cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1.5 – The Aldol Reaction: Acid and General Base Catalysis

An ‘aldol’ reaction is the reaction of one carbonyl compound, acting as a nucleophile in the form of its enol or enolate derivative, with another, acting as an electrophile. The two carbonyl compounds may or may not be the same. The general reaction is subject to either acid or base catalysis. The initial product is a β-hydroxycarbonyl compound. Under some conditions, this primary product undergoes dehydration, resulting in an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compound. In this chapter, we summarize the aldol reaction from a historical perspective and point out the limitations of the reaction as it was generally used prior to about 15 years ago.1 Succeeding chapters treat the aldol reaction as it is usually practiced today, in a ‘directed’ manner, using ‘preformed’ enolates.2 As will be seen in the sequel, an understanding of the factors regulating the stereochemistry of the aldol reaction has been largely responsible for the rebirth of this venerable reaction in the last 15 years.3
Optimal design of multilayered polysilicon films for prescribed curvature

LPCVD polysilicon films exhibit tensile or compressive residual stresses and stress gradients, depending on deposition temperature. The stresses, which are a result of an “intrinsic” growth eigenstrain, eg, produce undesired curvatures in released structures. A combined experimental/computational design procedure is presented for controlling the curvature of thin films comprised of tensile layers, deposited at 570°C, alternated with compressive layers deposited at 615°C. Experimental measurements are first used to calculate the through-the-thickness variation of eg for both temperatures. This information is in turn incorporated into a mechanical model that predicts, for prescribed parameters that define the geometry, elastic moduli, and eigenstrain distribution, the stress distribution before release, and the curvature upon release, of multilayered films. Comparisons of predicted and measured average stress before release of a number of films, and of the curvature upon release of a circular micromirror device, provide a preliminary assessment of the semi-empirical model, which when combined with optimization algorithms can be used to develop recipes (thicknesses of the individual layers of a multiplayer device) that will achieve prescribed curvature according to given constraints.
Strong Ion Difference (SID)

Abstract: The Na+ minus the Cl− concentration of plasma is commonly referred to as the strong ion difference (SID). An increase in the SID is alkalinizing, while a decrease is acidifying. Hyperproteinemia and hyperphosphatemia are acidifying, while hypoproteinemia is alkalinizing. Abnormal plasma Na+ concentrations may indicate the presence of excess free water (i.e., hyponatremia; dilutional acidosis), or a free water deficit (i.e., hypernatremia; concentration alkalosis). Base excess (BE) and base deficit (-BE) are indicators of the overall nonrespiratory acid-base state, and are determined from a Siggaard-Andersen nomogram using the plasma pH and Pco2. Changes in the BE can be due to free water abnormalities (i.e., Na+ abnormalties), Cl− abnormalities, plasma protein abnormalities, or to the presence of unidentified anions. Changes in the BE due to any or all of the abnormalities above can be quantitated.
Maquiladora Mortality: Manufacturing Plant Closure in Mexico

Manufacturing plant closure has been the subject of much national concern, and an extensive literature principally focused on the developed world. This study extends the findings on plant closure w...
A New Species of Leptocimbex (Hymenoptra: Cimbicidae) from Southeastern Asia

Leptocimbex flavus Smith, n. sp., is described from Laos. Both sexes are described, illustrated and separated from other species of the genus. The almost uniformly orange-yellow color of the body and wings and male genitalia characters are especially diagnostic for the species.
What Is Next in Cryptology

What would happen if all of the algorithms in public-key cryptography suddenly could be broken in seconds or minutes? Those algorithms, like RSA and elliptic curve cryptography are the ones that we depend on for Internet commerce. What if they were all of a sudden useless? Would society collapse? Would commerce be at an end? That is the promise and the danger of quantum computers.
Debugging Distributed Systems with Why-Across-Time Provenance

Systematically reasoning about the fine-grained causes of events in a real-world distributed system is challenging. Causality, from the distributed systems literature, can be used to compute the causal history of an arbitrary event in a distributed system, but the event's causal history is an over-approximation of the true causes. Data provenance, from the database literature, precisely describes why a particular tuple appears in the output of a relational query, but data provenance is limited to the domain of static relational databases. In this paper, we present wat-provenance: a novel form of provenance that provides the benefits of causality and data provenance. Given an arbitrary state machine, wat-provenance describes why the state machine produces a particular output when given a particular input. This enables system developers to reason about the causes of events in real-world distributed systems. We observe that automatically extracting the wat-provenance of a state machine is often infeasible. Fortunately, many distributed systems components have simple interfaces from which a developer can directly specify wat-provenance using a technique we call wat-provenance specifications. Leveraging the theoretical foundations of wat-provenance, we implement a prototype distributed debugging framework called Watermelon.
Sartre on bodily transparency

Sartre’s obscure but evocative remarks on bodily awareness have often been cited, but, I argue, they have rarely been understood. This paper aims to bring the connection between Sartre's views on bodily awareness and his more general distinction between “positional” and “non-positional” consciousness. Sartre’s main claim about bodily awareness, I argue, is that our primary awareness of our own bodies is a form of non-positional consciousness. I show that he is right about this, and right to think that recognizing this point is crucial to understanding what it is for something to be my body.
Role of gut microbiota in intestinal wound healing and barrier function.

