cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electroless Deposition on Three Substrates: Brass Washers, Cicada Exoskeletons, and Beetles

This laboratory experiment showcases electroless deposition, an autocatalytic reduction process performed in aqueous solution containing a metal ion in the presence of a reducing agent yielding a coherent metal film. One set of experiments has been performed by second-semester general chemistry students in a 3 h lab session. After preparing an electroless nickel plating bath, they first plate a brass washer with nickel for 10 min at 85 °C. Using weight gain data for their brass washer along with its surface area, the thickness of the nickel coating is determined. The same electroless nickel plating bath is then used to plate a pretreated cicada exoskeleton with nickel. The three-step pretreatment procedure deposits Pd(s) nanoparticles on a nonconducting exoskeleton made of chitin, transforming it into a conducting substrate. A second set of experiments has been performed by upper-class chemistry majors. They (1) explore the reproducibility in weight gain when plating brass washers with nickel for 10, 20, 30, and 40 min time intervals, (2) plate beetles with nickel, and (3) plate cicada exoskeletons with copper using an electroless copper plating bath recipe they find in the literature. Weight gain data and photos of the plated cicada exoskeletons and beetles accompany this article. The nickel-plated brass washers and cicada exoskeletons were examined with XRF spectrometry. This analysis demonstrates that the nickel coating is not pure nickel but rather an alloy containing phosphorus.
Insights Into Management of Camurati-Engelmann Disease: A Case Series of Three Siblings

Camurati-Engelmann disease (CED) is an autosomal dominant skeletal dysplasia characterized by progressive sclerosis of long bones due to a mutation in the transforming growth factor beta-1 gene. Patients experience progressive pain, weakness, and fatigability over time. There are no consensus guidelines for treatment though the use of several types of glucocorticoids, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and other therapies have been described. We present the cases of three siblings with CED managed with different treatment modalities over time (prednisone, losartan, and deflazacort). We provide objective data (pain scores, walk-test results, erythrocyte sedimentation rates) to demonstrate therapeutic efficacy. Prednisone resulted in the greatest improvement in pain; however, its use was limited by significant weight gain. Deflazacort was successful in improving pain and fatigability without the weight gain. Risks and benefits must be considered carefully as the cost of deflazacort is significantly higher than prednisone or losartan. Int J Clin Pediatr. 2020;9(4):130-134 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/ijcp403
Assigning readers to cases in imaging studies using balanced incomplete block designs.

In many imaging studies, each case is reviewed by human readers and characterized according to one or more features. Often, the inter-reader agreement of the feature indications is of interest in a...
Rights Talk and Rights

This is an age of rights. Though often deplored by all variety of ideologues (e.g., T. Smith; MacIntyre, 64; Tushnet; Pollis and Schwab), rights discourse, like Sherman’s army, has marched relentlessly on, overwhelming everything in its path. The American concern with rights, however, is hardly a new thing. The General Assembly of Maryland in 1638 declared that all free persons of the province “Shall have and enjoy all such rights, liberties immunities, privileges and free customs within the province as any natural born subject of England” (W.H. Brown, 41); in 1641 the Massachusetts colony legislated no less than seventeen “rights, liberties, and privileges” (Collections, 216-19); and in 1677 West New Jersey issued a charter prominently featuring rights (Boyd, 83–89). In short, America’s aggressive preoccupation with rights is a theme sounded since the society’s earliest days. As one scholar declared, “No thread runs through the tangle of American politics more clearly than rights” (Zuckert, Republic, 10). In controversy after controversy—gun control, same sex marriage, sexual harassment, above all, abortion—rights continue to frame and dominate current discourse. An academic and former presidential national security adviser, looking beyond this nation’s borders, called rights “the single most magnetic idea of the contemporary time” (Brzezinski, 256).
Tax Competition and Tax Coordination in the European Union

This paper examines the tax competition literature and attempts to draw out its implications for the debate on corporate tax coordination within the EU. It begins with the early basic tax competition model, which derives conditions under which underprovision of public services occurs and tax harmonization unambiguously improves welfare for all states in the union. The paper then turns to a wide variety of extensions of this model, some of which reinforce its results and others that yield rather different conclusions. The analysis concludes by considering the implications of the tax competition literature for the debate on EU corporate tax coordination, drawing on some recent efforts to synthesize this vast literature by estimating the efficiency costs of tax competition and simulating the efficiency gains from various tax coordination palns.
Prevention of weight gain following a worksite nutrition and exercise program: a randomized controlled trial.

