cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absence of mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of fluoride in Ames salmonella assays.

Abstract The mutagenicity of fluoride (as sodium fluoride, NaF) was investigated with Ames Salmonella/microsome assays in strains of TA97a, TA98, TA100, TA102 and TA1535. The concentrations of NaF tested ranged from 0.44 to 4421 μg/plate (0.1 to 1000 ppm F), both with and without microsome activation. In addition, the suggested antimutagenic effect of fluoride was evaluated with known mutagens at various concentrations of NaF (0.44–442.2 μg/plate, 0.1–100 ppm F). The data showed that NaF, in amounts from 0.44 to 442.2 μg/plate (0.1–100 ppm F), failed to significantly increase the number of the revertants over the number observed in the solvent (distilled deionized water) controls. Increases of NaF to, and beyond, 1100 μg/plate (250 ppm F) resulted in a toxic effect and a reduction of the revertants to various degrees among the strains. NaF in the presence of known mutagens did not significantly decrease the number of the revertants. The results of this study indicate that NaF does not have mutagenic or antimutagenic effects in the strains tested with Ames Salmonella assays.
Exploring the Mind of Testosterone: A Beeper Study☆☆☆★

Abstract Twelve low and 15 high testosterone subjects, representing the extremes in testosterone from a pool of 125 men and 128 women, kept diary records of their day-to-day thoughts and activities. Electronic pagers prompted subjects approximately 20 times over a four-day period to write down their locations, activity, thoughts, and feelings. Human coders and computer text analysis programs indicated a restless energy in the diaries of high testosterone subjects. High testosterone subjects experienced more arousal and tension than those low in testosterone. They spent more time thinking, especially about concrete problems in the immediate present. They wanted to get things done and felt frustrated when they could not. They mentioned friends more than family or lovers. Five terms characterized high testosterone subjects: restless, thinking, about action, right now, likely with friends.
Thermoregulatory responses of laying hens under cyclic environmental temperature to intraventricular calcium and sodium

1. 1. Hens received ICV injections of Ca2+ (1.98g/100ml) or Na+ (7.25 g/100 ml) at 28°C and, following acclimation, at 37 or 20°C, respectively. 2. 2. At 28°C (thermoneutrality), rectal temperature rose (P < 0.05) following Na+ and fell (P < 0.05) following Ca2+, similar to mammals and broiler chickens. 3. 3. At 37°C, Ca2+-induced hypothermia did not occur; nor did the Na+-associated hyperthermia at 20°C. 4. 4. Acclimation to a high or low temperature may produce an endogenous shift in CSF ion levels that make additional ion administration ineffective in affecting body temperature.
DNA synthesis in relation to cell division in Tetrahymena pyriformis.

Abstract The effect of different nutritional conditions on the durations of the G1, S, G2 and D periods of exponentially replicating Tetrahymena pyriformis strain HSM were determined with autoradiographic techniques and observation of individual cells. The data indicate that, with decreased availability of nutrients, DNA synthesis is initiated proportionately later in the cell division cycle and that the proportion of the cell cycle spent in DNA synthesis increases. The effects of temperature on the relationship of the phases of the cell cycle were examined. Between 29° and 20°C, the generation time and the time spent in the G2 period about double while the time spent in the S phase remains about the same. This phenomenon results in a reduction in the proportion of the generation time spent in the S phase and a compensatory increase in the G1 phase proportion. These results are discussed as they relate to nutritional factors involved in initiation and maintenance of DNA synthesis.
Neutron Spectrum and Absolute Yield of a Plutonium-Beryllium Source

A Pu-Be neutron source has the advantages of high neutron yield, low gamma-ray intensity, and very long half-life. The neutron spectrum from such a source, composed of 13 g of plutonium and 7 g of beryllium as Pu${\mathrm{Be}}_{13}$ (density 3.7 g/cc), was measured by means of proton recoils in nuclear research emulsions. The data obtained from 2057 observations indicate the neutrons have a maximum energy of approximately 10.5 Mev with broad intensity maxima at 4.0, 7.2, and 9.7 Mev. The observed spectrum shows marked similarities with published data on neutrons from Po-Be and Ra-Be sources. A comparison is made between the present data and previously reported energy levels in the residual carbon nucleus. The absolute yield of neutrons above 0.5-Mev energy is 1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{6}$ neutrons/sec.
Short Total Synthesis of 8,10-Di-O-methylbergenin

A short, high-yielding synthesis of the C-glucoside 8,10-di-O-methylbergenin is reported. Key elements of the synthesis are a stereoselective installation of a β-C-aryl linkage, a palladium(0)-cata...
Comment: Bayesian Statistics in the Twenty First Century

