cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A turn-on luminescent europium probe for cyanide detection in water.

A luminescent europium probe that responds to cyanide directly in water with a large nine-fold turn-on of the EuIII centered time-gated luminescence is presented. Unlike other CN− probes reported, the mechanism of action of EuIII-Lys-HOPO does not rely on reaction of CN− with the probe, but on direct coordination of CN− to the EuIII ion concomitant with displacement of three inner-sphere water molecules. This unusual coordination of CN− with a lanthanide ion in aqueous solution was confirmed by luminescence lifetime measurements.
Soil Moisture Estimation by Combining L-Band Brightness Temperature and Vegetation Related Information

Passive radiometry at L-band has been widely accepted as one of the most promising techniques for monitoring soil moisture content (SMC). However, with vegetation cover, the scatter and attenuation of microwave signals by vegetation make the discrimination of SMC related signal complicated. To improve SMC estimate, this study proposed the combined use of L-band brightness temperature (TB) and optical remote sensing data to take into account the effect of vegetation. The normalized difference infrared index (NDII) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) were used as proxy for including the effect of vegetation water content and structure. Considering viewing angle effects, TB data were normalized to three different angles (7°, 21.5°, and 38.5°). The model based on the combination of NDII and horizontally polarized TB normalized to 7° produced the best result (R2 = 0.678, RMSE = 0.026 m3/m3). It suggests that involving NDII into the model could significantly improve pasture covered SMC estimation accuracy.
Vison Crystals in an Extended Kitaev Model on the Honeycomb Lattice.

We introduce an extension of the Kitaev honeycomb model by including four-spin interactions that preserve the local gauge structure and, hence, the integrability of the original model. The extended model has a rich phase diagram containing five distinct vison crystals, as well as a symmetric $\ensuremath{\pi}$-flux spin liquid with a Fermi surface of Majorana fermions and a sequence of Lifshitz transitions. We discuss possible experimental signatures and, in particular, present finite-temperature Monte Carlo calculations of the specific heat and the static vison structure factor. We argue that our extended model emerges naturally from generic perturbations to the Kitaev honeycomb model.
Breast-conserving surgery for pure non-classic lobular carcinoma in situ: A single institution's experience.

Abstract Background Non-classic lobular carcinoma in situ (NC-LCIS) is a rare pre-cancer breast lesion that warrants excision to exclude invasive disease. In patients pursuing breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for NC-LCIS, the need for wide surgical margins is controversial. We characterized the outcomes of women diagnosed with NC-LCIS at a large, academic medical center. Methods Female patients seen at our institution from 2008 to 2018 with pure NC-LCIS were retrospectively identified. Patients were excluded if NC-LCIS was diagnosed in the background of invasive cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ. Clinicopathologic and follow-up data were collected. Rates of upstage, re-excision, and recurrence were calculated. Results We identified 26 patients with pure NC-LCIS diagnosed on biopsy. 80.8% of patients initially pursued breast conservation, while 19.2% underwent mastectomy. At definitive surgery, 11.5% were upstaged. Among 19 non-upstaged patients that underwent BCS, 47.4% had at least one re-excision and 26.3% converted to mastectomy. In patients receiving BCS without completion mastectomy, 64.3% had final surgical margins that were negative for NC-LCIS, while 35.7% had positive or close margins. No recurrences in patients with negative margins were observed. One patient with positive margins developed a recurrence 8.3 years post-surgery, and one patient with close margins did 2.2 years post-surgery. All non-upstaged patients were alive at time of analysis with no evidence of invasive disease. Conclusion We presented the outcomes of one of the largest series of pure NC-LCIS. In patients with NC-LCIS pursuing breast conservation, re-excisions and completion mastectomies were common. However, when negative margins were achieved, prognosis was excellent.
The TGF-β/SMAD Signaling Pathway As a Mediator of NK Cell Dysfunction and Immune Evasion in Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Abstract Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a spectrum of clonal hematopoietic disorders affecting the myeloid lineage, characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and dysplastic features. In about a third of patients, MDS transforms to secondary AML, and for this subgroup the overall survival is dismal. Immune responses against MDS have the potential to prevent disease progression; however, immune evasion mechanisms pose a formidable barrier. In fact, NK cells from MDS patients show significant impairment in their effector function but the mechanism underlying this immune dysfunction is not well understood. Although a multiplicity of mechanisms contribute to NK cell immune evasion, two of the most important mechanisms are down-regulation of activating receptors and the production of inhibitory cytokines such as transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β), a broadly immunosuppressive cytokine that renders NK cells unable to kill tumor cells. We hypothesized that the MDS microenvironment evades NK cell immune surveillance through a mechanism involving TGF-β, and that this immune dysfunction can be reversed by agents that interfere with this inhibitory pathway. Thus, we isolated NK cells from the peripheral blood of MDS patients (n=16) and compared them to the NK cells from healthy donors (n=10). We observed that NK cells from high-risk MDS patients are dysfunctional, produce significantly less cytokines IFNg (p We next investigated whether targeted inhibition of TGF-β can protect NK cells from TGF-β-mediated dysfunction, using two different approaches. First, we tested the role of a TGFβR1 kinase inhibitor, Galunisertib, currently in clinical trials for MDS. The addition of Galunisertib to cocultures of healthy NK cells and myeloid blasts prevented NK cell dysfunction and blast-induced SMAD2/3 phosphorylation. For the second approach, we tested if TGF-βR2 knockout by CRISPR-CAS9 gene editing can render them resistant to the suppressive effect of TGF-β. When co-cultured with 50ng/ml of recombinant TGF-β or myeloid blasts for 48 hrs, TGF-βR2 KO NK cells retained their ability to mediate a strong effector function. In vivo experiments to assess the in vivo activity of TGF-βR2 KO NK cells in a xenograft model of myeloid leukemia are underway. Together, these data support an important role for the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway as a mediator of NK cell dysfunction and hence immune evasion in MDS, and support strategies to target the TGF-β/SMAD signaling axis for next-generation NK cell therapies in MDS. Disclosures Kantarjian: Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; ARIAD: Research Funding; Delta-Fly Pharma: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding.
Mindfulness Practice and Stress Following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Examining Within-Person and Between-Person Associations with Latent Curve Modeling