Background Many employers are now providing wellness programs to help employees make changes in diet and exercise behaviors. Improving health outcomes and reducing costs will depend on whether employees sustain lifestyle changes and maintain a healthy weight over time. Purpose To determine if a 9-month maintenance intervention immediately following a 10-week worksite exercise and nutrition program would prevent regain of the weight lost during the program. Design RCT. Setting/participants In 2008, a total of 330 employees from 24 teams completed a 10-week exercise and nutrition program at a large hospital worksite and were randomized by team to maintenance or control (usual care) for 9 months. Intervention Internet support with a website for goal-setting and self-monitoring of weight and exercise plus minimal personal support. Main outcome measures Weight loss, percentage weight loss, time spent in physical activity, and frequency of consumption of fruits/vegetables, fatty foods, and sugary foods at 1 year compared to baseline. One-year follow-up was completed in 2010, and data were analyzed in 2011. Results At 1 year, 238 subjects (72%) completed follow-up assessments. Mean baseline BMI was 27.6 and did not differ between intervention and control. Compared to baseline, both groups lost weight during the 10-week program and maintained 65% of weight loss at 1 year ( p p =0.53 for group X time interaction) or end of maintenance at 1 year (3.4 lbs vs 2.5 lbs, p =0.40 for group X time interaction). All subjects had improvements in physical activity and nutrition (increased fruits/vegetables and decreased fat and sugar intake) at 1 year but did not differ by group. Conclusions An intensive 10-week team-based worksite exercise and nutrition program resulted in moderate weight loss and improvements in diet and exercise behaviors at 1 year, but an Internet-based maintenance program immediately following the 10-week program did not improve these outcomes. Trial registration This study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov NCT00707577.
Integration effects in the EEC: An attempt at quantification in a general equilibrium framework

Abstract This paper presents an attempt at quantitatively examining integration effects in the EEC within a general equilibrium framework. The methodology is based on multinational input-output analysis, where the national interindustry structures of the EEC-countries are linked together via gravitational trade flows. The analysis of trade effects is of the ex post type: Hypothetical trade flows of the customs union's anti-monde are calculated for the years 1965 and 1970 on the assumption that the structural relationships observed in 1959 remained unchanged, and comparison is made with actual trade flows. The results indicate substantial trade creation. There is little trade diversion, and external trade creation, where it occurred, is generally only a small fraction of internal trade creation. Substantial trade creation occurred in Italy, France, and Germany; trade diversion appeared in the Benelux countries. Sectors with high trade creation were agriculture and manufacturing industries, while trade diversion was concentrated in fuels and mining. The results conform with ex ante expectatations based on estimates of pre-union trade resistance.
Suppression of protein turnover by amino acids in the perfused rat liver.

Abstract Regulatory effects of amino acids on rates of protein synthesis and degradation were investigated in perfused livers from nonfasted rats. In the absence of added amino acids, the rates of incorporation of valine into and its release from protein achieved stable values from 60 to 180 min of perfusion. The infusion of a mixture of amino acids similar in composition to an ovalbumin hydrolysate, but lacking leucine, isoleucine, valine, and tyrosine, suppressed the net breakdown of protein by more than 80% as reflected by an 80% inhibition of the net release of free valine. The effect was maximal at amino acid infusion rates of 132 µmoles per hour for livers averaging 5.5 g in weight. The mixture also inhibited the release of label from livers previously labeled in vivo with l-[1-14C]valine. Since the magnitude of this effect was the same after the addition of 15 mm carrier valine, we concluded that proteolysis was the primary site of action. The response appeared to depend strongly on the presence of four amino acids, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, and tryptophan, and near-maximal responses were obtained when they were infused together at their original concentrations. Small effects were observed when these amino acids were administered singly, but full responses were not obtained even at increased rates of infusion. Rates of valine incorporation into liver protein, measured in the presence of 15 mm valine, were low at the start of perfusion, but increased spontaneously to linearity by 60 min of perfusion. Infusion of the foregoing mixture of amino acids failed to influence incorporation rates, but single additions of a complete amino acid mixture, simulating 10 times plasma levels, corrected the initial reduction and also increased incorporation rates measured after 60 min. The present findings clearly show that amino acids can suppress hepatic proteolysis in the absence of any stimulation of valine incorporation and suggest that the amino acid requirement for this suppression differs from that for stimulation of protein synthesis.
Direct calculations of cavitating flows in fuel delivery pipe by the space-time CE/SE method

In this paper, we report direct calculations of cavitating pipe flows by the method of Space-Time Conservation Element and Solution Element, or the CE/SE method for short. The tenet of the CE/SE method is treating space and time as one entity, and the calculation of flow properties is based on the local and global space-time flux conservation. As a contrast to the modern upwind schemes, no Riemann solver is used, thus the logic of the present scheme for cavitating flows is much simpler. Two numerical examples are reported in this paper: (1) a hydraulic shock problem, and (2) a cavitating pipe flow. For the hydraulic shock problem, we demonstrate the capability of the CE/SE method for capturing contact discontinuities in cavitating fluids. For the pipe flows, a two-phase homogeneous equilibrium cavitation model is employed. In both cases, numerical results compared favorably with the experimental data and analytical solution.
Effects of oral contraceptives on glycerides and sterol esters of human cervical mucus

