cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of trophectoderm biopsy on obstetric and perinatal outcomes following frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles.

Study question Does trophectoderm biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) increase the risk of obstetric or perinatal complications in frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles? Summary answer Trophectoderm biopsy may increase the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in pregnancies following FET cycles. What is known already Trophectoderm biopsy has replaced blastomere biopsy as the standard of care to procure cells for PGT analysis. Recently, there has been concern that trophectoderm biopsy may adversely impact obstetric and perinatal outcomes. Previous studies examining this question are limited by use of inappropriate control groups, small sample size or reporting on data that no longer reflects current IVF practice. Study design, size, duration This was a retrospective cohort study conducted at a single university-affiliated fertility center. A total of 756 patients who underwent FET with transfer of previously vitrified blastocysts that had either trophectoderm biopsy or were unbiopsied and resulted in a singleton live birth between 2013 and 2019 were included. Participants/materials, setting, methods Obstetric and perinatal outcomes for patients aged 20-44 years who underwent FET with transfer of previously vitrified blastocysts that were either biopsied (n = 241) or unbiopsied (n = 515) were analyzed. Primary outcome was odds of placentation disorders including HDP and rate of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Binary logistic regression was performed to control for potential covariates. Main results and the role of chance The biopsy group was significantly older, had fewer anovulatory patients, was more often nulliparous and had fewer embryos transferred compared to the unbiopsied group. After controlling for potential covariates, the probability of developing HDP was significantly higher in the biopsy group compared with unbiopsied group (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.943, 95% CI 1.072-3.521; P = 0.029).There was no significant difference between groups in the probability of placenta previa or placenta accreta. There was also no significant difference in the rate of FGR (aOR 1.397; 95% CI, 0.815-2.395; P = 0.224) or the proportion of low (aOR 0.603; 95% CI, 0.336-1.084; P = 0.091) or very low (aOR 2.948; 95% CI, 0.613-14.177; P = 0.177) birthweight infants comparing biopsied to unbiopsied groups. Limitations, reason for caution This was a retrospective study performed at a single fertility center, which may limit the generalizability of our findings. Wider implications of the findings Trophectoderm biopsy may increase the risk of HDP in FET cycles, however, a prospective multicenter randomized trial should be performed to confirm these findings. Study funding/competing interest(s) No specific funding was obtained for this study. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Trial registration number NA.
O mobiliário das escolas cristãs no século XVII: um elemento humanizador

A escola como um ambiente especializado para o ensino-aprendizagem se desenvolveu a partir do seculo XVII e, nesse ambiente, foi introduzido um mobiliario escolar desenvolvido de acordo com o metodo pedagogico utilizado. Este artigo parte dessa premissa para investigar, a partir da funcao social, o mobiliario escolar das Escolas Cristas, rede de escolas criada por Joao Batista de La Salle (1651-1719) na Franca a partir de 1689. O objetivo e mostrar que a escolha desse mobiliario tinha, mais do que uma funcao pratica, uma funcao social. Para tanto, o artigo faz uma leitura hermeneutica do Guia das Escolas Cristas, obra pedagogica de La Salle, para concluir que o padrao cientifico dos moveis desenhados para a sala de aula seguia o mesmo principio pedagogico das Escolas Cristas e tinha a mesma funcao: dar dignidade para as criancas pobres. Palavras-chave: Mobiliario escolar. Escolas cristas. La Salle. The Christian Schools Furniture in the 17th Century: a Humanizing Element ABSTRACT The School as a specialized environment for teaching and learning was developed from the 17th century on. In that environment, school furniture was developed according to the pedagogical method. This article starts from this premise to investigate, from the social function, the school furniture of the Christian Schools, a network of schools created by John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719) in France as from 1689. The objective is to show that the choice of this furniture had, more than a practical function, a social function. Therefore, the article makes a hermeneutic reading of the “The Conduct of the Christian Schools” , La Salle's pedagogical work, to conclude that the scientific standard of the furniture designed for the classroom followed the same pedagogical principle of the Christian Schools and had the same function: to provide dignity for poor children. Keywords: School furniture. Christian schools. La Salle. El Mobiliario Escolar de las Escuelas Cristianas del Siglo XVII: un Elemento Humanizador RESUMEN La escuela como un lugar especializado para la ensenanza y el aprendizaje se desarrollo a partir del siglo XVII y, en ese lugar, el mobiliario escolar se desarrollo de acuerdo con el metodo pedagogico utilizado. Este articulo parte de esta premisa para investigar, a partir de la funcion social de la escuela, el mobiliario escolar de las Escuelas Cristianas, una red de escuelas creada por Juan Bautista de La Salle (1651-1719) en Francia desde 1689. El objetivo es mostrar que la eleccion de este mobiliario tenia, mas que una funcion practica, una funcion social. Por lo tanto, el articulo hace una lectura hermeneutica de la “Guia de las Escuelas Cristianas”, el trabajo pedagogico de La Salle, para concluir que el estandar cientifico de los muebles disenados para el aula siguio el mismo principio pedagogico de las Escuelas Cristianas y tuvo la misma funcion: dar dignidad a los ninos pobres. Palabras clave: Mobiliario escolar. Escuelas cristianas. La Salle.
Burnout and Physician Gender: What Do We Know?