Past studies have documented links between mindfulness practice and stress-related outcomes, but these links have typically been found over the course of treatment and at the between-person level of analysis. Building on past work, the present study aimed to evaluate practice-stress associations after treatment and at the within-person and between-person levels. We drew extant data collected from 138 community-recruited adults who had received a standard, 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course and were asked to record formal and informal mindfulness practice time daily and complete a self-report measure of stress every 2 months over a 6-month follow-up period. Latent curve modeling was used to test the within-person and between-person components of the relation between practice and stress over the follow-up period. Results indicated that, at the within-person level, formal practice time from 2 to 4 months after treatment significantly predicted stress levels 4 months after treatment, and formal and informal practice time from 4 to 6 months after treatment significantly predicted stress levels 6 month after treatment. At the between-person level, formal and informal practice times were not significantly related to stress levels over the follow-up period. Overall, the present findings highlight the potential importance of post-intervention practice and suggest that higher practice engagement 2 to 6 months after MBSR training predicts lower levels of subsequent stress. Results are discussed in the context of mindfulness theory and MBSR training curriculum.
Internationalisation strategies of African MNEs: a case analysis of Angolan and Mozambican enterprises

This study investigates the internationalisation strategies of Lusophone Africa multinational enterprises (LAMNEs) from Angola and Mozambique. While previous scholarship examining the investment decisions and actual investment commitments found that MNEs make choices to internationalise incrementally to reduce uncertainty, this research expands this body of scholarship by identifying Angolan and Mozambican MNEs that were born global or created to become international new ventures (INVs). Key implications of this study suggests that despite several disadvantages faced by entrepreneurs in frontier economies, particularly in Angola and Mozambique LAMNEs relied on external resources to launch themselves into international markets, utilising web-enabled digital and virtual resources, such as the Internet, social media and online professional communities of practice. In addition, most did not enter foreign markets alone and chose to rely on modes of entry that included joint ventures and partnerships, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), e-commerce, and e-business.
Dismobility in Aging and the Role of Cognition and Health Consequences of Reduced Mobility

Reduced mobility is a powerful predictor of health outcomes and mortality; however, mobility assessment is often neglected in nonspecialized clinical settings. Cognitive function plays a key role in reduced mobility. Both cognition and mobility predict future fall risk. This chapter summarizes findings on dismobility in aging and its role as a predictor of health outcomes, describes health consequences of reduced mobility from different perspectives, and reviews evidence supporting the aging brain in cognition and mobility.
Follower transformation as the linchpin of transformational leadership theory: A systematic review and future research agenda.

Abstract Transformational leadership theory represents a cornerstone in leadership research. Despite an impressive empirical record highlighted by both the breadth of its nomological network and magnitudes of effects, scholars raise serious construct and content validity concerns. In this article, we address a remarkable oversight in the transformational leadership literature. Few studies have assessed the theory assumption that the positive individual, group, and organizational effects of transformational leadership are due to the transformation of followers in specific and enduring ways. We offer a systematic review of empirical evidence related to follower transformation as the conceptual foundation of transformational leadership theory. Findings from this review highlight the radical leap in the evolution of transformational leadership theory from nascent phenomena to mature paradigm. Calling for a return to nascent and intermediary phases of theory development, we conclude with a research agenda aimed at creating a stronger theory, better measures, and more actionable leadership models.
Toward a cumulative science of expertise: commentary on Moxley, Ericsson, and Tuffiash (2017)

In a recent Psychological Research article, Moxley, Ericsson, and Tuffiash (2017) report two studies of SCRABBLE expertise. The results revealed that the average SCRABBLE rating was higher for males than for females. Moreover, correlational and structural equation analyses revealed that activities that the authors refer to as “purposeful practice” accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in SCRABBLE ratings. The authors generalize their findings concerning SCRABBLE to STEM careers. We believe this generalization is unjustified, as is their argument that SCRABBLE can be used to understand the gender gap in STEM fields. Moreover, the authors’ conclusions are undermined by inconsistencies and contradictions in their arguments. We discuss these problems with Moxley et al.’s article in terms of their impact on the cumulative science of expertise.
Autophagy and post-ischemic conditioning in retinal ischemia.

