cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract A88: Medicaid expansion and access to care among breast cancer survivors

Background: Breast cancer survival is improving due to early detection of the disease and advances in treatment. In the United States, there are more than 3 million breast cancer survivors and approximately 240 thousand women diagnosed with the disease every year. To receive effective treatment, breast cancer survivors need to follow a treatment plan prescribed by their physicians. However, access to healthcare services remains a barrier to completing needed treatment. Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act improves access to care among vulnerable populations, but almost half of the states opted out of the expansion. Research Objective: We shed light on the potential effect of Medicaid expansion on access to care among breast cancer survivors by assessing inability to see a doctor due to cost before Medicaid expansion in non-expansion states versus expansion states. Study Design: We use a logistic model (accounting for the weighted sample) and control for demographics, insurance status, and general health. We calculate the odd ratios of inability of survivors of breast cancer to see a doctor in the past year due to cost. Population Studied: We use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance (BRFSS) for the years 2009, 2010, and 2012, which are the only years containing data on cancer survivorship. The BRFSS is a nationally representative survey that collects information on self-reported preventive health practices and risk behaviors. The sample used for this study consists of women ages 40 to 64, in all 50 states and Washington D.C., and who were diagnosed with breast cancer (n = 3,223). Results: Preliminary results suggest that breast cancer survivors in non-expansion states had significantly higher odds of being unable to see a doctor due to cost (OR = 1.63, 95% CI =1.10, 2.42). Conclusions: Living in a state that expands Medicaid will be an advantage for low-income breast cancer survivors because it will improve their access to healthcare services. Existing disparities in access to care are likely to widen between survivors of breast cancer in non-expansion states and expansion states as a result of lack of affordable insurance coverage for low-income cancer survivors in non-expansion states. Citation Format: Wafa W. Tarazi. Medicaid expansion and access to care among breast cancer survivors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A88.
Early Termination of Small Loans in the Multifamily Mortgage Market

This article uses micro‐level data on small (as defined by Fannie Mae) multifamily loans in the Fannie Mae loan portfolio to examine prepayment and default performance. The results document the importance of equity, as measured by the loan‐to‐value ratio, and contemporaneous property operating income relative to debt service obligations, as measured by the debt‐to‐income ratio. Our results indicate that the expiration of prepayment penalties and yield maintenance provisions lead to large spikes in prepayment and default. The results also illustrate that multifamily loans, as they are not fully amortized, also have a substantial risk of both extension and default at term. The operating efficiency of the property, cash reserves and local economic conditions can also impact terminations.
Measurement of Neutron Multiplications in Beryllium Assemblies

The measurements of 14 MeV neutron multiplication in beryllium have been carried out using the total absorption method. A pure water sphere and a polyethylene sphere were used as the neutron moderators and total absorbers. The results measured by 235U fission chambers and 6Li glass detectors were compared. The effects of the structure of 235U fission chambers on the neutron multiplications have been studied in detail. The light guides used in 6Li glass detectors were also analyzed. The measured results obtained from the relative and the efficiency-determined methods have been compared with the ANISN calculations. It is shown that the measured results are 3% – 15% and 1% – 10% lower than the calculations using ENDF/B-IV and ENDF/B-VI respectively.
Learning Channel Inter-dependencies at Multiple Scales on Dense Networks for Face Recognition.

We propose a new deep network structure for unconstrained face recognition. The proposed network integrates several key components together in order to characterize complex data distributions, such as in unconstrained face images. Inspired by recent progress in deep networks, we consider some important concepts, including multi-scale feature learning, dense connections of network layers, and weighting different network flows, for building our deep network structure. The developed network is evaluated in unconstrained face matching, showing the capability of learning complex data distributions caused by face images with various qualities.
PARITY NONCONSERVATION IN $beta$ DECAY

The nonconservation of parity in $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay implies that electrons emitted from unoriented nuclei are polarized along their line of flight. Also, if the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ process is followed by a $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ radiation, the angular distribution of the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ quantum with respect to the electron direction depends on its circular polarization. Formulas relevant for such experiments as well as for the angular distribution of electrons from oriented nuclei are presented. The results, which include Coulomb corrections, are given for scalar, tensor, and pseudoscalar interactions in the cases of allowed and first-forbidden transitions. The formulas show that an experimental determination of the relative sign of the scalar and tensor coupling constants should be possible.
The Structure and Use of Collagen

