cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A case of cardiac sarcoidosis with successful heart transplantation after COVID-19 infection.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and cardiac sarcoidosis can both present with ventricular tachycardia. We report a case of a patient whose histological diagnosis was not only confirmed by the transplanted heart but who also underwent successful transplantation after overcoming COVID-19.
Cognitive-cultural model of identity and violence prevention for African American youth

The author introduces a cognitive-cultural model of identity development to explain the elevated risk for violence among African American youth. The model is an extension of previous conceptual frameworks that address the dynamic interplay among cognition, culture, and self-systems. Specifically, the self is conceptualized as a cognitive structure known as schemata that contain individual and cultural elements corresponding to those aspects of identity. The model has three major components: the individual self, the cultural self, and social roles. The cognitive-cultural model posits that maladaptative behaviors such as violence are a consequence of underdevelopment or imbalance in some aspect of the self or the adoption of social roles that undermine integration of the individual self-schemata and cultural self-schemata. The implications of this cognitive-cultural model for prevention efforts, particularly Afrocentric socialization interventions targeting African American youth, are discussed. Language: en
Oxidation chemistry of 5-hydroxytryptamine

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) has been studied at a pyrolytic graphite electrode in aqueous solution at pH 2. The mechanism associated with the first voltammetric oxidation peak I a , of 5-HT has been elucidated based upon electrochemical results and isolation and structural characterization of many products. An initial, reversible one electron abstraction generates a radical cation 5-HT .+ which, in a rate-controlling reaction, generates the neutral radical 5-HT . in which the unpaired electron is located at C(4). This radical is attacked by 5-HT to generate four simple dimers all of which contain at least one 5-HT residue linked at C(4). An unusual C(3)–C(4') linked indolenine-indole dimer can be oxidized further at peak I a , potentials to an indolenine-quinone imine dimer. The latter compound is unstable and decomposes spontaneously to several products, three of which have been structurally characterized including an unusual quinoline-indole dimer. The C(4)-centered indolic radical 5-HT . can be further oxidized to a quinone imine which is rapidly attacked by nucleophiles such as water or Cl − to yield ultimately tryptamine-4,5-dione and 4-chloro-5-hydroxy-tryptamine, respectively.
A Salicylic Acid-Binding Activity and a Salicylic Acid-Inhibitable Catalase Activity Are Present in a Variety of Plant Species

Recently, it has been demonstrated that the salicylic acid (SA)-binding protein (SABP) from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a SA-inhibitable catalase (Z. Chen, H. Silva, D.F. Klessig [1993] Science 262: 1883-1886). Here we report the presence of SABP and SA-inhibitable catalase activity in Arabidopsis, tomato, and cucumber. The cucumber SABP has properties similar to the tobacco SABP, including binding affinity and specificity for SA.
Extracorporeal Hypothermic Perfusion Device for Intestinal Graft Preservation to Decrease Ischemic Injury During Transportation

The small intestine is one of the most ischemia-sensitive organs used in transplantation. To better preserve the intestinal graft viability and decrease ischemia-reperfusion injury, a device for extracorporeal perfusion was developed. We present the results for the first series of perfused human intestine with an intestinal perfusion unit (IPU). Five human intestines were procured for the protocol. (1) An experimental segment was perfused by the IPU delivering cold preservation solution to the vascular and luminal side continually at 4 oC for 8 h. (2) Control (jejunum and ileum) segments were preserved in static cold preservation. Tissue samples were obtained for histopathologic grading according to the Park/Chiu scoring system (0 = normal, 8 = transmural infarction). Jejunal experimental segments scored 2.2 with the Park/Chiu system compared to the control segments, which averaged 3.2. Overall scoring for ileum experimental and control segments was equal with 1.6. This data presents proof of concept that extracorporeal intestinal perfusion is feasible. The evidence shows that the IPU can preserve the viability of human intestine, and histopathologic evaluation of perfused intestine is favorable. Our early results can eventually lead to expanding the possibilities of intestinal preservation.
Discovering Application-Level Insider Attacks Using Symbolic Execution

This paper presents a technique to systematically discover insider attacks in applications. An attack model where the insider is in the same address space as the process and can corrupt arbitrary data is assumed. A formal technique based on symbolic execution and model-checking is developed to comprehensively enumerate all possible insider attacks corresponding to a given attack goal. The main advantage of the technique is that it operates directly on the program code in assembly language and no manual effort is necessary to translate the program into a formal model. We apply the technique to security-critical segments of the OpenSSH application.
Microwave conductance properties of aligned multiwall carbon nanotube textile sheets

