cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The cyclic phenomenon of periodontitis.

Abstract Based on microscopic sections of eighteen human jaws, the constancy of seven measured distances, limited by anatomic and pathologic landmarks within the periodontium, was determined and their relationship to local pathologic factors was tested. The type of tooth, type of tooth surface (mesial or distal), and the presence of an approximating tooth had no effect on the mean lengths of the distances. Of the measurements made, the distance from the bottom of the calculus to the alveolar crest was found to be the most constant, having a mean length of 1.97 mm. and a coefficient of variation of 33.16 per cent. The length of the epithelial attachment was found to be the most variable structure of the periodontium. By analyzing the incidence of local pathologic factors in relation to each other, it was found that the degree of inflammation of the lamina propria and the degree of ulceration of the marginal epithelium could be predicted from the shape of the supragingival calculus; also, that the degree of ulceration of the crevicular epithelium could be predicted by the shape of subgingival calculus. One local pathologic factor, subgingival calculus, had an effect on three of the distances: (1) bottom of calculus to the bottom of the epithelial attachment, (2) bottom of calculus to the alveolar crest, and (3) bottom of calculus to deepest level of inflammatory cells. The mean lengths of these distances were greater in relation to scaly subgingival calculus than to nodular subgingival calculus. From these results a hypothesis is advanced that the alternating formation of scaly and nodular calculus on the tooth surface represents a cycle, which can be broken down into the following stages: 1. Stage I. Gradual breakdown of papillary structure. 1.1. Phase 1. Scaly calculus formation. 1.2. Phase 2. Nodular calculus formation. 2. Stage II. Severance of papillary structure. 3. Stage III. Recovery with rebuilding of a new papillary structure.
The Continuum in Special Relativity

A relativistically covariant formalism describing the behavior of a continuous medium is presented. A method is developed for resolving covariant expressions into space and time components. One obtains by this method from a symmetric energy-momentum tensor, a scalar invariant energy density, a vector heat flux, and the stress tensor. The laws of thermodynamics appear as time components and the laws of dynamics as space components of the same relativistic equations. If the divergence of the energy-momentum tensor vanishes, then the first law of thermodynamics and Newton's second law of dynamics (including thermal effects) follow. Reversible processes are considered, and the second law of thermodynamics is formulated with the use of scalar invariant temperature and entropy.
Drug Addiction Stigma in the Context of Methadone Maintenance Therapy: An Investigation into Understudied Sources of Stigma

Experiences of stigma from others among people with a history of drug addiction are understudied in comparison to the strength of stigma associated with drug addiction. Work that has studied these experiences has primarily focused on stigma experienced from healthcare workers specifically even though stigma is often experienced from other sources as well. Because stigma has important implications for the mental health and recovery efforts of people in treatment, it is critical to better understand these experiences of stigma. Therefore, we characterize drug addiction stigma from multiple sources using qualitative methodology to advance understandings of how drug addiction stigma is experienced among methadone maintenance therapy patients and from whom. Results demonstrate that methadone maintenance therapy patients experience prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination from friends and family, coworkers and employers, healthcare workers, and others. Discussion highlights similarities and differences in stigma experienced from these sources.
The immunomodulating effect of the microsporidan Glugea stephani on the humoral response and immunoglobulin levels in winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus

A quantitative study of serum immunoglobulin levels and haemagglutination titres has shown that an injection of the microsporidan Glugea stephani caused a decrease in the humoral response of the winter flounder. These examples demonstrate the effect of temperature on the decrease in total IgM levels and haemagglutination titres in winter flounder simultaneously injected with either G. stephani or horse red blood cells. Transfer of serum from fish injected with spores 3 weeks earlier may also implicate soluble serum factors, such as prostaglandins or leukotrienes, causing the observed decrease in serum IgM levels.
Emerging mechanisms of eukaryotic DNA replication initiation

Recent research has focused on proteins important for early steps in replication in eukaryotes, and particularly on Cdc6/Cdc18, the MCMs, and Cdc45. Although it is still unclear exactly what role these proteins play, it is possible that they are analogous to initiation proteins in prokaryotes. One specific model is that MCMs form a hexameric helicase at replication forks, and Cdc6/Cdc18 acts as a 'clamp-loader' required to lock the MCMs around DNA. The MCMs appear to be the target of Cdc7-Dbf4 kinase acting at individual replication origins. Finally, Cdc45 interacts with MCMs and may shed light on how cyclin-dependent kinases activate DNA replication.
Metal mirror selection guide

Abstract Several pertinent parameters are frequently overlooked in specifying metal mirrors for high energy laser systems. This report outlines the importance of those parameters and describes both the typical and the state-of-the-art characteristics presently available.
Epithelial cells and Von Gierke's disease.

