cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of dynamic rheological properties on carbon fiber-reinforced polyetherimide for large-scale extrusion-based additive manufacturing

Printing high-performance thermoplastics on large scale extrusion-based additive manufacturing platforms requires stability over a range of processing conditions. However, studies on the melt dynamics and processing conditions of these thermoplastics in big area additive manufacturing (BAAM) are limited. This study characterizes the dynamic rheological behavior of polyetherimide (PEI), a high-performance thermoplastic, as well as carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced PEI composites as a BAAM feedstock material. The viscoelastic properties, such as the storage and loss moduli and complex viscosity, are investigated in relation to the BAAM extrusion process. The results show that CF-PEI composites behave like a viscous liquid during BAAM extrusion. The addition of CF to PEI enhances the shear thinning effect and significantly increases the complex viscosity (2.5× increase for 20% CF, and 3× for 30% CF). The increased viscosity increases the torque on the extruder, which may be alleviated by increasing the material processing temperature.
The transcriptional response of genes to RpoS concentration in Escherichia coli is not determined by core promoter sequences

ABSTRACT The alternative sigma factor RpoS is an important regulatory protein in Escherichia coli, responsible for mediating the general stress response. RpoS levels vary continuously in response to different stresses. Previous work has shown that genes vary in their responsiveness to increasing RpoS concentrations, with some genes being “sensitive,” requiring only a low level of RpoS to be relatively highly expressed, while other genes are “insensitive,” only being highly expressed in the presence of high levels of RpoS. In other systems, this type of variation is caused by interactions between the regulatory protein and the DNA it binds. To see if this is the case for RpoS, we measured twelve RpoS binding site mutants for their effects on maximal expression and responsiveness to increasing RpoS concentration. While maximal expression varied over an order of magnitude across these twelve constructs, the responsiveness to increasing RpoS concentration was largely unaffected, suggesting that the RpoS binding site alone is not responsible for a genes’ sensitivity or insensitivity to RpoS. In addition, we swapped the RpoS binding region between sensitive and insensitive promoters and found no change in the behavior of the promoter. Taken together, these results argue that differences in sensitivity of the RpoS-dependent promoters are not due to interactions between RpoS and the various DNA sites it binds.
Evidence-Based Design in Hospital Renovation Projects: A Study of Design Implementation for User Controls.

Purpose:The purpose of this article was to investigate and report the implementation of evidence-based design (EBD) principles relating to user controls into hospital renovation projects.Background...
Is Anemia in Low Income Pregnant Women Related to Their Infants’ Having Anemia? A Cohort Study of Pregnant Women-Infant Pairs in the United States

Given evidence that anemia in the first year of life is associated with long-term cognitive, motor, and behavioral deficits, reducing infant anemia is important. The primary objective of this research is to examine whether anemia in low income pregnant women in the United States is associated with anemia in the women’s infants. This cohort study linked Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveillance data on pregnant women with incomes below 185% of the federal poverty level from 2010 and 2011 with data on 6–11 month olds from 2011, resulting in a sample of 21,246 uniquely matched mother-infant pairs. We examined bivariate and multivariate relationship between anemia severity in pregnant women and in their infants. Seventeen percent of women had anemia (13.1% mild and 3.9% moderate to severe) and 20.1% infants had anemia (16.4% mild and 3.7% moderate to severe). For both women and infants, blacks had substantially higher anemia rates than whites. In bivariate analysis and multivariate analyses maternal anemia showed a dose–response relationship to infant anemia. In predicted probabilities from the multivariate models, 27.2% of infants born to pregnant women with moderate to severe anemia had anemia, compared to 23.3% for infants whose mothers had mild anemia, and 18.3% for infants whose mothers did not have anemia. This study provides strong evidence of a relationship between maternal and infant anemia in the United States among people with low incomes. Efforts to reduce anemia during pregnancy may be an important strategy for minimizing childhood anemia.
Who responds to changes to the federal adoption tax credit?: Evidence from Florida

The federal adoption tax credit (ATC) can help offset the cost of adoption, yet it is unclear whether it has a positive impact on the number of adoptions or if it merely transfers resources to households who would have adopted anyway. The ATC has primarily been a nonrefundable tax credit, but in 2010 and 2011 the full amount (over $13,000) was available as a refundable tax credit, representing a substantial increase in the benefit to lower- and middle-income families—those with typically low tax liability. Using county-level data from Florida, we estimate an increase of 265 additional public adoptions over what would be expected at the end of 2011. Relative decreases in adoptions in the first months of 2012 suggest that much of this increase is due to retiming rather than new adoptions. The response appears to be concentrated in lower- and middle-income households living in higher-income, more populated areas.
Edward I. Altman, PhD: Fifty Years of Z-Scores to Predict the Probability of Corporate Bankruptcy

