cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thickness ratio and d 33 effects on flexible piezoelectric unimorph energy conversion

Piezoelectric unimorphs are bilayer structures where a blanket piezoelectric film (with top and bottom electrodes) is uniformly laminated on an inactive but flexible substrate. Because of their simple construction and flexibility, unimorphs are widely used as a key element in flexible sensors and actuators. The response of a unimorph is governed by the material properties of the film and the substrate as well as their geometric parameters. For low frequency biological energy harvesting, structural optimization is critical due to the dimensional confinement imposed by curvilinear and deformable bio-tissues. Here we report a comprehensive theoretical framework to investigate the effects of the film-to-substrate thickness ratio on voltage, charge, and energy outputs when the unimorph is subjected to eight different boundary/loading conditions. A broad class of power generators can be designed using such a framework under the assumption that the unimorph length is very large compared to its thickness, where the only dimensionless variable is the film-to-substrate thickness ratio. We show that the analytical and finite element modeling results are in excellent agreement. For not so thin unimorphs, there is non-zero normal stress in the thickness direction (σ 3) and d 33 can play a significant role in this case. Non-monotonic dependence of voltage and energy generation on thickness ratio has been found in some cases and optimum thickness ratio for unimorph generator can be predicted. When the unimorph is actuated by voltage applied across the piezo-film thickness, non-monotonic maximum deflection versus thickness ratio is also found. This work provides new physical insights on unimorphs and analytical solutions that can be used for the structural design and optimization of unimorphs under different boundary/loading conditions.
Iron Absorption: Comparison of Oral Heme-Bound Iron with Inorganic Ferrous Sulfate.

Oral iron supplementation is an effective method for treating iron deficiency anemia. However, current preparations of inorganic iron have significant gastrointestinal adverse effects, that sometimes prevent patients from complying with their prescribed iron. Gut absorption of heme bound iron is via a different pathway than inorganic iron. Heme-bound iron may also have fewer gastrointestinal side effects as it is present in red meat and other specially prepared foods. If it can be shown that oral heme-bound iron is absorbed as readily as oral inorganic iron, then patients who cannot tolerate inorganic iron would have a less expensive alternative to parenteral iron which is costly and can cause life-threatening risk of anaphylaxis. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference between the oral absorption of heme-bound iron, in the form of cooked bovine blood soup, and inorganic ferrous sulfate. Ten normal adult subjects were recruited for participation in this study and informed consents were obtained. All subjects had normal baseline fasting serum iron studies and ferritin. After blood for a fasting serum iron was obtained, subjects ingested a cooked bovine blood soup, containing 18 mg of elemental heme iron. Repeat iron studies were taken 2 hours after ingestion of the heme iron preparation. After a 2 week washout period, the same 10 subjects had baseline serum iron drawn followed by ingestion of 18 mg of elemental iron in the form of inorganic ferrous sulfate elixir. Serum iron was again measured 2 hours after ingestion of ferrous sulfate. The mean increase in serum iron after ingestion of bovine blood preparation was 18.5 micrograms/dL. In comparison, the mean increase in serum iron after ingestion of ferrous sulfate was 37.9 micrograms/dL. A paired T test analysis did not show any significant difference in the increase of serum iron from baseline to 2 hours between the two iron preparations (P>0.1112). No adverse effects were reported by any of the subjects after ingestion of either preparation. In conclusion, heme iron ingested in the form of a cooked bovine blood soup is well tolerated, produces increases in the concentrations of serum iron that are comparable to those produced by ferrous sulfate, and supports the principle that reasonable amounts of iron can be absorbed from heme.
The histone deubiquitinase OTLD1 targets euchromatin to regulate plant growth

Histone monoubiquitination is associated with active chromatin and plays an important role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression in plants. Deubiquitinating enzymes remove the ubiquitin group from histones and thereby contribute to gene repression. The Arabidopsis thaliana genome encodes 50 deubiquitinases, yet only 2 of them—UBP26 and OTLD1, members of the USP/UBP (ubiquitin-specific protease and ubiquitin-binding protein) and OTU (ovarian tumor protease) deubiquitinase families—are known to target histones. Furthermore, UBP26 is the only plant histone deubiquitinase for which the functional role has been characterized in detail. We used gain- and loss-of-function alleles of OTLD1 to examine its role in the plant life cycle and showed that OTLD1 stimulates plant growth, increases cell size, and induces transcriptional repression of five major regulators of plant organ growth and development: GA20OX , WUS , OSR2 , ARL , and ABI5 . OTLD1 associated with chromatin at each of these target genes and promoted the removal of euchromatic histone acetylation, ubiquitination, and methylation marks. Thus, these data indicate that OTLD1 promotes the concerted epigenetic regulation of a set of genes that collectively limit plant growth.
Ghanaian Women’s Knowledge and Perceptions of Services Available to Victims of Intimate Partner Violence:

