cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A pilot study of penicillin prophylaxis for neuropsychiatric exacerbations triggered by streptococcal infections.

Abstract Background: Some children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorders appear to have symptom exacerbations triggered by group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections in a manner that is similar to rheumatic fever and its neurologic variant, Sydenham’s chorea. Because penicillin prophylaxis has proven to be effective in preventing recurrences of rheumatic fever, it was postulated that it might also prevent streptococcal-triggered neuropsychiatric symptom exacerbations in children with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections (PANDAS). These children are identified by five clinical characteristics: presence of OCD or tic disorder, prepubertal onset, episodic symptom course, neurologic abnormalities (i.e., choreiform movements) and streptococcal-triggered symptom exacerbations. Methods: Thirty-seven children with PANDAS were enrolled in an 8 month, double-blind, balanced cross-over study. Patients were randomized to receive either 4 months of the active compound (twice daily oral 250 mg penicillin V) followed by 4 months of placebo, or placebo followed by penicillin V. Tic, OCD, and other psychiatric symptoms were monitored monthly. Throat cultures and streptococcal antibody titers were also obtained. Results: There were an equal number of infections in both the active and placebo phases of the study. There was no significant change seen in either the obsessive-compulsive or tic symptom severity between the two phases. Conclusions: Because of the failure to achieve an acceptable level of streptococcal prophylaxis, no conclusions can be drawn from this study regarding the efficacy of penicillin prophylaxis in preventing tic or OCD symptom exacerbations. Future studies should employ a more effective prophylactic agent, and include a larger sample size.
Combination of transfection agents and magnetic resonance contrast agents for cellular imaging: Relationship between relaxivities, electrostatic forces, and chemical composition†

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in electrostatic and magnetic resonance (MR) properties observed when MR contrast agents (CAs) (Feridex, MION-46L, or G5-dendrimer-DOTA-Gd) are combined with transfection agents (TAs) under various conditions for use as a CA-TA complex basis for cellular labeling and MRI. CAs were incubated with various classes of TAs for 0-48 hr in solutions of varying concentrations and pH values. NMR relaxation rates (1/T(1), 1/T(2)), MRI and zeta potential (ZP) of CA-TA solutions were measured. TAs decreased the 1/T(1) and 1/T(2) of G5-DOTA-Gd, Feridex, and MION-46L by 0-95%. Altering the pH of G5-DOTA-Gd-TA decreased the T(1)-weighted signal intensity (SI) on MRI from 0 to 78%. Measured ZP values for G5-DOTA-Gd, Feridex, and MION-46L were -51, -41, and -2.0 mV, respectively. The TA LV had a negative ZP, while the other TAs had ZPs ranging from +20 to +65 mV. The alteration of the ZP and NMR relaxivities of the MR CAs, Feridex, MION-46L, and G5-DOTA-Gd by TAs has been demonstrated. These results enhance our understanding of the relationship between electrostatic and MR properties.
A fluid level sensing device of simple design

A liquid-filled section of a coaxial conductor is used as a level sensing element, which changes the repetition frequency of a unidirectionally recycling electromagnetic pulse by subjecting it to various transit times. The deviations of the frequency are measured and provide a criterion for the height of the column of liquid in the sensing section of the feedback circuit. The device was tested with tap-water, acetone, and carbon tetrachloride.
Progress Report: Big Muddy Field Low-Tension Flood Demonstration Project With Emphasis on Injectivity and Mobility

A Demonstration Project for the low tension flood process was initiated in the Big Muddy Field in 1980. This paper introduces the concept of optimum slug mobility for maximum oil recovery and injectivity in the Second Wall Creek reservoir. A procedure to determine the optimum mobility for a low tension flood is described, and the early field performance data is compared to the laboratory design.
Targeting Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

Recently, several research groups have described cell surface molecules that are selectively or differentially expressed on leukemia stem cells (LSCs) relative to normal tissue. The identification of these antigens suggests that antibody-based diagnostic or therapeutic opportunities may be forthcoming. Indeed, preclinical studies have suggested the utility of targeting such molecules as a means of enhancing leukemia therapy. Here the current understanding of the LSC phenotype is described, and the potential application of antibody-based treatment regimens is discussed.
Visual Observations of Contemporary Current Erosion and Tectonic Deformation on the Cocos Ridge Crest

Abstract Currents have eroded channels into the stratified conformable post-Miocene marls and chalks which mantle the cocos Ridge. At topographically constricted sills, tidal motions superimposed on circulation locally results in flow velocities exceeding the minimum required for erosion and traction transport of foraminiferal ooze creating channels and moats. Direct visual observations from a submersible indicate that the erosion process is in operation at the present time. Due to the local increase in the velocity of moving ocean water masses resulting from obstruction by seamounts, sediment has not been and at present is not being deposited on the flanks of the post-Miocene seamounts which rise from the crest and flanks of the Cocos Ridge. Such sediment joins that eroded from the moats and connecting channels and is presumably deposited along with those other components at the ends of the channels on the flanks of the Cocos Ridge. Tectonic effects related to the subduction of the Cocos Ridge beneath Central America can be observed more than one hundred kilometers seaward of the subduction zone. Faulting and differential uplift associated with the arching of the crust seaward of the subduction zone was also visually observed from the U.S. Navy's deep submergence vehicle “Turtle” in 1975.
Local regularity, boundary values and maximum principles for pseudoparabolic equations

