cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low speed MHD Couette flow of a slightly rarefied and electrically conducting gas

The effects of an applied magnetic field on the steady, laminar, low speed plane Couette flow of a slightly rarefied and electrically conducting gas are studied. Consideration is given to the slip-flow regime, wherein the gas rarefaction begins to play its important role. The generally accepted method of analysis for slip flows is utilized, i.e. the continuum magnetohydrodynamic equations of motion are used throughout the gas, together with the first and the second order slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions. Considerations are further given to (1) the case of zero electric field and (2) the case of a nonconducting channel in which the net current across the channel is zero.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Uptake, Knowledge, and Acceptance for Youth: A Systematic Review of Appalachia

Though vaccine uptake and public support have risen since the release of the first HPV vaccines, the United States has far lower initiation and completion rates for the HPV vaccine series in comparison to other vaccines indicated for youth. Disparities are even greater in the Appalachian regions. Understanding factors contributing to these discrepancies is vital to improving vaccine rates in Appalachia. A comprehensive literature search identified all articles pertaining to HPV vaccination in children and adolescents living in Appalachia. The final 15 articles were included in a systematic review of the topic.
The Prediction of Strong Ground Motion

The prediction of motion for use in engineering design must rely both on empirical and theoretical methods. The methods complement on another, for the empirical analyses provide checks on the theory and help to determine the parameters necessary in the theoretical predictions. In this paper, I will give short discussions of both the empirical and theoretical methods for predicting strong motion that I and my colleagues have been doing over the last several years.
Fatal hydrocarbon lipoid pneumonia and pneumonitis secondary to automatic transmission fluid ingestion.

This is the first reported case of an unusual exogeneous lipoid pneumonia with marked interstitial pneumonitis and fibrosis along with generalized diffuse omental oozing developing in a 14-month-old child following ingestion of automatic transmission fluid.
Selection Pressure Pathways and Mechanisms of Resistance to the Demethylation Inhibitor-Difenoconazole in Penicillium expansum.

Penicillium expansum causes blue mold, the most economically important postharvest disease of pome fruit worldwide. Beside sanitation practices, the disease is managed through fungicide applications at harvest. Difenoconazole (DIF) is a new demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicide registered recently to manage postharvest diseases of pome fruit. Herein, we evaluated the sensitivity of 130 P. expansum baseline isolates never exposed to DIF and determined the effective concentration (EC50) necessary to inhibit 50% germination, germ tube length, and mycelial growth. The respective mean EC50 values were 0.32, 0.26, and 0.18 µg/ml indicate a high susceptibility of P. expansum baseline isolates to DIF supported by a full and extended control efficacy in vivo after 6 months of storage at 1°C. We conducted a risk assessment for DIF-resistance development using ultraviolet excitation combined with or without DIF-selection pressure to generate and characterize lab mutants. Fifteen DIF-resistant mutants had EC50 values of 0.92 to 1.4 µg/ml and 1.7 to 3.8 µg/ml without and with a DIF selection pressure, respectively, and resistance was stable in vitro over a 10-week period without selection pressure. A tyrosine to phenylalanine mutation was found at codon 126 (Y126F) of the CYP51 gene in all of the 15 mutants but absent in the wild-type parental isolates of P. expansum. Resistance factors increased 5 to 15-fold in the mutants compared to the wild-type -isolates. DIF-resistant mutants also displayed enhanced CYP51 expression by 2 to 14-fold and was positively correlated with the EC50 values (R2 = 0.8264). No-cross resistance was observed with the mixing-partner fludioxonil. Our findings suggest P. expansum resistance to DIF is likely to emerge in commercial packinghouse once used frequently. Future research is need to investigate if DIF-resistance is qualitative or quantitative which will be determinant in the speed at which resistance will develop and spread in this pome fruit-Penicillium pathosystem and to develop appropriate strategies to preserve the lifespan of this new fungicide.
Ten Years after the Financial Crisis: A Conversation with Timothy Geithner

Lehman Brothers’ failure and the vulnerabilities of the large investment banks and other nonbank financial institutions were a major part of the 2007-09 financial crisis. Ten years after the crisis, the Federal Reserve’s decisions about how to respond to the potential failures of these institutions remain among the most controversial it made during the crisis.
Carotenoid Presence Is Associated with the Or Gene in Domesticated Carrot

