cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Churches' Lobbying and Campaigning: A Proposed Statutory Safe Harbor for Internal Church Communications

President Trump, reiterating the position he took during the presidential campaign, has recently reaffirmed his pledge to “get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment,” the provision of the Internal Revenue Code which prohibits tax-exempt institutions from participating in political campaigns. The Code also bars tax-exempt institutions, including churches, from substantial lobbying activities. Rather than the blanket repeal of the Johnson Amendment proposed by President Trump, I argue for a statutory safe harbor for the internal communications of churches. This limited safe harbor would protect in-house church discussions from both Section 501(c)(3)’s ban on substantial lobbying and from that section’s prohibition on political campaigning. Under this proposed amendment to the Internal Revenue Code, churches, along with other religious and secular tax-exempt institutions, would otherwise remain subject to the Code’s bars on campaigning and lobbying. While entanglement considerations counsel greater protection than current law provides for speech within churches, these statutory bars properly deter the diversion of income tax-deductible resources to campaigning and lobbying. My more targeted reform of the Johnson Amendment addresses the legitimate concerns of churches about their First Amendment rights while preventing the tax-exempt sector from becoming a conduit for tax-deductible campaign contributions.
The GlueX Experiment: First Results

GlueX is a nuclear physics experiment located at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility designed to study and understand the nature of confinement in QCD by mapping the spectrum of exotic mesons. The experiment will be able to probe new areas by using photoproduction, i.e. the scattering on nucleon of $$\sim $$ 9 GeV linearly polarized photons derived from the recently upgraded CEBAF with a 12 GeV electron beam. Spring 2016 has been characterized by a continued detector commissioning and initial running at the full design energy. The current status of the GlueX detector performance and data collection will be discussed, with a brief overview of first physics results, future run plans, and long term upgrades.
Image-based pupil plane characterization via a space-domain basis

Aberration characterization plays a critical role in the development of any optical system. State-of-the-art lithography systems have the tightest aberration tolerances. We present an approach to image-based pupil plane amplitude and phase characterization using models built with a space-domain basis, in which aberration effects are separable. A polynomial model is constructed between the projections of the image intensity for chosen binary mask targets onto this basis and pupil amplitude or phase variation. This method separates model building and pupil characterization into two distinct steps, thus enabling rapid pupil characterization following data collection. The basis is related to both the transmission cross-coefficient function and the principal components of the image intensity. The pupil plane variation of a zone-plate lens from the Semiconductor High-NA Actinic Reticle Review Project (SHARP) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is examined using this method. Results are compared to pupil plane characterization using a previously proposed methodology where inverse solutions are obtained through an iterative process involving least-squares regression.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants: Progress and Problems

Once perceived as the future of hip arthroplasty, metal-on-metal (MoM) prostheses have since infamously fallen out of favor. The in vitro advantages of MoM implants, which included improved wear properties, reduced osteolysis, and allowed for the use of larger femoral heads to improve stability, have since been far outweighed by the local and systemic reactions associated with metal-on-metal implants. These adverse reactions stem from local release of chromium and cobalt ions, which result in immune responses locally and the formation of effusions and large solid masses known as pseudotumors or systemic effects on various organ systems. With over 1 million MoM prostheses in circulation worldwide, the revision burden of these devices is expected to increase, and a thorough understanding of the clinical manifestations of adverse reactions and revision strategies is essential for revision arthroplasty surgeons.
Preliminary Science Results from the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer has completed the first all-sky all-band survey for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) sources. Four all-sky maps have been obtained, centered at 100 A, 200 A, 400 A, and 600 A. A preliminary report on these results will be presented. The guest observer (GO) phase of the mission using the Deep Survey/Spectrometer telescope has begun, and a wide range of astrophysical topics are now being investigated. Highlights of the results obtained to date will be presented.
On the Boundary of Two Worlds: Lithuanian Philosophy in the Twentieth Century

Modern Lithuanian philosophy originated as aresponse to the questions formulated in Russianphilosophy – religious, moral, and social.Later it turned to Continental Europeanphilosophy, preoccupying itself with German andFrench existentialism, hermeneutics, andphenomenology. Yet the loss of independentpolitical and intellectual existence Lithuaniaexperienced for five decades isolated andmarginalized the then lively and promisingintellectual culture. In the 1980s, Lithuanianphilosophy started recovering and reorientingitself, again, to Western currents of moderntheoretical thought. Drawing on the example ofmodern Lithuanian philosophy, the articlepresents a detailed historical overview of whatmight be termed the East-Central European routeto political and cultural modernity.
PARTIAL SLIP DAMPING IN HIGH STRENGTH FRICTION GRIP BOLTED JOINTS