This article presents qualitative findings on women's knowledge and perceptions of services available to victims of domestic violence in Ghana. In addition, the challenges to access of service and service delivery are explored. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 female residents of Sowutuom, a periurban community in Accra, Ghana. An additional three semistructured interviews were also conducted with local service providers in Accra. Results showed that awareness among respondents of available services was low. The majority of women had heard of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service, though they had limited knowledge of the kind of support provided by this service provider. In addition, most women expressed doubt in the ability of these services to adequately handle cases of intimate partner violence. This study demonstrates that more educational campaigns need to be carried out to raise awareness among Ghanaians on domestic violence and the formal interventions available in the country.
Calculation of Photochemical Reactivity. Oligosilanes as an Illustration

The fundamental photophysical and photochemical processes in the reactions of organic molecules are summarized with particular attention to the role of barriers, minima and funnels in the and S1 and T1 surfaces. Non-spectroscopic minima often occur at biradicaloid geometries and elementary photochemical reaction steps can be classified according to the nature of the biradicaloid minimum through which the return to the S0 state occurs. In simple cases, one active orbital per atom is involved. These steps are subdivided into two-center, cyclic multicenter, and linear multicenter processes. In complex cases, more than one active orbital participates on at least one atom. Minimal calculational requirements for a theoretical treatment are outlined.
Fat Taxes and Thin Subsidies as Obesity Policy

Many obesity policy proponents have speculated about taxing foods with high fat or high sugar content or subsidizing healthier foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and governments have tried some of these possibilities. While much remains unresolved, the available evidence does not favor subsidies on fresh fruit and vegetables or taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) as obesity policy. Taxes on specific nutrients are generally found to be more effective in reducing calorie consumption and body weight as well as economically more efficient. However, any food tax will be regressive and could have other undesirable unintended consequences, and it is not clear that it would be politically feasible to set any such tax at a high enough rate to have a worthwhile effect on reducing obesity.
Phase-I and randomized phase-II trial of panobinostat in combination with ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide) in relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

AbstractThis phase-I/phase-II study evaluated panobinostat in combination with ifosfamide, carboplatin, etoposide (P-ICE) in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma. During phase I, panobinostat was given daily on Monday/Wednesday/Friday starting one week prior to Cycle 1 (C1) of ICE and during two weeks of C1-2 of ICE (Schedule A). No DLT was observed at 30 mg. However, frequent (84%) grade-4 thrombocytopenia during second week prompted us to omit the second week of panobinostat 30 mg (Schedule B) for phase II, where this regimen was compared to ICE.In the randomized phase-II study, CR was seen in 9/11 (82%) and 8/12 (67%) for P-ICE and ICE, respectively (p = .64). Grade-4 neutropenia (55% vs. 8%) and thrombocytopenia (100% vs. 33%) were more common in P-ICE. In summary, combination therapy using panobinostat produced high CR rate at the cost of greater bone marrow toxicity. Investigation of panobinostat with less myelosuppressive agents is of interest.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Clinical Update

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common heritable cardiomyopathy, manifesting as left ventricular hypertrophy in the absence of a secondary cause. The genetic underpinnings of HCM arise largely from mutations of sarcomeric proteins; however, the specific underlying mutation often remains undetermined. Patient presentation is phenotypically diverse, ranging from asymptomatic to heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Left ventricular hypertrophy and abnormal ventricular configuration result in dynamic left ventricular outflow obstruction in most patients. The goal of therapeutic interventions is largely to reduce dynamic obstruction, with treatment modalities spanning lifestyle modifications, pharmacotherapies, and septal reduction therapies. A small subset of patients with HCM will experience sudden cardiac death, and risk stratification remains a clinical challenge. This paper presents a clinical update for diagnosis, family screening, clinical imaging, risk stratification, and management of symptoms in patients with HCM.
Hallux Valgus Deformity and Treatment: A Three-Dimensional Approach

The cause and effect between hallux valgus and first ray hypermobility continues to be debated. Understanding the anatomic and radiographic examination of the first metatarsocuneiform (MTC) joint is critical to choosing an appropriate treatment algorithm for the surgical management of hallux valgus deformity. Some studies suggest hypermobility can be corrected without fusing the first MTC joint. Some think hypermobility arises secondarily from malalignment of the soft tissue constraints as the hallux valgus deformity progresses. Others think hypermobility is a primary cause of the hallux valgus deformity and have reported good results with surgical correction including a first tarsometatarsal arthrodesis.
The relationship of Type 1 diabetes self-management barriers to child and parent quality of life: a US cross-sectional study.

