cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MiW: A domain specific modeling environment for complex molecular systems

Abstract Interest in simulation based screening of soft materials for desired chemical and physical properties has grown in recent years, which promises a reduced time to discovery and significantly lower costs than experimentation. While programmatically generating simulator inputs is fairly straightforward for crystals or small molecules, this is still challenging for complex (connected) molecular systems in general, and soft materials in particular. To tackle this challenge, this work presents a domain specific modeling environment that (1) features a domain specific modeling language (DSML), capable of describing classes of molecular systems in a hierarchical, component based model, with a rich set of composition operators, and support for parameterizable systems though generative modeling; (2) a browser-based, intuitive graphical user interface; (3) support for online collaboration, sharing of components, support for version control with history and branching; and (4) an interpreter to visualize components and molecular systems, and to generate output understood by major molecular dynamics (MD) simulator tools. The paper includes a case study demonstrating the use of the modeling environment to build a generative model of a parameterizable nanostructure, to feed input to a simulation based screening workflow of nanolubrication materials.
Obesity Pathogenesis: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement

Obesity is among the most common and costly chronic disorders worldwide. Estimates suggest that in the United States obesity affects one-third of adults, accounts for up to one-third of total mortality, is concentrated among lower income groups, and increasingly affects children as well as adults. A lack of effective options for long-term weight reduction magnifies the enormity of this problem; individuals who successfully complete behavioral and dietary weight-loss programs eventually regain most of the lost weight. We included evidence from basic science, clinical, and epidemiological literature to assess current knowledge regarding mechanisms underlying excess body-fat accumulation, the biological defense of excess fat mass, and the tendency for lost weight to be regained. A major area of emphasis is the science of energy homeostasis, the biological process that maintains weight stability by actively matching energy intake to energy expenditure over time. Growing evidence suggests that obesity is a disorder of the energy homeostasis system, rather than simply arising from the passive accumulation of excess weight. We need to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this "upward setting" or "resetting" of the defended level of body-fat mass, whether inherited or acquired. The ongoing study of how genetic, developmental, and environmental forces affect the energy homeostasis system will help us better understand these mechanisms and are therefore a major focus of this statement. The scientific goal is to elucidate obesity pathogenesis so as to better inform treatment, public policy, advocacy, and awareness of obesity in ways that ultimately diminish its public health and economic consequences.
Applying farmer’s lenses: Two illustrations

This article reflects on how Farmer’s writing on the use of multiple lenses informs two writing projects, one on values-based decision making and the other on lessons from intensive community engagement activities. Farmer’s use of the business, ethical, critical theory and feminist lenses are found to be particularly relevant and useful to these writing projects, providing a deeper understanding of organizational theory and practice than reliance on any single lens.
Effect of ion size and charge density on the electrochemical characteristics of α-MoO3 using aqueous Be2+ and Mg2+ sulfate electrolytes

Abstract We investigated the electrochemical characteristics of layer structured α-MoO3 using two divalent ions (Mg2+ and Be2+) of different sizes. The cyclic voltammetry studies showed a high specific capacity with Be2+ electrolyte, and galvanostatic intermittent titration (GITT) measurements revealed a higher diffusion coefficient for Be2+ in MoO3 despite having a higher charge density than Mg2+. The intercalation of both ions resulted in poor cyclability, but a slightly better performance with Be2+ electrolyte could be attributed to favored diffusion of Be2+ in MoO3 due to its covalent nature as well as preferred coordination number.
Green Universities: The Example of Western Kentucky University

The mission of any educational institution is to prepare students to be productive, engaged, and socially responsible leaders in an increasingly global society; thus, educational institutions, as places of learning, are in a unique position to affect change on both local and global scales. In this chapter, Western Kentucky University (WKU) serves as a case study site to illustrate how a university can use collective, innovative thinking to participate effectively in the sustainability movement. The sustainability efforts at WKU aim to reduce college costs, increase retention, increase employability, and foster civic and community skills. Efforts related to energy conservation, effective education, and the development of a healthy campus community at WKU are highlighted.
Chapter 9 Why Has Black–White Skill Convergence Stopped?