In my first reading of Gelman–Robert (GR), I felt a bit chagrined. I spent many years fighting to publish Bayesian work, and still have to fight, but not as hard as before. My first attempt to publish a Bayesian data analysis in a scientific journal resulted in rejection with a brief report that basically said, “We know that Bayesian statistics is subjective, and we don’t want that in our journal.” Fortunately, that article and others like it were subsequently published. On many occasions, I have heard statistical colleagues make subtle disparaging remarks about Bayesian statistics. My favorite response is, “The problem with Bayesian statistics is that it is too easy.” With the popularization and rapid development of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods that occurred after Gelfand and Smith (1990), there has been an explosion of Bayesian activity putting Bayesian work more into the mainstream. Sometime after 1990, I decided to be a Bayesian (I used to do both Bayesian and frequentist stuff) by which I mean working with scientists to analyze their data, eliciting prior information from them and their colleagues. I now practice the art of data analysis in pursuit of answers to scientific questions only using the Bayesian approach. For many years, I wrote Bayesian articles comparing Bayesian with frequent methods, on frequentist terms. The reverse rarely occurs, that is, frequentist articles that compare their methods with Bayesian ones. Samaniego (2010) and references therein are exceptions but Samaniego’s stated goal is to make such comparisons. I realized from teaching Bayesian statistics to graduate students outside of statistics that such comparisons were not necessary to sell the Bayesian approach, since it already seemed completely natural to them. I wrote a book with friends that makes no attempt to compare Bayesian methods and analyses with frequentist methods; see Christensen et al. (2010). When I first read GR, I wondered why they wanted to dredge up, what to me was, old news, bad memories, and water over the dam. As I now read GR, I realize that there are probably many who use Bayesian statistical methods and who are unfamiliar with the views that GR discussed. I was not aware of the Feller quote but it characterizes what was a widely held mindset. In my final reading, I found the article to be enormously
Convergence analysis of a class of adaptive weighted norm extrapolation algorithms

Adaptive weighted norm extrapolation algorithms can provide superior performance for estimation of sparse signals from limited data. We present theoretical analysis results for a class of these algorithms that include a proof of the global convergence, the rate of convergence derivation, and characterization of the fixed points. We also propose a general class of adaptive weighted extrapolation algorithms and introduce a more general problem formulation which greatly expands the range of applications of the algorithm. >
A route to scale up DNA origami using DNA tiles as folding staples.

A new strategy is presented to scale up DNA origami using multi-helical DNA tiles as folding staples. Atomic force microscopy images demonstrate the two-dimensional structures formed by using this strategy.
Crow Pellets from Winter Roosts in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Although crows cast pellets, there is little quantitative information on pel- lets from Corvus brachyrhynchos (American Crow), and none from C. ossifragus (Fish Crow). During a study of crow roost dispersal in Lancaster, PA, we collected samples of pellets from several locations. By mass, pellets consisted mostly of grit and other fi ne inorganic material, various seeds (principally Toxicodendron radicans (Poison Ivy) and Celtis occidentalis (Common Hackberry)), and vegetation remnants. Six pellets con- tained small-mammal bones. Because the Lancaster winter crow population included many Fish Crows, the source of the pellets was not certain. To clarify this, we compared the size of the Lancaster crow pellets to those produced by captive Fish Crows, and we provide the fi rst quantitative description of pellets for either species. Our size compari- sons suggest that >90% of the pellets in our sample from Lancaster were produced by American Crows.
Dynamics of Female–Female Relationships in Wild Cebus capucinus: Data from Two Costa Rican Sites.

Three questions about female-female relationships remain largely unexplored in female-philopatric platyrrhines. First, to what extent is female dominance status dependent on coalitional support? Second, how stable are female dominance hierarchies over multiyear periods? Third, what is the role of allogrooming in servicing long-term social relationships? We addressed these questions using data collected on Cebus capucinus at Lomas Barbudal and Santa Rosa, over a six-year period. Most female-female coalitions against females reinforced the existing dominance hierarchy, but such coalitions were 3–7 times more frequent at Lomas Barbudal than at Santa Rosa. The Lomas Barbudal group's female hierarchy was highly stable throughout the six years of observation, whereas all three of the intensively observed Santa Rosa groups experienced frequent dominance reversals accompanied by physical aggression. In the Lomas Barbudal group, grooming tended to be directed up the hierarchy, and more closely-ranked females groomed at higher rates than distantly-ranked females, whereas these patterns were not consistently found at Santa Rosa. At both sites, grooming was evenly balanced within 67% of female-female dyads, and mothers of young infants received more grooming than other females did. Females did not spend more of their time grooming each other in groups containing more females than in groups containing fewer females, but they distributed their grooming less evenly among their female groupmates in the largest observed group of females. Some of the intersite differences may be attributable to differences in the rate of female mortality or transfer or both.
Inconsistency of the MDL: On the Performance of Model Order Selection Criteria With Increasing Signal-to-Noise Ratio

In the problem of model order selection, it is well known that the widely used minimum description length (MDL) criterion is consistent as the sample size N → ∞ . However, the consistency as the noise variance σ2 → 0 has not been studied. In this paper, we find that the MDL is inconsistent as σ2 → 0. The result shows that the MDL has a tendency to overestimate the model order. We also prove that another criterion, the exponentially embedded family (EEF), is consistent as σ2 → 0. Therefore, in a high signal-to-noise (SNR) scenario, the EEF provides a better criterion to use for model order selection.
Short stature, growth hormone, insulin-like growth factors, and serum proteins in the Mountain Ok people of Papua New Guinea.