AIM Families of children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes experience self-management challenges that negatively impact diabetes control. This study assesses whether self-management challenges are also associated with quality of life (QOL) for children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes and their parents. METHODS Children aged 8-12 years (n = 135), adolescents aged 13-16 years (n = 132) and their parents completed QOL assessments (diabetes-specific QOL from the PedsQL Diabetes Module or the Family Impact Module, both scaled 0-100) and a validated survey of up to six self-management barriers [PRISM; scaled 1 (low) to 5 (high)]. Regression coefficients were calculated to assess the association of self-management barriers with child and adolescent diabetes-specific QOL or parent QOL, including interaction effects to assess the stability of the associations. RESULTS Mean duration of diabetes was 4.7 years for children and 6.1 years for adolescents. The majority of children and adolescents did not meet target values for glycaemic control. All barriers but one (Healthcare Team Interactions) were associated with lower diabetes-specific QOL for children and adolescents, as well as lower QOL for parents (all P < 0.05). Barrier scores that were 1 unit higher were associated with diabetes-specific QOL that was 3.7-5.1 points lower for children and 5.8-8.8 points lower for adolescents, as well as QOL that was 6.0-12.6 points lower for parents. Diabetes-specific QOL was most strongly associated with 'Denial of Disease and Its Consequences' for children and with 'Regimen Pain and Bother' for adolescents. Parent QOL was most strongly associated with 'Understanding and Organizing Care'. Associations were stable across numerous demographic and disease factors. CONCLUSIONS Single-unit differences in self-management barrier scores are associated with clinically meaningful differences in QOL for children and parents. Interventions specifically tailored to address individual self-management barriers may improve both diabetes control and QOL.
The referral-consultant relationship.

Consulting physicians must not usurp the role of the referring physician, even at patients’ request. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Occurrence of Clostridium perfringens in the broiler chicken processing plant as determined by recovery in iron milk medium.

Over 30 years ago, Clostridium perfringens was reported as a contaminant of the processing plant and processed carcasses of broiler chickens. Poultry processing procedures and methods for detecting C. perfringens have changed since that time. Therefore, a study was conducted to determine the incidence and numbers of C. perfringens in the water of the scald tank, the water of the chill tank, and the rinse water of the processed carcasses from modern broiler chicken processing plants. In trial 1, collected samples were inoculated into iron milk medium (IMM) and incubated at 46°C for 18 h (the traditional method) or at 37°C for 3 h followed by incubation at 46°C for 15 h (an injury recovery method). Each of three preselected broiler chicken flocks from two integrators were the first processed for that processing shift. The overall incidence of confirmed C. perfringens in samples associated with the three flocks was 40% of postprocessing scald water samples, 13% of preprocessing chill water samples, 13% of po...
An Overview of Related Research

Intrusions in an information system are the activities that violate the security policy of the system, and intrusion detection is the process to identify intrusions. Intrusion detection has been studied for over 20 years, since Anderson’s report [Anderson, 1980]. It is based on the beliefs that an intruder’s behavior will be noticeably different from that of a legitimate user and that many unauthorized actions will be detectable.
Characterization of band shifting imaging probes under two-photon excitation (Conference Presentation)

The fluorescence emission spectrum of band-shifting imaging probes can shift under different excitation wavelengths. This unique property may be leveraged to enable chromatic encoding in two-photon imaging. Characterization of the band shifting spectral property under two-photon excitation and preliminary imaging studies will be presented.
Increased Ripk1-mediated bone marrow necroptosis leads to myelodysplasia and bone marrow failure in mice

Abstract Hematopoiesis is a dynamic system that requires balanced cell division, differentiation, and death. The 2 major modes of programmed cell death, apoptosis and necroptosis, share molecular machinery but diverge in outcome with important implications for the microenvironment; apoptotic cells are removed in an immune silent process, whereas necroptotic cells leak cellular contents that incite inflammation. Given the importance of cytokine-directed cues for hematopoietic cell survival and differentiation, the impact on hematopoietic homeostasis of biasing cell death fate to necroptosis is substantial and poorly understood. Here, we present a mouse model with increased bone marrow necroptosis. Deletion of the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members Bax and Bak inhibits bone marrow apoptosis. Further deletion of the BH3-only member Bid (to generate VavCreBaxBakBid triple-knockout [TKO] mice) leads to unrestrained bone marrow necroptosis driven by increased Rip1 kinase (Ripk1). TKO mice display loss of progenitor cells, leading to increased cytokine production and increased stem cell proliferation and exhaustion and culminating in bone marrow failure. Genetically restoring Ripk1 to wild-type levels restores peripheral red cell counts as well as normal cytokine production. TKO bone marrow is hypercellular with abnormal differentiation, resembling the human disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and we demonstrate increased necroptosis in MDS bone marrow. Finally, we show that Bid impacts necroptotic signaling through modulation of caspase-8–mediated Ripk1 degradation. Thus, we demonstrate that dysregulated necroptosis in hematopoiesis promotes bone marrow progenitor cell death that incites inflammation, impairs hematopoietic stem cells, and recapitulates the salient features of the bone marrow failure disorder MDS.
The gut microbiota composition affects dietary polyphenols-mediated cognitive resilience in mice by modulating the bioavailability of phenolic acids.