Abstract All data sources indicate that black–white skill gaps diminished over most of the 20th century, but black–white skill gaps as measured by test scores among youth and educational attainment among young adults have remained constant or increased in absolute value since the late 1980s. I examine the potential importance of discrimination against skilled black workers, changes in black family structures, changes in black household incomes, black–white differences in parenting norms, and education policy as factors that may contribute to the recent stability of black–white skill gaps. Absent changes in public policy or the economy that facilitate investment in black children, best case scenarios suggest that even approximate black–white skill parity is not possible before 2050, and equally plausible scenarios imply that the black–white skill gap will remain quite significant throughout the 21st century.
Audit Quality: Cross-National Comparison of Regulatory Regimes

The importance of fostering more accurate audits has been heightened by a series of high-profile accounting scandals at the beginning of the millennium. These scandals prompted more stringent regulations over corporate governance and financial reporting and the creation of audit oversight bodies as the Public Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) in the U.S. and the Public Oversight Board (POB) in the UK. In parallel, the growing globalization of business has brought forth calls for adherence to a common set of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Even if a common standard is promulgated, it will not lead to similar results if implementation differs across countries. Therefore, it is important to investigate the auditing regulatory regimes in different nations and the status of cross-border audit inspections. Accordingly, we begin by describing the cross-national institutions (e.g., the International Federation of Accountants [IFAC]) that impact national regulatory choices. Then we survey the audit regulatory practices of public company auditors of a select group of major economic powers and based on this analysis, we discuss the challenges and obstacles to engaging in intra-national audit, cross-national audit/inspections and the challenges posed by differences in auditing standards used in various linked (e.g., by joint ventures, etc.) nations. We include in this discussion the effects of national culture, investor legal protection, economic development and differing financial standard sources.
Integrable Restrictions of Quantum Soliton Theory and Minimal Conformal Series

For special values of the sine-Gordon theory coupling, we restrict the Hilbert space of the theory in a way that preserves the integrability by using the underlying quantum group structure. We argue that the new theories renormalize to the c < 1 minimal conformal series. We discuss generalizations to affine Toda theories.
Comparative Genetic Analysis of Homeobox Genes in Mouse and Man

Homeobox sequences in insects have been described as repetitive elements in homeotic genes (McGinnis et al., 1984a). They have also been found in other genes that have developmental functions. The homeobox sequences are conserved in many animal groups across the protostome and deuterostome lineages of evolutionary ascent. Highly conserved homeobox sequences have been described in numerous vertebrates, including amphibians and mammals (McGinnis et al., 1984b). We have been especially concerned with homeobox sequences in the mouse and in man (McGinnis et al., 1984c). It is now certain that the homeobox sequences code domains within functional genes in vertebrates, on the basis of their expression in polyadenylated RNA transcripts (Hart et al., 1985). Moreover, the tissue-specific expression and temporal patterns of expression are both consistent with a developmental role (Awgulewitsch et al., 1986).
From complex conflicts to stable cooperation: Cases in environment and security: Research Articles

Conflict is a dynamic and complex form of human interaction, often emerging from incompatible actions, values, and goals and consuming a considerable amount of resources. Conflicts are an expression of and a contribution to system instability and may lead to chaotic escalation between adversaries, causing a breakdown of social and natural systems. To resolve conflicts, the actors can adjust their actions toward cooperatively stabilizing their interaction and form stable coalitions. To study the dynamics of conflict and the evolution of cooperation, we introduce an integrated framework for modeling the interaction of multiple actors who pursue objectives by allocating their resources to various action paths. In repeated learning cycles, actors can adjust their actions and resources to those of other actors, thus shifting from conflict to cooperation. Within our general framework, it is possible to study the complexity and instability of multiactor constellations and the transition to cooperation for specific examples in a wide range of fields, including military security of missile defense systems and environmental conflicts in fishery management, energy, and climate change. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2007
Teaching NeuroImages: Adolescent Wallenberg syndrome with overlooked signs: Ipsipulsion and ipsilateral facial palsy.

A 14-year-old boy presented with vomiting, slurred speech, and leaning rightward. Examination showed dysarthria, right-sided miosis, ptosis, and gaze preference, decreased sensation over the right V2/V3 region and left shin, right lower facial palsy, rightward tongue deviation, and right-sided dysmetria. Neuroimaging revealed brainstem stroke with vertebral artery dissection (figures 1 and 2). The patient's gaze preference exemplifies ipsipulsion, an often forgotten sign of lateral medullary syndrome resulting from damage to contralateral olivocerebellar pathways that decussate in the medulla.1 His ipsilateral facial weakness is due to facial nerve fibers that loop caudally into the medulla and exit at the pontomedullary junction.2
Experimental observation and numerical investigation of filamentary structures in magnetized plasmas

Filamentary structures in low-pressure, low-temperature plasmas are produced when strong magnetic fields are applied parallel to the electric field defined by parallel electrodes. Filamentary structures are regions within the plasma that have distinct properties such as optical brightness and extend along the magnetic field lines. In our experiments, an argon, radio frequency discharge is exposed to a strong background magnetic field in the magnetized dusty plasma experiment at Auburn University. Different forms of filamentary structures emerge in the plasma such as columns, target, or spiral-like structures. To investigate the origin and the characteristics of these patterns, we have developed a three-dimensional fluid model that can reproduce the experimental observations which enables us to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the filamentation process.
Proteasome Inhibitors Bortezomib and Carfilzomib Stimulate the Transport Activity of Human Organic Anion Transporter 1.

Organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1), expressed at the basolateral membrane of renal proximal tubule epithelial cells, mediates the renal excretion of many clinically important drugs. Previous study in our laboratory demonstrated that ubiquitin conjugation to OAT1 leads to OAT1 internalization from the cell surface and subsequent degradation. The current study showed that the ubiquitinated OAT1 accumulated in the presence of the proteasomal inhibitors MG132 and ALLN rather than the lysosomal inhibitors leupeptin and pepstatin A, suggesting that ubiquitinated OAT1 degrades through proteasomes. Anticancer drugs bortezomib and carfilzomib target the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We therefore investigate the roles of bortezomib and carfilzomib in reversing the ubiquitination-induced downregulation of OAT1 expression and transport activity. We showed that bortezomib and carfilzomib extremely increased the ubiquitinated OAT1, which correlated well with an enhanced OAT1-mediated transport of p-aminohippuric acid and an enhanced OAT1 surface expression. The augmented OAT1 expression and transport activity after the treatment with bortezomib and carfilzomib resulted from a reduced rate of OAT1 degradation. Consistent with this, we found decreased 20S proteasomal activity in cells that were exposed to bortezomib and carfilzomib. In conclusion, this study identified the pathway in which ubiquitinated OAT1 degrades and unveiled a novel role of anticancer drugs bortezomib and carfilzomib in their regulation of OAT1 expression and transport activity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Bortezomib and carfilzomib are two Food and Drug Administration–approved anticancer drugs, and proteasome is the drug target. In this study, we unveiled a new role of bortezomib and carfilzomib in enhancing OAT1 expression and transport activity by preventing the degradation of ubiquitinated OAT1 in proteasomes. This finding provides a new strategy in regulating OAT1 function that can be used to accelerate the clearance of drugs, metabolites, or toxins and reverse the decreased expression under disease conditions.
Chapter 6 – Newborn screening

Newborn screening (NBS) is sometimes called “baby’s first test.” Through either voluntary or mandatory programs many newborn babies at sometime around 2 days of age get a small puncture in their heel and a few drops of blood are collected on a filter paper card. The cards are sent to a screening lab where they are tested for a number of disorders including endocrine disorders, hemoglobin disorders, cystic fibrosis, and inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs). IMDs are due to a defective gene that results in an enzyme deficiency. The disorders that are amenable to NBS include aminoacidopathies, organic acidemias, fatty acid oxidation disorders, galactosemia, and biotinidase deficiency. The first three categories are detectable by tandem mass spectrometry analysis of a single filter paper punch sample for concentrations of amino acids and acylcarnitines. A single analysis of a sample may yield well over 50 results for markers and ratios that can be used to evaluate the sample results. Other screening tests are run for a single marker for a single disorder. One of the biggest changes in NBS in recent years has been from the evaluation of a single marker for a single condition to an evaluation of multiple markers for distinctive patterns of results that may indicate a disorder.
Rank-3 moment closures in general relativistic neutrino transport

Many modern simulations of accretion disks use moment-based methods for radiation transport to determine the thermal evolution of the disk and the properties of the ejected matter. The popular M1 scheme that evolves the rank-0 and rank-1 moments requires an analytic approximation for the rank-2 and higher tensors. We present the open-source Monte Carlo steady-state general-relativistic neutrino transport code SedonuGR, which we use to assess fundamental analytic closure assumptions, quantify proposed closure errors, and test an extension of the maximum entropy Fermi-Dirac (MEFD) closure to the rank-3 moment. We demonstrate that the fundamental assumptions employed in all analytic closures are strongly violated. This violation is most evident at the interface between the equatorial disk and the evacuated polar regions. Finally, we calculate the neutrino momentum and energy deposition rate from neutrino pair annihilation, and demonstrate that a moment-based annihilation power calculation is accurate to at most $\ensuremath{\sim}20%$ if the rank-2 and higher moments are neglected. Out of a selection of eight closures in the literature, we demonstrate that different closures reproduce different aspects of the radiation field (pressure tensor, rank-3 tensor, pair annihilation rate), though the MEFD, Levermore, and Janka 2 closures are all reasonable. The extra information from the neutrino degeneracy used in the MEFD closure is unable to account for the diversity in the rank-2 and rank-3 moments.
A Modern Measles Outbreak: Understanding maternal immunity and impact on postpartum vaccination uptake.

