cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Model selection in orthogonal regression

We develop the relationship between the stepwise F-test model selection criteria and information-based criteria for orthogonal regression models. We obtain the asymptotic properties of the stepwise F-tests with respect to efficiency and consistency. The performances of F-test as well as other efficient and consistent criteria are compared via a large scale simulation study. The results indicate that three of the F-test criteria should be considered for routine data analysis.
Triads, transitivity, and social effects in user interactions on Facebook

Most computational techniques that analyze Online Social Networks (OSNs) aim to discover patterns in a network's structure and the behavior of its users, but do not seek to understand how people's motives lead to these patterns. Studying the social effects that cause these patterns, however, can produce deeper insights that may transcend a specific network and are generically applicable. Therefore, a more promising approach is to anchor computational techniques to the underlying social effects that can explain the reasons behind why users interact the way they do. In this paper, we discover how the social effects of stature, relationship strength, and egocentricity shape the interactions among Facebook users. These effects are explored through transitivity in triads, which are network units that capture dynamics among triples of users. The analysis suggests that Facebook interactions are influenced by users with concentrated stature and strong bonds. However, the activities of popular and over-active users have little influence.
Increasing the Institutional Commitment of College Students: Enhanced Measurement and Test of a Nomological Model.

Measurement shortcomings have hampered the understanding of institutional commitment (IC) in college students. Therefore, this study sought to (a) develop validated indices of IC and associated psy...
Toxicity of Santa Barbara seep oil to starfish embryos: Part 3—influence of parental exposure and the effects of other crude oils

Abstract We exposed the bat starfish, Patiria miniata, to the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of oil from a natural seep near Santa Barbara, California, during the first 48 hours of embryological growth. There were no consistent differences among populations whose parents were from areas with differing levels of hydrocarbon exposure. In a second experiment, the order of decreasing toxicity of crude oils to the embryos was: Monterey Zone > Rincon Zone > Prudhoe Bay > Isla Vista Seep. The results are discussed in relation to the effects of natural seeps and oil characteristics.
When Can Children With Conditions Be in No-Benefit, Higher-Hazard Pediatric Studies?

Many important pediatric guidelines allow children with disorders or conditions to participate in studies offering no direct benefit to them and having a somewhat higher level of potential harm tha...
Dialysis Phosphatase Method for Milk and All Dairy Products

Summary The principles, directions, and comparative results of a new phosphatase method for milk and milk products are presented. Dialysis through cellulose membranes, leading to a rapid separation of phenol accumulating in the cellulose bag from phosphatase activity, is the basis of the method. The separation occurs without attendant problems of protein interference or turbidity when color is developed with 2,6-dichloroquinone-chloroimide (CQC) in the receiving aqueous solution. Specifically, 5ml milk or 1g cheese are added to 10ml concentrated carbonate-bicarbonate buffer substrate residing in a small, single-service, knotted cellulose bag. The bag is incubated for 1 hr at 37C in 10ml of diluted copper-sulfate solution, after which it is removed and discarded. Two drops CQC are added to the clear liquid remaining and color permitted to develop for 5min. Phenol concentration is determined at this point, to complete the analysis. The Dialysis Phosphatase Test requires few reagents and its operation is basically simple. Comparative results between four laboratories, on standard fluid milk and Cheddar cheese samples, show good reproduction and indicate detection of less than 0.1% raw milk addition or a reduction of 1-2F in high-temperature—short-time pasteurization is readily possible.
Formal methodology of translation. I. Semantic preserving translations

In this paper we present a methodology of translation from a given source language to a given target language. From syntactic and semantic considerations of the source and target languages, conditions are developed to assure correctness of the translator. It is proven that these conditions form a minimal set to prove correctness of the translator.
Plasma from systemic lupus patients compromises cholesterol homeostasis: a potential mechanism linking autoimmunity to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) contributes to morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Immunologic derangements may disrupt cholesterol balance in vessel wall monocytes/macrophages and endothelium. We determined whether lupus plasma impacts expression of cholesterol 27-hydroxylase, an anti-atherogenic cholesterol-degrading enzyme that promotes cellular cholesterol efflux, in THP-1 human monocytes and primary human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC). THP-1 monocytes and HAEC were incubated in medium containing SLE patient plasma or apparently healthy control human plasma (CHP). SLE plasma decreased 27-hydroxylase message in THP-1 monocytes by 47 ± 8% (p < 0.008) and in HAEC by 51 ± 5.5% (n = 5, p < 0.001). THP-1 macrophages were incubated in 25% lupus plasma or CHP and cholesterol-loaded (50 µg ml−1 acetylated low density lipoprotein). Lupus plasma more than doubled macrophage foam cell transformation (74 ± 3% vs. 35 ± 3% for CHP, n = 3, p < 0.001). Impaired cholesterol homeostasis in SLE provides further evidence of immune involvement in atherogenesis. Strategies to inhibit or reverse arterial cholesterol accumulation may benefit SLE patients.
Antibodies to sperm, ovary, B and T lymphocytes, and granulocytes in the umbilical circulation and in newborn infants☆