Abstract The frictional forces in High-Strength Friction-Grip Bolted Joints (HSFGB Joints) are associated with dissipation of energy which depends mainly upon the stages of loading: (1) the joint partially slips (microslip); and (2) the joint fully slips (macroslip). The normal pressure between the mating surfaces of a HSFGB joint is a function of the radial distance away from the bolt's hole, thus the energy dissipation is a function of a variable slip with the mentioned radial distance. A variable coefficient of friction with the normal damping pressure represents a further complication. Since the holes' diameter is not much larger than the bolts' diameter, and since the axes of the hole and of the bolt do not generally coincide it appears that, for a joint with a large number of bolts, the microslip stage of loading should be considered in the evaluation of the joint energy dissipation capacity beside that which occurs during macroslip. Specimens of joints with one and two bolts were cyclic loaded, the hysteresis loops were recorded and the dissipation of energy was compared with an established mathematical model for dissipation of energy of HSFGB joints in the microslip stage of loading.
Application of Linear Fiber Links to Wireless Signal Distribution: A High-level System Perspective

The use of analog (a.k.a. linear) fiber-optic links as the connecting infrastructure in wireless microcellular networks has been proposed [138, 139, 140, 141, 142]. Wireless systems must provide uniform radio coverage to spatially distributed mobile users in a cost effective manner. Small (radius ∼ 300 m) radio microcells can serve a high density of users and require low user handset transmit power compared to large (r ∼ 1 km) macrocells in existing systems.
Addressing the Urban Management Challenge: Indonesia’s Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development Program

We are all familiar with the sizeable gap that exists between developing countries’ urban infrastructure requirements and the funds those countries have available to pay for them — a gap that has certainly widened in the troubled economic environment of the 1980s. Financing, however, is not always the binding constraint. Around the world today there are many funded projects that are not moving ahead simply because there is no one available to manage them. More broadly, the lack of trained managers is constraining the expansion of all basic urban government functions in the face of the unparalleled growth of the cities and towns in the developing world. This problem is one of the major barriers to the “replicability” of innovations in urban development (Cohen, 1983) This paper assesses the scope and future of the urban management challenge and describes a promising approach now being implemented in Indonesia: the Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development Program (IUIDP).
RODENT-DENUDED AREAS OF THE NORTHERN MOJAVE DESERT

Populations of pocket gophers and rabbits regulate or control the perennial vegetation on relatively large sites in the northern Mojave Desert. Aboveground shoots are pruned and whole plants are killed by complete cutting of main roots.
Compiling almost-whole Java programs: Research Articles

This paper presents a strategy, called almost-whole-program compilation, for extending the benefits of whole-program optimization to large collections of Java components that are packaged as a group after the development phase. This strategy has been implemented in a framework that uses Java visibility and scoping rules to transform a collection of classes into a package that is amenable to whole-program optimizations, without precluding extensions to the optimized and compiled code. Thus, it enables the Java developer to balance performance against flexibility of the program after the development phase, without compromising the design process. The transformation is shown to incur only modest performance penalties, which are more than compensated for by the interprocedural optimizations it enables. The paper concludes with experimental results showing the benefits that can be achieved using this approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapidly increasing ethanol concentrations in rainwater and air

Rainwater and gas phase ethanol concentrations increased approximately fourfold between 2010 and 2017 in Wilmington, NC, USA. This 8-year study demonstrates that the gas phase and rainwater concentrations of ethanol have risen due to increased production and use of ethanol as a biofuel. Rainwater ethanol concentrations are close to equilibrium with local atmospheric gas phase concentrations and have increased in proportion to increased air concentrations. Ethanol emissions are important because they impact the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere due to the reactivity of the alcohol towards hydroxyl radical. Gas phase ethanol contributes to air pollution through oxidation to acetaldehyde, with subsequent production of ozone, and in high NOx regions production of peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). However, combustion of ethanol can also lower emissions of acetaldehyde precursors such as alkenes, suggesting that the potential impact of ethanol combustion is complex. The large increase in the concentration of ethanol in both the gas and condensed phases indicates that existing sinks are not sufficient to remove the excess alcohol being added to the atmosphere from biofuel use. This suggests that the projected growth of ethanol as a biofuel will result in considerable increases in atmospheric concentrations within the next few years with direct ramifications on a host of fundamentally important atmospheric processes. Concentrations of ethanol have increased in both rain water and the atmosphere due to the use of ethanol biofuels. Biofuel use has doubled in the past decade as a means to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions. However, the corresponding impact on ethanol sources and sinks remains largely unquantified. Joan Willey from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and colleagues, investigate these changes using a unique record of rainwater and atmospheric ethanol concentrations from Wilmington, NC. From 2010 to 2017, atmospheric and rainwater ethanol concentrations have increased fourfold, suggesting current sinks are insufficient in removing ethanol at the rate at which it is being added, impacting air quality and other atmospheric processes. As ethanol concentrations are projected to increase further through the continued expansion of biofuels, more work is needed to fully examine their environmental impacts.
Association Between Negative Cognitive Bias and Depression: A Symptom-Level Approach