The regularity or singularity uf data at a point is shown to be preserved for all time at that point along the solution of a pseudoparabolic equation. This significantly strengthens earlier results on the perseverance of global regularity of data and furthermore shows that any local singularities in initial data are stationary, These results yxeld a precise description of the boundary values of a solution and explain certain non-standard maximum principles for pseudoparabolic equations
Petrology and sulfur and chlorine emissions of the 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung, Bali, Indonesia

The 1963 eruption of Gunung Agung produced 0.95 km3 dense rock equivalent (DRE) of olivine±hornblende-bearing, weakly phyric, basaltic andesite tephra and lava. Evidence for magma mixing in the eruptive products includes whole-rock compatible and incompatible trace element trends, reverse and complex compositional zoning of mineral phases, disequilibrium mineral assemblages, sieve-textured plagioclase phenocrysts, and augite rims on reversely zoned orthopyroxene. Basalt magma mixed with pre-existing andesite magma shortly before eruption to yield basaltic andesite with a temperature of 1040–1100 °C at an assumed pressure of 2 kb, f O2>NNO, and an average melt volatile content (H2O±CO2) of 4.3 wt.%. Magma-mixing end members may have provided some of the S and Cl emitted in the eruption. Glass inclusions in phenocrysts contain an average of 650 ppm S and 3130 ppm Cl as compared with 70 ppm and 2220 ppm, respectively, in the matrix glass. Maximum S and Cl contents of glass inclusions approach 1800 and 5000 ppm, respectively. Application of the petrologic method to products of the 1963 eruption for estimating volatile release yields of 2.5×1012 g (Mt) of SO2 and 3.4 Mt of Cl released from the 0.65 km3 of juvenile tephra which contributed to stratospheric injection of H2SO4 aerosols on 17 March and 16 May, when eruption column heights exceeded 20 km above sea level. An independent estimate of SO2 release from atmospheric aerosol loading (11–12 Mt) suggests that approximately 7 Mt of SO2 was injected into the stratosphere. The difference between the two estimates can be most readily accounted for by the partitioning of S, as well as some Cl, from the magma into a water-rich vapor phase which was released upon eruption. For other recent high-S-release eruptions of more evolved and oxidized magmas (El Chichon, Pinatubo), the petrologic method gives values two orders of magnitude less than independent estimates of SO2 emissions. Results from this study of the Agung 1963 magma and its volatile emissions, and from related studies on eruptions of more mafic magmas, suggest that SO2 emissions from eruptions of higher-S-solubility magma may be more reliably estimated by the petrologic method than may those from more-evolved magma eruptions.
The Top Ten Reasons a Library Media Specialist Is a Teacher's Best Friend.

(2004). The Top Ten Reasons a Library Media Specialist Is a Teacher's Best Friend. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 77, No. 5, pp. 219-221.
Interacting matter and radiation in homogeneous isotropic world models

Transitions between two or more fluids may result in changes of the total amount of radiation in the universe without violating overall energy conservation. Special rate equations for such processes are discussed, for which the radius of the universe as a function of time can be found by numerical integration of a single differential equation, and the radiation density can then be easily obtained, although it must be verified as positive for all times. The integrations are carried out and reported here for the simplest rate equation for two fluids for various values of the initial mass of one fluid, the transition rate, and the cosmological constant.
Preliminary report of an improved technique for determining mean range of alpha particles in water

Abstract A new technique is discussed for determining the mean range of alpha particles in water.
Modeling of 1,3-butadiene in urban and industrial areas

