cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Written Off: Mental Health Stigma and the Loss of Human Potential

Written-Off tells the story of how mental health stigma comes to have a profound impact on the lives of people diagnosed with mental illnesses. It reviews theory, research, and history - illustrated with a multitude of personal stories - in four major areas. These areas are: the prevalence and predictors of negative attitudes and behaviors toward mental illness, the impact of community attitudes and behaviors on the self-perceptions of people diagnosed with mental illness, the impact of self-perceptions on the community participation of people diagnosed with mental illness, and how to change self-perceptions through a variety of approaches.
Normal sleep bouts are not essential for C. elegans survival and FoxO is important for compensatory changes in sleep

Sleep deprivation impairs learning, causes stress, and can lead to death. Notch and JNK-1 pathways impact C. elegans sleep in complex ways; these have been hypothesized to involve compensatory sleep. C. elegans DAF-16, a FoxO transcription factor, is required for homeostatic response to decreased sleep and DAF-16 loss decreases survival after sleep bout deprivation. Here, we investigate connections between these pathways and the requirement for sleep after mechanical stress. Reduced function of Notch ligand LAG-2 or JNK-1 kinase resulted in increased time in sleep bouts during development. These animals were inappropriately easy to arouse using sensory stimulation, but only during sleep bouts. This constellation of defects suggested that poor quality sleep bouts in these animals might activate homeostatic mechanisms, driving compensatory increased sleep bouts. Testing this hypothesis, we found that DAF-16 FoxO function was required for increased sleep bouts in animals with defective lag-2 and jnk-1, as loss of daf-16 reduced sleep bouts back to normal levels. However, loss of daf-16 did not suppress arousal thresholds defects. Where DAF-16 function was required differed; in lag-2 and jnk-1 animals, daf-16 function was required in neurons or muscles, respectively, suggesting that disparate tissues can drive a coordinated response to sleep need. Sleep deprivation due to mechanical stimulation can cause death in many species, including C. elegans, suggesting that sleep is essential. We found that loss of sleep bouts in C. elegans due to genetic manipulation did not impact their survival, even in animals lacking DAF-16 function. However, we found that sleep bout deprivation was often fatal when combined with the concurrent stress of mechanical stimulation. Together, these results in C. elegans confirm that Notch and JNK-1 signaling are required to achieve normal sleep depth, suggest that DAF-16 is required for increased sleep bouts when signaling decreases, and that failure to enter sleep bouts is not sufficient to cause death in C. elegans, unless paired with concurrent mechanical stress. These results suggest that mechanical stress may directly contribute to death observed in previous studies of sleep deprivation and/or that sleep bouts have a uniquely restorative role in C. elegans sleep.
Abstract 16002: A 3D Engineered Model of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes Reveals Functional and Structural Characteristics of β-Myosin Heavy Chain Mutation Mediated Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) affects 1 in 500 people and may result in heart failure, stroke and sudden cardiac death. However, mechanism based research has been limited by the p...
The Skills and Information Requirements of Industrial Technologies: On the Use of Engineers as a Proxy

Publisher Summary The transfer of technology requires agents capable of learning the relevant technical information and modifying it for adaptation to local conditions. The process includes information transfer in both codified and uncodified forms. The codified information will generally be available in written documents of various types: reports, drawings, specifications, manuals, etc. The skills necessary to comprehend these documents will be engineering and technical, that is, those acquired in university-level engineering schools or middle-level technical schools. The chapter discusses the role played by various types of engineering skills in the process of technology transfer and adaptation, including local technical change. It discusses the level of technological development of the semi-industrialized countries on the basis of their stock and utilization of engineering manpower.
Psychiatric Disorders in Women: Psychopharmacologic Treatments

Objective: To review the most common psychiatric disorders in women and to address gender-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences in psychotropic medications. Data Sources: Recent clinical literature selected by the author. Data Synthesis: Women have higher prevalence rates of anxiety, mood, and eating disorders than do men, and they are prescribed the majority of psychotropic medications. In general, women experience more comorbid illnesses, have a higher rate of morbidity and disability, and suffer more from reversible drug-induced or medically induced psychiatric conditions. Biological factors such as hormonal and neurotransmitter fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and postmenopause may affect the pharmacokinetics of psychotropic medications. Information is needed about gender differences in the incidence and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders; sex differences in the treatment, response, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects of psychotropic medications; and safety of psychotropic medications in the fetus and in the breast-fed infant. Conclusion: An understanding of the impact of physiologic, hormonal, and neurotransmitter changes associated with different life phases should provide valuable insight into the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in women and gender differences in psychopharmacology.
Neuropsychological Correlates of Childhood and Adolescent Internalized Disorders: Mood and Anxiety Disorders