Short stature in man may result from a deficiency of GH or insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). In African pygmies and other individuals with the pygmy trait, serum GH and IGF-II are similar to levels in taller subjects, but serum IGF-I levels are low. To determine whether another population with comparably short stature has similar or related defects, we studied the Mountain Ok population of Papua New Guinea. The mean height of adult men was 152 +/- 6.0 (+/- SD) cm (n = 141), and that of women was 146 +/- 5.7 cm (n = 150). Serum GH and IGF-II concentrations were in the normal (U.S.) range in the Mountain Ok subjects. In the men, serum IGF-I values were also normal, thereby distinguishing the endocrine profile associated with short stature in these subjects from that in African pygmies. Serum IGF-I was not measured in any Mountain Ok women. Since marginal dietary protein is characteristic of the traditional Papua New Guinea diet, we determined serum albumin and prealbumin concentrations in the Mountain Ok subjects. The serum proteins were in the normal (U.S.) range (30-50 g/L for albumin; 10-40 mg/dL for prealbumin), indicating that chronic or acute malnutrition was unlikely in these subjects. Taken together, these findings indicate that short stature in the Mountain Ok people of Papua New Guinea is associated with normal serum GH, IGF-I, IGF-II, and protein levels and indicate that other factors determine stature in some populations with short stature.
Chlorpromazine Inhibition of Muscarinic-Cholinergic Responses in the Rat Parotid Gland

The ability of chlorpromazine (CPZ) to inhibit muscarinic-cholinergic secretory events was studied in vitro in rat parotid acinar cells. CPZ inhibited carbachol-induced amylase release in a dose-dependent fashion but had no effect on that elicited by isoproterenol. The inhibition of parotid protein synthesis induced by carbachol, but not that induced by A23187, was blocked by CPZ. CPZ exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of [3H] quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) binding to muscarinic receptors, and altered the KD of the receptor for the ligand. These results are consistent with an ability of CPZ to inhibit muscarinic-cholinergic-induced salivary secretion by complex interference with receptor binding. In addition, CPZ may block parotid-muscarinic responses by impeding a post-receptor signaling step which is proximal to Ca2+ mobilization.
Definitions of the numbers of detections of target faults and their effectiveness in guiding test generation for high defect coverage

The number of times a fault f in a combinational circuit is detected by a given test set T was shown earlier to affect the defect coverage of the test set. The earlier definition counted each test in T, that detects f, as a distinct detection of f. This definition counts two tests as distinct detections even if they differ only in the values of inputs that do not affect the activation or propagation of the fault. In this work, we introduce a stricter definition that requires that two counted tests would be different in the way they activate and/or propagate the fault. We describe procedures for constructing test sets based on the stricter definition, and compare them to test sets for the earlier, less strict definition. The results show a simple criterion to decide when it may be necessary to combine the two definitions in order to obtain a high quality test set.
Recent advances in laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS) for label-free analysis of single cells.

Laser tweezers Raman spectroscopy (LTRS), a technique that integrates optical tweezers with confocal Raman spectroscopy, is a variation of micro-Raman spectroscopy that enables the manipulation and biochemical analysis of single biological particles in suspension. This article provides an overview of the LTRS method, with an emphasis on highlighting recent advances over the past several years in the development of the technology and several new biological and biomedical applications that have been demonstrated. A perspective on the future developments of this powerful cytometric technology will also be presented. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Case workflow and interaction studies of a tele-consultation system for rare dermatology diseases

We established an expert advisory system utilizing store and forward teledermatology to allow communication and consultation between physicians with expertise in the rare inherited skin disease Ichthyosis and physicians caring for afflicted patients. We analyzed experts' behavior and involvement in case consultation by calculating key variables, accessing comment structures and quality, and applying concepts from the field of social networking. Preliminary findings suggest that a user-oriented tele-consultation system for dermatology benefits from active participation, detailed case description, sufficient images and good leadership of case moderators.
Poly(terthiophene)s from copolymer precursors via solid‐state oxidative conversion

Herein, we report the synthesis of conducting poly (terthiophene)s using a side chain precursor polymer approach. Random copolymers were prepared by ring open- ing metathesis polymerization of two norbornylene mono- mers, one containing a pendant terthiophene group and the other containing a pendant acetate group. Solid-state oxida- tive conversion of the terthiophene units was used to produce conductive polymers. Oxidative solid-state conversion was successful for copolymers containing as little as 1 mol % of terthiophene comonomer. The electrical and optical properties of CPs were studied as a function of the amount of electroac- tive moiety, terthiophene (3T), present in the copolymer. The CPs were found to have conductivity varying between 10 � 1 and 10 � 4 S/cm depending on the precursor copolymer com- positions. The CPs obtained from all precursors had no signif- icant difference in their energy gaps and showed blue to orange color transitions when switching from the oxidized to the neutral states, respectively. The absorbance intensity at 426 nm for poly(3T) from the precursors fits the Beer-Lambert law corresponding to the range of initial 3T content in the precursor copolymer composition (from 1 to 100 mol %). V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 756-763, 2010
Stability regions of two-way relaying with network coding