Summary: Epithelial cells and not fibroblasts from human liver and amniotic fluid contain inducible glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-Pase) activity. The diagnosis of Von Gierke's disease has been made in a patient with hepatomegaly utilizing cultured epithelial cells grown from a liver biopsy. G-6-Pase activity in epithelial cells from this patient could not be induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline. This is the first use of epithelial cells for diagnosis of a metabolic disease. G-6-Pase activity in cloned epithelial cells from amniotic fluid increases 2-to 3-fold after 24-hr exposure to dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline. The prenatal diagnosis of Von Gierke's disease may be possible in a laboratory experienced with these techniques if epithelial cell growth is obtained from amniotic fluid. Speculation: Epithelial cell culture may add a new dimension to the study of metabolic disease in man.
Reconstruction of Alar Defects

With its complex symmetric contours and central facial location, the nose plays a key role in characterizing the face. Among the cosmetic subunits of the nose, the delicate nasal ala has a particularly marked influence on breathing and cosmetic appearance. Therefore, reconstruction of defects of the nasal ala requires careful attention to preserve and restore function and cosmesis. Reconstructive surgeons have a wide variety of options and techniques to repair specific defects of the nasal ala. Attention to detail, knowledge of the nasal anatomy, and precise surgical techniques allows for the optimum results with the lowest risk of complications.
Ischemia Leads to Delayed-union during Fracture Healing: A Mouse Model

Vascular damage accompanying skeletal injury leads to an ischemic environment, and in clinical settings the extent of vascular damage is directly correlated with failure of skeletal repair. However, the exact mechanism(s) underlying ischemia-related defects in bone healing are not well understood. To better understand the mechanism and to facilitate development of novel interventions to treat ischemic fractures, a mouse model of long bone fracture healing in an ischemic environment was created. Ischemia was induced by femoral artery resection prior to tibia fracture. Fractures were left unstabilized or were stabilized with custom-designed external fixators. Animals with intact femoral vessels served as controls. Tissues from non-stabilized fractures were analyzed at various times from 3 to 28 days after injury (n = 5/time point). Femoral artery resection severely impaired blood supply to the fractured limbs, and perfusion to the fracture sites did not recover until 14 days post-injury. Ischemia significantly decreased the callus size (p < 0.05), and decreased bone (p < 0.05) and cartilage (p < 0.05) matrix production during healing of non-stabilized fracture. The decreased formation of skeletal tissues in ischemic limbs was accompanied by decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis at early time points, and increased fibrous and fatty tissues adjacent to the fracture site during the third and fourth week after injury. These alterations led to a delayed-union. Complete fracture healing was not achieved in the majority (day 21 = 4/5; day 28 = 5/5) of ischemic animals, while all control mice (n = 5/5) had evidence of bony bridging by day 21. The ratio of cartilage to bone was similar in ischemic and control limbs at days 7 and 10 in non-stabilized fractures. In stabilized fractures, which healed through direct bone formation in the nonischemic controls, ischemia decreased the amount of bone formation at days 10 and 14 (n = 5/time point) but did not induce cartilage formation. These data reveal that an ischemic insult in the hind limb prior to fracture leads to a delayed union or a nonunion, but does not favor formation of cartilage over bone. This model will be useful for testing novel therapeutic regimens to stimulate fracture healing.
Performance of three infiltration models under surge irrigation

Three models were developed to predict infiltration under a surge-flow irrigation regime. One model (2P) utilized the Kostiakov-Lewis infiltration equation. The other two models (2PF and 3P) utilized the modified Kostiakov-Lewis infiltration equation. All three models combined continuous-flow furrow irrigation volume-balance hydraulic models presented by Reddell and Latortue (1986, 1988) with a numerical variation of the Cycle Ratio-Time Model (CRTM) for surge irrigation presented by Blair and Smerdon (1987). The volume–balance component of the models estimated the soil's continuous-flow furrow irrigation infiltration function using first surge-cycle advance data. The numerical CRTM component used the estimated infiltration function in conjunction with the surge-flow irrigation infiltration opportunity-time to predict infiltration. An assessment of overall model accuracy was based upon an infiltrated volume root mean square error (RMSE) statistic. Overall, the 2PF model returned the lowest RMSE values and the 3P model was the next most accurate. The 2P model was the least accurate. While the 2PF model was the most accurate, this model has limited applicability since it requires inflow and outflow measurements throughout an irrigation event to evaluate the soil's basic infiltration constant. Despite its good overall performance, anomalous results from the 3P model suggest that further testing is needed. Although the 2P model was the least accurate of the three models evaluated here, and although it consistently underpredicted infiltration, it appears to be the most stable and effective of the three models evaluated.
An analysis of the vanishing interfacial tension technique for determination of minimum miscibility pressure