This chapter explores childhood mood and anxiety disorders within a transactional model. Genetic, prenatal, and postnatal history will be discussed in light of how these factors interact with neuropsychological, executive, cognitive, perceptual, and memory functioning. Moreover, the impact these factors have on the child's functioning (i.e., family, school, and social interactions) will be discussed within a transactional framework; that is, social and familial factors play a role in environmentally induced mood and anxiety disorders which, in turn, interfere with social interactions and interpersonal well-being.
Geometrical Probability, Coverage and Visibility In Random Fields

The present chapter introduces some classical problems of geometrical probability coverage theory and random fields. The emphasis is, however, on practical aspects of the theory. The examples, which illustrate the general theory, focus on computational aspects. The objective in this chapter is to introduce basic concepts and techniques, which are encountered in later chapters.
Whose Story is it? Narrative Humility in Medicine and Literature

I am on a panel. It is at a college, a conference, or a literary festival. It happens on almost every panel I am on; particularly when we are discussing representation and diversity in children’s literature – the importance for young people to see protagonists, families and story lines representing their own identities and their own lives. Someone – usually white, and/or straight, and/or cis-gendered -- raises their hand in the audience and tells us about a story they feel compelled to write, a story they love, a story about a protagonist unlike themselves. “Can I tell this story?” they ask, “Is it alright?”
Landscape modeling of the potential natural vegetation of Santa Catalina Island, California.

The vegetation of Santa Catalina Island has been significantly transformed through a history of introduction of exotic plant species and disturbance by large introduced herbivores. Many of these disturbances have been reduced in recent decades, using measures such as carefully controlling the number of bison and removing cattle, sheep, feral pigs, and goats. The success of subsequent vegetation restoration actions depends on the choice of the right plant community for a location, which may not be obvious for an island with extensive areas dominated by exotic species. Environmental niche modeling is an approach to re-create the spatial distribution of habitat types for such a purpose. Such models, however, often require both presence and absence data to be meaningful, while in this scenario absence is misleading because it may reflect a long history of disturbance. Maximum entropy modeling is a technique to model species distributions with presence-only data that has been shown to produce accurate results. We used this modeling tool to model the environmental niche for distinct vegetation types, conceptualized as potential natural vegetation, on Catalina Island as a means to predict locations where restoration actions would be most successful and to predict potential natural vegetation prior to anthropogenic disturbance. Using an existing vegetation map, we extracted random points from within the polygons defining each native vegetation type. We then modeled the habitat suitability for each habitat using high-resolution environmental data that included elevation, aspect, hillshade, northeastness, slope, solar radiation, and topographic wetness index. The resulting models were combined to produce a map of potential natural vegetation. A 1977 map of potential natural vegetation included 4 vegetation types (woodland, chaparral, scrub, and grassland) to which we compared our results. Our new model of potential natural vegetation has high spatial complexity and high resolution. It also shows naturalistic responses to topography that are consistent with the broad patterns mapped in 1977 while providing fine-scale resolution to inform restoration efforts.
Social Problems: A Cost-Effective Psychosocial Prevention Paradigm

This introductory chapter provides a discussion about the need for prevention. As justification for prevention, the chapter highlights the costs of social problems discussed in the book, including academic problems, violence in schools, child maltreatment, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse.
Mixture rules and falloff are now major uncertainties in experimentally derived rate parameters for H + O2 (+M) ↔ HO2 (+M)

Abstract Rate constants for the title reaction for different bath gas species, M, are essential to accurate combustion predictions. Most experimental studies of the title reaction assume the reaction is in the low-pressure limit. Furthermore, experimental studies for M = H2O usually rely on measurements in H2O/A mixtures, separate measurements in a reference bath gas M = A, and an assumed mixture “rule,” which estimates rate constants in the mixture from those of pure bath gases. We present results from master equation calculations to quantify the uncertainties due to these assumptions in experimental interpretations. Our calculations indicate potential errors due to falloff and mixture rule assumptions that would be imperceptible experimentally over typical variations of pressure and composition yet introduce substantial uncertainties (reaching ∼ 50%) in reported rate constants, which often involve extrapolation to zero pressure and unity mole fraction. Going forward, we recommend that experimentally determined pseudo-second-order rate constants for H + O2 ↔ HO2 for the experimental pressure and mixture composition (which are independent of these assumptions) be reported, that experiments used to derive rate constants in the low-pressure limit or for M = H2O be conducted at lower pressures and higher H2O fractions (where these assumptions are more accurate), and that uncertainty analysis consider uncertainties due to falloff and mixture rule assumptions.
Impact of Earthquakes based on Satellite Images using IoT and Sensor Networks