We consider a pair of nodes with stochastic traffic flows who wish to communicate in a bi-directional communication scenario using intermediate relays in two-hop fashion. Intermediate relays are capable of XOR network coding. Transmission scheduling is done by tailoring the backpressure algorithm to the problem at hand. Two main alternatives for network operation are either to have queues at the relays (hop-by-hop scheduling) or no queues at the relays (immediate forwarding). In this two-way network with stochastic flows, we formulate and show that the resulting stability regions of these two approaches are identical.
Smallpox: A Review for Health Educators

Abstract Since the declaration of the eradication of smallpox in May of 1980 concern about this virus has ebbed. However, recent world events, including the destabilization of governments, have raised concerns that smallpox could fall into the hands of nefarious individuals or groups who might attempt to use the virus as a weapon. In Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publications the threat of smallpox being intentionally released by bioterrorists is currently considered possible. Because health educators would likely be involved in public health prevention and response efforts to a release, it is our responsibility to be knowledgeable about smallpox. This article defines the disease, describes its history and the successful eradication effort, and discusses public health preparations for the possible return of this killer.
460 Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy Promotes Increased Systemic Vascular Resistance: Evidence of Possible Sympathetic Activation

10-3) groups. The compliance properties in the Control (DC: 8.3 0.8 mm/mmHg 10-3; CSC: 2.4 0.2 1/mmHg 10-3) group were not different from the Baseline, Acute, or Chronic groups. The IEM was higher (p 0.05) in the Chronic (6908 1269 mmHg) compared with Acute (2739 412 mmHg), Baseline (1849 177 mmHg), and Control (2349 241 mmHg) groups. Conclusions: Chronic CF LVAD support is associated with lower carotid artery compliance and distensibility, which may place further strain on the left ventricle. These findings may have clinical implications for patients using the CF LVAD as a bridge to transplantation.
Effect of a multi-modal intervention on immunization rates in obstetrics and gynecology clinics.

Background There is increasing attention on immunizations by obstetrician-gynecologists and a need to improve vaccination rates for all women. Objective To evaluate the effect of a multimodal intervention on rates of immunization with tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap); human papillomavirus (HPV); and influenza in outpatient obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Study Design Immunization rates at 2 clinics were compared pre- and post-implementation of multiple interventions at a public integrated health-care system. Study interventions began on June 6, 2012 and concluded on May 31, 2014; the preimplementation time period used was June 6, 2010 to June 5, 2012. Interventions included stocking of immunizations in clinics, revision and expansion of standing orders, creation of a reminder/recall program, identification of an immunization champion to give direct provider feedback, expansion of a payment assistance program, and staff education. All women aged 15 and older who made a clinic visit during influenza season were included in the influenza cohort; women who delivered an infant during the study time period and had at least 1 prenatal visit within 9 months preceding delivery were included in the Tdap cohort; each clinic visit by a nonpregnant woman aged 15–26 years was assessed and included in the HPV analysis as an eligible visit if the patient was lacking any of the 3 HPV vaccines in the series. The primary outcome was receipt of influenza and Tdap vaccine per current American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines and receipt of HPV vaccine during eligible visits. Influenza and Tdap were assessed with overall coverage rates at the institutional level, and HPV was assessed at the visit level by captured opportunities. All analyses included generalized estimating equations and the primary outcome was assessed with time as a covariate in all models. Results A total of 19,409 observations were included in the influenza cohort (10,231 pre- and 9178 post-intervention), 2741 in the Tdap cohort (1248 pre- and 1493 post-intervention), and 12,443 in the HPV cohort (7966 pre- and 4477 post-intervention). Our population was largely Hispanic, English-speaking, and publicly insured. The rate of influenza vaccination increased from 35.4% pre-intervention to 46.0% post-intervention ( P P P Conclusion Using evidence-based practices largely established in other settings, our intervention was associated with increased rates of influenza, Tdap, and HPV vaccination in outpatient underserved obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Integrating such evidence-based practices into routine obstetrics and gynecology care could positively impact preventive health for many women.
GPS Error in Studies Addressing Animal Movements and Activities

Abstract Global Positioning System (GPS) error, associated with free-ranging animal studies, remains a concern in range/animal research. For distance measures, errors may be additive over time and increase as sampling frequency intensifies. The first study assayed effects of coordinate integration time (10 hourly intervals), 10 GPS collars, and range of unit movement (0 to 90 m in 10-m intervals as treatments) on bias of GPS measures of distance. “Bias” was the difference between measured distances and distances derived from GPS coordinates of units moved over a surveyed grid. A second study evaluated four methods (regression modeling, minimum distance threshold, motion sensor threshold, and a combined minimum distance/motion sensor technique) for extracting perceived movements from GPS data acquired from cattle. A classification assessment compared observation data of cattle with their corresponding GPS records after filtering by the four techniques. Except for immobile GPS collars in study 1, bias of di...
Everything is Tax