Abstract Observations of interfacial tensions for mixtures of a gas and oil have been proposed as a way to measure the minimum miscibility pressure for displacement of a multicomponent oil by a gas mixture in a porous medium. The experimental approach known as the “vanishing interfacial tension technique” (VIT) is to measure interfacial tensions for a gas–oil mixture at a sequence of pressures. The estimate of the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) is taken to be the pressure at which the interfacial tension extrapolates to zero when plotted against pressure. In this paper, the behavior observed in the VIT experiment is analyzed by performing phase equilibrium calculations with an equation of state and calculations of interfacial tensions using a parachor approach. The analysis shows that the VIT estimate of the MMP depends strongly on the overall composition of the gas–oil mixture used in the VIT experiment. Comparison of the estimates obtained for systems with three and four components and for a multicomponent crude oil system with MMPs calculated from solutions of the differential equations that describe the interactions of flow and phase equilibria indicates that the VIT approach can give estimates of the MMP that differ substantially from the MMP that would be observed in a displacement experiment. For some choices of the composition of the fluid mixture in the cell and the compositions of the oil and gas, however, it can also give estimates that are reasonably close to the value that would be obtained in a slim tube displacement experiment. However, the overall composition that gives the smallest error in the MMP estimate and the magnitude of the error cannot be determined from the VIT experiment alone. The uncertainty in the VIT estimate of the MMP arises from a fundamental limitation of the experiment: it investigates mixture compositions that are linear combinations of the initial oil and injection gas that are quite different from the critical mixture that forms at the MMP in a gas–oil displacement in a porous medium. The results indicate that the VIT approach to determine the MMP for multicomponent gas–oil displacements should be used with caution given the potential for significant errors in the resulting estimate of the MMP.
Design and Operation of Secure Cyber-Physical Systems

This letter proposes a holistic framework for the design and operation of secure and reliable resource-constrained cyber-physical systems. The proposed framework combines control-theoretic methods, information security notions and computational models to characterize tradeoffs among different design and operation objectives. We quantify the intricate relation among control performance, system security and platform schedulability through a minimal set of interface variables. We argue that security mechanisms and control algorithms need to be codesigned and comanaged with the embedded platform, so as to avoid the design of algorithms that are too expensive to implement on the embedded platform, or significantly impede design objectives such as performance and timing robustness.
Nonlinear second sound in solids.

We study the nonlinear propagation of thermal waves in rigid heat conductors using a model introduced by Ruggeri et al. We derive the lowest-order nonlinear corrections to the wave speed and show that the quadratic nonlinearity can be small for NaF and Bi. The smallness of the nonlinear steepening parameter complicates the wave dynamics, allowing for both forward and backward steepening waves within the same pulse. We show that this mixed condition places limits on the size of admissible discontinuities; we then argue that this limit on the size of shock waves limits the arrival times of thermal signals. Using this, we propose an experiment to measure arrival times to look for this limiting behavior.
Analysis of the evolution of angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene in mammals (mouse, rat, bovine and human).

Abstract The nucleotide and amino acid sequences for mouse angiotensin II (AII) type 1A and 1B receptors were deduced from their complementary and genomic DNAs. Evolutionary analyses based on the nucleotide sequences of the coding region of AII type 1 receptor genes indicated that the duplication event of the type 1 gene occurred 24±2 million years ago before the divergence between the rat and mouse but after the divergence between rodents and the human/artiodactyls couple. This conclusion was consistent with the results of genomic Southern blot analyses, which revealed that the mouse and rat possess 2 similar but separate genes, whereas the bovine and human have only a single class gene.
CW cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) with a semiconductor optical amplifier as intensity modulator

We summarized both advantages and disadvantages of different light modulators used in cw-CRDS experiments. For the first time, we introduce the use of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as light modulator in cw-CRDS. A direct comparison of the sensitivity realized on the same instrument using an SOA as modulator with use of an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) has been made. It is found that the SOA has larger extinction ratio (∼81 dB) than the AOM. For our instrument, with single-shot initial signal-to-noise ratio of 1400:1, these two modulators are found giving equivalent sensitivity.
Interactions among alpha-synuclein, dopamine, and biomembranes: some clues for understanding neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurologic disorder resulting from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Two lines of evidence suggest that the protein α-synuclein plays a role in the pathogenesis of PD: Fibrillar α-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies in diseased neurons, and two mutations in α-synuclein are linked to early-onset disease. Accordingly, the fibrillization of α-synuclein is proposed to contribute to neurodegeneration in PD. In this report, we provide evidence that oligomeric intermediates of the α-synuclein fibrillization pathway, termed protofibrils, might be neurotoxic. Analyses of protofibrillar α-synuclein by atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy indicate that the oligomers consist of spheres, chains, and rings. α-Synuclein protofibrils permeabilize synthetic vesicles and form pore-like assemblies on the surface of brainderived vesicles. Dopamine reacts with α-synuclein to form a covalent adduct that slows the conversion of protofibrils to fibrils. This finding suggests that cytosolic dopamine in dopaminergic neurons promotes the accumulation of toxic α-synuclein protofibrils, which might explain why these neurons are most vulnerable to degeneration in PD. Finally, we note that aggregation of α-synuclein likely occurs via different mechanisms in the cell versus the test tube. For example, the binding of α-synuclein to cellular membranes might influence its selfassembly. To address this point, we have developed a yeast model that might enable the selection of random α-synuclein mutants with different membrane-binding affinities. These variants might be useful to test whether membrane binding by α-synuclein is necessary for neurodegeneration in transgenic animal models of PD. Index Entries: Parkinson’s disease; synuclein; fibril; protofibril; membrane; dopamine; yeast.
Novel techniques for enhancing sensitivity in static headspace extraction-gas chromatography

