cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic cigarettes as a smoking-cessation: tool results from an online survey.

Background Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery-powered devices that deliver nicotine without any combustion or smoke. These devices have generated much publicity among the smoking-cessation community and support from dedicated users; however, little is known about the efficacy of the device as a smoking-cessation tool. Purpose This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation using a survey of smokers who had tried e-cigarettes. Methods Using as a sampling frame a cohort of all first-time purchasers of a particular brand of e-cigarettes during a 2-week period, a cross-sectional, online survey was conducted in 2010 to describe e-cigarette use patterns and their effectiveness as a smoking-cessation tool. There were 222 respondents, with a survey response rate of 4.5%. The primary outcome variable was the point prevalence of smoking abstinence at 6 months after initial e-cigarette purchase. Results The primary finding was that the 6-month point prevalence of smoking abstinence among the e-cigarette users in the sample was 31.0% (95% CI=24.8%, 37.2%). A large percentage of respondents reported a reduction in the number of cigarettes they smoked (66.8%) and almost half reported abstinence from smoking for a period of time (48.8%). Those respondents using e-cigarettes more than 20 times per day had a quit rate of 70.0%. Of respondents who were not smoking at 6 months, 34.3% were not using e-cigarettes or any nicotine-containing products at the time. Conclusions Findings suggest that e-cigarettes may hold promise as a smoking-cessation method and that they are worthy of further study using more-rigorous research designs.
EP-MEANS: an efficient nonparametric clustering of empirical probability distributions

Given a collection of m continuous-valued, one-dimensional empirical probability distributions {P1, ..., Pm}, how can we cluster these distributions efficiently with a nonparametric approach? Such problems arise in many real-world settings where keeping the moments of the distribution is not appropriate, because either some of the moments are not defined or the distributions are heavy-tailed or bi-modal. Examples include mining distributions of inter-arrival times and phone-call lengths. We present an efficient algorithm with a non-parametric model for clustering empirical, one-dimensional, continuous probability distributions. Our algorithm, called ep-means, is based on the Earth Mover's Distance and k-means clustering. We illustrate the utility of ep-means on various data sets and applications. In particular, we demonstrate that ep-means effectively and efficiently clusters probability distributions of mixed and arbitrary shapes, recovering ground-truth clusters exactly in cases where existing methods perform at baseline accuracy. We also demonstrate that ep-means outperforms moment-based classification techniques and discovers useful patterns in a variety of real-world applications.
Malignancy Metastatic to the Products of Conception: A Case Report with Literature Review

Breast cancer is rare in adolescent females. Breast cancer metastatic to the products of conception is equally uncommon. We describe a 15-year-old girl who at 30 weeks of gestation was diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma of probable breast origin. The placenta showed extensive intervillous disease. Metastatic disease within the intervillous space indicates hematogenous dissemination of cancer and a poor prognosis for the mother. The infant is almost always free of maternal disease unless there is villous invasion. Hormonal changes or immunotolerance by the mother may be involved in the pathogenesis. All placentas in which maternal malignancy is known or suspected should be examined grossly and microscopically.
Utilization of the nitrate reductase enzymatic pathway to reduce enteric pathogens in chickens

Previous reports have shown that some bacteria, including Salmonella, use a dissimilatory nitrate reductase enzyme pathway (NREP) in anaerobic environments. This enzyme reduces nitrate to nitrite and has been shown to cometabolize chlorate to cytotoxic chlorite. The present investigations were performed to evaluate the susceptibility of a competitive exclusion culture (CE) to the experimental chlorate product (ECP). A commercially available CE product was evaluated for its nitrate reductase activity and therefore its chlorate sensitivity. Individual isolates (in triplicate) were cultured in 10 mL of Viande Levure broth containing 5 mM sodium nitrate or 10 mM sodium chlorate. Bacterial growth (optical density at 625 nm) was measured and 1-mL aliquots were removed concurrently for colorimetric determination of nitrate content at 0, 3, 6, and 24 h. Of the 15 different facultative strains, 11 had slight NREP utilization, 3 had moderate NREP utilization, and the remainder were NREP negative (with slight and moderate NREP utilization: >0.1 to 1.0 mM nitrate used within 6 h, respectively). Of the obligate anaerobes evaluated, 3 had slight NREP utilization and the remainder were NREP negative. In vivo studies utilizing both products (CE and ECP) in a horizontal transmission challenge model (seeders + contacts) showed significant reductions in Salmonella from 5.37 to 1.76 log10 cfu/g and 3.94 to 0.07 log10 cfu/g, respectively. The combined effect of the CE culture and an ECP are effective in killing these food-borne pathogens.
Friendship quality and perceived relationship changes predict psychosocial adjustment in early adulthood