Edward I. Altman is the Max L. Heine Professor of Finance, Emeritus at the Stern School of Business, New York University (NYU). He is also director of research in credit and debt markets at NYU’s Salomon Center for the Study of Financial Institutions. An internationally recognized expert on corporate bankruptcy, high yield bonds, distressed debt, and credit risk analysis, Altman has won multiple awards for his research and has served as an advisor to numerous government agencies and foreign central banks. His primary areas of research include bankruptcy analysis and prediction, credit and lending policies, and risk management and regulation in banking, corporate finance, and capital markets. In August 2019, Edward Altman spoke with members of the Journal of Investment Consulting Editorial Advisory Board about his Z-score model for predicting the probability of corporate bankruptcies, the more recently developed models and their applications, the evolution of the credit markets, and the current credit cycle.
The MyMOMA domain of MYO19 encodes for distinct Miro-dependent and Miro-independent mechanisms of interaction with mitochondrial membranes

Abstract MYO19 interacts with mitochondria through a C-terminal membrane association domain (MyMOMA). The specific mechanisms for localization of MYO19 to mitochondria are poorly understood. Using new promiscuous biotinylation data in combination with existing affinity-capture databases, we have identified a number of putative MYO19-interacting proteins. We chose to further explore the interaction between MYO19 and the mitochondrial GTPase Miro2 by expressing mchr-Miro2 in combination with GFP-tagged fragments of the MyMOMA domain and assaying for recruitment of MYO19-GFP to mitochondria. Co-expression of MYO19898-970-GFP with mchr-Miro2 enhanced MYO19898-970-GFP localization to mitochondria. Mislocalizing Miro2 to filopodial tips or the cytosolic face of the nuclear envelope did not recruit MYO19898-970-GFP to either location. To address the kinetics of the Miro2/MYO19 interaction, we used FRAP analysis and permeabilization-activated reduction in fluorescence (PARF) analysis. MyMOMA constructs containing a putative membrane insertion motif but lacking the Miro2-interacting region displayed slow exchange kinetics. MYO19898-970-GFP, which does not include the membrane-insertion motif, displayed rapid exchange kinetics, suggesting that the MYO19 interacting with Miro2 has higher mobility than MYO19 inserted into the mitochondrial outer membrane. Mutation of well-conserved, charged residues within MYO19 or within the switch I and II regions of Miro2 abolished the enhancement of MYO19898-970-GFP localization in cells ectopically expressing mchr-Miro2. Additionally, expressing mutant versions of Miro2 thought to represent particular nucleotide states indicated that the enhancement of MYO19898-970-GFP localization is dependent on Miro2 nucleotide state. Taken together, these data suggest that membrane-inserted MYO19 is part of a larger complex, and that Miro2 plays a role in integration of actin- and microtubule-based mitochondrial activities.
Scanning a compressed ordered representation of the future

Several authors have suggested a deep symmetry between the psychological processes that underlie our ability to remember the past and make predictions about the future. The judgment of recency (JOR) task measures temporal order judgments for the past by presenting pairs of probe stimuli; participants choose the probe that was presented more recently. We performed a short-term relative JOR task and introduced a novel judgment of imminence (JOI) task to study temporal order judgments for the future. In the JOR task, participants were presented with a sequence of stimuli and asked to choose which of two probe stimuli was presented closer to the present. In the JOI task, participants were trained on a probabilistic sequence. After training, the sequence was interrupted with probe stimuli. Participants were asked to choose which of two probe stimuli was expected to be presented closer to the present. Replicating prior work on JOR, we found that RT results supported a backward self-terminating search model operating on a temporally-organized representation of the past. We also showed that RT distributions are consistent with this model and that the temporally-organized representation is compressed. Critically, results for the JOI task probing expectations of the future were mirror-symmetric to results from memory, suggesting a forward self-terminating search model operating on a temporally-organized representation of the future.
Operative Vaginal Delivery

Abstract Operative vaginal delivery can often be implemented to avoid performance of a cesarean delivery. Operative vaginal delivery can be used to shorten the second stage of labor for maternal benefits, to expedite delivery of a compromised fetus, or when there is maternal exhaustion from a prolonged second stage. Vacuum-assisted delivery involves placement of a plastic cup on the fetal scalp. Forceps-assisted delivery involves use of rigid metal forceps to guide the fetus through the birth canal. Both of these procedures can be associated with maternal and neonatal complications and should therefore only be performed by skilled operators.
Late recurrence of Seminoma in the pelvis: A case report.