Static headspace extraction-gas chromatography (SHE-GC) is one of the most commonly used techniques for the analysis of volatile compounds. It is considered by most to be a mature technique and to an extent this is true: there are many users from outside the traditional chromatography research community developing and publishing SHE-GC methods and there are numerous instruments and devices for SHE-GC commercially available. However, research on new SHE-GC methods continues. In this review, several interesting new developments in SHE-GC are described using examples from the past three years' literature. First, the fundamental theory of SHE-GC is reviewed to provide a basis and common theme for the discussion of new methods. Next, several areas of SHE-GC research are explored: new sampling configurations, analyte derivatization and ionic liquids as solvents. These are all means for enhancing partitioning of the analyte into the vapor phase, thus improving analytical sensitivity of the overall SHE-GC method. Ideally, partitioning of analytes into the vapor phase is increased while partitioning of matrix components is not, or is decreased. There are many aspects of the seemingly straightforward process in SHE-GC that require further fundamental research to extend the application range of SHE-GC and to make method development more systematic.
Operational Impact of QuikSCAT Winds at the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center

Abstract The NASA Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) has revolutionized the analysis and short-term forecasting of winds over the oceans at the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center (OPC). The success of QuikSCAT in OPC operations is due to the wide 1800-km swath width, large retrievable wind speed range (0 to in excess of 30 m s−1), ability to view QuikSCAT winds in a comprehensive form in operational workstations, and reliable near-real-time delivery of data. Prior to QuikSCAT, marine forecasters at the OPC made warning and forecast decisions over vast ocean areas based on a limited number of conventional observations or on the satellite presentation of a storm system. Today, QuikSCAT winds are a heavily used tool by OPC forecasters. Approximately 10% of all short-term wind warning decisions by the OPC are based on QuikSCAT winds. When QuikSCAT is available, 50%–68% of all weather features on OPC surface analyses are placed using QuikSCAT. QuikSCAT is the first remote sensing instrument that can consistently disting...
A nuclear matrix-specific factor that binds a specific segment of the negative regulatory element (NRE) of HIV-1 LTR and inhibits NF-κB activity

The negative regulatory element (NRE) of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR) is a defined region that has been reported to downregulate LTR-directed HIV gene expression. However, information on the precise role of this region in regulating HIV gone transcription is lacking. We have investigated the possibility that these NRE sequences regulate HIV transcription by a mechanism mediated through a nuclear matrix-specific DNA-protein interaction. We find a nuclear matrix attachment region (MAR) present within the NRE of the HIV-1 LTR that recognizes a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein present in the nuclear matrix of HIV infected cells. Moreover, we also show that the purified DNA-binding nuclear matrix protein (NMP) specifically represses the DNA-binding activity of NF-kappaB. It is likely that the MAR and MAR-enriched specific DNA-binding NMP are brought into juxtaposition by the non-chromatin scaffolding of the nucleus, thus influencing NF-kappaB (and other nuclear proteins) DNA-binding activity through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions. Our date suggest that one possible role of the NRE could be to act as a matrix attachment site in the nuclear matrix, thus, allowing interaction with a sequence-specific trans-acting factor. The negative effect on NF-kappaB activity due to this MAR-NMP-specific interaction provides a mechanism by which the NRE downregulates HIV gene expression.
Does RN experience relate to NP clinical skills

Generally, a registered nurse (RN) wishing to become a nurse practitioner (NP) enters a Master's NP program with at least 1 year of experience. However, some schools admit students directly to graduate NP study without prior nursing experience. Are inexperienced nurses competent to enter advanced NP practice?
Blood oxyhemoglobin saturation measurements by blue-green spectral shift