The current study examined three hypotheses about experience in close friendships and psychosocial adjustment. At Time 1, 51 same-sex close friend dyads (n = 102 friends, 51% female, mean age = 20 years) completed self-report measures and participated in a brief observational assessment. The hypothesis that friendship quality would be associated with clinical symptomatology and self-esteem was supported and indicated that high levels of negative friendship features were positively associated with clinical symptoms, whereas positive features were most strongly associated with self-esteem. The second hypothesis that changes in the friendship would be associated with adjustment one year later (68% participation rate at Time 2) was supported only for interpersonal sensitivity such that perceived negative changes in the relationship predicted increased symptoms. Finally, friends’ perceptions of the features and quality of their relationship were somewhat consistent, yet as hypothesized, discordant perceptions ...
Nuclear Localization Sequences in Cytomegalovirus Capsid Assembly Proteins (UL80 Proteins) Are Required for Virus Production: Inactivating NLS1, NLS2, or Both Affects Replication to Strikingly Different Extents

Scaffolding proteins of spherical prokaryotic and eukaryotic viruses have critical roles in capsid assembly. The primary scaffolding components of cytomegalovirus, called the assembly protein precursor (pAP, pUL80.5) and the maturational protease precursor (pPR, pUL80a), contain two nuclear localization sequences (NLS1 and NLS2), at least one of which is required in coexpression experiments to translocate the major capsid protein (MCP, pUL85) into the nucleus. In the work reported here, we have mutated NLS1 and NLS2, individually or together, in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV, strain AD169) bacmid-derived viruses to test their effects on virus replication. Consistent with results from earlier transfection/coexpression experiments, both single-mutant bacmids gave rise to infectious virus but the double mutant did not. In comparisons with the wild-type virus, both mutants showed slower cell-to-cell spread; decreased yields of infectious virus (3-fold lower for NLS1(-) and 140-fold lower for NLS2(-)); reduced efficiency of pAP, pPR, and MCP nuclear translocation (sixfold lower for NLS1(-) and eightfold lower for NLS2(-)); increased amounts of a 120-kDa MCP fragment; and reduced numbers of intranuclear capsids. All effects were more severe for the NLS2(-) mutant than the NLS1(-) mutant, and a distinguishing feature of cells infected with the NLS2(-) mutant was the accumulation of large, UL80 protein-containing structures within the nucleus. We conclude that these NLS assist in the nuclear translocation of MCP during HCMV replication and that NLS2, which is unique to the betaherpesvirus UL80 homologs, may have additional involvements during replication.
Large-Sample Evaluation of Two Methods to Correct Range-Dependent Error for WSR-88D Rainfall Estimates

Abstract The vertical variability of reflectivity is an important source of error that affects estimations of rainfall quantity by radar. This error can be reduced if the vertical profile of reflectivity (VPR) is known. Different methods are available to determine VPR based on volume-scan radar data. Two such methods were tested. The first, used in the Swiss Meteorological Service, estimates a mean VPR directly from volumetric radar data collected close to the radar. The second method takes into account the spatial variability of reflectivity and relies on solving an inverse problem in determination of the local profile. To test these methods, two years of archived level-II radar data from the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the corresponding rain gauge observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet were used. The results, obtained by comparing rain estimates from radar data corrected for the VPR influence with rain gauge observations, show the benefits of the met...
Biochemical bases for difference in oxygen affinity of maternal and fetal red blood cells of rattlesnakes

Pregnancy in Crotalus viridis oreganus is associated with an increase in the nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) concentration and a concomitant decrease in the oxygen affinity of the adult red blood cell. However, although the red blood cells of non-pregnant adults and fetuses have indistinguishable NTP concentrations, they have different oxygen affinities. Therefore, red blood cell NTP concentrations alone cannot account for the oxygen-affinity difference between fetal and maternal red blood cells. Hemoglobins from adult and fetal snakes had similar intrinsic oxygen affinities; however, adult hemoglobin was more responsive to organic phosphate modulation compared with fetal hemoglobin. Structural differences, indicated by native gel electrophoresis and electrophoresis of the globins under denaturing conditions at high pH, corroborated functional differences of hemoglobins from fetus and adult. Therefore, the biochemical basis for the oxygen-affinity difference between maternal and fetal red blood cells in this rattlesnake appears to be unique. It appears to be caused by a functionally distinct fetal hemoglobin and the pregnancy-associated rise in red blood cell NTP levels in the mother.
Microstructure-Based Effective Stress Formulation for Unsaturated Granular Soils

AbstractThe principle of effective stress states that the strength and volume change behaviors of soil are governed by intergranular forces expressed in terms of a continuum quantity called effective stress. Although the principle of effective stress is regarded as one of the most fundamental concepts in soil mechanics, its applicability to unsaturated soil has been questioned. The central issue is whether a measure can be developed for three-phase soils that plays an equivalent role as the effective stress does for two-phase soils. Combining the techniques of microstructural analysis and image processing, this study formulated the effective stress for unsaturated granular soils. A novel suction-controlled experimental setup was integrated with an X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning system and used to image and model microstructural features. A tensorial quantity, called the fabric tensor of the liquid phase, that characterized the complex fabric resulting from saturated pockets and networks of liquid...
Bank of Tokyo