Abstract Titers of antibodies to lymphocytes, ovary, sperm, and granulocytes were determined in serum samples from umbilical cord arteries and veins from normal pregnancies and in normal infants 2–3 weeks old. The results demonstrate that the normal human fetus produces antibodies to T lymphocytes and to sperm. Normal infants also had anti-B-lymphocyte antibodies in their circulation at levels greater than those in the maternal circulation. Anti-B-cell antibodies in newborn infants may be related to the development of immune tolerance to self antigens. The finding of elevated levels of anti-sperm and anti-lymphocyte antibodies in newborns supports the possibility that cross-reactive antigens may be present on sperm cells and lymphocytes.
Preconditioners for singular black box matrices

This paper develops preconditioners for singular black box matrix problems. We introduce networks of arbitrary radix switches for matrices of any square dimension, and we show random full Toeplitz matrices are adequate switches for these networks. We also show a random full Toeplitz matrix to satisfy all requirements of the Kaltofen-Saunders black box matrix rank algorithm without requiring a diagonal multiplier.
Quantum Monte Carlo for light nuclei

Abstract Quantum Monte Carlo calculations using realistic two- and three-nucleon interactions are presented for nuclei with up to nine nucleons. Our Greens function Monte Carlo calculations are accurate to ∼1% for the binding energy. We have constructed Hamiltonians using the Argonne v 18 NN interaction and reasonable three-nucleon interactions that reproduce the energies of these nuclear states with only ∼500 keV rms error. Other predictions, such as form factors, decay rates, and spectroscopic factors also agree well with data.
Hormesis: A Conversation with a Critic

OBJECTIVE: In this commentary I respond to points raised in the commentary by Mushak [Ad hoc and fast forward: the science and control of hormesis growth and development. Environ Health Perspect 117:1333-1338 (2009)], which principally concerns studies by me and my colleagues concerning the frequency of hormesis in toxicology. DISCUSSION: In this commentary I demonstrate that Mushak's analysis contains critical statistical errors and misunderstandings of statistical concepts that invalidate its conclusions concerning the frequency of hormesis in the toxicologic literature. CONCLUSIONS: In his commentary Mushak offers no significant new conceptual insights, and his key technical criticisms of hormesis frequency findings are unfounded.
Thermodynamic limit and size-consistent design

This article aims to dispel confusions about the definition of size consistency as well as some incompatibility that exists between different criteria for judging whether an electronic structure theory is size consistent and thus yields energies and other quantities having correct asymptotic size dependence. It introduces extensive and intensive diagram theorems, which provide unambiguous sufficient conditions for size consistency for extensive and intensive quantities, respectively, stipulated in terms of diagrammatic topology and vertex makeup. The underlying algebraic size-consistency criterion is described, which relies on the polynomial dependence of terms in the formalism on the number of wave vector sampling points in Brillouin-zone integrations. The physical meanings of two types of normalization of excitation amplitudes in electron-correlation theories, namely, the intermediate and standard normalization, are revealed. The amplitudes of the operator that describes an extensive quantity (the extensive operator) are subject to the intermediate normalization, while those of the operator that corresponds to an intensive quantity (the intensive operator) must be normalized. The article also introduces the extensive-intensive consistency theorem which specifies the relationship between the spaces of determinants reached by the extensive and intensive operators in a size-consistent method for intensive quantities. Furthermore, a more fundamental question is addressed as to what makes energies extensive and thus an application of thermodynamics to chemistry valid. It is shown that the energy of an electrically neutral, periodic, non-metallic solid is extensive. On this basis, a strictly size-consistent redefinition of the Hartree--Fock theory is proposed.
The Economic Underpinnings of Patent Law

PATENTS play a crucial role in the economy. The economic principles underlying the patent system have not always been well understood, especially in the courts. In part, the difficulty lies in two circumstances: first, that innovation is essentially the creation of information, which has different economic characteristics from goods, and second, that the patent system, while effectively dealing with this primary problem of the special nature of innovation, nonetheless creates secondary economic problems. And in part the esoteric nature of patent law has obscured the way in which patent law doctrines deal with these secondary problems. This article, after analyzing the secondary economic problems created by the patent solution to the information aspect of innovation, will show in detail how patent law has effectively, if often inarticulately, minimized the impact of these problems. To start with, it is important to recognize the primary problem that the patent system solves. This problem-often called the "appropriability problem"-is that, if a firm could not recover the costs of invention because the resulting information were available to all, then we could expect a much lower and indeed suboptimal level of innovation. In short, the patent system prevents others from reaping where they have not sown and thereby promotes research and development (R&D) investment in innovation. The patent law achieves this laudable end by creating property rights in inventions. In creating these property rights known as "patents," however, secondary problems are created that can lead to market
The Influence of the Racial Mix of Other Customers on Black Consumers' Anger Following a Plausibly Prejudicial Service Failure