Abstract The human cervical mucus lipid components and fatty acid composition of glycerides and sterol esters in normal women and the women using oral contraceptives have been investigated. Three oral contraceptives, Ovulen-21, C-Quens, and Ovral, were studied. An increase in the weight percentages in total lipids of triglycerides, phospholipids, and cholesterol suggests that this is an effect of oral contraceptives on lipid metabolism. Cyclic variations in the fatty acid composition of glycerides and sterol esters occur in normal patients and the patients using oral contraceptives. The total fatty acids in mono-, di-, and tri-glycerides and in sterol esters become more saturated with the use of oral contraceptives. In general, pills decreased the amount of linoleic acid.
Performance of the Afirma Gene Expression Classifier in Hürthle Cell Thyroid Nodules Differs from Other Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules.

Background: The recently introduced Afirma gene expression classifier (AGEC) provides binary results (benign or suspicious) to guide management of cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules. The A...
Institutional Ownership and Tax Aggressiveness

In this paper we examine whether institutional ownership affects firm tax aggressiveness. We use five-year cash effective tax rate and yearly permanent book-tax differences to proxy for a firm’s level of tax aggressiveness. Using a sample of firms with institutional ownership data from 1995-2008, we find that firms with higher levels of total institutional ownership are generally more tax aggressiveness. When we evaluate the investment horizon of institutions by dividing total institutional ownership into short-term and long-term institutional ownership, we find that firms with relatively higher levels of short-term institutional ownership generally are more tax aggressive. In contrast, firms with relatively higher levels of long-term institutional ownership are generally less tax aggressive. Overall, our results suggest that short-term institutional shareholders influence firm management into becoming more tax aggressive in an effort to maximize firm value in the short-term. However, institutional shareholders with a longer investment horizon discourage firm tax aggressiveness.
LEAD ANALYSIS IN LUNAR MATERIALS USING CYCLOTRON IRRADIATIONS

The analysis of less than 10−9 g of the isotope204Pb in lunar samples was carried out by an (n, 2n) activation using high energy (>8. 8 MeV) neutrons. A procedure of using the neutrons produced by bombardment of a specially designed Be sample holder with deuterons in a cyclotron was developed and compared to irradiation carried out in the core of a nuclear reactor, Radiochemical separations and X ray-γ ray coincidence counting techniques are necessary to achieve the required sensitivity. Although the flux of neutrons of sufficient energy from the cyclotron procedure is somewhat lower can be obtained in the best reactor irradiations, the high radioactivity due to other elements produced by the (n, γ) reactions in the reactor is eliminated. Radiochemical procedures for the analysis of Bi, Tl, Zn in the same samples are also described.
A review of the evidence for the efficacy and safety of trazodone in insomnia.

Objective Trazodone, a triazolopyridine antidepressant, is currently the second most commonly prescribed agent for the treatment of insomnia due to its sedating qualities. Given trazodone's widespread use, a careful review of the literature was conducted to assess its efficacy and side effects when given for treatment of insomnia. Data sources In April 2003, a MEDLINE search was conducted using the search terms trazodone and insomnia and trazodone and sleep and restricted to 1980-2003, human subjects, and English language. As trazodone has been implicated in cardiac disorders, a further search was conducted using the term cardiac and trazodone. Study selection All clinical trials that measured any endpoint for insomnia efficacy were included in the assessment. A total of 18 studies were identified from the literature search. In addition, commonly used texts were consulted for information regarding adverse effects related to trazodone. Data extraction Because so few studies were identified by the literature search, all were evaluated and described. Data synthesis Evidence for the efficacy of trazodone in treating insomnia is very limited; most studies are small, conducted in populations of depressed patients, raise issues of design, and often lack objective efficacy measures. Side effects associated with trazodone are not inconsequential, with a high incidence of discontinuation due to side effects, such as sedation, dizziness, and psychomotor impairment, which raise particular concern regarding its use in the elderly. There is also some evidence of tolerance related to use of trazodone. Conclusion Given the relative absence of efficacy data in patients with insomnia and the adverse events associated with trazodone's use in general, it is uncertain whether the risk/benefit ratio warrants trazodone's use in nondepressed patients with insomnia.
Microstructure model reduction and uncertainty quantification in multiscale deformation processes

The quantification and propagation of uncertainty in multiscale deformation processes is considered. A reduced-order model for representing the data-driven stochastic microstructure input is presented. The multiscale random field representing the random microstructure is decomposed into few modes in different scales (the Rodrigues space for representing texture on mesoscale and the continuum macroscale space). Realizations from a stochastic simulation are used to obtain a small number of modes approximating the stochastic field. An example of a multiscale closed-die forging problem is provided in which the effects of uncertain initial geometry and texture on the macroscale properties are studied.
Stock authorizations: A sequential equilibrium analysis

We develop a sequential equilibrium model of the common stock authorization process. We provide conditions under which actions that increase the number of slack shares, such as stock authorizations, generate negative announcement effects.
Making Room for Many Feminisms: The Dominance of the Liberal Political Perspective in the Psychology of Women Course.