Collagen lies more in the field of natural rather than synthetic membranes. The membranes about which we are going to speak are modified collagen membranes prepared from animal tissues for use in humans. As most of you know, the collagen molecule is a very asymmetrical molecule that is about 3,000 Angstroms long and 15 to 25 Angstroms wide. We are going to describe briefly something about 1) the inter-molecular bonding, 2) the intramolecular bonding, 3) the immunology, and 4) how the knowledge of these three things helps us in putting collagen into forms of membranes and prosthetic material. The theme of this presentation centers around the telopeptides (1,2). These are randomly coiled peptides amounting to less than 5% total molecule, originally thought to be located at, or near, the ends. It is these peptides we feel that are important in telling one molecule to line up with another; that enter into the covalent bonding; and that relate to species specificity in part.
The Commercial Speech Doctrine in the United States: False Promise and Promising Approaches for Protecting Public Health

This article reviews the U.S. Supreme Court’s approach to the regulation of commercial speech, with a focus on the doctrine’s application to the regulation of tobacco products. Although the Supreme Court has at various times signaled a willingness to restrict speech that threatens public health, its decisions have more often been motivated by an overriding concern that restrictions on commercial speech constitute unwarranted governmental paternalism. This anti-paternalism concern has become the dominant feature of the Court’s commercial speech jurisprudence, and as a result, the United States is now falling further and further behind other counties in the regulation of tobacco marketing and the prevention of other public health threats. Nonetheless, there are promising alternative doctrinal approaches that tobacco control advocates have not yet pursued. Instead of pursuing broad-based limits on tobacco advertising, advocates could more narrowly target tobacco industry marketing practices that are misleading, manipulative, or appealing to minors. A strong case can be made that restrictions on these types of tobacco marketing are fully consistent with the Supreme Court’s First Amendment doctrine, even after the Sorrell decision.
Mapping the Catalytic Surface of A. vinelandii MoFe Protein by Site Specific Mutagenesis

Early site-specific mutagenesis studies showed that we could locally perturb FeMoco by placing amino-acid substitutions in its environment. The resulting kinetic and spectroscopic changes could then be used to gain mechanistic insight. With the continuing refinement of the MoFe protein crystal structure, we now have a reasonably clear view of the arrangement of the metal clusters in the MoFe protein to guide our mutagenesis probes of the polypeptide environment of FeMoco. We have focused on the residues proposed to be involved in providing an entry/exit path for substrates, inhibitors and products as well as being important for FeMoco insertion during biosynthesis (Kim, Rees, 1992). In the Kim-Rees model, both FeMoco and P-clusters are buried below the protein’s surface. It is generally accepted that substrates bind and are reduced at FeMoco. It is becoming clear that multiple and/or over-lapping sites exist for binding various substrates/inhibitors and that different substrates/inhibitors bind to distinct MoFe protein redox states. The crystal structure shows no permanent channels that would allow access to these binding sites, therefore, structural changes that occur after active complex formation must produce transient cavities within the MoFe protein. Three stretches of the α-polypeptide near residues α192Ser, α277Arg and α356Gly can be envisaged to form a flap over FeMoco such that, when opened, the active site becomes accessible. In this study, we analyze altered MoFe proteins with substitutions at the α192Ser and α277Arg positions, compare steady-state product evolution with the wild-type system, and use spectroscopic methods to verify changes in the FeMoco environment.
UPTAKE, METABOLISM AND RELEASE OF CATECHOLAMINES IN THE LUNG

ABSTRACT Catecholamines (CA's) are not only released from the lung but can be removed from the pulmonary circulation and catabolized by the lung. This removal and catabolism can be controlled by membrane permeability and activity of the catabolizing enzymes. Norepinephrine (NE) release from the lung can also be regulated by such factors as vagal stimulation or PGE2, Alterations in the release, removal or catabolism of CA's could account for changes in lung function. Similarly, changes in lung function due to disease could affect the normal amounts and distribution of the CA's in the lung.
Does the US Media Have a Liberal Bias?: A Discussion of Tim Groseclose's Left Turn: How Liberal Media Bias Distorts the American Mind