1,3-butadiene is an important pollutant in terms of public health and important driver for photochemical processes influencing ozone formation in the area of Houston. Ambient levels of 1,3-butadiene were simulated with the Community Multiscale Air Quality model (CMAQ) including the SAPRC99-extended mechanism and the results were compared to spatially and temporally resolved observations of 1,3-butadiene for an episodic period during Summer 2006. Relative contributions of different type of emissions and chemical reactions to 1,3-butadiene concentrations were examined, the highest contribution was found to be from industrial emission sources. 1,3-butadiene mixing ratios in the urban area were found to be lower than in the industrial area. Although emissions of 1,3-butadiene peak during daytime its mixing ratios are lower during daytimes as compared to nighttime. 1,3-butadiene is removed from the surface through vertical upward transport (∼90%) and chemical reactions (∼10%). During daytime 1,3-butadiene reacts mainly with the OH radical (90%), during nighttime this reaction pathway is still significant in the industrial area (57% of all reaction pathways). Reaction with NO3 during nighttime contributes 33% in industrial and 56% in urban areas, where high NOx emissions occur. Reaction with ozone contributes 10% and 13% in industrial and urban areas, respectively. Analysis of measured data revealed that episodically very high emissions spikes of 1,3-butadiene occur. CMAQ often underpredicts 1,3-butadiene mixing ratios when sites are exposed to sporadic releases from industrial facilities. These releases are not accounted for in the emission inventory. It also appears that emissions of 1,3-butadiene from point sources have much more variability than those listed in the emission inventory.
Parathion and methyl parathion toxicity to insecticideresistant and susceptible mosquitofish(Gambusia affinis)

This study determined the toxicity of parathion and methyl parathion to organochlorine compound-resistant and -susceptible populations of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis). Mosquitofish can tolerate about 40 times more methyl parathion than parathion. The resistant population demonstrates a 1.3 fold greater tolerance of methyl parathion than the susceptible population, which may be a developing resistance. The resistant population also demonstrates an environmentally-induced tolerance to parathion (1.6 fold) in the spring but no overall tolerance to parathion in the fall when compared to the susceptible population.
Determination of ruthenium surface areas by hydrogen and oxygen chemisorption

Abstract The feasibility of using oxygen adsorption at ambient temperatures and using hydrogenoxygen titration at 100 °C to measure the specific surface area of alumina supported ruthenium catalysts has been evaluated by comparison with hydrogen adsorption data. All three methods give agreement for crystallite sizes greater than 40 ± 10 A but not for small particles. Above 40 A, the oxygen technique is fast and gives linear isotherms down to pressures of a few torricellis. The hydrogen-oxygen titration has the same crystallite size requirements as the oxygen adsorption techniques.
Diet pill usage in patients with bulimia nervosa

Of a serie of 158 outpatients with bulimia nervosa, 104 (65.8%) had tried diet pills and 29 (18.4%) had used them regularly for at least 1 year. Those who had used diet pills regularly were more likely to have started dieting at an earlier age, had had a higher maximum body weight, and were also more likely to abuse diuretics and enemas.
Measuring the Penetration of Ambient Ozone into Residential Buildings

Much of human exposure to ambient ozone and ozone reaction byproducts occurs inside buildings. However, there are currently no experimental data on the ability of ozone to penetrate through building envelopes and into residences. This paper presents a method to determine the penetration factor for ozone in buildings, and applies it in an unoccupied test house and seven single-family residences. The mean (±SD) ozone penetration factor was measured as 0.79 ± 0.13 in the eight homes using this method, ranging from 0.62 ± 0.09 to 1.02 ± 0.15. An analysis of tests across the homes revealed that ozone penetration was significantly higher in homes with more painted wood envelope materials, homes with larger air leakage exponents from fan pressurization tests, and older homes. The test method utilizes a large calibrated fan to elevate air exchange rates and steady-state indoor ozone concentrations to levels that can be accurately measured, so there is a potential for overpredicting ozone penetration factors. However, evidence suggests that this bias is likely small in most of the homes, and, even if a bias exists, the measured ozone penetration factors were lower than the usual assumption of unity in seven of the eight tested homes.
HAH-tree: towards a multidimensional index structure supporting different video modelling approaches in a video database management system

This paper proposes a multidimensional distance-based index structure for video data which supports the three important video modelling approaches namely hierarchical unit-based modelling, feature-based modelling and video semantics modelling seamlessly within one single framework. These three modelling techniques collectively capture and contain the important aspects of the users' information need during content-based video retrieval. The index is built based on the low-level features of the video data, and the hierarchical containment relationships as well as the video semantics are introduced into the index space with an efficient data signature and a stochastic model, respectively. Efficient k-NN algorithms are proposed to emulate popular content-based video retrieval approaches in a multidimensional distance-based index structure. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the capability of the index structure to generate relevant query results with low computational overhead.
Connecting the Dots: Knowledge Discovery in Online Healthcare Forums

Online healthcare forums provide a valuable platform for people to discover knowledge. However, existing approaches rely on the syntactic information units, such as a sentence, a post, or a thread, to bind different pieces of information in a forum. In this work, we propose to connect the pieces of information by a semantic information unit, patients. Specifically, we connect the information of diseases, symptoms, treatments, and effects to the patient who experiences them, and thus enable effective knowledge discovery.
Effect of nitrogen and carbon on the low-temperature embrittlement of vanadium

