cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Immune State of Hepatitis B Among Preschool-age Children in Dongguan During the Period of 2000～2005

Objective To study the immune state of hepatitis B among preschool age children in the kindergartens of Dongguan,and to evaluate the protective effects after hepatitis B vaccination. Methods Stratified random sampling method was used in this cross-sectional study.Five district kindergartens and 4 village kindergartens were sampled in 2003 and 2005 respectively,3 classes from grade one to grade three were chosen and all of children in these classes were surveyed on the serum markers of hepatitis B by ELISA. Results The positive rate of HBsAg was 1.48% in 2003 and 0.51% in 2005.The total positive rate of anti-HBs was 62.34% in 2003 and 67.42% in 2005.The positive rate of anti-HBs among the children who received only initial vaccination was 57.22% in 2003 and 59.15% in 2005,but the positive rate increased significantly among those who received additional booster vaccination,which were 81.72% in 2003 and 76.31% in 2005,and 90.00% and 92.86% among those who had twice or more booster vaccination.There was no significant difference among those who received immunization in different years,but the positive rate of anti-HBs increased as the times of vaccination increased. Conclusions Among the kindergarten children of Dongguan,the rate of hepatitis B vaccine immunized in 2005 is higher than that in 2003,the positive rate of HBsAg is low,and the total positive rate of anti-HBs shows no statistically significant difference between these two years. The results suggest that it is necessary to have booster immunization in anti-HBs negative children.
Time, Motion, Discipline: The Authoritarian Syllabus on American College Campuses

In this paper, we read college course syllabi as material objects that shed light on larger issues, specifically conflict between faculty and students. We explore the commodification of ‘college la...
Abstract 14: A switch in metabolic phenotype in vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells to increased amino acid dependence serves as an alternate mechanism for survival

Despite considerable progress in the understanding of melanoma, and an increase in overall survival, resistance ultimately develops in most patients treated with BRAF inhibitors. To study the molecular mechanism(s) involved in acquired resistance, we generated a Vemurafenib-resistant A2-1b cell line in the BRAFV600E mutated SK-Mel28 melanoma cell background. Viability assays established IC50 of parental SK-Mel28 cells as 0.2 μM, while IC50>12 μM was noted for Vemurafenib-resistant A2-1b cells. Utilizing a quantitative proteomic strategy, profiling of A2-1b versus SK-Mel28 cells resulted in positive identification of 1720 proteins (≤1% FDR). Analysis of this data set identified a subset of 13 proteins, including Enolase 2, Triose-phosphate isomerase and Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase with a role in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and NADH repair, to be differentially regulated in resistant cells. Additional studies validated significantly decreased Enolase 1 and 2 protein expression, suppressed glucose uptake and reduced lactic acid levels in resistant A2-1b cells. The pentose phosphate pathway, in contrast to citric acid cycle intermediates, was unaffected while the latter was significantly suppressed in resistant cells. The energy status of cells was similar as evidenced by equivalent total adenylate, guanylate, NADH, NADP+ and NADPH levels. Flux experiments measuring extracelluar acidification and oxygen consumption rates demonstrated that resistant A2-1b cells are unable to efficiently utilize intrinsic or exogenous fatty acids to meet energy demands. However, A2-1b cells maintained in media deprived of arginine and lysine exhibited increased basal and maximal respiration indicative of an energy reserve that relies on amino acid metabolism. Finally, metabolomics studies showing an overall increase in the absolute concentrations of gluconeogenic and ketogenic amino acids along with significantly elevated S6Kinase expression signify a shift from glucose to amino acids as the major energy source, in resistant A2-1b cells. Our data are consistent with a model of prolonged treatment response in which de-repression of ERK-MAPK pathway activity upon emergence of resistance to Vemurafenib is associated with adaptive changes in cellular metabolism. Sensitivity to BRAF inhibitors in the context of melanoma may not be defined by a reliance on glycolysis for survival, and that switch in metabolic phenotype can serve as an alternate mechanism for cell survival. Citation Format: Deeba N. Syed, Rahul K. Lall, Yong Wei Soon, Ahmed Aljohani, Changan Guo, Feng Liu, Frank L. Meyskens, James M. Ntambi, Hasan Mukhtar. A switch in metabolic phenotype in vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells to increased amino acid dependence serves as an alternate mechanism for survival. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 14.
EFFICIENT INVERSE COLOR MAP COMPUTATION