Previous work describing a resilient method for measuring oxyhemoglobin saturation using the blue-green spectral shift was performed using cell free hemoglobin solutions. Hemoglobin solution and whole blood sample spectra measured under similar conditions in a spectrophotometer are used here to begin evaluating the impact of cellular scattering on this method. The blue-green spectral shift with changing oxyhemoglobin saturation was preserved in these blood samples and the blue-green spectral shift was relatively unaffected by physiological changes in blood pH (6.6, 7.1, and 7.4), path length through blood (100 and 200 µm), and blood hematocrit (19 to 48%). The packaging of hemoglobin in red blood cells leads to a decreased apparent path length through hemoglobin, and an overall decrease in scattering loss with increasing wavelength from 450 to 850 nm. The negative slope of the scattering loss in the 476 to 516-nm range leads to a +3.0 nm shift in the oxyhemoglobin saturation calibration line when the blue-green spectral minimum in these blood samples was compared to cell free hemoglobin. Further research is needed to fully evaluate the blue green spectral shift method in cellular systems including in vivo testing.
Intrusions of outer shelf and slope water within the nearshore zone off Long Island, New York1,2

From 1974 through 1978 studies were made of temperature, salinity, and water velocity, by hydrographic surveys and from moored instruments, in the waters within 15 km of the southern Long Island coastline. Data of late summer reveal frequent intrusions of anomalous water which appear to be of slope or outer shelf origin. Three intrusions of notably differing character are described. Two occurred at middepth, within the pycnocline. Concurrent hydrographic and current meter data suggest that these water masses were transported shoreward due to circulation forced by wind stress and by longshore density gradients. The third intrusion was initially observed near the surface and was of anomalously high temperature. Its T/S relation was similar to a warm and salty bolus detected 12 days earlier in the midshelf region. Hydrographic data suggest that this bolus may have been a detached parcel of slope water. Such intrusions may commonly occur during summer and fall and may be related to the appearance of tropical fish in the Long Island vicinity during these seasons.
Self-explaining and its use in college chemistry instruction

La generacion y evaluacion de evidencia y explicaciones cientificas es una competencia fundamental que la ensenanza de las ciencias procura cultivar. Como estrategia de aprendizaje, la auto-explicacion se refiere a la generacion de parte de los estudiantes de inferencias causales. Esto en ciencia se relaciona con la construccion de sentido sobre como y por que ocurren los fenomenos. Una cantidad sustancial de investigacion empirica ha mostrado que las actividades que promueven auto-explicacion mejoran el aprendizaje de las ciencias. A pesar del potencial de este tipo de estrategias, comunmente la instruccion universitaria presenta la quimica como retorica de conclusiones, inculcando con ello la idea de que la quimica es una mera coleccion de hechos. La fragil comprension del concepto, la falta de acceso a literatura y la carencia de investigacion relacionada con el campo de la educacion quimica son algunos de los factores que contribuyen al poco uso de las auto-explicaciones. Este articulo pretende contribuir a mejorar la comprension de las auto-explicaciones en educacion quimica y describir el estado actual de la investigacion sobre el tema a nivel de la ensenanza universitaria. Este trabajo se basa en investigacion preliminar que estudia maneras de promover las auto-explicaciones durante la instruccion de quimica y evaluar como diferentes niveles de su uso influyen en el aprendizaje de contenidos de quimica
Recordando a Barba

Poemas. Porfirio Barba-Jacob. Recopilacion y notas de Fernando Vallejo. Nueva Biblioteca Colombiana de Cultura, Bogota, 1985.
Ultra-wideband performance optimization of a body-of-revolution monopole antenna

A type of UWB body-of-revolution monopole antenna is presented with an outer surface which is characterized by a sequence of 2-D line segments defined by their length and angle. Using the genetic algorithm, a 24″ wide and 6″ tall metallic antenna structure is optimized to deliver a highly stable radiation pattern particularly at high frequency end (up to 2.5 GHz). Moreover, a different configuration of the same size is proposed to achieve −15 dBi gain at 40 MHz (when it is 0.08λ in aperture and 0.02λ in height) while maintaining a nearly constant 2 dBi gain from 100 MHz to 2 GHz.
2014 Special Issue: Semantically-based priors and nuanced knowledge core for Big Data, Social AI, and language understanding

Noise-resistant and nuanced, COGBASE makes 10 million pieces of commonsense data and a host of novel reasoning algorithms available via a family of semantically-driven prior probability distributions. Machine learning, Big Data, natural language understanding/processing, and social AI can draw on COGBASE to determine lexical semantics, infer goals and interests, simulate emotion and affect, calculate document gists and topic models, and link commonsense knowledge to domain models and social, spatial, cultural, and psychological data. COGBASE is especially ideal for social Big Data, which tends to involve highly implicit contexts, cognitive artifacts, difficult-to-parse texts, and deep domain knowledge dependencies.
Prosocial Benefits of Feeling Free: Disbelief in Free Will Increases Aggression and Reduces Helpfulness