Purpose Burnout (BO) is a serious phenomenon affecting US physicians. Female physicians, now accounting for a larger share of the workforce, are thought to experience higher levels of BO in some situations compared with their male counterparts. The current review aimed to systematically examine extant literature on physician BO as it relates especially to the female physician. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided search of 4 databases yielding empirical studies with relevant findings regarding female physician BO, published during the time period 2010-2019. Results A total of 43 studies were included in the current review. Both male and female doctors have higher percentages of burned out doctors, with a third or more of each group indicating BO in each of the studies examined. These higher levels of BO remained regardless of where physicians worked, their clinical specialty, workloads, or age. However, the review supports the notion that for women doctors, there is generally a higher likelihood of experiencing BO compared with male doctors, particular with respect to the emotional exhaustion dimension of BO. Conclusions BO is important for both female and male physicians; although women doctors may experience it to a greater degree. Women doctors will benefit from talent management approaches by health care organizations that recognize their greater tendency to BO compared with men. These approaches should be aimed at ameliorating the factors that give rise to feelings of emotional exhaustion in particular. Additional research is needed to better understand the full extent to which physician gender plays a role in BO.
Examining Health Behaviors of Chronic Disease Caregivers in the U.S.

Introduction Many informal caregivers experience a significant caregiving burden, which may interfere with their health behaviors. Caregiver health behaviors may vary by disease context, but this has rarely been studied. This study compares the health behaviors of prevalent groups of chronic illness caregivers (i.e., dementia, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema, diabetes) with those of noncaregivers and examines whether caregiving intensity is associated with these behaviors. Methods In 2021, using pooled cross-sectional 2015–2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, health behaviors (i.e., physical activity, diet, alcohol use, smoking, sleep, and influenza immunization) of caregivers of patients with dementia (n=5,525), cancer (n=4,246), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema (n=1,959), and diabetes (n=2,853) and noncaregivers (n=203,848) were compared. Relationships between caregiving intensity (e.g., hours, type of tasks) and caregiver health behaviors were examined. Regression analyses were used to compare groups. Results Compared with noncaregivers, caregiver groups were more likely to report engaging in both risky (i.e., smoking, shorter sleep duration) and health-promoting (i.e., physical activity, vegetable consumption, abstaining from heavy drinking) behaviors, whereas nonsignificant differences were observed for influenza immunization. Longer caregiving hours and providing help with personal care were associated with poorer health behaviors (e.g., shorter sleep duration). Few differences in health behaviors were observed between caregivers of patients with dementia and other caregiver groups. Conclusions Results suggest that caregivers are more likely to engage in both risky and health-promoting behaviors than noncaregivers. Furthermore, findings suggest that greater caregiving responsibilities are associated with certain risky health behaviors. Findings support the development and implementation of strategies to improve caregivers’ health behaviors across disease contexts.
Pacemakers (Temporary and Permanent), Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Cardiac output is dependent on normal mechanical function of the heart, which in turn is dependent on normal functioning of the cardiac conduction system. When derangements of cardiac conduction occur, this can result in poor cardiac output acutely as well as poor cardiac reserve chronically. These derangements can occur as a result of bradycardia, tachycardia, or electrical dyssynchrony (atrioventricular (AV) or interventricular) of the heart.
Managers' and end‐users' concerns on innovation implementation: A case of an ERP implementation in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand whether differences also exist between managers and end‐users regarding critical success factors (CSFs) of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation in China as well as among the counterparts in US and Chinese companies.Design/methodology/approach – A pharmaceutical company in China that implemented an ERP system recently, similar to the one identified in Amoako‐Gyampah's study, is identified for this paper. A field survey accompanied by interview was used to collect data on seven CSFs that have been identified in the literature on technology acceptance and diffusion and that are consistent with Amoako‐Gyampah's study for comparison purposes.Findings – The results of this paper confirm the results of Amoako‐Gyampah's study, which demonstrates that significant differences of seven CSFs of the implementation of ERP systems do exist in the perception of managers and end‐users. It further shows that both managers and end‐users of Chinese com...
The Na-rich zeolites from Boron, California

Abstract Unusually Na-rich zeolites have been found in cavities in blocks of basalt on the waste dump at the US Borax Mine at Boron, 135 km northeast of Los Angeles, California. The basalt underlies Miocene basin fill deposits, consisting of sand, shale, tuff, and Na-borate deposits. The zeolites show two generations of growth. Early gmelinite-Na is overgrown by later chabazite-Na, and early clinoptilolite-Na is overgrown by heulandite-Na. Other zeolites in these cavities are phillipsite-Na, analcime, Na-rich mordenite, and mazzite-Na. The occurrence of searlesite and borax, attests to the saturation of the basalt with a sodium borate solution at least at some stage. The extreme Na-rich compositions of all the zeolites strongly indicate cation exchange in Na-borate brine, while the overgrowth crystals may have grown in the brine.
Fast and Light Boosting for Adaptive Mining of Data Streams