Carrots are among the richest sources of provitamin A carotenes in the human diet, but genetic variation in the carotenoid pathway does not fully explain the high levels of carotenoids in carrot roots. Using a diverse collection of modern and historic domesticated varieties, and wild carrot accessions, an association analysis for orange pigmentation revealed a significant genomic region that contains the Or gene, advancing it as a candidate for carotenoid presence in carrot. Analysis of sequence variation at the Or locus revealed a nonsynonymous mutation cosegregating with carotenoid content. This mutation was absent in all wild carrot samples and nearly fixed in all orange domesticated samples. Or has been found to control carotenoid presence in other crops but has not previously been described in carrot. Our analysis also allowed us to more completely characterize the genetic structure of carrot, showing that the Western domesticated carrot largely forms one genetic group, despite dramatic phenotypic differences among market classes. Eastern domesticated and wild accessions form a second group, which reflects the recent cultivation history of carrots in Central Asia. Other wild accessions form distinct geographic groups, particularly on the Iberian peninsula and in Northern Africa. Using genome-wide Fst, nucleotide diversity, and the cross-population composite likelihood ratio, we analyzed the genome for regions putatively under selection during domestication and identified 12 regions that were significant for all three methods of detection, one of which includes the Or gene. The Or domestication allele appears to have been selected after the initial domestication of yellow carrots in the East, near the proposed center of domestication in Central Asia. The rapid fixation of the Or domestication allele in almost all orange and nonorange carrots in the West may explain why it has not been found with less genetically diverse mapping populations.
Foregrounding intersectionality in rural youth’s schooling experiences in China: a queer re-reading

AbstractThis article uses a queer lens in an intersectional analysis of students’ schooling experiences in rural China. I argue that a queer perspective has been largely neglected and issues relate...
Leading Two-loop corrections to the mass of Higgs boson in the High scale Dirac gaugino supersymmetry

Precision measurements of the Higgs mass have become a powerful constraint on models of physics beyond the standard model. We revisit supersymmetric models with Dirac gauginos and study the contributions to the Higgs mass. We calculate the leading two-loop corrections to the SM-like Higgs mass by constructing a series of EFTs and iteratively integrating out heavy particles. We then apply these calculations to a variety of scenarios, including a simple Dirac gluino, and split Dirac models of supersymmetry. We present the detailed formulae for threshold corrections and compare with previous results, where available. In general, the contributions are small, but the additional precision allows us to make more concrete statements about the relevant scales in Dirac SUSY models.
From Epistemic Trespassing to Transdisciplinary Cooperation: The Role of Expertise in the Identification of Usual Care.

According to Macklin and Natanson (2020), one reason unusual practices can be misidentified as usual care is that “instead of using pertinent, accurate information describing usual care, investigat...
Honoring the past in the present: Embracing the margins as a space of radical openness through participatory action research

Classical paradigms of research often follow a tradition that leaves out the lives of many minoritized and racialized communities. Many Research I universities exist as social bubbles, with little interaction with the communities that surround them. The research that these universities conduct often objectifies communities and does not address the important questions they have. This article shares how a participatory action research (PAR) collaborative was founded and developed, and the projects in which we engaged, and discusses how this approach is situated within the research/academic paradigm within universities.
Concordance of Reports of Intimate Partner Violence Across Partners and Measures: The Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) is frequently used to assess intimate partner violence (IPV), but consistently yields low to moderate interpartner concordance of reports. Interpartner co...
Power Spectral Density Background Estimate and Signal Detection via the Multitaper Method.

In the spectral analysis of time series, the necessity of a robust determination of the background power spectrum and identification of discrete power enhancements, due to the occurrence of periodi...
Comparison of axillary and inguinal body temperature to rectal temperature in healthy guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

ABSTRACT Background: Core body temperature is a crucial health parameter. Temperature aberrations can indicate certain infectious or inflammatory disorders, influence clinical management decisions, and serve as a prognostic indicator for patient recovery. Historically, rectal temperature measurements have been utilized in small companion zoologic animals. However, there is a growing interest in less invasive methods including auricular and axillary measurements to determine core body temperature. Methods: Temperature measurements were obtained from three locations (axillary [AT], inguinal [IT], and rectal [RT]) in a randomized order and performed in duplicate in 40 healthy guinea pigs during a handling period spanning less than 3 minutes. Results: Obtaining RT was safely performed in all animals. IT (mean = 38.1°C) and AT (mean 38.5°C) were significantly lower than RT (mean = 38.8°C; P
Dangers of “Making Diversity Visible”: Historicizing Metrics of Science Achievement in U.S. Education Policy

Science achievement is often taken for granted as itself the inequality that must be remediated to permit greater social equality, access, and inclusion. Where prior critiques of Science-for-All reforms invoke a divide between policy rhetoric and classroom reality, I argue that policy is not mere rhetoric. Education policy actively produces typologies of students and science curricula as authorized by inherited metrics of science achievement. This chapter historically examines how science achievement emerged as a psychological category and calculable attribute in the early twentieth century. The design and calibration of these early tests drew upon sociological taxonomies, religious hierarchies, and cultural distinctions to stabilize science achievement as both a criterion of the ideal American citizen and a universalized standard of comparison. Juxtaposing this history with current U.S. and international policy reports, I argue that today’s efforts to include “diverse groups” by closing science achievement gaps retain expectations about the desired future citizen that inadvertently marginalize those projected as outside these norms.
MRI Criteria for Meniscal Ramp Lesions of the Knee in Children With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tears