In October 1990, the president of the Bank of Tokyo (the ninth-largest in Japan and fifteenth-largest in the world) must design a financing plan with which to bring the bank into compliance with the new worldwide capital-adequacy standards of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). The alternatives include (1) slowing the growth of the bank, (2) issuing equity, and (3) issuing convertible subordinated debentures. The tasks for the student are to compare and contrast the equity and convertibles tactics and to recommend a possible price or coupon rate for the convertible issue.
Monomer relative affinity in a copolymer

This paper analyzes data from experiments on simple polymer chains. It measures the extent to which a particular monomer prefers to link with another of the same type. To analyze the data, it derives the likelihood function for a two-state Markov model in which only the number in each state, but not the order, is observed. This technology is applied to a data set on which experimenters mixed lactic-glycolic monomers with a known proportion of a contaminant consisting of an extra lactic acid. The resulting copolymers were subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry. This records the number of copolymers at each atomic weight, which can be associated with a given length of copolymer and number of contaminant monomers. Analysis of the data shows that the proportion of contaminant monomers exceeded the proportion of experimentally induced contaminant. Maximum likelihood estimates using the data show that lactic-glycolic monomers show a positive affinity for the contaminant. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of dietary cholesterol on serum and egg cholesterol levels over a period of time.

Abstract THE influence of dietary cholesterol on the levels of serum and egg cholesterol of the laying hen was recently studied by Harris and Wilcox (1963) and the literature was critically reviewed. These workers found that after 11 days of feeding crystalline cholesterol to hens the serum and egg cholesterol levels were significantly increased. They interpreted their findings to suggest that laying hens are able to prevent a marked hypercholesteremia by excretion of cholesterol into the yolk. Since there is at least one report in the literature (Kurnick et al., 1958) in which no increase in yolk cholesterol was obtained when cholesterol was fed to laying hens, the possibility of time being a variable in these observations by various workers appeared possible. This study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding cholesterol to laying hens on serum and egg yolk cholesterol levels over a period of time. EXPERIMENTAL Single Comb…
Evaluation of Acceptor Strength in Thiophene Coupled Donor–Acceptor Chromophores for Optimal Design of Organic Photovoltaic Materials

A series of thiophene coupled acceptors were systematically investigated at the density functional theory level to reveal structure-property relationships for building blocks of materials used in organic photovoltaic applications. All of the acceptor groups studied in this work retain their aromaticity when coupled to thiophene groups as estimated from their aromatic stabilization energies. However, pure chains of acceptors may adopt quinoidal geometry along the conjugated backbone depending on the structure of interest. Spearman rank order correlation has been used to assess the relationships between the computed variables such as highest occupied molecular orbital, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, E(g), oscillator strength, exciton binding energy, aromatic stabilization energy, etc. The relative acceptor strengths were plotted and electrostatic potential maps were generated to examine the charge distribution over the chromophores. It has been found that there is no correlation between acceptor strength and electron withdrawing ability of the acceptor. Electron rich and highly electronegative atoms within acceptor groups mainly affect the charge distribution over the acceptor geometry. Exciton binding energy increases with the increasing aromatic character of the acceptor group. The acceptor strength is inversely correlated with the oscillator strength for the lowest excited state transition.
Use of an omental pedicle flap in the closure of fistula; A case report

A recurrent bronchopleural fistula in a 50-year-old diabetic male in whom resuturings of the leaking bronchus had failed twice was closed successfully with an omental pedicle flap. The original procedure was right lower lobectomy. The postoperative course was complicated by cough, high fever and large amounts of foul smelling sputum for 4 years. The empyema with a large bronchopleural fistula was completely healed without additional chest deformity or loss of pulmonary function. The advantage of the omental pedicle flap procedure are simplicity, absence of cosmetic defect, and suitability for right lower bronchopleural fisftula.
WEB-USE PATTERNS FOR CIVIC DISCOURSE: The case of Mongolian organizations

This research examines communicative and interactive features of Mongolian-language civic-discourse web sites by applying the media typology models proposed by Bordewijk and Van Kaam and Van Dijk. Based on the results of the content analysis of Mongolian governmental and civil society institutions, this research provides (1) empirical evidence useful for understanding the role of the Internet in social and political practices; and (2) a plausible model for assessing interactive characteristics of civic-discourse web sites. The results of the study support the view that the Internet is mostly shaped by existing political and social settings and routines. This does not discount the fact that newly established structures such as diaspora networks, new media organizations and interest groups are becoming more resourceful in using the interactive features of the Internet to expand the civic discourse in the Mongolian language.
Should metabolic evaluation be performed in patients with struvite stones

