cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toremifene (ACAPODENE™) Reduces High Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasis in a Phase IIa Clinical Trial

Men with high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG PIN) on prostate biopsy are at high risk for prostate cancer (PCA). The ability to reverse HG PIN, a precursor of PCA, may reduce the incidence or delay the development of PCA. ACAPODENE™ (toremifene) is a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) that has been shown in preclinical models to both eliminate HG PIN and reduce the incidence of PCA. Toremifene was evaluated for safety and efficacy in men diagnosed with HG PIN. An open labeled, Phase IIa clinical trial enrolled 21 men (mean age 64.7 years) who had HG PIN only on biopsy within 6 mo of entry into the study. From those men, 18 (86%) completed toremifene treatment (60 mg/day PO for 4 mo) followed by a prostate biopsy to determine HG PIN status. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), % free PSA, testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and quality of life were measured. Following toremifene treatment, 72% of the HG PIN men compared to 17.9% of historical controls had no HG PIN on subsequent prostate biopsies. Mean PSA was trended higher and % free PSA was elevated. Quality of life was not significantly affected, and there were no serious adverse events. Toremifene appears to reduce HG PIN, and was well tolerated in this small, exploratory trial. A double blind, dose finding, randomized, and placebo controlled Phase IIb/III study is currently in progress in 516 men with HG PIN to further study toremifene’s activity against PCA incidence.
Uneasiness among laboratory technicians

Four aspects of animal experimentation cause uneasiness among many animal laboratory technicians. First, if technicians form strong attachments to lab animals, they feel conflict between their nurturing and the experimental manipulations they perform. Most technicians learn to curtail these attachments. Second, the "sacrifice" of lab animals becomes routinized and stripped of special meaning for many technicians, making killing uncomfortably rote. Third, technicians sometimes encounter outsiders who are critical of animal experimentation and ridicule the technicians for doing this work. Most technicians avoid telling outsiders about their work or take an educational approach to deal with these awkward encounters. Finally, most technicians report some ethical uneasiness about certain types of experiments and their clinical value, as well as about the use of certain animals, and they feel they cannot turn to investigators or fellow technicians to pursue such issues.
Simplifying the Task of Generating Climate Simulations and Visualizations

To fully exploit the use of the MM5 modeling system, the scientist must spend several months studying the system, thus losing valuable research time. To solve this problem, we have created a graphical user interface, called Espresso, that allows users to change these values without having to examine the code. This approach dramatically increases the usability of the model and speeds productivity. We have also modified Vis5D to run on tiled displays. Using such displays allows us to view our climate data at much higher resolution.
The Routledge Research Companion to Energy Geographies

Stefan Bouzarovski, Martin J. Pasqualetti, and Vanesa Castan Broto, eds. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. xxv and 386 pp., maps, diagrams, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $220.00 cloth (IS...
Critique of methods for estimating heats in isothermal titration calorimetry

Abstract Isothermal titration calorimetry data recorded on a MicroCal/Malvern VP-ITC instrument for water-water blanks and for dilution of aqueous solutions of BaCl2 and Ba(NO3)2 are analyzed using Origin software, the freeware NITPIC program, and in-house algorithms, to compare precisions for estimating the heat per injection q. The data cover temperatures 6–47 °C, injection volumes 4–40 μL, and average heats 0–200 μcal. For water-water blanks, where baseline noise limits precision, NITPIC and the in-house algorithm achieve precisions of 0.05 μcal, which is better than Origin by a factor of 4. The precision differences decrease with increasing |q|, becoming insignificant for |q| > 200 μcal. In its default mode, NITPIC underestimates |q| for peaks with incomplete return to baseline, but the shortfall can be largely corrected by overriding the default injection time parameter. The variance estimates from 26 dilution experiments are used to assess the data variance function. The results determine the conditions under which weighted least squares should be used to estimate thermodynamic parameters from ITC data.
Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists in Central Serous Chorioretinopathy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Topic A meta-analysis comparing mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonists (eplerenone or spironolactone) versus observation or placebo in the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) based on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and subretinal fluid (SRF) level data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Clinical Relevance Central serous chorioretinopathy patients may demonstrate decreased visual acuity, reduced contrast sensitivity, scotomas, and metamorphopsia. Although multiple treatment options for CSCR have been proposed, compelling evidence for any particular method is still lacking. Methods Three databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and BIOSIS) were searched for potentially relevant records as of March 2018. Of 114 unique studies identified, 5 RCTs comparing BCVA with either eplerenone or spironolactone versus observation or placebo were included. The quality of articles was assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, with any discrepancies resolved by author consensus. Results A total of 145 eyes of patients with CSCR were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo or observation, MR antagonist treatment showed a significant positive effect on BCVA after both 1 month (weighted mean difference [WMD], –0.05 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.07 to –0.02 logMAR; Z = 3.94; P Conclusions Our findings suggest a modest benefit with MR antagonist therapy for CSCR patients in improving BCVA. We anticipate that MR antagonists will be well tolerated by most CSCR patients and that barriers to starting a trial of these medications in nonresolving CSCR should be low.
Significance of Lateral Process Fractures Associated With Talar Neck and Body Fractures.