Cognitive models of depression posit that negatively biased self-referent processing and attention have important roles in the disorder. However, depression is a heterogeneous collection of symptoms and all symptoms are unlikely to be associated with these negative cognitive biases. The current study involved 218 community adults whose depression ranged from no symptoms to clinical levels of depression. Random forest machine learning was used to identify the most important depression symptom predictors of each negative cognitive bias. Depression symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Model performance was evaluated using predictive R-squared (Rpred2), the expected variance explained in data not used to train the algorithm, estimated by 10 repetitions of 10-fold cross-validation. Using the self-referent encoding task (SRET), depression symptoms explained 34% to 45% of the variance in negative self-referent processing. The symptoms of sadness, self-dislike, pessimism, feelings of punishment, and indecision were most important. Notably, many depression symptoms made virtually no contribution to this prediction. In contrast, for attention bias for sad stimuli, measured with the dot-probe task using behavioral reaction time (RT) and eye gaze metrics, no reliable symptom predictors were identified. Findings indicate that a symptom-level approach may provide new insights into which symptoms, if any, are associated with negative cognitive biases in depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract # 3194 Greater chronic stress exposure and accumulated daily stress appraisals relate to cell senescence signal p16INK4a in mid-life parents

Previous research has linked exposure to chronic stress with DNA damage and accelerated telomere shortening, raising the possibility that psychosocial stress may impact biological aging pathways, ultimately increasing risk for age-related diseases. Less clear, however, is whether this leads to cell growth arrest and cellular senescence. 73 parents ( M age = 43.0, SD = 7.2; 55% female) completed interview-based and questionnaire (Perceived Stress Scale) measures of their adverse exposure to and experience of stress, as well as daily reports of stress appraisals over an 8-week diary period. Blood samples were used to assess markers of cellular aging: leukocyte telomere length and gene expression of senescent cell signal p16INK4a ( CDKN2A ). Random effects models covarying for age, sex, ethnicity/race, and BMI revealed that participants with greater chronic stress exposure over the previous 6 months ( b = 0.01, p = .04), global perceived stress ( b = 0.02, p .001), and accumulated daily stress appraisals over the 8-week period ( b = 0.01, p = .01) showed increased gene expression of p16INK4a. No significant associations with telomere length were found. Findings extend previous work on the impact of stress on biological aging by linking chronic stress exposure and daily stressful experiences to an accumulation of senescent cells. Findings support the hypothesis that chronic stress is associated with accelerated aging by inducing cellular senescence, a common pathophysiology in age-related diseases.
Preadmission predictors of graduation success from a physical therapy education program in the United States

Purpose The field of physical therapy education is seeking an evidence-based approach to inform qualified applicant admission. A considerable amount of research exists; however, results represent an array of outcomes making practical application difficult. It aims to determine what preadmission criteria are predictors of graduation success. Methods Data from the 2013-2016 graduating cohorts (n=149) were collected. Predictors included verbal, quantitative and analytical Graduate Record Examination rank percentile), admissions interview, precumulative science grade point average (SGPA), precumulative grade point average (UGPA), and reflective essay. Measures of graduation success were identified as the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) and grade point average at the time of graduation (GGPA). Two separate mixed effects models determined associations between preadmission predictors and NPTE, and preadmission predictors and GGPA. Results Overall, NPTE model fit comparison was significant (df=10; p=0.001) and within-cohort variance decreased 59.5%. The NPTE was associated with GGPA (β=125.21; p=0.001), and verbal Graduate Record Examination (VGRE) rank percentile interview, essay and GGPA (p≤0.001) impacted model fit. Overall, GGPA model fit comparison was not significant (df=8; p=0.56) and within-cohort variance was decreased by 16.4%. The GGPA was associated with interview (β=0.02; p=0.04) and UGPA (β=0.25; p=0.04). VGRE rank percentile, interview, UGPA, and essay (p≤0.02) impacted model fit. Conclusion Above findings suggest that GGPA predicts NPTE, and the interview and UGPA predict GGPA. The essay and VGRE rank percentile warrant attention because of their influence on model fit. It is recommended that admissions ranking matrices designate greater weight to the interview, UGPA, VGRE rank percentile, and essay.
Financial impact of improving patient care setting selection after bariatric surgery.