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an algorithm for inverse color map computation. An inverse color map is used to translate full (RGB) colors into a limited set of colors. It might be used to drive an 8-bit color display to perform error-propagation dithering (for example, Floyd–Steinberg) in color or for the output phase of a color quantization algorithm. Published methods for computing such color maps seem to be few and far between, and are either relatively inefficient or inexact. This chapter describes a simple and efficient method for computing inverse color maps. A representative color is one of the colors in the limited set. There are n representative colors. RGB colors are quantized to k bits by taking the top k bits of each primary as an integer in the range 0–2k. In this chapter, two versions of the algorithm are described. The first is simple, and illustrates the basic principle as well. It is also fairly efficient, taking approximately 24 s to completely fill an inverse color map (k = 5 and n = 256) on a SUN 3/60 computer. The second version is significantly more complex, but much more efficient for large color maps, taking approximately 3.2 s to fill the same map.
Toward polarizable AMOEBA thermodynamics at fixed charge efficiency using a dual force field approach: application to organic crystals

First principles prediction of the structure, thermodynamics and solubility of organic molecular crystals, which play a central role in chemical, material, pharmaceutical and engineering sciences, challenges both potential energy functions and sampling methodologies. Here we calculate absolute crystal deposition thermodynamics using a novel dual force field approach whose goal is to maintain the accuracy of advanced multipole force fields (e.g. the polarizable AMOEBA model) while performing more than 95% of the sampling in an inexpensive fixed charge (FC) force field (e.g. OPLS-AA). Absolute crystal sublimation/deposition phase transition free energies were determined using an alchemical path that grows the crystalline state from a vapor reference state based on sampling with the OPLS-AA force field, followed by dual force field thermodynamic corrections to change between FC and AMOEBA resolutions at both end states (we denote the three step path as AMOEBA/FC). Importantly, whereas the phase transition requires on the order of 200 ns of sampling per compound, only 5 ns of sampling was needed for the dual force field thermodynamic corrections to reach a mean statistical uncertainty of 0.05 kcal mol−1. For five organic compounds, the mean unsigned error between direct use of AMOEBA and the AMOEBA/FC dual force field path was only 0.2 kcal mol−1 and not statistically significant. Compared to experimental deposition thermodynamics, the mean unsigned error for AMOEBA/FC (1.4 kcal mol−1) was more than a factor of two smaller than uncorrected OPLS-AA (3.2 kcal mol−1). Overall, the dual force field thermodynamic corrections reduced condensed phase sampling in the expensive force field by a factor of 40, and may prove useful for protein stability or binding thermodynamics in the future.
Neighborhood Disadvantage, Poor Social Conditions, and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence Among African American Adults in the Jackson Heart Study

Objectives. To examine the impact of neighborhood conditions resulting from racial residential segregation on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in a socioeconomically diverse African American sample.Methods. The study included 4096 African American women (n = 2652) and men (n = 1444) aged 21 to 93 years from the Jackson Heart Study (Jackson, Mississippi; 2000–2011). We assessed neighborhood disadvantage with a composite measure of 8 indicators from the 2000 US Census. We assessed neighborhood-level social conditions, including social cohesion, violence, and disorder, with self-reported, validated scales.Results. Among African American women, each standard deviation increase in neighborhood disadvantage was associated with a 25% increased risk of CVD after covariate adjustment (hazard ratio = 1.25; 95% confidence interval = 1.05, 1.49). Risk also increased as levels of neighborhood violence and physical disorder increased after covariate adjustment. We observed no statistically significant associations amo...
Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease

Alcohol is a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Although alcohol abstinence is the crucial therapeutic goal for patients with alcoholic liver disease, these patients have less access to psychosocial, behavioral, and/or pharmacologic treatments for alcohol use disorder. Psychosocial and behavioral therapies include 12-step facilitation, brief interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy, and motivational enhancement therapy. In addition to medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for alcohol use disorder (disulfiram, naltrexone, and acamprosate), recent efforts to identify potential new treatments have yielded promising candidate pharmacotherapies. Finally, more efforts are needed to integrate treatments across disciplines toward patient-centered approaches in the management of patients with alcohol use disorder and alcoholic liver disease.
Well-Defined Metal Nanoparticles for Electrocatalysis

Abstract Coupling electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions is an important approach for energy production with minimal environmental impact. Low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and electrochemical water-splitting systems are two representative devices developed for clean energy applications. To maintain high energy conversion efficiency, metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively studied as efficient catalysts for these reactions. Recent advance in chemical syntheses allows the development of well-defined MNPs and deeper understanding on size-, shape-, composition-, and structure-dependent electrocatalysis. As a result, the catalytic efficiency of these MNPs can be better tuned to a new level. This chapter highlights the enhanced electrocatalysis of various MNPs for the oxygen reduction reaction and methanol/formic acid oxidation reaction for fuel cell applications, oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction for water splitting, and the selective electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to CO. These studies on the well-defined MNPs offer some exciting insights for future developments of advanced nanocatalysts with maximized efficiencies for practical applications in electrochemical devices.
Sustentabilidade de Eventos Turístico-Culturais: Um Estudo sobre o "Chuva de Bala no País de Mossoró"