Dietary polyphenols promote memory in models of sleep deprivation (SD), stress, and neurodegeneration. The biological properties of dietary polyphenols greatly depend upon the bioavailability of their phenolic metabolites derivatives, which are modulated by gut microbiota. We recently demonstrated that supplementation with grape-derived bioactive dietary polyphenol preparation (BDPP) improves SD-induced cognitive impairment. This study examined the role of the gut microbiota in the ability of BDPP to prevent memory impairment in response to SD. C57BL6/J mice, treated with antibiotics mix (ABX) or BDPP or both, were sleep-deprived at the end of a fear conditioning training session and fear memory was assessed the next day. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed in fecal samples and BDPP-driven phenolic acid metabolites extraction was measured in plasma. We report that the beneficial effect of BDPP on memory in SD is attenuated by ABX-induced dysbiosis. We identified specific communities of fecal microbiota that are associated with the bioavailability of BDPP-derived phenolic acids, which in turn, are associated with memory promotion. These results suggest the gut microbiota composition significantly affects the bioavailability of phenolic acids that drive the dietary polyphenols’ cognitive resilience property. Our findings provide a preclinical model with which to test the causal association of gut microbiota-polyphenols, with the ultimate goal of potential developing dietary polyphenols for the prevention/treatment of cognitive impairment.
Empowering Bystanders to Intervene: Trauma Responders Unify to Empower (TRUE) Communities.

Abstract Background Timely and effective bystander first aid can improve outcomes for trauma victims. Bystanders are present at most traumas and are more likely to assist with prior training. Materials and methods An evidence-based course was created for the general public in high-risk Chicago neighborhoods focused on basic traumatic first aid, including scene management, hemorrhage control, and mitigating the psychological impact of trauma to overcome the bystander effect. Prospectively, participants completed knowledge-based and self-efficacy assessments precourse, postcourse, and 6 mo follow-up. The change in self-efficacy and knowledge scores was analyzed. Results Over 32 courses, 503 participants were taught; 474 and 460 participants completed precourse and postcourse surveys, respectively, whereas 60 of 327 who consented for follow-up completed the 6-mo survey. Postcourse, participants were more likely to assist trauma victims and felt more confident in the quality of care they could provide; the effect remained significant at 6 mo (all P Conclusions The TFRC increased self-efficacy, successfully teaching initial trauma care, particularly hemorrhage control and scene safety, suggesting that a grassroots approach to trauma care may improve outcomes in communities that experience high violence rates.
Heterogeneity of the mineralogy and organic content of the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale

Abstract Many unconventional clay-rich oil and gas reservoirs are characterized by fine-scale heterogeneity that is challenging to characterize and predict at larger scales. This is particularly problematic in emerging shale plays with limited shared knowledge such as the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS). The TMS is located within the Central U.S. Gulf Coast region and contains an estimated 7 billion barrels of potentially recoverable oil. In this study we synthesized and interpreted newly available mineralogical and organic geochemical data from 11 wells located in the currently producing area of the TMS. The data are extremely heterogeneous within individual wells, but generally suggest that the basal region of the TMS within the producing region is characterized by higher concentrations of calcite and TOC relative to other areas of the TMS. Data from an ∼18 m section near the base of the TMS (including samples from all 11 wells) averaged 1.65 wt% TOC, 22.8 wt% quartz, 17.2 wt% calcite, 16.2 wt% kaolinite, 14.1 wt% illite, 11.8 wt% smecite, 5.7 wt% chlorite, 3.9 wt% plagioclase, and 4.4 wt% pyrite. Kerogen in this region is a mixture of Type II and Type III and Tmax and vitrinite reflectance data suggest that samples from most wells are within the oil and wet gas generation window. Comparisons to previous investigations of the TMS show that most studies are in reasonable agreement only at the largest scales of observation and break down at smaller scales such that the concentrations of minerals and organic matter reported depend largely on the scale and locations of the investigation and the sampling density. Hence, the best approach for quantifying, describing, and ultimately predicting the heterogeneous physical and chemical properties within TMS may be to rely upon statistically-based comparisons of groups of data such that probability distributions of these groups can be generated that vary with the changing stratigraphy and depositional environments.
An Improved Estimation Method for a Family of GARCH Models

This article proposes an improved estimation and calibration method to a family of GARCH models. The suggested method fixes one parameter such that the unconditional kurtosis of the model matches the sample kurtosis. An empirical analysis using Engle and Ng’s (1993) NGARCH(1,1) model shows that the method dominates previous estimation methods in multiple ways. The optimization problem is simplified and made less sensitive to initial values. The optimization time, both when estimating based on historical returns and calibrating to option prices, is reduced by roughly 50%. The in-sample fit is barely affected, while the option pricing, both in sample and out of sample, is improved. TOPICS:Statistical methods, quantitative methods, options, derivatives
BHap: a novel approach for bacterial haplotype reconstruction