This paper explores service failures involving black consumers and white service employees and the influence of the racial customer mix present at the time. A scenario-based study is conducted with respondents representing a broad cross section of the U.S. black population. Consistent with place identity theory (Proshansky 1978; Rosenbaum and Montoya 2007), the mediating effect of anger is found to differ based on the customer mix present at the time of the failure such that the absence (versus presence) of other black customers results in increased (versus attenuated) anger and increased (versus reduced) service recovery expectations. A technique for testing moderated mediation developed by Preacher, Rucker, and Hayes (2007) is also introduced.
Coping with uncertainty: Neolithic life in the Dhar Tichitt-Walata, Mauritania, ( ca. 4000-2300 BP)

Abstract The sandstone escarpment of the Dhar Tichitt in South-Central Mauritania was inhabited by Neolithic agropastoral communities for approximately one and half millennium during the Late Holocene, from ca. 4000 to 2300 BP. The absence of prior evidence of human settlement points to the influx of mobile herders moving away from the “drying” Sahara towards more humid lower latitudes. These herders took advantage of the peculiarities of the local geology and environment and succeeded in domesticating bulrush millet – Pennisetum sp . The emerging agropastoral subsistence complex had conflicting and/or complementary requirements depending on circumstances. In the long run, the social adjustment to the new subsistence complex, shifting site location strategies, nested settlement patterns and the rise of more encompassing polities appear to have been used to cope with climatic hazards in this relatively circumscribed area. An intense arid spell in the middle of the first millennium BC triggered the collapse of the whole Neolithic agropastoral system and the abandonment of the areas. These regions, resettled by sparse oasis-dwellers populations and iron-using communities starting from the first half of the first millennium AD, became part of the famous Ghana “empire”, the earliest state in West African history.
An Unusual New Genus of Eurychoromyiine Lauxaniidae (Diptera)

Abstract The unusual new Neotropical genus Exalla is described and illustrated, along with three new species, E. browni, E. macalpinei, and E. shewelli. A key to the species is provided. The species are known from wet montane rainforest habitats in Colombia and Ecuador at elevations above 1500 m.
STRUCTURAL BASIS FOR SPECIES-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN THE PHOSPHORYLATION OF NA,K-ATPASE BY PROTEIN KINASE C

There is considerable evidence that protein kinases play a role in regulation of the activity of the Na,K-ATPase, but the characteristics of direct kinase phosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase subunits are still not well understood. There are 36 sites that could qualify as protein kinase C motifs in rat α1. Here we have used protein fragmentation with trypsin to localize the site of phosphorylation of the rat Na,K-ATPase α1 subunit to within the first 32 amino acids of the N terminus and then used direct sequencing of the phosphorylated protein to determine which of two candidate serine residues was modified. The result was that at most 25% of the 32P was found on Ser-11, a site that is well conserved in Na,K-ATPase α1 subunits. The remaining 75% or more of the 32P was found on Ser-18, a site that is absent in many Na,K-ATPase α subunit sequences. This accounts for the observation that dog and pig α1 subunits can be phosphorylated by protein kinase C only to much lower levels than can rat α1. It is also likely to be relevant to other known species-specific effects of protein kinase C on Na,K-ATPase.
ROUTE GEOGRAPHY AND THE ROUTES OF ST. HELENA PARISH, LOUISIANA

The route system of St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, serves as an example in an effort to treat the route itself as a cultural landform. In the form, character, and arrangement of routes is found a complex summary of the many factors producing the landscape. The actual localization of a route is determined by physical, cultural, historical, political, and economic factors, and the route varies sensitively as each factor changes. Conversely, variations in the route can call attention to important variations in the underlying factors. In the case of St. Helena Parish. four economic phases (Hunters and Traders, Stockman Farmers, Railroads, and Automotive) are recognized and their continuing influence becomes understandable through a historical treatment. In addition, the routes are arranged in types (such as highway, road, ridgeway, loop road, and others) based upon function.
Molecular structure and conformation of trans-1,3-dichloro-1-propene as determined by gas-phase electron diffraction

Abstract The molecular structure of trans -1,3-dichloropropene has been studied at nozzle temperatures of 25, 80 and 180°C. The molecules exist as a mixture of syn (near- syn ) and gauche forms with the latter being lower in energy. The principal molecular structural values ( r g , ∠ α ) obtained from the least squares refinements (25°C data) are: r (CC) = 1.338(6) A, r (CC) = 1.508(8) A, r (CCl) = 1.716(5) A, r (CCl) = 1.801 A, ∠ ClCC = 124(2)°, ∠ CCC = 121(1)° and ∠ ClCC = 110(2)°. The energy and entropy differences between the gauche and syn forms were found to be −0.62 kcal mol −1 and −1.15 cal mol −1 K −1 respectively.
The State-Society Interaction in the Process of Taiwan’s Democratization from 1990 to 1992