Laypersons' belief in free will may foster a sense of thoughtful reflection and willingness to exert energy, thereby promoting helpfulness and reducing aggression, and so disbelief in free will may make behavior more reliant on selfish, automatic impulses and therefore less socially desirable. Three studies tested the hypothesis that disbelief in free will would be linked with decreased helping and increased aggression. In Experiment 1, induced disbelief in free will reduced willingness to help others. Experiment 2 showed that chronic disbelief in free will was associated with reduced helping behavior. In Experiment 3, participants induced disbelief in free will caused participants to act more aggressively than others. Although the findings do not speak to the existence of free will, the current results suggest that disbelief in free will reduces helping and increases aggression.
Influence of Trees in the Landscape on Parasitism Rates of Grassland Passerine Nests in Southeastern North Dakota

Abstract. Woody vegetation has been linked to increased rates of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism for some grassland hosts. In northern North Dakota, however, studies reported that parasitism of grassland passerine nests was lower in landscapes with trees than in those without trees. We looked for evidence of this pattern elsewhere, using data from two studies conducted on the Sheyenne National Grassland in southeastern North Dakota. Specifically, we examined the probability of parasitism relative to percent tree cover within 2 km of a nest. We found a negative relationship for grassland passerine nests of all species tested. Our results support the suggestion that cowbirds are less likely to parasitize nests of grassland passerines where tree cover on the landscape is greater. This pattern could be explained by cowbirds switching to alternative hosts in woodlands, but this hypothesis needs further testing.
5-HT1A and 5-HT2A serotonin receptor turnover in adult rat offspring prenatally exposed to cocaine

Abstract This study investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to cocaine on the intracellular kinetics (i.e. rate constant of receptor production and degradation) that govern the maintenance and regulation of cortical 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A receptor densities in offspring. Adult male rat offspring, prenatally exposed to saline or (–) cocaine (15 mg/kg, s.c., b.i.d, from gestational day 13 through 20), were injected with either vehicle or the irreversible receptor antagonist, EEDQ (10 mg/kg, s.c.), and sacrificed at various post-injection times to monitor the recovery of receptor densities in cerebral cortex. In both saline and cocaine exposed offspring, initial EEDQ-induced reductions (>80%) in 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A receptor densities were followed by a time-dependent repopulation that reached steady state ([ B max ] ss ) densities comparable to non-EEDQ treated controls by day 10 post-treatment. Calculation of 5-HT 1A receptor kinetic parameters indicated that prenatal exposure to cocaine did not significantly alter: (1) the receptor production rate (saline: 0.809 fmol/mg protein/h; cocaine: 0.724 fmol/mg protein/h), (2) the receptor degradation rate constant (saline: 0.0063 h −1 ; cocaine: 0.0062 h −1 ) or (3) the half-life ( t 1/2 ) of receptor repopulation (saline: 109.2 h; cocaine: 111.5 h). Similarly, 5-HT 2A receptor rate constants for production (1.550 fmol/mg protein/h) and degradation (0.0061 h −1 ) and consequently, t 1/2 (113.2 h), were not significantly altered by prenatal exposure to cocaine. These data suggest that within homogenates of cerebral cortex, prenatal exposure to cocaine did not alter the overall intracellular processes that underlie receptor production or degradation and determine steady state densities of 5-HT 1A or 5-HT 2A receptors.
On bilinear time-series modeling and estimation

The application of bilinear time-series models is summarized for processes where it is apparent that linear-Gaussian processes are not valid. Then bilinear autoregressive moving-average model properties are presented. >
Birth Cohort Changes in the Association Between College Education and Religious Non-Affiliation

This article examines the changing association between higher education and reporting no religious affiliation in the United States. I argue that increases in higher education have led to a decline in the individual-level effect of college education on religious non-affiliation. Results from hierarchical age-period-cohort models using more than three and a half decades of repeated cross-sectional survey data demonstrate that the strong, positive effect of college education on reporting no religious affiliation declines precipitously across birth cohorts. Specifically, a bachelor’s degree has no effect on non-affiliation by the 1965–69 cohort, and a negative effect for the 1970s cohorts. Moreover, these across-cohort changes are strongly associated with aggregate growth in college education, and they vary considerably by religious origin. I conclude with a discussion of how the results relate to changes among the college-educated population, the religious deinstitutionalization of the non-college-educated, cultural diffusion across social statuses, and other cohort-appropriate social and cultural changes.
Oxygen-Dependent Cell-to-Cell Variability in the Output of the Escherichia coli Tor Phosphorelay

