cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical activity, common brain pathologies, and cognition in community-dwelling older adults

Objective To examine the associations of physical activity, Alzheimer disease (AD), and other brain pathologies and cognition in older adults. Methods We studied 454 brain autopsies from decedents in a clinical-pathologic cohort study. Nineteen cognitive tests were summarized in a global cognitive score. Total daily physical activity summarized continuous multiday recordings of activity during everyday living in the community setting. A global motor ability score summarized 10 supervised motor performance tests. A series of regression analyses were used to examine associations of physical activity, AD, and other brain pathologies with global cognition proximate to death controlling for age, sex, education, and motor abilities. Results Higher levels of total daily activity (estimate 0.148, 95% confidence interval 0.053–0.244, SE 0.049, p = 0.003) and better motor abilities (estimate 0.283, 95% confidence interval, 0.175–0.390, SE 0.055, p Conclusions Physical activity in older adults may provide cognitive reserve to maintain function independent of the accumulation of diverse brain pathologies. Further studies are needed to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying this potential reserve and to ensure the causal effects of physical activity.
Hemisphere‐specific effects of prefrontal theta‐burst stimulation on visual recognition memory accuracy and awareness

Background The prefrontal cortex has been implicated in episodic memory and the awareness of memory. Few studies have probed the nature and necessity of its role via brain stimulation. There are uncertainties regarding whether the hemisphere of stimulation predicts effects on memory and whether effects of stimulation are format-specific, with most previous studies utilizing verbal/semantic stimuli. Objective Our primary objective was to determine if theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TBS) to prefrontal cortex modulates visual memory accuracy, visual memory awareness, or both, and whether these effects depend on brain hemisphere. Methods We administered TBS to 12 individuals in either left prefrontal, right prefrontal, or a sham location on three separate days. We then administered a visual associative-memory task incorporating global-level awareness judgments and feeling-of-knowing (FOK) judgments on test trials for which retrieval failed. Results Overall memory accuracy significantly improved after right hemisphere TBS compared to sham. Simultaneously, subjects were relatively underconfident after right TBS, suggesting minimal awareness of memory accuracy improvements. The correspondence between FOKs and later recognition accuracy suggested a pattern of disruption in prospective memory monitoring accuracy after left TBS. Conclusions Our findings provide unique evidence for improved visual memory accuracy after right prefrontal TBS. These results also suggest right prefrontal lateralization for visual memory and left-hemisphere specialization for item-level prospective memory awareness judgments. Taken together, these results provided continued support for noninvasive stimulation to prefrontal cortex as a means of potentially improving memory and causally influencing prospective memory awareness.
Oral Vibrotactile Sensation and Perception: State of the Art

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the history of vibrotactile testing and development. Oral vibrotactile testing is a sensory assessment procedure that can be employed to evaluate tactile sensory function on the human tongue and lips. The rationale for oral vibrotactile testing is based on the feedback theory of speech regulation. Oral vibrotactile testing is a method that provides the capacity for obtaining quantitative measurements from the tactile sensory channel proposed by the Fairbanks model. This procedure has been used to study oral tactile function in normal and speech-defective populations and to investigate the potential of tactile feedback in the regulation of normal speech. Research concerning lingual vibrotactile threshold measurement is relatively new but rapidly accumulating. Data collection continues to be undertaken in each of the three major areas of research.
Indigenizing Environmental Justice: Case Studies from the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Environmental justice research and movements aim to achieve the fair treatment of individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, income, or educational levels with respect to environment...
The association of preoperative delirium with postoperative outcomes following hip surgery in the elderly.

Abstract Study objective To determine the association of preoperative delirium with postoperative outcomes following hip surgery in the elderly. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Postoperative recovery. Patients 8466 patients all of whom were 65 years of age or older undergoing surgical repair of a femoral fracture. Of the total population studied, 1075 had preoperative delirium. Of those with preoperative delirium, 746 were ASA class 3 or below and 327 were ASA class 4 or above. Of the 7391 patients without preoperative delirium, 5773 were ASA class 3 or below and 1605 were ASA class 4 or above. The remainder in each group was of unknown ASA class. Interventions We used multivariable logistic regression to explore the association of preoperative delirium with 30-day postoperative outcomes. The odds ratio (OR) with associated 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported for each covariate. Measurements. Data was collected regarding the incidence of postoperative outcomes including: delirium, pulmonary complications, extended hospital stay, infection, renal complications, vascular complications, cardiac complications, transfusion necessity, readmission, and mortality. Main Results. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds of postoperative delirium (OR 9.38, 95% CI 7.94–11.14), pulmonary complications (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.4–2.36), extended hospital stay (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.26–1.72), readmission (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01–1.59) and mortality (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.54–2.39) were all significantly higher in patients with preoperative delirium compared to those without. Conclusions After controlling for potential confounding variables, we showed that preoperative delirium was associated with postoperative delirium, pulmonary complications, extended hospital stay, hospital readmission, and mortality. Given the lack of studies on preoperative delirium and its postoperative outcomes, our data provides a strong starting point for further investigations as well as the development and implementation of targeted risk-reduction programs.
Who Lends Beyond the Red Line? The Community Reinvestment Act and the Legacy of Redlining