This paper examining the process of Taiwan’s democratization introduces a special mode of democratization which involves cooperative interactions between reformists in the state and oppositionists in society. Focusing on the years 1990 to 1992, a key period of Taiwan’s democratization during which key authoritarianism-supporting institutions were destroyed, the paper demonstrates that a tacit coalition of the reformists in the state and the oppositionists in society began to loom in Taiwan in July 1988 and was solidified in June 1990, and, from June 1990 to December 1992, this coalition successfully forced the conservatives in the state to accept its demand that key authoritarianism-supporting institutions had to be destroyed.
Some Observations on the Pneumococcus and on the Current Status of Pneumococcal Disease and Its Prevention

Although the means whereby pneumococcus damages the hosts it invades remain unknown, some advances in understanding the biology of this organism and the pathogenesis of pneumococcal infection have been made in recent years. Knowledge of the composition of the cell wall (C) polysaccharide of the pneumococcus and its relation to the capsular polysaccharides of this organism is considered and a hypothesis of the evolution of the pneumococcal capsule is entertained. Refinements in understanding the pathogenesis of pneumococcal pneumonia, bacteremia, and otitis media are reviewed, and current knowledge of the epidemiology of pneumococcal infections and of the distribution of pneumococcal types causing such infections is discussed. The history of the development of pneumococcal vaccines is summarized briefly, together with an account of the field trials of contemporary polyvalent vaccines of pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides conducted recently.
Impurity Exchange in Rutile Structure Antiferromagnets : Local Modes

There is evidence that there is significant exchange coupling of an impurity in a rutile structure antiferromagnet to spins other than its next nearest neighbors, in contrast to the situation in the pure materials. In this paper two modifications of the coupling scheme are considered and an analysis is made of the resultant alterations in the localized magnon spectrum. The numbers and symmetries of these local modes are relatively unambiguous indicators of the from of the exchange, and their energies will then determine experimentally the coupling strengths. Thermodynamic Green's function techniques are used; decoupling in the RPA gives approximate predictions of the temperature dependence of the local mode energies. However, numerical results are given here only for zero temperature, and these are discussed in terms of a simple classical picture.
AIR-Reoxidation of reduced, denatured chymotrypsinogen A covalently attached to a solid matrix☆

Bovine chymotrypsinogen A was covalently attached to porous succinylglass beads via the zymogen's amino groups. The bound zymogen was completely reduced in 8 M urea, then allowed to reoxidize, and activated to chymotrypsin. Comparison of the ko (catalytic coefficient) of this preparation with that of a similar preparation which had never been exposed to reductant showed a 53% recovery of esterolytic activity towards N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester. Values of Km and Ko for non-reduced, matrix-bound zymogen, following its activation to chymotrypsin, were 12.8 × 10−5 M and 11.0 sec−1, respectively. Corresponding values for reduced, air-reoxidized preparations were 6.8 × 10−5 M and 3.1 sec−1.
Amylopectin Wrapped Graphene Oxide/Sulfur for Improved Cyclability of Lithium–Sulfur Battery

An amylopectin wrapped graphene oxide-sulfur composite was prepared to construct a 3-dimensionally cross-linked structure through the interaction between amylopectin and graphene oxide, for stabilizing lithium sulfur batteries. With the help of this cross-linked structure, the sulfur particles could be confined much better among the layers of graphene oxide and exhibited significantly improved cyclability, compared with the unwrapped graphene oxide-sulfur composite. The effect of the electrode mass loading on electrochemical performance was investigated as well. In the lower sulfur mass loading cells, such as 2 mg cm(-2), both the capacity and the efficiency were obviously better than those of the higher sulfur mass loading cells, such as 6 mg cm(-2).
The effects of vasopressin injection on uterine artery blood flow during dilation and evacuation.

Objective This study was undertaken to determine whether vasopressin decreases uterine artery blood flow and blood loss in early second-trimester surgical abortions (dilation and evacuation). Study Design Randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of a saline paracervical block with or without vasopressin before dilation and evacuation. Uterine artery pulsatility index and blood loss were measured. Results Demographics were similar in both groups (mean gestational age 16.8 weeks, SD 1.7). Of 35 randomly assigned patients, Doppler waveforms were adequate in 28 patients (vasopressin, n=13; placebo, n=15). The mean difference in uterine artery pulsatility index before and after injection between groups was not significantly different ( P = .14). Procedural blood loss was no different. Conclusion Paracervical vasopressin compared to placebo injection did not result in significant changes in uterine artery pulsatility index in early second-trimester dilation and evacuation procedures.
3-D Microfluidic Technique for Patterning Cells