Escherichia coli senses and responds to trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) in the environment through the TorT-TorS-TorR signal transduction system. The periplasmic protein TorT binds TMAO and stimulates the hybrid kinase TorS to phosphorylate the response regulator TorR through a phosphorelay. Phosphorylated TorR, in turn, activates transcription of the torCAD operon, which encodes the proteins required for anaerobic respiration via reduction of TMAO to trimethylamine. Interestingly, E. coli respires TMAO in both the presence and absence of oxygen, a behavior that is markedly different from the utilization of other alternative electron acceptors by this bacterium. Here we describe an unusual form of regulation by oxygen for this system. While the average level of torCAD transcription is the same for aerobic and anaerobic cultures containing TMAO, the behavior across the population of cells is strikingly different under the two growth conditions. Cellular levels of torCAD transcription in aerobic cultures are highly heterogeneous, in contrast to the relatively homogeneous distribution in anaerobic cultures. Thus, oxygen regulates the variance of the output but not the mean for the Tor system. We further show that this oxygen-dependent variability stems from the phosphorelay. IMPORTANCE Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is utilized by numerous bacteria as an electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration. In E. coli, expression of the proteins required for TMAO respiration is tightly regulated by a signal transduction system that is activated by TMAO. Curiously, although oxygen is the energetically preferred electron acceptor, TMAO is respired even in the presence of oxygen. Here we describe an interesting and unexpected form of regulation for this system in which oxygen produces highly variable expression of the TMAO utilization proteins across a population of cells without affecting the mean expression of these proteins. To our knowledge, this is the first reported example of a stimulus regulating the variance but not the mean output of a signaling system.
The Final Stretch? How Shared Decision Making Extends Health Technology Assessment to Meet Patient Preference

Eric Topol, the author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine, calls our attention to a quote from Voltaire who wrote, “doctors prescribe medicine of which they know little, to cure disease of which they know less, in human beings of which they know nothing”. Topol uses this quote, seemingly, to challenge us to rethink our assumptions about the practice of medicine and how little it reflects what actually matters most to patients.
α5β1, αVβ3 and the platelet-associated integrin αIIbβ3 coordinately regulate adhesion and migration of differentiating mouse trophoblast cells

During blastocyst implantation, interaction between integrins on the apical surface of the trophoblast and extracellular matrix (ECM) in the endometrium anchors the embryo to the uterine wall. Strong adhesion of the blastocyst to fibronectin (FN) requires integrin signaling initiated by exogenous fibronectin. However, it is not known how integrin signaling enhances blastocyst adhesion. We present new evidence that the integrin, αIIbβ3, plays a key role in trophoblast adhesion to fibronectin during mouse peri-implantation development. Trafficking of αIIb to the apical surface of the trophoblast increased dramatically after blastocysts were exposed to fibronectin, whereas other fibronectin-binding integrins, α5β1 and αVβ3, were resident at the apical surface before ligand exposure. Functional comparisons among the three integrins revealed that ligation of α5β1 most efficiently strengthened blastocyst fibronectin-binding activity, while subsequent trophoblast cell migration was dependent primarily on the β3-class integrins. In vivo, αIIb was highly expressed by invasive trophoblast cells in the ectoplacental cone and trophoblast giant cells of the parietal yolk sac. These data demonstrate that trafficking of αIIb regulates adhesion between trophoblast cells and fibronectin as invasion of the endometrium commences.
Factor analysis applied to acute myocardial infarction

The authors examine the utility of factor analysis for identifying characteristics of a patient population that are reliably predictive of prognosis or useful for estimating risks of morbidity or mortality. This technique involves grouping the most highly correlated variables together and looking for patterns of association, with the goal of describing the data by a few fundamental variables. It is concluded that factor analysis allows reduction of a large number of variables to a smaller number of meaningful factors, integrates subjective data appropriately, facilitates identification of fundamental factors, and ensures that the factors are independent. The nine factors found that reduced the total variance appreciably were mobility, body mass, race/age, block/race, block/enzyme, mass/AV block, Latino, infarct location, and enzymes. >
Relative timing of substorm onset phenomena

[1] In this paper we examine the temporal ordering of midtail flow bursts, Pi2 pulsations, and auroral arc brightening at substorm onset. We present three substorm events for which the Geotail spacecraft was situated at local midnight, near the inner edge of the plasmasheet. We show that high-speed, convective Earthward directed plasma flows observed by Geotail occurred 1–3 min before auroral onset as observed by the Polar Visible Imaging System and Ultraviolet Imager auroral imagers on board the Polar spacecraft. We also show that the onsets of both nightside Pi2 pulsations and magnetic bay variations were simultaneous with auroral onset. We argue that these observations lend strong support to the flow burst-driven model of magnetotail dynamics. We also examine a high-latitude magnetic precursor to onset and show that it is likely due to the currents expected from the passage of a flow burst through the plasmasheet prior to substorm onset. Finally, we calculate an analytic expression for this current and show that it is unlikely to generate discrete auroral structures.
Phase Equilibria Studies Near the Superconducting YBa2Cu3Ox Composition by a Solid-State Ionic Technique