Redlining occurs when financial institutions refuse to serve particular neighborhoods, often based on their racial and ethnic composition. Maps like those infamously created by the New Deal’s Home ...
Charity Care Characteristics and Expenditures Among US Tax-Exempt Hospitals in 2016

Objectives. To examine content of financial assistance polices (FAPs) among US tax-exempt hospitals and determine whether restrictive policies were associated with reduced charity care spending.Methods. Using hospital tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service in 2016 and FAPs obtained from hospital Web sites, we examined characteristics of FAPs and associated expenditures for charity care in a representative sample of 170 tax-exempt hospitals. We identified common eligibility requirements and used them to define restrictiveness of FAPs.Results. FAPs were characterized by various ways to exclude patients, a patchwork of coverage for typical health care services, and wide-ranging discounts. FAP expenditures were lowest among restrictive hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act and highest among nonrestrictive hospitals in nonexpansion states. FAP expenses did not differ by hospital restrictiveness alone.Conclusions. Standardizing common eligibility requirements among FAPs carries potential benefits with regard to optimizing charity care for community benefit and achieving at least some level of equity; however, further policy efforts must account for additional restrictions, charges, and exclusions to be effective.
RNA-seq of Human T-Cells After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Identifies Linc00402 as a Novel Regulator of T-Cell Alloimmunity

Mechanisms governing allogeneic T-cell responses after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) and solid organ transplantation are incompletely understood. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) do not code for, but control gene expression with tissue specificity. However, their role in T-cell alloimmunity is unknown. We performed RNA-seq on donor T-cells from HSCT patients and found that increasing strength of allogeneic stimulation caused greater differential expression of lncRNAs. The differential expression was validated in an independent patient cohort, and also following ex vivo allogeneic stimulation of healthy human T-cells. Linc00402, a novel, conserved lncRNA, was identified as the most differentially expressed and was enriched 88 fold in human T-cells. Mechanistically, it was mainly located in the cytoplasm, and its expression was rapidly reduced following T-cell activation. Consistent with this, tacrolimus preserved the expression of Linc00402 following T-cell activation, and lower levels of Linc00402 were found in patients who subsequently went on to develop acute graft versus host disease (GVHD). The dysregulated expression of Linc00402 was also validated in murine T-cells, both in vitro and in vivo. Functional studies using multiple modalities to deplete Linc00402 in both mouse and human T-cells, demonstrated a critical role for Linc00402 in the T-cell proliferative response to an allogeneic stimulus but not a non-specific anti-CD3/CD28 stimulus. Thus, our studies identified Linc00402 as a novel, conserved regulator of allogeneic T-cell function. Because of its T-cell specific expression and its impact on allogeneic T-cell responses, targeting Linc00402 may improve outcomes after allogeneic HSC and solid organ transplantation.
Impacts of performing electrolysis during organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization

An electrochemical variant of organocatalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization (O-ATRP) is developed and investigated. Inspired by electrochemically mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (eATRP), potentiostatic electrolysis is used to manipulate the catalyst's redox states in O-ATRP to understand whether deactivation in O-ATRP can be enhanced to improve polymerization control. During the course of this work, several possible side reactions are investigated, and the electrochemical apparatus is optimized to reduce side reactions at the counter electrode. This electrochemically modified O-ATRP method (eO-ATRP) is then studied at different applied potentials, under different irradiation conditions, and with two photoredox catalysts to understand the impact of electrolysis on polymerization control. Ultimately, although electrolysis was successfully used to improve polymerization control in O-ATRP, some additional challenges have been identified. Several key questions are postulated to guide future work in this area.
The Design, Implementation, and Acceptability of a Telehealth Comprehensive Recovery Service for People With Complex Psychosis Living in NYC During the COVID-19 Crisis