Abstract Recurrence of pure seminoma in atypical lymph node sites, such as the pelvis are rare masses that show clinical signs late in disease progression. We report a case of a 73-year-old male that presented with urinary retention and pain in his left lower extremity with a history of right radical orchiectomy and adjuvant radiation for a stage 1 pure seminoma 30 years prior. CT showed a left pelvic mass concerning for malignancy. Patient subsequently underwent surgical excision of mass that pathology identified as recurrence of pure seminoma. This case report emphasizes etiology of pure seminoma and late, contralateral pelvic recurrence.
Nitric oxide-related gene and microRNA expression in peripheral blood in pregnancy vary by self-reported race.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes disproportionately affect non-Hispanic (NH) Black patients in the United States. Structural racism has been associated with increased psychosocial distress and inflammation and may trigger oxidative stress. Thus, the nitric oxide (NO) pathway (involved in the regulation of inflammation and oxidative stress) may partly explain the underlying disparities in obstetric outcomes.Cohort study of 154 pregnant patients with high-risk obstetric histories; n = 212 mRNAs and n = 108 microRNAs (miRNAs) in the NO pathway were evaluated in circulating white blood cells. NO pathway mRNA and miRNA transcript counts were compared by self-reported race; NH Black patients were compared with women of other races/ethnicities. Finally, miRNA-mRNA expression levels were correlated.Twenty-two genes (q < 0.10) were differentially expressed in self-identified NH Black individuals. Superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), interleukin-8 (IL-8), dynein light chain LC8-type 1 (DYNLL1), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) were the five most differentially expressed genes among NH Black patients compared to other patients. There were 63 significantly correlated miRNA-mRNA pairs (q < 0.10) demonstrating potential miRNA regulation of associated target mRNA expression. Ten miRNAs that were identified as members of significant miRNA-mRNA pairs were also differentially expressed among NH Black patients (q < 0.10).These findings support an association between NO pathway and inflammation and infection-related mRNA and miRNA expression in blood drawn during pregnancy and patient race/ethnicity. These findings may reflect key differences in the biology of inflammatory gene dysregulation that occurs in response to the stress of systemic racism and that underlies disparities in pregnancy outcomes.
Exosomes from primed MSCs can educate monocytes as a cellular therapy for hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome.

Background Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is caused by acute exposure to ionizing radiation that damages multiple organ systems but especially the bone marrow (BM). We have previously shown that human macrophages educated with exosomes from human BM-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) prolonged survival in a xenogeneic lethal ARS model. The purpose of this study was to determine if exosomes from LPS-primed MSCs could directly educate human monocytes (LPS-EEMos) for the treatment of ARS. Methods Human monocytes were educated by exosomes from LPS-primed MSCs and compared to monocytes educated by unprimed MSCs (EEMos) and uneducated monocytes to assess survival and clinical improvement in a xenogeneic mouse model of ARS. Changes in surface molecule expression of exosomes and monocytes after education were determined by flow cytometry, while gene expression was determined by qPCR. Irradiated human CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were co-cultured with LPS-EEMos, EEMos, or uneducated monocytes to assess effects on HSC survival and proliferation. Results LPS priming of MSCs led to the production of exosomes with increased expression of CD9, CD29, CD44, CD146, and MCSP. LPS-EEMos showed increases in gene expression of IL-6, IL-10, IL-15, IDO, and FGF-2 as compared to EEMos generated from unprimed MSCs. Generation of LPS-EEMos induced a lower percentage of CD14+ monocyte subsets that were CD16+, CD73+, CD86+, or CD206+ but a higher percentage of PD-L1+ cells. LPS-EEMos infused 4 h after lethal irradiation significantly prolonged survival, reducing clinical scores and weight loss as compared to controls. Complete blood counts from LPS-EEMo-treated mice showed enhanced hematopoietic recovery post-nadir. IL-6 receptor blockade completely abrogated the radioprotective survival benefit of LPS-EEMos in vivo in female NSG mice, but only loss of hematopoietic recovery was noted in male NSG mice. PD-1 blockade had no effect on survival. Furthermore, LPS-EEMos also showed benefits in vivo when administered 24 h, but not 48 h, after lethal irradiation. Co-culture of unprimed EEMos or LPS-EEMos with irradiated human CD34+ HSCs led to increased CD34+ proliferation and survival, suggesting hematopoietic recovery may be seen clinically. Conclusion LPS-EEMos are a potential counter-measure for hematopoietic ARS, with a reduced biomanufacturing time that facilitates hematopoiesis.
Vaginal Cuff Dehiscence Among Gender Diverse Persons

Study Objective To compare the risk of vaginal cuff dehiscence (VCD) following total hysterectomy among gender diverse (GD) persons and cisgender women (CW) and to identify factors associated with VCD. Design This is a retrospective cohort study among adults who underwent total hysterectomy for benign indications between 2014 and 2018 with at least 6-months of postoperative follow-up. Setting All surgeries were performed within an integrated closed healthcare delivery system. Patients or Participants Adult subjects who underwent non-emergent total hysterectomy for benign indications were included. Subjects who underwent subtotal hysterectomy, concomitant vaginectomy, and hysterectomy for obstetric or oncologic indications were excluded. Interventions N/A. Measurements and Main Results The 18,151 cohort was comprised of 282 (1.6%) GD and 17,869 (98.4%) CW. Compared to the CW group, the GD group was significantly younger (30.8 vs 48.2 years, P Conclusion VCD is a rare postsurgical complication, and a 1.6-fold increased, non-significant risk among a younger, healthier group with less intraoperative blood loss and fewer post-surgical infections suggests that our findings may represent a clinically significant difference. Hypertension and route of hysterectomy were found to be associated with VCD. We plan to analyze the data using multivariable analyses to control for confounders. We also plan to examine relationship between VCD and gender-affirming use of systemic testosterone by GD persons as a potential explanation for this clinical discrepancy in VCD.
Optimal Information Disclosures in Auctions: The Handicap Auction