MOTIVATION The bacterial haplotype reconstruction is critical for selecting proper treatments for diseases caused by unknown haplotypes. Existing methods and tools do not work well on this task, because they are usually developed for viral instead of bacterial populations. RESULTS In this study, we developed BHap, a novel algorithm based on fuzzy flow networks, for reconstructing bacterial haplotypes from next generation sequencing data. Tested on simulated and experimental datasets, we showed that BHap was capable of reconstructing haplotypes of bacterial populations with an average F1 score of 0.87, an average precision of 0.87 and an average recall of 0.88. We also demonstrated that BHap had a low susceptibility to sequencing errors, was capable of reconstructing haplotypes with low coverage and could handle a wide range of mutation rates. Compared with existing approaches, BHap outperformed them in terms of higher F1 scores, better precision, better recall and more accurate estimation of the number of haplotypes. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The BHap tool is available at http://www.cs.ucf.edu/∼xiaoman/BHap/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Geography, Climate, and Genes in Development Studies

Over the coming decade, much more genetic data will enter into the study of economic development. This paper provides an example and emphasizes the uses and misuses of such information. It has asse...
Cobranded Diplomacy: A Case Study of the British Council’s Branding of “Darwin Now” in Egypt

In the wake of September 11, 2001, cultural diplomacy has become increasingly important and dialogue-based initiatives have been used to improve understandings between the Muslim world and the West. In 2009, the British Council implemented the “Darwin Now” initiative in Egypt, in partnership with Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Although evolutionary theory is considered controversial in the Islamic world, “Darwin Now” generated mostly positive media coverage. This study uses a cobranding theoretical framework to examine how the British Council was able to avoid negative spillover effects. A single case study of the British Council’s “Darwin Now” 2009 campaign in Egypt was conducted and consisted of a content analysis and 36 in-depth interviews. The findings of this study conclude that it was possible to overcome negative spillover effects because of partnering with a high-profile national organization such as Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Investigation of Two Reported Arcminute-Scale Microwave Decrements at 28.5 GHZ

The Ryle telescope has been used at a frequency of 15 GHz, to detect a flux decrement in the direction of the quasar pair PC 1643+4631A, B. This signal was interpreted as the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect (SZE) produced by a distant cluster of galaxies. In the course of an effort to measure cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies with a deep pointing of the VLA at 8.4 GHz, a second group detected a similar, but smaller, decrement. They also proposed that this signal might be explained as the SZE signal produced by a distant galaxy cluster. We report observations with the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Association (BIMA) interferometer operating at 28.5 GHz, in which we find no evidence for a SZE signal in the direction of either of the proposed clusters. In the case of the Ryle detection, the BIMA data are inconsistent with the SZE model proposed to explain the observed decrement at greater than 99.99% confidence. Together with published X-ray and optical searches, these results make a compelling case against the interpretation of the Ryle decrement as being due to the SZE in a massive cluster of galaxies. For the smaller VLA source, the BIMA observations are not as constraining. The BIMA data are inconsistent with the proposed SZE model at greater than 90% confidence.
3D.004 Process evaluation of a concussion-related popular opinion leader intervention

Background A Popular Opinion Leader (POL) educational intervention was developed/implemented to improve concussion management in middle school (MS) sports. Parents/coaches/staff recruited as POLs received three online sessions including concussion education and concussion prevention/management conversation skills development. We assessed POLs’ evaluations of the sessions and their resulting concussion-related conversations. Methods The intervention occurred within seven MS in the Southeastern United States. MS parents/coaches/staff were recruited to participate in the training sessions (22 parents and 14 coaches/staff). One-month post-training, POLs completed an online questionnaire and/or in-person interview data evaluating their training and conversations. Quantitative data provided conversation frequencies and topic; qualitative data identified pertinent themes using template analysis. Results Fifteen (41%; 7 parents, 8 coaches/staff) and six (17%; 1 parent, 5 coaches/staff) POLs completed questionnaires and interviews, respectively. Forty-one conversations were reported (average 2.6 per person). POLs commonly reported talking with their children (47%), spouse/partner (40%), and teachers/staff (33%); common discussion topics included concussion signs/symptoms (73%), responding to suspected concussion (67%), and playing safe to reduce concussion risk (60%). POL interviews identified trainings as concise, yet thorough. Conversations were initiated when potential concussions occurred during games. POLs felt knowledgeable and found people receptive to information. Talking to those with previous concussion experience was easier. POLs suggested additional trainings should provide easily shareable concussion recognition resources. Conclusion POLs responded well to training session materials. Identified areas of improvement, such as providing shareable concussion education materials, will further aid POLs with having conversations. Learning Outcomes Describe how MS parents/coaches/staff evaluated concussion education training sessions.
The Role of Financial Markets in Determining Physical Oil Prices: A Survey of the Literature