Abstract Background Potentially avoidable Emergency Department (ED) visits are a significant source of excess healthcare spending. Despite improvement in postoperative readmissions, 20% of bariatric surgery patients utilize the ED postoperatively. Many of these visits may be appropriately managed in lower-acuity centers. Objective We sought to evaluate the economic impact of shifting potentially avoidable ED visits following bariatric surgery to lower-acuity centers. Setting Statewide quality improvement collaborative. Methods We performed an observational study of patients who underwent bariatric surgery between 2011- 2017 using a linked data registry including clinical data from a large quality improvement collaborative and payment data from a statewide value collaborative. Postoperative ED visits and readmission rates were determined. 90-day ED and Urgent Care Center (UCC) visit claims were matched to a clinical registry. Price-standardized payments for UCC and ED visits without admission were compared. Results Among the 36,071 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, 8.4% presented to the ED postoperatively. Approximately 50% of these visits resulted in readmission. 388 ED visits without readmission (i.e. “potentially avoidable ED visits”) and 110 UCC encounters with claims data were identified. Triaging a potentially avoidable ED visit to an UCC would generate a savings of $4,238 per patient, reducing spending in this cohort by $1.6 million. Conclusion Shifting potentially avoidable ED visits following bariatric surgery could result in significant cost savings. Efforts to improve patients’ selection of healthcare setting and increase utilization of lower-acuity centers may serve as a template for appropriately meeting the needs of patients and containing spending following bariatric surgery.
Crystal structures of two (5,5,7,12,12,14‐hexamethyl‐1,4,8,11‐tetraazacyclotetradecane)iron(III) complexes

Reported in this contribution are the synthesis and crystal structures of two new FeIII com­plexes of 5,5,7,12,12,14-hexa­methyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­aza­cyclo­tetra­decane (HMC), namely, di­chlorido­(5,5,7,12,12,14-hexa­methyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­aza­cyclo­tetra­deca­ne)iron(III) chloride, [FeCl2(C16H36N4)]Cl or cis-[FeCl2(rac-HMC)]Cl (1), and di­chlorido­(5,5,7,12,12,14-hexa­methyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­aza­cyclo­tetra­deca­ne)iron(III) tetra­chloridoferrate, [FeCl2(C16H36N4)][FeCl4] or trans-[FeCl2(meso-HMC)][FeCl4] (2). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that both 1 and 2 adopt a pseudo-octa­hedral geometry, where the macrocycles adopt folded and planar geometries, respectively. The chloride ligands in 1 are cis to each other, while those in 2 have a trans configuration. The relevant bond angles in 1 deviate substanti­ally from an ideal octa­hedral coordination geometry, with the angles between the cis substituents varying from 81.55 (5) to 107.56 (4)°, and those between the trans-ligating atoms varying from 157.76 (8) to 170.88 (3)°. In contrast, 2 adopts a less strained configuration, in which the N—Fe—N angles vary from 84.61 (8) to 95.39 (8)° and the N—Fe—Cl angles vary from 86.02 (5) to 93.98 (5)°.
HIV Prevalence and Associated Risks in a Respondent-Driven Sample of Illicit Stimulant Users in a Southern United States City

Stimulant abuse is a major contributor to HIV transmission in the United States, yet HIV prevalence among persons who use illicit stimulants remains unknown. We implemented respondent driven sampling (RDS) to estimate the prevalence of HIV infection in this high-risk population. We also examined RDS-adjusted rates of risk behaviors among HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants. Recruited from seven seeds, our sample of 387 participants was 46% female, 89% African American, and 45.94 years old on average. Participants were predominantly non-injection cocaine users, had large networks of stimulant users, and reported an established relationship with their recruiter. The adjusted population proportion of HIV infection was 0.07 (0.04, 0.11). The majority of sexually active participants reported engagement in risk behaviors (73%), but rates generally did not differ by HIV status. Our results highlight that stimulant use is a risk factor for HIV infection. This study also demonstrates that RDS is a very effective strategy for reaching stimulant users in the community.
Deconstructing the Taxation of Packaged Financial Strategies

Financial claims are often taxed according to the way in which they are nominally “packaged” rather than according to their economic characteristics. We deconstruct financial taxation by viewing any financial strategy as a dynamic portfolio of pure debt and pure equity. Given the taxation of these building blocks, there is a unique consistent equivalent tax treatment for any strategy, and this transparent tax is a benchmark against which burdens or subsidies due to packaging can be measured. We quantify tax effects in present value terms in the context of a partial equilibrium model. We apply our methodology to common hybrid securities, such as convertible bonds and reverse convertible bonds. We find tax-induced discrepancies of up to about up to about 6% of value (i.e., 20 basis points per year) for typical 30-year convertible bonds. With unfunded securities, such as puts and calls, the discrepancy becomes much larger in percentage terms. Because these unfunded positions are levered, however, investors do not buy as many of them, and the discrepancy in aggregate absolute terms is therefore likely not so much greater. In our framework, the discrepancy can be eliminated either by taxation based on an ongoing determination of building block equivalents or else by eliminating distinctions in taxation among the building blocks. In particular, this would require eliminating the tax distinction between debt and equity.
Total body and regional surface area: Quantification with low-cost three-dimensional optical imaging systems.