Supporting continuous mining queries on data streams requires algorithms that (i) are fast, (ii) make light demands on memory resources, and (iii) are easily to adapt to concept drift. We propose a novel boosting ensemble method that achieves these objectives. The technique is based on a dynamic sample-weight assignment scheme that achieves the accuracy of traditional boosting without requiring multiple passes through the data. The technique assures faster learning and competitive accuracy using simpler base models. The scheme is then extended to handle concept drift via change detection. The change detection approach aims at significant data changes that could cause serious deterioration of the ensemble performance, and replaces the obsolete ensemble with one built from scratch. Experimental results confirm the advantages of our adaptive boosting scheme over previous approaches.
A Computational Model for Thermal Fluid Design Analysis of Nuclear Thermal Rockets

A computational model for simulation and design analysis of nuclear thermal propulsion systems has been developed. The model simulates a full-topping expander cycle engine system and the thermoflui...
Incidental blindness in pregnancy

Abstract With the exception of the first case presented, which was observed in the Stanford Obstetrical Service at the San Francisco Hospital, the cases discussed comprise the total number occurring in 3,355 clinic confinements during a period of ten years in the Lane Hospital service. As a group, they prove that: 1. 1. Amaurosis is a comparatively rare complication of pregnancy. 2. 2. The stress and strain of pregnancy and labor, with its various physiologic and metabolic changes, may be a factor in the causation of various visual disturbances. 3. 3. When it does occur, amaurosis is associated with some form of toxemia in the majority of cases (5 of the 7 cases presented fall in this group). 4. 4. An amaurosis occurring at any time during pregnancy, whether associated with pernicious vomiting or one of the late toxemias, is indicative of a serious condition and demands immediate termination of pregnancy. 5. 5. There is a definite, though admittedly remote, danger to vision from the use of quinine in the pregnant patient.
Higher education in Ethiopia: the vision and its challenges

Ethiopia is embarked on a higher education expansion and reform programme of impressive dimensions. Expansion will create new universities, establish three system support agencies, mount new courses, and triple enrolments. Reforms introduce increased institutional autonomy, curriculum revisions, new funding arrangements and student contributions by means of a graduate tax. This article analyses current higher education reform efforts in Ethiopia. It begins by sketching the social context in which higher education is situated and describing the country’s higher education system. An assessment of tertiary education financing follows. Management capacities and efficiency in the use of these resources are then discussed, noting the particular challenges posed by HIV/AIDS. Educational quality and relevance are subsequently addressed. Analysis points out potential weaknesses in the reform programme but concludes that enrolment expansion targets are likely to be met. However, the dynamics of expansion may well generate difficulties in maintaining educational quality. Resume L’Ethiopie s’est engagee dans un vaste programme de developpement et de reforme de l’enseignement superieur. Le volet developpement inclut la creation de nouvelles universites, et de trois agences de suivi, la mise en place de nouveaux cours et l’instauration du systeme d’inscriptions triples. Les reformes permettront une plus grande autonomie, ainsi que la revision des programmes, l’etablissement de nouveaux systemes de financement, et l’introduction du systeme de contributions des etudiants, par le biais d’une taxe sur la formation superieure. Cet article analyse les efforts deployes pour la reforme de l’enseignement superieur en Ethiopie. Tout
Voltage regulation in a linear induction accelerator using metal-oxide varistors

Commercially available zinc oxide varistors were tested for possible use as a compensating device for linear induction accelerators. The tests showed an increase in voltage regulation ability of 300% to 500% when compared with purely resistive compensation techniques. In addition, the drive-pulse rise-time and fall-time steepened, increasing the effective flat-top duration of the pulse. These results indicate that compensation with varistors may also reduce overvoltages due to beam-timing errors. >
Critically Ill Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a clinical syndrome of various etiologies and histopathologic categorization that, when clinically significant, impair respiratory function. Patients with ILD may develop critical illness from respiratory failure, nonpulmonary organ failure, or after surgical procedures. Additionally, the intensivist must be adept at recognizing exacerbation syndromes, which can complicate the disease course of some forms of ILD. This article discusses mechanical ventilation, noninvasive mechanical ventilation, exacerbation syndromes, and surgical concerns for patients with ILD who are critically ill.
Frame-adaptive techniques for quality versus efficiency tradeoffs in STFT analysis