The extraordinary oil price volatility of the 2007-08 period has resulted in special attention being focused on the role of financial market factors in determining physical oil prices. We survey the literature to assess the state of research on this topic. The literature provides substantial evidence that fundamental factors, namely stagnant supply, unexpected economic growth from China, India and other countries, low interest rates, and a weak U.S. dollar, were at least associated with and may have contributed to the recent oil price volatility. There is also some evidence to suggest that the price run-up and decline may have been exacerbated by an oil price bubble. Despite considerable evidence of a major increase in oil derivatives trading, including the growth of commodity index trading, and a significant change in the composition of derivatives traders over the past decade, the contribution, if any, of these traders and of speculation in oil derivatives to the 2007-08 oil market turbulence remains undetermined. First, the existing body of research does not provide a definitive answer to the question of how oil inventories respond to the futures-spot price spread, which should be the mechanism connecting financial market speculation and physical oil prices. Second, causality tests that have been conducted to date to test whether open interest position changes by speculators lead or lag futures price changes shed little light on how speculation impacts oil futures prices.
Canonical formalism for relativistic dynamics

A manifestly covariant canonical formalism is developed, appropriate for a dynamical theory of a closed system ofN relativistic particles in mutual scalar interaction. The mathematical structure is built around a set of global transversality constraints, imposed so as to simultaneously parametrize the invariant world-lines of the system constituents. The dynamics is initially deduced from a singular Lagrangian, designed to accommodate the global transversality constraints, with the equal-time plane initially defined with respect to the total system momentum. In the original 8N - dimensional phase space the Poincare generators are expressed in terms of the constituent canonical co-ordinates and the algebra is realized with respect to the Poisson brackets. On the 6N - dimensional hypersurface of the physical motions, with respect to the Dirac brackets, the constituent co-ordinates are no longer canonical, but the Poincare algebra is preserved. Only the canonical Hamiltonian survives as a time translation generator and the no-interaction theorem is inapplicable. The Lagrangian may be standardized and the equal-time plane redefined with respect to any geodesic in Minkowski space. The equations of motion and the definition of the center of mass are invariant with respect to the choice of the geodesic and the entire formalism becomes manifestly separable with only two-body interactions among the constituents.
Isomorphism and the N-Queens problem

The N-Queens problem is commonly used to teach the programming technique of backtrack search. The N-Queens problem may also be used to illustrate the important concept of isomorphism. Here we show how the N-Queens problem can be used as a vehicle to teach the concepts of isomorphism, transformation groups or generators, and equivalence classes. We indicate how these ideas can be used in a programming exercise. We include a bibliography of 29 papers.
Acute Exposure of College Basketball Players to Moderate Altitude: Selected Physiological Responses.

Abstract Ten basketball players and two coaches ([Vdot]O2 max = 51.08 ml/kg · min) were studied at their place of residence in Chadron, Nebraska (1,000 m, PB = 661 mm Hg), and 6 days later in Laramie, Wyoming (2,200 m, PB = 584 mm Hg). Subjects rode the bicycle ergometer through several submaximal workloads until voluntary exhaustion. Laramie tests took place within 8 hours after arrival and at the same time of day as the Chadron tests. Submaximal heart rate, oxygen consumption, pulmonary ventilation, carbon dioxide production, respiratory quotient, and perceived exertion were not significantly altered by the altitude change; however, ventilatory equivalent was significantly higher in Laramie (p < .05). The hypoxia-induced decrease in the anaerobic threshold ( workload = 906 kpm/min at both sites) which was hypothesized was not observed. Likewise, resting hematocrit and hemoglobin were not affected by the 1,200 m altitude increment (44.88 vs. 44.53% and 15.39 vs. 15.01 gm%, respectively). Maximum aerobic ...
The Rhodobacter capsulatus glnB gene is regulated by NtrC at tandem rpoN-independent promoters.

Abstract The protein encoded by glnB of Rhodobacter capsulatus is part of a nitrogen-sensing cascade which regulates the expression of nitrogen fixation genes (nif). The expression of glnB was studied by using lacZ fusions, primer extension analysis, and in vitro DNase I footprinting. Our results suggest that glnB is transcribed from two promoters, one of which requires the R. capsulatus ntrC gene but is rpoN independent. Another promoter upstream of glnB is repressed by NtrC; purified R. capsulatus NtrC binds to sites that overlap this distal promoter region.
Review of Suzan Mazur's Book: The Altenberg 16: An Exposé of the Evolution Industry