Abstract An investigation was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen and carbon on the low-temperature embrittlement of vanadium. Vanadium containing less than 2000 p.p.m. nitrogen does not exhibit brittle-ductile behavior down to liquid nitrogen temperatures but above this concentration the transition temperature increases with nitrogen content. The transition temperature for single-crystal alloys is 50 to 60°C lower than that for polycrystalline alloys having the same composition and a grain size of about 25 grains/mm2. Vanadium-carbon alloys do not undergo cleavage fracture although at concentrations above 3000 p.p.m. intergranular fracture is observed. Mechanical twinning in vanadium is suppressed by the presence of carbide precipitates.
Partial Discharge in Medium Voltage PWM Propulsion Coils

Evaluations of partial discharge (PD) in 4160 V propulsion coils have been conducted to understand the impact of inverter drives on electric motors for the planned U.S. Navy “electric” ships. The medium voltage (MV) PD evaluation “testbed” was designed and tested, and the influence of voltage level, voltage rise-time, switching frequency and temperature on the generation of PD was determined by optical and electrical PD detection methods. This article describes the design of the testbed, and the process of characterizing PD conditions comprehensively based on the above four parameters, representing a drive system consisting of an inverter and a high torque, low speed motor. Comprehensive results and analyses are presented, based on the evaluation of 30 coils from two U.S. Navy coil manufacturers, which included both inverter-duty and non-inverter duty coils, resulting in over 7000 tests.
On diagonally-preconditioning the 2-step BFGS method with accumulated steps for linearly constrained nonlinear programming

Abstract We present an algorithm for very large-scale linearly constrained nonlinear programming (LCNP) based on a Limited-Storage Quasi-newton method. In large-scale programming solving the reduced Newton equation at each iteration can be expensive and may not be justified when far from a local solution; besides, the amount of storage required by the reduced Hessian matrix, and even the computing time for its Quasi-Newton approximation, may be prohibitive. An alternative based on the reduced Truncated-Newton methodology, that has proved to be satisfactory for large-scale problems, is not recommended for very large-scale problems since it requires an additional gradient evaluation and the solving of two systems of linear equations per each minor iteration. We recommend a 2-step BFGS approximation of the inverse of the reduced Hessian matrix that does not require to store any matrix since the product matrix-vector is the vector to be approximated; it uses the reduced gradient and information from two previous iterations and the so-termed restart iteration. A diagonal direct BFGS preconditioning is used.
Parallelization of IBM mambo system simulator in functional modes

Mambo [4] is IBM's full-system simulator which models PowerPC systems, and provides a complete set of simulation tools to help IBM and its partners in pre-hardware development and performance evaluation for future systems. Currently Mambo simulates target systems on a single host thread. When the number of cores increases in a target system, Mambo's simulation performance for each core goes down. As the so-called "multi-core era" approaches, both target and host systems will have more and more cores. It is very important for Mambo to efficiently simulate a multi-core target system on a multi-core host system. Parallelization is a natural method to speed up Mambo under this situation.Parallel Mambo (P-Mambo) is a multi-threaded implementation of Mambo. Mambo's simulation engine is implemented as a user-level thread-scheduler. We propose a multi-scheduler method to adapt Mambo's simulation engine to multi-threaded execution. Based on this method a core-based module partition is proposed to achieve both high inter-scheduler parallelism and low inter-scheduler dependency. Protection of shared resources is crucial to both correctness and performance of P-Mambo. Since there are two tiers of threads in P-Mambo, protecting shared resources by only OS-level locks possibly introduces deadlocks due to user-level context switch. We propose a new lock mechanism to handle this problem. Since Mambo is an on-going project with many modules currently under development, co-existence with new modules is also important to P-Mambo. We propose a global-lock-based method to guarantee compatibility of P-Mambo with future Mambo modules.We have implemented the first version of P-Mambo in functional modes. The performance of P-Mambo has been evaluated on the OpenMP implementation of NAS Parallel Benchmark (NPB) 3.2 [12]. Preliminary experimental results show that P-Mambo achieves an average speedup of 3.4 on a 4-core host machine.
Analysis of risk factors for chronic hepatic encephalopathy: the role of Helicobacter pylori infection

Analysis of risk factors for chronic hepatic encephalopathy: the role of Helicobacter pylori infection
Restoring streams in an urbanizing world

SUMMARY 1. The world’s population is increasingly urban, and streams and rivers, as the low lying points of the landscape, are especially sensitive to and profoundly impacted by the changes associated with urbanization and suburbanization of catchments. 2. River restoration is an increasingly popular management strategy for improving the physical and ecological conditions of degraded urban streams. In urban catchments, management activities as diverse as stormwater management, bank stabilisation, channel reconfiguration and riparian replanting may be described as river restoration projects. 3. Restoration in urban streams is both more expensive and more difficult than restoration in less densely populated catchments. High property values and finely subdivided land and dense human infrastructure (e.g. roads, sewer lines) limit the spatial extent of urban river restoration options, while stormwaters and the associated sediment and pollutant loads may limit the potential for restoration projects to reverse degradation. 4. To be effective, urban stream restoration efforts must be integrated within broader catchment management strategies. A key scientific and management challenge is to establish criteria for determining when the design options for urban river restoration are so constrained that a return towards reference or pre-urbanization conditions is not realistic or feasible and when river restoration presents a viable and effective strategy for improving the ecological condition of these degraded ecosystems.
Poster: Towards Highly Accurate Large-Scale Ab Initio Calculations Using Fragment Molecular Method in GAMESS

