substandard varieties to trigger biases and inform social judgements of the speaker (Giles & Billings, 2004). These language-centered biases likely develop from classroom or cultural experience (Giles et al., 1974), but it is largely unknown what types of language experience and exposure might mitigate language biases, especially for second language (L2) learners engaged in classroom language learning. This study’s goal was to extend the limited knowledge on the effects of experience on L2 learners’ language-centered biases by focusing on L2 French learners’ attitudes towards different French varieties. Participants included 106 L2 French learners from various proficiency levels engaged in L2 French learning in Montreal, a city characterized by negative attitudes towards speakers of Quebec French. Participants rated two audios recorded by native speakers from France in a listening comprehension task, with one of the two speakers introduced as a speaker of Quebec French. They described their language learning experience, filled out a French social network questionnaire, and completed a French proficiency test. Results showed that participants engaged in reverse linguistic stereotyping, preferring to speak like one speaker significantly more than the other, based on the speaker’s assumed identity, not actual speech. Speech ratings were also largely associated with participants’ positive experiences in Quebec. Findings have implications for the use of speech models in L2 teaching and for the mitigation of language-centered biases in L2 classrooms.
Progression of regional cortical cholinergic denervation in Parkinson disease: a longitudinal acetycholinesterase 11C-PMP PET study

630 Objectives: To investigate progressive regional cortical acetylcholinesterase (AChE) changes over a 5-8 year time span in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) using 11C-methyl-4-piperidinyl propionate (11C-PMP) PET. Methods: Sixteen patients with PD (4F/12M; mean age 64.4±6.7 years, duration of disease 5.5±4.2 years and Hoehn & Yahr stage 2.3±0.6 at time of first scan) completed 3 serial 11C-PMP AChE PET scans over a 4-8 year period (median 5 yr). Dynamic PET scanning was performed for 70 minutes following a bolus injection of 15 mCi 11C-PMP. 11C-PMP AChE hydrolysis rates (k3) were estimated using the striatal volume of interest as the tissue reference for the integral of the precursor delivery. Both three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections (3D-SSP) and volume-of-interest analyses were performed. RESULTS: Baseline findings indicate early vulnerability of posterior, esp. lateral inferior temporal gyrus and angular gyrus cholinergic terminals, with slightly less affected medial occipital cortices and preservation of prefrontal and pericentral cortical areas (see Figure). Interval changes include more severe posterior cortical losses with a mid anterior-to-posterior prefrontal degeneration gradient (in both superior and orbitofrontal directions) and preservation of primary and secondary sensorimotor and perisylvian cortices (see figure). Average t3-t1 interval reduction for the inferior temporal region was 15.1%. CONCLUSIONS: These results do not confirm a posterior-to-anterior AChE cortical degeneration process in PD over time that would suggest a diffuse axonal length-dependent process. Although the posterior cortical cholinergic terminals demonstrate greatest vulnerability, there are subsequent anterior-to-posterior prefrontal cortical denervation gradients. Relative preservation of primary and secondary sensorimotor cortical PMP retention may reflect intrinsic local cholinergic function or possible upregulation effects.
Immunoassay Devices for Extra-Laboratory Measurements of Toxic Chemicals Based on Capillary Migration and Liposome Amplification

Simple, single-use biosensing devices are being developed based on the immunologic recognition of specific environmental and food commodity contaminants in combination with signal amplification strategies using marker-loaded liposomes to provide high sensitivity. Solution flow in the devices is controlled by capillary action and detection can be based on marker color or electroactivity. Several areas of investigation are being addressed: 1) immobilization of antibodies onto the solid phase of the capillary bed; 2) liposome surface density of analyte molecules conjugated to phospholipids; 3) capillarity-driven timing sequence for optimum flow and interaction of components; 4) concentration/measurement zone based on an avidin-capture mechanism; and 5) evaluation of several modes of detection/quantitation. Preliminary laboratory testing of several prototypes of this device based on optical detection has demonstrated the feasibility of this approach.
Sodium Drives Interfacial Equilibria for Semi-Soluble Phosphoric and Phosphonic Acids of Model Sea Spray Aerosol Surfaces