Suzan Mazur describes the evolution industry in crisis, given an apparent emptiness in the neo-Darwinian account. Mazur interviewed many world-wide scholars, and not just those that attended the 2008 meeting in Altenberg, Austria. Stewart Newman, Antonio Lima-de-Faria and Lynn Margulis provide among of the most interesting and credible accounts of an evolution that is not stuck in a dogmatic and hopeless neo-Darwinism. This is not to say that most scientists don`t still over prescribe Darwin`s simplistic theory, and some of these folks are interviewed in Mazur`s book. You can find this book at Amazon: The Altenberg 16: An Expose of the Evolution Industry .
INCREASED PREVALENCE OF CLINICAL GALLBLADDER DISEASE IN SUBJECTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS

The association between non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and the prevalence of gallbladder disease remains controversial. The authors investigated this association in 1,250 men and 1,656 women from the San Antonio Heart Study (1984-1988) a population-based study of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A total of 68% of the subjects were Mexican American, a population at high risk for both gallbladder disease and NIDDM. Gallbladder disease was assessed by self-report, and the prevalence of diabetes was determined using National Diabetes Data Group criteria. NIDDM was significantly associated with gallbladder disease in Mexican-American men and women and in non-Hispanic white women. After adjustment for age, body mass index, ratio of waist-to-hip circumference, and ethnicity, using multiple logistic regression, the odds of gallbladder disease in women was 1.6 times higher if NIDDM was present (odds ratio = 1.60, 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.37). Mexican-American women also had a significantly increased prevalence of gallbladder disease relative to non-Hispanic white women (odds ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval 1.50-3.28). In nondiabetic women, fasting insulin was significantly related to prevalence of gallbladder disease in univariate analyses, but not in multivariate analyses. The authors conclude that women with diabetes have an increased prevalence of gallbladder disease relative to nondiabetic women and that this association is not explained by the greater adiposity or unfavorable body fat distribution of the diabetic subjects.
MASS BALANCE HISTORY OF BLUE GLACIER, WASHINGTON, USA

Mass balance and weather data have been collected for Blue Glacier since 1957. Annual net balance has been determined by combining the total mass loss from ice and firn melt with the residual snow remaining at the end of the summer season. In order to define confidence limits for the historical mass balance data set, it is necessary to quantify several sources of potential error. Preliminary analysis of the spatial variance of ice melt within the ablation zone and the variance of snow density within the residual snow of the accumulation zone indicate that neither of these parameters are likely to be a source of significant error. The largest potential source of error in computing the mass balance of the glacier as a whole is the migration of an ice divide.
A GENERAL CLASS OF THREE-PARAMETER RISK MEASURES: COMMENT

related some of the common risk measures used in investment analysis. The measures of variance, semi-variance, mean absolute deviation, and probability of an outcome worse than some specified level were all shown to be specific cases of his general three-parameter risk measure. It is the purpose of this note to show that the functions used in the other major theoretical risk analysis method, stochastic dominance, can be derived as another special case of Stone's three-parameter risk measure. His measure was defined as
Stabilization effects in the decomposition of formate on Ru(001)

Abstract Both the transient and the isothermal decomposition of formate on Ru(001) have been studied using thermal desorption mass spectrometry. The formate decomposition rate, measured by monitoring the production rate of CO2, exhibits “stabilization” in both thermal desorption and isothermal desorption measurements. At a constant heating rate, the thermal desorption spectrum of CO2 shifts up in peak temperature and becomes progressively more narrow with increasing initial coverage of surface formate. The isothermal decomposition rate reveals a convex parabolic curve with time prior to passing through a maximum. A simple mean-field kinetic model is used to describe both the transient thermal desorption and the isothermal desorption spectra. The stabilization kinetics are attributed both to attractive interactions between formates as well as between a formate and its chemisorbed decomposition product, CO. Calculations using the mean-field model quantitatively reproduce the experimentally observed kinetic behavior.
Towards an analysis of local optimization algorithms

We introduce a variant of Aldous and Vazirani's \Go with the winners" algorithm that can be used for search graphs that are not trees. We analyze the algorithm in terms of the properties of a tree-decomposition of the search graph. We show a large class of distributions for search graphs so that \Go with the winners" works well with high probability for almost all graphs from the distribution. We also give a su±cient combinatorial property that ensures good performance.
Autophagy: A core cellular process with emerging links to pulmonary disease

Autophagy is a highly conserved homeostatic pathway by which cells transport damaged proteins and organelles to lysosomes for degradation. Dysregulation of autophagy contributes to the pathogenesis of clinically important disorders in a variety of organ systems but, until recently, little was known about its relationship to diseases of the lung. However, there is now growing evidence at the basic research level that autophagy is linked to the pathogenesis of important pulmonary disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, and tuberculosis. In this review, we provide an introduction to the field of autophagy research geared to clinical and research pulmonologists. We focus on the best-studied autophagic mechanism, macroautophagy, and summarize studies that link the regulation of this pathway to pulmonary disease. Last, we offer our perspective on how a better understanding of macroautophagy might be used for designing novel therapies for pulmonary disorders.
A scanned beam THz imaging system for medical applications