There is a pervasive but implicit emphasis on a liberal feminist political agenda within the field of the psychology of women. This perspective is reflected by and inadvertently reproduced in many introductory texts to the psychology of women, although the perspective is usually unacknowledged. I argue that authors need to make their political perspectives explicit and to find ways to include other feminist viewpoints. Greater inclusion of socialist and radical feminist theoretical perspectives will strengthen the discipline of feminist psychology and promote greater inclusion of marginalized groups.
Multivariate analysis and visualization of soil quality data for no-till systems

To evidence the multidimensionality of the soil quality concept, we propose the use of data visualization as a tool for exploratory data analyses, model building, and diagnostics. Our objective was to establish the best edaphic indicators for assessing soil quality in four no-till systems with regard to functioning as a medium for crop production and nutrient cycling across two Illinois locations. The compared situations were no-till corn-soybean rotations including either winter fallowing (C/S) or cover crops of rye (Secale cereale; C-R/S-R), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa; C-R/S-V), or their mixture (C-R/S-VR). The dataset included the variables bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), water aggregate stability (WAS), soil reaction (pH), and the contents of soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), soil nitrates (NO(3)-N), and available phosphorus (P). Interactive data visualization along with canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) allowed us to show that WAS, BD, and the contents of P, TN, and SOM have the greatest potential as soil quality indicators in no-till systems in Illinois. It was more difficult to discriminate among WCC rotations than to separate these from C/S, considerably inflating the error rate associated with CDA. We predict that observations of no-till C/S will be classified correctly 51% of the time, while observations of no-till WCC rotations will be classified correctly 74% of the time. High error rates in CDA underscore the complexity of no-till systems and the need in this area for more long-term studies with larger datasets to increase accuracy to acceptable levels.
Geodynamics: A tale of a trail

A mantle plume origin for the Samoan hotspot has been contested because the ages along its putative trail did not seem to increase monotonically. New dates from the island of Savai'i resolve the controversy and favour a plume origin.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin is instrumental in the pathogenesis of antibody-mediated nephritis in mice.

Objective The mechanism by which anti-DNA antibodies mediate lupus nephritis has yet to be conclusively determined. Previously, we found that treatment of mesangial cells with anti-DNA antibodies induced high expression of Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), an iron-binding protein upregulated in response to kidney injury. However, whether NGAL is instrumental in pathogenesis, induced as part of repair, or irrelevant to damage/repair pathways, is not known.
Evolving paradigm in the management of allergic rhinitis-associated ocular symptoms: role of intranasal corticosteroids.

Background: Along with nasal symptoms, ocular symptoms such as itching, tearing, and redness are common, bothersome components of the allergic rhinitis (AR) profile. Treatment of the patient with o...
Behaviorally-induced cardiovascular reactivity among sons of reported hypertensive and normotensive parents

Abstract The principal purpose of this investigation was to contrast the stress-related cardiovascular responses of sons of reported hypertensive and normotensive parents in a sample of 80 young adult volunteers. Each subject was scheduled for a single, one-hour experimental session. Measures of heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were obtained during baseline periods and while subjects performed a difficult and frustrating cognitive task. Each subject also completed a standard family health inventory and, after exclusion of individuals indicating lack of information, uncertainty regarding parental health status, or otherwise providing unusable data (e.g. adopted sons), 20 of 69 remaining subjects reported a parental history of hypertension. Results indicated that relative to sons of normotensives, subjects reporting a hypertensive parent exhibited significantly higher mean SBP measurements during their performance of the experimental task, but not during a preceding (i.e. pre-task) baseline interval. Subsequent analyses also revealed that among subjects exhibiting the most appreciable HR acceleration in response to the experimental stressor, reported histories of parental hypertension were associated with elevated SBP measurements during both baseline and task periods. No similar relationships were observed with respect to DBP.
Counting span and the identification of primary language impairment.