In contrast to major legislative reform packages in the 20th century, the Affordable Care Act of 2010 took the form of a tax bill. Although this legislation is the first massive social and regulatory overhaul completed through the tax code, in the past twenty-five years the U.S. Congress and Presidential administrations have substantially increased their use of tax law for non-revenue-raising purposes. Growing reliance on the tax code represents a structural transformation of how Congress and Presidential administrations have come to approach lawmaking goals. This transformation defies the near-consensus of previous tax scholarship, which, following Stanley Surrey, disapproves of embedding programs in the tax code. However, that dominant view rests on assumptions that have become outdated. This Article analyzes the ongoing structural transformation by observing and explaining the advantages that accrue from pursuing social and regulatory objectives through the tax code. In particular, this Article identifies a number of legislative and normative advantages that tax-embedded policies offer.
Genome-Wide Analysis of the TORC1 and Osmotic Stress Signaling Network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The Target of Rapamycin kinase Complex I (TORC1) is a master regulator of cell growth and metabolism in eukaryotes. Studies in yeast and human cells have shown that nitrogen/amino acid starvation signals act through Npr2/Npr3 and the small GTPases Gtr1/Gtr2 (Rags in humans) to inhibit TORC1. However, it is unclear how other stress and starvation stimuli inhibit TORC1, and/or act in parallel with the TORC1 pathway, to control cell growth. To help answer these questions, we developed a novel automated pipeline and used it to measure the expression of a TORC1-dependent ribosome biogenesis gene (NSR1) during osmotic stress in 4700 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from the yeast knock-out collection. This led to the identification of 440 strains with significant and reproducible defects in NSR1 repression. The cell growth control and stress response proteins deleted in these strains form a highly connected network, including 56 proteins involved in vesicle trafficking and vacuolar function; 53 proteins that act downstream of TORC1 according to a rapamycin assay—including components of the HDAC Rpd3L, Elongator, and the INO80, CAF-1 and SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complexes; over 100 proteins involved in signaling and metabolism; and 17 proteins that directly interact with TORC1. These data provide an important resource for labs studying cell growth control and stress signaling, and demonstrate the utility of our new, and easily adaptable, method for mapping gene regulatory networks.
Allosteric regulation of supramolecular oligomerization and catalytic activity via coordination-based control of competitive hydrogen-bonding events.

Herein, we demonstrate that the activity of a hydrogen-bond-donating (HBD) catalyst embedded within a coordination framework can be allosterically regulated in situ by controlling oligomerization via simple changes in coordination chemistry at distal Pt(II) nodes. Using the halide-induced ligand rearrangement reaction (HILR), a heteroligated Pt(II) triple-decker complex, which contains a catalytically active diphenylene squaramide moiety and two hydrogen-bond-accepting (HBA) ester moieties, was synthesized. The HBD and HBA moieties were functionalized with hemilabile ligands of differing chelating strengths, allowing one to assemble them around Pt(II) nodes in a heteroligated fashion. Due to the hemilabile nature of the ligands, the resulting complex can be interconverted between a flexible, semiopen state and a rigid, fully closed state in situ and reversibly. FT-IR spectroscopy, 1H DOSY, and 1H NMR spectroscopy titration studies were used to demonstrate that, in the semiopen state, intermolecular hydrog...
Aging and Similarity Grouping in Visual Search

It has been argued that principles of perceptual organization play an important role in the representation of a visual stimulus and that elderly adults may be deficient in perceptual unit formation. The present study examined the extent to which the Gestalt principles of grouping by proximity and similarity predicted the formation of large perceptual units that could affect performance in a visual search task. The verbal reaction time to determine the presence or absence of a target letter in arrays of 1, 5, or 9 elements was determined for young (20 years) and elderly (69 years) adults. Both age groups could take advantage of the organization implied by Gestalt principles in finding a target in the context of a small implied group. The elderly adults, however, were not able to organize a single perceptual unit composed of eight elements. Thus, although the visual search performance of the age groups was similar, the elderly adults did yield evidence of a perceptual organization deficit.
"Sherry's secret". Case study and commentary on research ethics.

The case and commentaries below were developed as part of a project, Graduate Research Ethics Education, undertaken by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF Grant No. SBR 9421897 and NSF Grant No. 9817880). The project aims at training graduate students in research ethics and building a community of scientists and engineers who are interested in and capable of teaching research ethics. As part of the project, each graduate student participant develops a case for use in teaching and writes a commentary to go with the case, and then a staff member is asked to write additional commentary on the case. The case below was written in the second year of the project and was published in Research Ethics: Cases and Commentaries edited by B. Schrag, Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Bloomington, Indiana, Vol. II (1998). Publication of these cases and commentaries will be a recurring feature of Science and Engineering Ethics.
Probes of transmembrane potentials in platelets: changes in cyanine dye fluorescence in response to aggregation stimuli.