Organic phosphates and phosphonates represent important yet understudied constituents in our molecular understanding of the ocean. Herein, we determined the critical concentration of sodium relating to the onset of surface activity of alkyl phosphates and phosphonates at the air–water interface to further understand the interfacial environment of sea spray aerosols emitted from the ocean’s surface. A low pH range (1–5.6) was chosen to represent a model system for aged, acidic marine aerosols. The protonation state and sodium binding properties of C16–C18 alkyl phosphoric and phosphonic acids were explored using surface pressure–area isotherms and infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy. We found that increasing pH and headgroup charge led to significant desorption of these semi-soluble phosphorus-containing acids into bulk solution, while the neutral, fully protonated, and sodium complexed species were favored at the interface. For the phosphonate species, the competition between sodium complexation and protonation reveals a critical sodium chloride concentration of ≥2 M at pH 2 necessary to outcompete the acid–base equilibrium. The onset of this equilibrium shift begins at concentrations as low as 0.1 M NaCl at pH 2, which demonstrates that ion pairing-mediated surface activity is highly relevant in sea spray aerosol systems. We also show that competitive interfacial equilibria between speciation and binding cannot be modeled by known bulk processes for the fully soluble methylphosphonic acid or through theoretical predictions from the Gouy–Chapman model.
How Do Partisans Consume News on Social Media? A Comparison of Self-Reports With Digital Trace Measures Among Twitter Users:

There are growing concerns that social media exacerbates the selective exposure of audience members to content that supports their political views. However, despite the hype, the existing literatur...
Communal drinking rituals and social formations in the Yellow River valley of Neolithic China

Abstract China’s long history of alcoholic beverage production can be traced to the beginning of the Neolithic period when feasting with such drinks became essential in ritual and political contexts, thus setting the pattern throughout Chinese history. Recent studies employing multi-disciplinary approaches have generated new data on the early development of alcoholic fermentation in prehistory. This paper synthesizes the current understanding about alcoholic beverage production and consumption in the Yellow River region of north China during the Neolithic period, with a focus on the Yangshao culture (ca. 7000–4700 cal. BP). Discussion topics include the development of beer brewing methods, changing forms of fermentation vessels, symbolic meanings of surface decoration on brewing vessels, settlement layouts and public buildings in relation to feasting activities, alcoholic beverages as a luxury food item associated with emergent elite powers, and the underlying dynamics related to the unprecedented regional expansion of Yangshao communities in association with drinking rituals. The intensified ritual activities involving communal drinking may have been intended to build and expand social networks, sustain intra- and inter-group solidarity and support, as well as to help elites gain and maintain power during a period of climatic fluctuation with diminishing precipitation in north China.
A comparison of psychosocial adjustment among children of women who received behavioral couples therapy versus individually based therapy for substance use disorder.

Abstract Background Children of women with substance use disorder (SUD) exhibit elevated risk for psychosocial adjustment problems. However, little research has examined whether women's SUD treatment is beneficial for their children. In comparison to individually based therapy (IBT), behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is superior for reducing women's SUD problems and improving their intimate partner relationships. The current study sought to examine whether BCT is more efficacious than 12-step-oriented IBT for reducing psychosocial adjustment problems among the children of women with SUD. Methods The study obtained the data from two larger randomized clinical trials, both of which compared BCT plus IBT versus IBT alone for women with SUD. Participants were women (N = 75) and their male partners who had an identified target child between the ages of 6 and 16 years old (M = 10.63). Most (62%) were the biological child of both partners, and 92% lived with the couple. Both partners completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in relation to the target child at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. Results Comparisons of CBCL scores from baseline to following treatment mostly showed significant improvement in BCT + IBT but not IBT. Generalized estimating equations, which controlled for baseline CBCL, showed better retainment of treatment gains for mother-reported internalizing CBCL scores in BCT + IBT, but the study found no other between treatment differences. Conclusion These findings suggest that BCT + IBT produces more consistent improvements for children of women with SUD versus IBT.
An update on the pharmacological management and prevention of cerebral edema: current therapeutic strategies.

Introduction: Cerebral edema is a common complication of multiple neurological diseases and is a strong predictor of outcome, especially in traumatic brain injury and large hemispheric infarction. ...
Stephen Crane: Whilomville Stories (1900)

Brooklyn Daily Eagle , August 25, 1900, p. 7 Was Stephen Crane a genius? Did he do permanent work; something that will last and become a part of the lasting literature of the English language? There are critics who claim that nothing can really be termed “literature” until it has stood the test of time, and has really become more or less of a classic. It is not often that fiction attains to this distinction, and Crane was a fictionist, pure and simple. His power lay in a certain genius for minute analysis and description, and the skill to endow these with an unusual degree of interest, even when the subject was of the most trivial character. He died before he had come to the full fruition of his genius—power, skill—call it what you will—and we will never know what he might have done had his life been spared, and his mind had time to ripen and expand with increasing knowledge of men and the world of men. But does the work he left behind give any evidence that in time he might have come to a high place among those whose interpretations of human life have secured for them a deathless fame with the generations that come after them? Was it worth while to be so minute in the delineation of a trivial subject? Was it not photography instead of art?
Iodinated Dopamine D1 and D2 Receptor Imaging Agents for SPECT