In this paper, we present techniques for computing frame-adaptive approximations to the STFT which can satisfy arbitrarily specified bounds on the number of arithmetic operations per frame. The central idea is to represent the samples in each signal frame with a very small number Q of quantization levels, yielding an SNR of 10Iog(Q/sup 2/) dB. This leads to the formulation of the frame's DFT computation as a process of summation among pre-stored vectors. Experimental studies are used to propose and verify mathematical models for how the number of vector additions needed in this process depends on the frequency content of a frame. The models are utilized to design frame-adaptive techniques for excluding various subsets of vector elements from the summation process in order to keep the number of additions per frame from exceeding any specified bound, B. >
Are Mothers and Fathers Interchangeable? Parental Gender and Child Flourishing

We examine preliminary evidence on the interchangeability of parents. First, we present evidence of custody decisions and de facto living arrangements of children post-divorce that point to a robust norm in favor of children residing with mothers. Second, we provide some evidence based on time-use data which points to the fact that fathers and mothers have distinct parenting styles and this is particularly apparent in homes with single-earner families where the mother is the breadwinner. Third, we present and discuss some intriguing differences between men and women in occupational choice, propensity to commit violent crime, and protective roles in the household and neighborhood. These findings have relevance for questions related to division of labor within the household, especially as a growing number of dads report being “stay-at-home” fathers. They also affect large-scale national debates about whether children need a parent of each gender — such as in divorce law, and same-sex marriage laws.
Source Material: Presidential Recordings as Presidential Data: Assessing LBJ's Presidential Persuasive Attempts

This paper evaluates the usefulness of one currently available set of presidential recordings, those of President Lyndon Johnson. It demonstrates that these recordings constitute a sample of the president’s phone conversations and a reasonable representation of his contacts with others. It demonstrates the use of these data in assessing presidential persuasion and activities. It also suggests how popular presentations of these data, through other published means, have distorted the picture of presidential activities. If presidents lead by persuasion, then how they communicate their ideas, with whom they speak, about what, and to what effect constitute the central evidence of leaders in action. Yet, because the modern presidency remains a closed institution, our theoretical and empirical analyses of these critical persuasive exchanges rest on very scant evidence. The advent of portable recording devices, particularly the common dictation machine, created an unparalleled opportunity for presidents to record their activities. And for those wishing to become “archival participants” in the
Generation of lead-212 and radioimmunoconjugates for use in cancer therapy and the ‘emanating power’ of stearates

Abstract The emanating power of stearates (i.e. their ability to release radioactive gas generated within them) combined with the diffusivity of this gas, permit the spatial separation of Pb-212 from its longer lived and thus undesirable parents. A generator for the α-particle emitter Pb-212 is described. It features two chambers separated by a porous septum. A small chamber is loaded with Th-228 carried by barium stearate and a large one contains a powder, which retains recoiling products of radon. The Pb-212 could be harvested daily for therapeutic use with an initial efficacy of over 60% but radiation damage to the stearate reduced its emanating power after about 3 month of continuos operation. The generator, described here, allows for harvesting ultrapure short-lived products and relatively simple workup procedures. An important assumption concerning the feasability of a Pb-212 complexed radioimmunoconjugate is that the entrapped Pb-212 can survive the Bi-212 recoil and the 2.24 MEV β-emission during the Pb–Bi transition. To test this we produced a monoclonal antibody modified organic chealate intermediate to which the generator produced Pb-212 has been complexed. We were able to show selective tumor cell cytotoxicity and stability of the conjugate under ordinary cell culture conditions.
Regularity and asymptotic behavior for the second order parabolic equation with nonlinear boundary conditions in Lp

Abstract The equation Lu = ƒ;(x, u) on B × (0, ∞), B bounded, smooth domain in R n with nonlinear boundary conditions ∂u ∂v = g(x, u) on ∂B × (0, ∞) is studied, L being the uniformly parabolic operator with time independent coefficients. Under suitable conditions on the nonlinearities (that do not involve monotonicity) global existence, uniqueness, compactness of the orbits and certain regularizing effects of the semigroup are established. In the case that L is in divergence form it is shown that under generic conditions orbits tend, as t → + ∞, to some equilibrium and that the stable equilibria attract essentially (Baire category) the whole space L2(B).
Spectral watertight surface reconstruction