OBJECTIVES Body surface area (SA) is a widely used physical measure incorporated into multiple thermophysiology and evolutionary biology models currently estimated in humans either with empirical prediction equations or costly whole-body laser imaging systems. The introduction of low-cost 3D scanners provides a new opportunity to quantify total body (TB) and regional SA, although a critical question prevails: can these devices acquire the quality of depth information and process this initial data to form a mesh that has the fidelity needed to generate accurate SA estimates? MATERIALS AND METHODS This question was answered by comparing SA estimates calculated using images from four commercial 3D scanners in 108 adults to corresponding estimates acquired with a whole-body laser system. This was accomplished by processing initial mesh data from all devices, including the laser system, with the same universal software adapted specifically for repairing mesh gaps, identifying landmarks, and generating SA measurements. RESULTS TB SA measured on all four 3D scanners was highly correlated with corresponding laser system estimates (R2 s, 0.98-0.99; all p < 0.001) with some small but significant mean differences (-0.19 to 0.06 m2 ); root-mean square errors (RMSEs) were small (0.02-0.03 m2 ); and significant bias was present for one device. Qualitatively similar results (e.g., R2 s, 0.78-0.95; mean Δs, -0.05 to 0.02 m2 ; RMSEs, 0.01-0.03 m2 ) were present for trunk, arm, and leg SA comparisons. DISCUSSION The current study observations demonstrate that low-cost and practical 3D optical scanners are capable of accurately quantifying TB and regional SA, thus opening new opportunities for evaluating human phenotypes and related physiological characteristics.
Shoulder External Rotational Properties During Physical Examination Are Associated With Injury That Requires Surgery and Shoulder Joint Loading During Baseball Pitching.

Background:Throwing arm injuries are common because of the demand on the shoulder. The shoulder is qualitatively checked regularly by team physicians. Excessive instability and joint loading in bas...
Macrophage recruitment in obese adipose tissue

Obesity is characterized as a chronic state of low-grade inflammation with progressive immune cell infiltration into adipose tissues. Adipose tissue macrophages play critical roles in the establishment of the chronic inflammatory state and metabolic dysfunctions. The novel discovery that pro-inflammatory macrophages are recruited to obese adipose tissue prompted an increased interest in the interplay between immune cells and metabolism. Since this discovery, many works have been published investigating the factors that lead to macrophage recruitment, the phenotypic change of adipose tissue macrophages, and metabolic dysfunctions. Adipokines and chemokines are key mediators that play crucial roles in crosstalk between adipocytes and macrophages and in regulating the adipose tissue inflammation. In the present review, we discuss the obesity-mediated adipose tissue remodelling, and particularly, the role of adipokines/chemokines in macrophage recruitment to obese adipose tissue. This review provides new insights into the physiological role of these factors and identifies a potential therapeutic target for obesity and associated disorders.
Small-x evolution of jet quenching parameter

Concept of transverse deflection probability of a parton that travels through strongly interacting medium, recently introduced by D'Eramo, Liu and Rajagopal, has been used to derive high energy evolution equation for the jet quenching parameter in stochastic multiple scatterings regime. Jet quenching parameter, qˆ(x), appears to evolve with x, with an exponent 0.9α¯s, which is slightly less than that of xG(x) where G(x) is the gluon distribution function.
Robustness of Prewhitening Against Heavy-Tailed Sources

Many ICA algorithms use prewhitening (second order decorrelation) as a preprocessing tool. This preprocessing can be shown to be valid when all hidden sources have fintie second moments, which is not required for the identifiability issue[9]. One would conjecture that if one or more sources do not have finite second moments then prewhitening would cause a breakdown. But we discover that this conjecture is not right. We provide some theories for this phenomenon as well as some simulation studies.
Anatomical Markers of Activity in Neuroendocrine Systems: Are we all ‘Fos‐ed out’?