Technological advancements of studying images, acquired from satellites can play an important role in knowing the impact of disasters, which affects humanity in several ways. We propose an integrated framework for earthquake management helping in mitigating, preparing, responding and recovering from disasters using IoT, sensor networks and deep learning models. Our model will be built upon previous research by considering the impact of destruction, which will assist in relief efforts, rescue operations, and disaster responses. The framework will start with collecting data from publicly available sources, followed by data scrubbing, exploring, featuring and modeling using deep learning semantic-based CNN models. Various performance measures like confusion matrix will be used to evaluate our model. Data visualization will be done using Python and Tableau. Our model will quantify the impact of earthquakes using images collected pre and post-earthquake, focusing on building destruction. The results of our analysis will help humanity to measure and monitor the impact of disaster by using data science tools and techniques.
Does online support matter? The relationship between online identity-related support, mattering, and well-being in sexual minority men

Abstract Research has suggested that computer-mediated communication (CMC) can be effective in facilitating positive psychosocial outcomes when such interactions increase one's perceived social support. These findings bear valuable implications for sexual minority men (SMM), who can experience a lack of social support due to their stigmatized identities, and thus may turn to social networking sites (SNS) for identity-related support. This research quantitatively examined whether perceived identity-related social support received on SNS was associated with positive psychosocial outcomes in SMM. Participants (N = 205) completed an online survey measuring interactions with similar others (i.e., people who identity as sexual and/or gender minorities) on SNS and face-to-face (FTF), perceived identity-related support from SNS and FTF sources, perceptions of mattering (i.e., feelings that one is important to others), and psychological well-being. Results revealed that identity-related SNS support from similar others was associated with higher psychological well-being above and beyond FTF support. Similarly, SNS support from similar others was associated with higher perceptions of mattering when FTF support from friends was relatively low. These associations were specific to support received from similar others and not from non-similar others (i.e., cisgender heterosexual interaction partners). Results suggest that SNS support from similar others is related to positive psychosocial outcomes for SMM, even when FTF support is lacking.
The Impact of Increased Disclosure Requirements and the Standardization of Accounting Practices on Earnings Management Through the Reserve for Income Taxes

We examine whether the regulatory changes required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation No. (FIN) 48 reduced the propensity for earnings management through the reserve for income taxes. Given prior evidence that firms use this reserve to manage earnings to beat the consensus analyst forecast, the regulatory changes implemented by both SOX and FIN 48 allow us to study the effects of accounting regulation on earnings management. We find that neither SOX nor FIN 48 reduced earnings management through the reserve for income taxes. Thus, in contrast to research that examines whether SOX affected nontax, accrual-based earnings management, our results suggest managers continue to take advantage of their discretion over the accounting for income taxes to beat the consensus analyst forecast in both the post-SOX and post-FIN 48 periods.
Sahbhagidhan - The first climate resilient rice variety for drought prone ecosystems

In recent years, because of the frequent occurrence of drought stress, there is yield decline in rice, and the climate change predicts that water deficit will further deteriorate in the coming years. To stabilize the production in the rainfed droughtprone areas, there is a growing need for climate resilient technologies which can tolerate the vagaries of weather. Drought tolerant varieties provide opportunities for improving and stabilizing productivity in drought-prone areas, thereby contributing to National Food Security. Due to sustained efforts made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and partners through different schemes, Sahbhagidhan has been extensively spread to the farmers leading to its large-scale adoption. Because of its shorter duration, this variety provides a window of opportunity for increasing cropping intensity to enhance overall productivity under both the rainfed and irrigated ecosystem. The unique feature of Sahbhagidhan is its climate resiliency, not only this variety showed high tolerance against drought but also there is no yield penalty when grown under non-stress condition in comparison to other varieties of similar duration, making it one of the attractive option for stress-prone ecology. Large scale adoption of this variety will not only enhance but also stabilize the rice production in drought-prone areas of the country.
Hydroxycinnamoyl: Coenzyme A Transferase Involved in the Biosynthesis of Kaempferol-3-(p-coumaroyl Triglucoside) in Pisum sativum

The major flavonoids of Pisum are derivatives of kaempferol and quercetin, including both triglucosides and acylated triglucosides in which the acyl group is p-coumaric acid. Although hydroxycinnamic acid esters of flavonoids are common pigments in many plants, neither the enzymes nor the precursors involved in their biosynthesis have been demonstrated. We report here that crude enzyme preparations extracted from peas catalyze the transfer of the p-coumaroyl moiety of p-coumaroyl:Coenzyme A to kaempferol-3-triglucoside forming kaempferol-3-(p-coumaroyl triglucoside) as the acylated product. The reaction product has been vigorously shown to be identical to the naturally occurring kaempferol-3-(p-coumaroyl triglucoside) in both chromatographic and chemical properties. The enzymatic formation of the acylated derivative occurred only minimally when incubated with the cofactors required for carboxyl group activation (ligase) and maximally when incubated with p-coumaroyl : Coenzyme A as the acyl donor.
Empirical substructure discovery

ABSTRACT This paper describes the substructure discovery method used in the SUBDUE system. The method involves a computationally constrained best-first search guided by four heuristics: cognitive savings, compactness, connectivity and coverage. Each of the four heuristics are described along with their role in the evaluation of a substructure. An example demonstrates SUBDUE's ability to discover substructure and the advantages to be gained by other learning systems from the discovery of substructure concepts.
Algorithm optimization and architectural design of periodicity transform for biometric applications