In vivo imaging of the dopaminergic system in the mammalian brain has been the subject of extensive studies in recent years. Not only is this part of the central nervous system (CNS) very important for normal brain function, it is also a possible primary action site for antiparkinsonian agents or neuroleptic drugs for schizophrenia. Addiction to cocaine, which is an acute social and economic problem, is related to the CNS reward system involving dopaminergic function. Binding of cocaine to the dopamine reuptake sites, which leaves more dopamine in the synaptic cleft for binding to the postsynaptic neuron, is the primary mechanism for stimulation. There is a wealth of pharmacological information about the dopamine receptor (Creese and Fraser, 1987; Beaulieu, 1987; Waddington, 1986; Waddington, 1989; Stoof and Kebabian, 1984; Waddington and O’Boyle, 1987; Waddington and O’Boyle, 1989; Sidhu et al., 1991).
Electoral College—Now, More Than Ever

The 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush raised great concerns, disbelief, and even outrage, that a popular vote would not determine the new president elect. This article examines the Electoral College provision of the United States Constitution. In the introduction, Sutton notes that the Electoral College had uneventfully operated in every presidential election prior to the 2000 election. With such outspoken opposition to the current system however, Sutton poses the question of whether Congress should “do away” with the Electoral College. The rest of the article analyzes the original purposes of the Electoral College, and discusses whether those purposes are still relevant today. Section two discusses why the Electoral College is still being debated. Sections three and four provide an overview of the history behind the Electoral College, focusing on the writings of James Madison in The Federalist Papers, and the implications of those ideas in 2001. In section five, Sutton compares the Electoral College with the popular vote in the 2000 election. In the conclusion, Sutton notes that her analysis strongly opposes any constitutional amendment that would replace the existing Electoral College system with purely popular voting system. Four graphical figures and one table are attached to the end of the article which provide graphical information about the popular vote and the electoral college, both in 1789 and in 2000.
The nomenclature of chronic active hepatitis: An obituary

Use of the terms chronic active hepatitis, chronic persistent hepatitis, and chronic lobular hepatitis should be discontinued in favor of an etiologic terminology. Inflammatory activity and necrosis should be evaluated to grade the severity of the process whereas the degree of fibrosis should be used to determine the stage of the disease. Working groups and consensus meetings are needed to establish a widely acceptable current nomenclature and terminology. Once this has been achieved, introduction of the new names will depend on the support of the committees that compile coding manuals and on reviewers and editors of medical journals.
Post-sampling aliasing control for natural images

Sampling and reconstruction are usually analyzed under the framework of linear signal processing. Powerful tools like the Fourier transform and optimum linear filter design techniques, allow for a very precise analysis of the process. In particular, an optimum linear filter of any length can be derived under most situations. Many of these tools are not available for non-linear systems, and it is usually difficult to find an optimum non-linear system under any criteria. The authors analyze the possibility of using non-linear filtering in the interpolation of subsampled images. They show that a very simple (5/spl times/5) non-linear reconstruction filter outperforms (for the images analyzed) linear filters of up to 256/spl times/256, including optimum (separable) Wiener filters of any size.
Cellular Metabolism in Genetic Transformation of Pneumococci: Requirement for Protein Synthesis During Induction of Competence

Metabolic inhibitors have differential effects on various phases of genetic transformation in pneumococci. Evidence is presented suggesting that, in addition to the competence factor, another specific protein or class of proteins is essential for the development of cellular “competence.” The precise role of this protein(s) in genetic transformation is not known, but it seems essential for some function subsequent to the interaction of competence factor and cells.
Emission of Inhalable Dissolved Drinking Water Constituents by Ultrasonic Humidifiers

Abstract This research investigated air–water quality interactions during single room humidification to increase indoor relative humidity. Ultrasonic humidifiers were filled with five different water quality types ranging from low to high total dissolved solids (TDS), hardness, and iron content. Aerosols emitted were evaluated for particle size distribution and dissolved metal and nonmetal constituents with inductively coupled plasma–mass spectroscopy. Emitted aerosols were in the inhalable range; the 90th percentile aerosol concentrations occur between 0.020 and 0.040 μm. Findings indicated that humidifier aerosols contained 85–90% of constituents present in the source water for low TDS, hardness, and iron tap waters. Deviations from this pattern were found in high hardness and high iron well waters due to precipitation of some constituents within the humidifier reservoir during operation. Deviation were seen only in the constituents that were precipitating as determined by comparison of filtered and unf...
Regime shift in Arabian dust activity, triggered by persistent Fertile Crescent drought