Understanding the conductance properties of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) textile sheets in the microwave regime is essential for their potential use in high-speed and high-frequency applications. To expand current knowledge, complex high-frequency conductance measurements from 0.01 to 50 GHz and across temperatures from 4.2 K to 300 K and magnetic fields up to 2 T were made on textile sheets of highly aligned MWNTs with strand alignment oriented both parallel and perpendicular to the microwave electric field polarization. Sheets were drawn from 329 and 520 μm high MWNT forests that resulted in different DC resistance anisotropy. For all samples, the microwave conductance can be modeled approximately by a shunt capacitance in parallel with a frequency-independent conductance, but with no inductive contribution. This is consistent with diffusive Drude conduction as the primary transport mechanism up to 50 GHz. Further, it is found that the microwave conductance is essentially independent of both temp...
The Effects of Child Physical Maltreatment on Nutritional Outcomes: Evidence from Peru

AbstractDo children whose parents use physical punishment as a disciplinary method have lower anthropometric measures? Using data for Peruvian children aged 0–5 years, we employ instrumental variables for physical punishment to overcome endogeneity problems common to the household violence literature. Across varying levels of controls, children exposed to physical punishment have significantly poorer short-term nutritional outcomes; although there is no effect on long-term nutrition. We explore heterogeneous effects and potential mechanisms. Children exposed to physical maltreatment fall ill more frequently and are less likely to access preventive and curative healthcare.
Heterospecific ovicide influences the outcome of competition between two endoparasitoids, Encarsia formosa and Encarsia luteola

1. Studies of inter-specific competition in parasitoids have largely focused on the outcome of within-host competition and the behavioural mechanisms by which female parasitoids prevent competition. Another, less well studied, possibility is oviposition preceded by ‘heterospecific ovicide’, the destruction of the other species’ egg. Heterospecific ovicide essentially eliminates within-host competition. 2. This study investigated the mechanisms and outcome of within-host competition in Encarsia formosa and Encarsia luteola, solitary endoparasitoids of whitefly pests. These species are known to commit ovicide of conspecific eggs. 3. Competition experiments indicated that the offspring of second-ovipositing females had an apparent advantage in competition, regardless of whether the second female was E. formosa or E. luteola. 4. Observations of ovipositor movement through the cuticle of host whitefly nymphs showed that both species often committed heterospecific ovicide and then oviposited or host-fed. Multiparasitism and heterospecific host discrimination were less common and absent respectively. 5. Heterospecific ovicide appears to explain the second-female advantage in competition between these species. Second-female advantage is contrary to the paradigmatic view of multiparasitism, where the first-ovipositing female has an advantage in competition or one of the species consistently prevails in competition.
Systematic approach to the study of domain twins in ferroic phase transitions

Abstract A systematic approach to the study of domain twins that arise in ferroic phase transitions is described. The change of symmetry in such a phase transition provides information about the distortions driving the transition, the possible order-parametric properties of the single-domain states which arise, and the domain pair and twin relationships. Writing the Ginzburg-Landau free energy as an expansion in invariants (including gradient terms), and then applying the Euler-Lagrange equations, a set of partial differential equations is obtained which describe the order parameter profiles. The ferroelastic transition in lead orthovanadate Pb3VO4 is used to illustrate the process.
Dementia treatment: One clinician's viewpoint: A review of Clare, L. (2008). Neuropsychological rehabilitation and people with dementia

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation: A Modular Handbook is a comprehensive series that addresses a range of cognitive deficits. Linda Clare's contribution to this series, Neuropsychological Rehabilit...
AGU Publications Volunteers Feted At Elegant Editors’ Evening

The 2012 Fall Meeting Editors’ Evening, held at the City Club of San Francisco, was hosted by the Publications Committee and is the premier social event for editors and associate editors attending the Fall Meeting. The evening commenced with a welcome from Carol Finn, incoming AGU president, in which she expressed her thanks to the editors and associate editors for volunteering their time to benefit AGU.
CYCLIC CHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN NOCARDIA RUBRA

The morphological growth cycle of Nocardia rubra was related to cellular composition when the organism was grown in a biphasic system for varying lengths of time up to 96hr. The DNA, RNA, lipid, protein, and ash content were determined. The morphology of the organism progressed from long branched filaments in the lag phase of the growth curve to shorter and shorter filaments with decreasing branching during the logarithmic phase. In the stationary phase the N. rubra cells were bacillary, and gradually became coccoid in the declining or death phase.The DNA percentage of the dry cell weight increased during the logarithmic growth phase from 2.2% to 3.0%, and then decreased to 1.5% during the stationary and declining phase. The RNA content was at a maximum of 20.1% in the middle of the logarithmic phase, declined sharply to 10% at the end of this phase, and then decreased more slowly to 4.0% in the declining phase. The lipid content increased rapidly from 9.9% to 20% in the early logarithmic period, at which point it leveled off and increased more gradually to 30.8% in the declining phase. The protein percentage of dry cell weight decreased from 50% to 43% during the early logarithmic period and remained steady throughout the remainder of the logarithmic and stationary phases, and finally decreased in the declining growth phase to 31%. The ash content increased steadily from 8.2% to 9.5% during the incubation period.
Immunocytochemical localization of angiotensin-(1–7) in the rat forebrain