In Left Turn: How Liberal Bias Distorts The American Mind, Tim Groseclose argues that media effects play a crucial role in American politics. His case rests on three arguments: (1) that journalists tend overwhelmingly to be liberal rather than conservative; (2) that their innate political bias slants their views in empirically measurable ways; and (3) that this bias fundamentally shapes American politics, by bringing US citizens further to the left than they would naturally be. According to Groseclose, in a world where media bias did not exist, American citizens would on average hold views close to those of Ben Stein or Bill O'Reilly. In such a world, John McCain would have defeated Barack Obama by a popular vote margin of 56%—42% in the 2008 presidential election.In making these claims, Groseclose draws on his own research, and on recent media scholarship by both political scientists and economists, making the broader claim that peer-reviewed social science—which seeks to deal with problems such as endogeneity and selection bias—should be the starting point for public arguments about the role of the media. His book, then, is clearly an effort to bring social scientific arguments into mainstream debates. Groseclose makes no secret of his conservative political leanings—but recent books from left-leaning political scientists such as Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson are equally unapologetic. It is at least plausible that political scientists' typical unwillingness to engage directly in political arguments has weakened the discipline's capacity for public engagement.In this symposium a diverse group of contributors have been invited to engage with Groseclose's arguments in ways that bring together specific empirical and/or theoretical points and arguments aimed at the broader “political science public sphere” that Perspectives on Politics seeks to nurture. Contributors were asked to consider these five questions: (1): How do we best measure media effects? (2): If media bias exists, what are its plausible sources? (3): Can one use work on media effects to determine what people's views would be in the absence of such bias? (4): Do you agree that American politics is insufficiently representative, and if so what do you consider the primary sources of this problem? (5): What kinds of political and/or media institutions or practices might enhance democratic discourse?—Henry Farrell, Associate Editor
Thermal Oxidation of Silicon

Thermal oxidation of silicon results in the formation of a non-crystalline (nc) SiO2 film through which the oxidizing species, oxygen or OH, diffuses. A key feature of nc-SiO2 is the wide range of Si-O-Si bond angles (120°-l80°) associated with a very small variation (≈0.1 eV) in the Si-O bond energy. The Si substrate influences the structure of the oxide by affecting the short-range-order (SRO) of the (newly formed) oxide at the interface. Thus the structure of the as-grown oxide resembles that of some high density polymorph of SiO2; this effect is labelled quasi-expitaxy. As further growth occurs at the interface, pushing away the previously grown oxide, the structure then relaxes to more closely resemble that of vitreous SiO2. This relaxation process is similar to that which occurs after pressure compaction of vitreous SiO2, as indicated by measurements of the changes in the index of refraction and density of the oxide. This process is essentially a pseudo-polymorphic transformation of the oxide structure in the course of which the SRO of the oxide mimics that of various crystalline SiO2 polymorphs and results in substantial accomodation of the large volume expansion (≈126 %) associated with the transfer of Si atoms from the substrate to the oxide. This transformation differs from viscous flow, which has often been used to account for the relaxation of stress in the oxide, primarily in that it does not require the breaking of bonds, as does the viscous flow model. We point out several difficulties of the viscous flow model in explaining experimental observations.
From ALJs to Wedding Cakes: Civil Cases in the Supreme Court’s October 2017 Term

Commissioned for publication in the American Judges Association's Court Review, this paper provides an overview of the most broadly significant rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court in civil cases during the 2017-2018 Term.
Effect of scratching speed on phase transformations in high-speed scratching of monocrystalline silicon

Abstract This paper investigates the phase transformation of (100) monocrystalline silicon in high-speed scratching tests. Various phase transformations of silicon are detected using micro-Raman spectroscopy over a wide range of speeds from 1 mm/min to 25 m/s. Wurtzite silicon (Si-IV) phase with strong Raman intensity is observed in all scratches. The Raman intensity ratio of amorphous silicon to Si-IV in the scratched groove center increases exponentially beyond a scratching speed of 105 mm/min, resulting in a decreased residual scratched depth. The tests provide a basic understanding of the effect of scratching speed on the phase transformation of silicon.
Potentially burdensome end-of-life transitions among nursing home residents with poor-prognosis cancer