Introduction The COVID-19 crisis and subsequent stay-at-home orders have produced unprecedented challenges to the dissemination of recovery oriented behavioral health services (RS) that support the treatment of those with complex psychosis (CP).This population has typically been managed with in-person pharmacotherapy and/or RS, with the goals of relieving symptoms, improving life satisfaction and increasing community engagement. COVID-19 related social distancing measures have required rapid shifts in care management, while easing of telehealth regulations has allowed for flexibility to approach RS differently. It is essential to learn from the RS telemedicine implementation experience, so that RSs can maintain care for this vulnerable and needy population. Method This paper describes the successful telehealth conversion of a NYC-based, university affiliated RS that serves adults with severe mental illnesses (SMI; n = 64). Results focus on the telehealth acceptance rates of the subset of participants with CP (n = 23). Results The RS continued providing services including intake, care coordination, group psychotherapies, skills training groups, individual skills coaching, and vocational/educational supports. The telehealth conversion rates of the CP subsample indicated that 90% of CP patients accepted telehealth sessions and maintained their specific treatment plans in the virtual format. Mean comparisons between session attendance and cancellations/no-shows during the six-week period before and after telehealth conversion showed no significant differences in service utilization. Discussion RSs play an essential role in the treatment of CP and telehealth may prove to be a viable format of care delivery even after the COVID-19 crisis subsides. The multiple factors in the inner and outer treatment setting that contributed to successful conversion to telehealth will be considered along with the challenges that clinicians and patients encountered.
Afterword: Functional Variation and Context of Situation

Ravinder Gargesh has devoted his intellectual life to the analysis, study, and teaching of English and other languages in their sociolinguistic context. For decades he has pursued a nuanced understanding of how language is used and interpreted in varying contexts, and how language responds to that use by way of structural and sociolinguistic variation. It is therefore fitting that this festschrift is entitled, Functional Variations in English: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Challenges.
Sexual self-concepts among sexual minority men with childhood sexual abuse histories

Sexual self-concepts are people’s positive and negative perceptions as sexual beings. This study sought to further understand sexual self-concepts among young men who have sex with men with childho...
Effects of climate change on parasites and disease in estuarine and nearshore environments

Information on parasites and disease in marine ecosystems lags behind terrestrial systems, increasing the challenge of predicting responses of marine host-parasite systems to climate change. However, here I examine several generalizable aspects and research priorities. First, I advocate that quantification and comparison of host and parasite thermal performance curves is a smart approach to improve predictions of temperature effects on disease. Marine invertebrate species are ectothermic and should be highly conducive to this approach given their generally short generation times. Second, in marine systems, shallow subtidal and intertidal areas will experience the biggest temperature swings and thus likely see the most changes to host-parasite dynamics. Third, for some responses like parasite intensity, as long as the lethal limit of the parasite is not crossed, on average, there may be a biological basis to expect temperature-dependent intensification of impacts on hosts. Fourth, because secondary mortality effects and indirect effects of parasites can be very important, we need to study temperature effects on host-parasite dynamics in a community context to truly know their bottom line effects. This includes examining climate-influenced effects of parasites on ecosystem engineers given their pivotal role in communities. Finally, other global change factors, especially hypoxia, salinity, and ocean acidity, covary with temperature change and need to be considered and evaluated when possible for their contributing effects on host-parasite systems. Climate change-disease interactions in nearshore marine environments are complex; however, generalities are possible and continued research, especially in the areas outlined here, will improve our understanding.
Molecular Imaging in the College of Optical Sciences - An Overview of Two Decades of Instrumentation Development.

During the past two decades, researchers at the University of Arizona’s Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging (CGRI) have explored a variety of approaches to gamma-ray detection, including scintillation cameras, solid-state detectors, and hybrids such as the intensified Quantum Imaging Device (iQID) configuration where a scintillator is followed by optical gain and a fast CCD or CMOS camera. We have combined these detectors with a variety of collimation schemes, including single and multiple pinholes, parallel-hole collimators, synthetic apertures, and anamorphic crossed slits, to build a large number of preclinical molecular-imaging systems that perform Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT). In this paper, we discuss the themes and methods we have developed over the years to record and fully use the information content carried by every detected gamma-ray photon.
Individual differences in intuitive processing moderate responses to moral transgressions

Abstract Despite the widespread recognition that intuitive processing is integral to moral judgment, research has provided minimal support for the role of individual differences in faith in intuition (FI) in moral outcomes. We propose that reliance on intuitive processing is likely to influence moral behavior when people experience internally generated morally-relevant feelings. We conducted two studies to test this proposal, examining whether FI would moderate the effects of moral recall manipulations on morally-relevant outcomes. In Study 1 ( N = 120), FI moderated the effects of condition such that after imagining telling a lie in an email, people high in FI gave increased valuations of hand cleansing products. In Study 2 ( N = 197), FI moderated the effects of condition such that after recalling a past personally relevant immoral act, FI predicted less cheating on an unsolvable IQ test. Implications for moral psychology and the importance of theoretically informed methods for studying the role of individual differences in intuitive processing are discussed.
First Row Transition Metal Phosphides