Background: In recent research, verbal working memory has been proposed as a primary area of deficit for children with language impairment (LI), and therefore a source of more sensitive assessment measures. In addition, research on non‐linguistic tasks has suggested that children with LI may have deficits that extend beyond the linguistic domain. These dual lines of research can be connected to the drive for non‐biased assessment tasks for children with diverse language learning experiences (such as bilingual children), because linguistic tasks may be intrinsically biased against such children.Aims: To investigate the usefulness of a working‐memory task with a minimal linguistic load as a potential screening tool for children with primary LI.Methods & Procedures: Three groups of children aged 7;10–13;11 participated in the study: monolingual English‐speaking children with LI, typical monolingual English‐speaking children, and typical Spanish–English bilingual children with several years of English experie...
Nonlinear dynamics of the bi-stable piezoelectric wind energy harvester

A nonlinear piezoelectric wind energy harvester is proposed which has a low startup wind speed and is not restricted to a specific wind speed. By using the piezoelectric transduction mechanism, the gearbox is eliminated from the system and the start up speed is improved. Permanent magnets are placed in the blade part of the windmill. The interactions between the rotating magnets, positioned on the blades, and the tip magnets mounted on the piezoelectric beams directly and parametrically excite the beams. The nonlinear magnetic force makes the vibrations of the beams nonlinear and can make the beams bi-stable. This phenomenon is utilized to enhance the power output and to improve the robustness of the power production. Two designs are presented which incorporate parametric and ordinary excitations to generate electric power. The performance of each design is examined through experimental investigations. An analytic model is developed which is verified by the experimental results and explains the nonlinear phenomena captured by the experimental investigations.
Creating the perfect video stream

Users continue to have ubiquitous access to internet powered video content - giving them many choices for the media they choose to watch. However, even with the availability of millions of hours of internet video, consumers spend a significant amount of time on traditional TV - that too, despite lack of personalization and fixed set of mainstream content. Perhaps the reason for success of linear TV is its simplicity - you just turn it on if you want to spend an hour watching something with your friends or family and content just streams to you. In contrast, on the internet, we have a vast amount of diverse & unique video content, successful social networks for sharing this content, and fundamental technologies that personalize your experiences. Furthermore, with continued emergence of internet-connected TVs and devices that make IP delivered video easily accessible in your living room, the emerging problem is one of generating the perfect, personalized video stream - "Your Channel" in contrast to "A channel". How do we organize and build such a video stream that is relevant and interesting? In this talk, we will discuss experiments and solutions to creating this perfect video stream - how do we balance consistency with interestingness? How do we mesh social influence versus meta-data relevance? How we can leverage and learn from human curation? The talk concludes with a summary of challenges and opportunities for researchers working in the related areas of multimedia, search and social networks.
Exciplex fluorescence thermometry of falling hexadecane droplets

Exciplex fluorescence thermometry has been used to measure the temperature of 283 micron hexadecane droplets falling through a quiescent, oxygen-free, approximately 500 C ambient. After a period of negligible change, the derived droplet temperatures exhibit a sharp rise of about 100 C followed by a gentle increase to approximately 200 C. The derived temperatures, although averaged over most of the volume of the droplet, still provide some evidence of internal processes in the droplet due to the partially selective optical sampling of the droplet volume, in which fluorescence from the region between 0.50 and 0.75 of the droplet is presumed to be approximately homogeneous, and the exciplex fluorescence thermometry measurements provide accurate, interpretable temperatures for the freely falling droplets.
A Conserved Motif Present in a Class of Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins Activates Transcription by Direct Recruitment of the SAGA Complex

The class I helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins, which include E2A, HEB, and E2-2, have been shown to be required for lineage-specific gene expression during T and B lymphocyte development. Additionally, the E2A proteins function to regulate V(D)J recombination, possibly by allowing access of variable region segments to the recombination machinery. The mechanisms by which E2A regulates transcription and recombination, however, are largely unknown. Here, we identify a novel motif, LDFS, present in the vertebrate class I HLH proteins as well as in a yeast HLH protein that is essential for transactivation. We provide both genetic and biochemical evidence that the highly conserved LDFS motif stimulates transcription by direct recruitment of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex.
Electrochemical measurements of oligonucleotides in the presence of chromosomal DNA using membrane-covered carbon electrodes.