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of MRI criteria for identifying meniscal ramp lesions in children with concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, with arthroscopy used as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This retrospective study included 85 children who underwent a preoperative MRI examination and arthroscopically guided primary ACL reconstruction between June 1, 2017, and December 31, 2019. Blinded to arthroscopic findings, two radiologists reviewed all MRI examinations and reached consensus on the presence or absence of an effusion and various findings within the medial and lateral tibiofemoral joints. Chi-square, Fisher exact, independent t, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare MRI findings between patients with and without arthroscopically confirmed meniscal ramp lesions. RESULTS. At arthroscopy, 35 children (23 boys and 12 girls; mean [± SD] age, 15.7 ± 2.0 years) had ramp lesions and 50 children (22 boys and 28 girls; mean age, 15.1 ± 2.4 years) had intact meniscocapsular junctions. Knees in which a ramp lesion was observed were significantly more likely to have MRI findings of a medial meniscus tear (p = .005), peripheral meniscal irregularity (p = .001), junctional T2-weighted signal (p < .001), and a meniscocapsular ligament tear (p < .001). No significant difference was found between children with and without ramp lesions with regard to the presence of an effusion (p = .65) or a lateral meniscus tear (p = .08) or the extent of medial and lateral tibial plateau marrow edema (p = .67 and p = .83, respectively). CONCLUSION. MRI findings associated with an arthroscopic diagnosis of meniscal ramp lesion include medial meniscus tear, peripheral meniscal irregularity, junctional fluidlike signal, and capsular ligament tear.
Virality, Algorithms, and Illiberal Attacks on the Press: Legitimation Strategies for a New World

Historically, professional journalism has justified its importance through a series of binary oppositions that privileged objectivity over opinion, news over entertainment, impartiality over partisanship, and public interest over profit. Over the last half century these distinctions have become increasingly destabilized, and the press finds itself under attack from a number of different directions. This article examines the social forces that have combined to challenge press authority: (1) the changing ownership structure and revenue model for news organizations, (2) the shifting dynamics of media influence made possible by convergence culture and algorithmic culture, and (3) the attacks on expertise made possible by the spread of neoliberal and populist rhetorics in the public sphere. After describing this challenging new media climate, the article finishes by examining the different legitimation strategies journalists have used to defend themselves, considering the different challenges and constraints they confront when articulating these strategies as well as the different potential alliances that are available to them.
Deficits of Hippocampal RNA Editing and Social Interaction Resulting from Prenatal Stress are Mitigated by Clozapine

Background: Neurodevelopmental deficits resulting from prenatal stress are associated with neurological disorders that include deficits of social behavior, such as schizophrenia and autism. Studies of human brain and animal models indicate that an epitranscriptomic process known as RNA editing contributes to the pathophysiology of these disorders, which occur more frequently in males than in females. RNA editing plays an important role in brain development through its modification of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Methods: We exposed pregnant mice to restraint stress three times daily during gestational weeks 2 and 3. We treated the adult male offspring with haloperidol (1mg/kg), clozapine (5mg/kg) or saline twice daily for 5 days. Subsequently we measured social interaction behavior (SI) and locomotor activity, followed by next-generation sequencing analyses of hippocampal RNA editing. Results: Mice exposed to PRS exhibited reduced SI, which correlated with hippocampal RNA editing of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunits GluA2, GluA3 and GluA4, the potassium channel Kv1.1, the calcium channel subunit Cav1.3, calcium-dependent secretion activator (CAPS-1) and the calcium-dependent cell adhesion protein, cadherin 22 (CDH22). Treatment with clozapine, but not haloperidol, normalized SI behavior, and selectively reduced the deficits in GluA2 RNA editing in PRS mice. Conclusions: RNA editing may contribute to impaired hippocampal function after exposure to PRS. The efficacy of clozapine in improving SI behavior may include indirect stimulation of GluA2 RNA editing in the hippocampus. Although these data are from male mice and not humans, the results suggest a new molecular pathway by which PRS leads to life-long impairments of hippocampal function.
Time beyond traits: Time perspective dimensions, personality traits, and substance use in adolescents