BACKGROUND This study examined factors associated with potentially burdensome end-of-life (EOL) transitions between care settings among older adults with advanced cancer in nursing homes (NHs). METHODS A retrospective analysis of deceased older NH residents with poor-prognosis solid tumors was conducted with Medicare claims and the Minimum Data Set. A potentially burdensome transition was defined as 2 or more hospitalizations or an intensive care unit admission in the last 90 days of life. RESULTS Among 34,670 subjects, many had moderate to severe cognitive impairment (53.8%), full dependence in activities of daily living (ADLs; 66.5%), and comorbidities such as congestive heart failure (CHF; 29.3%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (34.1%). Only 56.3% of the patients used hospice at any time in the 90 days before death; 36.0% of the patients experienced a potentially burdensome EOL transition, and this was higher among patients who did not receive hospice (45.4% vs 28.7%; P < .01). In multivariable analyses, full dependence in ADLs (odds ratio [OR], 1.70; P < .01), CHF (OR, 1.48; P < .01), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 1.28; P < .01) were associated with a higher risk of burdensome EOL transitions. Those with do-not-resuscitate directives (OR, 0.60; P < .01) and impaired cognition (OR, 0.89; P < .01) had lower odds of burdensome EOL transitions. CONCLUSIONS NH residents with advanced cancer have substantial comorbidities and functional impairment, yet more than a third experience potentially burdensome EOL transitions. These findings help to identify a population at risk for poor EOL outcomes in order to target interventions, and they point to the importance of advanced care planning in this population.
Characteristic and quantifiable COVID-19 like abnormalities in CT- and PET/CT-1 imaged lungs of SARS-CoV-2 infected crab eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing an exponentially increasing number of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) cases globally. Prioritization of medical countermeasures for evaluation in randomized clinical trials is critically hindered by the lack of COVID-19 animal models that enable accurate, quantifiable, and reproducible measurement of COVID-19 pulmonary disease free from observer bias. We first used serial computed tomography (CT) to demonstrate that bilateral intrabronchial instillation of SARS-CoV-2 into crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis) results in mild-to-moderate lung abnormalities qualitatively characteristic of subclinical or mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (e.g., ground-glass opacities with or without reticulation, paving, or alveolar consolidation, peri-bronchial thickening, linear opacities) at typical locations (peripheral>central, posterior and dependent, bilateral, multi-lobar). We then used positron emission tomography (PET) analysis to demonstrate increased FDG uptake in the CT-defined lung abnormalities and regional lymph nodes. PET/CT imaging findings appeared in all macaques as early as 2 days post-exposure, variably progressed, and subsequently resolved by 6-12 days post-exposure. Finally, we applied operator-independent, semi-automatic quantification of the volume and radiodensity of CT abnormalities as a possible primary endpoint for immediate and objective efficacy testing of candidate medical countermeasures.
Mobile and Cloud Computing Security

The technological wonders that people have been reading about the various literature relating to science-fiction are today coming into reality. Drawing from 3D-holograms, cell phones, robots, artificial intelligence among other novelties devices of modern engineering, human beings are today enabled to perform many tasks including those which were deemed to be impossible about twenty years ago. Mobile and cloud computing technology has evolved with time and becomes an essential component in the nowadays industry. It will keep growing as more devices are connected and more data is fed into the cloud. Most businesses provide their services through mobile applications and devices. Mobile and Cloud computing is making big data analytics, distributed and real-time artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain, cryptocurrency, wearables, internet of things, and cyber-physical systems, possible. The dynamic nature of big data and information flow calls for the need to establish strong protection against threats that could emerge from big data. The complexity and sensitivity of these systems and the secure data analysis will require multilevel and kinds of security measures and standards. In this chapter, we are answering some of the questions, concerns, and challenges mobile devices and cloud computing and big data cybersecurity are facing.
The Law and Ethics of Fetal Burial Requirements for Reproductive Health Care

In Box v. Planned Parenthood (May 28, 2019), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Indiana provision which mandates any clinician or facility providing abortion to bury or cremate fetal remains, no different than the requirements for cadavers. Indiana is one of eight states that requires fetal remains be interred or cremated, rather than disposed of as medical material under the rules set forth by the state’s environment and health departments. Individual practitioners or medical facilities must absorb the substantial financial costs required to dispose of fetal remains like deceased persons, or pass them along to their patients, who are in turn forced into making unwanted funerary arrangements for their aborted fetuses – without any countervailing medical benefit. The Supreme Court upheld the Indiana law for serving the state's legitimate interest in expressing respect for unborn life. What the Court missed is how it restricts the right to abortion in ways that demand more rigorous constitutional scrutiny in order to avoid violating a fundamental right. Beyond the burdens that fetal disposition laws place on women, they bear broader cultural consequences by implying that aborted fetuses should be treated no different than born persons who are buried or created after they die.
A Review on Hardware Security Countermeasures for IoT: Emerging Mechanisms and Machine Learning Solutions

The evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem necessitates the mitigation of security threats not only in the software domain but also in the hardware. However, owing to the inherent characteristics and limitations of the IoT devices, designing hardware security solutions is a complex and non-trivial process. This paper surveys recent research works, in which countermeasures against potential threats of hardware security of IoT devices have been proposed. In this context, employing machine-learning (ML) methods is also expected to lead to effective solutions. Towards this end, this paper provides an overview of ML-based countermeasures. Finally, open issues in these relevant fields are given, stimulating further research.
Redesigning teaching strategies through an information filtering system

Information filtering systems are responsible to eliminate useless or unnecessary information using computer-based techniques before being delivered to users. Recommender systems are active information filtering systems that attempt to present to the user information items in which s/he is interested. In this paper, we present an information filtering system and specifically a recommender system, which is incorporated in an authoring tool of an e-learning platform. The recommender system keeps records of the interaction between the students and the e-learning platform. More specifically, it takes into account the knowledge levels of students and models them using fuzzy weights. Moreover, it considers the educational objectives and models them using the Marzano's New Taxonomy. As such, the instructors receive refined hints and advice in order to redesign their teaching strategies and improve the knowledge acquisition of learners.
Neurologic aspects of coronavirus disease of 2019 infection.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Central and peripheral nervous system manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been frequently reported and may cause significant morbidity and mortality. This review details the latest evidence on the neuropathogenesis and neurologic complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. RECENT FINDINGS: Commonly reported neurologic complications include toxic-metabolic encephalopathy, acute cerebrovascular disorders, seizures, and anoxic-brain injury. These complications represent secondary injury due to COVID-19 related hypoxia, sepsis, hypercoagulability, or hyperinflammation. Postinfectious complications, such as encephalitis, postinfectious demyelination, and Guillain-Barre syndrome have been reported, but are rare. Recent reports of persistent neurocognitive symptoms highlight the possibility of lasting impairment. SUMMARY: Although some neurologic complications should be treated with standard practices, further investigations are still needed to determine the optimal treatment of COVID-related neurologic complications, such as ischemic stroke. Entering into the next phase of the pandemic, investigations into the long-term neurologic and cognitive impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection will be needed. Clinicians must have a high clinical suspicion for both acute and chronic neurologic complications among COVID-19 patients.
Compensatory and Lifestyle-Based Brain Health Program for Subjective Cognitive Decline: Self-Implementation versus Coaching.

Although recent studies have explored the potential of multidomain brain health programs, there is a dearth of literature on operationalizing this research to create a clinical treatment program specifically for subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Patients seen by geriatricians in primary care and by behavioral neurology services at our institution presenting with SCD were recruited via a patient-appropriate flyer. After all participants had a 1-h brain health consultation with a neuropsychologist and were provided with program materials, they were randomized to attend a 10-week intervention designed to support program implementation (N = 10) or the control group of implementing the program on their own (N = 11). The program included (1) a calendar-based executive and memory support system for compensatory training and (2) training in healthy lifestyle. There were no significant differences between groups for any outcomes. Participants across both groups showed significant improvements with moderate effect sizes in compensatory strategy use, anxiety symptoms, and daily functioning, which were sustained through 6-month follow-up. They also increased physical activity by the end of the intervention period but did not sustain this through 6-month follow-up. Our pilot study demonstrates preliminary feasibility of a cognitive compensatory and lifestyle-based brain health program. Additional research is recommended to further develop two potentially scalable implementation strategies—coaching and self-implementation after brief consultation.
The Patient as Text: Literary Scholarship and Medical Practice in Margaret Edson's Wit.

The experience of an English professor dying of ovarian cancer in Margaret Edson’s play Wit shows that both literary and medical discourse obfuscate and objectify rather than promote communication of “simple human truths” that dignify life and death.
Curvature based point stabilization for compliant framed wheeled modular mobile robots

Posture stabilization of a compliant framed modular mobile robot is the subject of this paper. This is a new type of wheeled mobile robot that has advantages of a simple modular design that provides full suspension and steering capability without any additional components. Steering is achieved by coordinated control of the individual wheels to realize a desired trajectory. Due to the flexible nature of the robot, the kinematics is simplified by using an equivalent curvature based model, which increases mobility and decreases required traction forces for improved towing capacity. A time invariant control law is developed and extended to compensate for non-ideal initial conditions and drift. Simulation and experimental results are presented and show the proposed control law performs as expected.
Gay Men Living with Non-HIV Chronic Illnesses