Os desafios do mundo contemporâneo tem gerado debates e reflexoes no cenario politico, social e economico sobre modelos e alternativas para o Desenvolvimento Sustentavel (DS), cujos pressupostos partem do processo de mudanca social e elevacao das oportunidades da sociedade, compatibilizando, no tempo e no espaco, o crescimento e a eficiencia economicos, a conservacao ambiental, a qualidade de vida e a equidade social, partindo de um claro compromisso com o futuro e a solidariedade entre geracoes. A presente pesquisa propos-se a estudar o evento Chuva de Bala no Pais de Mossoro com enfase no Desenvolvimento Sustentavel na percepcao dos atores sociais. O trabalho caracterizou-se pela natureza qualitativa, descritiva e exploratoria. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas realizadas com 35 atores sociais envolvidos no evento. Para o tratamento dos dados, foi realizada a analise de conteudo, utilizando categorias previas propostas por Sachs (1993; 2001). Os resultados mostram que a dimensao ecologica esta diretamente associada a reciclagem e a reutilizacao de materiais. A dimensao economica e compreendida como possibilidade de crescimento economico e geracao de renda para trabalhadores locais. Ja a dimensao social e percebida ao possibilitar maior igualdade e justica na distribuicao da renda, melhorando os direitos e as condicoes da populacao. A dimensao cultural esta presente na promocao da diversidade e da identidade cultural. Conclui-se que o evento, embora nao contemple um projeto contendo requisitos da sustentabilidade, atende parcialmente as dimensoes e aos pressupostos do DS.
The Spiraling and Spillover of Misconduct: Perceived Workplace Bullying, Subclinical Psychopathy, and Businesspersons’ Recognition of an Ethical Issue

Workplace bullying can potentially spiral into numerous counterproductive behaviors and negative organizational outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which increased perceptions of workplace bullying were associated with stronger expressions of (subclinical) psychopathic traits and weakened ethical decision making. Data were collected from national and regional samples of selling and business professions using a self-report questionnaire that contained relevant measures and an ethics scenario, and structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the proposed relationships. Findings indicated that perceived workplace bullying operated through psychopathy to influence the recognition of an ethical issue (or full mediation). The implications of these findings are discussed, along with the study’s limitations and suggestions for future research.
Finding One's Place: A Case Study of a Music Atelierista.

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to document one teacher’s journey as he negotiated the role of music atelierista (music studio teacher) in a school inspired by the Reggio Emilia appr...
Mission concept for a Europa Lander

A NASA HQ-directed study team led by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with partners including Applied Physics Lab, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, Langley Research Center and Sandia National Laboratory has recently presented a mission concept for a Europa Lander that would search for bio-signatures and signs of life in the near-subsurface of the Jovian moon. The mission would follow the Europa Clipper multiple-flyby mission, planned for launch in June of 2022, which would provide reconnaissance imagery and other data to the Lander for use in selecting a scientifically compelling site and certifying it for engineering safety. The Europa Lander concept accommodates the Model Payload identified by the Europa Lander Science Definition Team (SDT) and documented in the Europa Lander Study 2016 Report released in February of 2017. The currently envisioned Europa Lander would launch on an SLS Block 1B as early as October of 2025 into a ΔVEGA trajectory, arriving in the Jovian system as early as July of 2030. The baseline design of the integrated flight system includes a dedicated Carrier and Relay Stage, a Deorbit Vehicle composed of a Deorbit Stage consisting of a solid rocket motor (SRM), an MSL-like sky-crane Descent Stage, and a Lander which accommodates the instrument suite. The Lander would be powered by primary batteries over a 20-day surface mission. The science goals envisioned by the SDT require five samples taken from a depth of 10cm, a depth chosen to ensure minimal radiation processing of the potential biomarkers. Mission challenges include the large launch mass, unknown terrain topography, surface composition and materials properties, the high radiation environment, and complying with stringent planetary protection requirements. The mission concept uses a strategy of early risk reduction and overlapping requirements to provide robustness to harsh and uncertain environments. Early risk reduction efforts are aimed at maturing technologies associated with the sampling system, the intelligent landing system, high specific energy batteries, low mass and power motor controllers, and a thermal sterilization system.
Raymond Bernard Cattell and Evolutionary Federalism

The self of rational self-interest, like every other concept, gets fuzzy and elusive when examined up close. The reason is that making and refining concepts is a part of science, a part every bit as important as theory building with these concepts and testing out such theories. It is an ongoing activity and takes hard work. Mario Bunge devoted a large hunk of his Scientific Research (1967a) to the matter of definition and James Buchanan wrote a whole book, Cost and Choice (1969a), which he regards as his most important contribution to economic theory, to elucidate just one idea. Concept formation is no more to be completed than is any other scientific activity. As an economist would put it, concepts get refined until the marginal costs of further refinement start exceeding the marginal benefits. What saves this statement from being a pure tautology is the fact that foundational crises periodically take over and once again it becomes profitable to push for new ideas and further refinement.
Nomothetic Interpretations of History