Objectives To determine whether fracture of the lateral process (LP) elevates the risk of development of radiographic subtalar arthrosis in patients with talar body and neck fractures. Design Retrospective review. Setting Level 1 academic trauma center. Patients/participants Eighty-two patients with 43 talar neck and 43 talar body fractures treated over a 5-year period. Intervention Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were evaluated for fracture of the LP of the talus and subsequent development of radiographic subtalar arthritis. Main outcome measurements Radiographic evidence of subtalar arthritis. Results Seventy-six percent of talar neck fractures with involvement of the LP went on to develop radiographic evidence of subtalar arthrosis compared with 36% of talar neck fractures without LP involvement (P = 0.035). Thirty of the fractures involving the LP had a separate LP fragment. Fifteen of the 30 fractures with a separate LP fragment that underwent reduction and fixation developed radiographic evidence of subtalar arthrosis, whereas all 13 fractures with an independent LP fragment that did not have fixation of the LP went on to develop radiographic evidence of subtalar arthritis (P = 0.001). Comminution of the inferior talar articular surface was found to significantly increase the risk of radiographic subtalar arthritis in both talar body and talar neck fractures (P = 0.0003). An anatomic reduction of both talar neck and body fractures was found to be associated with a lower incidence of radiographic subtalar arthritis (P = 0.00001). Conclusion Comminution of the inferior articular surface of the talus elevates the risk of subtalar arthritis in patients with both talar neck and body fractures. Fracture of the LP is a marker for injury to the talar inferior articular surface and increases the risk for the radiographic finding of subtalar arthritis in patients with talar neck fractures. Level of evidence Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Effects of Family Demographics and the Passage of Time on Parents’ Difficulty with Their Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual Youth’s Sexual Orientation

Parents’ responses to a child’s sexual orientation are critical to shaping lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents’ health, but we know little about which families struggle most with having an LGB child. This study explored how parent responses to their LGB child varied by parent characteristics, child characteristics, and time passing. Parents of LGB youth aged 10–25 years (n = 1195) completed questions about themselves, their children, and their difficulty with having an LGB child. Parents with older children and African American and Latino parents reported the most difficulty. Parents who had known about a child’s sexual orientation for more time reported less difficulty. However, these decreases in difficulty were only observed after 2 years, and parents reporting they had known for between 2 months and 2 years all reported similarly high levels of difficulty. Findings point to families most in need of intervention to improve parent responses and reduce adolescent risk.
The effect of market transparency on corporate disclosure

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, September, 2020
Seasonal differences in foraging and isotopic niche width related to body size in Gulf of Alaska harbor seals

Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) use different foraging strategies based on body size and sex, but this difference can be difficult to evaluate across seasons. We used stable isotope an...
The temporal course of over-generalized conditioned threat expectancies in posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract One key conditioning abnormality in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is heightened generalization of fear from a conditioned danger-cue (CS+) to similarly appearing safe stimuli. The present work represents the first effort to track the time-course of heightened generalization in PTSD with the prediction of heightened PTSD-related over-generalization in earlier but not later trials. This prediction derives from past discriminative fear-conditioning studies providing incidental evidence that over-generalization in PTSD may be reduced with sufficient learning trials. In the current study, we re-analyzed previously published conditioned fear-generalization data (Kaczkurkin et al., 2017) including combat veterans with PTSD (n = 15) or subthreshold PTSD (SubPTSD: n = 18), and trauma controls (TC: n = 19). This re-analysis aimed to identify the trial-by-trial course of group differences in generalized perceived risk across three classes of safe generalization stimuli (GSs) parametrically varying in similarity to a CS+ paired with shock. Those with PTSD and SubPTSD, relative to TC, displayed significantly elevated generalization to all GSs combined in early but not late generalization trials. Additionally, over-generalization in PTSD and SubPTSD persisted across trials to a greater extent for classes of GSs bearing higher resemblance to CS+. Such results suggest that PTSD-related over-generalization of conditioned threat expectancies can be reduced with sufficient exposure to unreinforced GSs and accentuate the importance of analyzing trial-by-trial changes when assessing over-generalization in clinical populations.
Do these guys know why they're applauding?