Abstract For reasons embedded in historical, social, cultural and biological phenomena, the sociocultural experiences of gay men living with chronic illnesses other than HIV have remained unexamined within gay communities, within gay affirmative medical and social services, and within broader, heterosexually focused medical and social service systems. As a result, the specific needs of these men are largely undefined and potentially unmet. This article focuses a lens of inquiry on the psychosocial issues and social service needs of gay men living with chronic illnesses other than HIV, offers recommendations for providing services that respond proactively to the specific needs of these men, and advocates for more inclusive and comprehensive social service and health care systems.
Selective and controllable lateral photoelectrochemical etching of nonpolar and semipolar InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well active regions

We demonstrate the selective and controllable undercut etching of the InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well active regions of nonpolar and semipolar laser diode (LD) structures by photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching without external bias. The lateral etch rate ranged from ~20 nm/min to ~1.2 µm/min. Metal masks were used to define the undercut and to improve the PEC etch resolution by reducing the scattered light in the system, which contributes to degradation of the lateral etch resolution, as suggested by ray tracing simulations. This resulted in a light-exposed-area: masked-area etch selectivity of .
Could this be Political Anthropology? Reflections on Studying Conservative Evangelical Subcultures

For the last three decades (and in fact, the length of U.S. history), faith-based social and political movements – right, left, and center – have been sculpting the American political landscape. Yet the vast majority of our discipline’s coverage of religion and politics (at least in the U.S.) has, until recently, depended on quantitative analysis, usually using large-scale survey and opinion polling on attitudes, practices, and beliefs. If political scientists hope to understand religious politics and faith-based social change efforts in more than superficial, stereotyping ways, we must be willing to explore religious subcultures up close. That involves developing a set of ethnographic research skills that may be less familiar (or comfortable) for political scientists than for sociologists and anthropologists. To some extent, it means carrying out creative observational and interactive research at the fuzzy (and undertheorized) boundary between the realms of “culture” and “politics”.This paper summarizes insights from a multi-methods book project I am completing on racial change efforts among contemporary evangelical Protestants in the U.S. Participants in this movement draw on theology- and culture-based resources to promote a variety of racial change outcomes, including racial reconciliation processes, multiethnic church-building, and cross-racial political coalitions. In addition to using textual analysis, survey data, and interviews with participants in the movement, I conducted ethnographic research in a variety of evangelical cultural contexts (sermons, meetings, prayer groups, workshops, actions), and developed long-term, discussion-based relationships with a few movement leaders. I will discuss the lessons learned and the potential minefields to avoid in studying religious subcultures. My hope is that other political scientists, particularly those working on faith-based movements and the intersections of identities (race, religion, class, gender, etc.) will benefit from these reflections on how we can develop smarter, more creative and nuanced studies of culture and politics.
Trembling for the Nation: Illinois Women and the Election of 1860

This article discusses the ways in which women in the mid-19th century, despite not being able to vote, were still able to participate in and influence politics. It specifically focuses on the Lincoln-Douglas race of 1860 and on the efforts of women on both sides in Illinois. This article is available in Constructing the Past: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/constructing/vol2/iss1/4
Survival and growth of rattan intercropped with coffee and cacao in the agroforests of Indonesia.

This study investigated the intercropping of rattan, an important non-timber forest product, in coffee and cacao agroforests in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The viability of producing seedlings from seeds and vegetative cuttings with the large-diameter rattan, Calamus zollingeri Beccari, and initial seedling survival, growth and response to light and soil drainage were investigated in village nurseries and perennial farms. Over 96% of seeds and 61% of vegetative cuttings were raised to transplanting size (25 cm with two to three leaves) over 20 months. One hundred C. zollingeri seedlings produced from cuttings were transplanted into each of three coffee or cacao farms and one primary forest site and exhibited an overall survival rate of 96%, 12.7 cm of height growth and the production of 0.8 new leaves per plant after eight months. No significant differences were observed between the four sites with respect to seedling survival, growth, or leaf production and no significant differences were found between seedling survival, growth or leaf production and light intensity (based on multiple PAR measurements). However, poorly drained sites exhibited significantly reduced C. zollingeri seedling survival and growth. The cultivation of C. zollingeri rattan in coffee and cacao agroforests represents a potential means of intensifying and diversifying perennial cash crop farming systems.
Spectral domain full wave analysis of the input impedance of coaxially-fed rectangular microstrip antennas