The mammalian intestine harbors a highly complex and abundant ensemble of bacteria that flourish in a nutrient-rich environment while profoundly influencing many aspects of host biology. The intest...
27.5 A 91%-Efficiency Envelope-Tracking Modulator Using Hysteresis-Controlled Three-Level Switching Regulator and Slew-Rate-Enhanced Linear Amplifier for LTE-80MHz Applications

Envelope tracking (ET) is widely used to improve the efficiency of linear power amplifiers (PAs) in applications such as LTE, LTE-Advanced inter- or intra-band carrier aggregation (CA), and for high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) with a high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). The hybrid ET modulator (ETM), where an efficient switching regulator (SWR) operates in parallel with a fast class-AB linear amplifier (LA), is one method to address the bandwidth (BW), power-efficiency and output ripple requirements.
Pathways to Widespread Applications: Development of Redox Flow Batteries Based on New Chemistries

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) stand out as one of the most promising candidates for stationary energy storage with high scalability and separate control over energy and power. Nevertheless, the widespread application of commercial RFBs is restricted by the relatively high stack cost as well as the uncompetitive performance metrics. Developing new-concept RFBs beyond conventional design frameworks can effectively alleviate these concerns. In this review, we aim to provide comprehensive fundamentals of new chemistries in RFBs toward widespread practical applications. We first introduce the technological features of conventional RFBs, followed by the specific cell architectures and possible optimization approaches on each component. We further review in detail the design principles and demonstrations of the newly developed RFBs, including novel redox species, integrated energy systems, and innovative cell structures. We conclude with a summary on the current challenges and future perspectives in this research field.
The Perception of Stop-Liquid Clusters in Phonological Fusion.

Abstract: Phonological fusion occurs when items such as PAY and LAY are presented separately to each ear and listeners report hearing PLAY. Input items that begin with a stop consonant (e.g. /p/) and a liquid (/1/ or /r/) fuse especially well. The present studies examined the effect of various factors on the frequency of fusion responses. Allophonic variation in the liquids (“trilled” versus plain) had no effect on fusion frequency. Phonemic similarity also had no effect; that is, when the input items differed in all phonemes (PAY and LED) they still fused. However, the phonemic order and location of clusters within a syllable did have a large effect:initial stop-liquid clusters fused readily (PAY/LAY yielded PLAY) while final liquid-stop clusters rarely fused (PEEL/PEED rarely yielded PEELED). Various fusion phenomena remained the same when tested in both identification and discrimination paradigms. Finally, fusion scores were not normally distributed over subjects; that is, some subjects fused on most or all trials, while others fused less frequently.
Redefining Career Communities in Higher Education

This study aims to revisit the understudied concept of career communities. Using mixed methods, this study assesses how university students define and characterize career communities compared to general communities. Based on our interviews (N=25) and survey (N=123), we formally define a career community more narrowly as a group of individuals who share similar career interests or aspirations where one can receive direct or indirect customized benefits through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources. Theoretical and practical implications with future research opportunities have been recommended.
Deep Learning-Based Spatial Analytics for Disaster-Related Tweets: An Experimental Study

Online social networks are being widely used during unexpected large-scale disasters not only for sharing latest news but also requesting emergency rescues. Particularly, social network posts with their location information are becoming more important because they can be utilized for emergency management, urban planning, and various studies to understand effects of the disasters. Despite their importance, the percentage of such posts is generally tiny. In this paper, to address the location sparsity problem on Twitter in the event of disasters, we propose a deep learning-based framework to spatially analyze the disaster-related tweets by focusing on classifying tweets from affected areas of disasters. We also study effects of different deep learning architectures and input embedding techniques for this classification task. Our experimental results demonstrate that our ConvNet model with the Word2vec word embedding has the highest classification accuracy.
Social Distancing Interventions in the United States: An Exploratory Investigation of Determinants and Impacts

Abstract Background To combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, many states and Washington DC enacted Stay-at-Home order and nonpharmaceutical mitigation interventions. This study examined the determinants of the timing to implement an intervention. Through an impact analysis, the study explored the effects of the interventions and the potential risks of removing them under the context of reopening the economy. Method A content analysis identified nine types of mitigation interventions and the timing at which states enacted these strategies. A proportional hazard model, a multiple-event survival model, and a random-effect spatial error panel model in conjunction with a robust method analyzing zero-inflated and skewed outcomes were employed in the data analysis. Findings To our knowledge, we provided in this article the first explicit analysis of the timing, determinants, and impacts of mitigation interventions for all states and Washington DC in the United States during the first five weeks of the pandemic. Unlike other studies that evaluate the Stay-at-Home order by using simulated data, the current study employed the real data of various case counts of Covid-19. The study obtained two meritorious findings: (1) states with a higher prevalence of Covid-19 cases per 10,000 population reacted more slowly to the outbreak, suggesting that some states may have missed the optimal timing to prevent the wide spread of the Covid-19 disease; and (2) of nine mitigation measures, three (non-essential business closure, large-gathering bans, and restaurant/bar limitations) showed positive impacts on reducing cumulative cases, new cases, and death rates across states. Interpretation The opposite direction of the prevalence rate on the timing of issuing the mitigation interventions partially explains why the Covid-19 caseload in the U.S. remains high. A swift implementation of social distancing is crucial— the key is not whether such measures should be taken but when. Because there is no preventive vaccine and because there are few potentially effective treatments, recent reductions in new cases and deaths must be due, in large part, to the social interventions delivered by states. The study suggests that the policy of reopening economy needs to be implemented carefully.
Modifiable factors that influence colorectal cancer lymph nodes sampling and examination