Retinal ischemia is a major cause of vision loss and a common underlying mechanism associated with diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and central retinal artery occlusion. We have previously de...
Pandemic in the Time of Trump: Digital Media Logic and Deadly Politics

This paper examines the power of a mediatized President to use reflexive propaganda—the rules and assumptions of digital media—to define a public health crisis. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, President Trump engaged in attention-based politics, or the use of media to draw attention of the largest audience to himself, at the expense of an efficient response to a major public health crisis. The repetitive tweets, with a common form—vulgar and combative language, usually against journalists—converted Donald Trump into a digital meme and enabled the President to dwell on his distorted accomplishments and TV ratings, to downplay health risks, and initially define the lethal virus as a benign hoax.
Protection by Law, Repression by Law: Bringing Labor Back Into Law and Social Movement Studies

Within the rich, interdisciplinary literature on law and social movements, scholarly attention has often focused on how the civil rights movement, and other movements that share a resemblance to it, have mobilized law; less attention has been paid to the labor movement’s experience of being regulated by law. In this Article, we ask how refocusing on the experiences of labor unions regulated by law complicates understandings of how movements shape law, and law shapes movements, in turn. To explore the relationship between labor and law at a critical historical juncture, we delve into the largely unexplored legal history of the first major damages judgment against a labor union under the Taft-Hartley amendments to the National Labor Relations Act. Decided as the New Deal era gave way to the “rights revolution” of the 1950s and 1960s, this case dramatizes the costs of the labor movement’s distinct regulatory framework. Law helped institutionalize unions—to give them autonomy, power, and legitimacy. At the same time, it subjected them to an increasingly restrictive regulatory scheme that made it harder for them to act—or to be seen—as a social movement. Refocusing on labor re-centers the role of law in constructing the jurisprudential boundaries which channeled social movement activity throughout the twentieth century. As social movements today challenge these boundaries in order to assert more intersectional grievances, interrogating taken-for-granted notions about law and movements could not be more important.
Supply Chain Management and Investment Risk

We use a behaviorally motivated risk-return optimization framework to shed light on the important link between global supply chain management and investors’ risk-return choice. By improving the transparency and sustainability of the global supply chain, firms can reduce the probability of extreme losses, thus increasing investors’ expected utility and asset valuations. In order to effectively address the growing risks firms face in their global supply chains, systemic change is required. Managers can facilitate this change by increasing transparency and sustainability of their supply chains, especially in the area of carbon emissions reduction. We outline existing programs and tools that are leading the way in this regard.
Trends in Atrial Fibrillation Incidence Rates Within an Integrated Health Care Delivery System, 2006 to 2018

Importance Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and multiple studies have reported increasing AF incidence rates over time, although the underlying explanations remain unclear. Objectives To estimate AF incidence rates from 2006 to 2018 in a community-based setting and to investigate possible explanations for increasing AF by evaluating the changing features of incident AF cases and the pool of patients at risk for AF over time. Design, Setting, and Participants This cohort study included 500 684 patients who received primary care and other health care services for more than 2 years through a single integrated health care delivery network in Pennsylvania. Data collection was conducted from January 2003 to December 2018. The base study population had no documentation of AF in the electronic medical record for at least 2 years prior to baseline. Data analysis was conducted from May to December 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Incident AF cases were identified through diagnostic codes recorded at inpatient or outpatient encounters. Age- and sex-adjusted AF incidence rates were estimated by calendar year from 2006 to 2018 both overall and across subgroups, including according to diagnostic setting (inpatient vs outpatient) and priority (primary vs secondary diagnosis). Results Among 514 293 patients meeting criteria for the base study population, the mean (SD) age at baseline was 47 (18) years and 282 103 (54.9%) were women; 13 609 (2.6%) met AF diagnostic criteria on or prior to the baseline date and were excluded. Among 500 684 patients free of AF at baseline, standardized AF incidence rates from 2006 to 2018 increased from 4.74 (95% CI, 4.58-4.90) to 6.82 (95% CI, 6.65-7.00) cases per 1000 person-years, increasing significantly over time (P Conclusions and Relevance In this community-based study, AF incidence rates increased significantly during the study period. Concurrent increases were observed in AF risk factors in the at-risk population and short-term ECG use.
Witch Stichomythic: from The Confession of Elizabeth Fraunces, late of Hatfeelde in Essex