ABSTRACT THz medical imaging has been a topic of increased interest recently due larg ely to improvements in source and detector technology and the identification of suitable applications. One aspect of THz medical imaging research not often adequately addressed is pixel acquisition rate and phenomenology. The majority of active THz imaging systems use translation stages to raster scan a sample beneath a fixed THz beam. While these techniques have produced high resolution images of characterization targets and animal models they do not scale well to human imaging where clinicians are unwilling to place patients on large translation stages. This pape r presents a scanned beam THz imaging system that can acquire a 1 cm 2 area with 1 mm 2 pixels and a per-pixel SNR of 40 dB in less than 5 seconds. The system translates a focused THz beam across a stationary target using a spinning polygonal mirror and HDPE objective lens. The illumination is centered at 525 GHz with ~ 125 GHz of response normalized bandwidth and the component layout is designed to optically co-locate the st ationary source and detector ensuring normal incidence across a 50 mm x 50 mm field of view at standoff of 190 mm. Component characterization and images of a test target are presented. These results are some of the first ever reported for a short stan doff, high resolution, scanned beam THz imaging system and represent an important step forward for practical integratio n of THz medical imaging where fast image acquisition times and stationary targets (patients) are requisite. Keywords: THz medical imaging, THz
Dissociation constant of protonated tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane in N-methylpropionamide and related thermodynamic quantities from 10 to 55°C

The dissociation constant of protonated tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (tris·H+) in the solvent N-methylpropionamide (NMP) has been determined at intervals of 5°C from 10 to 55°C by measurement of the emf of cells without liquid junction using hydrogen and silver-silver chloride electrodes. At 25°C, pK a was found to be 8.831, as compared with 8.075 in water. The standard changes in Gibbs energy, enthalpy, and entropy for the dissociation process have been evaluated from the dissociation constant and its change with temperature. By comparison with similar data for the dissociation of tris·H+ in water, thermodynamic functions for the transfer from water to NMP have been derived. The dissociation process is isoelectric, and the solvent dielectric constant is high (e=176 at 25°C). Consequently, electrostatic charging effects are expected to be minimal, and the change in dissociation constant depends primarily on solute-solvent interactions. The results, combined with transfer energies for HCl, tris, and tris·HCl from emf and solubility measurements, demonstrate that the decreased acidic strength of tri·H+ in NMP is attributable in large part to the fact that NMP is less effective than water in stabilizing tris and its salts.
Flow cytometric immunophenotyping test for staging/monitoring neuroblastoma patients

Ten years ago, we made an incidental flow cytometric observation while immunophenotyping biopsy and marrow samples from children suspected to have leukemia/non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but were subsequently diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The samples contained neoplastic CD45(-) cells that had an extremely bright CD56(+) (beyond the fourth decade on a four-decade scale) population distinguishable from CD45(+)CD56(usual density+) natural killer lymphocytes as well as other CD45(-)CD56(usual density+) nonhematopoietic tumors such as small cell carcinoma or melanoma. Following the "rare event" philosophy of selecting one negative and two positive antigens, we initially tried a "cocktail" of CD45(-)CD56(very bright+) neuron-specific enolase (NSE)(cytoplasmic+). We later modified the procedure to a more clinically applicable "lysed whole blood" CD45(-)CD56(very bright+) ganglioside GD2(+) cocktail to improve turnaround time (eliminating the cell permeabilization step for cytoplasmic NSE analysis), specificity, and sensitivity of the assay. A total of 123 marrow/tissue/fluid samples were analyzed by the various forms of the assay. Clearly interpretable samples had an 83% specificity and a 100% sensitivity. The three-color GD2 assay has successfully detected cells in marrow samples to a level of 0.002% (1 per 10(5) cells) using patient samples (not artificially "spiked" material). We added CD81 expression of the neuroblastoma cells as a fourth color and now use this rare event clinical test to help stage and monitor all patients with neuroblastoma.
Self-Report Objective Measures of Personality for Children: A Review of Psychometric Properties for RQC.

Knoff (1995) indicated that Referral Question Consultation (RQC) can be applied to personality assessment and suggested several self-report objective measures that could be consistent with this approach. The current article reviews the tools mentioned by Knoff, including the Children's Personality Questionnaire, The Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory, The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–Adolescents, The Personality Inventory for Youth, and The Self Report of Personality (SRP) from the Behavior Assessment System for Children. Each review addressed the reliability of the scales and composite scores, validity, usefulness of results for planning interventions, the empirical basis for analyses of individual items, and whether each measure accounted for response biases. The appropriateness of each for use with RQC, and individual strengths and weaknesses varied considerably. Therefore, practitioners should keep each test's limitations in mind when using it for intervention planning, and future research is needed to validate the tools for this purpose. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.