Presented in this paper is a low-complexity iris identification architecture built upon an enhanced periodicity transform., referred to as the prime subspace periodicity transform (PSPT). The proposed PSPT achieves efficient computation by partitioning periodic subspaces into hierarchical prime subspaces. Data decomposition at prime subspaces can be implemented in a simple manner by exploiting the redundancy in correlation computation. The proposed PSPT establishes a theoretical foundation for our work in developing integrated biometric systems for identity authentication. A PSPT-based iris identification architecture is developed that achieves 32.1% - 56.2% reduction in computational complexity. Experimental results demonstrate an efficient solution for reliable and accurate iris identification. The proposed PSPT algorithm in combination with architecture optimizations address the challenges in single-chip implementation of biometric systems.
Selling a Dream Defense

Way Out There in the Blue Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War. Frances FitzGerald. Simon and Schuster, New York, 2000. 592 pp. $30, C$43.50. ISBN 0-684-84416-8. In this history, Fitzgerald shows how Reagan's political skills created and nurtured a multi-billion-dollar research program to build a perfect shield against Soviet nuclear weapons despite the seemingly critical flaw that the required technology was not remotely feasible.
THE RUMINANT PARASITE HAEMONCHUS CONTORTUS EXPRESSES AN A1,3-FUCOSYLTRANSFERASE CAPABLE OF SYNTHESIZING THE LEWIS X AND SIALYL LEWIS X ANTIGENS

Glycoproteins from the ruminant helminthic parasite Haemonchus contortus react with Lotus tetragonolobus agglutinin and Wisteria floribunda agglutinin, which are plant lectins that recognize α1,3-fucosylated GlcNAc and terminal β-GalNAc residues, respectively. However, parasite glycoconjugates are not reactive with Ricinus communis agglutinin, which binds to terminal β-Gal, and the glycoconjugates lack the Lewis x (Lex) antigen or other related fucose-containing antigens, such as sialylated Lex, Lea, Leb Ley, or H-type 1. Direct assays of parasite extracts demonstrate the presence of an α1,3-fucosyltransferase (α1,3FT) and β1,4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (β1,4GalNAcT), but not β1,4-galactosyltransferase. The H. contortus α1,3FT can fucosylate GlcNAc residues in both lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) Galα1→4GlcNAcβ1→3Galβ1→4Glc to form lacto-N-fucopentaose III Galβ1→ 4[Fucα1→3]GlcNAcβ1→3Galβ1→4Glc, which contains the Lex antigen, and the acceptor lacdiNAc (LDN) GalNAcβ1→4GlcNAc to form GalNAcβ1→4[Fucα1 →3]GlcNAc. The α1,3FT activity towards LNnT is dependent on time, protein, and GDP-Fuc concentration with a Km 50 μ M and a Vmax of 10.8 nmol-mg−1 h−1. The enzyme is unusually resistant to inhibition by the sulfhydryl-modifying reagent N-ethylmaleimide. The α1,3FT acts best with type-2 glycan acceptors (Galβ1→4GlcNAcβ1-R) and can use both sialylated and non-sialylated acceptors. Thus, although in vitro the H. contortus α1,3FT can synthesize the Lex antigen, in vivo the enzyme may instead participate in synthesis of fucosylated LDN or related structures, as found in other helminths.
Paleogene Calcareous Nannofossils from the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Sixty calcareous nannofossil species were identified in twenty-three of several hundred samples analyzed from the Crescent, Boundary, Lyre, and Twin River Formations. These form a sparsely fossiliferous turbidite sequence of Paleogene age from the Northern Olympic Peninsula. The upper middle and lower upper Eocene, and the lower to middle Oligocene are well represented. Dearth of discoasters and large populations of the Reticulofenestra complex suggests cold-water deposition. Limited nannofossil data agree well with previous benthic foraminiferal and radiometric correlation.
Acetylcholinesterase Complexation with Acetylthiocholine or Organophosphate at the Air/Aqueous Interface: AFM and UV−Vis Studies

The hydrolysis reaction of acetylthiocholine catalyzed by the enzyme, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), was studied at the air/aqueous interface by spreading the enzyme as a monolayer and dissolving the substrate in the subphase. The reaction progress was monitored by time-dependent UV−vis, and the topography of the Langmuir−Blodgett films was determined by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM). For a better understanding of the complex formation mechanism between AChE and its substrate, acetylthiocholine, the AChE monolayer was prepared and examined with TMAFM in two steps. The monolayer was first compressed on the substrate-free buffered subphase. Once a surface pressure of 25 mN/m was reached, the acetylthiocholine was injected into the subphase. The TMAFM images of a transferred monolayer, 6 min after the injection, show the presence of an acetylcholinesterase−acetylthiocholine complex and a homogeneous monolayer composition. However, the images of a second transferred monolayer at the same surface ...
Freeze-thaw cycling under a calcium chloride environment: effects on CFRP strengthened concrete structures