A full-wave spectral domain formulation for the probe-fed rectangular microstrip antenna is presented. The source is modelled by a magnetic-current frill and multiple modes are used in the probe surface current to account for axial and azimuthal variations. To facilitate computation, the attachment mode for the patch current is represented by a fast converging series. Results are compared with measurements in the literature and several features concerning thick substrate effects are noted.
Neurofibromatosis-1 regulation of neural stem cell proliferation and multilineage differentiation operates through distinct RAS effector pathways

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder caused by impaired function of the neurofibromin RAS regulator. Using a combination of Nf1 genetically engineered mice and pharmacological/genetic inhibition approaches, we report that neurofibromin differentially controls neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation and multilineage differentiation through the selective use of the PI3K/AKT and RAF/MEK pathways. While PI3K/AKT governs neurofibromin-regulated NSC proliferation, multilineage differentiation is MEK-dependent. Moreover, whereas MEK-regulated multilineage differentiation requires Smad3-induced Jagged-1 expression and Notch activation, MEK/Smad3-regulated Hes1 induction is only responsible for astrocyte and neuronal differentiation. Collectively, these findings establish distinct roles for the RAS effector pathways in regulating brain NSC function.
Dislocation from coevolved relationships: a unifying theory for plant invasion and naturalization?

Invasions of many different plants have occurred in ecosystems around the world and theories of the mechanisms of these invasions abound. All the proposed theories have value, and many of the proposed mechanisms may at least serve as facilitating factors, but no overarching conceptual framework for the mechanisms of plant invasion has emerged. One common theme in all invasions is that the invading plant, in the process of geographic displacement, has been dislocated from its coevolved biota and relocated with a less-familiar biota. The impacts of dislocation from coevolved mutualists, parasites, and competitors are different but follow general principles. The impacts of relocation with new mutualists, parasites, and competitors are also variable and will change as the introduced plant coevolves with its new biotic environment. I propose some hypotheses to guide predictions of the outcomes of the dislocation of plants from coevolved relationships and, hence, the outcomes of plant geographic displacement. Invasiveness in plants is not determined by their life history traits or the nature of the ecosystem they are invading. Invasiveness is primarily a result of the process of invasion itself. When plants are dislocated from coevolved relationships and confronted with new relationships, they can become ecologically transformed. This transformation can affect the ability of a plant population to become established, invasive, and naturalized in a new environment.
Reagent-free and portable detection of Bacillus anthracis spores using a microfluidic incubator and smartphone microscope

Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent of anthrax and can be contracted by humans and herbivorous mammals by inhalation, ingestion, or cutaneous exposure to bacterial spores. Due to its stability and disease potential, B. anthracis is a recognized biothreat agent and robust detection and viability methods are needed to identify spores from unknown samples. Here we report the use of smartphone-based microscopy (SPM) in combination with a simple microfluidic incubation device (MID) to detect 50 to 5000 B. anthracis Sterne spores in 3 to 5 hours. This technique relies on optical monitoring of the conversion of the ∼1 μm spores to the filamentous vegetative cells that range from tens to hundreds of micrometers in length. This distinguishing filament formation is unique to B. anthracis as compared to other members of the Bacillus cereus group. A unique feature of this approach is that the sample integrity is maintained, and the vegetative biomass can be removed from the chip for secondary molecular analysis such as PCR. Compared with existing chip-based and rapid viability PCR methods, this new approach reduces assay time by almost half, and is highly sensitive, specific, and cost effective.
Development of cholinergic markers in mouse forebrain. II. Muscarinic receptor binding in cortex

Abstract The distribution of muscarinic receptor sites throughout the ontogeny of cerebral cortex in the BALB/c mouse have been labeled, placing special emphasis on binding site development in parietal neocortex and hippocampus. We describe a new procedure for the use of [ 3 H]propylbenzilylcholine mustard as a muscarinic cholinergic ligand in an in vitro binding assay on brain sections. Muscarinic binding sites, as visualized by autoradiography, can be seen in cortex as early as embryonic day 18. They achieve maximal labeling density and adult distribution in neocortex by the end of the first postnatal month. The adult distribution pattern in hippocampus is reached by the second postnatal week, but the maximal density of label is not achieved until 4 weeks of age. Changes in the receptor binding pattern are illustrated at 5 different ages between birth and adulthood. We conclude that muscarinic cholinergic receptors develop late in cortical ontogeny as do other cholinergic markers. The distribution pattern of muscarinic binding sites in mouse cortex is puzzling because it does not correspond to the reported distribution of cells physiologically responsive to applied acetylcholine. These results are compared to the onset of choline acetyltransferase activity and acetylcholine esterase staining. The ontogenesis of the cortical cholingergic system is compared with other features of general cortical morphogenesis.
An information-theory analysis of task specialization among worker honey bees performing hive duties