One of the major challenges of modern quantum chemistry (QC) is to apply it to large systems with thousands of correlated electrons and basis functions. The availability of supercomputers and development of novel methods are necessary to realize this challenge. In particular, we employ linear scaling Fragment Molecular Orbital (FMO) method which decompose the large system into smaller, localized fragments which can be treated with high-level QC method like MP2. FMO is inherently scalable since the individual fragment calculations can be carried out simultaneously on separate processor groups. It is implemented in GAMESS, a popular ab-initio QC program. We present the scalability and performance of FMO on Intrepid (Blue Gene/P) and Blue Gene/Q systems at ALCF.
Optimization of Photovoltaic Devices from Layered PTEBS and Nanocrystalline TiO2

Sodium poly[2-(3-thienyl)-ethoxy-4-butylsulfonate] or PTEBS has been explored previously for use in the fabrication of photovoltaic cells. PTEBS is a water-soluble polythiophene and the use of this polymer would allow safe, environmentally friendly processing as well improved reproducibility. In this study, solar cells based on layered PTEBS and TiO2 nanocrystalline films were investigated. The variation of the TiO2 thickness on the spin coating speed and suspension concentration was studied. Multiple spin coatings were used to make layers thicker than 3.5 µm. The photovoltaic samples with the TiO2 thickness in the range of 180 nm ~ 8.08 µm have been fabricated to investigate the dependence of the efficiency and open circuit voltage on the TiO2 thickness. The optimum TiO2 thickness was found to be around 4 ~ 4.5 µm. The maximum efficiency of 0.15% was obtained at the TiO2 thickness of 4.17 µm in this experiment. The initial investigation of dependence of the device characteristics on the PTEBS thickness was also explored.
Diffraction in a cylindrically orthotropic elastic solid containing a stress free crack

A cylindrically orthotropic elastic solid is excited by a point impulsive body force. The solid contains a semi-infinite stress free crack. The resulting anti-plane wave motion problem has been solved in the form of a finite series representing the incident and reflected pulses plus an integral representing the diffraction pulse. The series part of the solution has been previously treated. In the present investigation the diffraction integral is integrated when λ (which measures the anisotropy of the solid) is an odd integer number. The diffraction integral is also integrated when λ is half an odd integer, for the special case in which the source lies in the plane of the crack and parallel to the crack edge. The displacement jump across the circular diffraction wave front is given for unrestricted (positive) values of λ.
Motion of a slightly compressible fluid.

Abstract We show that the motion of a slightly compressible fluid is near that of an incompressible fluid. That is, for a given initial velocity field, the motion of a compressible fluid with large sound speed is near to that of an idealized incompressible fluid. We consider the compressible fluid motion in Lagrangian coordinates and show that it can be defined by two functions giving the kinetic and potential energies. The minimal set for the potential energy is the configuration space of incompressible fluid motion. If the equation of state of the compressible fluid is changed so that the sound speed increases, the minimum of the potential energy function becomes sharper. The compressible fluid motion approaches a curve in the minimal set and this curve defines an incompressible fluid motion.
Uptake of [3H]-catecholamines by homogenates of rat corpus striatum and cerebral cortex: Effects of amphetamine analogues ☆

Abstract The effects of isomers and metabolites of amphetamine on the uptake of [3H]-catecholamines in synaptosomal preparations of the striatum and cortex of the rat were investigated. Dextroamphetamine was found to be four times more potent than the (−)-enantiomer against the uptake of [3H]-dopamine with striatal tissue. This difference may help to clarify the effects of the isomers on the development of stereotyped behaviour in the rat. The p-hydroxylation of amphetamine did not alter its potency, while β-hydroxylation of amphetamine or p-OH-amphetamine reduced the inhibitory potency markedly. With cerebral cortex, less than a 2-fold difference was found for the potencies of (+)- and (−)-amphetamine against the uptake of [3H]-norepinephrine. Although pretreatment with reserpine resulted in a marked inhibition of the initial uptake of norepinephrine, reserpine did not alter the relative potencies of the stereoisomers of amphetamine against the uptake of norepinephrine by cortex.
A computational model of reasoning from the clinical literature.