We analyze the situation where a monopolist is selling an indivisible good to risk neutral buyers who only have an initial estimate of their private valuations. The seller can release (but cannot observe) signals, which refine the buyers’ estimates. We show that in the expected revenue maximizing mechanism, the seller allows the buyers to learn their valuations with the highest possible precision, and her expected revenue is the same as if she could observe the additional signals. We also show that this mechanism can be implemented by what we call a “handicap auction.” In the first round of this auction, each buyer privately buys a price premium from a menu published by the seller (a smaller premium costs more), then the seller releases the additional signals. In the second round, the buyers play a second-price auction, where the winner pays the sum of his premium and the second highest non-negative bid.
Radial migration of DNA molecules in cylindrical flow. I. Theory of the free-draining model.

Abstract Inward radial migration of large DNA molecules undergoing concentric-cylinder shear flow has been previously observed in this laboratory during measurements of viscoelastic retardation times. In this paper a theoretical treatment of this effect is presented in the framework of the bead-spring model of polymer molecules. Equations of motion of the diffusion type are solved for the free-draining polymer in a solvent undergoing Couette flow. The results show an inward radial motion, essentially due to the curvilinear solvent flow field.
GTEx detects genetic effects

One of the lessons from the past several years of genomic analysis is that well-conceived, ambitious, and thoughtfully analyzed genetic studies carried out by large consortia can advance the field in giant leaps. They do so both by providing new insight and by generating data sets that are widely accessible to all investigators. It is thus remarkable that, even though we now know that the vast majority of common polymorphisms (variants of a particular DNA sequence) that are associated with disease risk act by modulating gene expression, “big science” transcription analyses have been lacking. This deficit is now addressed with the publication of the first results from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) Consortium ( 1 ), which also includes the findings of Mele et al. ( 2 ) and Rivas et al. ( 3 ), on pages 648, 660, and 665, respectively, in this issue.
Influence of the Endogenous Storage Lipid Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate on the Reducing Power Availability during Cometabolism of Trichloroethylene and Naphthalene by Resting Methanotrophic Mixed Cultures

The role of the storage lipid poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in trichloroethylene transformation by methanotrophic mixed cultures was investigated. Naphthalene oxidation rates were used to assay for soluble methane monooxygenase activity. The PHB content of methanotrophic cells grown in reactors varied diurnally as well as from day to day. A positive correlation between the amount of PHB in the cells and the naphthalene oxidation rate as well as between PHB and the trichloroethylene transformation rate and capacity was found. Addition of β-hydroxybutyrate increased the naphthalene oxidation rates significantly. PHB content in cells could be manipulated by incubation at different methane-to-nitrogen ratios. A positive correlation between the naphthalene oxidation rate and the PHB content after these incubations could be seen. Both the PHB content and the naphthalene oxidation rates decreased with time in resting methanotrophic cells exposed to oxygen. However, this decrease in the naphthalene oxidation rate cannot be explained by the decrease in the PHB content alone. Probably a deactivation of the methane monooxygenase itself is also involved.
Replica Location Mechanism Based on DHT and the Small-World Theory

Data replication is a general mechanism to improve the performance and availability for distributed applications. To locate these replicas efficiently in a large-scale data grid system is a challenging task. In this paper we present a new replica location mechanism – Ridrop (Replica Information Drop), which is based on DHT and Small World Model. It employs the Gossip and Bloom Filter techniques to locate the replicas in the inner VOs domain, which is divided according to the feature of Small World. When the replicas of data are all beyond its own VO, we utilize DHT to locate or spread the replicas information at Home Nodes. Simulation experiment results show that Ridrop can achieve good performance in load balancing at Home Nodes.
Growth of digestive diseases research funds and investigators supported by the National Institutes of Health

The object of this paper is to analyze the growth of the digestive diseases research community supported by the National Institutes of Health, based primarily on data from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), during the 10-yr period of fiscal year 1977 through 1986. During that period, research dollars have increased threefold (1.5-fold when corrected for inflation), whereas the number of grants supported by those dollars has increased only 1.5-fold. This increase is similar to that of the entire National Institutes of Health. A greater percentage of grantees now have multiple grants and the cost of multiple grants is greater on a per grant basis. One-half of the funds support the research of only one-fourth of the grantees. The number of competing applications sent to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases compared with those sent to the National Institutes of Health shows a smaller increase (26% vs. 40%), whereas more funds are being provided per grant. Ten of the 12 institutes within the National Institutes of Health are now reporting digestive disease research support, so that total support exceeded $200 million in fiscal year 1986. We conclude that the digestive diseases research community is growing very slowly.
The Miocene genus Mantellina (Bivalvia: Limidae) discovered living on the deep reefs off Curaçao, with the description of a new species