The Arabian Peninsula has experienced pronounced interannual to decadal variability in dust activity, including an abrupt regime shift around 2006 from an inactive dust period during 1998–2005 to an active period during 2007–2013. Corresponding in time to the onset of this regime shift, the climate state transitioned into a combined La Nina and negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which incited a hiatus in global warming in the 2000s. Superimposed upon a long-term regional drying trend, synergistic interactions between these teleconnection modes triggered the establishment of a devastating and prolonged drought, which engulfed the Fertile Crescent, namely, Iraq and Syria, and led to crop failure and civil unrest. Dried soils and diminished vegetation cover in the Fertile Crescent, as evident through remotely sensed enhanced vegetation indices, supported greater dust generation and transport to the Arabian Peninsula in 2007–2013, as identified both in increased dust days observed at weather stations and enhanced remotely sensed aerosol optical depth. According to backward trajectory analysis of dust days on the Arabian Peninsula, increased dust lifting and atmospheric dust concentration in the Fertile Crescent during this recent, prolonged drought episode supported a greater frequency of dust events across the peninsula with associated northerly trajectories and led to the dust regime shift. These findings are particularly concerning, considering projections of warming and drying for the eastern Mediterranean region and potential collapse of the Fertile Crescent during this century.
Precision modelling of M dwarf stars: the magnetic components of CM Draconis

The eclipsing binary CM Draconis (CM Dra) contains two nearly identical red dwarfs of spectral class dM4.5. The masses and radii of the two components have been reported with unprecedentedly small statistical errors: for M, these errors are 1 part in 260, while for R, the errors reported by Morales et al. are 1 part in 130. When compared with standard stellar models with appropriate mass and age (≈4 Gyr), the empirical results indicate that both components are discrepant from the models in the following sense: the observed stars are larger in R (‘bloated’), by several standard deviations, than the models predict. The observed luminosities are also lower than the models predict. Here, we attempt at first to model the two components of CM Dra in the context of standard (non-magnetic) stellar models using a systematic array of different assumptions about helium abundances (Y), heavy element abundances (Z), opacities and mixing length parameter (α). We find no 4-Gyr-old models with plausible values of these four parameters that fit the observed L and R within the reported statistical error bars. However, CM Dra is known to contain magnetic fields, as evidenced by the occurrence of star-spots and flares. Here we ask: can inclusion of magnetic effects into stellar evolution models lead to fits of L and R within the error bars? Morales et al. have reported that the presence of polar spots results in a systematic overestimate of R by a few per cent when eclipses are interpreted with a standard code. In a star where spots cover a fraction f of the surface area, we find that the revised R and L for CM Dra A can be fitted within the error bars by varying the parameter α. The latter is often assumed to be reduced by the presence of magnetic fields, although the reduction in α as a function of B is difficult to quantify. An alternative magnetic effect, namely inhibition of the onset of convection, can be readily quantified in terms of a magnetic parameter δ≈B2/4πγpgas (where B is the strength of the local vertical magnetic field). In the context of δ models in which B is not allowed to exceed a ‘ceiling’ of 106 G, we find that the revised R and L can also be fitted, within the error bars, in a finite region of the f–δ plane. The permitted values of δ near the surface leads us to estimate that the vertical field strength on the surface of CM Dra A is about 500 G, in good agreement with independent observational evidence for similar low-mass stars. Recent results for another binary with parameters close to those of CM Dra suggest that metallicity differences cannot be the dominant explanation for the bloating of the two components of CM Dra.
Algebraic equations with exponential terms

Abstract The decomposition method is applied to algebraic equations containing exponential terms. The n term approximation φ n is rapidly damped as n increases, yielding an oscillating convergence of superior accuracy ( n = 5 and n = 9 for k = 2).
Is hydrogen peroxide produced during iron(II) oxidation in mammalian apoferritins