A review with 209 references of the binary and ternary metal phosphides for the first row transition metals. A large variety exists in M:P stoichiometry for this class of compounds although a number of general trends are easily identified. Compounds with different transition metals having the same M:P ratio often adopt similar crystallographic forms, providing tremendous flexibility in producing isostructural ternary or higher order compounds over a wide composition range. In some cases, however, a given M:P stoichiometry can choose to crystallize in one of two different crystal systems depending on transition metal, temperature, pressure, and dopant metals. Common features of the variety of structural types are presented. Crystal data are tabulated for compounds exhibiting a variety of different M:P stoichiometries for each transition metal in the first series. For ternary phosphides containing more than one first row transition metal, crystal data is also presented showing that these compounds adopt the structure of one of the parent metals involved. The metal phosphides have been well-studied for the electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties and a number of examples of these properties are presented. Keywords: first row transition metal; phosphide; pnictide; semiconductor; magnetic material; ferromagnetic; antiferromagnetic; magnetocaloric; catalysis; solid-state crystal structure
The Relation Between Philosophy of Science and History of Science

In the heat of a debate, it is often hard to see how one-sided and sometimes foolish the opposed positions are. The debate on the relation of the history of science to the philosophy of science is so patently an unreasonable one that one has to step back to see it in its full absurdity. Further, in order to understand why reasonable and often intellectually superior people have been caught in this absurdity, it will help to examine the alternative positions and to suggest how and why they developed as they did, both conceptually and historically.
Mitigating the impact of transportation network disruptions on evacuation

Homeland Security Presidential Directive-8 establishes a framework for national preparedness, including a vision, specific scenarios of concern, as well as a task list and target capabilities to be developed. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has fostered enhanced resilience through sponsorship of tools to simulate the impact of the various disaster scenarios identified. However, the default simulations implemented for each of these scenarios implicitly assume availability of public transportation networks for task such as evacuation and response, yet such availability cannot be guaranteed without explicit consideration of the triggering events on transportation networks. Transportation is especially important as a majority of the scenarios indicate that over half of the affected population will need to be evacuated or self-evacuate and this population may be on the order of hundreds of thousands of people. Given the volume of traffic such scenarios may generate, the automobile transportation network will need to carry the majority of this flow of evacuees. Thus, methods to assess and mitigate the negative impact of transportation network disruptions on all aspects of disaster management, will be essential to reduce communal risk. This paper examines the criticality of public transportation in the context of the planning scenarios, suggesting methods to explicitly incorporate the impact of transportation network disruption. Methods based on dynamic traffic assignment are explored and applied to a small hypothetical scenario inspired by the 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt.
Nominal Income and Prices

Nominal income and prices are defined. Keywords: consumer price index; real prices; inflation
Reply to comment by R. L. Lysak on “Improved basis set for low frequency plasma waves”

[1] In a Comment, R. L. Lysak argues against the validity of Bellan (2012) on the grounds that this paper uses fluid rather than kinetic theory. The Comment invokes a commonly used method for reducing the 3×3 wave equation matrix to a 2×2 matrix which then gives approximate dispersion relations. In this Response, it is shown that the same 3×3 wave equation matrix can be obtained from fluid theory and certain mathematical inconsistencies in the method of analysis used in the Comment are identified. It is shown that the dispersion relation derived in Bellan (2012) provides a much better description of the experimental observations reported by Kletzing et al. (2003) than does the dispersion relation proposed in the Comment and in Lysak and Lotko (1996).
Norm and Order

In this section we discuss elementary properties of vector lattices with the ultimate goal of characterizing continuous function spaces and their closed vector sublattices.
Rayleigh-Taylor instability generated by rarefaction waves - Comparison with Richtmyer-Meshkov instability

Acceleration induced by rarefaction waves can destabilize a contact surface between fluids of different dinsity. This instability causes irregularities on the contact surface to grow. The growth can persist long after the rarefaction wave has passed, leading to significant enhancement of mixing. This rarefaction-driven Rayleigh-Taylor instability is studied numerically and compared with the analogous Richtmyer-Meshkov instability.
Two techniques for improving performance on bus-based multiprocessors

We explore two techniques for reducing memory latency in bus-based multiprocessors. The first one, designed for sector caches, is a snoopy cache coherence protocol that uses a large transfer block to take advantage of spatial locality, while using a small coherence block (called a subblock to avoid false sharing). The second technique is read snarfing (or read broadcasting), in which all caches can acquire data transmitted in response to a read request to update invalid blocks in their own cache. We evaluated the two techniques by simulating 6 applications that exhibit a variety of reference patterns. We compared the performance of the new protocol against that of the Illinois protocol with both small and large block sizes and found that it was effective in reducing memory latency and providing more consistent, good results than the Illinois protocol with a given line size. Read snarfing also improved performance mostly for protocols that use large line sizes. >
Symbolic Model Checking Visualization