According to Windelband (1894), nomothetic sciences search for general laws and are trying to explain nature. Idiographic sciences aim for an understanding of social situations or individuals in their uniqueness and do not attempt to generalize these descriptions.
Can Green Tea Polyphenols Improve Phenotypes Associated With Down Syndrome

Abstract Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome (DS) causes multiple adverse traits including cognitive, skeletal, craniofacial, and cardiac abnormalities. Once considered an intractable disorder, mouse models and clinical trials now pursue treatments to improve DS phenotypes. Trisomy of Dyrk1a, a gene on human chromosome 21, has been linked to DS cognitive, skeletal, and craniofacial deficits. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major polyphenol in green tea, inhibits Dyrk1a activity in vitro, fueling the hypothesis that EGCG treatment would improve DS phenotypes. Outcomes from various treatments in DS mouse models or humans with DS have been mixed, and evidence showing EGCG acts via inhibition of Dyrk1a in vivo is lacking. If EGCG is to be a rational treatment for DS, additional evidence must identify the role of elevated Dyrk1a activity in DS phenotypes, and show that EGCG treatment produces tissue levels sufficient to inhibit Dyrk1a activity in vivo that is temporally correlated with its efficacy.
Contested Citizenship: Renaming Processes among People of Transgender Experience.

Scholars have illustrated the significance of forenames in processes of social identity and personhood, yet little attention has focused on the relationship between names and gender identity among ...
Multivariate Metrics of Normal and Anomalous Network Behaviors

Detecting network anomalies is a fundamental part of day to day operations for Internet Service Providers and enterprises to maintain the efficiency and reliability of computer networks. Network anomaly detection is based on data characteristics of normal and anomalous network behaviors. Although many existing studies report univariate data characteristics of normal and anomalous network behaviors, there are few studies on multivariate data characteristics of normal and anomalous network behaviors. The goal of this study is to investigate multivariate data characteristics of normal and anomalous network behaviors using the Partial-Value Association Discovery (PVAD) algorithm. This paper illustrates the use of the PVAD algorithm to analyze network flow data of a medium size enterprise under the normal condition and an anomalous condition and reveal multivariate data characteristics of the normal and anomalous network flows in the form of multivariate data associations.
Mesoscale Processes during the Genesis of Hurricane Karl (2010)

AbstractObservations from the Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud Systems in the Tropics (PREDICT), Genesis and Rapid Intensification Processes (GRIP), and Intensity Forecast Experiment (IFEX) fi...
High-Q X Band Aluminum Nitride Combined Overtone Resonators

We experimentally demonstrate a new class of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) resonators, aluminum nitride (AlN) Combined Overtone Resonators (CORs). AlN CORs utilizing a combination of the $2^{{n}{d}}$ (A2) and $3^{{r}{d}}$ (A3) order asymmetrical Lamb-wave overtone at 8.8 GHz are built using one-micron aluminum nitride plates fabricated with a simple 2-mask process. Mechanical quality factor Q m and loaded quality factor Qi as high as 1100 and 750 are achieved (corresponding to $f^{\star}Q_{m}$=9.7e12 and $f^{\star}$Qr-6.6e12), being the highest reported for piezoelectric MEMS resonators operating in X band and higher bands. Those devices show near 50 $\Omega$ termination impedances (56 $\Omega$), low motional resistance R m values (20 $\Omega$) and an electromechanical-coupling coefficient k2 of 0.3%. Frequency tuning capability by varying pitch size is also demonstrated. Low- cost X band narrow band filters and oscillators can be easily built using such a new resonator technology with relaxed photolithography requirements and simple fabrication processes.
Traffic Flow on a Freeway Network

Traffic congestion is an unpleasant fact of modern life. Although difficult to quantify precisely, congestion must cost Californians millions of dollars per day. Since further extensive construction of freeways is unlikely, information technology is being increasingly looked to for amelioration by providing information allowing more efficient use of existing freeways. Statistics plays a major role in such efforts.
Vernalization Affects Absorption and Translocation of Clopyralid and Aminopyralid in Rush Skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea)

The developmental status of perennial weeds such as rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea L.) can influence herbicide absorption and translocation. Differential efficacy between fall and spring applications suggests vernalization impacts herbicide absorption and translocation in other perennial asters. Clopyralid and aminopyralid absorption and translocation were quantified in nonvernalized and vernalized plants following application of 14C-labeled herbicides 2, 4, 8, 24, and 72 h after treatment. Less 14C clopyralid was absorbed, and at a slower rate, in vernalized plants. Movement out of the treated leaf was slower, with 14C clopyralid translocating more rapidly than 14C aminopyralid. More 14C moved to the roots in nonvernalized plants compared with vernalized plants, regardless of herbicide. Increased translocation to belowground survival structures is needed for effective control of C. juncea.
Distinguishing Anxiety Subtypes of English Language Learners Towards Augmented Emotional Clarity

Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) and Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) afflict most English Language Learners (ELLs) during a presentation. However, few tools are available to help multicultural learners clearly identify which type of anxiety they are feeling. In this paper, we present a field study conducted in real language classrooms. We developed machine learning models based on features of electrodermal activity (EDA) to predict non-verbal behaviors manifested as PSA and FLA. The students were labeled with the anxiety categories both PSA and FLA, PSA more, FLA more, or no anxiety. To classify the ELLs into their respective anxiety categories, prominent EDA features were employed that supported the predictions of anxiety sources. These results may encourage both ELLs and instructors to be aware of the origins of anxiety subtypes and develop a customized practice for public speaking in a foreign language.
Improvement of Naturally Derived Food Colorant Performance with Efficient Pyranoanthocyanin Formation from Sambucus nigra Anthocyanins Using Caffeic Acid and Heat

Consumers and regulations encourage the use of naturally derived food colorants. Anthocyanins (ACN), plant pigments, are unstable in foods. In aged red wines, ACN with a free hydroxyl group at C-5 condenses to form pyranoanthocyanins (PACN), which are more stable but form inefficiently. This study attempted to produce PACN efficiently using high cofactor concentration and heat. Elderberry anthocyanins were semi-purified and caffeic acid (CA) was dissolved in 15% ethanol and diluted with a buffer to achieve ACN:CA molar ratios of 1:50, 1:100, 1:150, and 1:200, then incubated at 65 °C for 5 days. The effect of temperature was tested using ACN samples incubated with or without CA at 25 °C, 50 °C, and 75 °C for 7 days. Compositional changes were monitored using uHPLC-PDA-MS/MS. Higher CA levels seemed to protect pigment integrity, with ACN:CA 1:150 ratio showing the highest tinctorial strength after 48 h. PACN content growth was fastest between 24 and 48 h for all ACN:CA ratios and after 120 h, all ACN had degraded or converted to PACN. PACN formed faster at higher temperatures, reaching ~90% PACN in 24 h and ~100% PACN in 48 h at 75 °C. These results suggest that PACN can form efficiently from elderberry ACN and CA if heated to produce more stable pigments.
Analyzing Deep Neural Network’s Transferability via Fréchet Distance

Transfer learning has become the de facto practice to reuse a deep neural network (DNN) that is pre-trained with abundant training data in a source task to improve the model training on target tasks with smaller-scale training data. In this paper, we first investigate the correlation between the DNN’s pre-training performance in the source task and their transfer results in the downstream tasks. We find that high performance of a pre-trained model does not necessarily imply high transferability. We then propose a metric, named Frechet Pre-train Distance, to estimate the transferability of a deep neural network. By applying the proposed Frechet Pre-train Distance, we are able to identify the optimal pre-trained checkpoint, and then achieve high transferability on downstream tasks. Finally, we investigate several factors impacting DNN’s transferability including normalization, different networks and learning rates. The results consistently support our conclusions.
Digital Skills of Mobile Journalists: Exploring Learning Needs and Learner Experiences of Just-in-Time Learning With Smartphones:

Through a semi-structured survey of mobile journalists (N = 433), the study investigated mobile journalists’ learning needs and learner experiences related to their digital skills development with ...
A Restrictive Definition of Mediterranean Climates

SummaryThree parameters have been chosen to define the mediterranean climate. They are: (1) Enough rainfall for successful dry farming in most years, but not enough to sustain either a dense coniferous or a mesophyllic broadleaf deciduous forest; (2) Mild winters without intense or prolonged cold weather; (3) At least 65 percent of precipitation falling in the winter half year (November through April in the northern hemisphere). Four sub-mediterranean climates that meet two of the three criteria are also defined and mapped. They are either too dry, too wet, too cold or without a sufficient winter rainfall concentration. The core mediterranean climate occupies a more limited area than in most classificatory schemes, but it does occur on all inhabited continents, and it does include most areas with characteristic mediterranean vegetation types. Other types of vegetation occur in it only in special edaphic situations. A somewhat more detailed map of California is presented showing the core mediterranean clim...
ISSOL Meeting, 7th, Barcelona, Spain, July 4-9, 1993

The journal issue consists of abstracts presented at the International Society for the Study of the Origins of Life (ISSOL) conference. Topics include research on biological and chemical evolution including prebiotic evolution: cosmic and terrestrial; mechanisms of abiogenesis including synthesis and reactions of biomonomers; and analysis of cometary matter and its possible relationship to organic compounds on Earth. Theories and research on origins of ribonucleic acids (RNA), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and other amino acids and complex proteins including their autocatalysis, replication, and translation are presented. Abiotic synthesis of biopolymers, mechanisms of the Genetic Code, precellular membrane systems and energetics are considered. Earth planetary evolution including early microfossils and geochemical conditions and simulations to study these conditions are discussed. The role of chirality in precellular evolution and the taxonomy and phylogeny of very simple organisms are reported. Past and future explorations in exobiology and space research directed toward study of the origins of life and solar system evolution are described.
Towards Realizing the Low-Coercive Field Operation of Sputtered Ferroelectric ScxAl1-xN