The ferritins are a class of iron storage and detoxification proteins that play a central role in the biological management of iron. These proteins have a catalytic site, "the ferroxidase site", located on the H-type subunit that facilitates the oxidation of Fe(II) to Fe(III) by O(2). Measurements during the past 10 years on a number of vertebrate ferritins have provided evidence that H(2)O(2) is produced at this diiron ferroxidase site. Recently reported experiments using three different analytical methods with horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) have failed to detect H(2)O(2) production in this protein [Lindsay, S., Brosnahan, D., and Watt, G. D. (2001) Biochemistry 40, 3340-3347]. These findings contrast with earlier results reporting H(2)O(2) production in HoSF [Xu, B., and Chasteen, N. D. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 19965-19970]. Here a sensitive fluorescence assay and an assay based on O(2) evolution in the presence of catalase were used to demonstrate that H(2)O(2) is produced in HoSF as previously reported. However, because of the relatively few H-chain ferroxidase sites in HoSF and the reaction of H(2)O(2) with the protein, H(2)O(2) is more difficult to detect in this ferritin than in recombinant human H-chain ferritin (HuHF). The proper sequence of addition of reagents is important for measurement of the total amount of H(2)O(2) produced during the ferroxidation reaction.
A study of wave interactions with flanged waveguides and cavities using the on-surface radiation condition method

Abstract The scattering of a plane wave from the open end of a flanged, parallel plate waveguide is approximately solved using the On-Surface Radiation Condition method. Simple explicit formulae are given for the field within the waveguide and for the bistatic cross-section. In addition, our theory also gives an approximate solution to the associated open cavity problem, which is formed when the waveguide is terminated by a short circuit positioned a finite distance from the aperture. These problems serve as prototypes for receiving antennae and open resonators respectively. Numerical results are presented which confirm the accuracy of the OSRC method. An interesting byproduct of our analysis is the approximate prediction of the complex eigenfrequencies of the open resonator.
Combined in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ultrasonic interferometry study of ϵ-FeSi at high pressure

Ultrasonic interferometry was used in combination with synchrotron X-radiation to determine the compressional and shear wave velocities and unit-cell volumes of ϵ-FeSi (cubic B20 structure) at room temperature and pressures up to ∼12 GPa. The data collected during compression are compared with those collected during decompression after heating to release stress within the sample cell. By fitting all of the decompression unit-cell volume and sound velocity data to third-order finite-strain equations, we obtain the adiabatic zero-pressure bulk and shear moduli and their first pressure derivatives: K S0=169.3 (8) GPa, G 0=116.3 (4) GPa, K′S0=6.5(3), G′0=3.0(1). The bulk modulus obtained from this study is in good agreement with those of some previous experimental studies, but significantly lower than those obtained by first-principle calculations. This study presents the first direct measurement on the shear properties of this phase.
Automated programming of analog hybrid computers — a review

The motivation for automated programming, setup and checking facilities for analog/hybrid computers is discussed and the problems involved are classified. The problem of providing better offline and online program preparation and debugging facilities for analog and hybrid computation is selected for fur ther development. Following a brief characteriza tion of the problem, the available literature is reviewed in depth. Suggestions for future work in this area are included where appropriate.
Open and closed birth intervals for once-married spouse-present white women.

Using the 1970 1/1,000 Public Use Sample of the U.S. population, the relationships of the closed and open birth intervals with parity and mother’s age, with parity and marital duration and with children ever born/marital duration and mother’s age are analyzed. These findings both replicate and expand on Srinivasan’s earlier research on the open interval. The open interval is more sensitive as an index of marital fertility when marital duration and parity are controlled than when mother’s age and parity are controlled.
Representing Receptor Flexibility in Ligand Docking through Relevant Normal Modes

Inspired by the current representation of the ligand-receptor binding process, a normal-mode-based methodology is presented to incorporate receptor flexibility in ligand docking and virtual screening. However, the systematic representation of the deformation space grows geometrically with the number of modes, and furthermore, midscale loop rearrangements like those found in protein kinase binding pockets cannot be accounted for with the first lowest-frequency modes. We thus introduced a measure of relevance of normal modes on a given region of interest and showed that only very few modes in the low-frequency range are necessary and sufficient to describe loop flexibility in cAMP-dependent protein kinase. We used this approach to generate an ensemble of representative receptor backbone conformations by perturbing the structure along a combination of relevant modes. Each ensemble conformation is complexed with known non-native binders to optimize the position of the binding-pocket side chains through a full flexible docking procedure. The multiple receptor conformations thus obtained are used in a small-scale virtual screening using receptor ensemble docking. We evaluated this algorithm on holo and apo structures of cAMP-dependent protein kinase that exhibit backbone rearrangements on two independent loop regions close to the binding pocket. Docking accuracy is improved, since the ligands considered in the virtual screening docked within 1.5 A to at least one of the structures. The discrimination between binders and nonbinders is also enhanced, as shown by the improvement of the enrichment factor. This constitutes a new step toward the systematic integration of flexible ligand-flexible receptor docking tools in structure-based drug discovery.
Evaluation of the reliability and validity of two clinician-judgment suicide risk assessment instruments.