It has now been nearly 15 years since the immediate early gene, c-fos, and its protein product, Fos, were introduced as tools for determining activity changes within neurones of the nervous system. In the ensuing years, this approach was applied to neuroendocrine study with success. With it have come advances in our understanding of which neuroendocrine neurones respond to various stimuli and how other central nervous system components interact with neuroendocrine neurones. Use of combined tract-tracing approaches, as well as double-labelling for Fos and transmitter markers, have added to characterization of neuroendocrine circuits. The delineation of the signal transduction cascades that induce Fos expression has led to establishment of the relationship between neurone firing and Fos expression. Importantly, we can now appreciate that Fos expression is often, but not always, associated with increased neuronal firing and vice versa. There are remaining gaps in our understanding of Fos in the nervous system. To date, knowledge of what Fos does after it is expressed is still limited. The transience of Fos expression after stimulation (especially if the stimulus is persistent) complicates design of experiments to assess the function of Fos and makes Fos of little value as a marker for long-term changes in neurone activity. In this regard, alternative approaches must be sought. Useful alternative approaches employed to date to monitor neuronal changes in activity include examination of (i) signal transduction intermediates (e.g. phosphorylated CREB); (ii) transcriptional/translational intermediates (e.g. heteronuclear RNA, messenger RNA (mRNA), prohormones); and (iii) receptor translocation. Another capitalizes on the fact that many neuroendocrine systems show striking stimulus-transcription coupling in the regulation of their transmitter or its synthetic enzymes. Together, as we move into the 21st Century, the use of multiple approach to study activity within neuroendocrine systems will further our understanding of these important systems.
Evaluating resveratrol as a therapeutic bone agent: preclinical evidence from rat models of osteoporosis

Resveratrol (RSV) is a naturally occurring plant polyphenol that has potential to attenuate osteoporosis with distinct pathologies. This review evaluates preclinical evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of RSV as a therapeutic bone agent using different rat models. Limitations of these animal models are discussed, and suggestions for strengthening the experimental design of future studies are provided. The ovariectomized rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis reported that RSV supplementation attenuated estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss and trabecular structural deterioration. RSV safety was indicated by the absence of stimulation of estrogen-sensitive tissue. Providing RSV to rats aged >6 months attenuated age-related bone mass loss and structural deterioration but produced inconsistent effects on bones in rats aged <6 months. The hindlimb-suspension rat model of disuse osteoporosis reported that RSV attenuated bone loss in old rats, but higher doses and longer duration supplementation before mechanical loading were required for younger rats. Limitations common to studies using rat models of osteoporosis include requirements to include animals that are skeletally mature, longer study durations, and to adjust for potential confounding effects due to altered body weight and endocrine function. Strengthening experimental design can contribute to translation of animal results to clinically relevant recommendations for humans.
Novel and Highly Compressed Schedules for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Our thinking about radiotherapy (RT) for early-stage breast cancer has evolved considerably over the last several years. Increasingly patients and physicians together are making the decision to use altered fractionation rather than standard 6-7 weeks of conventional whole breast treatment plus lumpectomy bed boost. Adjuvant hypofractionated whole breast irradiation is now viewed as a preferred strategy for many eligible women, and can be completed in 3-4 weeks. Adjuvant accelerated partial breast irradiation is another alternative that is typically delivered in 8-10 fractions over 4-5 days. With improvements in delivery techniques, there has been renewed interest in shortening treatment times even further, with novel intraoperative approaches and ultrashort courses of external beam RT. This article provides a summary of the status and future directions in intraoperative and ultrashort course RT schedules used in the treatment of breast cancer. Outlined are the benefits as well as the drawbacks of these techniques for abbreviated breast RT.
A Second Look at the Right of First Publication

Historically, the right of first publication provided the copyright owner with a virtually exclusive right of market entry. Courts and scholars have traditionally found this right exhausted for all markets upon entry into any single market. A reexamination of the history and development of the right indicates instead that it often protected successive market entries.This article argues for a limited right of first online publication. Like the traditional right of first publication, it would generally trump a fair use defense of the unauthorized dissemination of a work online, even if that work had been previously published in print. The established publication inquiry considers the scope of prior publications, and the owner’s contractual relationships, to determine whether the right of first publication has been exhausted. Networks theory sheds light on the difference in scope between print and online publication. The dissemination of print books occurs in a conserved spread: while the physical embodiment of the content moves from point to point, the total number of copies in the network remains stable allowing the owner to correctly assess the risks inherent with market entry. Online dissemination occurs as nonconserved spread: any holder of a digital copy can instantly disseminate it to any point online while retaining the original. The differences are significant enough that print dissemination should not be held to exhaust or abandon the right of first online dissemination. Courts are often called on to apportion rights between initial copyright owners and transferees when innovations open unforeseen markets for works of authorship. An examination of these transactions indicates that the right to enter the new market generally remains with the prior owner. This tendency supports the argument that disseminating a work in a restricted format does not exhaust the right of first publication in new markets.Copyright law will need to adapt to multiple format changes over the effective life of a copyrighted work. Recognizing the right of first publication as a rule governing transitions into new formats will provide courts, copyright owners, and technology innovators with firm rules allowing the copyright owner to decide if and when to adopt a new technology. Transitional technology will likely emerge with increasing frequency in coming years. Now is the time to think seriously about implications for owners with the long view. A right of first online publication would preserve space for the inter-format fair use that is an important element of the bargain between copyright owners and the society, while protecting the ability of owners to consider the right time to make intra-format shifts and enter new and riskier markets during the protected life of the work.
Protein Measurement with the Folin Phenol Reagent