Recent findings by this group have led us to reconsider the view that amino (N-) terminal fragments of angiotensin (Ang) II are inactive degradation products of renin-angiotensin system. To further examine this possibility, an antibody to Ang-(1-7), the N-terminal heptapeptide, was produced to demonstrate the neuroanatomical distribution of the rat brain. Ang-(1-7)-immunoreactivity was found in paraventricular, supraoptic, and suprachiasmatic nuclei, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, substantia innominata, median eminence, and neurohypophysis. This distribution of Ang-(1-7) in the rat forebrain, together with our previous demonstrations of vasopressin secretion in response to this peptide, suggest that Ang-(1-7) functions as a neuromodulator.
Maintenance digoxin dosage and steady-state plasma concentration in infants and children

To define the relationship between digoxin dose and plasma concentration and the changes in body growth, 1181 plasma digoxin levels were measured in 644 infants and children receiving maintenance digoxin therapy. The drug was given intravenously to 166 patients and orally to 478. A significant linear correlation between dose and plasma concentration was observed (r 0.346 to 0.767 in the intravenous and 0.264 to 0.664 in the oral groups). Dosage differences explained 7% to 60% of the variability in digoxin plasma concentrations in various age and weight groups. The linear regression slope was greater in younger age groups, especially preterm infants weighing
Direct, Referential Realism

Only there occur certain lags in scholarship which need to be remedied. One of these is the lack of appreciation of the efforts of the American critical realists to attain a direct, referential realism which would avoid the difficulties confronting an intuitional type of naive realism and the well-recognized dilemma of Lockean representative perceptionism. In the latter case, the puzzle is, of course, that, if we perceive subjective ideas, how can we know that they give us cognitive access to external things.
Neonatal outcomes in women with sonographically identified uterine leiomyomata

Objective. We sought to compare perinatal outcomes between women with and without leiomyomata.Study design. This is a retrospective cohort study comparing neonatal outcomes in women with and without uterine leiomyomata discovered at routine second trimester obstetric ultrasonography, all of whom delivered at a single institution. Potential confounders such as maternal age, parity, race, ethnicity, medical insurance, previous uterine surgery, fetal presentation, length of labor, mode of delivery, presence of placenta previa, placental abruption, chorioamnionitis, and epidural use were controlled for using multivariable logistic regression.Results. From 1993 to 2003, 15,104 women underwent routine second trimester prenatal ultrasonography, with 401 (2.7%) women identified with at least one leiomyoma. By univariate and multivariable analyses, the presence of leiomyomata was associated with statistically significant increased risks for preterm delivery at <34 weeks [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.7, 95% confiden...
Enzymes associated with glycosylation

Abstract The ordered assembly of the carbohydrate moieties of glycoconjugates requires the coordinated actions of a functional family of biosynthetic enzymes, the glycosyltransferases, which are resident membrane-bound proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Recent results are beginning to provide insights into the primary structures, the topological organization of specific glycosyltransferases in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, and the protein domain(s) responsible for subcompartmentalization of these membrane-bound enzymes within the Golgi complex.
Low-temperature electrochemical characterization of dense ultra-thin lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3) cathodes synthesized by RF-sputtering on nanoporous alumina-supported Y-doped zirconia membranes

Abstract Dense ultra-thin nanocrystalline La0.6Sr0.4Co0.8Fe0.2O3 (LSCF) films with thickness of ∼50 nm, have been sputtered on nanoporous anodic alumina-supported nanocrystalline thin film yttria-stabilized zirconia and patterned by photolithography into microelectrodes. This approach enables low-temperature (425–550 °C) electrochemical properties of dense ultra-thin nanocrystalline LSCF to be characterized. The results reveal that the electrochemical resistance of nanocrystalline ultra-thin LSCF is dominated by the oxygen surface exchange reaction at the electrode surface with an activation energy of 1.1 eV. Area-specific resistance of LSCF was obtained and the results are of potential relevance to utilizing nanostructured oxide cathodes for micro-SOFCs operated at low temperatures.
Transient changes in neuroimaging appearances of the brain following cardiopulmonary bypass.