Mantellina translucens n. sp. inhabits the deep reefs (215-310 m) off southeastern Curacao, occurring singly or in pairs, attached to vertical rock walls and boulders by thin byssal threads. This species differs from all living Limidae in having an exceptionally thin, comarginally corrugated shell that is longer than tall and lacks radial sculpture. This new species possesses a unique suite of characters associated with adaptations to an epibyssate mode of life in bathyal habitats, including simplification of the digest- ive tract, possibly indicating omnivory. It is assigned to the genus Mantellina Sacco, 1904, previously known only from fossil deposits of Burdigalian to Serravallian Miocene age of the Central Paratethys, on the basis of similar shell morphology. Anatomical characters and ribosomal DNA sequence data (18S and 16S genes) confirm placement of this taxon within the family Limidae, yet its shell superficial- ly resembles those of several genera of the extinct family Inoceramidae, while differing in hinge morph- ology and shell ultrastructure. A preliminary molecular phylogeny recovered Limidae as a monophyletic clade within Pteriomorphia, with Mantellina derived relative to Limaria, and sister group to a clade containing the remaining representatives of Limidae. Ctenoides was not monophyletic. The phylogenetic tree based on molecular data does not support previously proposed suprageneric relation- ships based on morphological data.
Opioids in non-cancer pain: a life-time sentence?

Abstract There is continuing reluctance to prescribe strong opioids for the management of chronic non-cancer pain due to concerns about side-effects, physical tolerance, withdrawal and addiction. Randomized controlled trials have now provided evidence for the efficacy of opioids against both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. However, there is considerable variability in response rates, possibly depending on the type of pain, the type of opioid and its route of administration, the time to follow-up, compliance and the development of tolerance. Five patients were selected with nociceptive or neuropathic pain in whom other pharmacological or physical therapies had failed to provide satisfactory pain relief. They received transdermal fentanyl (starting dose 25 μg/h) for at least 6 weeks. Transdermal fentanyl dosage was titrated upwards as required. Transdermal fentanyl provided adequate pain relief in patients with nociceptive pain (diabetic ulcer, osteoporotic vertebral fracture, ankylosing spondylitis) or neuropathic pain with a nociceptive component (radicular pain due to disc protrusion, herpetic neuralgia). The duration of treatment ranged from 6 weeks to 6 months for four cases. In the case of ankylosing spondylitis, treatment was carried out for 2 years, stopped and then restarted successfully. There were no withdrawal effects or addictive behaviour on treatment cessation, regardless of duration of the treatment. In conclusion, strong opioids may provide prolonged effective pain relief in selected patients with nociceptive and neuropathic non-cancer pain. Transdermal fentanyl treatment can often be temporary and can easily be stopped following adequate pain relief without withdrawal effects or any evidence of addictive behaviour.
Hospital-Acquired Infections

Health-acquired infection (HAI) is defined as a localized or systemic condition resulting from an adverse reaction to the presence of infectious agents or its toxins. This article focuses on HAIs that are well studied, common, and costly (direct, indirect, and intangible). The HAIs reviewed are catheter-related bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infection, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection. This article excludes discussion of Clostridium difficile infections and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.
Tectonic insights provided by Mesoproterozoic mafic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains, southeastern Missouri

Abstract Although Mesoproterozoic silicic rocks are predominant in the St. Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri, basalts, basaltic andesites and their plutonic equivalents are not uncommon. These mafic rocks fall into two distinct petrologic suites as first discerned by Sylvester (Ph.D. thesis (1984) 588). One, the Silver Mines suite, consists of mafic rocks formed contemporaneously with the voluminous silicic rocks. The second suite, the Skrainka suite, originated from mafic magmatism that may have postdated silicic activity. The rocks of both suites have a number of incompatible element indices typically associated with subduction zone environments. This suggests that the voluminous silicic magmatism of the St. Francois Mountains, and contemporaneous portions of the Granite–Rhyolite Provinces, originated during subduction along an active continental margin or during post-subduction (orogenic) extensional collapse. We favor the former tectonic setting, but an active margin in which extensional stresses were prevalent in the overriding plate.
Hybrid TE panel test results

Test results are presented for a nine couple (3 x 3 array) thermoelectric panel of hybrid thermocouples. In the hybrid couple, a hollow cylinder of p-type Si-Ge is used to encapsulate a segmented PbTe/Si-Ge n-leg. The hybrid couple is predicted to offer a 10- to 15-percent improvement in performance relative to all Si-Ge couples. The efficiency, output power, and internal resistance of the panel as well as the resistances of the individual hybrid couples are presented as a function of test time covering a period of more than 2600 hours. Initial test results indicated hybrid couple performance consistent with design predictions. Extraneous resistance ranged from 20 to 25% of the hybrid couple thermoelectric resistance.
Exploring Medieval Crime and Punishment

Franck Collard. The Crime of Poison in the Middle Ages. Trans. Deborah Nelson-Campbell. Westport: Praeger Press, 2008. 292 pp., $49.95, ISBN 978-0-313-34699-6. G. Geltner. The Medieval Prison: A So...
Leaky-mode channel-guide injection lasers

A new injection laser, the channel-guide (CG) laser, has been developed for leaky-mode operation. The devices are characterised by the stable, two-lobed far fields typical of leaky-mode operation and produce `kink-free? outputs to > 160 mW (40 ns pulse) from a 3 ?m stripe.
Lathyrism and 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene-induced carcinoma in the rat.