In this paper, we map the ferroelectric properties of 22% and 30% scandium-doped aluminum nitride (ScAlN) thin films with the goal to engineer low coercive fields for low-voltage post-CMOS compatible RF frontends. ScAlN films, 200 nm and 300 nm thick, were deposited on platinum and molybdenum electrodes. Lateral and vertical capacitors were tested across various electric field strengths, frequencies, and electrode sizes. Measured coercive field and remnant polarization values were between 3.9-6.2 MV/cm and $58-170\ \mu \mathrm{C}/\text{cm}^{2}$ . Frequency and device area-dependence were studied to identify trends towards low coercive fields. A comparison of lateral and vertical capacitors on the same ScAlN films shows the impact of charge-traps due to current-crowding in lateral devices. Finally, an anomalous observation relating doping concentration and film stress with coercive field and remnant polarization is reported to present the potential for decoupled tuning knobs for ferroelectric engineering properties ScAlN.
Nonuniform size distribution of nascent peptides: The effect of messenger RNA structure upon the rate of translation

Abstract The size distribution of bacteriophage MS2 coat protein nascent chains purified from MS2-infected Escherichia coli has been determined. Accumulations of nascent chains of discrete sizes were observed, providing evidence that the rate of chain elongation during coat protein biosynthesis is not uniform. A correlation of the size of nascent peptides which accumulate during MS2 coat protein biosynthesis and the position on the MS2 coat protein mRNA of the ribosome carrying those lengths of nascent peptides may be made. This correlation leads to the hypothesis that regions of mRNA secondary structure impede the movement of ribosomes during chain elongation and thus serve as the origin of the accumulation of nascent chains of discrete sizes.
Clinical Management Considerations in Long-Term Survivors With Trisomy 18

As many as 90% or more of children with trisomy 18 die within the first year of life. A review of six patients with trisomy 18 documented by karyotype surviving past 1 year of age and of the trisomy 18 files of the Support Organization for Trisomy 18 and 13 indicated that a small number of children with trisomy 18 survive beyond their first year of life; a few live into their teens and twenties. In addition to medical problems that are unique to this chromosomal syndrome, these patients present complex medical problems common to all persons with chromosomal anomalies. The primary and tertiary care consultants who are able to provide knowledge and sensitive supportive care to children with trisomy 18 and to their parents are performing a service of significant benefit, no matter how brief the life span of the child may be.
Routing Algorithms for DHTs: Some Open Questions

Even though they were introduced only a few years ago, peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing systems are now one of the most popular Internet applications and have become a major source of Internet traffic. Thus, it is extremely important that these systems be scalable. Unfortunately, the initial designs for P2P systems have significant scaling problems; for example, Napster has a centralized directory service, and Gnutella employs a flooding based search mechanism that is not suitable for large systems.
Anger In The Workplace: Understanding; Recognizing, And Managing It

Violence resulting from anger in the workplace has reached epidemic proportions. One purpose of this article is to assist managers and supervisors to better understand anger and to recognize its symptoms. Another purpose is to offer useful advice about how to avoid workplace violence by practicing appropriate anger management.
Approximation of Improper Prior Measures by Prior Probability Measures

It is known that, ordinarily, any admissible decision procedure for a statistical decision problem is, in a fairly strong sense, a limit of Bayes procedures, and in many cases such a limit must be a formal Bayes procedure with respect to a prior measure which may be improper (unbounded). This paper is, for the most part, a non-rigorous attempt at finding, in a reasonably explicit form, conditions for such a formal Bayes procedure to be admissible. In addition, a small amount of effort is devoted to the question of approximation of improper prior measures by prior probability measures without regard to the question of admissibility.
Current status and future prospects for nonplanar rearview mirrors

The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) currently require driver-side rearview mirrors to be flat. For rearview mirrors of typical size, this requirement normally results in a blind zone on the driver side that is large enough to conceal an average size passenger car. In recent years, a number of studies have suggested that nonplanar rearview mirrors may be an effective solution to this problem. This paper reviews the evidence on possible effectiveness of nonplanar mirrors, assesses the strength of that evidence, and makes tentative recommendations. The main conclusion is that the use of nonplanar mirrors would probably result in a net gain in safety, but that the effectiveness of the mirrors is likely to depend on details of how they are implemented. Issues that should be resolved by additional research (some of which is already underway) are: (1) How would U.S. drivers respond to a mixed fleet of vehicles, some of which had flat mirrors and some of which had nonplanar mirrors; and (2) if nonplanar mirrors are allowed, what range of designs (from among spherical convex mirrors of various radius of curvature, and different versions of aspheric mirrors) should be used? (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E206480.
The Prone Alternative