Abstract We examined associations between time perspective dimensions and substance use, after controlling for personality traits in adolescents. Time perspective was defined as feelings and orientations toward the past, present, and future, and substance use included tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs. The Five-Factor Model of personality (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness) was used. Participants were 791 adolescents (Mage = 15.82, SD = 1.23; 56% female). Findings indicated that (a) negative feelings about time and (b) having an orientation toward the past over the present and future were positively associated with greater substance use. Sequential regression analyses indicated that both time feelings and time orientation were associated with substance use above and beyond personality traits. Multivariate analyses also indicated that time perspective dimensions were related to personality traits with generally small to moderate associations, showing that the constructs were independent. Results support the notions that time perspective dimensions are distinct from personality traits in adolescents and that time perspective dimensions may be modifiable mechanisms used to change human behaviors including substance use in adolescents. The findings have implications for adolescent substance use interventions that target time perspective dimensions.
Identification of a Novel Inflamed Tumor Microenvironment Signature as a Predictive Biomarker of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Immunotherapy in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Purpose: Improved risk stratification and predictive biomarkers of treatment response are needed for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Here we assessed the clinical utility of targeted RNA and DNA molecular profiling in NMIBC. Experimental Design: Gene expression in NMIBC samples was profiled by NanoString nCounter, an RNA quantification platform, from two independent cohorts (n = 28, n = 50); targeted panel sequencing was performed in a subgroup (n = 50). Gene signatures were externally validated using two RNA sequencing datasets of NMIBC tumors (n = 438, n = 73). Established molecular subtype classifiers and novel gene expression signatures were assessed for associations with clinicopathologic characteristics, somatic tumor mutations, and treatment outcomes. Results: Molecular subtypes distinguished between low-grade Ta tumors with FGFR3 mutations and overexpression (UROMOL-class 1) and tumors with more aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics (UROMOL-classes 2 and 3), which were significantly enriched with TERT promoter mutations. However, UROMOL subclasses were not associated with recurrence after bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy in two independent cohorts. In contrast, a novel expression signature of an inflamed tumor microenvironment (TME) was associated with improved recurrence-free survival after BCG. Expression of immune checkpoint genes (PD-L1/PD-1/CTLA-4) was associated with an inflamed TME, but not with higher recurrence rates after BCG. FGFR3 mutations and overexpression were both associated with low immune signatures. Conclusions: Assessment of the immune TME, rather than molecular subtypes, is a promising predictive biomarker of BCG response. Modulating the TME in an immunologically “cold” tumor warrants further investigation. Integrated transcriptomic and exome sequencing should improve treatment selection in NMIBC.
RNA helicases required for viral propagation in humans

RNA viruses cause many routine illnesses, such as the common cold and the flu. Recently, more deadly diseases have emerged from this family of viruses. The hepatitis C virus has had a devastating impact worldwide. Despite the cures developed in the U.S. and Europe, economically disadvantaged countries remain afflicted by HCV infection due to the high cost of these medications. More recently, COVID-19 has swept across the world, killing millions and disrupting economies and lifestyles;the virus responsible for this pandemic is a coronavirus. Our understanding of HCV and SARS CoV-2 replication is still in its infancy. Helicases play a critical role in the replication, transcription and translation of viruses. These key enzymes need extensive study not only as an essential player in the viral lifecycle, but also as targets for antiviral therapeutics. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge for RNA helicases of high importance to human health. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.
Refund Fraud? Real-Time Solution!

When seven million dependents vanished from the tax rolls in 1986 the IRS recovered three billion dollars in revenue. A simple enforcement measure was applied. Taxpayers were required to list the social security number (SSN) for any dependent they claimed on their tax return. Costing next to nothing to implement, the benefits of this enforcement action continue to this day. A similar enforcement measure could be employed against refund fraud. Even though the solution is not as simple as that adopted in 1986, it is similar. The effort is worth making. The revenue loss is much larger. As before, the key to the enforcement effort is to convince the fraudsters that they can be caught in real-time. This paper proposes a technology-based solution to refund fraud – W-2s (as well as 1099s, W-4s and W-9s) should be “digitally signed.” This solution is narrowly focused on tax compliance, and does not pursue broader concerns with identity theft that underpins some of the more serious instances of this fraud. This solution is not “paper based.” The digital signature is both an alpha-numeric string and a 2-D bar code and can be transmitted in an e-file as well as a paper document. Employees will have the ability to independently check the accuracy of any digital signature associated with their employment by accessing an IRS web site that will identify mis-matches (if any). Employees will be able to demand that their employer correct any signatures found to be in error. There are five classes of filing mis-match/refund frauds that this proposal confronts. The five classes are: 1. Identity mis-matches (when SSA/IRS databases do not match identity-data on the forms/returns filed); 2. When legitimate W-2s or 1099s are altered by taxpayers; 3. When fraudsters steal identities and then file false returns; 4. When taxpayers collude with professional tax-preparers (2-party collusions), and 5. When businesses, professional tax-preparers and taxpayers collude (3-party collusion). A tax solution must reach two groups – legitimate taxpayers and outright identity thieves. A tax solution will not prevent identity theft, nor will it solve SSN theft. It does not need to do so to be successful. This is not to say that preventing refund fraud may go a long way to reducing these thefts. Identity and SSN theft occur for many more reasons than simply to secure false refunds from the tax system.
An Improved Virtual-Source-Based Transport Model for Quasi-Ballistic Transistors—Part I: Capturing Effects of Carrier Degeneracy, Drain-Bias Dependence of Gate Capacitance, and Nonlinear Channel-Access Resistance