Previous studies suggested that patients with pure struvite calculi rarely have underlying metabolic abnormalities. Therefore, most of these patients do not undergo metabolic studies. We report our experience with these patients and their response to directed medical therapy. Between 1/2005 and 9/2012, 75 patients treated with percutaneous nephrolithotomy for struvite stones were identified. Of these, 7 had pure struvite stones (Group 1), 32 had mixed struvite stones (Group 2), both with metabolic evaluation, and 17 had pure struvite stones without metabolic evaluation (Group 3). The frequency of metabolic abnormalities and stone activity (defined as stone growth or stone-related events) was compared between groups. The median age was 55 years and 64 % were female. No significant difference in race, infection history, family history, stone location or volume existed between groups. Metabolic abnormalities were found in 57 % of Group 1 and 81 % of Group 2 patients. A similar proportion of Group 1 and 2 patients received modification to or continuation of metabolic therapy, whereas no Group 3 patients received any directed therapy. In patients with >6 months follow-up, the stone activity rate between Groups 1 and 2 appeared similar whereas Group 3 trended towards higher stone activity rate. Metabolic abnormalities in pure struvite stone formers appear to be more common than previously reported. Directed medical therapy in these patients may reduce stone activity. The role of metabolic evaluation and directed medical therapy needs reconsideration in patients with pure struvite stones.
Towards a Critical Pedagogy of Peace Education

This article tackles the issue of critical pedagogy in regards to education for peace. Peace education is here seen as a holistic process of development of human potential to coexist in a less violent manner. This problem is significant for example in the context of South Africa, which is being explained in this paper. Another example of this kind of pedagogy is related to the Jewish and Greek concepts of Tikkun Olam and Parrhesia. Finally they are being emphasized the issues of empathy and pedagogy pf hope.
The nature of the business

Much of the literature on Florentine economic history of the first half of the fourteenth century has focused on the very large companies, especially those of the Bardi and Peruzzi, perhaps leaving the impression that they were representative of business organizations during this period. Nothing could be further from the truth. The number of companies operating in Florence in the 1330s and 1340s ran to many hundreds. Hundreds more flourished in the numerous commercial centers in Italy and northwestern Europe. But the term “company” encompassed a broad range of enterprises of differing magnitude and complexity, the preponderance of which were small and simple businesses. Some were in manufacturing, others in merchandise trading, others in banking and money changing, and still others in combinations of these activities. Only a few companies, however, embraced the entire spectrum. Of these, most formed relatively modest-sized organizations, with a small number of partners and limited capital. To be sure, there were many Italian companies of significant size during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, such as the Ricciardi of Lucca, the Bonsignori of Siena, and the Frescobaldi and Scali of Florence. And of the important non-Italian businesses, William de la Pole's had attained a size that made it a formidable competitor of the Italians in England and northern Europe. But there were a few international companies of such extraordinary dimensions that they deserve to be singled out with the special descriptive term “super-companies.”
ATP FORMATION BY ANAEROBIC BACTERIA

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights adenosine triphosphate (ATP) formation by anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria make use of only a few energy-rich compounds as substrates for ATP-generating reactions. Diphosphoglycerate and phosphenol pyruvate, the phosphoryl donors of glycolysis and alcoholic fermentation, are used by a variety of anaerobic bacteria. The high-energy phosphoryl groups of diphosphoglycerate and the other phosphoryl donors are derived from inorganic phosphate by reaction with a precursor containing a suitable high-energy bond. The most frequently used phosphoryl donor for ATP synthesis in anaerobic bacteria is acetyl phosphate. The compound is formed from a wide variety of substrates by several different paths. A few anaerobic bacteria use carbamyl phosphate as a phosphoryl donor to ADP. Most of the ATP-generating reactions of anaerobes occur in aerobic organisms, although anaerobes frequently show a higher degree of specialization in the utilization of specific reactions. It is not yet certain that anaerobic bacteria catalyze any truly unique ATP-generating reactions, although this is still a possibility.
Agriculture: Past Success and Future Prospects

Bangladesh is widely perceived, both domestically and externally, as an agricultural country. Almost by any measure, other than the “principal occupation of the labor force”, this has long ceased to be true. By now just over a sixth of GDP originates in agricultural activities (Table 2.2) and well below a quarter of incomes of the households is derived from farming (Table 5.1).1
Lymphocyte generation and population homeostasis throughout life.