In this piece, Kate Bolton Bonnici deploys a stichomythic technique to create a dramatic dialogue that touches poetically upon the themes of hexing, harboured grievances, retribution, desire, and d...
Technologies of Abstraction: The Disembodiment of American Medicine: Chapter 3: Risk

This Honors thesis, entitled Technologies of Abstraction: The Disembodiment of American Medicine, is the culmination of an interdisciplinary major meant to investigate medicine and the body historically, sociologically, and philosophically. Each chapter focuses on the integration of a particular technology into medicine, and traces the way in which the meanings of the technology and the priorities of medicine worked mutually to articulate the dimensions of care. Each of these technologies assumed particular institutional forms in the context of prevailing understandings of the ontology of the body, the place of the physician in society, the identity of stakeholders in the organization of medicine, and the relationship between disease and health. Chapter One focuses on the x-ray's early life, at the end of the 19th century, as a potent representation of industrial and scientific medicine, as well as of the irrelevance of patient self-knowledge. It tracks the use of the x-ray in authorizing biomedicine as the only legitimate philosophy of care, while noting the discrepancy between the machine's symbolic power and any firm understanding of the way that it actually worked. Chapter Two centers the mid-century debut of antidepressants onto a medical landscape that increasingly understood both disease and cure in the language of chemistry. The understanding of the body as a set of chemical processes provided an organizing principle for doctors, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies to coordinate their activity, as well as laid the groundwork for the proliferation of bureaucracies that were needed to produce, regulate, and deliver medicine. The third chapter carries on with the themes of abstraction, individualization, and bureaucratization to discuss risk, a technology that has come to characterize 21st century healthcare through the predominance of both chronic disease and the insurance practices that set the terms for health maintenance. As the threat of infectious disease waned over the 20th century, the conflation of two kinds of risk – disease risk and financial risk – came to structure medicine according to the logic of privatization. As medical sociality was no longer visible through contagion, the preponderance of for-profit insurers worked to displace matters of medicine from the public to the private. This disjunction between medicine and politics continues to obscure the roots of chronic disease in social and environmental conditions, and leaves political bodies lacking the grounds to address acute crises of infectious disease.
VZV myelitis with secondary HIV CSF escape

A 52-year-old woman with HIV and recent antiretroviral therapy non-adherence presented with a 5-day history of widespread painful vesicular skin lesions. Direct fluorescent antibody testing of the skin lesions was positive for varicella zoster virus (VZV). On day 3, she developed profound right upper extremity weakness. MRI of the brain and cervical spine was suggestive of VZV myelitis. Lumbar puncture was positive for VZV PCR in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and CSF HIV viral load was detected at 1030 copies/mL, indicating 'secondary' HIV CSF escape. She was treated with intravenous acyclovir for 4 weeks and subsequent oral therapy with famciclovir then valacyclovir for 6 weeks. She also received dexamethasone. The patient had an almost full recovery at 6 months. Myelitis is a rare complication of reactivated VZV infection that can have atypical presentation in immunocompromised patients. Such 'secondary' HIV CSF escape should be considered in immunosuppressed patients with concomitant central nervous system infection.
Structure and function of pea, lentil and faba bean proteins treated by high pressure processing and heat treatment

Abstract Utilization of pulse proteins in food products is increasingly explored, but the effect of processing on their quality and functionality is not well known. The effects of high pressure processing (HPP; 600 MPa, 5 °C, 4 min) and heat treatment (95 °C, 15 min) on the structure and functionality of pulse (lentil, pea, faba bean) proteins were evaluated, at protein concentrations characteristic for fortification of beverages (5 g/100 g) and gel formation (15 g/100 g). Structural changes were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, rheological analyses, and surface hydrophobicity measurements. Sample solubility, water holding capacity, emulsifying and foaming properties were determined and compared to untreated controls. HPP and heat denatured pulse proteins and increased their surface hydrophobicity (p
The Influence of State Legal Environments on Firm Incorporation Decisions and Values

This study examines whether the state legal environment influences where IPOs elect to incorporate and their subsequent market value. To examine these questions, we develop a new measure of the state legal environment that incorporates both the presence of critical statutes and the willingness of a state to innovate. We conclude that this new measure offers legal academics, practitioners and others interested in corporate finance, a highly convenient and quantitative evaluation of a state's corporate legal climate. Our empirical use of this measure yields important cross-sectional variations in state legal environments, with the result that the most promanagement state is Pennsylvania. We also find that firms exhibit a willingness to separate their operational headquarters from the state of incorporation in a manner consistent with the promanagement orientation of the state legal code. Finally, we find that the state legal environment does effect firm value, but in a way that is consistent with a "race to the bottom" view of corporate law.
Research Methods: Information, systems and contexts