In this paper, an improved physics-based virtual-source (VS) model to describe transport in quasi-ballistic transistors is discussed. The model is based on the Landauer scattering theory, and incorporates the effects of: 1) degeneracy on thermal velocity and mean free path of carriers in the channel; 2) drain-bias dependence of gate capacitance and VS charge, including the effects of band nonparabolicity; and 3) nonlinear resistance of the extrinsic device region on $g_{m}$ -degradation at high drain currents in the channel. The improved charge model captures the phenomenon of reduction in VS charge under nonequilibrium transport conditions in a quasi-ballistic transistor.
Cellular analysis of theBulla ocular circadian pacemaker system

The isolatedBulla eye expresses a circadian rhythm in optic nerve impulse frequency. In an effort to determine the anatomical location of the circadian pacemaking system within the retina we surgically reduced the eye. We report that:
Quantitative energy dispersive X-ray analysis of BiSrCaCuO compounds using standards

Abstract The quantification of energy dispersive X-ray spectra obtained from Bi Sr Ca Cu O (BSCCO) superconducting materials in scanning and transmission electron microscopes (SEM and TEM, respectively) has been performed using rapidly solidified material as a standard. Quantification based on this amorphous standard material results in significant improvements in accuracy compared to results from semi-quantitative routines. Spectra obtained in the TEM were analyzed using a thin-film approximation and a relative error of less than ±3% of the amount present was obtained. Spectra obtained in the SEM required iterative corrections for backscattering, absorption and fluorescence, but since the standard compositions are close to those of the unknown phases and can be prepared for a wide range of compositions, the errors associated with those corrections can be minimized. Measurements performed in the SEM and TEM using these techniques have allowed a correlation between nominal alloy composition and the true composition of the BSCCO superconducting phase to be made. It is found that the presence of intergrowths can have a significant effect on compositions measured by SEM or microprobe techniques.
Product‐error‐driven generator of probable rainfall conditioned on WSR‐88D precipitation estimates

[1] The existence of large errors in precipitation products delivered by the network of Weather Surveillance Radar, 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars is broadly recognized. However, their quantitative characteristics remain poorly understood. Recently, the authors developed a functional-statistical model that quantifies the relation between radar rainfall and the corresponding true rainfall in a way that is applicable to the probabilistic quantitative precipitation estimation planned for future use by the U.S. National Weather Service. The model consists of a deterministic distortion function and a random uncertainty factor, both conditioned on given radar rainfall values. It also accounts for the spatiotemporal correlations in the random uncertainty factor. The model components were estimated on the basis of a 6-year-long data sample that considers the effects of seasons, range from radar, and time scales. In this study, the authors present two different applications of the aforementioned uncertainty model: (1) the estimation of rainfall probability maps and (2) the generation of radar rainfall ensembles. In the former, maps of the rainfall exceedance probability for any threshold are produced, given a radar rainfall map. We also present the analytical derivation of the exceedance probability maps at coarser spatial scales. In the latter, the users can generate ensembles of probable true rainfall fields that are consistent with the observed radar rainfall and its error structure. Simulation of the random component is based on the Cholesky decomposition method. Finally, the authors discuss possible uses of these applications in hydrology and hydroclimatology.
The isolation of porcine ribonuclease, a glycoprotein, from pancreatic juice.