Background: This study evaluates the psychometric properties and factor structure of two clinician-judgment suicide risk assessment instruments – the Suicide Assessment Checklist developed by Yufit and the other developed by Rogers. Methods: As an archival study, 85 client records were obtained through a university psychology clinic. Results: Internal consistency was high for only one subscale of the Yufit checklist after deleting items for factor analyses, whereas internal consistency was high for the overall Rogers checklist after deleting items. Interrater reliability was excellent for both instruments. Both checklists correlated with self-reported suicidality on the Personality Assessment Inventory. Preliminary analyses indicated that data from the Yufit checklist are unsuitable for factor analysis, whereas factor analysis of the Rogers checklist identified one depressive factor. Conclusions: These findings provided evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the Rogers checklist. The findings...
Factors associated with length of stay and hospital charges for patients hospitalized with mouth cellulitis.

Objective Dental conditions that are neglected could progress to infectious lesions that are severe enough to require hospital admission for treatment. The objective of this study was to examine outcomes in patients hospitalized for cellulitis and abscesses of mouth in the USA in year 2008. Study design The nationwide inpatient sample for the year 2008, a component database of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, was used for the current study. All hospital discharges with a primary diagnosis for cellulitis or abscess of mouth (ICD-9-CM code 528.3) were selected for analysis. Outcomes, including length of stay in hospital (LOS) and hospitalization charges, were computed from the database and projected to national levels by using the discharge weight variable. The predictor variables were composed of sets of heterogeneous variables grouped into the following categories: demographic, health-related (comorbid conditions), hospital-specific, and insurance-related. The primary outcome variables were LOS and hospital charges. Multivariable linear regression analysis models were used to examine the association between predictor and outcome variables. Results A total of 4,044 hospital discharges were attributed primarily to cellulitis or abscess of mouth. About 45% of these discharges occurred in those aged between 18 and 45 years. The mean length of stay in hospital was 3.9 days, and the mean hospital charge was $24,290. The total USA hospitalization charge was close to $98 million. Private insurance plans were the major payers, accounting for $31 million of hospitalization charges. About 88% of all hospitalization were discharged routinely after treatment, and 2% were transfered to another short-term hospital. Conclusions This study examines outcomes in patients hospitalized for cellulitis or abscess of mouth. Future studies must focus on identifying cohorts that are more prone to developing odontogenic infections that are severe enough to warrant hospitalization.
Fuel Ethanol Produced from Midwest U.S. Corn: Help or Hindrance to the Vision of Kyoto?

In this study, we examined the role of corn-feedstock ethanol in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, given present and near-future technology and practice for corn farming and ethanol production. We analyzed the full-fuel-cycle GHG effects of corn-based ethanol using updated information on corn operations in the upper Midwest and existing ethanol production technologies. Information was obtained from representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, faculty of midwestern universities with expertise in corn production and animal feed, and acknowledged authorities in the field of ethanol plant engineering, design, and operations. Cases examined included use of E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline by volume) and E10 (10% ethanol and 90% gasoline). Among key findings is that Midwest-produced ethanol outperforms conventional (current) and reformulated (future) gasoline with respect to energy use and GHG emissions (on a mass emission per travel mile basis). The superiority of the energy and GHG results is well outside the range of model noise. An important facet of this work has been conducting sensitivity analyses. These analyses let us rank the factors in the corn-to-ethanol cycle that are most important for limiting GHG generation. These rankings could help ensure that efforts to reduce that generation are targeted more effectively.
Field Ion Microscopy of Graphite Fibers

Field ion microscopy of pyrolytic graphite produced image streaks resulting from gross surface irregularities as a result of the etching characteristics in tip preparation. The streaks were observed to contract with a decrease in imaging voltage and to remain relatively stable. Commercial high‐modulus graphite fibers could be electropolished to fine tips, and single image points (occurring as double spots) were observed for the first time in the field ion microscope. These image points were interpreted to represent the carbon atoms in the corner of a single graphite platelet. It is concluded from these experiments that the possibility of studying graphite by field‐ion microscopy might be viewed with a little more optimism.
A new species of Phyllocladus (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae: Pyrochroinae) from China, with a key to males of the two known Chinese species