Contained in Title IV, Section 6102, of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 are more than 21 pages of legislative language designed to require the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) to set all physicians' fees for services delivered under Part B of Medicare commencing January 1, 1992, and phased in over the following four years. In addition, balance billing dollar limits keyed to the regulated rates are set forth, as are "Volume Performance Rates of Increase," a reincarnation of a vehicle previously known as "Expenditure Targets."
Creation and Release of an Updated NIST DART-MS Forensics Database

Facing increasing caseloads and an everchanging drug landscape, forensic laboratories have been implementing new analytical tools. Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART-MS) is often ...
Engineered Receptor Binding Domain Immunogens Elicit Pan-Coronavirus Neutralizing Antibodies Outside the Receptor Binding Motif

Effective countermeasures are needed against emerging coronaviruses of pandemic potential, similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Designing immunogens that elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies to conserved viral epitopes on the major surface glycoprotein, spike, such as the receptor binding domain (RBD) is one potential approach. Here, we report the generation of homotrimeric RBD immunogens from different sarbecoviruses using a stabilized, immune-silent trimerization tag. We find that a cocktail of these homotrimeric sarbecovirus RBDs elicit antibodies to conserved viral epitopes outside of the ACE-2 receptor binding motif. Importantly, these responses neutralize all sarbecovirus components even in context of prior SARS-CoV-2 imprinting. This may be an effective strategy for eliciting broadly neutralizing responses leading to a pan-sarbecovirus vaccine. Funding: We acknowledge funding from NIH R01s AI146779 (AGS), AI124378,AI137057 and AI153098 (DL), and a Massachusetts Consortium on Pathogenesis Readiness (MassCPR) grant (AGS); training grants: NIGMS T32 GM007753 (BMH and TMC); T32AI007245 (JF); F31 Al138368 (MS). A.B.B. is supported by the National Institutes for Drug Abuse (NIDA) Avenir New Innovator Award DP2DA040254, the MGH Transformative Scholars Program as well as funding from the Charles H. Hood Foundation. This independent research was supported by the Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Program in HIV. Conflict of Interest: Authors declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: All experiments were conducted with institutional IACUC approval (MGH protocol 2014N000252).
Pathologic Hip Fractures in the Geriatric Patient

Pathologic hip fractures affect a unique subset of patients in the growing geriatric population. Geriatric and cancer populations require multidisciplinary care, and this intersection of patient profiles requires a unique combination of medical, orthopedic, and oncologic expertise. Treating these fractures not only requires a robust diagnostic process of laboratory, imaging, and histologic testing, but also may require complex coordination of surgical, medical, and radiation therapies. The question of whether, and how, to operate on a pathologic hip fracture often requires difficult decisions about a patient’s cancer status, expected longevity, and goals of care. Ultimately, while the goals of the treatment of pathologic fractures are the same as any other fracture – pain relief and early mobilization – the treatment of pathologic fractures can differ significantly from an otherwise identical fracture in a non-pathologic setting. With a growing geriatric population and advances in systemic therapies progressively increasing the life expectancy of those with metastatic cancer, the incidence of pathologic fractures continues to rise. All orthopedic surgeons must be familiar with the basic principles of diagnosis and appropriate treatment of these fractures.
Deliberation For Intra-Vehicle Robotic Activities In Space

Intra-Vehicular Robotics (IVR) for space exploration vehicles describes robotic capabilities to perform Intra-vehicle activity (IVA) in an autonomous or remotely operated manner. This paper focuses on autonomy, and more specifically, on the potential application of deliberation functions in robotics to enabling autonomous IVR. We provide an overview of the capabilities required to enable goal-directed operations, robotic systems’ ability to autonomously transfer a high-level goal into a set of tasks to accomplish them.
Perioperative Botulinum Toxin A in the Surgical Management of Seizure-Related Shoulder Instability: A Case Report.

CASE A 20-year-old woman presented with recurrent bilateral shoulder instability concurrent with severe, treatment-refractory epilepsy. Imaging revealed glenoid bone loss of 25% to 28% and large Hill-Sachs defects bilaterally. Bone graft augmentation of the glenoid and infill of the Hill-Sachs defects was performed bilaterally. Perioperative neuromuscular paralysis of shoulder girdle muscles with botulinum toxin was performed to facilitate recovery. Both shoulders at 2.5 and 4 years, respectively, demonstrate excellent stability and radiographic union despite continued seizure activity. CONCLUSION Perioperative neuromuscular paralysis with botulinum toxin may provide early graft protection after the surgical treatment of glenohumeral instability because of seizures.
X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich properties of the warm-hot intergalactic medium

We use numerical simulations to predict the soft X-ray ([0.4-0.6] keV) and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) signal (at 150 GHz) from a large-scale structure in the universe and then compute two-point statistics to study the spatial distribution and time evolution of the signals. The average X-ray signal predicted for the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) is in good agreement with observational constraints that set it at about 10% of the total diffuse X-ray background. The characteristic angle computed with the autocorrelation function is of the order of some arcminutes and becomes smaller at higher redshift. The power spectrum peak of the SZ due to the WHIM is at l ∼ 10,000 and has an amplitude of ∼0.2 μK{sup 2}, about one order of magnitude below the signal measured with telescopes like Planck, Atacama Cosmology Telescope, and South Pole Telescope. Even if the high-redshift WHIM signal is too weak to be detected using X-rays only, the small-scale correlation between X-ray and SZ maps is dominated by the high-redshift WHIM. This makes the analysis of the SZ signal in support of X-rays a promising tool to study the early time WHIM.
Psychotherapy with People in the Arts: Nurturing Creativity