Abstract Porcine pancreatic RNase was isolated from the pancreatic secretion of animals with permanent fistulas by a combination of DEAE-cellulose chromatography, adsorption-elution from sulfoethyl-Sephadex, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. On the basis of these experiments, a practicable, large scale procedure was developed for the preparation of the enzyme in quantities of 100 to 200 mg. Porcine RNase exhibits a pronounced heterogeneity, detectable by chromatography on sulfoethyl-Sephadex C-50 and by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. At least eight major electrophoretically distinguishable components occur, and there is evidence that these themselves may be mixtures. The heterogeneity is conferred by polysaccharide associated with the enzyme. This polysaccharide is composed of fucose, mannose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-glycolylneuraminic acid. Fractions of varying carbohydrate composition and content were obtained by chromatography on sulfoethyl-Sephadex C-50. These fractions as well as the unfractionated enzyme all had identical amino acid compositions. The amino acid analyses showed that the protein moiety in porcine RNase contains 125 residues (mol wt, approximately 14,040) in a distribution that reveals 27 differences with the bovine enzyme. The two fractions of the porcine enzyme that differed most in carbohydrate content were subjected to analytical ultracentrifugation and viscometry. The measured molecular weights (22,300 and 17,200) agreed well with the results of constituent analysis. The hydrodynamic measurements revealed the molecule to be notably asymmetric. The extent of glycosidation does not significantly influence the activity of the enzyme.
Mergers in the Electric Utility Industry in a Deregulatory Environment

We document that the merger announcement returns are positive and significant for targets of acquiring electric utility industry firms, but are not as algebraically large as target returns documented in non-regulated industry merger announcements. Additionally, electric utility acquirer firms earn significant negative announcement returns when acquiring an electric utility. We find announcement returns for acquirers vary significantly based upon the timing of the merger announcement, with mergers announced after the Energy Policy Act of 1992 generating negative returns for acquirers. We also find a significant difference in the percentage change in aggregate entity value around the announcement date for diversifying mergers as compared to non-diversifying mergers, with diversifying merger announcements resulting in a decrease in aggregate entity value.
Mechanisms of protein secretion in endocrine and exocrine cells.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes that dense core vesicles (DCVs) exocytosis in exocrine cells proceeds by mechanisms that are less clearly understood and involves proteins or protein isoforms different from those employed in neural/endocrine secretion. Biochemical and molecular biological studies have resulted in the characterization of at least 25 types of synaptic vesicle (SV) membrane proteins that may mediate aspects of SV function including calcium-dependent exocytosis, endocytosis, and neurotransmitter loading. In neuronal cells, there are important physiological differences between the exocytosis of SVs that contain neurotransmitters such as glutamate and the exocytosis of larger DCVs that contain neuropeptides, including calcium sensitivity and speed. Microinjection and genetic studies have documented the importance of SNARE proteins and synaptotagmin in neurosecretion without revealing their sites of action and mechanisms. Of the other isoforms of synaptotagmin characterized, synaptotagmin III has the most appealing characteristics as a calcium sensor for DCV exocytosis. Expression of synaptotagmin isoforms in the acinar pancreas has not been reported, so it is uncertain whether this protein family plays a role in calcium sensing for zymogen granule exocytosis.
Reflex heart block: Baroreflex, chemoreflex and bronchopulmonary reflex causes

Abstract Reflex heart block was studied in 20 dogs anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital and in 5 trained unanesthetized dogs. Three different vagal reflexes were produced: the Marey response during hypertension caused by administering methoxamine, a cardiogenic hypertensive chemoreflex activated by injection of serotonin into the left atrium and the Hering-Breuer reflex observed during normal respiration of unanesthetized dogs. In every dog during any of the three reflexes heart block was consistently observed after the normal slowing response of the sinus node had been selectively eliminated by the direct perfusion of 10 μg of atropine into the sinus node artery. This was a uniform response despite its being variously produced by a pressor reflex, a chemoreflex or an extracardiac bron-chopulmonary reflex. Transient heart block is therefore to be anticipated during reflexes with vagal efferent components if for any reason the sinus node is incapable of slowing suitably. The possible clinical relevance of these experimental observations is discussed.
Clues from the depth hypothesis: a reply to Geoffrey Sampson's review

In linguistics it has not been possible to use the standard criteria and assumptions of science because the ancients placed our discipline not in the physical domain but in the logical domain where concepts and theories do not represent parts of the natural world. Many of the problems facing linguistics follow inevitablly, for example the difficulties that linguistics experiences in agreeing on grammatical theory. One symptom is the long-standing dificulty in testing the depth hypothesis, which came out of early MT research. Sampson (1997) attempted recently to test the depth hypothesis by a computer analysis of a grammatically annotated corpus of English. It is shown that this attempted test and his attempt at defending the testability of the depth hypothesis are invalid. But clues from the depth hypothesis have led to new foundations for general linguistics put forth in the book (Yngve 1996) that Sampson (1998) reviewed. This work reconstitutes linguistics in the physical domain where the criteria and assumptions of science can be applied. Sampson's review of this book contains a number of serious errors and inaccuracies.
Assembly of the neutrophil respiratory burst oxidase. Protein kinase C promotes cytoskeletal and membrane association of cytosolic oxidase components.