4047 Background: Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in the United States. The single most important prognostic factor is lymph node involvement. Multiple guidelines recommend a ...
Development of a large animal model of lethal polytrauma and intra-abdominal sepsis with bacteremia.

Background Trauma and sepsis are individually two of the leading causes of death worldwide. When combined, the mortality is greater than 50%. Thus, it is imperative to have a reproducible and reliable animal model to study the effects of polytrauma and sepsis and test novel treatment options. Porcine models are more translatable to humans than rodent models due to the similarities in anatomy and physiological response. We embarked on a study to develop a reproducible model of lethal polytrauma and intra-abdominal sepsis, which was lethal, though potentially salvageable with treatment. Methods Our laboratory has a well-established porcine model that was used as the foundation. Animals were subjected to a rectus crush injury, long bone fracture, liver and spleen laceration, traumatic brain injury and hemorrhage that was used as a foundation. We tested various colon injuries to create intra-abdominal sepsis. All animals underwent injuries followed by a period of shock, then subsequent resuscitation. Results All animals had blood culture-proven sepsis. Attempts at long-term survival of animals after injury were ceased because of poor appetite and energy. We shifted to an 8-hour endpoint. The polytrauma injury pattern remained constant and the colon injury pattern changed with the intention of creating a model that was ultimately lethal but potentially salvageable with a therapeutic drug. An uncontrolled cecal injury (n=4) group resulted in very early deaths. A controlled cecal injury (CCI; n=4) group had prolonged time prior to mortality with one surviving to the endpoint. The sigmoid injury (n=5) produced a similar survival curve to CCI but no animals surviving to the endpoint. Conclusion We have described a porcine model of polytrauma and sepsis that is reproducible and may be used to investigate novel treatments for trauma and sepsis. Level of evidence Not applicable. Animal study.
Legislation, Market Size, and Access to Gender-affirming Genital Surgery in the United States.

The value of gender-affirming genital surgery (GAGS) has been established for certain transgender or gender non-conforming patients. This study aimed to determine the availability of GAGS by state and region in the United States, and to query possible associations of access to care with healthcare legislation and local market size. Methods This was a cross-sectional study reporting on the distribution of hospitals and private practices offering GAGS in the United States. A list of prospective gender surgeons was compiled from 18 online databases. All surgeons were individually verified and were excluded if they did not perform phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, or vaginoplasty. Pertinent legislative and transgender or gender non-conforming population data were derived from the Movement Advancement Project and the Williams Institute. Results Seventy-one practices in the United States offered GAGS in 2019. Forty-seven percent of states did not have a practice offering GAGS. A large prospective transgender or gender non-conforming market size increased the odds of GAGS availability in a state more than did local healthcare legislation supporting insurance coverage for gender-affirming care in 2019. Conclusions Access to gender-affirming genital surgery was highly disparate in 2019. Factors that predicted access to care, including state healthcare legislation and prospective market sizes, may indicate strategies for overcoming disparities.
Perception and production of [voice] contrasts in Dutch word-initial plosives

This study examines relative cue weights to the [voice] contrast in Dutch word-initial plosives. Perception and production data were collected from 25 native speakers, divided into two gender-balanced age groups (22-29; 61-71). Perception stimuli were artificially-manipulated continua /pɑd/-/bɑd/ ('trail', 'bath') and /tɑl/-/dɑl/ ('quantity', 'valley'), varying in amount of prevoicing and f0 of the following vowel. Results show that both prevoicing and f0 are used as cues to phonological voicing. Production results show an increasing rate of devoicing in younger participants, and significant f0 differences in all speakers. This suggests that cue weights are in the process of changing.
A new model for fatigue life prediction under multiaxial loadings based on energy dissipation

Abstract This paper is devoted to predicting fatigue life under multiaxial loading based on dissipated heat during a fatigue test. In the thermography approach, the total dissipated energy can be evaluated by measuring the specimens' temperature without any estimation about the portions of tensile and shear strain energies. Nevertheless, the fatigue damage associated with tensile and shear strain energies is different. To overcome this challenge, a model is proposed to evaluate the fatigue damage based on heat dissipated under different multiaxial loadings. In the proposed model, the fatigue damage is evaluated by considering the different rates of dissipated energy at a given shear and tensile strain. Fatigue lives are also evaluated using the Ellyin model based on consideration of the total dissipated energy. The predictive capability of these models is verified by comparing them to experimental fatigue results.
Debt Holders and the Choice of Restructuring: Evidence from Dual Holders