This paper reports the findings of a phase-equilibrium study of the Y-Ba-Cu-O quaternary system in which the oxygen activity was monitored and controlled by a solid-state ionic technique. A stabilized zirconia electrolyte was used to titrate oxygen in or out of the sample and to monitor the oxygen activity inside a sealed sample chamber. Compositions at or near YBa2Cu3Ox were studied at elevated temperatures in a wide range of oxygen pressures. All compositions indicated the presence of an invariant polyphase reaction- e.g., at 1 × 10-3 atm of oxygen pressure at 850 °C-- below which the superconducting phase becomes thermodynamically unstable and undergoes a decomposition reaction. Complementary x-ray diffraction analysis of samples prepared under well-defined oxygen pressures identified the phases present and, along with the oxygen coulometric titration data, allowed the construction of a portion of the relevant quarternary phase diagram.
Apricot: an optimizing compiler and productivity tool for x86-compatible many-core coprocessors

Intel MIC (Many Integrated Core) is the first x86-based coprocessor architecture aimed at accelerating multi-core HPC applications. In the most common usage model, parallel code sections are offloaded to the MIC coprocessor using LEO (Language Extensions for Offload). The developer is responsible for identifying and specifying offloadable code regions, managing data transfers between the CPU and MIC and optimizing the application for performance, which requires some amount of effort and experimentation. In this paper, we present Apricot, an optimizing compiler and productivity tool for x86-compatible many-core coprocessors (such as Intel MIC) that minimizes developer effort by (i) automatically inserting LEO clauses for parallelizable code regions, (ii) selectively offloading some of the code regions to the coprocessor at runtime based on a cost model that we have developed, (iii) applying a set ofoptimizations for minimizing the data communication overhead and improving overall performance. Apricot is intended to assist programmers in porting existing multi-core applications and writing new ones to take advantage of the many-core coprocessor, while maximizing overall performance. Experiments with SpecOMP and NAS Parallel benchmarks show that Apricot can successfully transform OpenMP applications to run on the MIC coprocessor with good performance gains.
Symmetry breaking in the drain current of multi-finger transistors

The drain current of a multi-finger MOSFET is typically calculated as the product of that of a single-finger MOSFET and the number of fingers. Careful investigation of currents in different fingers of a multi-finger transistor in the presence of parasitic effects shows differences between the per-finger drain current of the multi-finger transistor and the drain current of a corresponding single-finger transistor. We show that each of the following factors alone causes the drain current in one or more fingers of a multi-finger transistor to be different from that in other fingers of the transistor and the per-finger drain current of the multi-finger transistor to be different from the drain current of a corresponding single-finger transistor: (a) the resistance of wires that connect multiple fingers together, (b) the contact resistance, (c) the diffusion resistance, and (d) self heating. Excluding all of the above factors, the uncorrelated variations among the sub-threshold drain currents of different finger cause the per-finger median sub-threshold drain current of the multi-finger transistor to be different from the median sub-threshold drain current of the single-finger transistor.
The Evolution of Spiritual Assessment Tools in Healthcare

This article explores the history of spiritual assessment tools as a lens through which to consider the place of spirituality and religion in American healthcare. While precise definitions of spiritual assessment have evolved with the concept, the phrase generally refers to the process of evaluating someone’s spiritual needs and resources and addressing those needs in the context of clinical healthcare. We trace the diffusion of spiritual assessment tools from their origins in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling in the 1970s through nursing, medicine and social work in subsequent decades. While engaging with patients around religion and spirituality began as the professional jurisdiction of chaplains, spiritual assessment tools were designed – in part - to enable professionals in other fields to talk with patients about these topics. As such they are both a mechanism of diffusion – a set of questions healthcare professionals who advocate for greater attention to spirituality and religion teach their colleagues to ask – and a symbolic representation of how that diffusion is taking place and where there have been conflicts and bumps along the way.
Appendix B: The DeltaSigma Toolbox

This appendix contains sections titled: Demonstrations and Examples Summary of Key Functions Summary of Other Selected Functions Modulator Model Details
Transparency and Negotiated Prices: The Value of Information in Hospital-Supplier Bargaining

We empirically examine the role of information in bargaining between hospitals and suppliers of medical technologies. Using a large new dataset of hospitals purchase orders, and identification based on both timing of hospitals joining a benchmarking database and on new products entering the market, we find that access to information on purchasing by peer hospitals leads to reductions in prices. Reductions are con- centrated among hospitals previously paying relatively high prices and for products purchased in large volumes, and are consistent with hospitals resolving asymmetric information problems. Achieved savings due to information provision amount to 26 percent of potential savings.
Toward a multidimensional understanding of Islam : The poetic key

L'A. se propose d'explorer la poesie arabo-islamique pour mieux comprendre cette religion. Pour ce faire, il passe en revue six ouvrages recents qui portent sur la question : il en livre le contenu et en tire les implications qui s'imposent sur un plan plus general