Abstract Activated human polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) convert molecular oxygen into superoxide anion, a process known as the respiratory burst, through the activity of a latent multicomponent NADPH-dependent oxidase. Components of this respiratory burst oxidase include the membrane-bound cytochrome b558 and the cytosolic factors p47-phox and p67-phox. We initiated these studies based on three observations: 1) that stimulation of PMN oxidase activity is associated with translocation of the cytosolic oxidase components to the plasma membrane; 2) that p47-phox is phosphorylated during PMN activation and that there is a sequential relationship between phosphorylation of p47-phox in the cytosol and appearance of the phosphoprotein in the membran; and 3) that the predicted amino acid sequences of p47-phox and of p67-phox contain regions of homology to the SH3 or A domain of the src family of tyrosine kinases, a region found in a variety of proteins which interact with the cytoskeleton or the subplasmalemmal cytoskeleton. Thus the purpose of our studies was to examine the role of protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation in the stimulus-induced association of p47-phox and p67-phox with the plasma membrane and the cytoskeleton. Using the PKC activator phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) as the agonist, we found that activation of the respiratory burst oxidase was associated with translocation of cytosolic p47-phox and p67-phox to the plasma membrane as well as redistribution of p47-phox to the Triton-insoluble cytoskeleton. Furthermore, the PKC inhibitor staurosporine inhibited phosphorylation of p47-phox, interrupted the redistribution of cytosolic oxidase factors, and blocked PMA-induced generation of superoxide anion. Taken together these results indicate that PKC-dependent phosphorylation of p47-phox correlates with association of p47-phox with the cytoskeleton and with translocation of p47-phox and p67-phox to the plasma membrane, with the ensuing assembly of an active superoxide-generating NADPH-dependent oxidase.
Plasma volume studies in low birth weight infants.

An average plasma volume of 46.8 ± 7.1 ml/kg and blood volume of 87.9 ± 13.6 ml/kg was found in 69 true premature infants studied during the first 12 hours of life. Respiratory distress syndrome in these infants was not associated with an altered plasma or blood volume. However, the degree of maturity, estimated by either birth weight or gestational age, was found to be inversely related to the plasma volume. Intra-uterine growth retardation, defined on the basis of disproportionately low birth weight in relation to gestational age, was associated with an elevated average plasma volume (52.0 ± 7.8 ml/kg) during the 4 hours after birth. Despite rapid adjustment of this volume to normal between 4 and 12 hours of age, the average blood volume in this group of infants was significantly elevated (102.0 ± 18.7 ml/kg). These studies reveal direct, objective and measurable differences between growth-retarded and true premature low birth weight infants and represent an attempt toward more accurate definition and understanding of intra-uterine growth retardation.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitization studied by [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin binding.

Desensitization of the nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptor of Torpedo electric organs was studied by monitoring activated [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin binding to the channel sites of the receptor. Receptor desensitization was produced by incubating Torpedo membranes that had been pretreated with diisopropylfluorophosphate with ACh and was quenched by the addition of AChesterase. Desensitization caused concentration- and time-dependent decrease in the binding of [3H]perhydrohistrionicotoxin to carbamylcholine-activated receptors and an increase in the apparent affinity of carbamylcholine to the receptor. d-Tubocurarine and concanavalin A antagonized the desensitizing effects of ACh. The kinetics of this desensitization showed an extremely rapid temperature- and concentration-dependent component which was complete by the earliest measurement (i.e., 6 sec) and a much slower component (T1/2 = 55 sec) which reached a plateau after 120 sec. The rate of this slow component was temperature- and concentration-independent. Recovery from desensitization was temperature dependent, but independent of the ACh concentration used for desensitization. It also showed biphasic kinetics: half the receptors recovered fast (T1/2 = 36 sec), whereas the other was slow (T1/2 = 180 sec).
Historical Influences on Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health

To understand contemporary debates over women’s sexual and reproductive health in American society, we must first look to the past. Since the beginning of time, perceptions of female sexuality have shaped medical practices, public policy, legal rights, technology, and the contours of women’s everyday experiences. To answer a battery of questions—Why are most contraceptives for women? Why are abortions stigmatized decades after the Supreme Court declared them legal?—we need to understand the complex history that has defined our modern age. Unlocking the past, familiarizing ourselves with the powerful political and social forces that have affected women’s sexual and reproductive health over time, we equip ourselves with the knowledge we need to begin the long task of challenging the present and changing the future.
Neural mass spatio-temporal modeling from high-density electrode array recordings