THE lathyritic agent, β-amino-poprionitrile (BAPN), reduces the tensile strength of mesenchyrnal tissue and modifies the collagen content1,2. Since local tissue factors are believed to be of importance in tumour growth, BAPN was administered to rats in which tumours were induced by a polycyclic hydrocarbon. 7,12-Dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) was used because it regularly induces mammary carcinoma in young female Sprague–Dawley rats. The strain of rat, the age, and the hormonal status are important factors in the induction of mammary carcinoma4.
The Bay of Campeche Oil Spill: Obtaining Jurisdiction over Petroleos Mexicanos under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976

A massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer of 1979 affords the opportunity to consider application of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA) as a basis for US interests injured by transboundary pollution to obtain jurisdiction over a foreign stateowned polluter in this country's courts. The author first outlines the development of sovereign-immunity law in the United States prior to the enactment of the FSIA and describes the operation and effect of the 1976 legislation. He then considers the application of the FSIA to the facts of the suits filed against Pemex; he concludes that the plaintiffs should be able to obtain jurisdiction over Pemex in a US court. The availability of jurisdiction under the FSIA to injured parties in future transboundary pollution actions is in doubt, however, because of a reference in the legislative history of the FSIA to the District of Columbia's long-arm statute and the history of judicial caution in cases involving international disputes. Courts may interpret the reference to the District of Columbia statute to mean that a pollution injury alone will not be enough to warrant assumption of personal jurisdiction. Requiring the plaintiffs in the Pemex case and injuredmore » parties in future cases to demonstrate some additional contacts by a foreign defendant aside from the pollution injury itself would limit use of the FSIA as a basis for obtaining jurisdiction over the foreign polluter. Nevertheless, this Comment recommends that because of ambiguity in the portion of the legislative history that concerns the scope of personal jurisdiction under the FSIA and the considerable foreign policy implications of the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction, US courts should adopt this more-restrictive interpretation of the FSIA. 238 references.« less
Effect of exchange on the binary-encounter-electron double-differential cross section in C q + - H 2 collisions at 0.75 MeV/amu

The production of binary-encounter electrons in collisions of ${\mathrm{C}}^{\mathit{q}+}$ ions with molecular hydrogen has been studied at an impact energy of 0.75 MeV/amu. The measured double-differential cross section (DDCS) at a forward angle (${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathrm{lab}}$=0), with respect to the beam direction, is in excellent agreement with the theoretical cross sections evaluated in the impulse approximation by using the elastic-electron--ion differential cross section with the Compton profile of the target electrons. The theoretically calculated DDCS is extremely sensitive to the impact energy. Hence a precise measurement of the projectile beam energy is required to compare predicted values with the data. The agreement between theory and experiment demonstrates the importance of exchange in the description of binary-encounter electrons and that the exchange increases with the number of electrons on the projectiles.
A generalized non‐muffin‐tin theory of band structure

A generalized non-muffin-tin band structure method is presented in the context of multiple scattering off of the Wigner–Seitz cell. This technique has the following desirable features: it is formally exact and rapidly convergent; it preserves the separation between the nondiagonal scattering matrix for the cell and the usual structure constants of KKR in the secular determinant; it produces an accurate representation of the wave function throughout the sphere bounding the Wigner–Seitz cell and hence is suitable for self-consistent field calculations and applications that require a detailed knowledge of the unperturbed crystal potential and wave functions. Various aspects of the application of this theory to the empty lattice and sodium are presented, and its limitations discussed. Some future lines of research are briefly reviewed.
Microstructural Influences on Very-High-Cycle Fatigue-Crack Initiation in Ti-6246