Substantial improvements in the selectivity of electrochemical measurements of trace nucleic acids are obtained by using membrane-covered carbon disk electrodes. Access to the electrode surface can be manipulated via a judicious choice of the membrane molecular weight cutoff (MWCO). The resulting separation step, performed in situ at the electrode surface, adds a new dimension of selectivity based on molecular size to electroanalysis of nucleic acids. Transport properties are evaluated with respect to the oligonucleotide length and membrane MWCO. A highly selective response is observed for synthetic oligonucleotides in the presence of otherwise interfering chromosomal DNAs. Discrimination among oligonucleotides of different lengths is also possible. Short accumulation periods (1−5 min) are sufficient for convenient measurements of low milligram per liter concentrations.
Analysis of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in cereal grains by immunoaffinity clean-up and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

A sensitive, precise and accurate method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in cereal grains at ppb levels using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection and 1-antroylnitrile (1-AN) as labeling reagent after immunoaffinity clean-up. Cereal samples were extracted with methanol/water (90:10, v/v), and the extracts were cleaned-up through commercially available immunoaffinity columns containing monoclonal anti-T-2 antibodies (T-2 test HPLC, Vicam). T-2 and HT-2 toxins were quantified by reversed-phase HPLC with fluorometric detection (excitation wavelength 381 nm, emission wavelength 470 nm) after derivatization with 1-AN. The monoclonal antibody showed 100% cross-reactivity with both T-2 and HT-2 toxin, and the immunoaffinity column clean-up was effective up to 1.4 microg of both toxins. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of T-2 and HT-2 toxins in wheat, maize and barley. Recoveries from spiked samples with toxin levels from 25 to 500 microg/kg ranged from 70% to 100%, with relative standard deviation generally lower than 8%. The limit of detection of the method was 5 microg/kg for T-2 toxin and 3 microg/kg for HT-2 toxin, based on a signal-to-noise ratio 3:1. HT-2 toxin was detected in ten naturally contaminated wheat samples out of 14 samples analyzed, with toxin levels ranging from 10 to 71 microg/kg; three of them contained also T-2 toxin up to 12 microg/kg.
Gluthathione and ocular photobiology

Glutathione is present in both the reduced and oxidized form in the cornea, aqueous humor, ocular lens and retina. In these tissues it serves a variety of functions including maintaining normal tissue hydration (in the cornea) detoxifying peroxides and electrophilic compounds via enzymatic pathways and acting as a free radical scavenger to protect against photoinduced damage.In the ocular lens, glutathione levels decrease with aging and cataract formation. Recent evidence which may account in part for this phenomenon suggests that glutathione is altered when subjected to UV radiation in the presence of H2O2. Analyses employing fluorescence, phosphorescence, UV absorption and proton mode NMR spectroscopy demonstrate that UV exposure does alter both the reduced and oxidized forms of glutathione, producing the same final products. Moreover, while H2O2 speeds up the process, it is not essential to the reaction.
Information Processing Strategies Used in the Encoding of Linear Orderings.

Two linear orderings of the form A > B > C > D were incorporated into a meaningful paragraph by describing the pairwise relations between the four terms. Subjects were given the paragraph to study, and were then tested for their knowledge of the two orderings. Responses to the remote pairs, A > C, B > D, and A > D, were faster and more accurate than responses to the adjacent pairs, A > B, B > C, and C > D. This was found even when the remote pairs were never presented and had to be deduced from the adjacent pairs. This result is inconsistent with any theory which argues that subjects learn the orderings by storing some subset of the pairs comprising that ordering, as well as with any simple associationistic chaining theory of serial learning.
Trunk sway during walking among older adults: Norms and correlation with gait velocity

The aim of this study was to establish quantitative norms for trunk sway during walking for older male and female ambulatory adults at different age groups (65-70, 71-75, 76-80, ≥81). We also assessed the relationship between dynamic trunk sway and gait velocity in older individuals with clinically normal or abnormal gaits. Trunk sway in medio-lateral (roll) and antero-posterior (pitch) planes was measured using a body-mounted gyroscope (SwayStar) during walking on a 4.5 m long instrumented walkway. Of the 284 older adults (mean age 76.8, 54.6% women) in this sample, the mean ± SD value of roll and pitch angles were 6.0 ± 2.0° and 6.7 ± 2.2° respectively. Older women showed significantly greater trunk sway in both roll and pitch angles than older men (p<0.01). In both men and women, there was no significant association of roll angle with age although gait velocity decreased with increasing age. The relationship between roll angle and gait velocity was U-shaped for the overall sample. Among the subgroup with clinically normal gait, increased roll angle was associated with increased gait velocity (p<0.001). However, there was no significant relationship between roll angle and gait velocity among the subgroup with abnormal gait. Therefore, the relationship between medio-lateral trunk sway and gait velocity differs depending on whether gait is clinically normal. We conclude that trunk sway during walking should be interpreted with consideration of both gait velocity and presence of gait abnormality in older adults.
Analysis of efficacy and cost effectiveness of popular weight loss and fitness programs

Background Obesity is associated with many negative health outcomes. Diet and exercise has been shown to reduce obesity and various other factors linked to poor health. One of the major concerns is the expense of diet and exercise programs. This study compared the cost effectiveness of four popular weight loss programs and controls in terms of weight loss success and outcomes. Methods
A Note on Computational Methods in Lexicographic Linear Goal Programming

(1983). A Note on Computational Methods in Lexicographic Linear Goal Programming. Journal of the Operational Research Society: Vol. 34, No. 6, pp. 539-542.
Adenylate cyclase activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoY can mediate bleb-niche formation in epithelial cells and contributes to virulence.