* Preface * Acknowledgments * Chapter 1. The Cracked Mirror: Neurosis and Creativity * Chapter 2. Jessie and Joe: Color and the Emotions * Chapter 3. May: The Writer Who Couldn't be Serious * Chapter 4. Leo: The Actor Who Couldn't Cry * Chapter 5. Audrey: Black Writing and White Writing * Chapter 6. Jerome and Betty: The Musician and Painter Who Needed to Suffer * Chapter 7. Norbert: The Filmmaker Who Couldn't Finish * Chapter 8. Pricilla: The Writer Who Couldn't Hate Her Father * Chapter 9. Alex: The Painter Who Was Too Refined to Be Commercial * Chapter 10. Marvin: The Perverse Playwright * Appendix: Tests of Inhibited Creativity * References * Index
Topological Field Theory of Polymer Entanglements

Some time ago Delbruck1 had formulated the following conjecture. Let QN be a set of closed polymer configurations (for the polymer chain containing N subunits) which may contain knots of any type and let Q°Nbe a subset of closed polymer configurations which are knotedless (or unknotted). Then, for N →∞, the ratio anticipated to approach zero, i.e. for N →∞ practically all cosed (i.e. circular) polymers are knots.
FAMILY TENSION AS A CAUSE OF COLIC IN INFANTS

A study of colic in infancy was undertaken as part of the Yale Rooming-In Project. The longitudinal records of 98 infants who were study subjects were analyzed with respect to incidence, duration, and severity of colic. Forty-eight of the infants were classified as fussy or colicky and 50 as contented. Because I had formed the clinical impression that allergy was an important contributing factor in the causation of colic, careful family histories were taken for all of these infants with particular attention to allergic disease in any member of either parent9s family. An adequate family history was obtained in 95 of these infants. These data were analyzed both according to the incidence of allergic disease and according to the severity of allergic disease in family members. Among the relatives of the 45 "fussy" or "colicky" infants 7.3 per cent had severe allergy, 17.7 pen cent had mild allergy and 74 per cent had little or no allergy. Among the relatives of the 50 contented infants 7.6 per cent had severe allergy, 14.7 per cent had mild allergy and 77 per cent had no allergy. The family histories included a total of 957 relatives. The 45 families of the babies who were fussy or colicky were divided as follows as to amount of allergy among the relatives. In 7 families there was much allergy, in 30 families there was some allergy and in 8 families there was little or no allergy. The [See Table I in Source PDF] families of the 50 contented infants were divided as follows, in 7 families there was much allergy, in 33 there was some allergy and in 10 there was little on no allergy.
[3H]bumetanide binding in vascular endothelial cells. Quantitation of Na-K-Cl cotransporters.

Abstract Vascular endothelial cells previously have been shown to possess a prominent Na-K-Cl cotransport system which mediates a K+ influx of approximately 20 mumols/g of protein/min. Endothelial cell cotransport has also been shown to be regulated by a variety of vasoactive agents and their second messengers, suggesting that the transport system may have an important role in endothelial cell function. In the present study we investigated the possibility that the high level of cotransport in these cells is due to a large number of Na-K-Cl cotransporters in the plasma membrane. This was done by evaluating specific saturable binding of [3H]bumetanide to cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. We found a maximal [3H]bumetanide binding of 0.83 pmol/mg protein with a dissociation constant of 0.13 microM. From these data, the number of [3H]bumetanide binding sites/endothelial cell was determined to be approximately 230,000, and the turnover number for cotransport activity was calculated to be 300 K+ ions/site/s. These findings indicate that endothelial cells do indeed exhibit a large number of Na-K-Cl cotransporters/cell relative to other cell types. We also investigated the effects on [3H]bumetanide binding of agents known to modulate Na-K-Cl cotransport activity. Saturable binding of [3H]bumetanide was found to be reduced significantly by treatment of the cells with 8-bromo-cyclic AMP, 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, phorbol esters, norepinephrine, or rat atriopeptin III, all of which have been shown to inhibit Na-K-Cl cotransport-mediated K+ influx.
Punctuated Equilibrium Theory: An Empirical Investigation of Its Relevance for Global Health Expenditure

We use Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) to examine the distribution of annual change in national government spending on global health through bilateral agencies by 17 OECD nations for 1990–2009. Consistent with our expectations and the PET literature, we find that the distribution of annual log percent change in commitments and disbursements for global health is leptokurtic rather than close to the normal distribution anticipated under incrementalism. Our findings illustrate the value of PET's focus on distributions rather than on time trends in levels alone when examining government allocation behavior, while adding to the literature on global health finance. This study also highlights the impact of choice of log percent change or percent change in examining budgetary change distributions. Better understanding of allocation patterns in this arena can inform those interested in global health policy and its vital outcomes.
The Effects of Temptation on the Optimal Provision of Education