The fracture mechanics specimen known as the Single Contoured-Cantilever Beam (SCCB) – an experimental approach designed to ascertain both qualitative and quantitative information about the integrity of Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) laminate-to-concrete interface bonds – has been used to assess the detrimental effects of subjecting concrete structures externally strengthened with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets to a combined thermo-chemical environment involving Freeze-Thaw (FT) cycling under a calcium chloride (CaCl2) solution. Quantitative fracture measurements in terms of the Mode I critical strain energy release rates (GIc) were recorded after 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 cycles of alternate freezing and thawing; moreover, specimen weights and strains were measured initially and at the end of every 5th cycle. Considerable degradation of the interface bond integrity was found to have resulted, particularly for the latter-stage cycled beams.
594 HIGH RISK ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL): PROBLEM OF EARLY RELAPSE

Over the past two decades there has been an increase in the proportion of children with ALL achieving long-term disease-free survival. An exception is found in patients now being identified as having high risk features (HRF). To determine if a cause for their treatment failure could be recognized, all children with ALL entered on “Total Therapy” Studies I-IX were analyzed. The relationship of 5 initial features and outcome of therapy was determined in 802 untreated children with ALL treated here from 1962-1977. The initial features chosen for analysis were: Mediastinal mass, leukocyte count above 100,000/mm3, age under 2 years, early CNS disease and black race. One or more HRF were present in 261 (33%) of the patients. Complete remission (CR) was achieved by 224 (86%) of patients with HRF and by 516 (95%) of patients without these features. The median duration of CR was 9 months in patients with HRF in contrast to 36+ months for all other patients. Regardless of the therapeutic changes made in Studies I-IX, the proportion of HRF patients remaining in complete remission from each study is consistently 20% or less. We conclude that most patients with HRF achieve CR and that the most important reason for poor prognosis is the short duration of CR. At least 80% eventually relapse. This observation suggests that (1) the leukemic cells in these patients develop resistance to therapy rapidly; and (2) the emergence of resistant cells should be prevented by modifying maintenance chemotherapy.
Composition of interstellar clouds in the disk and halo. I - HD 93521

The spectrum of HD 149881, a halo star 1300 pc above the Galactic plane, has been analyzed, based on high-resolution GHRS data from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) together with 21 cm emission observations and profiles of Na I and Ca II features. The results reveal 11 absorption components, of which nine are produced in H I regions, with log N(H(sup 0) in each region mostly approximately 19.5; one component clearly originates in an H II region. Detailed column densities show that (D(Zn)), the absolute value of the depletion D, for Zn, like that for S, does not much exceed 0.1 dex. With Zn used as a standard of reference, D(Fe) varies from -1.1 to -0.6 dex; (D(Cr)) and (D(Mn)) average less than (D(Fe)) by about 0.1 and 0.2 dex, respectively, with dispersions of about 0.1 dex in this difference. As in Papers I and II, the measured D(Si) is consistent with a 2 to 1 ratio of Fe to Si atoms in grains. The kinetic temperature is these H I regions varies widely among components. Maximum temperatures, found from the widths of 21 cm emission components, range from about 100 to 10,000 K, while actual temperatures, found by comparing the H I widths with the b-values for the ultraviolet features, are about equal or less than 1000 K for six of the H I components. In contrast, toward the halo star HD 93521, temperatures of about 6000 K were found for most of the components. With use of these HD 149881 temperatures, values of n(sub e) were obtained from the ionization equilibrium of Ca(+) and also of Na(0). These values range over an order of magnitude, from about 4.9 x 10(exp -2) to 1.3 x 10(exp -3)/cu cm, systematically smaller (but also less certain) than in HD 93521. For the low values of n(sub e) found in the coldest components, the electrons can be accounted for by ionization of C atoms, if n(sub H) approximately equals 10/cu cm. For the warmest component, an ionization probability of beta(H(sup 0)) approximately equals 3 x 10(exp -15)/s is required, with lower values for other H I components.
Laquinimod Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis: A Comprehensive Review

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is considered an autoimmune disease with inflammatory and neurodegenerative underlying processes that affect the central nervous system. The available disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) approved to treat MS have only shown partial benefit in controlling the disease progression, primarily impeding its inflammatory component, while the parenteral administration of most of these therapies has shown to affect patient compliance. Laquinimod is a promising new oral drug recently evaluated in a third phase III clinical trial that demonstrated beneficial effects in delaying disease progression and preventing brain atrophy, suggesting a potential neuroprotective effect and a favorable safety profile.
Prenatal chromosomal microarray for the Catholic physician