BACKGROUND In October 2018, a measles (rubeola) outbreak was identified in New York City and Rockland County, and a public health campaign and hospital policy changes were made to increase awareness of the importance of vaccination and increase vaccination rates. OBJECTIVE We describe the prevalence of rubeola immunity in pregnant women and the change in uptake of postpartum measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination before and during the measles outbreak. STUDY DESIGN A multipronged intervention was developed by the health system with the intent of raising awareness of the outbreak, identifying patients at risk of contracting measles during pregnancy, and limiting exposure of inpatients to the disease. This was a quality improvement study to assess the impact of the intervention and public health policy on the rates of documentation of rubeola immunity and rubeola vaccination rates in nonimmune women. Women who delivered at New York University Langone Health before the outbreak July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2017 were compared with women who delivered during the outbreak July 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. The primary outcome was acceptance of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination in nonimmune women during the postpartum period. Analysis was conducted using logistic regression and chi-square tests, and alpha was set at 0.05. RESULTS A total of 19,585 patients were analyzed; 9162 women delivered before the outbreak and 10,423 delivered during the outbreak. Of these, 2589 (13.2%) were documented as living in a high-risk zone improvement plan code, which were areas at the epicenter of the measles outbreak. Notably, 14,731 women (75.2%) were tested for rubeola immunity and 3270 of those tested (22.2%) were not immune. In the year of the outbreak, a higher proportion of women had rubeola immunity documented with serum titers than in the year before the outbreak (81% vs 69%; P<.001). Inpatient compliance with postpartum measles, mumps, and rubella administration was greater during the outbreak than before it (76% vs 59%; P<.001) for patients from both low-risk and high-risk zone improvement plan codes. CONCLUSION The New York City and Rockland County measles outbreak, together with the implementation of a health system-wide education program and a change in public health policy, led to an increase in the proportion of pregnant women being screened for rubeola immunity. It also led to an increase in uptake of the immediate postpartum measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
This is no Child’s Play: Yrjo Hirn, savage slots and other anthropological hernias

Whereas (Hirn, Yrjo 1916. Barnlek. Helsingfors: Soderstrom & Co) Barnlek has only recently resurfaced, translated as it has been into English, contemporary scholars committed to social justice must...
Automated predictive analytics tool for rainfall forecasting.

Australia faces a dryness disaster whose impact may be mitigated by rainfall prediction. Being an incredibly challenging task, yet accurate prediction of rainfall plays an enormous role in policy making, decision making and organizing sustainable water resource systems. The ability to accurately predict rainfall patterns empowers civilizations. Though short-term rainfall predictions are provided by meteorological systems, long-term prediction of rainfall is challenging and has a lot of factors that lead to uncertainty. Historically, various researchers have experimented with several machine learning techniques in rainfall prediction with given weather conditions. However, in places like Australia where the climate is variable, finding the best method to model the complex rainfall process is a major challenge. The aim of this paper is to: (a) predict rainfall using machine learning algorithms and comparing the performance of different models. (b) Develop an optimized neural network and develop a prediction model using the neural network (c) to do a comparative study of new and existing prediction techniques using Australian rainfall data. In this paper, rainfall data collected over a span of ten years from 2007 to 2017, with the input from 26 geographically diverse locations have been used to develop the predictive models. The data was divided into training and testing sets for validation purposes. The results show that both traditional and neural network-based machine learning models can predict rainfall with more precision.
Local habitat conditions explain the variation in the strength of self-thinning in a stream salmonid.

Self-thinning patterns are frequently used to describe density dependence in populations on timescales shorter than the organism's life span and have been used to infer carrying capacity of the environment. Among mobile animals, this concept has been used to document density dependence in stream salmonids, which compete over access to food and space. The carrying capacity, growth conditions, and initial cohort sizes often vary between streams and stream sections, which would influence the onset and strength of the density dependence. Despite much effort in describing habitat relationships in stream fishes, few studies have explicitly tested how the physical environment affects the slope of the thinning curves. Here, we investigate the prevalence and strength of self-thinning in juvenile stages of a steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in Idaho, USA. Further, we investigate the roles of local physical habitat and metabolic constraints in explaining the variation in thinning curves among study sites in the watershed. Only yearling steelhead exhibited an overall significant thinning trend, but the slope of the mass–density relationship (−0.53) was shallower than predicted by theory and reported from empirical studies. There was no detectable relationship in subyearling steelhead. Certain abiotic factors explained a relatively large portion of the variation in the strength of the self-thinning among the study reaches. For subyearling steelhead, the slopes were negatively associated with the average water depth and flow velocity in the study sites, whereas slopes in yearlings were steeper in sites that incurred a higher metabolic cost. Our results show that the prevalence and strength of density dependence in natural fish populations can vary across heterogeneous watersheds and can be more pronounced during certain stages of a species' life history, and that environmental factors can mediate the extent to which density dependence is manifested in predictable ways.
Calcium Oxalate Crystal Formation in Various Gravity Environments