Abstract This paper explores the premise that a formalized representation of empirical studies can play a central role in computer-based decision support. The specific motivations underlying this research include the following propositions: (1) Reasoning from experimental evidence contained in the clinical literature is central to the decisions physicians make in patient care. (2) A computational model, based upon a declarative representation for published reports of clinical studies, can drive a computer program that selectively tailors knowledge of the clinical literature as it is applied to a particular case. (3) The development of such a computational model is an important first step toward filling a void in computer-based decision support systems. Furthermore, the model may help us better understand the general principles of reasoning from experimental evidence both in medicine and other domains. Roundsman is a developmental computer system which draws upon structured representations of the clinical literature in order to critique plans for the management of primary breast cancer. Roundsman is able to produce patient-specific analyses of breast cancer management options based on the 24 clinical studies currently encoded in its knowledge base. The Roundsman system is a first step in exploring how the computer can help to bring a critical analysis of the relevant literature to the physician, structured around a particular patient and treatment decision.
Science and Religion: Some Demarcation Criteria

Discussions on the congruence, compatibility, and contradictions between science and religion have been going on since the rise of modern science. In our own times, there are many efforts to build bridges of harmony between the two. Most of these are anchored to particular religious traditions or denominations and also (often) to specific disciplines, notably cosmology, physics, and biology. Though these discussions serve commendable purposes for members of specific faiths and/or disciplines, they are also, for precisely this reason, of restricted appeal. There are not too many discussions of the topic that consider science and religion from a global perspective. It will therefore be useful to define science and religion in terms of their unique characteristics, draw the line of demarcation between them, and show where they overlap. This is what this paper attempts to do.
Serum C-reactive protein and leptin as predictors of kidney disease progression in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study

Serum C-reactive protein and leptin as predictors of kidney disease progression in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study. Background In vitro and in vivo data suggest that markers of inflammation and nutritional status may be risk factors for the progression of chronic kidney disease. Methods We investigated whether higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and leptin were risk factors for progression of chronic kidney disease in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study. Frozen samples were assayed for high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) or leptin in 804 patients. CRP and leptin were then evaluated as risk factors for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline using univariate and multivariable analyses. Results At baseline, the mean (median) CRP in Study A (GFR between 25 and 55 mL/min/1.73m 2 ) and Study B (GFR between 13 and 24 mL/min/1.73m 2 ) were 0.48 (0.25) and 0.46 (0.20) mg/dL, respectively, while the mean (median) leptin in Study A and Study B were 15.2 (9.80) and 15.1 (7.80) ng/mL, respectively. Mean follow-up time was 2.2 years. The mean GFR decline was -4.33 and -3.65 mL/min/year in Study A and B, respectively. There was no significant association between the rate of GFR decline with the level of CRP or leptin in multivariable analysis in Study A [0.08 (-0.14, 0.30) mL/min/year slower GFR decline per twofold increase in CRP level; and 0.14 (-0.13, 0.40) mL/min/year slower GFR decline per twofold increase in leptin level], or in multivariable analysis in Study B [-0.05 (-0.28, 0.18) mL/min/year faster GFR decline per twofold increase in CRP level; and -0.12 (-0.42, 0.19) mL/min/year faster GFR decline per twofold increase in leptin level]. Conclusions Higher serum levels of CRP and leptin are not independent risk factors for progression of non-diabetic kidney disease.
The impact of family functioning on health changes in children with cystic fibrosis

Family stress, family and personal resources, and parental coping were operationalized from self-report questionnaires completed by mothers and fathers in 72 two-parent families who had a child with cystic fibrosis (CF). Three-month and 15-month changes in clinically recorded measures of the CF child's height and weight data and pulmonary functioning were correlated with the family functioning variables. Each of the four criterion indices of CF child health changes were regressed separately on the significant family functioning variables. Twenty-two percent of the variance in 15-month height and weight changes were explained by family stress, family resources, and parental coping. Family functioning variables also explained 17% of the variance in 3-month pulmonary functioning changes and 15% of the variance in 3-month height and weight changes. These findings suggest that the way in which the family functions has indirect effects on critical indices of a CF child's health. These data lend support to an increased focus by physicians and other medical professionals on the health of the total family system as a way to enhance outcomes for children with CF.
The effect of genebank seed increase on the genetics of recently collected Potato (Solanum) germplasm

In previous work at the US Potato Genebank, RAPDs were used to detect large differences between genebank-conserved samples and their correspondingin situ populations re-collected from the wild. This work investigates one possible explanation for these differences: a large genetic change in the sample when it undergoes “domestication” by a forced sexual seed increase and subsequent adaptation to cultivation in the genebank. However, when 11Solanum fendleri and 17S. jamesii populations were collected from the wild and compared to their sexual progeny generated at the genebank, no significant differences in RAPD finger-prints were detected. These results show that theory of “genebank domestication” is not supported. However, when plants of one pair of populations were tested individually, the seed increase population was significantly more heterogeneous than its clonally collectedin situ parents. Thus, while genebank populations have the same genes as their wild counterparts, they may contain genotypes not present in the wild.
Density and temperature study of the noncoincidence effect in liquid carbon disulfide

The noncoincidence of the anisotropic and isotropic peak frequencies in the allowed Raman v1 vibrational mode of liquid CS2 is studied over an extended density range (1.18 to 1.58 gcm3) by varying pressure (0.001 to 5.0 kbar) and temperature (−55 to 80°C). The noncoincidence value is negative and the absolute value increases as a function of both increasing density, at constant temperature, and increasing temperature, at constant density. The noncoincidence of the anisotropic and isotropic peak frequencies is attributed to a quadrupole induced transition dipole coupling mechanism because changes in the noncoincidence value can be correlated with changes in the intensity of the forbidden v1 infrared mode.
Three key subregions contribute to the function of the downstream RNA polymerase II core promoter.