The industrial deployment of formal verification technology that has not yet reached its maturity is extremely difficult. The more automated and therefore most widely used formal verification technology, symbolic model checking, has a severe problem of limited capacity. The capacity limitation reflects itself in long, and most importantly, unpredictable run time duration which results in low productivity.In this paper, we demonstrate how we integrated techniques from the fields of algorithm animation, performance monitoring, and knowledge engineering in order to boost two major problem areas of model checking: the capacity limitation and low productivity. We have developed a prototype, called Palette, in order to demonstrate these concepts.Palette uses visualization techniques to give insight to the execution of the symbolic model checking algorithms. Furthermore, it tracks the progress of the verification run and enables mid-course analysis of the status. Palette makes a step forward in estimation of the run time duration by predicting the amount of work done in some selected execution tasks, and informing the ones that are to be executed in the future. An additional important goal of Palette is to assist in building and automating the model checking usage methodology, and consequently to reduce the need for user expertise and intervention. In this aspect, Palette is a light-weight expert system for model checking. It can determine which algorithms are not efficient and reason on their failure. It can also advice on how to make a verification task complete successfully.
Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease

Many cardiovascular risk factors are involved in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Evidence-based medicine has taught us that lifestyle modifications such as a heart-healthy diet, smoking cessation, daily exercise, and optimal weight control have a significant impact on reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This chapter discusses these interventions as well as the role of antihypertensive, antiplatelet, and cholesterol-lowering therapies.
Effects of sex hormones on protein and collagen content of the temporomandibular joint disc of the rat

Abstract Purpose: The effect of sex hormones on the protein and collagen content of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc of adult male and female rats. Materials and Methods: One hundred forty-four Wistar rats were assigned to 14 groups of 12 each. Two groups, one female and one male, served as a control and received no treatment, and two other groups (one female and one male) received a sham gonadectomy and placebo hormone. The remaining 10 groups (five males and five females) received either orchiectomy or ovariectomy, followed by administration of estrogen, progesterone, combined estrogen and progesterone, or testosterone. The total protein and collagen content of the TMJ disc were determined using the calorimetric hydroxyproline method. Results: The collagen content of TMJ discs of control males was statistically greater than the collagen content of the control female rats. This difference disappeared after ovariectomy of females and orchiectomy of males. Also, there was a general trend for a decrease in collagen and protein content to be produced by estrogen, progesterone, and by estrogen combined with progesterone in castrated male and female rats, and by orchiectomy of male rats. There was also a trend toward an increase in collagen and protein content after ovariectomy in female rats and administration of testosterone to castrated male and female rats. However, the only statistically significant effect of the drugs tested was that of estrogen combined with progesterone in ovariectomized female rats (a lowering effect on the total protein) and of estrogen alone in orchiectomized male rats (a lowering effect on the collagen content). Conclusion: Steroid sex hormones have an effect on the collagen and protein content of the TMJ disc of the rat as indicated by the difference in the values between control males and females and by the disappearance of this difference on castration of both male and female animals. This was also manifested by the significant effect of estradiol on collagen content of castrated males, by the effect of estrogen combined with progesterone on the protein content of castrated females.
Mechanical behavior of mandibular continuity defects reconstructed using combinations of hydroxylapatite and autogenous bone.

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to determine the mechanical behavior of primate ( Macaca mulatta ) mandibles with continuity defects reconstructed using varying ratios of an alloplastic hydroxylapatite (HA) implant material mixed with autogenous bone (AB). The defects were allowed to heal for 6 and 18 months before killing the animals and mechanical testing. Each animal had one side of the mandible restored with 100% AB as control. The fracture strength and section modulus of the opposite side of the mandible, containing the test ratio of HA-AB, were directly compared with the mechanical behavior of the control side. The fracture strength and section modulus were evaluated by a cantilever type of mechanical test that took into account the anisotropic, viscoelastic, and geometric nature of the mandible. The type of bone and tissue at the fracture site was examined by scanning electron microscopy and a direct correlation between the amount of bone and/or fibrous tissue growth around the HA implant material and the fracture strength and section modulus values was established. The average fracture strength of the AB graft sites at 18 months was 9,975 ± 4,300 psi, with ratios of 25:75 and 50:50 HA-AB giving test results approaching those of the AB graft sites.
ALGAE AS USEFUL TOOLS IN CELLULOSE RESEARCH