Since 1922 when Wu proposed the use of the Folin phenol reagent for the measurement of proteins, a number of modified analytical procedures utilizing this reagent have been reported for the determination of proteins in serum, in antigen-antibody precipitates, and in insulin. Although the reagent would seem to be recommended by its great sensitivity and the simplicity of procedure possible with its use, it has not found great favor for general biochemical purposes. In the belief that this reagent, nevertheless, has considerable merit for certain application, but that its peculiarities and limitations need to be understood for its fullest exploitation, it has been studied with regard to effects of variations in pH, time of reaction, and concentration of reactants, permissible levels of reagents commonly used in handling proteins, and interfering substances. Procedures are described for measuring protein in solution or after precipitation with acids or other agents, and for the determination of as little as 0.2 gamma of protein.
GENETIC ANALYSIS OF MUTANTS OF SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE RESISTANT TO THE HERBICIDE SULFOMETURON METHYL

Sulfometuron methyl (SM), a potent new sulfonylurea herbicide, inhibits growth of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on minimal media. Sixty-six spontaneous mutants resistant to SM were isolated. All of the resistance mutations segregate 2:2 in tetrads; 51 of the mutations are dominant, five are semidominant and ten are recessive. The mutations occur in three linkage groups, designated SMR1, smr2 and smr3. Several lines of evidence demonstrate that the SMR1 mutations (47 dominant and four semidominant) are alleles of ILV2 which encodes acetolactate synthase (ALS), the target of SM. First, SMR1 mutations result in the production of ALS enzyme activity with increased resistance to SM. Second, molecular cloning of the ILV2 gene permitted the isolation of mutations in the cloned gene which result in the production of SM-resistant ALS. Finally, SMR1 mutations map at the ILV2 locus. The smr2 mutations (four recessive, two dominant and one semidominant) map at the pdr 1 (pleiotropic drug resistance) locus and show cross-resistance to other inhibitors, typical of mutations at this locus. The smr3 mutations (six recessive and two dominant) define a new gene which maps approximately midway between ADE2 and HIS3 on the right arm of chromosome XV.
Omega-3 fatty acids: an ideal treatment for depression in pregnancy?

Maternal depression affects a mother and her baby. However, treatment with antidepressants during pregnancy may pose risks. Optimal care of depression during pregnancy would be efficacious and safe for both mother and baby. Treatments that provide additional health benefits to the mother and baby would be ideal. Currently there are no evidence-based guidelines to inform the use of antidepressant medications in pregnancy and postpartum. Some women may be unwilling to accept standard antidepressant medications in pregnancy because the long-term effects on the child are unknown. Omega-3 fatty acids are natural compounds with many established health benefits. The safety of omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy has been demonstrated, and specific health benefits during pregnancy have been associated with their use. Epidemiological data, treatment data and biochemical rationale support the research of omega-3 fatty acids for depression during pregnancy.
Automata simulation of the selection process

Abstract A complete simulation of the selection process can be constructed using a population of self-replicating finite-state automata. The entire population is challenged with a repeating sequence of inputs, and those individuals that are best able to recognize the input sequence are allowed to replicate most rapidly. Replication proceeds with imperfect fidelity, so that under the constraint of constant total population size, a quasispecies distribution of error copies is obtained. The operation of this simulation provides an essential representation of an evolving system. When the input sequence is altered, the structure of the existing population is destabilized, and a new quasispecies distribution emerges. The ability of the system to respond to changes in the input and the structure of the quasispecies distribution are shown to be critically dependent on the fidelity of replication.
Inoculation responses of perennial forage legumes grown in fresh hill‐land ultisols as affected by soil acidity‐related factors

Abstract A growth chamber experiment was initiated with two field moist, marginal and acidic (pH 5.1–5.2) soils of the Lily series (Typic Hapludults) in order to determine the need for improved legume‐rhizobia symbioses for forage species of current, or potential, use in the renovation of Appalachian hill‐land pastures. One soil was from an abandoned pasture having broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus L.) as the predominant vegetation, whereas the other was from a minimally‐managed pasture dominated by orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). Treatments included inoculation (or no inoculation) and the addition of aluminum, nil, or lime to provide a range of soil acidities. Both soils contained effective populations of naturalized rhizobia for white clover (Trifolium repens L.) and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), but low and/or ineffective naturalized populations of rhizobia for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.), bigflower vetch (Vicia grandiflora Scop.), and flatpea (La...
Behavioral and pituitary-adrenal response of adult squirrel monkeys to mother-infant separation