Having attended both National Institutes of Health (NIH) meetings on infant sleep position (March 30 through 31, 1992, and January 13 through 14, 1994), and having publically expressed a minority view that the advantages of supine position in the United States might be outweighed by the disadvantages,1,2 I have been queried about whether my views have changed since the second NIH meeting. Most recently, Dr John Kattwinkel, of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sleep Positioning and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), was kind enough to request my response to the report of the second meeting.3 This response is as follows.
Was Hayek Right About Group Selection after All? Review Essay of Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior

One of the most controversial aspects of Hayek's social theory was his acceptance of the concept of cultural group selection. The publication of "Unto Others: The Evolution and Psychology of Unselfish Behavior" provides an opportunity to revisit this much-maligned component of Hayek's thought. Sober and Wilson are concerned with biological group selection, but much of their argument is equally applicable to cultural group selection. This essay revisits Hayek's views on cultural group selection in light of the model proposed by Sober and Wilson. Comparing their model to Hayek's model suggests that group selection theories are more plausible than traditionally thought and that their viability in any given situation is an empirical, not an a priori, question. So long as there are benefits to a group from greater levels of altruism and cooperation, and so long as free rider problems can be mitigated, group selection models are plausible.
Removal of Phenols from Water by a Photocatalytic Oxidation Process

Photocatalyst, CdS, upon irradiation by bandgap energy produces electrons and positive holes. The positive holes are strong oxidizing agents that can render organic compounds such as phenol oxidized. The rate of phenol oxidation depends upon factors such as pH, phenol concentration, photointensity, oxygen concentration and temperature. An increase in the degree of chlorination appears to render phenols more oxidizable. Among the chlorinated phenols studied, the ease in oxidation increases in the order: 2,4,6-trichlorophenol > 2,4-dichlorophenol > 2-chlorophenol > phenol.
The potential for overuse of atypical thyroid diagnoses.

BecauseofmarkedvariationinthediagnosticterminologyofthyroidFNA,therecentBethesdaSystemforReporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) was introduced and has been widely accepted and imple-mented. Although the majority of the diagnostic categories in TBSRTC are fairly straightforward, by farthe most problematic is the category of ‘‘atypia of undetermined significance’’ (AUS) or ‘‘follicular lesionof undetermined significance’’ (FLUS). According to TBSRTC, the AUS/FLUS category is reserved forthosecasesthatfallinbetweenthebenignandsuspiciouscategories
Forensic psychiatry in Britain

This report provides an overview of the criminal forensic mental health system in Great Britain, that is England and Wales. The report is based on the author’s participant observation as a visiting consultant psychiatrist at a regional forensic facility in Manchester, England during early 1994. British law casts a net over a wider population of forensic patients than does U.S. law. There is a forensic care system in the British National Health Service that is parallel to and independent of the general psychiatric care system. The forensic system provides continuity of care from prison through maximum security hospitals to regional medium secure facilities, and finally, into the community. Community care is provided by psychiatrists and social workers and, if necessary, by psychiatric nurses. This system appears to provide effective treatment for persons with major mental disorders and histories of violence. Differences between Britain and the United States in philosophy of government, in law, and in forensic training and practice are discussed. The fundamental difference is a greater British belief in the capacity of government to act in the best interests of the individual. Current problems in the British health care system and plans to privatize some services are also discussed.
Investor Owned and Controlled Rating Agencies: A Summary Introduction

Rating agencies have been broadly criticized for their failure to anticipate a range of credit market conditions. The dominant critique, voiced by the President of the United States, the Chairman of the SEC, leading members of Congress, and foreign regulators, is that the leading rating agencies are subject to inherent conflicts of interest arising from the “issuer-pays” model that drives their business: Because these rating agencies are paid by the issuers of the securities they rate, the agencies have embedded incentives to please the sources of their essential cash flow and therefore are neither as objective nor as critical as they might be if driven by an alternative business model. Proposals for reform currently under consideration by Congress and the SEC, however, do nothing to alter these basic incentives. They fiddle at the edges of the marketplace and leave untouched the fundamental incentive conflict about which policymakers appear to agree. This article suggests an alternative regulatory strategy. Under existing statutory authority, the SEC could create a new category of rating agencies - Investor Owned and Controlled Rating Agencies (“IOCRAs”) - and require that every rating issued by an issuer-paid Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (“NRSRO”) that is not an IOCRA, such as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, be accompanied by at least one rating issued by an IOCRA. Because IOCRAs would be under the control of the sophisticated investor community, and because any one investor’s ownership interest in an IOCRA would be capped, the incentives of IOCRAs should be oriented to generating ratings that accurately reflect the risks of holding specific debt instruments, even though their fees would be also paid by issuers. This regulatory strategy introduces immediate competition into a market that is a strong duopoly and incentivizes innovation that has been lacking. Most significantly, however, IOCRAs would constitute rating agencies with an inherently investor-oriented perspective, and if IOCRAs were to fail in anticipating credit market issues, the investor community would, at the end of the day, have only itself to blame.
Privacy for Safety: The NCAA Sickle-Cell Trait Testing Policy and the Potential for Future Discrimination