Immune aging is a multi-faceted process that manifests as reduced competence to fight infections and malignant cells, as well as diminished tissue repair, unprovoked inflammation, and increased autoreactivity. The aging adaptive immune system, with its high complexity in functional cell subpopulations and diversity of B- and T-cell receptors, has to cope with the challenge of maintaining homeostasis while responding to exogenous stimuli and compensating for reduced generative capacity. With thymic involution, naive T cells begin to function as quasi-stem cells and maintain the compartment through peripheral homeostatic proliferation that shapes the T-cell repertoire through peripheral selection and the activation of differentiation pathways. Similarly, reduced generation of early B-cell progenitors alters the composition of the peripheral B-cell compartment with the emergence of a unique, auto-inflammatory B-cell subset, termed age-associated B cells (ABCs). These changes in T- and B-cell composition and function are core manifestations of immune aging.
Epidemiology of Acute Critical Limb Ischemia

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is defined as any sudden decrease in limb perfusion causing a potential threat to limb viability (Norgren et al., J Vasc Surg 45:S5–67, 2007). The incidence of ALI is 9–16 cases per 100,000 persons per year for the lower extremity (Creager et al., N Engl J Med 366:2198–2206, 2012; Dryjski and Swedenborg, J Cardiovasc Surg 25:518–522, 1984; Davies et al., Br J Surg 84:504–508, 1997) and around 1–3 cases per 100,000 persons per year for the upper extremity (Eyers and Earnshaw, Br J Surg 85:1340–1346, 1998). Etiology includes embolism, in situ thrombosis with coexisting peripheral arterial disease (PAD), graft/stent thrombosis, trauma, or peripheral aneurysm with embolism or thrombosis. ALI management makes up 10–16 % of the vascular workload for the average vascular specialist. Amputation and mortality rates are historically high in these patients, however, with advances in anticoagulation and surgical therapy that have decreased over time.
Combination Mitigators, GS-Nitroxide JP4-039 and water Soluble Oxetanyl Sulfoxide MMS350 Improve Survival of Lethally Irradiated Mice

Abstract New small molecule radiation mitigator drugs are needed to administer 24 hr or later after a mass casualty radiation event. We have developed two small molecule mitigators with applicability as clinical radiation protectors. The mitochondrial targeted GS-nitroxide, JP4-039, acts as a superoxide dismutase mimic. A novel oxetanyl sulfoxide, MMS350, acts as a hydroxyl radical scavenger and mitigates both acute total body irradiation damage and prevents late radiation pulmonary fibrosis (Kalash, Epperly, Cao et. al., Radiation Research 180:474-490, 2013). We tested the effect of both compounds together in the C57BL/6NTac mouse TBI irradiation model. Each drug was a radiation protector and mitigator with murine hematopoietic progenitor cell line 32D cl3 in vitro. JP4-039 (10 μM) or MMS350 (100 μM) were incubated with the cells one hour before irradiation or added 30 min following irradiation. The irradiated cells were plated in methylcellulose, incubated for 7 days at 37oC, and colonies of greater than 50 cells counted. The data was analyzed using linear quadratic or single hit, multi-target models. In vivo total body irradiated C57BL/6NTac mice received 9.25 Gy and were injected intravenously 24 hr later with JP4-039 (20 mg/kg) in F14 emulsion, MMS350 (20 mg/kg) or both JP4-039 (20 mg/kg) + MMS350 (20 mg/kg). Mice were followed for development of the hematopoietic syndrome (irradiation induced bone marrow failure). In vitro radiation survival curves demonstrated that both JP4-039 and MMS350 protected and mitigated 32D cl 3 cells by increasing the shoulder on the clonagenic survival curves. The shoulder on survival curve for 32D cl 3 cells was 2.0 ± 0.3 compared to 3.8 ± 0.5 when JP4-039 was administered pre irradiation (p = 0.0092), 5.4 ± 0.5 when JP4-039 was administered post irradiation (p = 0.0002), 3.5 ± 0.3 for cells incubated with MMS350 pre irradiation (p = 0.0104) or 5.3 ± 1.5 when MMS350 is administered post irradiation (p = 0.0096). Mice treated with JP4-039 had increased survival at 60 days following 9.25 Gy from 20% to 65% (p = 0.0092). Mice treated with MMS350 showed an increased survival of 55% (p = 0.0097). The combination of JP4-039 and MMS350 was additive and increased survival to 95% (p Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Very Particular Set of Skills Former Legislator Traits and Revolving Door Lobbying in Congress

In recent decades, observers of Congress have devoted increasing attention to the phenomenon of the revolving door, whereby members of Congress and staffers go on to careers in lobbying. This practice raises a number of normative concerns that are perhaps most heightened when it comes to the lobbying activities of members of Congress themselves. In this article, I examine the factors determining which former members go through the revolving door, and find that members with central network positions and highly effective legislators are more likely to become lobbyists. I then examine the extent to which members-turned-lobbyists have an impact on bills in Congress. I find evidence that lobbying by former members increases a bill’s probability of progressing and some evidence that highly effective legislators also go on to become more effective lobbyists. Taken together, these findings support conventional wisdom that former members become some of the most influential lobbyists.
Public Response to a Proposed Field Trial of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes in the United States.