We find a channel through which debt holders can affect corporate transactions. We show that dual holders (equity holders who also have the firm's debt in their portfolio) are sensitive to a decline in debt value in a leveraged buyout and decrease the likelihood of LBOs. We show that the stock premium in LBO events is higher for a firm with dual holders due to their loss on their debt.
Smashing conformity: Hurling the hammer at the machine

Abstract How should futurists evaluate Richard Slaughter’s four decades of contributions to futures studies? This paper selectively examines Slaughter’s body of work, how he shaped the field of critical futures and developed his Transformation Cycle to illustrate how people, organizations, and society process change. The paper concludes with the author asking, “What has endured within me, based on my interaction with Slaughter?”
Association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes: an analysis of claims data.

BACKGROUND While a number of studies have explored the link between periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes, both epidemiological studies and intervention trials have reached contradictory results with relatively small sample sizes. Utilizing large-scale claims data, we aim to investigate the association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVE Utilizing large-scale claims data, we aim to investigate the association between maternal periodontal disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS Using de-identified claims data from a national commercial insurer in the USA, records of all observed pregnancies from 2015 to 2019 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birthweight (LBW) of the newborn, preterm birth (PTB) and spontaneous abortion, were primary outcomes. To evaluate the association between periodontal disease and pregnancy outcomes, logistic mixed-effect model was estimated with periodontal disease status, age, existing clinical conditions of mothers and geographic location as covariates. RESULTS Out of 748 792 observed pregnancy records, 18.66% resulted in adverse pregnancy outcomes; 5.92% in LBW, 14.46% in PTB and 2.22 % in spontaneous abortion. Adjusting for individual-level risk factors, periodontal disease was significantly associated with maternal complications with odds ratios of 1.19 (95% CI:1.15, 1.24) for any adverse pregnancy outcomes, 1.10 (95% CI:1.03, 1.17) for LBW, 1.15 (95% CI:1.10, 1.19) for PTB and 1.34 (95% CI:1.23, 1.46) for spontaneous abortions. CONCLUSIONS Maternal periodontal disease may be associated with an increased risk of maternal complications and neonatal morbidity. A timely diagnosis and treatment of periodontal disease during pregnancy should be encouraged by considering oral health as part of routine prenatal care.
Criticality Is Crucial: Fidelity in What We Say and What We Do

Martin and Garza’s (2020) article presented a commendable case for empowering marginalized students in engineering education research at a poignant moment in global history. Presenting the experiences of a Black woman navigating the consequences of structural educational barriers as Black Americans endured the consequences of structural injustices in health and law enforcement was quite compelling. This response extends the discussion of their work by engaging with two important questions: 1) What is autoethnography? and 2) How can White scholars support Black students without also reinforcing the benefits of White supremacy? Although these questions seem distinct—one focuses on the methodology, the other on the culture of scholarly practices—they represent a growing trend in engineering education research to use autoethnography as a way to present the voices of the marginalized. Because this trend has so much revolutionary potential, I provide some critical reflections on the culture of power in engineering education research and offer suggestions on how research practices can be healing-centered and power-shifting.
Deep computational analysis details dysregulation of eukaryotic translation initiation complex eIF4F in human cancers.

Summary eIF4F plays diverse roles in human cancers, which complicate the development of an overarching understanding of its functional and regulatory impacts across tumor types. Typically, eIF4F drives initiation from the mRNA 5′ end (cap) and is composed of eIF4G1, eIF4A1, and cap-binding eIF4E. Cap-independent initiation is possible without eIF4E, from internal ribosomal entry sites (IRESs). By analyzing large public datasets, we found that cancers selectively overexpress EIF4G1 more than EIF4E. That expression imbalance supports EIF4G1 as a prognostic indicator in patients with cancer. It also attenuates “housekeeping” pathways that are usually regulated in a tissue-specific manner via cap-dependent initiation in healthy tissues and reinforce regulation of cancer-preferred pathways in cap-independent contexts. Cap-independent initiation is mechanistically attributable to eIF4G1 hyperphosphorylation that promotes binding to eIF4A1 and reduced eIF4E availability. Collectively, these findings reveal a novel model of dysregulated eIF4F function and highlight the clinical relevance of cap-(in)dependent initiation in cancer.
Old Prognostic Markers Still Have a Role in CLL Management

Introduction Despite major advances in the treatment and understanding of disease biology, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) remains an incurable cancer with a heterogeneous clinical course. Variability in CLL outcome is in part explained by diverse genetic1,2 and epigenetic3,4 makeups of the disease leading to intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity. Additional factors that further modify the clonal composition of CLL include tumor microenvironment and selective pressure from therapy.5
Assessment of Cidofovir for Treatment of Ocular Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Infection in Cattle Using an Ex-Vivo Model