The NASA-Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is a unique research experience that allows undergraduate student teams to independently propose, design, fabricate and conduct an experiment under various gravity environments. An experimental chamber and hand-manipulated syringe apparatus was designed, tested, and utilized to assess calcium oxalate crystal morphology and its formation rate in Terrestrial-g, Zero-g, Lunar-g and Martian-g. Aqueous solutions of calcium chloride (100 mM) and oxalic acid (200 mM) were mixed to precipitate calcium oxalate crystals. Gravitational differences were hypothesized to result in larger and multiple crystalline structures. These data are essential for efforts to better understand the correlation between calcium oxalate crystal formation and the production of kidney stones often associated with long-term space missions. The analyses of crystal formation produced in the Zero-g (≅0.01) conditions of this study suggest that calcium oxalate monohydrate formation predominated, and crystals are slightly larger than those produced in Terrestrial-g conditions.
Using Alba Emoting™ to work with emotions in psychotherapy

Alba Emoting™ is a physical method to help recognize, induce, express and regulate the basic emotions. This is achieved through specific breathing, postural and facial behaviours. Alba Emoting is based on psychophysiological research by Susana Bloch and her collaborators, who have applied this method mainly to train actors. Alba Emoting can be used in psychotherapy to facilitate emotion awareness, regulation and transformation. It can also help therapists better recognize their own and their clients' emotions. The application of Alba Emoting in psychotherapy is illustrated with a case example. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Alba Emoting is a physical, scientific method for working with emotions. Alba Emoting can help therapists better recognize their own and their clients' emotions. Alba Emoting can help clients achieve better emotional awareness and regulation. Alba Emoting can also help clients experience and express emotions they may normally inhibit.
Do invasive ants respond more strongly to carbohydrate availability than co‐occurring non‐invasive ants? A test along an active Anoplolepis gracilipes invasion front

Invasions by non-native insects can have important ecological impacts, particularly on island ecosystems. However, the factors that promote the success of invaders relative to co-occurring non-invasive species remain unresolved. For invasive ants, access to carbohydrate resources via interactions with both extrafloral nectary-bearing plants and honeydew-excreting insects may accelerate the invasion process. A first step towards testing this hypothesis is to determine whether invasive ants respond to variation in the availability of carbohydrate resources, and whether this response differs from that of co-occurring, non-invasive ants. We investigated the effect of carbohydrate subsidies on the short-term foraging and hemipteran-tending behaviours of the invasive ant Anoplolepis gracilipes (Formicidae) and co-occurring ant species on an extrafloral nectary-bearing plant by experimentally manipulating carbohydrate levels and tracking ant recruitment. We conducted experiments in 2 years at two sites: one site was invaded by A. gracilipes prior to 2007 and the other became invaded during the course of our study, allowing pre- (2007) and post-invasion (2009) comparisons. Short-term increases in carbohydrate availability increased the density of A. gracilipes workers on plants by as much as 400% and reduced tending of honeydew-excreting insects by this species by up to 89%, with similar responses across years. In contrast, ants at the uninvaded site in 2007 showed a weak and non-significant forager recruitment response. Across all sites, A. gracilipes workers were the only ants that responded to carbohydrate manipulations in 2009. Furthermore, ant–carbohydrate dynamics at a site newly invaded by A. gracilipes quickly diverged from dynamics at uninvaded sites and converged on those of the site with an established invasion. These findings suggest that carbohydrate resources may be particularly important for A. gracilipes invasions, and underscore the importance of species interactions, particularly putative mutualisms, in facilitating exotic species invasions.
The Symbolic Crises of Adoption: Popular Media's Agenda Setting.

Abstract Although adoption is a fairly common means of family building, the public lacks the orientation to express positive adoption symbols, to put a positive “face” on adoption. Adoptive families find their realities and those of others at odds, and the results are reflected in insensitive remarks, questioning motives, and damaged self-esteems. Symbolic crises are the result of changing adoption patterns and motives; language transformations that create tension; and media misrepresentations. This paper articulates the dimensions of the symbolic crises faced by adoptive families and adoption advocates created by media agenda setting.
Predischarge Transthoracic Echocardiography after Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease: A Routine with a Reason?