We previously showed that ADP-ribosylation (ADP-r) activity of ExoS, a type III secreted toxin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enables bacterial replication in corneal and respiratory epithelial cells and correlates with bacterial trafficking to plasma membrane blebs (bleb-niche formation). Here, we explored another type III secreted toxin, ExoY, for its impact on intracellular trafficking and survival, and for virulence in vivo using a murine corneal infection model. Chromosomal or plasmid-mediated expression of exoY in invasive P. aeruginosa (strain PAO1) enabled bacteria to form and traffic to epithelial membrane blebs in the absence of other known effectors. In contrast, plasmid expression of any of four adenylate cyclase mutant forms of exoY did not enable bleb-niche formation, and bacteria localized to perinuclear vacuoles as for effector-null mutant controls. None of the plasmid-complemented bacteria used in this study showed ADP-r activity in the absence of ExoS and ExoT. In contrast to ADP-r activity of ExoS, bleb-niche formation induced by ExoY's adenylate cyclase activity was not accompanied by enhanced intracellular replication. In vivo results showed that ExoY-adenylate cyclase activity promoted P. aeruginosa corneal virulence in susceptible mice. Together the data show that adenylate cyclase activity of P. aeruginosa ExoY, similarly to the ADP-r activity of ExoS, can mediate bleb-niche formation in epithelial cells. While this activity did not promote intracellular replication in vitro, ExoY conferred increased virulence in vivo in susceptible mice. Mechanisms for bleb-niche formation and relationships to intracellular replication and virulence in vivo require further investigation for both ExoS and ExoY.
Environmental Passivation and Temperature Cycling of PCBM - Polymer Solar Cells

In the present work, polymer solar cells were fabricated from composite blends of poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and poly(3-hexylthiophene)-(P3HT with PCBM[60] and PCBM[70]. The composite blends were used as active layers in an ITO/PEDOT:PSS/active layer/Al device structure. Power conversion efficiencies have been measured from current-voltage (I-V) measurements for each of these different composite blends under simulated AM1.5 illumination. In the case of the MEH-PPV devices, theI-V performance has been measured as a function of polymer molecular weight, type of fullerene derivative (C60 or C70), and PCBM:polymer ratios. The highest efficiencies for the ranges used in this study were obtained using the 150,000 g/mol MEH-PPV molecular weight, the C70 PCBM derivative, and a 1:4 MEH-PPV:PCBM ratio. The effect of thermal cycling on theI-V performance for both MEH-PPV and P3HT devices has also been measured from 77K to 330K. The devices exhibited a positive temperature coefficient for the short-circuit current density (Jsc), which dominated the overall efficiency of the device over this temperature range. Finally, the use of a combination of parylene and polymethylmethacralate for device passivation was shown to provide a dramatic reduction in device degradation under ambient conditions as compared to non-passivated devices.
From simple desires to ordinary beliefs: The early development of everyday psychology

We provide evidence for the claim that before young children construe human action in terms of beliefs and desires they understand action only in terms of simple desires. This type of naive psychology--a simple desire psychology--constitutes a coherent understanding of human action, but it differs from the belief--desire psychology of slightly older children and adults. In this paper we characterize what we mean by a simple desire psychology and report two experiments. In Experiment 1 we demonstrate that 2-year-old can predict actions and reactions related to simple desires. In Experiment 2 we demonstrate that many 2-year-old pass desire reasoning tasks while at the same time failing belief reasoning tasks that are passed by slightly older children, and that are as comparable as possible to the desire tasks they pass with ease.
Low-velocity impact damage progression in woven E-glass composite systems

The objective of this experimental study is to obtain a detailed understanding of the effects of reinforcement geometry on damage progression in woven composite panels under repeated drop-weight impact loading conditions. The composite systems included a 2D plain-woven laminate, a 3D orthogonally woven monolith, and a biaxially reinforced warp-knit. The radial spread of damage was smallest for the 2D laminates and largest for the 3D woven composites. The 3D composites had the greatest resistance to penetration and dissipated more total energy than the other systems. This is due to unique energy absorption mechanisms, which involve the crimped portion of z-tows in the 3D composites, and implies that failure can be controlled by manipulation of the properties of the z-tows. The 3D systems provide both an inherent capability to dissipate energy over a larger area and a greater perforation strength than other systems with comparable areal densities and fiber-volume-fractions.
The complexity of non-hierarchical clustering with instance and cluster level constraints