We developed a technology that can pattern single cells in two-dimensional space, where each cell is placed in a well-defined spot. The basis of our technique is a microfluidic system that can simultaneously capture a large number of cells from solution, position each with sub-micron precision, and transfer the patterned cells to a substrate. The critical component of the system is a polymer membrane containing a pattern of microscopic holes, whose diameters are slightly smaller than that of a single cell. One side of the membrane is immersed in a solution of cells, and gentle suction is applied from the other side. The resulting fluid flow carries cells toward the holes of the membrane. When a cell reaches the membrane, it blocks a hole. Thus, the fluid flow, along with the residual cells, is redirected toward the remaining unblocked holes, until each hole is plugged by exactly one cell. Once the membrane is laden with cells, it is brought into contact with an adhesive surface. The suction is released to transfer the cells. Repeated application of this patterning process can yield complex structures of cells of different types.Such spatial control of single cells will allow the study of intercellular interactions, as in embryogenesis and cancer. With the ability to program cell-cell interactions within and amongst multiple cell types via spatial localization, we will study how the interplay between geometry and genetics affects observed phenotype. This technique can also be used to create cellular microarrays for high-throughput data acquisition. Ultimately, we hope to build three-dimensional tissues de novo, patterned slice by slice, and cell type by cell type.
Self-development as a Spiritual process: The Role of Empathy and Imagination in Finding Spiritual Orientation

According to a dialogical view on self, self-development is characterized by integrating different perspectives in the internal dialogue that constitutes the self. This article explores the spiritual dimension of this process, referring to exchanging and integrating perspectives on what makes one’s life meaningful or fulfilling. It is argued that empathy and imagination are basic capacities for self-development and spiritual orientation, and that art and religion can contribute to this process by functioning as languages of personal resonance.
Abscisic acid increases lipid bilayer permeability to cations as studied by phosphorus-31 NMR

Abstract Using a 31 P-NMR lanthanide shift technique, abscisic acid is shown to enhance the permeability to praeseodymium of lipid bilayers composed of 80 mol% phosphatidylcholine and 20 mol% phosphatidylethanolamine. Praeseodymium permeability is immeasurably slow in the absence of the hormone whether or not phosphatidylethanolamine is present in the bilayers. Only in the presence of abscisic acid is praeseodymium permeability observed, the effect being significantly greater when phosphatidylethanolamine is present. These results substitate prior reports from nonelectrolyte permeability studies that abscisic acid interacts with phosphatidylethanolamine in lipid bilayers.
CCAAT/enhancer binding protein binds and activates the promoter of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene

Abstract CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP), a DNA binding protein originally isolated from rat liver, activates the transcription of a number of liver-specific genes. We studied the effect of C/EBP on the transcription of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene. Purified C/EBP was shown to bind to a segment of the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter between position −10 and −22. Nuclear extracts isolated from rat liver contained a heat stable factor(s) that also bound to this sequence. Cotransfection experiments in HepG2 cells showed transactivation of alcohol dehydrogenase promoter-CAT fusion constructs by an expression vector containing wild-type C/EBP. Expression vector containing a mutated C/EBP that failed to bind DNA also failed to activate the promoter. These experiments demonstrate that C/EBP expression can activate the rat class I alcohol dehydrogenase gene promoter.
Mars imagery now available on the Web

More than 1200 images taken by the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's High Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) camera have now been made available to the public on the Internet. HiRISE takes images of 6-kilometer-wide swaths of Mars, resolving features as small as 40 centimeters. The camera is expected to take images of about 1% of the planet over the next year and a half. The images—available at http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu, a new node for NASAs Planetary Data System data archive—can be explored online with the IAS Viewer that allows for high quality images to be seen even with a slow or limited network connection.
Mapping the receptor site for hanatoxin, a gating modifier of voltage-dependent K+ channels.

Abstract Hanatoxin (HaTx) binds to multiple sites on the surface of the drk1 voltage-gated K + channel and modifies channel gating. We set out to identify channel residues that contribute to form these HaTx binding sites. Chimeras constructed using the drk1 and shaker K + channels suggest that the S3–S4 linker may contain influential residues. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of the region extending from the C terminal end of S3 through S4 identified a number of residues that likely contribute to form the HaTx binding sites. The pore blocker Agitoxin 2 and the gating modifier HaTx can simultaneously bind to individual K + channels. These results suggest that residues near the outer edges of S3 and S4 form the HaTx binding sites and are eccentrically located at least 15 A from the central pore axis on the surface of voltage-gated K + channels.
Shear-induced phase changes in mixtures

A thermodynamic theory to account for the behavior of liquid mixtures exposed to a shear is developed. One consequence of the theory is that shear-induced phase changes are predicted. The theory is based on a thermodynamics that includes specifically the shear rate in the formalism and is applied to mixtures by a straightforward modification of the corresponding states, conformalsolution approach. The approach is general but is used here for a mixture of Lennard-Jones particles with a Lennard-Jones equation of state as a reference fluid. The results are discussed in the context of the Scott and Van Konynenberg phase classification. It is shown that the influence of a shear does affect substantially the type of the phase behavior. Results from the model mixture are equated loosely with those from real polymeric liquids.
Crystallographic study of azurin from Pseudomonas putida.