Abstract Phyllocladus kascmtsevi, a new species of fire-colored beetle, is described from four males and four females taken from mountainous regions of southern Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in east-central China. All specimens were collected between 9 June and 12 August at elevations ranging from 1300–2600 meters. This is the second described Phyllocladus from China, the other being Phyllocladus grandipennis (Pic, 1906), and the fifth species attributed to Phyllocladus. The three remaining species are Phyllocladus magnificus (Blair, 1912) of Myanmar, Phyllocladus costatus Pic (1914) known from Vietnam, and Phyllocladus brevior Pic (1927), also from Vietnam. Salient features of the males, including the elongate head, distinctive cranial pits, enlarged compound eyes, long antennal pedicel, strongly lamelliform branches of the antennal flagellum, and abdominal terminalia clearly place the new species in Phyllocladus. The crest-like or hooded forward extension of the vertex, thus partially concealing the poste...
A Novel Approach for Lattice Boltzmann Modeling of Energy Transport

It is well known that Fourier law breaks down for the prediction of heat conduction in nano-scale, where the length scale is comparable to the mean free path of energy carriers. Over the past decade, Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) has been used to predict thermal transport in dielectrics and semiconductors at micro-scale and nano-scale. In this work, a new modified gray model is obtained from BTE. The implicit lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is developed to simulate the thermal transport process. Based on the new model, we can derive Guyer-Krumhansl equation. Transient heat conduction through a thin nano-film and hotspot self-heating in sub-micron transistors are examined. The numerical results are compared with those provided by Fourier, Cattaneo, and Guyer-Krumhansl equation.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
A retired shipyard worker with rapidly progressive pulmonary interstitial fibrosis.

Abstract We present a case of progressive interstitial fibrosis in a retired shipyard worker who was exposed to asbestos during the postwar era of the late 1940s and 1950s, when asbestos exposures in the workplace were not regulated. Forty years later, at 63 years of age, the patient presented with restrictive lung disease. The patient was diagnosed with asbestos-related pleural disease and parenchymal asbestosis. He remained stable for the next 7 years, but then he began to manifest rapid clinical progression, which raised the possibility of an unusual variant of asbestosis, a concomitant interstitial process, or an unrelated disease. Lung biopsy was not undertaken because of the patient's low pulmonary reserve and limited treatment options. An empiric trial of oral steroids was initiated, but his pulmonary status continued to deteriorate and he died of pulmonary failure at 72 years of age. Many diseases result in pulmonary interstitial fibrosis. Ideally, open lung biopsy should be performed, but this procedure inevitably causes complications in many patients with end-stage restrictive lung disease. Furthermore, while the presence of asbestos bodies in tissue sections is a sensitive and specific marker of asbestos exposure, neither this finding nor any other charge is a marker indicative of asbestosis or the severity of asbestosis. With the enactment of the Asbestos Standard in the United States, asbestos exposures have been decreasing in this country. However, industries that produce asbestos products and wastes continue to expand in developing countries. Prevention of asbestos-related lung disease should be a global endeavor, and asbestos exposures should be regulated in both developed and developing countries.
Motor skills of preschool children enrolled in different exercising programs

Introduction Motor knowledge is considered the basis for all complex movements, from daily physical activity to specific sports knowledge. Higher level of motor skills is associated with higher physical activity of children and with many health benefits, especially with a reduced risk of obesity. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in motor skills in preschool children involved in organized exercise programs (multilateral sports programs, school of football, school of rhythmic gymnastics) and children that are not enrolled into organized exercising. Methods The study was conducted on a sample of preschool children (n = 78), average age of 5.30 ± 1.14 years. To assess the level of acquired motor skills set of 12 tests were used in order to evaluate locomotor and object control skills known as “Test of Gross Motor Development-Second Edition - TGMD-2”. Results Results showed significant differences in motor skills between untrained children and children who exercise (P Conclusion Programs that are offered to preschool children and their parents should be well-planed and include multilateral development exercises to avoid early specialization consequences on motor skills of children.
Abstract 2531: The selective CCR9 antagonist CCX8037 inhibits CCL25-CCR9-STAT3 mediated proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction: We previously reported the expression of CCR9 in pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and invasive pancreatic cancer tissues. Here, our objective was to investigate signaling downstream of CCR9 and to determine the anti-proliferative effects of the candidate therapeutic CCR9 antagonist CCX8037. Methods: PanIN and corresponding invasive pancreatic cancer (5143PDA) and liver metastasis (5143LM) cell lines were derived from Pdx-1-Cre;LSL-K-rasG12D and Pdx-1-Cre;LSL-K-rasG12D/p53R172H mice. In culture, murine and human pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) were exposed to CCL25, the specific CCR9 ligand. The phosphorylation of STAT3, an established regulator of pancreatic cancer proliferation, was measured by Western blot assay and proliferation assays were performed with the small molecule CCX8037 and the JAK/STAT inhibitor AG490. Results: First, we verified that exposure to CCL25 enhanced cell proliferation (20%-40%) in both murine and human pancreatic cancer cells. To investigate CCL25/CCR9 signaling, we exposed cells to CCL25 and observed increased phosphorylation of STAT3 in the cells. Blockade of STAT3 signaling with AG490 abrogated CCL25/CCR9-mediated proliferation in both murine and human pancreatic cancer cells. Pre-treatment of PanIN and pancreatic cancer cells with CCX8037 blocked CCL25-mediated phosphorylation of STAT3 and inhibited CCL25-mediated cell proliferation. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates for the first time that the CCL25/CCR9 axis activates downstream STAT3 signaling to mediate proliferation in murine and human PanIN and pancreatic cancer cells. Additionally, our data shows that the candidate therapeutic agent CCX8037 effectively blocks CCL25/CCR9-mediated proliferation in pancreatic cancer and warrants investigation in vivo. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2531.
Parametric signal processing of anechoic data from prosthetic heart valve testing