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1) infection contributes to keratoconjunctivitis, respiratory disease, and reproductive losses in cattle. The objective of this study was to determine the most appropriate ophthalmic antiviral agent for BoHV-1 inhibition using in-vitro culture and novel ex-vivo bovine corneal modeling. Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of BoHV-1 were determined for cidofovir, ganciclovir, idoxuridine, and trifluridine via in-vitro plaque reduction assays. In-vitro cytotoxicity was compared amongst these compounds via luciferase assays. Trifluridine and cidofovir were the most potent BoHV-1 inhibitors in vitro, while trifluridine and idoxuridine were the most cytotoxic agents. Therefore, cidofovir was the most potent non-cytotoxic agent and was employed in the ex-vivo corneal assay. Corneoscleral rings (n = 36) from fresh cadaver bovine globes were harvested and equally divided into an uninfected, untreated control group; a BoHV-1-infected, untreated group; and a BoHV-1-infected, cidofovir-treated group. Virus isolation for BoHV-1 titers was performed from corneal tissue and liquid media. Histologic measurements of corneal thickness, epithelial cell density, and tissue organization were compared between groups. Substantial BoHV-1 replication was observed in infected, untreated corneas, but BoHV-1 titer was significantly reduced in cidofovir-treated (1.69 ± 0.08 × 103 PFU/mL) versus untreated (8.25 ± 0.25 × 105 PFU/mL, p < 0.0001) tissues by day 2 of culture. No significant differences in histologic criteria were observed between groups. In conclusion, cidofovir warrants further investigation as treatment for BoHV-1 keratoconjunctivitis, with future studies needed to assess in-vivo tolerability and efficacy.
The Vacation Camp as a Factor in Education

(1927). The Vacation Camp as a Factor in Education. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 237-248.
Seismic shear wave reflectivity structure of the mantle beneath northeast China and the northwest Pacific

[1] Using multiple ScS reverberations, we examine the mantle reflectivity structure beneath northeast China and the northwest Pacific. We find several upper mantle discontinuities, including a melt layer with a mean thickness of 64 km atop the 410 km discontinuity, present on both sides of the subducting slab near the Nankai trench. The transition zone contains a split 520 km discontinuity in several paths, and tomographic images show stagnant slabs at this depth. We believe that this may be slab related based on experimental work. A negative reflector is found in one path beneath the northeast China craton at a depth of 598 km. Mid-mantle reflectors are found in all of our paths and are present throughout a wide depth range (~750–1600 km).
Establishing Creative Writing Studies as an Academic Discipline

Introduction: The Emergence of Creative Writing Studies (The Disciplinary Status of Creative Writing Studies, The Emergence of Creative Writing Studies - Where to Begin?, Establish Creative Writing Studies as an Academic Discipline) Section One: A Taxonomy of Creative Writing Pedagogies (Where Meaning Lies - A Multi-faceted Approach, Orientation of Critical Theories, The Objective Theory as New Criticism, The Expressivist Theory, The Mimetic Theory of Imitable Functions, The Pragmatic Theory of Reader Response) Section Two: The Writing Workshop Model (A Workshop Survey, Defining the Workshop Model, A Study of the Workshop Model, How Our Workshop History Informs Our Practice, Perceptions and Practice, Developing Markers of Professional Difference in Reading, Writing, and Responding, Creative Writing Research as Knowledge, The Workshop Model: Final Arguments) Section Three: The Academic Home for Creative Writing Studies (Control of Space, Domain, and Power, The Academic Home of Creative Writing Studies, Creative Writing Studies and Literary Studies, Creative Writing Studies and Cultural Studies, Creative Writing Studies and Independent Writing Programs, Creative Writing Studies and Composition Studies, The Academic Home for Creative Writing Studies) Conclusion: The Legitimacy of Creative Writing Studies
Optimal trajectories for kinematic planar rigid bodies with switching costs

The optimal trajectory with respect to some metric for a system with a discrete set of controls may require very many switches between controls, or even infinitely many, a phenomenon called chattering; this can be problematic for existing motion planning algorithms that plan using a finite set of motion primitives. One remedy is to add some penalty for switching between controls. This paper explores the implications of this switching cost for optimal trajectories, using kinematic rigid bodies in the plane which have been studied extensively in the cost-free-switch model as an example system. Blatt's Indifference Principle is used to derive necessary conditions on optimal trajectories; Lipschitzian optimization techniques together with an A* search yield an algorithm for finding trajectories that can arbitrarily approximate the optimal trajectories.
GLYCOGENOLYTIC EFFECTS OF THE CALCIUM IONOPHORE A23187, BUT NOT VASOPRESSIN OR ANGIOTENSIN, IN FERTALRAT HEPATOCYTES