Abstract (1) The behavioral and pituitary-adrenal responsiveness of adult squirrel monkeys to brief mother-infant separation was assessed. (2) The plasma cortisol levels of males and non-maternal females in an adult group and of non-separated mothers (lactating females) in a mother-infant group were determined under undisturbed basal conditions as well as after 30 min exposure to three other conditions: infant removed from its mother and separated into a small cage either next to the social group cages (Adjacent Separation) or into a small cage and carried to a separate building (Total Separation); and presentation of a strange juvenile conspecific in a small cage next to the group cages (Stranger). (3) Males showed equivalent cortisol levels after all four conditions, while both types of females exhibited significant elevations over basal levels after both infant separation conditions but not after the Stranger condition. (4) Although lactating females showed cortisol values twice as great as those of non-lactating females, the patterns of elevations were identical for the two types of females: both separation conditions produced significant cortisol elevations. Therefore, females exhibit a marked sensitivity, independent of lactation, to social signals from the agitated mother as well as the crying infant. (5) The adult group was assessed for behavioral responses, and the only significant result was an avoidance by the males of the separated infant. (6) Relationships between social status and responsiveness to the test conditions were also examined in the adult group. The dominant animal of each sex usually showed the lowest cortisol value and greatest behavioral response, while the lowest ranking animal showed the highest cortisol value and least behavioral response.
Antenatal Testing: Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes complicating pregnancy is a problem for which fetal surveillance testing is considered to be the standard of care. In response to the unacceptable frequency of stillbirth in such pregnancies, fetal testing historically was first introduced to manage women whose pregnancies were complicated by diabetes. Essentially all forms of antepartum testing have been used to assess fetal well-being during the third trimester of pregnant diabetics. The contraction stress test became established as the "gold standard," yet other testing protocols have been used successfully. It is clear that control of diabetes throughout gestation, not just in the later stages, is more important for optimal outcome than is a specific form of fetal testing. Biweekly testing has become the standard and with well-controlled diabetics, allowing the gestation to continue until the onset of spontaneous labor, even when the gestation exceeds 40 weeks, is appropriate management with normal testing.
Security oriented program transformations (or how to add security on demand)

Security requirements change. Many systems fail to cope with the changing requirements because it is hard to redesign. I show that security can be added by applying program transformations. This improves traditional security engineering approaches and keeps software secure in the face of new security threats.
Interviews by Telephone and in Person Quality of Responses and Field Performance

A small carefully controlled field experiment tests the effects of alternative interviewing strategies on the quality of responses and on field performance. Measures include ability to answer complex knowledge and attitudinal items, response validity, and willingness and consistency in providing personal information. Field performance is assessed by examining differential length of the interview, number of contacts required, suitable times for interviewing, respondent preferences for interview strategy, and interviewer effects. Theresa F. Rogers is a Senior Research Associate at the Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University.
Gold Nanocomposites Prepared by Reactive Sputtering

Reactive sputtering of gold and selected gold alloys in oxygen and nitrogen plasmas generated in a DC glow discharge was studied. Gold alloys examined were various compositions with gallium, aluminum and silicon. Gold is transported unreacted from a gold target to the substrate in a nitrogen plasma to form polycrystalline films, but gold alloys produce fine dispersions of gold in the corresponding ceramic nitride matrix which was crystalline for gallium and amorphous for silicon and aluminum. This contrasts with the behavior in an oxygen plasma which produces pure gold oxide, Au2O3, from a gold target and gold oxide-silicon oxide nanocomposites from Au/Si alloys. Gold oxide is thermally labile and reverts to the elements at 350 °C. Stress in gold oxide films was detected in the decomposition profile, volatile evolution versus temperature, as an event occurring at a lower temperature. The thermal lability of gold oxide was utilized to generate gold nanocomposites in silica with different metal loading through pyrolysis of the corresponding precursor gold oxide-silica films. The properties of gold oxide and gold nanocomposites are described.
The surgical management of meningoceles and meningomyeloceles.

Sixty-three patients with meningoceles and meningomyeloceles were seen over a period of five years on a university neurosurgery service. Current views on the pathogenesis and pathology of these two conditions and their clinical presentation and differentiation are discussed. The problem of selecting cases for surgical procedures is considered in detail. A rationale for repair of the sac at or before 6 weeks of age is provided by analysis of the present series. It is proposed that active hydrocephalus should be treated as soon as the diagnosis can be made. Methods for the local care of the sac and the management of associated congenital anomalies are given.
The Distribution of Dye and Inorganic Ions between Solid Polymers and Solutions Part I : Corrections for Adhering or Imbibed Solution

The method originally developed by Delmenico and Peters for the determination of both the volume term ν D and the Donnan coefficient λD from data on the sorption of inorganic ions by fibers has been extended to systems in which none of the ions obeys a simple Donnan membrane distribution.