This paper provides a framework for analyzing optimal government transfers of education when individuals are tempted to underinvest in education. The government may devise a transfer using a combination of free compulsory education, vouchers and price subsidies. I show that government intervention is needed if there is no deadweight loss associated with taxation. If there is a loss from taxation, government intervention is needed only if the level of temptation is sufficiently high. For high levels of temptation, free compulsory education or vouchers are optimal, whereas price subsidies may be optimal for intermediate levels of temptation.
Alcohol reversibly disrupts TNF-α/TACE interactions in the cell membrane

Alcohol abuse has long been known to adversely affect innate and adaptive immune responses and pre-dispose to infections. One cellular mechanism responsible for this effect is alcohol-induced suppression of TNF-α (TNF) by mononuclear phagocytes. We have previously shown that alcohol in part inhibits TNF-α processing by TNF converting enzyme (TACE) in human monocytes. We hypothesized that the chain length of the alcohol is critical for post-transcriptional suppression of TNF secretion. Due to the complex transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of TNF in macrophages, to specifically study TNF processing at the cell membrane we performed transient transfections of A549 cells with the TNF cDNA driven by the heterologous CMV promoter. TNF/TACE interactions at the cell surface were assessed using fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy. The single carbon alcohol, methanol suppressed neither TNF secretion nor FRET efficiency between TNF and TACE. However, 2, 3, and 4 carbon alcohols were potent suppressors of TNF processing and FRET efficiency. The effect of ethanol, a 2-carbon alcohol was reversible. These data show that inhibition of TNF-α processing by acute ethanol is a direct affect of ethanol on the cell membrane and is reversible upon cessation or metabolism.
The conformational structure of A-gliadin: Intrinsic viscosities under conditions approaching the native state and under denaturing conditions

Abstract The intrinsic viscosity of the wheat storage protein A-gliadin was measured under solvent conditions intended to approach the conditions of protein biosynthesis in the developing endosperm. In studies of intrinsic viscosity, a compromise was sought between solvent conditions that promote unfolding of the A-gliadin polypeptide chain (low pH, denaturing agents) and those that promote aggregation into microfibrils and, eventually, precipitation (neutral salt solutions). The lowest intrinsic viscosity (4.0 ml · g −1 ) was obtained in 0.01 M NaCl (pH 4), where A-gliadin undergoes aggregation. The intrinsic viscosity, which is in the range of those observed for globular proteins, indicates a compact structure for the A-gliadin aggregates and, possibly, for the A-gliadin subunits that make up the aggregates. The intrinsic viscosity of A-gliadin increased sigmoidally when plotted as a function of guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) concentration (pH 5) from 9.5 ml · g −1 in 1 M GuHCl to 18.5 ml · g −1 in 5.9 M. GuHCl with midpoint at about 3.8 M. When the intramolecular disulfide bonds of A-gliadin were reduced and alkylated, the initial viscosity in 1 M GuHCl was about the same as for the intact protein, but the transition occurred earlier (mid-point near 2 M), and the intrinsic viscosity in 5.9 M GuHCl was 29.5 ml · g −1 . When A-gliadin was treated as a random-coil polymer under the latter conditions, the intrinsic viscosity corresponded to M r 31 900, in good agreement with results obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Harmonic functions in three variables

As indicated in the introduction, the method of integral operators is one of the tools which may be used to extend procedures of the theory of functions of one and several complex variables to other fields, in particular to the theory of harmonic functions in three variables. The totality {U} of these functions represent a linear space, but they neither form an algebra nor possess group properties. However, by associating, in a one-to-one way, a function f k of one or more complex variables with every hormonic function of three variables, \( {U_k} = {\tilde P_3}({f_k}),{\rm{ }}k = 1,2 \), we can define a composition rule “⊙” for the U k by writing $$ {U_3} = {\rm{ }}{U_1}{\rm{ }} \odot {\rm{ }}{U_2}, $$ (1) where $$ {U_3} = {\tilde P_3}({f_1}{f_2}). $$ (2)
Detecting the end of agreement between two long ranked lists

We propose an alternative approach to the problem recently posed by Hall and Schimek (Journal of the American Statistical Association, 107(498)(2012), 661–672): determining at what point the agreement between two rankings of a long list of items degenerates into noise. We modify the method of estimation in Fligner and Verducci's (Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(403)(1988), 892–901) multistage model for rankings, from maximum likelihood of conditional agreement over a sample of rankings to a locally smoothed estimator of agreement. Through simulations we show that this modification performs very well under several conditions. We apply our technique as a stopping rule to supplement the tau-path algorithm, developed by Yu et al. (Statistical Methodology 8(2011), 97–111), in an analysis of associations between gene expression and compound potency in cancer data, and discuss some ramifications as planned extensions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining, 2013
The chemical signature of surviving Population III stars in the Milky Way