Vasopressin, angiotensin II and phenylephrine stimulate glycogenolysis in postnatal rat liver by a non-cAMP, calcium-mediated mechanism. To determine whether these hormones also promote glycogenolysis in fetal liver, we have examined their effects, and those of the calcium ionophore A23187 (A), on glycogen metabolism in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes. Vasopressin and angiotensin (10−10-10−7M) had no effects on either 14C-glucose incorporation into glycogen or phosphorylase a activity. However, A at concentrations of 1 and 10 uM inhibited glycogen synthesis by 31.3 and 89.1 percent, respectively (p< 0.001) and stimulated phosphorylase a activity by 66.9 and 184.1 percent respectively (p < 0.01). Incubation of cells in calcium-deficient medium markedly attenuated the effects of A on glycogen synthesis. As in postnatal liver, glucagon (1 and 20 nM) and isoproterenol (1 and 10 uM), which activate adenylate cyclase, inhibited glycogen synthesis and stimulated phosphorylase a activity in fetal hepatocytes. The minimal effective concentration of phenylephrine was 10 times that of isoproterenol. These results indicate striking differences in the ontogeny of cAMP-mediated and non-cAMP, calcium-mediated processes which regulate hepatic glycogenolysis. Since increases in cytosolic calcium induce glycogenolysis in fetal rat liver, the weak or absent responses to vasopressin, angiotensin and α - adrenergic agonists may result from defects in hormone-receptor binding or in postreceptor events leading to the mobilization of intracellular calcium stores. NIH grants HD07447 and HDO6301.
Conditions on rate normalization in speech perception

Recent work by Summerfield (1975) and others indicates that a listener’s phonemic judgments may vary with the utterance rate of prior context. In particular, if a phonemic distinction is signaled by a temporal cue such as voice onset time (VOT), faster utterance rates tend to shift the phoneme boundary toward smaller values of that cue. The listener thus appears to “normalize” temporal cues according to utterance rate. In the present experiment, subjects identified syllables varying in VOT ([ga]-[kha]) following either a slow or a fast version of the phrase “Teddy hears_ _ _ _ .” Typical normalization effects were observed when the precursor phrase and target syllable had formant frequencies corresponding to an adult male vocal tract. However, a reversal of the typical pattern (i.e., a shift in the perceived voicing boundary towardlarger values of VOT with an increased utterance rate) occurred when the precursor and target had formant frequencies corresponding to an adult female vocal tract. Both normalization and “reverse” normalization effects were reduced or eliminated under several conditions of source change between precursor and target. These conditions included a change in fundamental frequency, a change in implied vocal-tract size (as reflected in an upward or downward scaling of formant frequencies), or both.
Atherosclerosis of the aorta and coronary arteries and cardiovascular risk factors in persons aged 6 to 30 years and studied at necropsy (The Bogalusa Heart Study).

Abstract Race and sex differences in aorta and coronary atherosclerotic lesions were studied in 150 persons aged 6 to 30 years. The intimal surface involvement with aorta fatty streaks was extensive, 0 to 71%, and greater in blacks than in whites (32 vs 20%, p
Statistical Inference and Nonparametric Efficiency: A Selective Survey

The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief and selective survey of statistical inference in nonparametric, deterministic, linear programming-based frontier models. The survey starts with nonparametric regularity tests, sensitivity analysis, two-stage analysis with regression, and nonparametric statistical tests. It then turns to the more recent literature which shows that DEA-type estimators are maximum likelihood, and, more importantly the results concerning the asymptotic properties of these estimators. Also included is a discussion of recent attempts to employ resampling methods to derive empirical distributions for hypothesis testing.
Vibronic effects in the chiroptical spectra of dissymmetric trigonal systems

The influence of vibronic interactions on the chiroptical spectra associated with nearly degenerate E (doubly degenerate) and A (non-degenerate) electronic states in dissymmetric trigonal systems is examined on a formal theoretical model. The model considers both Jahn-Teller (JT) interactions within the E state and pseudo Jahn-Teller (PJT) interactions between the E and A states originating with (A + E) coupling to a single doubly degenerate vibrational mode (e). Formal expressions are developed for the rotatory strengths of individual vibronic states derived from (A + E) ⊗e coupling. Calculations based on the model are carried out for a large number of parameter sets representative of various vibronic coupling strengths, energy spacings between the unperturbed E and A electronic states, oscillator (vibrational mode) frequencies, and electronic rotatory strengths. The calculated results demonstrate the profound influence of vibronic interactions on the sign patterns and intensity distributions within the ...
Ancient redwoods and the politics of finance: The hostile takeover of the Pacific Lumber Company

Abstract Pacific Lumber was acquired in 1986 by MAXXAM, whose decision to double PL's harvest of old-growth redwoods precipitated 11 years of environmental protests. Intense media coverage blames the Drexel-financed takeover for threatening Headwaters Forest, the largest privately owned ancient redwood forest. This ‘Wall Street greed’ portrayal aroused such public outrage that the Clinton administration agreed to pay $380 million for Headwaters weeks before the 1996 election. We establish that the threat to Head-waters is not attributable to MAXXAM's junk bond-financed takeover. Government's response to dramatic crises encourages interest groups to use emotional appeals to influence resource allocation.
The radioprotective effect of 5-thio-D-glucose on normal tissues in vivo.