We are all participants in changing communities. Indeed, as community informaticists, we often play a guiding role in that change, either through crafting technologies to advance community development goals, or as outside evaluators assessing the intersection of community and technology. Evaluation is an important component in the overall research cycle. Williamson and Johanson’s new edited volume Research Methods: Information, Systems and Contexts is a valuable resource, guiding consideration of which evaluation methods and techniques are most appropriate within different contexts. Written for the information sciences, it is approachable beyond those in formal roles as academic researchers.
Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT)

The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) was a randomized controlled trial on primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) death in men with elevated blood pressure (BP), serum cholesterol, and/or smoking habit. In all, 361,662 men were screened in 18 U.S. cities; 12,866 men were randomized to multifactor Special Intervention (SI) or Usual Care (UC). With a 7 year average follow-up, the CHD death rate was 7.1% lower for SI than UC [relative difference in proportion dead; 90% CI (−15%, 25%)]. UC men made more extensive risk factor reductions than anticipated in trial design, and the number of UC deaths was substantially smaller than expected. This result led to an underpowered comparison. Post-hoc assessments showed significantly lower rates of combined morbidity/mortality outcomes for SI than UC. Other findings from MRFIT substantially changed the treatment of hypertension, and long-term epidemiologic follow-up of all 361,662 screenees yielded important findings of great impact on major public health and medical care issues. Keywords: coronary heart disease; hypercholesterolemia; hypertension; randomized trial; smoking cessation
Polymorphism of rhesus monkey serum prealbumin. Molecular properties and binding of thyroxine and retinol-binding protein.

Abstract Homogeneous preparations of the two homozygous types of rhesus monkey serum prealbumin, Pt 1-1 and Pt 2-2, were studied and compared with human prealbumin. Circular dichroism showed similar secondary structure, with a roughly equal distribution of β and unordered peptide groups. Minor differences between the two monkey proteins were observed in ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence of the tyrosyl and tryptophanyl residues between pH 4 and 2 and in the fluorescence of 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate between pH 7 and 3. The changes were similar to those seen with human prealbumin although there were small but significant differences. The behavior of Pt 1-1 and Pt 2-2 in concentrated solutions of guanidine revealed the remarkable stability of these proteins. The denaturation of monkey prealbumin is incomplete in 7.3 m guanidine, pH 8.0, but goes to completion when the pH is reduced to values below pH 4.0. In contrast, denaturation of human prealbumin is complete in 7.3 m guanidine, pH 8.0. Pt 1-1, Pt 2-2, and human prealbumin showed similar binding of thyroxine (Kassoc ≃ 108 m-1, n = 1) and retinol-binding protein (Kassoc ≃ 106 m-1, n = 4), indicating similarity in their "active" sites.
Functional Connectivity Between Cerebellum and Primary Motor Cortex in the Awake Monkey

Simultaneous single neuron and local field potential (LFP) recordings were made in arm-related areas of the cerebellar nuclei (CN) and primary motor cortex (M1) of two monkeys during a reaching and...
Overview of the EOS Data and Information System

Summary form only given. A distributed, evolutionary system, EOSDIS will be implemented in six elements, developed in parallel: (1) an early 'Version 0' built on existing Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), including interoperability among DAACs and improved access by scientists; (2) an EOSDIS Core System (ECS) under one contract; (3) unique capabilities provided by each DAAC; (4) Science Computing Facilities (SCFs) at EOS investigators' institutions; (5) science data processing software developed by EOS investigators; and (6) independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) of the ECS. >
Ritual and Myth in Odawa Revitalization: Reclaiming a Sovereign Place

Ritual and Myth in Odawa Revitalization: Reclaiming. Sovereign Place. Melissa A. Pflug. with. foreword by Lee Irwin. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. 280 pp.
Assessments of Fetal Swallowred Volume: Tracer Disappearance Versus Esophageal Flow

Objective We sought to compare fetal swallowed volume determinations simultaneously by two techniques--amniotic fluid (AF) tracer disappearance and esophageal flow probe measurements. Methods Six ovine fetuses (129 +/- 1 days) were chronically prepared with a thoracic esophageal flow probe and vascular and two AF catheters. 125I-labeled albumin was injected into the AF cavity, and samples were withdrawn at timed intervals for 8 hours. The AF volume was calculated by time-0 extrapolation of the semilog of 125I disappearance. Tracer-determined swallowed volume was calculated as the product of AF volume and the slope of isotope disappearance. Flow probe measurement of swallowed volume was determined by computer integration of calibrated flow probe velocity recordings. Results The AF volume averaged 805 +/- 168 mL. The isotope disappearance rate from the AF was 2.8 +/- 0.4%/hour. Average tracer-determined swallowed volume (547 +/- 113 mL/day) was greater than flow probe volume (366 +/- 81 mL/day), although these values were not significantly different. However, when corrected for estimated swallowed lung fluid, tracer-determined volume was significantly greater than flow probe volume (P Conclusion Ovine fetal swallowed volume determinations by AF tracer techniques are greater than those determined by esophageal flow probe measurements.
Is the Truth in Lending Being Told with the Annual Percentage Rate as the Measure of the Cost of Credit