Background Predischarge (pre-d/c) transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is routine after surgery for congenital heart disease, but how it affects clinical care is unknown. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that pre-d/c TTE frequently reveals findings associated with short-term clinical course through a systematic review of findings on pre-d/c TTE and clinical events that followed. Methods Clinical outcomes of mortality, hospitalization, catheterization, and surgery at 1 year were examined for pediatric patients undergoing pre-d/c TTE between June 2010 and June 2012. Using logistic regression, a multivariate model was generated associating clinical, pre-d/c transthoracic echocardiographic, and demographic variables with unplanned postdischarge cardiac events (UCEs) within 1 year. Results Of 462 patients who underwent pre-d/c TTE, there were 265 male patients (57%) and 197 female patients (43%); the median age was 0.8 years (range, 0–33 years). Two hundred thirty–seven patients (51%) had findings (valve regurgitation, hemodynamic obstruction, ventricular dysfunction, unintended shunt, or pericardial effusion) on pre-d/c TTE, 57 of which were of more than mild severity. Agreement between pre-d/c TTE and postoperative transesophageal echocardiographic findings was only fair to moderate (κ = 0.27–0.43). Sixty-four patients (14%) had UCEs. Univariate analysis revealed that UCE were more frequent in patients with diagnoses and surgical procedures of high complexity. After accounting for these confounding nonechocardiographic variables, pre-d/c transthoracic echocardiographic findings, specifically valve regurgitation of more than mild severity, and ventricular dysfunction and obstructions of any severity were independently associated with UCEs (odds ratios, 1.90, 1.99, and 1.85, respectively). Conclusions Findings on pre-d/c TTE are frequent, commonly discordant with postoperative transesophageal echocardiographic results, and associated with adverse clinical events after surgery for congenital heart disease. These data would strongly support the practice of pre-d/c TTE after surgery for congenital heart disease.
Common variants in the LAMA5 gene associate with fasting plasma glucose and serum triglyceride levels in a cohort of pre-and early pubertal children.

Laminins are glycoproteins found in basement membranes where they play a vital role in tissue architecture and cell behavior. Previously, we reported the association of two polymorphisms (rs659822 and rs944895) in the laminin alpha5 (LAMA5) gene with anthropometric traits, fasting lipid profile, and glucose levels in pre-menopausal women and elderly subjects. Furthermore, studies in mice showed that Lama5 is involved in organogenesis and placental function during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether rs659822 and/or rs944895 are associated with inter-individual variability in birth weight as well as anthropometric traits and metabolic phenotypes in children. Two hundred and eighty nine healthy children aged 7–12 yr of European, Hispanic, and African-American ancestry were studied. Co-dominant models adjusted for genetic admixture, age, gender, and stages of puberty were used to test for the association of the polymorphisms with each trait. Our analysis showed significant associations of rs659822 with fasting plasma glucose levels (P = 0.0004) and of rs944895 with fasting serum triglycerides (P = 0.004) after Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. Our results corroborate our previous findings that genetic variants in LAMA5 contribute to variation in metabolic phenotypes and provide evidence that this may occur early in life.
Chapter 11 Colchicine and Related Compounds

Publisher Summary The long-established use of colchicine in the treatment of gout, the discovery of its antimitotic activity, and the chemical studies culminating in the elucidation of the structure of this unusual molecule continue to stimulate widespread investigations by chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists. Recent work on colchicine and related alkaloids has had two major foci—the total synthesis and the biosynthesis of colchicine. In addition, structures have been unambiguously determined for α- and β-lumicolchicine, as well as for several other natural and photochemical compounds. Studies on the optical rotatory dispersion (ORD)-, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-, and mass-spectra of colchicine and related compounds have appeared that may be of diagnostic value to future investigations in the field. The results of recent isolation studies have been summarized in this chapter. It discusses the synthesis of colchicine degradation products and related spectroscopic examination—optical rotation and optical rotatory dispersion, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectra. Both colchicine and isocolchicine exhibit double negative cotton effects (330 and 280 mμ). Recently, NMR-analysis has contributed to the structural elucidation of colchicine-type compounds and also to the transformation products, oxycolchicine and lumicolchicines. A number of colchicine derivatives have been analyzed by mass spectroscopy under conditions that allowed clear fragmentation patterns to be observed in the high mass region. The Treatment of colchicine with chromic acid furnishes oxycolchicine that contains extra oxygen and shows no loss of carbon.
A Panel Data Analysis Of The Lucas Hypothesis

In this study we have attempted to verify one of the implications of the Lucas (1973) hypothesis using two-digit industry-level panel data for the U.S. Manufacturing Sector. The hypothesis states that the higher the nominal demand volatility, the lower will be the impact of nominal changes on real variables. Unlike other studies, we use disaggregated panel data for nineteen industries, which are scattered throughout the country, and are subject to the same fiscal and monetary shocks. Another unique feature of this study is the use of price level data at the two-digit industry-level. As opposed to the use of overall price level data, which is common in the literature, we make use of the price level data at the two-digit industry-level. The results of our study support the Lucas hypothesis. Industries with low relative demand volatility transmit the effects of nominal demand shocks exclusively to output and industries with high relative volatility pass on the shocks directly to prices. Finally, we tested for the relation between the real impact of the nominal aggregate disturbances and the relative volatility of industry demands. Our results show strong negative relation between them. That is, the higher the nominal demand volatility facing an industry, the less its impact would be on real output.
Clustering techniques for rule extraction from unstructured text fragments