Sir .—McConnell et al 1 are to be congratulated on their serial magnetic resonance imaging study of children before and after surgery for congenital heart disease. Their findings provide support for the concerns about cerebral injury with congenital heart disease and as a consequence of cardiopulmonary bypass. However, the true incidence of persistent cerebral changes may be less than that suggested in their report. Muraoka et al 2 performed computed tomographic scans before and after cardiopulmonary bypass and also found signs of ventricular enlargement and dilation of the subarachnoid spaces. These changes occurred in fewer children (six of 57) and were transient in all cases, resolving 6 to 11 months after surgery. This difference may be explained by the fact that Muraoka et al scanned their infants at a mean of 29 days after surgery compared with the mean of 10 days in the study of McConnell et al, thus
Utilization of sialic acid as a coreceptor enhances reovirus attachment by multistep adhesion strengthening.

Many serotype 3 reoviruses bind to two different host cell molecules, sialic acid and an unidentified protein, using discrete receptor-binding domains in viral attachment protein, ς1. To determine mechanisms by which these receptor-binding events cooperate to mediate cell attachment, we generated isogenic reovirus strains that differ in the capacity to bind sialic acid. Strain SA+, but not SA−, bound specifically to sialic acid on a biosensor chip with nanomolar avidity. SA+ displayed 5-fold higher avidity for HeLa cells when compared with SA−, although both strains recognized the same proteinaceous receptor. Increased avidity of SA+ binding was mediated by increased k on. Neuraminidase treatment to remove cell-surface sialic acid decreased thek on of SA+ to that of SA−. Increasedk on of SA+ enhanced an infectious attachment process, since SA+ was 50–100-fold more efficient than SA− at infecting HeLa cells in a kinetic fluorescent focus assay. Sialic acid binding was operant early during SA+ attachment, since the capacity of soluble sialyllactose to inhibit infection decreased rapidly during the first 20 min of adsorption. These results indicate that reovirus binding to sialic acid enhances virus infection through adhesion of virus to the cell surface where access to a proteinaceous receptor is thermodynamically favored.
THE RATE OF GROWTH OF THE DAIRY COW : V. EXTRAUTERINE GROWTH IN LINEAR DIMENSIONS.

Barring fluctuations due to the cyclic phenomena, the extrauterine course of growth in linear dimensions and in weight of the dairy cow follows an exponential law having the same form as the law representing the course of monomolecular change in chemistry. This suggests the interpretation that the general course of growth is limited by a monomolecular chemical process, and that the cyclic phenomena are due to subsidiary processes in the fundamentally exponential course of growth. The fact that growth follows or tends to follow an exponential course may be stated more simply as follows: if the unit of time is taken sufficiently large so that fluctuations due to the cyclic phenomena are balanced or eliminated, then the amount of growth made during the given unit of time at any age tends to be a constant percentage of the growth made during the preceding unit of time. Thus, the growth in height at withers made during any year is about 34 per cent of the growth made during the preceding year. Similarly the growth in weight made during any year is about 56 per cent of the growth in weight made during the preceding year. This is in accordance with expectations if it is assumed that each animal begins life with a definite endowment of limiting substance necessary for the process of growth, and that this endowment is used up at a constant rate (or percentage) of itself.
PMTCT, HAART, and childbearing in Mozambique: an institutional perspective.

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) units, where VCT/PMTCT/HAART have been integrated with traditional services, play a critical role in the connection between the massive HAART rollout and reproductive behavior. In this article, we use data from semi-structured interviews with MCH workers and ethnographic observations carried out in southern Mozambique to explore this role from the institutional perspective. We find that, along with logistical and workload problems, the de facto segregation of PMTCT/HAART clients within the “integrated” MCH system and the simplistic and uncompromising message discouraging further fertility and stressing condom-based contraception may pose serious challenges to a successful formulation and implementation of reproductive goals among seropositive clients. Although the recency of PMTCT/HAART services may partly explain these challenges, we argue that they are due largely to cultural miscommunication between providers and clients. We show how the cultural gap between the two is bridged by community activists and peer interactions among clients.
Heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of Fe(VI) in UV-irradiated titania suspensions: effect of ammonia

Results of the heterogeneous photocatalytic reduction of Fe(VI) in UV-irradiated TiO2 suspensions in the presence of ammonia are presented. The initial rate of Fe(VI) reduction, R, may be expressed as R = k Fe(VI)[Fe(VI)]1.25 where k Fe(VI) = a[Ammonia]+b), a = 6.0 × 103 μm 0.25 s and b = 4.1 × 106 μm −1.25s−1. The rate constant, k Fe(VI), increases with the ammonia concentration. The photocatalytic oxidation of ammonia is enhanced in the presence of Fe(VI). A mechanism involving Fe(V) as a reactive intermediate is presented which explains the faster photocatalytic oxidation of ammonia in the presence of Fe(VI).
Baryon spectrum of the Skyrme model