Azurin from Pseudomonas putida is a blue copper protein which functions as an electron carrier. Two crystal forms of azurin were grown, one in the presence and the other in the absence of zinc acetate; each belongs to space group P21 and contains two molecules per asymmetric unit. The zinc-free crystals have cell dimensions a = 43.25, b = 50.65, c = 54.60 A, β = 107.79°, while the crystals grown from zinc-containing solution have cell dimensions a = 40.76, b = 51.22, c = 54.96 A, β = 103.12°. The latter crystals were found to have four zinc ions incorporated into the crystal lattice. Both crystal structures were solved by the molecular-replacement method using the program MERLOT. The search model was the structure of azurin from Alcaligenes denitrificans. The crystallographic R factor for native azurin is 0.169 (Rfree = 0.257) from 8 to 1.92 A resolution, while that for zinc azurin is 0.181 (Rfree = 0.248) from 10 to 1.6 A resolution; for each structure the root-mean-square deviation in bond lengths from ideal values is 0.007 A. In both crystal structures the Cu atom forms three strong bonds in the equatorial plane, two with N^{\delta1} from His46 and His117, and one with the thiolate S atom of Cys112. Two longer axial approaches are made by the S^\gamma from Met121 and the carbonyl O atom from Gly45. This results in a distorted trigonal bipyramidal co-ordination around the Cu atom. It further confirms the presence of a weak fifth bond to the copper in P. putida azurin, as with other azurin structures described at high resolution. The N^{\delta1} atom of His35 is protonated, as it is in the low-pH form of azurin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa but unlike the low-pH form of the azurins from Alcaligenes denitrificans or Alcaligenes xylosoxidans. In each crystal form the two molecules of azurin in the asymmetric unit are related by a local twofold axis and form a dimer stabilized by the interaction of a pair of hydrophobic patches surrounding the partially exposed His117 side chain. In the other known azurin crystal structures, analogous dimer formation is observed, but with different relative orientations of the molecules. The four zinc ions introduced during crystallization of zinc azurin are bound to the protein and participate in five- and sixfold ligand coordination with no affect on the copper binding site. The zinc ligands are N^\delta from His, carboxylate O atoms from Asp and Glu, O^\gamma from Ser and water molecules. One of the zinc ions, located on a non-crystallographic twofold axis, links the dimers of the asymmetric unit into continuous chains parallel to the crystallographic (−101) direction and is primarily responsible for the altered unit-cell parameters. Two of the other zinc ions bind to His83, one in each molecule.
Tobacco and the institutionalized mentally retarded: Usage choices and ethical considerations

Patterns of tobacco use were observed among 749 people diagnosed with mental retardation residing in a state-operated facility. Specifically, individual preference for tobacco products and frequency of use were documented. Subjects were observed using several types of tobacco products: cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, and cigarette butts. Approximately 7% (n = 52) used at least one form of tobacco; ten individuals used more than one tobacco product. Interestingly, 20.5% of the individuals diagnosed with mild or moderate mental retardation (n = 122) consumed tobacco products, a pattern of behavior that closely approximates that of the general population (20-24%). Ethical considerations pertaining to the availability of tobacco products to this special population are presented.
Conditioned flavor aversion induced by inhaled p-xylene in rats

Abstract Xylenes have the potential for widespread public exposure, yet their neurotoxic properties are poorly understood. The conditioned flavor aversion (CFA) paradigm provides a sensitive behavioral assay for the aversiveness of many drugs and toxic chemicals. Male Long-Evans rats were placed on a restricted water schedule (30 min/day) 1 week after arrival in the laboratory at 40 days of age. Ten days later, all rats received 0.1% saccharin in place of water, and then were exposed immediately either to filtered air or to 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 or 1600 ppm p-xylene for 4 hr, or to air or 400 ppm p-xylene for 0.5, 1, 2, 4, or 8 hr. The restricted water schedule remained in effect for the next 72 hr, at which time the rats were given a choice between saccharin and water. Inhalation of all concentrations of p-xylene reduced relative saccharin intake, with maximal aversion at 800 and 1600 ppm. The aversion produced by 400 ppm p-xylene was maximal at exposures of 2 or more hr, with shorter exposures producing intermediate effects. Total fluid intake was unaffected by p-xylene exposure with the exception of a slight (nonsignificant) decrease in consumption following 1600 ppm. Exposure to saccharin 24 hr prior to p-xylene produced no aversion, indicating that the reduction in saccharin intake required close temporal pairing of saccharin and p-xylene. Thus inhaled p-xylene at a concentration of 1 2 its TLV (=100 ppm) caused a significant, learned change in rats' normal consumption of saccharin-flavored water, without disrupting total fluid consumption.
Toroidal coil planet centrifuge for counter-current chromatography

Abstract A simple tabletop model of a versatile counter-current chromatographic system is introduced. The apparatus compactly holds a long coiled column around a drum-shaped holder. The acceleration produced by the synchronous planetary motion of the holder enables stable retention of the stationary phase in each helical turn of the coil while the mobile phase is continuously eluted through the column. The capability of the method was demonstrated on separations of DNP amino acids and oligopeptides using typical two-phase solvent systems. The present method will provide a universal application of solvent systems including aqueous-aqueous polymer phase systems used for partition of cell particles and macromolecules.
Diagnosis and treatment of chronic abacterial prostatitis: a systematic review.