Cosmological simulations of Population (Pop) III star formation suggest that the primordial initial mass function may have extended to sub-solar masses. If Pop III stars with masses < 0.8 M_Sun did form, then they should still be present in the Galaxy today as either main sequence or red giant stars. Despite broad searches, however, no primordial stars have yet been identified. It has long been recognized that the initial metal-free nature of primordial stars could be masked due to accretion of metal-enriched material from the interstellar medium (ISM). Here we point out that while gas accretion from the ISM may readily occur, the accretion of dust from the ISM can be prevented due to the pressure of the radiation emitted from low-mass stars. This implies a possible unique chemical signature for stars polluted only via accretion, namely an enhancement in gas phase elements relative to those in the dust phase. Using Pop III stellar models, we outline the conditions in which this signature could be exhibited, and we derive the expected signature for the case of accretion from the local ISM. Intriguingly, due to the large fraction of iron depleted into dust relative to that of carbon and other elements, this signature is similar to that observed in many of the so-called carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. We therefore suggest that some fraction of the observed CEMP stars may, in fact, be accretion-polluted Pop III stars.
Survival of U.S. Sugar Beet Plants from 1897 to 2011

The objective of this research is to identify determinants that influence sugar beet plant survival. Important determinants identified from the literature are hypothesized to include capacity, market concentration, ownership, government policies, and historical industry events unique to this industry. As suggested by industrial organization theory, plants with greater capacity and multi-plant firms have lower rates of closure. Likewise, the use of a high tariff on imports of refined sugar, the use of quotas on imports of sugar from various countries, and a price support program that encouraged plants to become more cost efficient have lessened the rates of closure.
Influence of vitamin B12 on the urinary excretion of folic acid metabolites by the rat.

Abstract The active metabolites of folic acid which appear in the urine of the rat after the injection of folic acid (tetrahydrofolic acid and formylated derivatives) are not diminished in vitamin B 12 deficiency. It is concluded that vitamin B 12 is not directly involved in the reduction or formylation of folic acid.
The Presence of Gonadotropic and Thyrotropic Cells in the Pituitary Pars Tuberalis of the Monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Immunocytochemistry was utilized to determine if pars tuberalis cells in the pituitary of the monkey (Macaca mulatta) have the potential to elaborate gonadotropic and thyrotropic hormones normally secreted by the pars distalis. A total of 7 males and females were studied. The hormones were localized by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method of Sternberger and utilized with antisera to the following human hormones: somatotropin mammotropin beta(1-24)-corticotropin chorionic gonadotropin and the beta-subunits of follicle stimulating hormone and thyrotropin. Many of the parenchymal cells in the pars tuberalis of the median eminence were composed of gonadotropic cells probably containing luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone and thyrotropic cells. Corticotropic and somatotropic cells were seen only rarely and mammotropic cells were undetectable. The results indicate that the pars tuberalis is able to secrete luteinizing hormone follicle stimulating hormone and thyrotropin.
Using the Social Fabric Matrix to Establish Corporate Accounting Consistent with Normative Criteria Regarding Climate Change

During the past 30 years, an elaborate literature has developed to integrate the concepts about social norms with the concepts of law. During that same period, climate change impacts became more pronounced and citizens became aware of and concerned about those impacts. This paper explains how the rules governing corporate accounting need to be revised in order to change the accounting systems of production corporations, so those systems reflect social norms and climate change impacts. The paper uses the social fabric approach to explain why the accounting change is needed and how it should be organized in order to allow public agencies to effectively carry out environmental rules and regulations. The double-entry accounting system currently used by production corporations is not structured to record the contribution of their investment and production activities to climate change. The Federal Reserve and US Treasury, as the world's most powerful monetary authorities, need to be involved in bringing about c...
Computational treatment of metalloproteins.

Metalloproteins present a considerable challenge for modeling, especially when the starting point is far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Examples include formidable problems such as metalloprotein folding and structure prediction upon metal addition, removal, or even just replacement; metalloenzyme design, where stabilization of a transition state of the catalyzed reaction in the specific binding pocket around the metal needs to be achieved; docking to metal-containing sites and design of metalloenzyme inhibitors. Even more conservative computations, such as elucidations of the mechanisms and energetics of the reaction catalyzed by natural metalloenzymes, are often nontrivial. The reason is the vast span of time and length scales over which these proteins operate, and thus the resultant difficulties in estimating their energies and free energies. It is required to perform extensive sampling, properly treat the electronic structure of the bound metal or metals, and seamlessly merge the required techniques ...
Isolated retained antrum diagnosis by gastrin challenge tests and radioscintillation scanning.