We calculate the spectrum of nucleon and \ensuremath{\Delta} resonances of the Skyrme model. The masses that we find are accurate on the average to within 8% of their experimental values up to 3 GeV. For most partial waves the model reproduces many significant features of the experimental Argand diagrams correctly. The values of the Skyrme parameters obtained from a best fit to the spectrum improve some of the static properties of the model.
The Social Construction of Ability and Disability I. Profile Types of Latino Children Identified As Language Learning Disabled

During the course of an ethnographic study of a bilingual special education classroom, three profile types of students emerged, ranging from students with severe language learning disabilities to students with normal abilities. The study points out the inadequacy of a medical model view of student abilities and disabilities—a view that underestimates the communicative and academic competence of bilingual students. Concurrently, the results support a contextual performance view—a view that acknowledges the role of instructional context in revealing the upper or lower range of students' communicative and academic competence. The study further suggests some contextual features of instruction that are associated with students from all profile types showing their best in terms of language and literacy skills.
Simulating curved elements by offsets: rationale and application to shells of revolution

In a previous note, curved arch elements were simulated by attaching rigid offsets to nodes of straight elements. The procedure was physically motivated. Here the offsets method is derived by shell theory and is seen to lie in the context of standard assumed‐displacement field finite‐element theory. Application to shells of revolution is provided.
SOI - Save Our Investments! International Investment Law and International Humanitarian Law

This article reviews the interaction between international humanitarian law (IHL) and international investment law (IIL). Specifically, this article analyses the point of intersection between IHL and IIL through the application of the full protection and security standard in times of armed conflict. From this comparative exercise, the author concludes that while IHL and IIL share important similarities, the clear absence of an individual complaints procedure for victims of IHL provides a clear point of departure. Unlike IHL, IIL provides foreign investors with the ability to submit a claim directly to an international forum for harm suffered during an armed conflict. This difference has enabled the international community to respond to the unique distress signal of one particular group of victims in times of armed conflict – foreign investors.
NOTES ON THE RISE OF THE AREA STUDIES TRADITION IN U.S. GEOGRAPHY, 1910–1929∗

Area studies emerged as the leading tradition in American geography during the second decade of this century, supplanting the earth science tradition. The man-land tradition, reaching its peak during the second and third decades, never became as dominant as did the area studies tradition, based on a classification of the number of articles published, papers presented at annual AAG meetings, doctoral dissertations, and philosophical and methodological pronouncements by noted figures in American geography.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD POLICY

The paper reviews the events leading up to the 1985 Food Security Act. Attention is also drawn to four other legislative initiatives having a direct bearing on the farm sector. These are: deficit reduction; tax reform; trade protectionism; and agricultural credit. The case against mandatory supply controls is reviewed and reasons are given for believing the 1985 bill will put U.S. agriculture back on the road to prosperity.
Influence of low tryptophan diet on survival and organ growth in mice

Greater survival and reduced growth were found to characterize mice on a tryptophan deficient diet as compared to fully fed control mice. The 50% survival point was reached by the tryptophan restricted group at 683 days, and by the control group at 616 days. Measurements of body weight, organ weight, and DNA level were made at 8, 12, 24, 36, 52 and 78 weeks of age. Both whole body weight and organ weight of liver, kidney, heart and spleen were about 30% lower in the tryptophan restricted group as compared to the controls, so that the ratio of organ weight to body weight remained at a constant value for both groups. There was no significant change in cell number as determined by DNA measurements, as a result of the tryptophan restriction.
Detection of tool breakage in milling operations—I. The time series analysis approach

Abstract On-line monitoring of tool cutting conditions and tool breakage is very important for automated factories of the future. In this paper, the time series based tooth period modeling technique (TPMT) is proposed for detecting tool breakage by monitoring a cutting force or torque signal in any direction. TPMT uses the fast a posteriori error sequential technique (FAEST) for on-line modeling of cutting force or torque signals. Tool breakage is detected by evaluating variations of the characteristics of the monitored signal in each tooth period. TPMT was tested on simulated and experimental end milling data. The proposed technique detected tool breakage in all of the test cases without giving any false alarms in the transition cases.
Emergency department utilization among recently released prisoners: a retrospective cohort study

Background The population of ex-prisoners returning to their communities is large. Morbidity and mortality is increased during the period following release. Understanding utilization of emergency services by this population may inform interventions to reduce adverse outcomes. We examined Emergency Department utilization among a cohort of recently released prisoners.
The utility of F wave chronodispersion in lumbosacral radiculopathy