A noncovalent fluorescent probe that responded to changes in transmembrane potential was used to study the response of washed human platelets to aggregating agents. Concentration-dependent changes in the fluorescence were observed in response to ADP and to thrombin. No such changes were observed in response to collagen fibrils. Thus there was an indication that platelet membrane potential changed in response to aggregating stimuli, supporting the hypothesis that the mechanisms of platelet aggregation resembled the mechanisms of other systems that show stimulus-response coupling (e.g., muscle, adrenal chromaffin cells). The different responses to specific agents indicate that the agents may trigger platelet aggregation through different mechanisms.
CT identification of postlaminectomy pseudomeningocele

A postlaminectomy pseudomeningocele is a spherical, fluid-filled space with fibrous capsule lying dorsal to the thecal canal in the laminectomy opening that occasionally develops after surgery. Eight cases were found in 400 symptomatic postlaminectomy patients undergoing computed tomographic examination. The contents are of cerebrospinal fluid density and mayor may not have demonstrable communication with the subarachnoid space. Whether they are the cause of symptoms is conjectural; none of these eight patients had surgical removal.
Friction Dynamics of Geckolike Materials

The interface between the adhesive toes of geckos and a substrate consists of an array of regularly sized, densely packed, and elastically coupled nanoscopic contacts. The velocity-dependent friction exhibited by this system hints at a convolution of various material and structural effects. We explore the dynamics of frictional sliding in these materials using models based on arrays of coupled masses driven by external forces that can become pinned and unpinned to a potential energy landscape. The model system is driven at normalized velocities spanning 6 orders of magnitude, and the output of this model captures both the low-V and high-V behavior of the actual gecko materials. We explore modifications to the essential model that incorporate features more representative of the structure and behavior of the natural gecko system. These results have implications in the design of materials with custom frictional properties.
Intrinsic Relation between Soil Water Retention and Cation Exchange Capacity

AbstractThe authors hypothesize that soil water retention (SWR) is dominated by cation hydration in soils possessing a cation exchange capacity (CEC) at high suction range. This hypothesis leads to the identification of a unitary maximum gravimetric water content wmc, up to which all water molecules should surround the exchangeable cations. The unitary wmc can be obtained by using the CEC and hydration number of cations in soils. For a soil with an unknown CEC, the authors reveal that wmc can be found independently from either the SWR based on the hysteretic behavior of a soil’s specific moisture capacity (SMC), or from the SWR curve interpreted by a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) sorption model. The authors demonstrate experimentally that wmc computed independently from the previous approaches accord well with the calculated wmc, indicating the validity of the hypothesized unitary state and applicability of the SWR-based methodology in determining the CEC of soils.
The Man and His Legacy

How does one paint a picture of Fred Sanger (Fig. 8.1)? After all, his life of techniques was devoted to the visual. He loved painting as a child and maintained that hobby until his twilight years. He shunned column chromatography, when possible, for paper and thin-layer techniques. Fred wanted to see the results. His polyacrylamide sequencing gels were visual masterpieces.
Systematic and random mismatch characterization in device arrays

A general methodology of device array mismatch characterization is introduced, analyzed and verified. Instead of measuring each device's parameter individually, the device array is configured as a data converter and the mismatch information is extracted from the differential linearity (DNL) of the converter. Systematic and random mismatch are characterized separately using the proposed decomposition method with robustness to additive measurement noise. An 8-bit high precision resistor array is fabricated in Globalfoundries 0.13μm TaN thin film resistor process. Measurement results show that systematic mismatch contributes to a large portion of the total mismatch when the matching accuracy comes down to 0.01% level.
Searching for Evidence of an Anti-Inflammatory Diet in Children: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials for Pediatric Obesity Interventions With a Focus on Leptin, Ghrelin, and Adiponectin:

Problem:To address the complex phenomenon of pediatric obesity, one must understand the physiological mechanisms regulating energy intake and inflammation. The peptide hormones leptin, ghrelin, and...
VIRUSES WITH HELICAL SYMMETRY

This chapter discusses the structure and dimensions of virus with helical symmetry, tobacco. These viruses are mainly grouped in rod-shaped viruses (Rigidoviridales) and filamentous viruses (Flexiviridales). Both of these groups include viruses devoid of any envelope or additional membrane system and many are associated with plant diseases. Although the rod-shaped and filamentous particles of the type appear to fall neatly into a helical structural form, there are some other rod-shaped or elongated viruses that raise pertinent questions about whether or not they should be considered as helical structures or extended icosahedra. One of these controversial examples is the multicomponent virus, alfalfa mosaic virus. Other viruses have certain structural characteristics that can be considered to belong to the quasi-helical symmetry group, but they are enclosed in an envelope that is itself complex. The influenza and parainfluenza viruses are the most important examples of this form and they are considered under the heading of myxoviruses. The myxoviruses are separated into two primary subgroups, namely, influenza and parainfluenza, because of the different biological and structural characteristics.
USES OF WEB 2.0 FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN ORGANZIATIONS: MUTIPLE CASE STUDIES