To reconstruct a surface from an unorganized point set S, we create a point set S+ that adds the vertices of a cubical bounding box, then compute the Delaunay triangulation T and Voronoi diagram Q of S+. We form a graph G whose nodes are vertices of Q, and use a spectral graph partitioning algorithm to cut this graph into two pieces, the inside and outside subgraphs. Because every Voronoi vertex in Q represents a tetrahedron in T , these labels are affixed to the tetrahedra too. If the points in S are sampled densely enough from a simple closed surface, then the surface is approximated reasonably well by the faces of T that separate the inside tetrahedra from the outside tetrahedra. Our algorithm first identifies the set V of Voronoi vertices called poles [Amenta et al. 2001], which are likely to lie near the medial axis of the surface being recovered. The algorithm then constructs a sparse pole graph G = (V,E). The set E of edges is defined as follows. For each sample point s with poles u and v, (u,v) is an edge in E. For each edge (s,s′), of the Delaunay tetrahedralization T , the edges (u,u′), (u,v′), (v,u′), and (v,v′) are all edges of E, where u and v are the poles of s, and u′ and v′ are the poles of s′. The edge weights are based on observations of Amenta et al. [2001]. If a sample s has a long, thin Voronoi cell, the likelihood is high that its poles u and v are on opposite sides of the surface. We assign a negative weight to edge (u,v). Let tu and tv be the tetrahedra in T whose duals are u and v. The circumscribing spheres of tu and tv intersect at an angle φ . We assign (u,v) a weight of wu,v = −e4+4cosφ . Next, let (u,v) be an edge of E that is not assigned a negative weight. We assign (u,v) a weight of wu,v = e4−4cosφ . If φ is close to 180◦, u and v are likely to lie on the same side of the surface, so we use a large, positive edge weight. We know a priori that tetrahedra with vertices on the bounding box must be labeled outside. So, we fix their labels prior to the partitioning step by collapsing the poles dual to such tetrahedra into a single supernode z, yielding a modified graph G′. From the modified pole graph G′, we construct a pole matrix L. (L is often called the Laplacian matrix.) L is sparse and symmetric and has one row and one column for each node of the graph G′. For each edge (u,v) of G′ with weight wu,v, the pole matrix L has the entries Li j = −wu,v and L ji = −wu,v. The diagonal entries of L are the row sums Lii = ∑ j 6=i |Li j|. We partition G′ by finding the eigenvector x associated with the smallest eigenvalue λ of the generalized eigensystem Lx = λDx, where D is a diagonal matrix whose diagonal is identical to that of L. Because L is a sparse matrix, we compute the eigenvector x using TRLAN, an implementation of the Lanczos algorithm [Pothen et al. 1990]. When this method is applied to smooth, well-sampled surfaces, we find that the eigenvector x is relatively polarized: most of its entries are clearly negative or clearly positive, with few en0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Presentation and processing of antigens in Paris

A workshop on the molecular basis of antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules was dominated by the interpretation and correlation of cellular and molecular phenomena in terms of the newly determined crystallographic structure of the human MHC molecule, HLA-A2. Clearly, MHC molecules are peptide-binding proteins that present fragments of protein antigens to T lymphocytes. With establishment of a molecular paradigm for MHC restriction, research now turns to the intracellular processes that unite peptide with MHC and to the role of MHC in thymic education of T cells.
Political Conflict and Public Perceptions of Government Surveillance on the Internet: An Experiment of Online Search Terms

ABSTRACT Despite the well-known theoretical and empirical connection between surveillance and individual behavior, research on political participation in the United States rarely incorporates government surveillance into individual-level empirical models. Using two experiments embedded in a nationally representative survey, this study assesses how the degree and target of conflict associated with political activities influences perceptions of online government surveillance. The principal results suggest that large segments of the public believe that the government likely monitors a range of political activities, although not all forms of political behavior are equally vulnerable. Specifically, political activities with links to violence and legitimate activities in opposition to the presidential administration most influence online surveillance perceptions. The results also demonstrate that approval of the president moderates these perceptions. Nonviolent political activities in conflict with the presiden...
In vitro adenosine detection with a diamond-based sensor

Diamond-based electrodes promise major advantages over present electrode technologies used in biomedical research. To demonstrate these advantages, boron-doped diamond microelectrodes were developed for in vitro detection of adenosine, an important neuromodulator in the central nervous system. Diamond was selectively deposited as part of a unique fabrication strategy to obtain non-planar, needle-like diamond microelectrodes. Preliminary flow injection analysis showed quantified adenosine down to 10 nM, a lower level than the estimated basal adenosine level in vivo, and lower than what is achieved on other electrode materials. As an example of in vitro application, the diamond probe was used to investigate the role of adenosine in respiratory rhythmogenesis (i.e., the modulation of one's breathing rate).
Attachment organization in maltreated preschoolers

Attachment theory predicts that maltreated children will form insecure patterns of attachment to their caregivers and that attachment relationships are open to change with development. In this cross-sectional/longitudinal investigation, we examined the attachment patterns of 125 maltreated and nonmaltreated preschoolers from the low socioeconomic strata (SES). Maltreated and demographically matched nonmaltreated comparison children were assessed in the Strange Situation at 30, 36, and 48 months of age, along with a subsample of children who were observed longitudinally across a 6- to 18-month period. Attachment relations were classified using a newly developed system for assessing attachment in the preschool years by Cassidy and Marvin (1991). Results revealed that, at each age, maltreated children were significantly more likely to evidence insecure patterns of attachment to their caregivers. The specific types of insecurity demonstrated by children varied with age. Longitudinally, the high percentage of nonmaltreated children who were classified as securely attached were likely to remain securely attached at subsequent assessments. In contrast, the small number of maltreated children who evidenced secure attachments were unlikely to be classified as secure at later assessments. These data provide new information on the patterns of attachment maltreated children exhibit in the preschool years.
Mechanism of orbital reconstruction at the interfaces of transition metal oxides