This paper focuses on techniques for clustering unstructured text fragments which are generated from a rule extraction agent. The text fragments represent paragraphs of text containing potential rules. The latent semantic indexing method is applied to map the unstructured text into a linear vector space. Similar text fragments are identified based on the similarity between their vector representations. The problem of clustering based on general similarity measures that are different than the conventional distance based measures is discussed. A new version of the mountain clustering method is developed to address the problem of identifying groups of similar vectors that correspond to documents with analogous content. Several clustering algorithms are compared in their ability to satisfactorily cluster these text fragments into sets of related concepts. An intelligent agent algorithm for extraction of rules from text documents is proposed and demonstrated.
Immigrants, their children, and theories of assimilation: family structure in the United States, 1880–1970

This research employs United States census data from 1880 to 1970 to assess the influence of ethnicity and generation on the family structure of Mexican, Irish, Swedish, Italian, Polish, and native white children. Using evidence for three generations, it tests two theories, linear assimilation and segmented assimilation. Assimilation theory makes no special claims for ethnic effects, but segmented assimilation proposes that ethnicity influences the incorporation of immigrant-origin children into American society. We find few consistent ethnic effects on the probability of family type. Our principal finding is that migration itself, common to all groups, has similar consequences for all; these are revealed in generational changes in family structure. The historical periods of open immigration do differ from the contemporary period, which implies that immigration policy affects family structure. The results disconfirm segmented assimilation theory's emphasis on ethnicity in family structure, and confirm aspects of linear assimilation theory. They point to the salience of structural factors resulting from migration experience and policy, rather than ethnicity, in the evolution of family form among immigrant-origin persons.
EVALUATION OF BROILER NECKS FLUMED WITH DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FILTERED CHILLER WATER

In order to conserve water and energy the feasibility of fluming necks with treated bird chiller water instead of potable water was examined. No significant differences were found in shelf-life, total aerobic counts, levels of fecal coliforms, or salmonellae incidence between necks flumed with potable water and necks flumed with diatomaceous earth-filtered chiller water or filtered, chlorinated chiller water. It was concluded that the use of potable water is not essential in all phases of broiler processing and that necks could be flumed safely with either filtered chiller water or filtered, chlorinated chiller water.
The Role of CD40 Ligand in Costimulation and T‐Cell Activation

It is clear by now that cell-to-cell interactions involving a variety of signals are required for effective immune response. The data reviewed here suggest that CD40-CD40L interactions are critical for development of CD4 T-cell-dependent effector functions. Lack of this important interaction results in greatly reduced activation of CD4 T cells, while successful interaction of these molecules results in full activation of these T cells. Consequently, the absence of CD40-CD40L interactions leads to impairment of T-cell effector such as help for B-cell differentiation and class switch, activation of monocytes and macrophages to produce cytokines and to kill intracellular pathogens, and activation of autoreactive T cells to mount an autoimmune response. The effector functions of T cells controlled by CD40-CD40L interactions in a successful immune response are given in Table I. Data presented so far suggest that CD40-CD40L interactions play a role in early signalling events, where interactions of this kind are required to induce expression of costimulatory molecules on APC. One possible sequence of events in that APC, like DC, take up antigens at the site of injury or infection and migrate to lymph nodes, where they present antigens complexed with MHC class II molecules to naive T cells. This results in expression of CD40L on T cells. Coupling of this newly expressed CD40L on T cells with CD40 on APC results in expression of the costimulatory activity of the APC. At this time the costimulatory signal provided by the APC is received by the T cells via CD28/CTLA-4, which drives the cell to enter into cell cycle and complete T cell activation. T cells thereby activated can now enter into secondary cognate CD40-CD40L-dependent effector recognition with B cells to switch Ig class, macrophages to produce cytokines and new DC carrying the same antigen to up-regulate costimulatory activity. A tight regulation of expression of CD40L on T cells and costimulatory activity on APC would prevent activation of unwanted bystander T cells. The coupling of activation of the APC primed with the cognate antigen to the activation of the T-cell specific for that antigen in this model provides an additional regulatory step in the initiation of the immune response. This also suggests that a limited number of T cells/APC will be activated, both of which will be specific in nature. This additional step may be important for safeguarding against an autoimmune response. In addition, the fact that CD40L uniquely seems to play this role suggests that selective immunotherapies to treat autoimmune disease and prevent graft rejection can be targeted on this molecule. On the other hand, CD40-directed approaches to up-regulate costimulatory activity on APC could be developed to fight tumor growth, contain infections and treat immunodeficiencies.
Semiconducting polymer dots with monofunctional groups