Purpose The optimal management of chronic abacterial prostatitis is not known. A systematic review of the literature was done to answer the following questions: Are there accurate, reliable tests to diagnose chronic abacterial prostatitis? Are there effective therapies for it? Data sources Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (1966 to 1999), the Cochrane Library, and bibliographies of identified articles and reviews and by contacting an expert Study selection Diagnostic test articles were included if they reported on controlled studies; treatment articles were included if they reported on randomized or controlled trials. No language restrictions were applied. Data extraction For each selected article, two investigators independently extracted key data on study design, patient characteristics, diagnostic test or treatment characteristics, and outcomes. Data synthesis 19 diagnostic test articles and 14 treatment trials met the inclusion criteria The disparity among studies in design, interventions, and other factors precluded quantitative analysis or pooling of the findings. Diagnostic test articles included 1384 men (mean age, 33 to 67 years) and evaluated infection; inflammation, immunology, and biochemistry; psychological factors; and ultrasonography. Treatment trials included 570 men (mean age, 38 to 45 years) and evaluated medications used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, thermotherapy, and miscellaneous medications. No trial was done in the United States. Conclusions There is no gold-standard diagnostic test for chronic abacterial prostatitis, and the methodologic quality of available studies of diagnostic tests is low. The few treatment trials are methodologically weak and involved small samples. The routine use of antibiotics and alpha-blockers to treat chronic abacterial prostatitis is not supported by the existing evidence.
Mixed-effects regression modeling of real-time momentary pain assessments in osteoarthritis (OA) patients

Mixed-effects regression models have extraordinary capacity to capture the essence of complex longitudinal data. In this paper we present analyses from a longitudinal study on 157 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) where real-time momentary self-reported pain and physical activity level were collected. We illustrate the application of heterogeneous mixed effect (HME) models to examine the effect of time-varying activity level assessments (sedentary vs. moderate/vigorous) during the 30 min prior to the pain recording on mean pain levels and variability. We also examine the variation in pain associated with activity level and the degree that participant characteristics (weight-bearing vs. non-weight bearing joint w/OA, body mass index, white vs. non-white race, gender) and psychosocial factors (mood, tension, pain catastrophizing) influence pain variation. We fit separate HME models for each characteristic or factor. These HME models are fit with standard statistical software, but there are challenges to fitting and interpreting these models. Once fit the models provide a powerful tool to help guide researchers in understanding highly individualized pain trajectories.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon rates of uptake, depuration, and biotransformation by Lake Michigan Stylodrilus heringianus

Abstract Uptake, depuration, and biotransformation rates of selected unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Stylodrilus heringianus were determined. These were compared to rates for other benthic organisms, particularly Mysis relicta and Pontoporeia hoyi . Uptake from lake water and sediment from Lake Michigan, where S. heringianus is an abundant oligochaete, was determined. Independent sediment uptake experiments involved two sediment particle size matrices. Depuration rate constants ranged from 0.013 to 0.020 h−1. Biotransformation over 48 h was negligible. Bioconcentration and PAH uptake relative to oxygen uptake were predicted.
Fracture of A12O3 in Combined Tension/Torsion: I, Experiments

Combined tension/torsion tests were performed on solid A12O3 rods at principal stress ratios σ2/σ1 of 0 (pure tension), -0.17, -0.38, -0.78, and -1.0 (pure torsion). The tensile principal stress at fracture σ1 increased with increasing compressive principal stress σ2, resulting in a higher strength in torsion than uniaxial tension. The ratio σ1 (torsion)σ1 (tension) was 1.31 for A12O3, in general agreement with limited torsional data for brittle materials in the literature. Brittle fracture data in the tension-compression quadrant of principal stress space show an interesting dichotomy since strengthening is observed in torsional investigations, whereas weakening is observed for pressurized-tube studies. This difference may be either a pressurized-tube test artifact or a real effect due to the presence of stress gradients.
Survivors, Not Victims

What some people believe about Haiti and the devastating effects of the 2010 earthquake revolves around the coverage in the media. While the media hinted at what was going on after the January 12th earthquake, it was not a completely accurate portrayal of the complex issues that existed in the various tent cities of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Almost two years later in 2011, almost 500,000 people were still living in unacceptable conditions in scattered parts of the capital. The things that I witnessed firsthand in Port-au-Prince over the summer of 2011 as an undergraduate student conducting ethnographic research speak to the impact that the earthquake has had beyond the physical damage, particularly in terms of social conditions. What I came away with from my research was that making change is not a question of economics but of humanity.
Combined effects of tidal and diurnal cycles on spawning of the puffer, Takifugu niphobles (Tetraodontidae)