This presentation will review the 1976 discovery of the enzyme complex in cellulose biosynthesis in Oocystis apiculata. A linear terminal complex (TC) was found to be associated with a microfibril, and from other freeze fracture applications, TCs have been found in many different algal genera. In fact, the algae have the most diverse and complex TCs among all organisms. TC diversity in terms of the evolution of cellulose biogenesis will be discussed. Combining the latest information from biochemistry and molecular genetics, the multiplicity of cellulose biogenesis will be reviewed. Cellulose molecular weight, crystalline structure, and mode of glycosylation for polymer formation all indicate that cellulose biogenesis is an extremely complex process. Major questions still remain, and the enzymes for cellulose biosynthesis have yet to be crystallized and their structure elucidated; however, the wealth of new information on cellulose structure and biosynthesis from algae to vascular plants, including bacteria and tunicates, all point to a very exciting and useful area of research. The algae have played key roles in our understanding of nature's most abundant macromolecule.
An estrogen receptor positive MCF-7 clone that is resistant to antiestrogens and estradiol

Abstract The antiestrogen tamoxifen has been successfully used to control estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. However, the development of antiestrogen resistance is frequently observed in patients following long term treatment. We have studied the development of antiestrogen resistance in vitro and established an antiestrogen resistant variant of MCF-7 cells (clone 5C) after long term culture in estrogen free medium. The growth of clone 5C cells was not altered by either estradiol-17β or the antiestrogens 4-hydroxytamoxifen and ICI 164,384. Estrogen-stimulated progesterone receptor and reporter gene expression were markedly reduced in 5C cells compared to wild type MCF-7 cells. Only minor alteration in the levels of ER and no alteration in the affinity of ER for ligand were found in 5C cells. No mutation of ER cDNA in 5C cells was detected by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. This study demonstrates that change(s) in ER-mediated gene expression rather than the amino acid sequence of the ER itself may be associated with the development of at least one form of antiestrogen resistance.
Microsphere Integration in Active and Passive Photonics Devices

As an important step towards integration of microspheres in compact functional photonics devices, we demonstrate direct efficient coupling of light in and out of high-Q whispering- gallery (WG) modes in silica microspheres using angle- polished single mode fibers. Based on this principle, we present a 1-inch fiber-pigtailed microsphere module that can be used for fiber-optic applications, and a fiber-coupled erbium-doped microsphere laser at 1.55 micrometers . In addition, we report preliminary data on the intensity modulation based on high-Q WG modes in a lithium niobate sphere. We also demonstrate a novel geometry WG-mode optical microcavity that combines Q approximately 107, typical for microspheres, with few-nanometer mode spacing either available in lower quality factor Q approximately 104 microfabricated planar rings.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Catalysis of linoleate oxidation by copper‐proteins

Copper-proteins formed by the binding of copper ions to conalbumin, serum albumin, or caseinate are more effective catalysts for linoleate oxidation than is copper alone. The main product is conjugated diene linoleate hydroperoxide. Hemocyanin shows similar catalytic activity.
Vibrational energy transfer in H2 + He

Abstract A semiclassical approach is developed to study vibrational energy transfer in H 2 + He by use of the a priori interaction potential including all nonzero impact parameter collisions. The calculated values of the rate coefficient are found to be in excellent agreement with experimental data which are available in the temperature ranges 60–450 K and 1350-3000 K. The temperature dependence is shown to seriously deviate from the Landau-Teller prediction below 1000 K. The calculation was carried out over the temperature range of 30 to 10000 K.
Electromagnetic devices and the application of computational techniques in their design

This paper reviews the application of the finite element method in the design of electromagnetic devices. The order of presentation is historical. Available techniques and future trends are discussed in the context of finite element methods based on differential equation formulations. Examples illustrate the computational techniques from the perspective of designers of electromagnetic devices.
Membrane activation of smooth muscle from rabbit basilar artery by dopamine.

Intracellular membrane potential (Em) and force development were measured in rabbit basilar artery to help elucidate the mechanism of action of dopamine in this preparation. There was a strong correlation between membrane depolarization and contraction (r=0.95) between 3×10−7 M to 10−4 M dopamine. When the vascular muscle cells were depolarized by elevating [K]o there was a Em dependent decrease in force development in response to dopamine. Significant reduction of dopamine stimulated force development was observed when the vessel was depolarized by 5–6 mV by excess extracellular K+ and 90% inhibition was seen when the artery was depolarized to −20mv. When Ca++ influx was blocked, dopamine no longer induced force development. Such findings suggest that dopamine cotracts rabbit basilar artery by a mechanism involving membrane depolarization. This process may involve an influx of extracellular Ca++ through voltage sensitive channels.
The effect of cations in equilibrium gradient centrifugation of mucopolysaccharides