Prenatal chromosomal microarray (CMA) is a test that is used to diagnose certain genetic problems in the fetus. While the test has been used in the pediatric setting for several years, it is now being introduced for use in the prenatal setting. The test offers great hope for detection of certain genetic defects in the fetus so that early intervention can be performed to improve the outcome for that individual. As with many biotechnical advances, CMA comes with certain bioethical issues that need to be addressed prior to its implementation. This paper is intended to provide guidance to all those that provide counseling regarding genetic testing options during pregnancy.
Compressive Response and Failure of Circular Cell Polycarbonate Honeycombs Under Inplane Uniaxial Stresses

The crushing response of polycarbonate circular cell honeycomb to inplane uniaxial loading under displacement control is analyzed through a combination of experiment and numerical simulation. The experiments, which correspond to two different uniaxial loading conditions, are performed using honeycomb material which has a nearly periodic microstructure. In the initial part of the response, the specimens deform in a uniform fashion. Next, a nonlinear phase characterized by progressive localization of deformation is observed. The progressive localization causes the walls of each cell to contact. These experimental results are simulated through numerical analysis using the finite element method. The reasons for the orthotropic response of the honeycombs are discussed.
Stable tantalum silicide Schottky barrier on n-type gallium arsenide evaluated at elevated temperatures

The high-temperature stability of sputtered tantalum silicide contacts on gallium arsenide has been evaluated. Diodes consisting of Ta silicide on epitaxial n (1.9 × 1017 cm?3; 0.23 ?m/n+ GaAs substrate were annealed at temperatures from 375°C to 800°C. Result show that the ideality factor, barrier height and reverse breakdown voltage remain stable at value of 1.1, 0.79 V and 9 V, respectively. MESFETs with Ta silicide gates exhibited similar drain current/voltage characteristics as conventional Cr/Au gate devices.
Vegetation science concepts I. Initial floristic composition, a factor in old-field vegetation development with 2 figs.

Two principles are considered as being involved in vegetation development on abandoned agricultural lands. The first, called Relay Floristics, involves a succession of incoming and outgoing plants, each group invading the land, ousting its predecessor, and in turn preparing the site so as to be ousted itself. This is the conventional interpretation of “old-field plant succession”, but is considered by the author to be in many cases a very minor principle. The second principle is called Initial Floristic Composition, and refers to that element which invades or has invaded at the time of abandonment. Following abandonment, there is a progressive development, with the forbs and grasses assuming predominance first, and the trees last. An evaluation of the relative importance of these two principles is necessary in Vegetation Management. For example, with Init. Flor. Comp. primary, the selective elimination of some elements of the flora can produce new and often stable plant communities. Thereafter such communities change only by the very different and often slowly acting principle of Relay Floristics. Relay Floristics itself can be modified and controlled by encouraging those plant covers which are most or least resistant to invasion to incoming relays of significance to the management plant.
Lymphomatoid granulomatosis: Two cases with skin involvement†

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a systemic disease marked by a polymorphous cellular infiltrate that is both angiocentric and angiodestructive. The predominant organs of involvement are lungs, skin, central nervous system, and kidneys. I describe two cases of lymphomatoid granulomatosis in association with cutaneous manifestations, stressing to the dermatologist the importance of early recognition and diagnosis of this entity.
Predictive tool to aid design and operations of pressurized fixed bed coal gasifiers

A mathematical model is presented to study the combustion and gasification of char with air and steam under pressure. A series of curves was obtained from the solutions of energy and mass balances for the probable range of operation in the gasification of char. Certain theoretical conclusions are drawn with respect to gasification of char in a fixed bed and found to be in accord with the results of the literature. A mathematical correlation is presented for conveniently calculating the product gas composition, the burning rate, the combustion zone thickness, the solids' maximum temperature, and the outlet gas temperature. This correlation is of general applicability, covers a wide range of operating conditions through use of multiple variance analysis, and may be used for pressures as high as 4200 kPa. Examples are given to illustrate the use and versatility of the correlation.
Sensory stimuli from pups involved in inhibition of milk secretion in rats during late lactation

Abstract Lactating rats of two strains, Holtzman and Sprague-Dawley-Rolfsmeyer, were removed from the animal room on postpartum Day 20 and were placed in a testing room where there were no other rats. Milk secretion was stimulated in mothers of each strain 24 hr later in response to 30 min of exposure to a rack of lactators and their pups, placed 3 ft in front of the test mothers; this stimulation to milk secretion was prevented, provided their own pups were placed under, but not when they were placed alongside, the mothers 3–4 min beforehand. The milk secretion responses on the whole were quantitatively less in the Holtzman rats. The sensory signals emanating from the pups which were responsible for the inhibitory effect upon milk secretion were analyzed in Holtzman rats. Sound and odor each proved to be inhibitory; sight, however, was not. The function of the exteroceptive inhibition of milk secretion in the control of milk secretion in late lactation is discussed.
Markov Logic: An Interface Layer for Artificial Intelligence