This communication describes an approach for preparing monovalent semiconducting polymer dots (mPdots) with a size of 5 nm where each mPdot was composed of precisely a single active functional group.
Communications protocol for RF-based indoor wireless localization systems

A novel application-specific communications scheme for RF-based indoor wireless localization networks is proposed. In such a system wireless badges, attached to people or objects, report positions to wireless router units. Badges have very limited communication, energy, and processing capabilities. Routers are responsible for propagating collected badge information hop-by-hop toward one central unit of the system and are significantly less constrained by battery than the badges. Each unit can radiate a special sequence of bits at selected frequencies, so that any router in the wireless neighborhood can sense, store, aggregate and forward Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) information. Once the central unit receives RSSI from routers, it calculates the overall relative position of each unit in the system. This new scheme has been developed based on the Chipcon CC1010 Evaluation Module with limited communication capabilities. The implemented protocol rules allow scalability of numerous system parameters. The feasibility of the proposed protocol is simulated on a typical floor: 2-dimensional topology where routers are deployed in a grid fashion. Results show that assuming normal operation and a maximum of thousand badges the system can periodically report about every five seconds. Different scenarios are compared, and the proposed scheme is demonstrated to meet strict reliability requirements while providing energy-efficient badges and an acceptable level of latency.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Strain assisted diffusion: Modeling and simulation of deformation-dependent diffusion in composite media

In this work, we develop a model for strongly-coupled, deformation-dependent diffusion in composite media at finite strains. The coupling incorporates the effects of deformation into the diffusivity tensor. A time-transient, three-dimensional variational formulation is developed and then discretized using the Finite Element Method in conjunction with an implicit staggering scheme to resolve the coupled multiphysics. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the model.
Effect of Al2O3 ALD coating and vapor infusion on the bulk mechanical response of elastic and viscoelastic polymers

Abstract Polymer films and fibers are often coated with thin films by techniques including sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD), to add resilience, impede water transport and provide chemical functionalization. Vapor processing also allows chemical precursors to diffuse and react in the near surface and bulk regions of the polymer. In this work we investigate how low temperature ALD Al 2 O 3 coatings formed at
Evolution of solids fraction surfaces in tapping: simulation and dynamical systems analysis

We report our findings on the evolution of solids fraction in a tapped system of inelastic, frictional spheres as a function of the applied acceleration obtained via discrete element simulations. Animations of the simulation data reveal the propagation of a wave initiated from the base that causes local rearrangements of the particles ultimately leading to the development of a dense microstructure. We also describe the analysis of dynamical models capable of predicting the simulated behavior, and advanced visualization techniques for revealing the dynamics.
Morphology of nickel supported on silica, niobia, and binary oxide thin films

Abstract Nickel deposited by radio-frequency sputtering onto single oxide, SiO 2 and Nb 2 O 5 , and binary oxide, Nb 2 O 5 SiO 2 surface oxide and Nb 2 O 5 /SiO 2 mixed oxide, thin films was studied by transmission electron microscopy and selected-area diffraction after reduction in H 2 at 300, 500 or 650°C for up to 4 h. The use of thin films permitted a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the behavior of Ni supported on the various oxides. Observation of the oxide supports showed that the specific environment of niobia significantly affected its mobility. The behavior of Ni depended mostly on the interaction with Nb 2 O 5 species and to a lesser extent on the interaction of nickel oxide with the support. These results were combined with chemical kinetic data on similar high-surface-area samples to develop a model based on various oxide-oxide and oxide-metal interactions for the behavior of supported nickel catalysts.
Achieving Fidelity in Homologous Recombination Despite Extreme Complexity: Informed Decisions by Molecular Profiling

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Savir and Tlusty (2010) apply signal detection theory to show that homologous recombination machinery is optimally tuned to find homologous DNA sequences within an exceptionally high background of heterologous sequences.
Liquefaction of saturated loose and cemented granular soils

Abstract A coupled continuum-discrete hydromechanical model was utilized to analyze the liquefaction of saturated granular soils in loose and cemented deposits. The pore fluid motion was idealized using averaged Navier–Stokes equations and the discrete element method was employed to model the granular particles. Parallel bonds were used to idealize the effects of inter-particle cementation. Well established semi-empirical relationships were utilized to quantify the fluid–particle interactions. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the response of saturated granular deposits when subjected to a dynamic base excitation. The outcome of these simulations was consistent with experimental observations, and revealed a number of salient micro-mechanical mechanisms associated with soil liquefaction and the impact of cementation. The employed continuum-discrete hydromechanical model provides an effective tool to assess the intricate micro-mechanical response mechanism of saturated loose and cemented soils.