Abstract When high-density, cartilage proteoglycan (and the lower molecular weight mucopolysaccharides derived from it by papain or trypsin digestion) is centrifuged to equilibrium in complex gradients of CsCl and guanidinium chloride, the peak density is markedly and reproducibly decreased. Hyaluronic acid, a less dense macromolecule, is also decreased in density by the presence of guanidinium ion in the gradient and the extent of the decrease is directly related to the concentration of the guanidinium ion in the starting solution. Other cations, such as Li + or Ca 2+ , also produce marked, concentration-dependent, decreases in the density of hyaluronate. The effect is complicated by the fact that the equilibrium distribution of the added cation does not follow the CsCl gradient, but forms a reverse gradient. The density shift must involve an interaction of the added cation with the charged groups of the mucopolysaccharide polyanion since the added cations have no effect on uncharged polysaccharides such as dextran or Ficoll. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that the primary effect could be caused by increased hydration due to increased water activity since centrifugation in Cs 2 SO 4 (which reduces the density of nucleic acids by increasing their hydration) leads to substantial decreases in density of all polysaccharides including the uncharged dextran and Ficoll. Although the density of proteins, such as albumin and lysozyme, is not appreciably affected by guanidinium ion; proteoglycan and isolated keratan sulfate fractions of high protein content are markedly decreased in density by guanidinium ion. Such density shifts of the components of proteoglycan must be considered in any attempt to interpret experiments which study disaggregation phenomena in CsCl/guanidinium chloride gradients.
Fold Development in Zagros Simply Folded Belt, Southwest Iran

In the simply folded belt of the Zagros Mountains, a sequence of Precambrian to Pliocene shelf sediments about 12 km thick has undergone folding from Miocene to recent time. Much of the section (6,000 to 7,000 m), consisting of Cambrian to Miocene rocks, forms a single structural lithic unit, the Competent group. It is bounded above and below by detachment zones in evaporite deposits. Structures in the Competent group are typical of parallel folds formed by buckling and developed by a combination of flexural-slip and neutral-surface mechanisms. They include bedding-plane slickensides, extension structures on anticlinal crests, and congested anticlinal and synclinal fold cores. The neutral-surface component of folding has had an important influence on fluid migration. The symmetry of Competent group folds reflects shearing in the lower detachment zone. The enormous size of the folds is the result of many factors acting together; chief among these is the great thickness of the structural unit. Folding induced by salt movement may have occurred in the Competent group but is unrelated to the Cenozoic buckle folds; it provides a mechanism for salt diapirism through competent strata, and an explanation of how room was made for diapirs and why they rarely contain relics of country rocks. Preexisting diapirs have been reactivated in anticlines by the tectonic stresses causing buckling, but their movement generally has been halted in synclines. Diapirs are unlikely to have been initiated during buckle folding. The basement has not taken part in the folding, but instead has been deformed by strike-slip faulting.
Dynamic Simulation of a Leadscrew Driven Flexible Robot Arm and Controller

High performance requirements in robotics have led to the consideration of struc­ tural flexibilty in robot arms. This paper employs an assumed modes method to model the flexible motion of the last link of a spherical coordinate robot arm. The model, which includes the non backdrivability of the leadscrews, is used to in­ vestigate relationships between the arm structural flexibility and a linear controller for the rigid body motion. This simple controller is used to simulate the controllers currently used in industrial robots. The simulation results illustrate the differences between leadscrew driven and unconstrained axes of the robot; they indicate the trade-off between speed and accuracy; and show potential instability mechanisms due to the interaction between the controller and the robot structural flexibility.
Polyphosphazene membranes. I. Solid‐state photocrosslinking of poly[(4‐ethylphenoxy)‐(phenoxy)phosphazene]

Abstract : Dense films of poly((4-ethylphenoxy)(phenoxy)phosphazene), PEPP, a potentially attractive ion-exchange membrane material, were crosslinked to varying degrees using UV light and a photoinitiator. This polymer contained two kinds of substituents: phenoxy groups to be used for possible functionalization (e.g. , sulfonation) and ethylphenoxy sidechains for photocrosslinking, where hydrogens at the benzylic carbons could be abstracted by a photoinitiator leaving macroradicals that after recombination formed covalent bonds. The polyphosphazene polymer was synthesized, mixed with a photoinitiator, shaped into a thin film by solvent casting, and irradiated with UV light for a specified period of time. Benzophenone, BP, was selected as the photoinitiator because it was miscible with polyphosphazene, had the highest rate of hydrogen abstraction and absorbed UV light of 365 nm wavelength. The half-life of benzophenone in 50 micrometers thick irradiated films was determined to be 20 min. When the BP-PEPP molar ratio was increased from 0 to 0.5 the glass transition temperature increased after irradiation from -8.8 to 53.5 deg C. At the same time the equilibrium swelling in dimethylacetamide, at 25 deg C, decreased from infinity to 0.31. Tensile strength tests of the crosslinked films revealed a nonlinear dependence on BP-PEPP molar ratio. jg p2
Effect of catenation and basicity of pillared ligands on the water stability of MOFs