This study assesses public response to a proposed field trial in the United States of genetically engineered mosquito (OX513A) designed to suppress wild-type Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which can transmit diseases such as Zika, dengue, and chikungunya.
Incubation onset maintains survival of most embryos and growth and survival of late-hatched young

Hatching asynchrony occurs primarily as a consequence of the timing of embryonic development. Despite over 50 years of study, it is unclear why, ultimately, most birds initiate embryonic development (incubation) before all eggs are laid. One hypothesis focuses on prehatching (embryo) survival and predicts that early incubation maximizes embryo survival by reducing exposure of unincubated eggs (egg viability hypothesis). Another set of hypotheses focuses on posthatching growth and survival and predicts that females time incubation to maximize the number or quality of hatched offspring that fledge (adaptive hatching pattern hypotheses). I experimentally manipulated when females could begin incubation to test how timing of embryonic development influences prehatching survival and posthatching growth and survival in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus. Despite high embryo survival in both naturally asynchronous and experimentally synchronized nests, early incubation appeared to maximize embryo survival in all but the earliest-laid eggs, suggesting that house sparrows begin incubation too late to maximize survival of all embryos. Early incubation had little effect on overall (i.e. mean) patterns of posthatching growth and survival. However, early incubation increased the initial variation in offspring size because last-hatched young were relatively small when all eggs had completed hatching. Nestlings that were small at hatch completion grew slowly and exhibited a reduced probability of survival, suggesting that house sparrows begin incubation too early to maximize growth and survival of hatched offspring. These results suggest that timing of incubation neither maximizes embryo survival nor maximizes posthatching growth and survival. Instead, early incubation appears to be a trade-off between maintaining both embryo survival and growth and survival of late-hatched offspring. Thus, house sparrow females likely time incubation as an adaptive strategy to maximize the number of embryos that survive the incubation and nestling periods to fledge.
Prediction of Stability in Pharmaceutical Preparations VIII: Oil-in-Water Emulsion Stability and the Analytical Ultracentrifuge

An oil-in-water emulsion clears in a centrifugal field to form a packed, semirigid “cream.” Subsequently, a true oil or continuous phase is spun-out of the “cream.” It is shown that rates of emulsion clearing can be stated as a function of the ultra-centrifugal r.p.m. and that the rate of clearing under simple gravity can be predicted for the oil-water emulsion as initially constituted. “Bad” emulsion can be differentiated from “good” emulsion by the ready formation of a separate oil phase in the former. In the latter case, an induction period exists before a continuous oil phase is spun out at an accelerating rate, which rate is a function of the centrifugal force.
Function and Evolution of Actins

In this review, evolutionary relationships of actin gene and protein sequences, as well as intron positions within actin genes, are analyzed both within and between eukaryotic kingdoms.
Silver nanoparticle electrospray laser deposition for additive manufacturing of microlayers on rigid or flexible substrates

Nanoparticles of various materials are known to possess excellent mechanical, chemical, electrical, and optical properties. However, it is difficult to deposit and transform nanoparticles into large two-dimensional and threedimensional structures in a controlled manner. A laser-based new additive manufacturing process is presented for depositing nanoparticles using an electrospray technology. This process is versatile and scalable, and uses less materials and energy. In this process, aqueous microdroplets of nanoparticle suspension are injected into a hollow laser beam that vaporizes the water, sinters the nanoparticles and deposits nanoparticles on rigid or flexible substrates. Nanoparticles of silver have been deposited on silicon wafer, card stock and polyimide film, and high precision deposition has been observed to occur under a particular microfluidic regime called microdripping mode. This process can promote roll-toroll manufacturing of a variety of energy and electronic devices such as conformal solar cells, sensors, and actuators.
Degradation of c-Myc by WP1130 Through Activation of a Novel Proteasomal-Dependent Pathway

3022 The c-Myc proto-oncogene is a central regulator of key cellular processes such as differentiation, regulation of the G1-to-S-phase transition, proliferation, maintenance of cell size, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. c-Myc is deregulated in a variety of types of cancer, including melanomas, myelomas, Burkitt’s lymphoma, and breast, prostate, and colon cancer, and this deregulation often correlates with highly aggressive, poorly differentiated tumors and poor prognosis. Compounds that inhibit c-Myc activity specifically in tumor cells are being actively sought for possible development as anticancer therapy. In one such search, screening a library of small molecular weight compounds for their ability to induce the degradation of critical transcription factors and tyrosine kinases led to the design and synthesis of WP1130, a compound that reduces Jak2, Bcr/Abl, and c-Myc protein stability. The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanisms mediating the WP1130-induced downregulation of c-Myc. Treatment of multiple myeloma (MM-1) cells with WP1130 led to rapid downregulation of the c-Myc protein (tested by Western blotting) but did not inhibit transcription of c-Myc (tested by Northern blotting). Further, WP1130 did not degrade c-Myc mRNA that had been synthesized in an in-vitro transcription and translation assay. Collectively, these observations indicate that WP1130 downregulates c-Myc by activating a proteolytic pathway. Because endogenous c-myc is degraded by the ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal system, we next investigated whether a similar mechanism mediated WP1130-induced degradation of c-Myc. Indeed, proteasome inhibitors blocked the ability of WP1130 to degrade c-Myc, indicating that WP1130-induced c-Myc degradation depends on the proteasome. To identify the region of c-Myc necessary for its WP1130-induced, proteasome-mediated degradation, we treated HeLa cells that ectopically expressed either wild-type c-Myc or a series of scanning deletion mutants with WP1130 and assessed c-Myc expression by Western blot analysis. Expression of wild-type c-Myc protein and that of all the deletion mutants except one was strongly downregulated in the presence of WP1130. The c-Myc mutant that was unaffected by WP1130 had a deletion at the c-terminus_a region distinct from all others known to be involved in the proteasomal-mediated downregulation of c-Myc. Our ongoing work involves identifying the signaling molecules that participate in this novel, proteasome-dependent pathway.
The Regulation by Carbon Dioxide of Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Isolated Perfused Tissue