This paper demonstrates that the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) measure required under the Federal Reserve System's Regulation Z is not consistent with the mathematical procedures involved in calculating the interest charges on a loan. The APR is never a correct cardinal measure of the true cost of credit, and it is a correct ordinal measure only under specific restrictive conditions. Since the APR always understates the true cost of credit, and since a correct cardinal measure is already familiar to the finance profession, it is difficult to justify the required disclosure of the APR. The Annual Effective Rate should be required as the summary measure of the true cost of credit for all types of consumer loans.
On the Power of Small-Depth Computation

The NP-completeness of SAT is a celebrated example of the power of bounded-depth computation: the core of the argument is a depth reduction establishing that any small nondeterministic circuit - an arbitrary NP computation on an arbitrary input - can be simulated by a small non deterministic circuit of depth 2 with unbounded fan-in - a SAT instance. Many other examples permeate theoretical computer science. On the Power of Small-Depth Computation discusses a selected subset of them, and includes a few unpublished proofs. On the Power of Small-Depth Computation starts with a unified treatment of the challenge of exhibiting explicit functions that have small correlation with low-degree polynomials over {0, 1}. It goes on to describe an unpublished proof that small bounded-depth circuits (AC) have exponentially small correlation with the parity function. The proof is due to Adam Klivans and Salil Vadhan; it builds upon and simplifies previous ones. Thereafter, it looks at a depth-reduction result by Leslie Valiant, the proof of which has not before appeared in full. It concludes by presenting the result by Benny Applebaum, Yuval Ishai, and Eyal Kushilevitz that shows that, under standard complexity theoretic assumptions, many cryptographic primitives can be implemented in very restricted computational models. On the Power of Small-Depth Computation is an ideal primer for anyone with an interest in computational complexity, random structures and algorithms and theoretical computer science generally.
Air-to-vegetation transfer rates of natural submicron aerosols

Abstract Submicron aerosol deposition to outdoor vegetation was evaluated by measuring vegetation and air concentrations of 212Pb, 214Pb, and 7Be attached to atmospheric aerosols. A biomass-normalized deposition velocity (VD), with units of m3 kg−1 s−1, was used to compare species and isotopes with respect to air-to-vegetation transfer rates. For 212Pb ( t 1 2 = 10·64 h ), higher night-time air concebtrations dominate deposition, while for 214Pb ( t 1 2 = 26·8 min ), deposition measurements over shorter time periods relative to changing atmospheric conditions were possible. Calculated VD values were usually higher for 214Pb, possibly reflecting wind-enhanced deposition during the afternoon period of sampling. Evergreen species, including pines, were not appreciably different from deciduous species. Most striking was the narrow range of results (factor of 6 for 34 212Pb measurements of 20 species). Beryllium-7 ( t 1 2 = 53·3 d ) was used to evaluate time-integrated deposition by sampling vegetation in California near the end of dry summers. Similar deposition rates were found for this isotope. The results of the study indicated that naturally radioactive atmospheric aerosols can be used to understand the dynamics of submicron aerosol deposition to ecosystems.
Cuticular melanization in the tobacco hornworm larva

Abstract The pigment in the black cuticle of allatectomized and of black mutant Manduca sexta larvae was isolated and shown to be melanin by its chemical solubility properties. Labelled tyrosine was rapidly incorporated into this cuticular melanin when injected 4 hr before the onset of melanization. By contrast, labelled DOPA or dopamine was only incorporated into the head cap, the prothoracic and anal terga, and spiracles when injected 7 hr before melanization. When either [ 14 C]DOPA or [ 14 C]dopamine was injected at the onset of melanization, it was incorporated into the melanin fraction. When juvenile hormone (JH) was present at the time of head cap apolysis, less tyrosine or DOPA was incorporated into citucular melanin and more into the acid-hydrolyzable fraction of the cuticle. By contrast, dopamine was incorporated equally into the acid-soluble fraction of the cuticle in both wild-type and black mutant larvae. An inhibitor of DOPA decarboxylase activity, carbidopa (α-MDH), inhibited melanization and caused an accumulation of labelled DOPA in both the haemolymph and fat body after the injection of labelled tyrosine. In Manduca larval cuticle therefore both DOPA and dopamine are utilized in melanin formation as well as in cuticular stabilization.
Auto-correlations with irregular signals

Abstract Signals that cannot be sampled at regular intervals occur in several fields. The techniques of time-series analysis can be useful if the auto-correlation function for irregular functions can be defined. This paper develops heuristic arguments for a proposed definition. This definition has proved useful in semiautomatic measurements of bubble-chamber film at Fermilab.
The pedunculated adenomatous polyp.