The fatigue behavior of an alpha + beta titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-6Mo, has been characterized in the very-high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) regime using ultrasonic-fatigue (20 kHz) techniques. Stress levels (σ max) of 40 to 60 pct of the yield strength of this alloy have been examined. Fatigue lifetimes in the range of 106 to 109 cycles are observed, and fatigue cracks initiate from both surface and subsurface sites. This study examines the mechanisms of fatigue-crack formation by quantifying critical microstructural features observed in the fatigue-crack initiation region. The fracture surface near the fatigue-crack-initiation site was crystallographic in nature. Facets, which result from the fracture of primary alpha (α p ) grains, are associated with the crack-initiation process. The α p grains that form facets are typically larger in size than average. The spatial distribution of α p grains relative to each other observed near the initiation site did not correlate with fatigue life. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of α p grains did not provide a suitable means for discerning crack-initiation sites from randomly selected nominal areas. Stereofractography measurements have shown that the facets observed at or near the initiation sites are oriented for high shear stress; i.e., they are oriented close to 45 deg with respect to the loading axis. Furthermore, a large majority of the grains and laths near the site of crack initiation are preferentially oriented for either basal or prism slip, suggesting that regions where α p grains and α laths have similar crystallographic orientations favor crack initiation. Microtextured regions with favorable and similar orientations of α p grains and the lath α are believed to promote cyclic-strain accumulation by basal and prism slip. Orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) indicates that these facets form on the basal plane of α p grains. The absence of a significant role of spatial clustering of α p grains, coupled with the observation of regions of microtexture on the order of 300 to 500 μm supports the idea that variability in fatigue life in the very-high-cycle fatigue regime results from the variability in the nature (intensity, coherence, and size) of these microtextured regions.
Fourier transform ir studies of the degradation of polyacrylonitrile copolymers—II: Acrylonitrile/methacrylic acid copolymers

The results of a Fourier transform IR study of the degradation of an acrylonitrile copolymer containing approx. 4 wt% of methacrylic acid, at 130°C under a reduced pressure of 5 × 10−2 Torr, are presented. A mechanism is proposed for the degradation that is consistent with the IR spectral evidence. Additionally, we have determined from our experimental results that methacrylic acid is incorporated into the cyclized degraded structure and that, on average, three to four acrylonitrile acids are cyclized for each acid initiation.
Safe practices and financial considerations in using oral chemotherapeutic agents.

Purpose. Safe handling practices and financial concerns associated with oral chemotherapy in non-traditional settings are discussed. Summary. Oral chemotherapy may pose a risk to patients because of a narrow therapeutic index, complex dosing regimen, dispensing by community pharmacists without prescription order review by an oncology pharmacist or nurse, or self-administration in the home or another nontraditional setting, where patient monitoring is infrequent. Errors in prescribing, dispensing, and administration and patient or caregiver misunderstandings are potential problems with the use of oral chemotherapy that need to be addressed when developing safe practices. Changes in Medicare pharmaceutical reimbursement rates and rules need to be monitored because they have the potential to affect patient care and outcomes. Patient assistance programs and advocacy groups can help alleviate financial concerns associated with oral chemotherapy. Conclusion. Consensus guidelines specific to safe handling of oral chemotherapy in the home or other nontraditional setting need to be developed. Also, healthcare providers must understand reimbursement and provide direction to patients when patient assistance programs or advocacy groups can assist with the financial challenges of oral chemotherapy.
A More Objective Method of Scoring Compositions

As a test of the ability to write a foreign language, the retelling of an anecdote has many advantages over the description of a picture; the scoring of such compositions on the basis of the density of mistakes per 100 words correlates very highly with the best subjective method of scoring and has in addition the advantage of being objective
Requirement for ubiquitin conjugation and 26S proteasome activity at an early stage in V(D)J recombination

V(D)J recombination, the process that rearranges gene segments to assemble mature antigen receptor genes, relies on a recombinase comprising the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins. RAG1 is a multi-functional enzyme including DNA binding and cleavage as well as ubiquitin ligase activities, all of which appear to contribute to its role in recombination. Here we demonstrate that components of the ubiquitin conjugation machinery and the 26S proteasome are required for an early step in V(D)J recombination. Inhibitors of the 26S proteasome and ubiquitin activating enzyme (E1) blocked both chromosomal and extra-chromosomal recombination when added one hour following transfection/induction, but they had no effect when added 16 hours later. There was no effect on expression of RAG1, and recombination did not require transit through the cell cycle, confirming that inhibition was not due to an indirect effect on cell cycle arrest or protein expression. Experiments in which RAG1 translation was blocked with cyclohexamide after 16 hours of expression indicated that many active recombination complexes were formed within this window, although recombination products continued to accumulate for 48 hours. These data suggest that ubiquitin-dependent degradation is an early step in complex assembly or activation, and are consistent with our previous hypothesis that degradation of a negative regulator is required to trigger recombination.
Four-dimensional seismology and (true) direct detection of hydrocarbons; the petrophysical basis

Figure 1, published by M. King Hubbert in 1962 and again in 1969, shows the exploitation of fossil fuels in a historical perspective. According to this graph, about half of the fossil energy on earth is being used up in a period of about 200 years, half of which is by now over.
Proceduralist readings: how to find meaning in games with graphical logics

Newsgames and artgames, two genres in which designers wish to communicate messages to players, often deploy procedural representation. Understanding these proceduralist games requires special attention to a game's processes as well as how these interact with its theme and aesthetics. In this paper we present a method for proceduralist readings of arcade-like 2D games so that players can determine their range of intended and unintended meanings, critics can assess the strengths and weaknesses of the presented arguments, and designers can identify ways to refine their rhetorical strategies.Through identifying the components of games that can be interpreted and emphasizing where cultural considerations influence interpretations, we present a framework for meaning derivations that strive to take the entirety of a game into consideration. As demonstrated by several examples, this framework requires much more explicit and formal arguments for why a game carries a meaning and precisely where each component of one's argument came from.
Specimen Size Requirements for Two-parameter Fracture Toughness Testing