In 1960 Hastings and Dowdle reported that increasing medium bicarbonate concentration in the physiological range from approximately 10 mM to 40 mM, while maintaining pH at 7.40, caused glycogen synthesis from glucose in rat liver slices to increase 60% (HASTINGS and DOUDLE [1960]). In further studies it was found that fructose (HASTINGS and LONGMORE [1965]) and especially glycerol (LONGMORE, HASTINGS, and MAHOWALD [1964]) also served as substrates to produce the rise in glycogen synthesis as total CO2 concentration of the medium was increased, while pyruvate did not (HASTINGS and LONGMORE [1965]). In addition to the effect of CO2 on glycogen synthesis, it was observed that acetate-1-14C and pyruvate-2-14C incorporation into triglyceride and phospholipid fatty acids was increased an average of fourfold in rat liver slices when medium total CO2 concentration was increased from 10 mM to 40 mM at pH 7.40 (LONGMORE, et al. [1967]; LONGMORE [1968]). Bicarbonate has been shown by various workers to affect the activity of several enzymes in vitro, including glucose-6-phos- phate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate phosphohydrolase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glyceraldehyde phosphate de-hydrogenase, and aconitase (BANDURSKI and LIPMANN [1956]; CHANCE and PARKE [1967]; DICKMAN and CLOUTIER [1951]; DYSON, ANDERSON, and NORDLIE [1969]; LEVY [1963]; ANDERSON and NORDLIE [1968]; ANDERSON, HORNE, and NORDLIE [1968]; MCDANIEL and LONGMORE [1971]). The last two, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and aconitase, assume importance in the present report.
A Novelty Search and Power-Law-Based Genetic Algorithm for Exploring Harmonic Spaces in J.S. Bach Chorales

We present a novel, real-time system, called Harmonic Navigator, for exploring the harmonic space in J.S. Bach Chorales. This corpus-based environment explores trajectories through harmonic space. It supports visual exploration and navigation of harmonic transition probabilities through interactive gesture control. These probabilities are computed from musical corpora (in MIDI format). Herein we utilize the 371 J.S. Bach Chorales of the Riemenschneider edition. Our system utilizes a hybrid novelty search approach combined with power-law metrics for evaluating fitness of individuals, as a search termination criterion. We explore how novelty search can aid in the discovery of new harmonic progressions through this space as represented by a Markov model capturing probabilities of transitions between harmonies. Our results demonstrate that the 371 Bach Chorale harmonic space is rich with novel aesthetic possibilities, possibilities that the grand master himself never realized.
Identifying and Ameliorating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Disparities in the Criminal Justice System.

A review is presented of the article "Incarceration as a Health Determinant for Sexual Orientation and Gender Minority Persons" by Valerio Bacak, Kate Thurman, Suzanne A. Kim, and others and published in the same issue concerning health disparities experienced by incarcerated members of the LGBT+ community.
A Concise Synthesis of Potential COX Inhibitor BRL-37959 and Analogs Involving Bismuth(III) Catalyzed Friedel−Crafts Acylation

We report the development of a concise method of synthesizing possible cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor BRL-37959, which is believed to be a potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The four-step synthesis greatly increased the efficiency of compound production from commercially available salicylaldehydes. The synthesis involved an optimized, bismuth(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate catalyzed benzoylation of a benzofuran ring.
The People Know Best: Situating the Counterexpertise of Populist Pipeline Opposition Movements

Critical scholarship suggests that environmental populism is either an expression of radical democracy beyond the paternalistic liberalism of mainstream environmentalism (Meyer 2008) or that it is ...
Durable Solar-Powered Systems with Ni-Catalysts for Conversion of CO2 or CO to CH4

Photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to reduced carbon states using sunlight and an earth-abundant catalyst could provide a critically needed source of renewable energy. Very few earth-abundant catalys...
Prognosis Reconsidered in Light of Ancient Insights-From Hippocrates to Modern Medicine.