The sensitivity of F wave chronodispersion (Fc) in evaluating nerve root pathology is unknown. We compared Fc in 91 patients with clinical and EMG evidence of L5 or S1 radiculopathy with Fc in 81 controls in order to evaluate its sensitivity in lumbosacral radiculopathy. F waves were obtained by stimulating the peroneal and tibial nerves behind the knee and recording from the extensor digitorum brevis (L5 predominant) and flexor hallucis brevis (S1 predominant) muscles, respectively. Fc was calculated by subtracting the shortest F wave latency from the longest and, in controls, ranged from 0.2 to 23.4 ms in the peroneal nerve, and from 1.2 to 13.4 ms in the tibial nerve (95th percentile = 13 ms for the peroneal nerve and 9.2 ms for the tibial nerve). In the patient group, Fc also ranged from 0.2 to 23.4 ms in the peroneal nerve, and from 0.4 to 18.2 ms in the tibial nerve. Only 5 (5.5%) and 8 (11.3%) patients for the peroneal and tibial nerves, respectively, had Fc values which fell beyond the 95th percentile, a percentage far below the sensitivity of F wave latency measurement and not substantially different from chance. Thus we conclude that Fc has no substantial additional value in evaluating lumbosacral radiculopathy over that of F wave latency.
The Cognitive Triad and Suicide Intent in Depressed in-Patients

Daily ratings of self-esteem, hopelessness and suicide intent were made by senior psychiatric residents on 60 patients hospitalized for depression. Both hopelessness and low self-esteem correlated highly with suicide intent and both contributed independently to suicide intent. This suggested that self-esteem may be important in the development of suicide intent as well as hopelessness.
Cervical cancer incidence among 6 Asian ethnic groups in the United States, 1996 through 2004

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer incidence was evaluated by histologic type, age at diagnosis, and disease stage for 6 Asian ethnic groups residing in the United States. METHODS: Incidence rates were estimated for cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma by age and stage for 6 Asian ethnic groups—Asian Indian/Pakistani, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese—in 5 US cancer registry areas during 1996 through 2004. For comparison, rates among non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks, and Hispanics were also calculated. RESULTS: During 1996 through 2004, Vietnamese women had the highest (18.9 per 100,000) and Asian Indian/Pakistani women had the lowest (4.5) incidence of cervical cancer; this pattern was consistent by histologic type. Vietnamese women also had the highest incidence for localized (7.3) and regional (5.7) SCC and for localized (2.4) adenocarcinoma. Contrary to the plateau of SCC incidence apparent among white women by age 45 years, SCC rates continued to rise with age among Chinese, Filipina, Korean, and Vietnamese women. CONCLUSIONS: There exists large variation in invasive cervical cancer incidence patterns among Asian ethnic groups in the United States and in comparison with rates for blacks, Hispanics, and whites. Early detection and prevention strategies for cervical cancer among Asians require targeted strategies by ethnic group. Cancer 2010. Published 2010 by the American Cancer Society.
Haag's theorem in a finite volume

The question of extending Haag’s theorem to a finite volume is explored. A positive result is suggested.
Global population: History, geopolitics, and life on earth

In Global population: History, geopolitics, and life on earth, Alison Bashford presents a richly detailed history of the geopolitics of population from the First World War to Paul Ehrlich's Populat...
Optical phonon frequencies and damping in AlAs, GaP, GaAs, InP, InAs and InSb studied by oblique incidence infrared spectroscopy

The transverse (TO) and longitudinal (LO) optical phonons in AlAs, GaP, GaAs, InP, InAs and InSb have been measured at room temperature by infrared spectroscopy using an oblique incidence reflectance method. The spectra obtained were then fitted using a novel approach to determine the TO and LO phonon frequencies and damping. The results obtained are found to be more precise than in earlier reflectivity measurements using near-normal angles of incidence and provide information on the damping of both phonons. Apart from the GaAs LO mode, the observed damping parameters are found to be quite different from those predicted by theory. From these results the Lowndes condition governing the relative magnitudes of the TO and LO phonon line widths is found to be violated for all these zincblende semiconductors.
Adhesion and acoustic emission analysis of failures in nitride films with a metal interlayer

Abstract Interfacial fracture has been induced between a tantalum nitride film with an aluminum interlayer on a sapphire substrate using nanoindentation. To identify failures for which a model calculation is valid a commercial acoustic emission sensor has been used to study the details of the failure event. The interfacial fracture energy of the system with an aluminum interlayer under the loading conditions at the crack tip is approximately 8 J/m2. Within narrow bounds, this toughness value is reproducible using three different theoretical approaches. The acoustic emission signal is used to determine a lower bound interfacial crack velocity of 5 m/s. The majority of the failure occurs at the aluminum-sapphire interface, suggesting that the fracture energy and crack velocity determined are related to the toughness of this interface and not the nitride-aluminum interface.
Factors Affecting Bacillus thuringiensis Total Field Persistence