Abstract The radioprotective effect of 5-thio-D-glucose (5-TG, NSC 204984) on normal tissues of mice was investigated. The LD 50 of 5-TG in A/J mice injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) is 5.5 g/kg. The animals were injected i.p. with saline or 5-TG followed by whole-body irradiation or localized irradiation of the foot. Mice injected with 1.5 g/kg of 5-TG were protected from gastrointestinal or bone marrow death following whole-body irradiation by a dose modification factor (DMF) of 1.1-1.3. The same dose of 5-TG protected mice from foot skin damage between days 0 and 40 post-irradiation by a DMF of 1.3, and from late foot deformity during days 60 to 90 post-irradiation by a DMF of 1.2. Foot skin reactions indicated that 5-TG provided maximal radioprotection up to 4 hours after an intraperitoneal injection. We have previously reported that 5-TG selectively kills and radiosensitizes hypoxic cells. Consequently, it may be possible to use this compound as an adjuvant to radiotherapy in order to kill or radiosensitize hypoxic cells and to radioprotect normal tissue.
Ionospheric measurements during the solar eclipse of April 7, 1940

Development of a quantitative theory for variations of ionization in the Earth's outer atmosphere requires a knowledge of the variation of ion-density in the ionosphere with radiation incident upon it. While diurnal and seasonal changes can be determined quite readily, these in themselves do not permit evaluation of several factors of the theory, such as effective recombination-coefficient and ion-production, with the desired precision. Rapid changes encountered during a solar eclipse provide material for much more critical examination of the theory [see 1 of “References” at end of paper] and more exact evaluation of the constants in the theory. This in turn provides information, otherwise difficult to obtain, about the physics of the Sun and about the ionosphere.
Epithelial cell protein milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 and human chorionic gonadotropin regulate stromal cell apoptosis in the human endometrium.

Objective To study the regulation of apoptosis in human endometrial cells. The specific aims were to determine whether milk fat globule–epidermal growth factor 8 (MFG-E8), a novel endometrial epithelial protein, modulates caspase activation and DNA fragmentation; and to examine whether hCG, an early embryonic product, regulates Bax and Bcl- 2 equilibrium, as well as MFG-E8 expression. Design Primary cultures of human endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) and endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Setting Academic center. Patient(s) Ovulatory women aged 21–30 years. Intervention(s) Treatment with MFG-E8 and hCG. Main Outcome Measure(s) Apoptotic activity was quantified using a luciferase assay. Deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation was detected by TUNEL assay. Bax, Bcl-2, and MFG-E8 messenger RNA expression levels were determined by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Immunocytochemistry was used to establish cell purity and presence of MFG-E8 and hCG-R (receptor) proteins. Result(s) Endometrial epithelial cells were cytokeratin + , vimentin − , MFG-E8 + , and hCG-R + , whereas ESC were vimentin + , cytokeratin − , MFG-E8 − , and hCG-R + . Treatment of ESC with MFG-E8 resulted in a 13-fold increase in caspase activity and a 30-fold increase in TUNEL. On the other hand, hCG decreased messenger RNA expression of Bax in ESC. Conclusion(s) Milk fat globule–epidermal growth factor 8 has proapoptotic activity, suggesting participation in endometrial remodeling via an epithelial–stromal cell paracrine effect. Conversely, pregnancy levels of hCG has opposite effects on stromal cells.
In situ nitrogen enrichment experiments in two Idaho (U.S.A.) streams

We conducted a series ofin situ experimental nutrient additions in two Idaho streams: Deep Creek, a desert stream located in Southeastern Idaho, and Big Wood River, situated in a mountainous region of Central Idaho. In both streams, a homogeneous reach was partitioned into almost identical channels. This allowed us to vary nutrient levels and measure algal response in experiments uncomplicated by differences in other factors.
Scheduling parallel implementations of partitioned orthogonal transformations

Orthogonal matrix transformations form an important part of matrix-based signal processing applications. Systolic arrays for computing these algorithms have been developed and the size of these arrays usually depends directly on the size of the problem. For large matrix sizes, implementing large numbers of processors in hardware is not physically feasible. In this paper, we examine two popular orthogonal transformations, Givens rotations and householder transformations (HT), from the viewpoint of realizing a fixed-size parallel processor array that can handle large data matrices. An efficient scheduling procedure is used to compute the HT on a systolic type array, its performance is compared with that of an array designed for computing the Givens method. An important conclusion resulting from the comparison is that the performance of the HT array is superior to that for the Givens method when the matrices are larger compared to the array size.
High ON/OFF Ratio and Quantized Conductance in Resistive Switching of ${\rm TiO}_{2}$ on Silicon

TiO2 has been investigated extensively as an active resistive switching (RS) material for resistive random access memory. In this letter, single-crystal anatase- TiO2 thin films fabricated on silicon by atomic layer deposition are used to realize highly stable and clean bipolar RS behavior with a record high ON/OFF ratio (~107) and low leakage current in the high-resistance state. The switching characteristics resemble those of electrochemical memories via formation and dissolution of conductive filaments (CFs) composed of oxygen vacancies, and small numbers of quantized channels are reproducibly observed in the low-resistance state, consistent with quantized conductance (QC) found in conventional electrolytic systems and indicating its potential for forming ultrathin CF amenable to device scaling. A detailed analysis of QC and contact resistance is presented. The emergence of QC is believed to be related to the single-crystal nature of the TiO2 thin films.
Ancillary Ligand Control of the Regiochemistry of Coupling of 3,3-Dimethyl-1-butyne at Titanium Metal Centers