Orbital reconstruction at interfaces between ${\text{YBa}}_{2}{\text{Cu}}_{3}{\text{O}}_{6}$ and SrO-terminated ${\text{SrTiO}}_{3}$ is studied using local spin-density approximation (LSDA) with intra-atomic Coulomb repulsion $(\text{LSDA}+U)$. The change in population of interfacial $\text{Cu}\text{ }3d$ orbitals results in stabilization of a new oxidation state $3{d}^{8}$, which involves an additional modification of orbital occupancies in the nearest SrO and ${\text{TiO}}_{2}$ layers. We find that an increase in electron charge in $\text{Cu}\text{ }3{d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ states counterbalances a depopulation of $3{d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}}$ orbitals which induces, on account of the on-site Coulomb repulsion $U$, a splitting of $3{d}_{3{z}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{r}^{2}}$ states at ${\text{CuO}}_{2}\text{-SrO}$ interfaces.
Comparative Evaluation of Three Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor Termite Baits Using Multiple Bioassay Designs

Use of chitin synthesis inhibitors has revolutionized the potential impact of termite baiting systems. Several chitin synthesis inhibitors have been used or tested against subterranean termites. We evaluated the effect of lufenuron on bait matrix consumption and mortality of Coptotermes formosanus and compared it with 2 other chitin synthesis inhibitors presently used for termite control: diflubenzuron and noviflumuron. Laboratory no-choice and multi-chamber bioassay designs were employed. At the end of 6 weeks, in both the no-choice and multi-chamber tests, mortality was significantly higher in all the chitin synthesis inhibitor treatments as compared to the controls; however, lufenuron treatment had significantly higher mortality than the other chitin synthesis inhibitors. Multi-chamber tests suggested no sign of feeding deterrence with any of the chitin synthesis inhibitors at the concentrations tested. Consumption of lufenuron cardboard or noviflumuron bait matrix was similar to that of control cardboard in the no-choice tests. We conclude that, based on the overall bait consumption and mortality data, lufenuron was at least as effective as noviflumuron and diflubenzuron.
Specific Cleavage of Recombinant Protein τ3 between Valine-220 and Tyrosine-221 (val-309 and tyr-310 of τ4) by a Double-Stranded DNA-Stimulated Protease

The protein tau was degraded to distinct products by a DNA-stimulated protease isolated from human leukemia HL-60 cell extracts. The enzyme partially purified by sequential chromatography on GTP-agarose, DEAE-cellulose, and TSK 3000 (0.6 X 60 mm) columns eluted as a 300-450 kDa protein which appeared as 60-90 kDa polypeptides on SDS-PAGE. Protease activity was stimulated by synthetic and natural DNAs and was most active at pH 8.5. Human recombinant tau3 was degraded by the DEAE-cellulose-eluted protease to a 26-kDa and several 14- to 16-kDa peptides. Degradation of tau was partially blocked by preincubation with tubulin, suggesting that the DNA-stimulated cleavage of tau occurred at the carboxyl-terminus, at or near the "tubulin-interactive" domains. The 26-kDa fragment was shown by amino acid sequencing to correspond to the N-terminus of tau whereas sequencing of the 16-kDa fragment yielded YKPVDLSKVT. These results show the existence of a DNA-stimulated protease capable of cleaving tau3 between valine-220 and tyrosine-221 (equivalent to valine 309 and tyrosine-310 of tau4).
Rewarding Impatience: A Bargaining and Enforcement Model of OPEC

In this article, I make two primary contributions to the literature on international cooperation. First, I present a simple version of Fearon's bargaining and enforcement model and show that impatience (as captured in the discount factor) can be a source of bargaining strength when the outcome of the bargaining phase is followed by an enforcement phase that resembles a prisoners' dilemma. Second, I illustrate how to apply this model to the question of the division of cartel profits within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), particularly with regard to the relationship between bargaining strength and disparate time horizons. I find that for some critical threshold level, states that discount the future more heavily tend to receive better oil production offers than those that do not. I examine empirical evidence that suggests that countries in OPEC fall into the range where this proposition holds; in other words, relatively poor, populous countries and relatively unstable ones are allowed by OPEC to overproduce. I am grateful to Christino Arroyo, Jim DeNardo, Joe Gochal, James Honaker, Shuhei Kurizaki, Drew Linzer, Barry O'Neill, Art Stein, Hiroki Takeuchi, George Tsebelis, Jana von Stein, and two anonymous referees for helpful comments. I am especially indebted to Ken Schultz for his advice and to Randy Calvert for a helpful discussion during the 2003 EITM Summer Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.
Extensions of Invariant Signatures for Object Recognition

A refinement of the method of differential invariant signatures for object recognition is presented. The value of the method lies in its compromise between local and global identifying properties, thereby allowing us to distinguish non-congruent curves whose Euclidean signatures have identical trace.
Sex Role Orientation, Wife's Employment, and the Division of Household Labor.