Most subfields of computer science have an interface layer via which applications communicate with the infrastructure, and this is key to their success (e.g., the Internet in networking, the relational model in databases, etc.). So far this interface layer has been missing in AI. First-order logic and probabilistic graphical models each have some of the necessary features, but a viable interface layer requires combining both. Markov logic is a powerful new language that accomplishes this by attaching weights to first-order formulas and treating them as templates for features of Markov random fields. Most statistical models in wide use are special cases of Markov logic, and first-order logic is its infinite-weight limit. Inference algorithms for Markov logic combine ideas from satisfiability, Markov chain Monte Carlo, belief propagation, and resolution. Learning algorithms make use of conditional likelihood, convex optimization, and inductive logic programming. Markov logic has been successfully applied to problems in information extraction and integration, natural language processing, robot mapping, social networks, computational biology, and others, and is the basis of the open-source Alchemy system.
Renewables in the U.S. Energy Future: How much, how fast?

Abstract Recent major studies of the U.S. Energy Future have yielded estimates of the potential contribution of renewable energy sources in this country by the year 2000 ranging from 0.1 to 25 quadrillion Btu (quads) per year, exclusive of geothermal and hydropower. In this article, I compare the assumptions, methods, and detailed findings of a number of these studies in order to illuminate the reasons for real and apparent disagreements. The methods used in the studies ranged from literature review combined with author judgment to elaborate energy-economic models. Not surprisingly, key assumptions involved the price of oil, coal, and nuclear power through the year 2000, costs of various technologies for harnessing renewables in this period, and the presence or absence of nonmarket incentives for renewables based on perceived advantages of these sources other than cost. After disentangling the assumptions and findings of the various studies on a source-by-source basis, I find that the contribution of renewables in the U.S. in the year 2000 probably will fall in a narrower range, from 4 to 18 quads per year. Policies in force at the end of the Carter Administration probably would have produced an intermediate figure of about 8 quads per year; the lower limit of 4 quads per year corresponds to imposition and continuation of the sort of reduced incentives that seem at this early stage to represent the policy of the Reagan Administration. Arguments are adduced here to suggest that sound public policy would seek to achieve the opposite, a societal commitment to implementation of the most attractive renewables-based technologies, aiming to produce perhaps 15–18 quads per year in the year 2000 and increasing amounts thereafter.
NMR of 3He Dissolved in Organic Solids

It has been found that 3He under pressures of a few atmospheres dissolves in the solid polymers Lucite, Nylon, Delrin, polyethylene, Teflon, and Lexan sufficiently to yield strong helium NMR spectra. The peaks range from sharp (Lucite, Lexan) to relatively broad (nylon, Delrin). The signals are interpreted as indicating rapid motion among sites. Helium NMR signals were also seen in the organic polycrystalline solids benzene, durene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, tert-butyl alcohol, acetic acid, and hexamethylbenzene. More complicated spectra with broader lines were obtained. Changes on repeated melting and refreezing are interpreted to indicate shift dependence on the orientation of individual crystallites. It is considered that 3He NMR spectroscopy is likely to yield valuable information about sites available and motion among them in a variety of solids in the future.
Mice that lack corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptors type 1 show a blunted ACTH response to acute alcohol despite up-regulated constitutive hypothalamic CRF gene expression

Background: The purpose of this work was to determine the influence of acute alcohol treatment, injected intraperitoneally, on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of mice that lack type 1 receptor for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRFR1). Methods: CRFR1-deficient (CRFR1−/−), heterozygous (CRFR1±), and wild-type (CRFR1+/+) mice were generated and maintained under standard conditions. Homozygous, heterozygous, and wild-type offspring were identified by polymerase chain reaction analysis of tail DNA. Experiments were performed on 9- to 16-week-old male and female mice. All blood samples were obtained by rapid decapitation of conscious mice conducted between 10 AM-12 PM. Blood sample collection was completed within 20 to 30 sec of disturbing the animals, and all samples were terminal. Preliminary experiments were conducted to determine the time-course of the ACTH and hypothalamic responses to alcohol in all three groups of mice, and a single time point (30 min and 2 hr, respectively), corresponding to peak responses, was chosen to measure the corresponding parameters in all subsequent studies. Results: In vehicle-injected animals, basal ACTH and corticosterone levels were statistically comparable in heterozygotes and mice with a null allele for the CRFR1 gene, although values of this latter hormone were slightly lower in the mutants. Alcohol (4.0 g/kg) elicited the expected significant (p < 0.01) increase in plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels in heterozygous mice. These responses were virtually abolished or markedly decreased, respectively, in CRFR1-deficient animals. As previously reported, constitutive CRF mRNA levels were elevated in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus in mice that lacked CRFR1, compared to wild-type control mice. Interestingly, this was not the case for transcripts of the immediate early gene NGFI-B. When measured 2 hr after alcohol, PVN NGFI-B gene expression was significantly (p < 0.01) increased in both control and mutant mice, as were CRF mRNA levels in mutant mice, but the hypothalamic responses of the mutants were larger (p < 0.01) than those of the control mice. This difference may be due, at least in part, to the lack of steroid feedback in the mutants. Conclusion: These results indicate that although the intraperitoneal injection of alcohol remains capable of eliciting PVN CRF neuronal activation in mice that lack CRFR1, the ACTH and corticosterone responses are significantly blunted, a phenomenon believed to be due to the lack of CRFR1 in the pituitary of these animals.
Conceptual architecture of building energy management open source software (BEMOSS)