The ambient-temperature sodium amalgam (2 Na per Ti) reduction of hydrocarbon solutions of [Cp(ArO)TiCl2] (ArO = 2,3,5,6-tetraphenylphenoxide) (1) in the presence of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyne yields the 2,5-di(tert-butyl)titanacyclopentadiene compound [Cp(ArO)Ti(C4H2But2 -2,5)] (2). An X-ray diffraction study of 2 confirms the regiochemistry and shows carbon−carbon distances of 1.343(3) and 1.492(3) A for the double and single bonds, respectively. In contrast the analogous reaction of either [Cp2TiCl2] or [(ArO)2TiCl2] in the presence of 3,3-dimethyl-1-butyne yields the corresponding 2,4-di(tert-butyl)titanacyclopentadiene compounds. When 2 is heated at 100 °C for a few days in C6D6 solution, isomerization to the more stable 2,4-di(tert-butyl) regioisomer 3 is observed by NMR. An attempt is made to rationalize the regiochemistry of the kinetically formed titanacyclopentadiene in terms of steric factors within the intermediate bis(alkyne) complex.
Experimental Study of the Heat and Mass Transfer in a Packed Bed Liquid Desiccant Air Dehumidifier

Desiccant cooling systems have the ability to provide efficient humidity and temperature control while reducing the electrical energy requirement for air conditioning as compared to a conventional system. Naturally, the desiccant air dehumidification process greatly influences the overall performance of the desiccant system. Therefore, the effects of variables such as air and desiccant flow rates, air temperature and humidity, desiccant temperature and concentration, and the area available for heat and mass transfer are of great interest. Due to the complexity of the dehumidification process, theoretical modeling relies heavily upon experimental studies. However, a limited number of experimental studies are reported in the literature. This paper presents results from a detailed experimental investigation of the heat and mass transfer between a liquid desiccant (triethylene glycol) and air in a packed bed absorption tower using high liquid flow rates. A high performance packing that combines good heat and mass transfer characteristics with low pressure drop is used. The rate of dehumidification, as well as the effectiveness of the dehumidification process are assessed based on the variables listed above. Good agreement is shown to exist between the experimental findings and predictions from finite difference modeling. In addition, a comparison between the findings in the present study and findings previously reported in the literature is made. The results obtained from this study make it possible to characterize the important variables which impact the system design.
A comparison of quality of life and psychosocial functioning in obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder.

Background. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are possibly related disorders characterized by poor functioning and quality of life. However, few studies have compared these disorders in these important domains.Methods. We compared functioning and quality of life in 210 OCD subjects, 45 BDD subjects, and 40 subjects with comorbid BDD+OCD using reliable and valid measures.Results. OCD and BDD subjects had very poor scores across all measures, with no statistically significant differences between the groups. However, comorbid BDD+OCD subjects had greater impairment than OCD subjects on 11 scales/subscales, which remained significant after controlling for OCD severity. Comorbid BDD+OCD subjects had greater impairment than BDD subjects on 2 scales/subscales, which were no longer significant after controlling for BDD severity, suggesting that BDD severity may have accounted for greater morbidity in the comorbid BDD+OCD group.Conclusions. Functioning and quality of life were ...
Human immunodeficiency virus envelope protein determines the site of virus release in polarized epithelial cells

Abstract In polarized epithelial cells, the release of enveloped viruses by budding at the cell surface is restricted to a specific cell membrane domain, either the apical or basolateral domain. To investigate the role of the envelope glycoprotein and the capsid proteins of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in determining the site of virus assembly, we analyzed virus maturation in a polarized monkey kidney cell line. A line of cells harboring the HIV-1 provirus (VERO-pFN) was found to differentiate into polarized epithelial cell monolayers upon reaching confluency. By electron microscopy, virus maturation was observed predominantly at the basolateral membranes of VERO-pFN cells. Analysis of HIV-1 proteins revealed that virtually all of glycoprotein gp120 and capsid protein p24 were found in the basolateral medium, while no HIV-1 proteins were detected apically. A recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) expressing the HIV-1 gag polyprotein (VVgag) was used to determine the site of release of HIV-1 core particles in polarized epithelial cells in the presence or absence of envelope glycoproteins. When cells were infected with VVgag in the absence of envelope proteins, similar amounts of the p24 capsid protein were released into virus particles at the apical or basolateral surface. In contrast, when cells were doubly infected with VVgag and a recombinant VV expressing the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (VVenv), 94% of p24 and all of gp120 were found to be associated with particles released into the basolateral medium. These results indicate that the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein directly influences the site of release of virus particles containing the gag protein, probably via a specific interaction between the envelope protein and the gag protein.