Prosthetic heart valves have been responsible for extending the life spans and improving the quality of life of many people with serious heart conditions. Even though the heart valves are extremely reliable, eventually they are susceptible to the long-term fatigue and structural failure effects expected for mechanical devices operating over long periods of time. In [2] a classification procedure was developed using spectral features obtained from acoustic signals to determine the condition of the prosthetic heart valve. Although this classification procedure has produced very encouraging results, this method still lacks a fundamental physical description of the sounds produced by the valve during normal operation. In order to obtain a better understanding of the valve acoustic response, we have performed a set of anechoic tests. In this paper, we describe the anechoic experiment and also present limited transient response results. This transient information will eventually be used to identify and improve the features used to classify the valve condition.
Synergistic effect of pactamycin and sparsomycin on Mycoplasma-induced lethal toxicity of mice.

Pactamycin and sparsomycin, antitumor drugs which act synergistically with endotoxins, also potentiate the lethal toxicity of mice by Mycoplasma fermentans , strain K10. Sparsomycin (50 μg/20 g mouse, injected intraperitoneally 1 h after various doses of M. fermentans ) exerted a minimal degree of synergism with few extra deaths, but with prolonged appearance of nonlethal disease. Pactamycin (75 μg in the same protocol) increased susceptibility to Mycoplasma -induced lethal toxicity approximately 1,000-fold. The optimal response was noted when pactamycin was administered in the period between 6 h before and 3 h after the administration of 10 8 colony-forming units of viable mycoplasmas. Doses of 12.5, 25, or 50 μg increased severity of signs, but only 75 μg/mouse produced synergism of the lethal effect. Methylprednisolone partially negated the synergism when injected simultaneously with the pactamycin 1 h after the cells. The lethal synergistic effect occurred with four species of Mycoplasma in addition to M. fermentans .
Hazardous waste minimization: Is it taking root in U. S. industry?: Waste minimization in metal finishing facilities of the San Francisco Bay Area, California

Abstract Waste minimization plays a key part in U. S. planning for hazardous waste management. This paper examines the effectiveness of waste minimization policies and regulations by considering waste minimization measures implemented by industrial metal finishing facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The research identifies activities that manufacturers report they have implemented for the purpose of minimizing hazardous waste. In a sample of 26 facilities, a total of 52 waste minimization activities are identified and are described in this paper, divided into three general categories: process changes, maintenance of processes or facilities, and on-site treatment of pretreatment. The research concludes that hazardous waste minimization has not fully penetrated the industry, based on two pieces of evidence: Some technologically advanced measures have been implemented at some facilities, suggesting they have been demonstrated to be technologically effective and economically attractive in some facilities, but are not in place at all facilities; and some simple measures, of the kind that would be implemented early in a facility's waste minimization program, are only now being implemented at some facilities.
Hume's refutation of the cosmological argument

Let me summarize the results of this paper in a way that seems fitting to Hume's discussion of the cosmological argument. There are some philosophers who adopt the most stringent empiricist principles. Such men and women would reject any notion of necessity that is not analytic, and for this reason they would never admit a proof of the necessary existence of anything. Other philosophers, though empiricists, are not so dogmatic. They question the need for, not the coherence of, necessary existence. They believe that the material universe is nothing over and above the sum of its material parts and, thus, see no reason to conclude that a necessary being exists based on PSR. Still others are driven by a rationalist persuasion. They would gladly recognize the existence of almost anything provided it be proven by reason and argument. When they confront the cosmological argument they do indeed find it compelling but still see no reason to conclude that God, or any transcendent being, necessarily exists. The entity established need be nothing more than the universe itself. Therefore, as Hume has demonstrated, no philosopher need accept the conclusion of the cosmological argument.