The RNA polymerase II core promoter is a diverse and complex regulatory element. To gain a better understanding of the core promoter, we examined the motif 10 element (MTE), which is located downstream of the transcription start site and acts in conjunction with the initiator (Inr). We found that the MTE promotes the binding of purified TFIID to the core promoter and that the TAF6 and TAF9 subunits of TFIID appear to be in close proximity to the MTE. To identify the specific nucleotides that contribute to MTE activity, we performed a detailed mutational analysis and determined a functional MTE consensus sequence. These studies identified favored as well as disfavored nucleotides and demonstrated the previously unrecognized importance of nucleotides in the subregion of nucleotides 27 to 29 (+27 to + 29 relative to A+1 in the Inr consensus) for MTE function. Further analysis led to the identification of three downstream subregions (nucleotides 18 to 22, 27 to 29, and 30 to 33) that contribute to core promoter activity. The three binary combinations of these subregions lead to the MTE (nucleotides 18 to 22 and 27 to 29), a downstream core promoter element (nucleotides 27 to 29 and 30 to 33), and a novel “bridge” core promoter motif (nucleotides 18 to 22 and 30 to 33). These studies have thus revealed a tripartite organization of key subregions in the downstream core promoter.
Unfortunately, Ambiguities Still Abound in How We Conceptualize Corporate Social Responsibility

The idea of embedded versus peripheral corporate social responsibility (CSR) proposed by Aguinis and Glavas (2013) appears to be very intuitive and functional. After all, who can on face deny the argument that CSR will have the maximum positive outcomes when it is not just an add-on but is thoroughly integrated into the strategies, routines, and operations of the business? However, on closer inspection, there appear to be several problems with the embedded–peripheral dichotomy. Three major ambiguities of the embedded–peripheral dichotomy are focused on in this commentary. The first lies in the potential for significant ambiguity in whether a company falls in one category or the other based on how the totality of the organization's operations and functions are categorized. A company can have CSR built into their operations and strategies for part of their business (embedded) while have them not be built into their operations for different aspects of the operations or product strategies. The second ambiguity area is how CSR actions get defined as peripheral or embedded that does fit well with the actual importance level of the action to the organization. We look at an organization example (TOM Shoes) where peripheral CSR actions have significant impact on organizational success.
The Impact of the Labor Market upon the Design and Selection of Productive Techniques within the Manufacturing Plant

Introduction, 602. — I. The internal innovative process, 604; the search, 604; the design and construction of equipment, 608; job design given capital equipment, 612. — II. The role of outside institutions, 615. — III. Conclusions, 619.
Tortoise, a Novel Mitochondrial Protein, Is Required for Directional Responses of Dictyostelium in Chemotactic Gradients

We have identified a novel gene, Tortoise (TorA), that is required for the efficient chemotaxis of Dictyostelium discoideum cells. Cells lacking TorA sense chemoattractant gradients as indicated by the presence of periodic waves of cell shape changes and the localized translocation of cytosolic PH domains to the membrane. However, they are unable to migrate directionally up spatial gradients of cAMP. Cells lacking Mek1 display a similar phenotype. Overexpression of Mek1 in torA− partially restores chemotaxis, whereas overexpression of TorA in mek1− does not rescue the chemotactic phenotype. Regardless of the genetic background, TorA overexpressing cells stop growing when separated from a substrate. Surprisingly, TorA–green fluorescent protein (GFP) is clustered near one end of mitochondria. Deletion analysis of the TorA protein reveals distinct regions for chemotactic function, mitochondrial localization, and the formation of clusters. TorA is associated with a round structure within the mitochondrion that shows enhanced staining with the mitochondrial dye Mitotracker. Cells overexpressing TorA contain many more of these structures than do wild-type cells. These TorA-containing structures resist extraction with Triton X-100, which dissolves the mitochondria. The characterization of TorA demonstrates an unexpected link between mitochondrial function, the chemotactic response, and the capacity to grow in suspension.
Nonlinear Open Loop Optimal Tracking Using Magnetostrictive Transducers