Radioscintiscanning techniques and the pattern of serum gastrin responses to secretin and calcium infusions, and to ingestion of a test meal, correctly identified the presence of an isolated retained antrum in a patient with prior gastric surgery. This well documented case report shows that such a diagnostic approach is feasible and practical.
Correlation energies in the isoelectronic series of He, Li, Be and Ne

Abstract The correlation energy is computed for the neutral ground-state atoms and selected ions of the two, three, four and ten electron isoelectronic series. We perform large-scale configuration-interaction calculations using extended basis sets of spherical Gaussian-type orbitals (GTOs), from s to i functions.
Adaptive grid refinement for a model of two confined and interacting atoms

We have applied adaptive grid refinement to solve a two-dimensional Schrodinger equation in order to study the feasibility of a quantum computer based on extremely-cold neutral alkali-metal atoms. Qubits are implemented as motional states of an atom trapped in a single well of an optical lattice of counter-propagating laser beams. Quantum gates are constructed by bringing two atoms together in a single well leaving the interaction between the atoms to cause entanglement. For special geometries of the optical lattices and thus shape of the wells, quantifying the entanglement reduces to solving for selected eigenfunctions of a Schrodinger equation that contains a two-dimensional Laplacian, a trapping potential that describes the optical well, and a short-ranged interaction potential. The desired eigenfunctions correspond to eigenvalues that are deep in the interior of the spectrum where the trapping potential becomes significant. The spatial range of the interaction potential is three orders of magnitude smaller than the spatial range of the trapping potential, necessitating the use of adaptive grid refinement.
NSF FY1982 update: Support for basic research

When the Appropriation Committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate meet in conference this month, discussion of the Astronomical, Atmospheric, Earth, and Ocean Sciences (AAEO) sections of the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be limited. Both the House and the Senate committees made some slight increases to the Office of Management and Budget requests, and the program by program agreement between the two was unusual. The House appropriation bill, H.R. 4034, provides $70 million over the administration request of $1033.5 million. Of the increase, $44.9 million was added in the area of research and related activities and $25.1 million for science and engineering education.
Empowerment and cultural conflict: Navajo parents and the schooling of their children

This article is about contemporary Navajo parents caught between the traditional Navajo world of their elders and the dominant world of their Anglo neighbors. Ethnohistorical and current sociocultural factors influencing the attitudes of Navajo parents toward their children's schools are viewed in light of current arguments suggesting that one means of changing the school failure rates of some minority groups is through parent and student “empowerment.” Differences between Navajos and Anglos are particularly evident in interactions over schoolrelated issues and parenting. Through an analysis of power and cultural differences, the current practices are seen to be ineffective, indeed, “disabling” rather than “empowering” these parents.
Electric current in a unipolar sunspot with an untwisted field

The return flux (RF) sunspot model is applied to a round, unipolar sunspot observed by H. Kawakami (1983). Solving the magnetohydrostatic problem using the gas pressure deficit between the umbral and quiet-sun atmospheres as a source function, a distribution of electric current density in an untwisted, unipolar sunspot as a function of height and radial distance from the sunspot center is observed. Maximum electric current density is about 32 mA/sq m at the bottom of the sunspot.
Effects of fringing reefs on tsunami inundation: American Samoa

Abstract A numerical model of tsunami inundation, Delft3D, which has been validated for the 29 September 2009 tsunami in Tutuila, American Samoa, is used to better understand the impact of fringing coral reefs and embayments on tsunami wave heights, inundation distances, and velocities. The inundation model is used to explore the general conditions under which fringing reefs act as coastal buffers against incoming tsunamis. Of particular interest is the response of tsunamis to reefs of varying widths, depths, and roughness, as well as the effects of channels incised in the reef and the focusing effect of embayments. Model simulations for conditions similar to Tutuila, yet simplified to be uniform in the alongshore, suggest that for narrow reefs, less than about 200 m wide, the shoaling owing to shallow water depths over the fringing reef dominates, inducing greater wave heights onshore under some conditions and farther inundation inland. As the reef width increases, wave dissipation through bottom friction begins to dominate and the reef causes the tsunami wave heights to decrease and the tsunami to inundate less far inland. A sensitivity analysis suggests that coral reef roughness is important in determining the manner in which a fringing reef affects tsunami inundation. Smooth reefs are more likely to increase the onshore velocity within the tsunami compared to rough reefs. A larger velocity will likely result in an increased impact of the tsunami on structures and buildings. Simulations developed to explore 2D coastal morphology show that incised channels similar to those found around Tutuila, as well as coastal embayments, also affect tsunami inundation, allowing larger waves to penetrate farther inland. The largest effect is found for channels located within embayments, and for embayments that narrow landward. These simulations suggest that embayments that narrow landward, such as Fagafue Bay on the north side of Tutuila, and that have an incised deep channel, can cause a significant increase in tsunami wave heights, inundation distances, and velocities. Wide embayments, similar in size to Massacre Bay, induce some tsunami amplification, but not as much as for the narrowing embayment.
Why can’t the sun bloom roses in Spanish?: On the nature of some internally-caused changes of state