Web 2.0 is a set of Internet-based applications that harness network effects by facilitating collaborative and participative computing. Despite widespread popularity of Web 2.0 tools at the consumer level, it is still not well is understood how Web 2.0 is used by enterprises for Knowledge Management (KM). Using multiple case studies, our research addresses this critical gap in the literature and provides examples of uses of Web 2.0 for KM at the individual, project and group level in three leading IT organizations. Findings of our research will help other organizations to adopt Web 2,0 for KM.
Movement Disorders and Paroxysmal Behaviors in Children and Adolescents

Many of the neurological diseases of children and adolescents have a paroxysmal nature, with symptoms that are intermittent and occur in attacks which begin suddenly and may end quickly. Seizure disorders are the best known of this class of conditions. Although the diagnosis of seizures usually presents little clinical challenge, especially if the attacks are associated with impairment of consciousness, there are many unusual variants which, although relatively common, are not widely known and are often the source of diagnostic confusion. The situation is further complicated by the fact that paroxysmally occurring abnormal movements, or impairment of consciousness, can be the result of many disease processes other than seizure disorders. This review will provide an approach to understanding the conditions that present paroxysmally in childhood and adolescence.
Characterization of discontinuous carbon fiber liquid molded PA-6 composites via strategic placement of additional reinforcements:

The flexibility of processing PA6-based discontinuous carbon fiber panels using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding was studied. The ease of incorporating various reinforcements namely baseline,...
Synthetic Food Dyes in Electronic Cigarettes

Abstract Apart from nicotine, the identity and levels of the ingredients of electronic cigarette liquids are typically not available to consumers. Herein we have identified and quantified synthetic dye additives used in e-liquids. Tartrazine, Brilliant Blue FCF and Allura Red AC were found in six randomly-chosen commercial e-liquids. They were present in amounts comparable to those of dye concentrations in colored foodstuffs. The synthetic dyes found in the e-liquids are generally recognized as safe for ingestion; however, their inhalation toxicity is unknown. The ongoing treatment of e-liquids as foodstuff, for example via the use of ingredients such as sweeteners, synthetic dyes and related non-volatile additives, may increase appeal as well as potential harm without directly enhancing intended medicinal benefits.
Course of major depressive disorder after pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Background Maternal major depressive disorder (MDD) has an adverse effect on child development and increases risk for child psychopathology. It is paramount to understand the course of maternal depression during the childhood years particularly before, during, and after pregnancy. Objective To follow the course of MDD in women with prior histories of depression followed during an index pregnancy. Methods Subjects were women with histories of MDD who had participated in prior prospective, observational studies during pregnancy. In the follow-up, participants completed a structured interview that addressed (1) the course of MDD since their index pregnancy, (2) new psychiatric diagnoses, and (3) the course of MDD and treatment across subsequent pregnancies. Results Out of 129 eligible women, 48.8% participated (N = 63) with an average/mean time of 12.9 years (SD = 1.9, 8.8-16.7) elapsed since participation in the prior pregnancy studies. Although approximately one third reported sustained remission from MDD since the pregnancy during which they had been originally followed, of the remaining two thirds of women who reported subsequent depressive episodes, almost one fifth (∼12% of the total sample) endorsed depression more than 50% of the time following their index pregnancy. A total of 6.3% of the women with previous validated diagnoses of MDD reported new diagnoses of bipolar disorder. Women reported similar treatment choices regarding the use of antidepressants during pregnancies subsequent to the one followed in the previous study. Conclusion Women with MDD experienced high rates of recurrent depression across the childbearing years. This represents a critical variable for clinical care and research.
CRISIS: Modeling the Restoration of Interdependent Civil and Social Infrastructure Systems Following an Extreme Event

AbstractCivil infrastructure systems (transportation, power, communications, water, and sewer services) are crucial for the operation and wellbeing of a community during normal circumstances certai...
Physical Education Teacher Education Leaders' Perceptions on a National Curriculum in Physical Education.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Given criticism of P-12 physical education and wide variability in instructional quality and subject matter outcomes in the United States (US), a national curriculum has been debat...
High-Pressure Output 40 kHz Air-Coupled Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This paper presents air-coupled piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) fabricated from single-crystal PZT, enabling very high sound pressure level (SPL) output of 100.3 dB at 33 cm distance. The single-crystal PZT deposited via PVD has low permittivity, enabling the highest figure of merit (FOM, $e_{31}j^{2}/\varepsilon_{r}\varepsilon_{0}$ ) PMUTs to date. The PMUTs operate at a low resonant frequency of 40 kHz, which results in lower acoustic absorption loss and therefore longer operating distance, and have 10X greater mechanical displacement and SPL output compared to prior-art AlN PMUTs. Comparing to prior PZT PMUTs, the single-crystal PZT used here has low permittivity ( $\varepsilon_{r}=308$ ) and high piezoelectric coefficients ( $\boldsymbol{e}_{31,\ \boldsymbol{f}}\sim 24.5$ ), resulting in low insertion loss. Acoustic experiments conducted with commercial ultrasonic transducers and reference microphones show that a 2×2 array PMUTs has 1.91mV/Pa (−74.3dB) receive sensitivity, demonstrating much higher efficiency per unit transducer volume compared to conventional transducers.
Device-Specific Signature Generation Technique for Smart Grid Device