Spawning in the pufferTakifugu niphobles was observed at Tomioka in western Kyushu, Japan, and the factors affecting the spawning time were estimated using a multiple regression analysis. Spawning in this puffer occurred in the intertidal beach during evening rising tides around the full and new moons. Both the time of commencement and ending of a day's spawning were related mainly to the tidal cycle, and occurred later when the high tides occurred later. However, the termination of a day's spawning was also affected by the diurnal cycle; spawning ended earlier when sunset was earlier. Besides, a day's spawning tended to be concentrated within a shorter time span when the interval between the commencement of spawning and the sunset was shorter. Thus the spawning time of the puffer is regulated not only by the tidal but also by the diel cycle, and it is suggested that the adaptive significance of the spawning reactions to both cycles should be examined separately.
Behavior modeling with probabilistic context free grammars

Identifying the behavioral patterns in a social network setting is beneficial to understand how people behave in certain application domains. Such patterns can also be utilized to characterize social signals such as social roles from interactions. In this work, we examine how probabilistic context free grammars (PCFGs) can be utilized to model interactions and role taking in a social network. We describe how to automatically build a PCFG given a set of interactions as the training data. Our experiments on the Mission Survival Corpus 1 (MSC-1) dataset show that PCFGs are a concise way of modeling social entity behaviors and are useful in understanding the probability distribution of interactions as well as the behavior types that are observed.
Imaging of acute appendicitis: US as the primary imaging modality

Background: The investigation of the acute abdomen in infants and children has evolved during the last two decades, placing imagers at the forefront of the evaluation and diagnosis of acute right lower quadrant abdominal problems. US and CT have recently been shown to be equally accurate in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, but not everyone agrees. Objective: To demonstrate the efficacy of triaging patients with acute abdominal problems that suggest appendicitis with US as the primary imaging modality. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the prospective imaging diagnoses in 622 children who presented to our emergency room (ER) and clinics with acute abdominal symptoms suggestive of appendicitis. We documented whether US or CT was performed and noted the diagnoses made. All of the patients had plain films. In addition, all patients undergoing surgical appendectomy during this time were also documented so as not to miss any cases of appendicitis. None was missed. Results: There were 622 consecutive patients in our study. Three patients, diagnosed as normal, were eventually excluded because of lack of follow-up. In all, 152 patients were evaluated clinically and with plain films only. They were not subject to surgical exploration or further imaging. None returned with appendicitis. Eighty-one patients were directly subject to laparotomy after clinical and plain film evaluation. Of these patients, 20% had a normal appendix. Of the remaining 389 patients, 386 had US and three had CT alone. Four patients had both CT and US because of an inconclusive US examination. Three patients had CT alone because of their size. In total, 137 patients were diagnosed with appendicitis with US and/or CT. Four of these patients (3%) had normal appendices. Forty-two patients (less three lost to follow-up) were diagnosed as normal, and none returned with findings of appendicitis. Nine others had conditions other than acute appendicitis. Three had surgically proven, nonrelated conditions, and of the other six, one had pancreatitis and five nonsurgical adnexal problems. In all, 201 patients were diagnosed (with US) with mesenteric adenitis–enteritis, and none returned with findings of appendicitis. Conclusion: We attained a high degree of diagnostic accuracy in patients presenting with findings suggestive of appendicitis using US as the primary imaging modality. Our false-positive appendectomy rate was 3%. Therefore, triage of the acute abdomen with US supported by CT when required has considerable merit, especially when considering that US is noninvasive and does not use ionizing radiation.
Performance of Flooded Refrigerant Evaporators with Enhanced Tubes

An analytically based computer program was used to calculate the performance benefits provided by the use of enhanced tube geometries in an R-11 flooded refrigerant evaporator. Three different boiling surface geometries are evaluated: integral fins, and two different high-performance enhanced boiling surface geometries. Four water-side surface geometries are evaluated: a plain surface, a 10-ridge ribbed tube, a 30-ridge ribbed tube, and a corrugated tube. The performance analysis is applied to a 250-ton (879-kW) R-11 chiller operating at full load condition. The reference evaporator bundle has 180 tubes 135 in. (3.43 m7rpar; long, with two water-side passes. The analysis compares the performance benefits provided by the enhanced boiling surface with a plain internal diameter (ID7rpar; and with an enhanced ID. Analysis are provided to define the shell length reduction for specified operating conditions, and to define how much the saturation temperature may be increased for a bundle of fixed size. Analysis ...
Prospects for E-Government in Latin America: Satisfaction With Democracy, Social Accountability, and Direct Democracy

Direct democracy “from below” constitutes a strong tool of social accountability. Powerful arguments have been made regarding the information problem associated with direct democracy. In an increasingly complex world, citizens have trouble gathering enough information to make decisions on complicated issues. E-government offers a unique opportunity to solve, at least partially, the information problem. Granting access to information and services, e-government allows citizens to become more acquainted with the governing process.In order to assess the potentiality of extending e-government I created an index of E-government Potentiality. This index is constructed through the combination of diverse variables (education index; main telephone lines per 100 inhabitants; estimated PC per 100 inhabitants; and Internet users per 100 inhabitants). It is then compared with the actual use of e-government in the region (data came from West et al 2002). Surprisingly, there is not a direct proportional relation between ...