The objective of this paper is to present a conceptual architecture of a Building Energy Management Open Source Software (BEMOSS) platform. BEMOSS is an open source operating system that is expected to improve sensing and control of equipment in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings, reduce energy consumption and help implement demand response (DR). It aims to offer: scalability, robustness, plug and play, open protocol, interoperability, cost-effectiveness, as well as local and remote monitoring. In this paper, four essential layers of BEMOSS software architecture — namely User Interface, Application and Data Management, Operating System and Framework, and Connectivity layers — are presented. A laboratory test bed to demonstrate the functionality of BEMOSS located at the Advanced Research Institute of Virginia Tech is also briefly described.
Statistical considerations in bioequivalence of two area under the concentration-time curves obtained from serial sampling data

In this paper, we study the bioequivalence (BE) inference problem motivated by pharmacokinetic data that were collected using the serial sampling technique. In serial sampling designs, subjects are independently assigned to one of the two drugs; each subject can be sampled only once, and data are collected at K distinct timepoints from multiple subjects. We consider design and hypothesis testing for the parameter of interest: the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC). Decision rules in demonstrating BE were established using an equivalence test for either the ratio or logarithmic difference of two AUCs. The proposed t-test can deal with cases where two AUCs have unequal variances. To control for the type I error rate, the involved degrees-of-freedom were adjusted using Satterthwaite's approximation. A power formula was derived to allow the determination of necessary sample sizes. Simulation results show that, when the two AUCs have unequal variances, the type I error rate is better controlled by t...
Individual and community-level tolerance of spouse abuse and the association with the circumstances of first sex among youth from six sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract Youth who engage in early and premarital sex are at risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. Most prevention programs ignore the mediating influence of the threat and experience of violence on these outcomes. Using nationally representative data from Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, multivariate analyses examined the association between individual- and community-level tolerance of spouse abuse on the age and circumstances of sexual debut among female youth. The youth sample sizes ranged from a high of 5007 in Malawi to a low of 3050 in Lesotho. In the study countries, there were between 521 and 367 communities included in the analysis. Youth who approved of spouse abuse were more likely to have sexually debuted at each age. In Kenya, youth from communities with high female spouse abuse tolerance were more likely to have initiated sex at each age. In Malawi and Zimbabwe, youth from high tolerance communities were less likely to have sexually debuted at each age or to...
Natural convection on a vertical stretching cylinder

Abstract The flow and natural (or mixed) convection due to a vertical stretching cylinder is studied. Using similarity transforms, the Navier–Stokes and energy equations reduce to a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Asymptotic analysis for large Reynolds numbers shows the relation between axisymmetric flow and two-dimensional flow. Due to the algebraic decay of the similarity functions, numerical integration is performed using a compressed coordinate. The axial velocity is composed of forced convection due to stretching and natural convection from the heated cylinder. The heat transfer increases with both the Reynolds number and the Prandtl number. The result is also a rare similarity solution of the free convection and Navier–Stokes equations.
Nicotine's effects on female rats' body weight: caloric intake and physical activity

Abstract Caloric intake and physical activity contribute to the inverse relationship between nicotine and body weight in male rats. In contrast, the relative contribution of these behavioral variables to the nicotine/body weight relationship in female rats has not been investigated. Recent research indicates that males and females respond differently to nicotine. The present study was designed to determine the role of physical activity and food consumption in body weight changes associated with nicotine administration in female rats. Nicotine or saline was administered chronically to 24 female rats for 19 days. Body weight, food consumption, water consumption, and physical activity were measured before, during, and after nicotine administration. Body weight and food consumption decreased during and increased after nicotine administration. However, there were no changes in physical activity that could account for these changes in body weight. These results corroborate the report that males and females respond differently to nicotine.
The site of heme synthesis in soybean root nodules.

Abstract By separating breis derived from soybean plant root nodules into soluble and particulate components and incubating each with δ-amino[4−14C]levulinic acid, it was found tha: (I) The heme synthesized by the nodules is principally the product of the particulate component. (2) The particulate component is predominantly bacteriods and is devoid of plant mitochondria. (3) Some of the heme synthesized in the breis is incorporated into leghemoglobin. We conclude that bacteroids in the nodules are responsible for the major part of the synthesis of heme for leghemoglobin.