Security of a newly deployed device has always been a crucial issue for vendors and researchers. However, that is not the case for existing devices that have an outdated or limited security defense mechanism. These devices have introduced a new range of security threats in many areas, including smart homes and smart grids. There are a number of significant security challenges that require a more in-depth look. These devices have limited to no security protocols to defend themselves against adversaries. In most cases, these devices are in contact with other devices, and they can be used as a potential point of entry to compromise the system. Vendors have not prioritized security, leaving millions of people at risk of various forms of attacks. This paper exploits the security of existing devices from the hardware perspective. In particular, this paper proposes a novel device-specific signature generation approach by bringing the concept of physical unclonable function (PUF) into legacy smart devices. Experimental results show that the signatures generated from each device are sufficiently unique to be used as secret keys in communication or cryptographic operations.
Rapid Response to COVID-19 in Agriculture: A Model for Future Crises.

OBJECTIVE: The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (WCAHS) at the University of California, Davis implemented a multifaceted rapid response to COVID-19 in the western United States. This paper describes the center's response from mid-March through June 30, 2020. METHODS: A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted with agricultural stakeholders. Agriculture-specific COVID-19 resources were developed and disseminated, and a farmer/employer survey was launched. RESULTS: The WCAHS COVID-19 resources web page, worksite checklist, and training guide were shared on over 50 web pages nationally. As of June 30, 2020, 282 online surveys have been received. Ongoing informal discussions with agricultural stakeholders indicate a disconnect between the experiences of farmers/employers and farmworkers in relation to COVID-19 prevention at the worksite. Initial survey responses indicate that implementing social distancing is one of the greatest challenges at the worksite. Confusion over local, state, and federal guidelines and which to follow is another concern. CONCLUSION: The WCAHS response to COVID-19, in close collaboration with agricultural stakeholders, represents a useful model for a rapid response to a public health crisis by regional centers. Key elements to its success include rapid personalized communication with a wide range of agricultural stakeholders, an actively engaged External Advisory Board, the development of industry-specific resources and information, recurring and iterative engagement with stakeholders as new COVID-19 information emerged and resources were developed, and the identification of the unique gap WCAHS was positioned to fill. The multipronged dissemination approach enhanced the reach of WCAHS COVID-19 resources.
The effect of obesity-related traits on COVID-19 severe respiratory symptoms is mediated by socioeconomic status: a multivariable Mendelian randomization study

Abstract Background Obesity has been associated with more severe clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, this association can be affected by many correlates of these traits. Due to its large impact on human health, socioeconomic status (SES) could at least partially influence the association between obesity and COVID-19 severity. To estimate the independent effect of traits related to body size and SES on the clinical manifestations of COVID-19, we conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study analyzing the effect of obesity-related anthropometric traits on COVID-19 outcomes. Methods Applying two-sample MR approaches, we evaluated the effects of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, (HIP) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) studied in up to 234,069 participants from the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium with respect to three COVID-19 outcomes: severe respiratory COVID-19 (5,101 cases vs. 1,383,241 controls), hospitalized COVID-19 (9,986 cases vs. 1,877,672 controls), and COVID-19 infection (38,984 cases vs. 1,644,784 controls) obtained from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative (HGI). Finally, to test the effect of SES using multivariable MR methods, we analyzed genetic data related to self-reported household income (HI) information from 286,301 UK Biobank (UKB) participants. Results BMI and WC were associated with severe respiratory COVID-19 (BMI: OR⍰=⍰1.68 p⍰=⍰0.0004; WC: OR⍰=⍰1.72, p⍰=⍰0.007) and COVID-19 hospitalization (BMI: OR=⍰1.62, p⍰=⍰1.35e-06; WC: OR⍰=⍰1.62, p⍰=⍰0.0001). Also, HIP influenced hospitalized COVID-19 (OR⍰=⍰1.31, p⍰=⍰0.012) and COVID-19 infection (OR⍰=⍰1.18, p⍰=⍰0.002). Conversely, HI was associated with lower odds of severe respiratory COVID-19 (OR⍰=⍰0.57, p⍰=⍰0.011) and hospitalized COVID-19 (OR⍰=⍰0.71, p⍰=⍰0.045). Testing these effects in multivariable MR models, we observed that the effect of these obesity-related anthropometric traits on COVID-19 outcomes is not independent of SES effect assessed as HI. Conclusions Our findings indicate that low SES is a contributor to the observed association between body size and COVID-19 outcomes.