Whereas modern clinicians are often reluctant to discuss prognosis with their patients, such discussions were central to medical practice in ancient Greece. A historical analysis has the potential to explain the reasons for this difference in prognostic practices and provide insights into overcoming current challenges. Many scholars consider prognosis to be the principal scientific achievement of the Hippocratic tradition. The earliest treatise on the subject,On Prognostics, defines prognosis broadly as “foreseeing and foretelling, by the side of the sick, the present, the past, and the future.” This definition makes clear that prognosis is not simply about predicting the future, but also involves an appreciation for the continuity of past, present, and future as sequences of connected events, or trajectories, that can be pieced together into a comprehensive story of the patient’s health. In modern medicine, prognosis has lagged behind diagnosis and treatment in its establishment as a central component of medical care. An important basis for understanding this lies in the paradigm change that occurred with the discovery of pathogens as agents of disease, shifting attention toward individual diseases and away from diseased individuals. With this shift, diagnostics and treatments advanced dramatically and prognosis fell to the background. More recent attempts to advance prognosis have focused on narrower uses of the term, such as estimates of life expectancy and mortality risk. However, physicians have expressed a number of reservations about the use of such estimates in the care of patients, and patients have indicated the desire for a wide variety of predictive information. Adopting the broadness of the Hippocratic definition may allow clinicians to overcome their hesitancy and provide much-needed information to their patients.
A Badge, Not a Barrier: Designing for-and Throughout-Digital Badge Implementation

We synthesize insights from a multi-year project involving the design and implementation of a digital badge system with youth co-designers at a science center. Using stakeholder interviews and surveys, participatory design session data, and user analytics, we identify the sociotechnical, sociocultural, and technical challenges of long-term badge implementation and propose several recommendations for the design and implementation of future badge systems. By identifying these challenges and providing recommendations that foreground stakeholder values and participation, we show how to support implementation throughout the entire design-to-implementation cycle.
Towards a computing continuum: Enabling edge-to-cloud integration for data-driven workflows:

Dramatic changes in the technology landscape marked by increasing scales and pervasiveness of compute and data have resulted in the proliferation of edge applications aimed at effectively processin...
New-onset epilepsy in women with first time seizures during pregnancy.

Abstract Introduction In women with epilepsy, seizure frequency and severity can be affected during pregnancy by factors such as changes in ASD (anti-seizure drug) metabolism, changes in hormone levels, and medication compliance. Some women with epilepsy experience seizure worsening during pregnancy, while others have an improvement. Most epileptic seizures during pregnancy occur in women with pre-existing epilepsy. Rarely, women develop new-onset seizure-like episodes concerning for epileptic seizures during pregnancy, posing a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for the physician. Methods To determine the frequency of new-onset seizures during pregnancy and the clinical course of those with new seizures, we performed a retrospective study of all women with concomitant diagnoses of pregnancy and seizures (excluding eclampsia) at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions over a five-year period. We calculated the frequency of events concerning for seizures during pregnancy, including first-lifetime events, and classified these events as epileptic seizures or as seizure mimics. For those with epileptic seizures, we followed up with the patient to determine whether seizures recurred in or after pregnancy, and whether treatment with anti-seizure medication was initiated. Results Over a five-year period, 41,869 women received care at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions during pregnancy. 84 women had at least one event concerning for seizure during their pregnancies. Of these, 11 had no prior history of seizures; 5 of these women were found to have first-time unprovoked epileptic seizures supported by epileptiform abnormalities on EEG. All women delivered at term with no major complications. Four of these women continued to have epileptic seizures after delivery. Conclusions New onset seizures during pregnancy were rare. Most women with first-time epileptic seizures during pregnancy also had epileptic seizures after pregnancy, indicating a first presentation of epilepsy.
Finite deformation cohesive zone phase field model for crack propagation in multi-phase microstructures

This paper develops a unified phase field model for simulating finite deformation crack evolution and interfacial decohesion in multi-phase elastic materials. Crack propagation is formulated using a phase field model, in which the order parameter $$s=1$$ corresponds to the crack topology. The phase field model at the interface is enhanced with cohesive zone characteristics through a cohesive potential function. The interface displacement discontinuities are regularized using an auxiliary interface phase field order parameter. The cohesive potential is associated with this interface phase field for delineating interfacial decohesion. The model is numerically implemented using a multi-pass staggered solver. Numerical examples involving different failure mechanisms are simulated for examining the performance of the proposed model. Different failure mechanisms such as interfacial debonding, crack kinking and propagation in the brittle matrix, and their interactions are captured by the model. Limited verification tests are conducted with analytical results.
The Enforcers: How Little-Known Trade Reporters Exposed the Keating Five and Advanced Business Journalism

I worry some prospective readers of Rob Wells’ new book The Enforcers may read its title and move on to texts of more obvious relevance to their interests. On its face, The Enforcers appears to be ...