In our experience, a smooth, pedunculated polyp on a long, thin stalk was in almost every instance a benign lesion in terms of a long follow-up. Except for 1 case, in which a carcinoma may have developed in the vicinity of the polyp, we have not seen this type of polyp become invasive or metastasize. This study would also appear to confirm the hypothesis that adenomatous polyps remain benign. Certainly a smooth, pedunculated polyp on a long stalk is a benign process and a conservative attitude can be adopted in its treatment.
A New Metric of Antibiotic Class Resistance in Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated from Hospitalized Children

According to the National Healthcare Safety Network, the prevalence of multidrug resistance among gram-negative bacilli (GNB) has been increasing.1 While the exact definitions for multidrug-resistant (MDR) GNB vary,2 these organisms are especially concerning since they may be susceptible to only a single antibiotic class. Risk factors for infections with MDR GNB in children include prior hospitalization, admission to intensive care units (ICUs) and chronic care facilities, prolonged length of stay, receipt of mechanical ventilation, vascular catheterization, and antibiotic exposure.3–7 Some hospitalized children, while not developing infections caused by GNB with multidrug resistance, may nevertheless be infected or colonized with multiple GNB that each exhibit 1 or 2 antibiotic class resistance. It is possible that these children may develop infections with GNB over time that collectively exhibit resistance to multiple antibiotic classes. For chronically ill children, these infections may occur over multiple hospital admissions. They may be at subsequent risk of developing infections with MDR GNB, since GNB may share resistance genes via mechanisms such as conjugation or transduction.8 The purpose of this study was to utilize an electronic health record to describe patterns of antibiotic class resistance of GNB isolated from hospitalized children’s clinical cultures. We identified pediatric patients who had (1) a positive culture for an MDR GNB, defined as a GNB with resistance to 3 or more antibiotic classes; and (2) additive drug resistance, defined as isolation of more than 1 GNB that collectively as a group of GNB over the study period demonstrated resistance to 3 or more antibiotic classes. We developed this novel definition to describe patients who had cultures from which no MDR GNB were isolated but had several different GNB that, as a group, were resistant to 3 of more antibiotic classes. Our goal was to describe a burden of resistance across multiple cultures and species, beyond definitions of MDR GNB. We used the electronic health record to compare clinical characteristics between each group of patients. Finally, we evaluated whether the electronic health record could be used to assess whether patients with additive drug resistance develop subsequent infection or colonization with MDR GNB.
A Spectrophotometric Study of Glutathione

The ultraviolet and visible absorption spectra of glutathione in aqueous, alcohol, and alkaline solutions show four regions of selective absorption at 500, 325, 280 and 252mμ, associated with absorption of energy in the α–β carbon bond of the glutamic acid radical, the –SH group of the cysteyl radical, the peptide linkage, and the S–S bond of oxidized glutathione, respectively. The peptide band at 280mμ consists of two components whose location, definition, and intensity depend upon the solvent. This band is shifted toward the visible in alkaline and alcohol solutions, as is the ultraviolet continuum. The location of the latter indicates that the energy absorbed in the peptide dissociates glutathione into its constituent amino acids. Oxidation follows the absorption of energy of wave-length about 325mμ; the subsequent reduction of the oxidized molecules is affected by energy of wave-length 252mμ. These conclusions are supported by freezing-point measurements of the van’t Hoff dissociation factors of glutathione, glutamic acid, cysteine HCl, and glycine solutions before and after irradiation.
Salt‐stable association of simian virus 40 capsid with simian virus 40 DNA

Abstract In 8 M CsCl, a fraction of the wild-type previrions and tsB228 nucleoprotein complexes lose their core histones but retain their capsid. These histone-depleted complexes apear in the electron microscope as a protein shell attached to supercoiled DNA. Consistent with this result, we find that in l M NaCl, the wildtype previrions dissociate into two populations of nucleoprotein complexes. One population sediments between 50 and 140 S and morphologically resembles the shell-DNA complexes isolated in CsCl gradients. The other population is comprised primarily of nucleoproteins which sediment at 40 S.
Structural Features Responsible for the Biological Stability of Histoplasma’s Virulence Factor CBP

The virulence factor CBP is the most abundant protein secreted by Histoplasma capsulatum, a pathogenic fungus that causes histoplasmosis. Although the biochemical function and pathogenic mechanism of CBP are unknown, quantitative Ca2+ binding measurements indicate that CBP has a strong affinity for calcium (KD = 6.45 ± 0.4 nM). However, no change in structure was observed upon binding of calcium, prompting a more thorough investigation of the molecular properties of CBP with respect to self-association, secondary structure, and stability. Over a wide range of pH values and salt concentrations, CBP exists predominantly as a stable, noncovalent homodimer in both its calcium-free and -bound states. Solution-state NMR and circular dichroism (CD) measurements indicated that the protein is largely α-helical, and its secondary structure content changes little over the range of pH values encountered physiologically. ESI-MS revealed that the six cysteine residues of CBP are involved in three intramolecular disulfi...
Multidimensional strong large deviation theorems