The present study examined the effects of sex role orientation (androgynous, masculine, feminine, or undifferentiated) and the wife's employment status on the division of housework and childcare and satisfaction with the division of 75 families with at least one preschool child. The data were analyzed by t-tests, one- and two-way analyses of variance, and multiple regression. The results indicate that where wives work outside the home, husbands and wives share childcare and housework more. Multiple regression indicated that wife's employment status, husband's femininity score, and number of children were significant pre dictors of husband's sharing of childcare, but not for wives. Husband's mascu linity scores predicted their satisfaction scores. None of the variables studied predicted wives' satisfaction with housework or childcare.
A Symbolic Neural Net Production System: Obstacle Avoidance, Navigation, Shift-Invariance And Multiple Objects

A symbolic neural net is described. It uses a multichannel symbolic correlator to produce input neuron data to an optical neural net production system. It has use in obstacle avoidance, navigation, and scene analysis applications. The shift-invariance and ability to handle multiple objects are novel aspects of this symbolic neural net. Initial simulated data are provided and symbolic optical filter banks are discussed. The neural net production system is described. A parallel and iterative set of rules and results for our case study are presented. Its adaptive learning aspects are noted.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON POLICY ANALYSIS IN NEW YORK CITY

Policy analysis, the application of systematic analytic tools to public policy issues, is not a new idea, but in recent years it has come to prominence in American government, bringing with it new types of people and new institutional arrangements. In city government, growing numbers of economists, systems analysts, operations researchers, analytical planners, and others are working on problems that a few years earlier they would have scorned, for example, garbage removal. l[ am not sure that this enthusiasm for policy analysis is an unmitigated boon to society; others have forcefully expressed the view that it is a waste of time and money. But it is happening, and we might do worse than to examine some of its features in a specific situation, +familiar to me because I participated in it. In 1967 the mayor of New York City invited the Rand Corporation to proviJe research and technical assistance to the city on a variety of urban problems. One of these was housing, and early in 1968, Rand negotiated a contract and scope of services with the city's Housing and Development Administration. By the middle of that year, a staff had been assembled under the leadership of Jack (Ira S.) Lowry and was at work on a broad spectrum of policy-related housing studies. I joined the group in August of 1968, falling heir to project leadership when the rigors of transcontinental commuting began to wear on Jack. In September, 1970, I returned to the University of California, whence I had come. I t is f rom this perspective that I can offer an appraisal of Rand 's work for the Housing and Development Administration in New York City. I shall address three questions: Why were we there? What did we do? What does it signify? I can ' t pretend to answer them fully. Rather, I want to point out some important features and lessons of a complex, sometimes mystifying, occasionally nervewracking,
Design of a small thermochemical receiver for solar thermal power

Abstract Capture of solar thermal energy by means of chemical conversion provides an attractive means for collection of solar energy. A converter has been designed for operation at the focus of a 7 m diameter paraboloid. The converter is constructed from a multi-passage ceramic extrusion, which is wound into a spiral form prior to firing. The innermost wrap is designed to operate with a cavity-facing surface heated to 1000°C. In the passages adjacent to this surface SO 3 is catalytically dissociated into SO 2 and O 2 . The eight outer wraps are used for heat exchange between an inflowing SO 3 rich gas stream and an outflowing SO 2 rich gas stream.
The distribution of hydrogen peroxide in the southern and central Atlantic ocean

Abstract The near-surface distribution and processes controlling the distribution of hydrogen peroxide were examined in the South and central Atlantic Ocean during a transect from Uruguay to Barbados in May and June 1996. Four kinds of field experiments were conducted during the cruise including diel observations, dark decay experiments, photochemical production experiments, and hydrogen peroxide-enrichment experiments. Significant diel variations (∼25 nM) of hydrogen peroxide were observed, with surface-water concentrations increasing during the day and decreasing at night. With a dark decay half-life of 5.5 days and a net rate of photochemical production of 8.3 nM/h at local noon, it appears that both decay rate and photo-production rate of hydrogen peroxide are much smaller in oligotrophic seawater than in coastal seawater. The experimental results indicate that: (1) the decay reaction is a second-order reaction over all, first-order with both the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and the concentration of colloidal material; (2) seawater in the study area could restore its ambient levels of hydrogen peroxide in about 4 d after external perturbations. A total of 20 vertical profiles were obtained at 11 stations that can be classified as: surface maximum, surface mixed, and sub-surface maximum. Generally, the concentration of H 2 O 2 decreased with depth to less than 5 nM below 200 m. Hydrogen peroxide also was determined in some water samples from below 200 m, which revealed a slight increase of hydrogen peroxide with depth. In the surface waters of the open ocean, hydrogen peroxide increased with latitude from about 24 nM in the south (33.8°S) to about 80 nM in the north (8.9°N). This latitudinal variation of hydrogen peroxide correlated with model-calculated solar irradiance, satellite-measured wet deposition, depth of the mixed layer, and possibly total organic carbon. The water-column hydrogen peroxide inventory varied from 1.5 to 6.3×10 −3 mol/m 2 . Although the greatest shallow water concentrations were observed at stations in the Amazon plume, these stations showed a dramatic decrease in hydrogen peroxide with depth and integrated-water-column hydrogen peroxide was not significantly higher than at open ocean stations.
Ccr5 regulates inflammatory gene expression in response to encephalomyocarditis virus infection.

Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) is capable of stimulating inflammatory gene expression by macrophages as a result of interactions between EMCV capsid proteins and cell surface receptors. In this study, biochemical and genetic approaches identified a role for Ccr5, a chemokine receptor, in transducing the signals of EMCV infection that result in the expression of inflammatory genes in macrophages. Antibody neutralization and gene knockout strategies were used to show that the presence of Ccr5 is required for EMCV-stimulated mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation, and the subsequent expression of the inflammatory gene–inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). Ccr5 appears to participate in the early control of virus replication: EMCV mRNA accumulates to sevenfold higher levels in Ccr5-deficient mice when compared to wild-type controls. These findings support a regulatory role for Ccr5 in the antiviral response to EMCV in which this chemokine receptor participates in regulation of inflammatory gene expression in response to virus infection.
Experiences with Mosaic for legacy projects

Mosaic, a hypermedia information browser for the World-Wide Web, has become popular within the past year, and the number of sites are expected to increase even further. One use of Mosaic by Computer Science educators is for legacy projects, i.e. student projects that will contribute to the educational efforts of future students in the course. For the resulting hypermedia documents to be useful, a design methodology is needed that promotes consistency in use and navigation. The instructor may also take on the role of editor of a hypermedia document and ensure that the document is correctly formatted and connected, and consistent. Students enrolled in a human-computer interaction course at Georgia State University have been required to develop legacy projects using Mosaic. Experiences in developing these projects are discussed, and recommendations based on these experiences are presented.
Biochemical studies in the developing thoracic muscles of the tobacco horn worm. IV. Primary structure of cytochrome c.

Abstract The primary structure of cytochrome c isolated from tobacco horn worm moths was established. There are differences in four residues (4, 36, 60 and 101) between this protein and a homologous protein isolated from Samia cynthia , a species belonging to the same order as the horn worm.
Menopausal hormone therapy in a health maintenance organization before and after women's health initiative hormone trials termination.

Background: In July 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) published results that led to early termination of the randomized controlled trial of estrogen plus progestin in postmenopausal women w...
Water flow in the gas diffusion layer of PEM fuel cells

Abstract Water flow through carbon cloth and carbon paper gas diffusion media used for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells treated with Teflon was measured. The gas diffusion layer (GDL) media are hydrophobic and it is necessary to apply pressure to force water to penetrate into the pores of these materials. Teflon treatments made the carbon cloth and paper more hydrophobic, no water flowed through the media until pressures of 5–10 kPa were applied to overcome the surface energy of the water/Teflon interface in the largest pores. The largest pores were ∼250 μm in the carbon cloth and ∼40 μm in the Toray carbon paper. The largest pores in a catalyst layer applied to the woven carbon cloth were ∼20 μm. Increasing the applied hydrostatic pressure permitted water to flow through smaller pores in the GDL. Water flows through less than 1% of the void volume in the GDL; the small pores remain free of water and permit gas to get to the catalyst layer.
Embryos at the core of life

Writing a textbook on developmental biology is, today, a dangerous task. The amount of data being produced in labs all over the world overwhelms every effort to be up to date, or to be fair to every developmental biologist in the business. Today, the study of developmental biology entails a vast
Global challenges as inspiration: a classroom strategy to foster social responsibility.

Social responsibility is at the heart of the Engineer’s Creed embodied in the pledge that we will “dedicate [our] professional knowledge and skill to the advancement and betterment of human welfare...[placing] public welfare above all other considerations.” However, half century after the original creed was written, we find ourselves in a world with great technological advances and great global-scale technologically-enabled peril. These issues can be naturally integrated into the engineering curriculum in a way that enhances the development of the technological skill set. We have found that these global challenges create a natural opportunity to foster social responsibility within the engineering students whom we educate. In freshman through senior-level materials engineering courses, we used five guiding principles to shape several different classroom activities and assignments. Upon testing an initial cohort of 28 students had classroom experiences based on these five principles, we saw a shift in attitude: before the experience, 18% of the cohort viewed engineers as playing an active role in solving global problems; after the experiences, 79% recognized the engineer’s role in solving global-scale problems. In this paper, we present how global issues can be used to stimulate thinking for socially-responsible engineering solutions. We set forth five guiding principles that can foster the mindset for socially responsible actions along with examples of how these principles translate into classroom activities.
Prokaryotes offer hope for potassium channel structural studies.

An exciting breakthrough in ion channel studies will be the determination of their structures. A potassium channel structure may be on the horizon.