Persistence and survival of Bacillus thuringiensis were studied in order to evaluate statistically abiotic influences under field conditions. Viable and total endospores, and bioassay with the cabbage looper Trichoplusia ni , were monitored. Abiotic factors were measured on leaves of beans, broccoli and cabbage. The data suggested no apparent differences in the survival or persistence of endospores among the crops. Solar radiation, leaf temperature and vapor pressure deficit affected B. thuringiensis endospore viability and pathogenicity. Bioassay was the best indicator of total field persistence of B. thuringiensis .
A real-time temporal Bayesian architecture for event surveillance and its application to patient-specific multiple disease outbreak detection

Reliable and accurate detection of disease outbreaks remains an important research topic in disease outbreak surveillance. A temporal surveillance system bases its analysis on data not only from the most recent time period, but also on data from previous time periods. A non-temporal system only looks at data from the most recent time period. There are two difficulties with a non-temporal system when it is used to monitor real data which often contain noise. First, it is prone to produce false positive signals during non-outbreak time periods. Second, during an outbreak, it tends to release false negative signals early in the outbreak, which can adversely affect the decision making process of the user of the system. We conjecture that by converting a non-temporal system to a temporal one, we may attenuate these difficulties inherent in a non-temporal system. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian network architecture for a class of temporal event surveillance models called BayesNet-T. Using this Bayesian network architecture, we can convert certain non-temporal surveillance systems to temporal ones. We apply this architecture to a previously developed non-temporal multiple-disease outbreak detection system called PC and create a temporal system called PCT. PCT takes Emergency Department (ED) patient chief complaint data as its input. The PCT system was constructed using both data (non-outbreak diseases) and expert assessments (outbreak diseases). We compare PCT to PC using a real influenza outbreak. Furthermore, we compare PCT to both PC and the classic statistical methods CUSUM and EWMA using a total of 240 influenza and Cryptosporidium disease outbreaks created by injecting stochastically simulated outbreak cases into real ED admission data. Our results indicate that PCT has a smaller mean time to detection than PC at low false alarm rates, and that PCT is more stable than PC in that once an outbreak is detected, PCT is better at maintaining the detection signal on future days.
Protective effect of cell-permeable ceramide analogs against modeccin, ricin, Pseudomonas toxin, and diphtheria toxin

We investigated the effects of various ceramide (Cer) analogs and related sphingolipids on the cytotoxicities of modeccin, ricin, Pseudomonas toxin, and diphtheria toxin in various cell lines. The most pronounced protective effect by C6Cer, a short-chain cell-permeable Cer analog, was observed in modeccin cytotoxicity in Vero, BER-40, and MDCK cells, whereas the cytotoxicity of diphtheria toxin was not affected by any of the ceramide analogs tested. C6Cer did not affect the binding and internalization of ricin and modeccin in Vero and BER-40 cells. C2Cer and C8Cer also protected against modeccin cytotoxicity, albeit less effectively than C6Cer. However, related sphingolipids including sphingosine, sphingomyelin, lactosylceramide, C18Cer (the naturally occurring ceramide), and dihydro C6Cer had no effect. A correlation was found between the ability of ceramides to inhibit bulk protein secretion and the inhibition of modeccin cytotoxicity by ceramides. Among Cer analogs tested, C6Cer, the most potent inhibitor of modeccin cytotoxicity, strongly inhibited bulk protein secretion in Vero, BER-40, and MDCK cells. PtK1 cells, which were not protected by ceramides against toxins, were resistant to ceramide-induced inhibition of bulk protein secretion. These results confirm that Cer may modulate the intracellular transport of proteins through the Golgi complex. Such Cer-sensitive processes may be involved in the intoxication of cells by plant and bacterial toxins, especially modeccin.
Exploring single and multilevel JIT compilation policy for modern machines 1

Dynamic or Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation is essential to achieve high-performance emulation for programs written in managed languages, such as Java and Cn. It has been observed that a conservative JIT compilation policy is most effective to obtain good runtime performance without impeding application progress on single-core machines. At the same time, it is often suggested that a more aggressive dynamic compilation strategy may perform best on modern machines that provide abundant computing resources, especially with virtual machines (VMs) that are also capable of spawning multiple concurrent compiler threads. However, comprehensive research on the best JIT compilation policy for such modern processors and VMs is currently lacking. The goal of this work is to explore the properties of single-tier and multitier JIT compilation policies that can enable existing and future VMs to realize the best program performance on modern machines. In this work, we design novel experiments and implement new VM configurations to effectively control the compiler aggressiveness and optimization levels (if and when methods are compiled) in the industry-standard Oracle HotSpot Java VM to achieve this goal. We find that the best JIT compilation policy is determined by the nature of the application and the speed and effectiveness of the dynamic compilers. We extend earlier results showing the suitability of conservative JIT compilation on single-core machines for VMs with multiple concurrent compiler threads. We show that employing the free compilation resources (compiler threads and hardware cores) to aggressively compile more program methods quickly reaches a point of diminishing returns. At the same time, we also find that using the free resources to reduce compiler queue backup (compile selected hot methods early) significantly benefits program performance, especially for slower (highly optimizing) JIT compilers. For such compilers, we observe that accurately prioritizing JIT method compiles is crucial to realize the most performance benefit with the smallest hardware budget. Finally, we show that a tiered compilation policy, although complex to implement, greatly alleviates the impact of more and early JIT compilation of programs on modern machines.
Journal club as a supplement to the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory

After purification of lysozyme, our biochemistry students write a research proposal that outlines a strategy for studying this enzyme after alteration by site-directed mutagenesis. Despite a literature search that yielded a wealth of background information, students were often overwhelmed by the assignment because they were not familiar with advanced techniques of protein analysis. We therefore developed a series of journal clubs in which teams of students present methods and data found in papers dealing with lysozyme. The five topics for journal clubs include; substrate binding and mechanism; spectroscopic techniques; stability analysis; two-dimensional NMR; and X-ray crystallography. After the adoption of the group talks, the quality of the research proposals improved immensely and students found the assignment to be an educationally rewarding exercise.
MMPI‐2 validity scales in child custody evaluations: clinical versus statistical significance

The MMPI-2 is commonly used in the psychological assessment of parents within child custody evaluations. Due to the interface of mental health practitioners with non-mental-health professionals in the context of child custody cases, careful attention must be paid to the potential misunderstanding or misuse of data from psychological testing. While traditional clinical lore has maintained an expectation of clinically significant defensiveness on the MMPI-2 with this population, the research data does not support this view. Despite empirical findings that identify patterns of elevations on the MMPI-2 validity scales with parents involved in child custody disputes, these patterns have been demonstrated to reach statistical but not clinical significance. That is, MMPI-2 profiles that contain elevations on scales L or K that either invalidate or notably suppress clinical scales are not to be expected in the child custody population. False causal attributions contributing to the potential mischaracterization or loss of important data related to personality functioning within this population are identified and discussed. Potential dangers associated with such false causal attributions are reviewed.
PROTEIN TURNOVER IN TISSUES OF THE FETAL RAT FOLLOWING MATERNAL PROTEIN RESTRICTION

We previously reported that maternal starvation late in gestation results in relatively unperturbed protein synthesis in fetal striated muscle and brain. We have now studied protein turnover in fetal tissues after restriction of maternal protein intake throughout gestation. Rats were maintained on isocaloric diets containing either 6% or 27% protein throughout pregnancy. Growth curves (KG) for protein content of fetal diaphragm, heart, liver and brain were constructed from days 19-22 gestation. Fetal protein synthesis (KS) was determined after i.v. injection of “massive” amounts of 3H-phenylalanine to the mothers on day 21 gestation. Protein degradation (KD) was calculated from the equation, KD = KS - KG. Fetal body weight was reduced significantly on days 19-22 when pregnant rats were fed the low protein (LP) diet. KS (days−1) in fetal tissues is shown in the table: Reduced KS in tissues of fetuses from LP rats was accompanied by reduced KD values in all tissues. Thus, protein restriction in pregnant rats throughout gestation results in fetal growth retardation; protein turnover in fetal striated muscle and liver is characterized by decreased KS and KD. These results correspond to trends in protein turnover observed in young adult rats subjected to protein restriction.
Anthropometric specification of child crash dummy pelves through statistical analysis of skeletal geometry

The pelves of the child dummies of the widely used Hybrid-III family are based on minimal data from children. Because an accurate pelvis design is critical for realistic assessments of belt restraint interactions, an analysis of medical imaging data was conducted to develop guidance for improved pelvis design. Three-dimensional polygonal meshes of the bony pelvis were generated from computed tomography (CT) data from 81 children from ages 5 to 11. After aligning to a uniform anatomical coordinate system, the meshes were resampled to create a quadrilateral mesh with 12,960 vertices for each pelvis. A principal components analysis was conducted with the mesh vertex coordinates and the locations of 31 landmarks. Over 99% of the variance in size and shape was accounted for by the first 40 components. A three-dimensional model representing the target for a new dummy pelvis was developed using bispinous breadth as the predictor variable. To obtain the appropriate geometry for the six-year-old (6YO) and 10YO Hybrid-III dummies, a regression analysis was conducted using a large sample of child anthropometry data from a previous study to obtain a target dimension for bispinous breadth, using the design stature for each dummy as input. A separate regression analysis was conducted to predict principal component scores from bispinous breadth. Reconstructing a pelvis model from the principal components scores predicted for the target bispinous breadth values yielded a three-dimensional design target for the each dummy. The new pelvis target is similar in overall size to the current pelvis components, but the location of the anterior-superior iliac spine is markedly lower, which has important implications for belt interaction.