The design of high performance smart material devices requires control laws that can achieve stringent performance criteria required in many industrial, automotive, aerospace and biomedical applications. Moderate to high field inputs are often required which introduces nonlinear, hysteretic constitutive behavior. This often cannot be effectively compensated using linear control theory. In the present work, a nonlinear optimal control methodology is developed for tracking a reference trajectory when nonlinear, hysteretic constitutive behavior is significant. For brevity, we focus on open loop control for regimes when disturbances are minimal. The nonlinear control design is investigated on magnetostrictive rod-type actuators by implementing a homogenized energy model. Significant emphasis is place on material behavior at multiple length scales to produce an accurate and efficient model to compensate for nonlinear, hysteretic magnetostrictive constitutive behavior.
Experimental evidence on dynamic pollution tax policies

Abstract This paper uses laboratory experiments to provide primary empirical evidence on dynamic pollution tax policies. In particular, we investigate a setting where a regulator with incomplete information uses a pollution tax mechanism with a simple, endogenous tax rate adjustment rule to cost-effectively meet a pollution standard. This mechanism provides the opportunity for firms to strategically abate in order to reduce future tax rates. The experiments vary important policy design features such as the type of tax (ambient or emissions), the initial tax rate, and the tax rate adjustment speed. We find that in equilibrium the pollution standard is met on average for each of these settings. The observed long-run tax rates vary considerably across policy designs, which can be explained with a theory that allows for a mix of strategic and myopic firms, along with the recognition that the incentives generated by the policy design can influence whether an agent plays myopically or strategically.
Toxin-Deficient Mutants of Bacillus anthracis Are Lethal in a Murine Model for Pulmonary Anthrax

Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent of anthrax, produces at least three primary virulence factors: lethal toxin, edema toxin, and a capsule. The capsule is absolutely required for dissemination and lethality in a murine model of inhalation anthrax, yet the roles for the toxins during infection are ill-defined. We show in a murine model that when spores of specific toxin-null mutants are introduced into the lung, dissemination and lethality are comparable to those of the parent strain. Mutants lacking one or more of the structural genes for the toxin proteins, i.e., protective antigen, lethal factor, and edema factor, disseminated from the lung to the spleen at rates similar to that of the virulent parental strain. The 50% lethal dose (LD50) and mean time to death (MTD) of the mutants did not differ significantly from those of the parent. The LD50s or MTDs were also unaffected relative to those of the parent strain when mice were inoculated intravenously with vegetative cells. Nonetheless, histopathological examination of tissues revealed subtle but distinct differences in infections by the parent compared to some toxin mutants, suggesting that the host response is affected by toxin proteins synthesized during infection.
A four-year prospective study of cognitive functioning in Huntington's disease.

The contribution of neurologic, genetic, and demographic variables to decline in cognition was examined in 70 early- to mid-stage patients with Huntington’s disease (HD) using random effects modeling. Study participants were followed prospectively at baseline and at four annual reevaluations. Only modest decline was noted on most neuropsychological variables. Neurologic dysfunction, assessed using the Quantified Neurologic Examination (QNE), proved to be the strongest predictor of cognitive decline. While significantly predictive of more rapid decline in neurologic functioning, CAG repeat length was not generally related to cognitive decline after adjusting for QNE, with the exception of performance on a single test of visual scanning and psychomotor speed (i.e., Trail Making Test, Part A). We propose that CAG repeat length is more closely linked with changes in basal ganglia that predominate in early- to mid-stage HD than with cortical degeneration seen later in disease progression. Such a relationship would explain the predictive value that CAG repeat length plays in changes associated with automatic motor response programs (e.g., QNE and Trail Making Test, Part A) but not in dysfunction on tasks requiring higher-order processing. (JINS, 2006, 12, 445–454.)
Further support for the role of dysfunctional attitudes in models of real-world functioning in schizophrenia.

According to A.T. Beck and colleagues’ cognitive formulation of poor functioning in schizophrenia, maladaptive cognitive appraisals play a key role in the expression and persistence of negative symptoms and associated real-world functioning deficits. They provided initial support for this model by showing that dysfunctional attitudes are elevated in schizophrenia and account for significant variance in negative symptoms and subjective quality of life. The current study used structural equation modeling to further evaluate the contribution of dysfunctional attitudes to outcome in schizophrenia. One hundred eleven outpatients and 67 healthy controls completed a Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, and patients completed a competence measure of functional capacity, clinical ratings of negative symptoms, and interview-based ratings of real-world functioning. Patients reported higher defeatist performance beliefs than controls and these were significantly related to lower functional capacity, higher negative symptoms, and worse community functioning. Consistent with Beck and colleagues’ formulation, modeling analyses indicated a significant indirect pathway from functional capacity ? dysfunctional attitudes ? negative symptoms ? real-world functioning. These findings support the value of dysfunctional attitudes for understanding the determinants of outcome in schizophrenia and suggest that therapeutic interventions targeting these attitudes may facilitate functional recovery. Published by Elsevier Ltd.