Levin and Rappaport (1995) have proposed a binary classification for change of state verbs that revolves around the locus of cause for these changes: whether the cause is internal or external to the entity undergoing change. They claim this distinction is crosslinguistically viable and explains the syntactic behavior of these predicates. Based on work done by Smith (1970) and Wright (2001), this paper argues for an extension of Levin and Rappaport’s binary classification. Instead, I propose a continuum resulting from the analysis of corpora in English and Spanish for verbs that would enter the binary categories advanced by Levin and Rappaport. One of the problematic pairs of verbs for their classification when applied to Spanish, florecer ‘to bloom’ and marchitar(se) ‘to wilt’ is analyzed in detail. The continuum proposed here extends Levin and Rappaport’s categories and takes into account the locus of control of the change and whether external factors may be necessary conditions for the change to occur. In particular, this new focus can account for the presence or absence of the clitic se with some of the predicates in Spanish.
Influence of buffer layer thickness on DC performance of GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors grown on silicon substrates

The DC performance of GaAs/AlAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) grown on silicon substrates with buffer layers ranging from 0 to 5 mu m was investigated. Current gain, collector-emitter breakdown voltage, emitter-base and collector-base diode ideality factors, and breakdown voltages were measured as the buffer layer thickness was varied between 0 and 5 mu m. The current gain steadily increases with increasing buffer layer thickness until the layer reaches 3 mu m. However, the other DC parameters are relatively insensitive to the buffer layer thickness. A small-signal current gain of 60 is typically achieved for devices with 6*6- mu m/sup 2/ emitters at a density of 6*10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ when the buffer layer is >or=3 mu m. >
Dynamic effects of the unemployment insurance tax on temporary layoffs

Abstract The reserve ratio method of experience rating the unemployment insurance (UI) tax is an inherently dynamic process. A tax rate is assigned to a firm based on its reserve ratio, the ratio of the balance in its UI account to its taxable payroll. Therefore, in making layoff decisions that will deplete its UI balance, a firm will consider the effect on its future UI tax rate. This study explores the incentive effects of this method of UI financing on temporary layoff behavior of firms in a dynamic context.
Methylmercury causes glial IL-6 release.

Abstract Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental toxin that causes severe neurological complications in humans and experimental animals. MeHg caused IL-6 release from the rat C6 glioma cells, the human U251HF glioma cells and the human retina pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells. These results plus those we reported earlier using mouse N9 microglia cells indicate that IL-6 induction may be a general property of MeHg among various glial cell types across species. MeHg caused a concentration-dependent increase of cellular oxidation with a maximal level reached by ∼10 μM MeHg, which was similar to that caused by 30 μM H 2 O 2 or t -butyl hydroperoxide ( t BH). The ability of MeHg to induce IL-6 release was not affected by exogenously added H 2 O 2 or t -butyl hydroperoxide. Furthermore, IL-6 release was not accompanied by other cytokine release. Given the reports by others that IL-6 could modulate neuronal survival, glia may affect MeHg neurotoxicity by their IL-6 release when exposed to this neurotoxin.
Role of Lamellae Morphology on the Microstructural Development and Mechanical Properties of Small-Particle Plasma-Sprayed Alumina

The influence of spray parameters on the microstructure and flexural strength of plasma-sprayed alumina was investigated. Coatings were applied using a small-particle plasma spray (SPPS) method, which is a recently patented process that allows submicrometer-sized powders to be sprayed. Using identical starting powders, coatings that were produced using two distinctly different spray conditions exhibited significant differences in both microstructure and strength. Scanning electron microscopy investigations of single lamellae (or splats) revealed that, for one spray condition, melted alumina particles will splash when they contact the substrate. The morphology of the splats that comprised the subsequent layers of the coating also were highly fragmented and thinner than lamellae formed under “nonsplashing” spray conditions. The surface roughness was strongly dependent on the morphology of the lamellae; increased roughness was noted for fragmented splats. Thick coatings that were comprised of splashed splats developed a unique microstructural feature that was responsible for the observed increase in roughness. These microstructural differences greatly influenced the flexure strength, which varied from 75 ± 21 MPa for the nonsplashing spray condition to 17 ± 2.4 MPa for the “splashing” condition.
Building the framework of the national virtual observatory: status report

The U.S. National Science Foundation is sponsoring the development of the infrastructure for the National Virtual Observatory via its Information Technology Research Program. This initiative combines expertise from astronomical observatories, data archive centers, university astronomy departments, and computer science and information technology groups at seventeen different organizations. This paper describes the nature of the project, our approach to managing and coordinating work across such a large collaboration, and the progress made thus far in the initial development activities (metadata standards, systems architecture, and science requirements definition).
The Metallography of Manitouwabing, Parry Sound, Ontario: A New Canadian Siderite

An eighty-five pound siderite found in the autumn of 1962 in the Parry Sound District of Ontario appears, on the basis of a small specimen, to be a medium octahedrite. It has a sharp sub-surface alteration zone, and the microstructure indicates a history involving severe shock. The fall possibly occurred during the winter of 1954.