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have extremely high surface areas and pore volumes, tunable pore sizes and chemical functionalities and are an interesting addition to the field of porous materials. One of the key challenges that needs to be overcome to elevate MOFs to the applied level is their sensitivity to humid environments. The work reported here seeks to address this critical issue by examining two important contributors to MOF stability or instability: basicity (pKa value) of the pillar ligand and catenation of the framework. Catenation is the interpenetration or interweaving of two or more identical and independent frameworks. We demonstrate that, using catenation in combination with a pillaring strategy, it is possible to obtain water stable MOFs even when the pillar ligand has lower basicity (pKa value). This study shows that after 90% relative humidity (RH) exposure, comparing Zn-BDC-DABCO (DMOF) and Zn-BDC-BPY (MOF-508), MOF-508 is stable due to its two-fold interpenetration that prevents significant water adsorption. In contrast, comparing non-catenated isostructural pillared MOFs Zn-TMBDC-DABCO (DMOF-TM) and Zn-TMBDC-BPY (MOF-508-TM), MOF-508-TM is unstable since BPY is less basic (higher pKa) and less rigid than DABCO.
Self-Assembly of Novel Polyrotaxanes: Main-Chain Pseudopolyrotaxanes with Poly(ester crown ether) Backbones.

Not threading rings on chains, but chains through rings results in a new class of main-chain polyrotaxanes. The cations of bipyridinium salts thread through the crown ether units of a poly(ester crown ether) chain (shown below). The threading efficiency m/n of the polyrotaxane is controlled by stoichiometry and temperature.
HE-Tree: a framework for detecting changes in clustering structure for categorical data streams

Analyzing clustering structures in data streams can provide critical information for real-time decision making. Most research in this area has focused on clustering algorithms for numerical data streams, and very few have proposed to monitor the change of clustering structure. Most surprisingly, to our knowledge, no work has been proposed on monitoring clustering structure for categorical data streams. In this paper, we present a framework for detecting the change of primary clustering structure in categorical data streams, which is indicated by the change of the best number of clusters (Best K) in the data stream. The framework uses a Hierarchical Entropy Tree structure (HE-Tree) to capture the entropy characteristics of clusters in a data stream, and detects the change of Best K by combining our previously developed BKPlot method. The HE-Tree can efficiently summarize the entropy property of a categorical data stream and allow us to draw precise clustering information from the data stream for generating high-quality BKPlots. We also develop the time-decaying HE-Tree structure to make the monitoring more sensitive to recent changes of clustering structure. The experimental result shows that with the combination of the HE-Tree and the BKPlot method we are able to promptly and precisely detect the change of clustering structure in categorical data streams.
Enhanced nucleic acid capture and flow cytometry detection with peptide nucleic acid probes and tunable-surface microparticles.

Abstract New methods for automated, direct nucleic acid purification and detection are required for the next generation of unattended environmental monitoring devices. In this study we investigated whether tunable-surface bead chemistry and peptide nucleic acids (PNA) could enhance the recovery and detection of intact rRNA in both test tube and automated suspension array hybridization formats. Intact rRNA was easily captured and detected on PNA-coated Lumavidin beads from 0.1 ng total RNA with a 15-min hybridization in pH 7 buffer, representing 1.7×10 3 cell equivalents of total RNA. DNA-conjugated beads in pH 5 hybridization buffer required an overnight hybridization to achieve a detectable signal at 0.1 ng target RNA. Standard DNA hybridization conditions (pH 7) were one order of magnitude less sensitive than the tunable-surface (pH 5) condition. The PNA-conjugated particles were 100× more sensitive than the tunable-surface DNA particles in the automated format, with a detection limit of 0.1 ng total RNA. The detection limits for total RNA on PNA-conjugated microparticles is immediately conducive to the detection and characterization of microorganisms in low-biomass environments or to the identification of rare sequences in a complex sample mixture, without using PCR.
The Use of Portfolios in Leadership Education

This paper discusses the benefits of using student portfolios in undergraduate leadership education at Saint Michael’s College. There appears to be a natural link between the use of portfolios as a tool to facilitate and document leadership growth and development. The Business Administration and Accounting Department at Saint Michael’s College adopted the portfolio concept to provide students with a vehicle for introspection, self-reflection, and to learn from successes and failures as they provide evidence of satisfying the business department’s goals for graduating students and document their growth and development as leaders.