Recent NCAA legislation requires incoming Division I student-athletes to: (1) submit to testing for the sickle-cell trait, (2) provide results of a previous test, or (3) waive out of testing and release the NCAA from any potential future liability. However, the legislation does not provide colleges and universities with guidance on the proper treatment of a student's genetic information. Furthermore, current federal laws do not provide sufficient protection against unwanted and unnecessary dissemination of this sensitive genetic information, especially considering that many schools have student-athletes sign waivers allowing the release of their medical information to the media. Public knowledge of this information can lead to discrimination in the future, especially in the employment context. The NCAA should either stop the testing program or take further steps to protect a student-athlete's privacy.
Vitamin A: Overlapping Delivery Pathways to Tissues from the Circulation

Although retinol bound to retinol-binding protein (RBP) is the most abundant retinoid form present in the circulations of humans and most mammals, other retinoid and proretinoid forms are also present in the blood. We are interested in understanding to what extent each of these circulating retinoid forms contributes towards retinoid actions within cells and tissues. Here we report two studies focused on this question. First, we examined retinoid transport and storage in RBP-deficient mice that lack circulating RBP. These mice under normal laboratory conditions are phenotypically normal except for a visual impairment early in life that is corrected if the mice are maintained on a vitamin A-sufficient diet throughout life. The RBP-deficient mice take up vitamin A from the diet into most tissues at least as well as wild type mice. Compared to wild type mice, mice lacking RBP accumulate excess vitamin A in the liver, since there is no RBP to facilitate mobilization of stored retinol from hepatic stores. In a second study, we explored in vitro the actions of carotene cleavage enzyme (CCE) in facilitating beta-carotene cleavage to retinoid in the testis. CCE is most highly expressed in the testis. Pull-down experiments coupled with MALDI-MS analysis showed that mouse testis CCE is able to interact with the testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase-C (LDH-C) isoform. This may suggest that CCE and LDH-C act in concert to catalyze beta-carotene cleavage.
Keller on Gender, Science, and McClintock: A Feeling for the Orgasm

I begin by presenting Keller's view that science has been destructive because it has been done mostly by men or, more precisely, by men with a certain kind of masculine psychology. Two novel ideas emerge from this observation: that a feminine or women's science would not be humanly or environmentally disastrous and that a feminine or woman's science might even be epistemically superior. I then examine a central theme in Keller's early work, the idea that men (but not women) are socialized to be gendered humans in which masculinity is linked with a certain sort of objectivity. The latter point leads Keller to propose that there are two types of objectivity. One type, an inferior "static" objectivity, is part of masculine psychology. Another type of objectivity, "dynamic" objectivity, is not part of masculine psychology and, according to Keller, is epistemically superior. Barbara McClintock, on Keller's view, achieved success in her scientific investigations because she used a dynamically objective "pursuit." But Keller does not claim that dynamic objectivity is a feminine or woman's form of objectivity. She thinks that in addition to a dynamically objective approach to the study of nature and a men's/masculine static approach, there is a distinct women's/feminine "love" approach. A tension thus arises in Keller's work: she thinks that dynamic objectivity is superior, but she also praises a pluralistic science in which a masculine, a feminine, and a dynamically objective style are employed. She eventually denies that the lesson to be learned from McClintock is that science should be carried out by hers one approach. Rather, the McClintock case shows us that deviant approaches, a pluralism of approaches inconsistent with masculinity, should be welcomed in and by science for the sake of science itself. I argue that McClintock's science does not represent a deviant approach in any interesting sense. In McClintock we find, on Keller's own account, the masculine psychology that Keller had wanted to scrap. McClintock's success thus undermines rather than supports Keller's criticism of masculine science.
Seasonal Changes in Habitat Preference by Coleomegilla maculata: Implications for Colorado Potato Beetle Management in Potato

Abstract Seasonal abundance, dispersal, and overwintering of the 12-spotted ladybird beetle, Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), in the mid-Atlantic states were investigated to assess the potential to manipulate the habitat of this predator to increase its impact on Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), management in commercial potato plantings. C. maculata populations were highest in corn fields through August, and overwintering aggregations were found most commonly in habitats adjacent to these fields. Although adult and larval populations of C. maculata were synchronized with first-generation potato beetle eggs and small larvae, they were concentrated in wheat rather than potato fields because most of the potato plants had not yet emerged when C. maculata adults dispersed from their overwintering sites. The subsequent generation of C. maculata tended to aggregate in corn rather than potato in late May and early June. Therefore, given the current mixture of crops as well as climatic and marketing limitations on planting date for potatoes, the potential for habitat manipulation to increase the impact of C. maculata on Colorado potato beetle management in potato in the mid-Atlantic states appears to be limited.