Recent work has looked at extending clustering algorithms with instance level must-link (ML) and cannot-link (CL) background information. Our work introduces ? and ? cluster level constraints that influence inter-cluster distances and cluster composition. The addition of background information, though useful at providing better clustering results, raises the important feasibility question: Given a collection of constraints and a set of data, does there exist at least one partition of the data set satisfying all the constraints? We study the complexity of the feasibility problem for each of the above constraints separately and also for combinations of constraints. Our results clearly delineate combinations of constraints for which the feasibility problem is computationally intractable (i.e., NP-complete) from those for which the problem is efficiently solvable (i.e., in the computational class P). We also consider the ML and CL constraints in conjunctive and disjunctive normal forms (CNF and DNF respectively). We show that for ML constraints, the feasibility problem is intractable for CNF but efficiently solvable for DNF. Unfortunately, for CL constraints, the feasibility problem is intractable for both CNF and DNF. This effectively means that CL-constraints in a non-trivial form cannot be efficiently incorporated into clustering algorithms. To overcome this, we introduce the notion of a choice-set of constraints and prove that the feasibility problem for choice-sets is efficiently solvable for both ML and CL constraints. We also present empirical results which indicate that the feasibility problem occurs extensively in real world problems.
Antioxidant protection of cerebellar β-adrenergic receptor function in aged F344 rats

We examined whether a 2-week treatment with the spin-trapping agent MDL 101.002 (MDL) or a diet supplemented with vitamin E (Vit E) would alleviate age-related deficits in cerebellar noradrenergic function of male 18-20 month old F344 rats compared to age-matched controls. Cerebellar beta-adrenergic receptor function was assessed using extracellular recordings of Purkinje cells during iontophoresis of GABA and isoproterenol (ISO). Noradrenergic receptor function of MDL and Vit E-treated rats was similar to young rats whereas for non-treated rats it was typical of that previously recorded in aged rats. Thus, treatment with MDL or Vit E reverses age-related deficits in cerebellar noradrenergic receptor function.
A multiperipheral model with continued cross channel unitarity

Abstract We derive, by using a spectral representation in momentum transfer, t , an integral equation, similar in structure to a multipheral equation, with continued cross channel unitarity, for the absorptive part for a composite particle scattering amplitude from a Bethe-Salpeter equation describing composite particle scattering in the s channel. At high energy in the t channel, the equation becomes homogeneous and has a Reggeized solution. We indicate how this equation may be solved using determinental techniques. We also show how the composite particle amplitude resulting from the original equation may be used to construct production and three body amplitudes. We also infer the possibility of studying, using the amplitude from the cross channel problem, the effect of extra unitarity on Reggeon-Reggeon-particle vertices.
DMSO in otology.

The most controversial therapeutic agent in the past decade has been dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), an industrial solvent to which great healing powers have been attributed. After initial laboratory testing, DMSO was rapidly introduced into veterinarian medicine and clinical medicine as an experimental agent with the ability to relieve pain, reduce swelling and edema in trauma, to show anesthetic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically to the skin. Ninety percent DMSO was used alone and in conjunction with alkaloids and antibiotics to test the clinical properties attributed to this drug. Although DMSO was found not to be ototoxic, laboratory and clinical testing which included double blind studies on patients with otological infections demonstrated that DMSO had no antibacterial, anesthetic or anti-inflammatory properties when applied within the external auditory canal. There was no indication that 90% DMSO, when combined with these various preparations, potentiated or acted synergistically to enhance their penetration through the dermal barrier.
Having a Child Diagnosed With Cancer: An Assessment of Values From the Mother's Viewpoint

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the mother's experience of having a child diagnosed with cancer. Semistructured interview questions, focused specifically on values, provided the foundation for the study. Each of the 9 participants was a mother of a child diagnosed with cancer 30 days prior to participation. Subsequent data were collected from each participant 6 months after the original interview. Using a phenomenological approach for data collection and analyses, themes were uncovered from each interview data set. The initial interviews identified 3 themes: (1) problems accessing the health care system, (2) challenges of family dynamics, and (3) support structures. Each theme persisted in the second interview, with an additional theme, (4) future plans, uncovered. Data from this study may provide guidance for health care professionals who provide care to these children and their families. The importance of maintaining communication and keeping promises cannot be overstated.
Permselectivity of zeolite filled polysulfone gas separation membranes

Abstract Gas permeabilities of molecular sieve 13X filled polysulfone and unblended polysulfone membranes fabricated by a melt extrusion process were measured by a constant volume technique at room temperature. The relative permeation rates of the industrially important gases were found to be in the order H 2 ⪢He⪢CO 2 ⪢O 2 ⪢CH 4 ≈N 2 .