In this paper we obtain some local limit theorems for arbitrary sequences of random vectors. The local limit theorems give conditions on the characteristic functions of random vectors for their pseudo-density function to converge uniformly on bounded sets. We then use these theorems to obtain strong large deviation results for an arbitrary sequence of random vectors. Thus our paper establishes the connection between the local limit theorems and the strong limit theorems. We apply our results to the multivariate F-distribution.
Abstract 4080: Global changes in gene expression during phorbol ester-induced differentiation of human acute myeloid leukemia cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC This study seeks to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which the acute myeloid leukemia cell line, HL-60, is induced to differentiate into macrophage-like cells following exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Changes in gene expression over the time course of PMA treatment were measured by DNA microarray analysis and select genes shown to be significantly up- and down-regulated were validated by quantitative, real-time PCR. Functional studies of transcription factor binding activities were performed by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Novel findings include the rapid and sustained induction of mRNA levels for a group of CC chemokine genes (CCL2, CCL3, CCL3L1, CCL4, CCL4L1 and CCL4L2). These genes displayed 10 to 50-fold expression level increases that were observed within 3 hours of treatment and were maintained through 6 hours post-induction. The anti-proliferative effects of these peptides are being examined on a variety of leukemia cell lines. Among the most highly induced early genes were others known to encode inflammatory response proteins (TNF, IL8, C3AR1). In addition, the transcription factor profile is dramatically altered early in the differentiation time course, with the predicted activation of AP-1 family members (JUNB, FOSL1) and the concomitant inhibition of NFKB (TNFAIP3, NFKBIA, NFKBID). Other transcription factor genes were transiently up regulated (MAFB, GATA2, ETS2) and c-MYC expression was significantly down regulated and remained low during the differentiation course. Pathway analysis was used to predict gene expression changes occurring later in the differentiation process and was tested by microarray analysis. Early events in the genetic re-programming of HL-60 cells in response to the differentiation inducer PMA includes a massive up-regulation of chemokine genes and alteration of the transcription factor profile. The implication of these gene expression changes will be discussed in the context of differentiation therapies for acute myeloid leukemia. 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 4080.
Digital Libraries and Information Access: Research Perspectives

G. G. Chowdhury and Schubert Foo, eds. Chicago, IL: Neal-Schuman/American Library Association, 2012, xvi, 235 pp., ISBN: 978-1-55570-914-3, $99.95.As an entity worthy of study, digital libraries ha...
In situ probing of solid-electrolyte interfaces with nonlinear coherent vibrational spectroscopy

Vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) is used for in situ probing of molecular vibrations at interfaces associated with solid-electrolyte interphases (SEI) in systems relevant to lithium-ion batteries. SFG is interface-selective and can suppress nonresonant signals from metal electrodes. Two interfaces were observed: the electrode-SEI interface and the electrolyte-SEI interface. The SEI was formed on Au or Cu by potential cycling from 2.0 V–0.2 V (vs. Li/Li+) in ethylene carbonate (EC) and LiClO₄ in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Li deposition occurs on Au but not on Cu. SFG of the electrolyte-SEI interface with Cu shows EC transitions whose intensities oscillate during potential cycling. The smaller oscillations are attributed to EC potential-dependent reorientation; the larger to an optical interference effect associated with the SEI layer thickness. The larger EC interference oscillations seen on Cu are absent on Au because the SEI on Au is thicker and more opaque. Lithium ethylene dicarbonate (LiEDC) and possibly ethylene oxide are observed at the electrode-SEI interface. This interfacial structure varies little after the first cycle of SEI formation. THF is also observed at the electrode interface with a degree of mobility that increases during the first few four potential cycles and then levels off.
Comparative antiandrogenic potency of spironolactone and cimetidine: assessment by the chicken cockscomb topical bioassay

Spironolactone and cimetidine are effective antiandrogens in vivo, although they differ by five orders of magnitude in affinity for androgen receptors in vitro. To explore this discrepancy, we directly compared the antiandrogenic potency of these two compounds in vivo using the chicken cockscomb topical bioassay. In this assay, the growth of the androgen sensitive cockscomb of immature chicks after stimulation by various doses of androgen (dihydrotestosterone 5, 20, or 100 micrograms/day sc) is inhibited by antiandrogens in cream vehicle applied topically to the cockscomb itself. At low levels of androgen stimulation (5 micrograms/day), 0.5% topical cimetidine produced maximal suppression of cockscomb growth, while at high levels of androgen stimulation 100 micrograms/day), topical cimetidine in concentrations as high as 4% did not suppress cockscomb growth. In contrast, topical spironolactone in concentrations as low as 0.06% produced maximal inhibition of cockscomb growth at all androgen doses. Using an intermediate androgen dose (20 micrograms/day), the minimally effective antiandrogenic concentration of topical cimetidine was between 0.5 and 1.0%, while that for topical spironolactone was less than 0.001%. We conclude that the chicken cockscomb topical bioassay is a useful method for assessing relative potency of antiandrogens. With this method, spironolactone appears to be at least 500 times as strong an antiandrogen in vivo as cimetidine.