Neural mass models provide an attractive framework for modeling complex behavior in cortical circuits. The models are based on describing the dynamics of large neural populations through the space and time evolution of a small number of key aggregate statistical quantities. Fitting these models to electrode array recordings can provide insight into connectivity and structure of neural circuits as well as the response of these circuits to stimuli. However, neural mass models are fundamentally nonlinear dynamical systems with large numbers of hidden states, and validating the models on actual recordings and estimating the key parameters remains challenging. This work proposes a novel method for systematically identifying neural mass models that is particularly well-suited for high-density micro-electrocorticographic (μECoG) data. The methodology requires minimal assumptions on the model, and can automatically uncover the underlying components in the neural populations We discuss possible applications to in vivo recordings from feline visual cortex using a recently-developed, high-density 360 contact flexible electrode array with 500 µm inter-electrode spacing.
Hydrogen effects on nanovoid nucleation in face-centered cubic single-crystals

Abstract Monte Carlo (MC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using embedded atom method (EAM) potentials were performed to study nanovoid nucleation in single-crystal nickel specimens in a hydrogen-precharged and a hydrogen dynamically-charged condition. In the hydrogen-precharged condition, MC simulations were performed to introduce hydrogen atoms in an unstressed specimen. MD simulations were then performed to study nanovoid nucleation and the associated plasticity. In the dynamically-charged condition, a novel coupled MD–MC process was used to introduce hydrogen into the specimen while the specimen was being strained until nanovoid nucleation occurred. The simulation results revealed that hydrogen only reduced the nanovoid nucleation stress in the precharged case slightly but caused a lower strain-hardening and a significant reduction in the nanovoid nucleation stress in the dynamically-charged case.
Purification and properties of brain acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7).

— Approximately 50 per cent of the total AChE of brain tissue was solubilized by a simple procedure of repeated homogenization and centrifugation in 0.32 M-sucrose containing EDTA. Ion-exchange and molecular-sieve chromatography demonstrated two peaks of AChE activity which apparently differed with respect to charge properties and molecular size. The most active preparation of AChE, which hydrolysed 13,500 μMmoles of acetylthiocholine/mg of protein/h, had an estimated molecular weight of 291,000 and was contaminated by a single protein component, as judged by disc gel electrophoresis.
Seasonal and day of the week variations of perforated appendicitis in US children

The present study aimed to determine whether children with perforated appendicitis were more likely to present during specific days of the week or seasons of the year. After obtaining IRB exemption, a retrospective, population-based study of patients <18 with ICD9 codes of acute (540.9) or perforated (540.0, 540.1) appendicitis in the Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) was performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed analyzing patient and hospital factors. A total of 31,457 children were identified with acute appendicitis, of whom 10,524 (33.5%) were perforated. Mondays [odds ratio (OR): 1.16; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.05−1.28] were significant for increased likelihood as day of presentation with perforation in US children more than any other day of the week. In seasonal analysis, fall (OR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.04−1.21) and winter (OR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03−1.20) were at higher odds for perforation at presentation. Patients with Medicaid (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03−1.43) and those uninsured (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.16−1.93) were more likely to present with perforation. Perforated appendicitis was more likely to present on Mondays in US children. Although appendicitis is most common in summer months, rates of perforated appendicitis were highest in fall and winter.
Observations on the Effects of Impact Beads, Mixer Paddles, and Auxiliary Oxidant on Droplet Distributions in Analytical Flame Spectroscopy

The influences of impact beads, mixer paddles, and auxiliary oxidant upon the droplet size distributions reaching a burner head have been studied at three nebulization rates for a widely used Perkin Elmer nebulizer/spray chamber assembly. The trends observed are explained wherever possible and the practical significance of the results is briefly discussed.
Experimental deformation of a glassy basalt

Abstract Deformation experiments were conducted with the intention of identifying how the mechanical behavior and deformation microstructures of a basalt are influenced by the presence of glass that can crystallize to metamorphic minerals or flow. A glassy plagioclase-rich basalt was tested for periods of up to 649 hours at temperatures of 675–875°C, a confining pressure of 1.0 GPa, and strain rates of 10−4–10−7 s−1. Over the whole range of experiments, the basalt deformed ductilely in mechanical and textural steady state. At low temperatures (675–775°C), plagioclase crystals deformed by microcracking and twinning, and the glass did not flow into intracrystalline cracks. At higher temperatures (825–875°C), the samples were notably weaker, plagioclase crystals deformed by twinning and dislocation glide, and the glass flowed into cracks. In all samples that were tested for more than 30 hours, neoblasts of dark mica and quartz crystallized at the expense of K-rich glass + enstatite + H2O. This neomineralization did not affect the strength of the basalt, presumably because it affected only ~ 50 vol.% of each sample. Changes in plagioclase deformation mechanism from twinning and microcracking at fast strain rates to dislocation glide at slow strain rates, may, however, reflect an increase in effective pressure caused by crystallization of the glass.