Using a single parameter fracture mechanics theory, a minimum specimen size requirement of min(a, b, B) >200J/σ0 in tension and min(a, b, B) >25J/σ0 in bending, where B is the thickness, b the remaining ligament and a is the crack length of the specimen, were derived [Shih and German (1981), International Journal of fracture 17, 27–43] which have provided the basis for modern fracture toughness testing procedures. Two-parameter fracture toughness testing including the constraint, on the other hand, is desirable since it offers a solution to the transferability issue. A size requirement for a valid two-parameter fracture toughness testing based on the J-A2 three-term solution was determined as min(a, b, B) > 11J/σ0 [Chao and Zhu (1998), International Journal of fracture 89, 285–307] in which the limiting case is bend specimens under large scale yielding (LSY). Recent work by Chao et al. (2004, International Journal of fracture, 27, 283–302) has shown that the J-A2 dominance at a crack tip can be significantly enhanced for bending specimens under LSY if a modified J-A2 solution is adopted. This current paper further studies the size of the J-A2 dominant zone using the modified J-A2 solution for deep bend specimens with hardening from low to high and loading from SSY to LSY using finite element analysis. Based on the results, a rather relaxed specimen size requirement min(a, b, B) >6J/σ0 is developed and recommended for a valid two-parameter fracture toughness testing using the J-A2 fracture criterion. Validity of the size requirement is demonstrated by using the experimental J-R curves from non-standard bending specimens for A285 steel.
Growth of poliovirus in cotton-plugged monkey kidney cell cultures.

Abstract Multiplication of poliovirus strains studied was slower in cotton-plugged monkey kidney cell cultures than in screw-capped cultures. The degree of retardation depended on the virus strain used and to a lesser extent on the cell lot. The growth of virulent strains was little affected whereas that of vaccine strains was markedly depressed. Experiments indicated that lowered bicarbonate concentration was the factor responsible and that the delayed increase in virus titer resulted from slower intracellular synthesis. The effect of bicarbonate depletion was partially reversed by ribotides and oxalacetate in the medium, as observed previously by Chang. Delayed growth under agar appears to have the same mechanism and is similarly reversed.
Leptin Levels in Amenorrheic versus Normally Menstruating Nutritionally Rehabilitated Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) • 21

Leptin Levels in Amenorrheic versus Normally Menstruating Nutritionally Rehabilitated Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) • 21
Antigens ofEdwardsiella ictalurirecognised by serum antibodies from naturally infected channel catfish

Abstract Immunogenicity of whole cell lysates of Edwardsiella ictaluri and bacterial fractions enriched for outer membrane proteins (OMP), flagella and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was examined using pooled convalescent sera from channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus ) that had survived a natural infection with E. ictaluri . Bacterial components were separated by gel electrophoresis; proteins were stained with Coomassie brilliant blue and LPS were stained with silver. Thirty-eight proteins were identified in whole-cell preparations (apparent molecular masses of 108 kDa to 14 kDa). Thirteen proteins were identified in OMP preparations (apparent molecular masses of 84 kDa to 16 kDa). Two flagellar proteins (apparent molecular masses of 45 kDa and 37 kDa) were identified. Low and medium molecular mass LPS were seen on purified LPS preparations. Immunogenicity was evaluated by indirect staining following transfer of bacterial antigens to nitrocellulose paper. Lipopolysaccharide and the 39 kDa OMP were strongly recognised by antibodies in pooled sera from channel catfish naturally infected with E. ictaluri . One flagellar protein (37 kDa), nine OMP, and five unidentified proteins seen on whole cell preparations stained less strongly.
New pieces to the puzzle of reconstructing sediment paleofluxes from river dune deposits

River deposits, in which dune cross-bedding is widely preserved, reflect temporal and spatial variations in flow and/or sediment transport conditions that are in turn strongly coupled to climate and/or human impact. Understanding these flux variations is critical in reconstructing paleoenvironments and predicting future changes. I introduce a new approach to quantitative interpretation of fluvial deposits by linking two recent theories that relate: (1) the geometry of the preserved dune cross-sets to the formative dune-bed topography, and (2) the active dune-bed topography to sediment-transport rate. On the basis of previously obtained experimental data, I propose a method to reconstruct the probability distribution of dune-bed surface elevation from the cross-strata preserved under net aggrading conditions. This approach is applied to an ancient fluvial-dune deposit, where the curve expressing the predicted morphodynamic conditions fits within results from experimental and modern natural data. The findings are potentially important for a wide variety of geosciences studies.
Visual presentation of stimuli in immediate memory

Simultaneous (SM) and sequential (SQ) visual presentation of consonant series varying in length were compared as a function of stimulus duration and presentation rate, respectively. A systematic dependence of recall upon these parameters was demonstrated for two measures of performance. Second for second, SM presentation was found to be more efficient than SQ.