Abstract Worker honey bees (Apis mellifera) performing field duties are known to possess individual task specializations. However, little evidence has been forthcoming about individual specializations among the younger pre-foraging worker bees performing hive duties. This paper reports results obtained from behavioural observations of worker bees in seven hives. An information-theory analysis of these data reveals that the divergence from independence (D2) of worker bee identity and behavioural pattern performed has a low value in all of the experimental hives. Young worker bees performing hive duties therefore do not possess detectable individual specializations. Environmental and life-history considerations that may account for this difference in behaviour between field and hive worker bees are discussed.
The thermodynamics and kinetics of the hydrogen sulfide system in natural waters

The thermodynamics and kinetics of the H2S system in natural waters have been critically reviewed. Equations have been derived for the solubility and ionization of H2S in water and seawater as a function of salinity, temperature and pressure. Pitzer parameters for the interaction of the major cations (Na+, Mg2+ and Ca2+) with HS− have been determined to allow one to calculate values of pK1∗ in various ionic media. The limited data available for the interaction of trace metals for HS− are summarized and future work is suggested. The kinetics of oxidation of H2S have also been examined as a function of pH, temperature, and salinity. The discrepancies in the available data are largely due to the different [O2]/[HS−] ratios used in various studies. Over a limited pH range (6–8) the pseudo first order rate constant for the oxidation is shown to be directly proportional to the activity of HS−. Further studies are suggested to examine the effect of ionic media and temperature on the rate of oxidation.
IMMUNOASSAY FOR THYMIDYLATE SYNTHASE IN CYTOSOLS FROM HUMAN COLORECTAL-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an essential enzyme for DNA biosynthesis that is an important target of fluoropyrimidine anti-cancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is frequently used against human colon adenocarcinomas. Because levels of TS in such tumors may be predictive of chemotherapeutic response to 5-FU, it is desirable to have a method for TS quantitation simpler than the laborious conventional biochemical assays that currently exist. We therefore describe a rapid and simple immunoassay for quantitating human TS (in cell or tissue extracts) that employs a rabbit antibody to TS from bacteriophage T4 and an automated colorimetric readout. The sensitivity of the assay is demonstrated by its ability to show a different TS level in cytosols from each of 8 human colorectal carcinoma cell lines tested and a 2.5-fold difference between the highest and lowest values observed. Western immunoblot was used to show that the rabbit antibody to T4 TS cross-reacts very specifically with human TS enzyme. This indicates that some evolutionarily conserved (phage or bacterial) enzymes, not purified from human sources, may be useful as antigens in producing anti-sera for human diagnostic tests.
Distributed Diffusion–Clearance Model for Transient Drug Distribution within the Skin

Abstract Quantitative predictions of molecular transport rates through the skin are key to the development of topically applied and transdermally delivered drugs, as well as risk assessment associated with dermal exposure. Most research to date has focused on correlations for the permeability of the stratum corneum, and transient diffusion models that oversimplify vascular clearance processes in terms of a perfect‐removal boundary condition at an artificially introduced lower boundary. Considerations of the spatially distributed nature and action of blood vessels have usually been limited to the steady‐state case. This article describes a more comprehensive transient model of percutaneous absorption formulated in terms of volumetric dispersion and clearance coefficients reflecting the spatial distribution of vascular processes. The model was implemented through an analysis of published experimental results on in vivo permeation of salicylic acid (SA) in de‐epidermized rat skin. With regard to the characterization of SA in rat dermis (“de”) in vivo , it was found that: (i) SA is likely to have a dermal effective partition coefficient (relative to pH 7.4 aqueous buffer “pH7.4”) around unity ( K de/pH7.4 = 0.9 ± 0.3); (ii) vascular processes seem not to increase drug dispersion significantly beyond molecular diffusion [ D de ∼ ( D de ) mol = (8 ± 3) · 10 −7 cm 2 s −1 ]; and (iii) vascular clearance is characterized by a rate coefficient k de = (7 ± 2) · 10 −4 s −1 . Application of a whole‐skin variant of the model (including the stratum corneum and viable epidermis) allowed realistic predictions to be made of transient subsurface concentration levels after application from a finite dose. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 93:2820–2835, 2004
Foodborne Sporothrix schenckii: infectivity for mice by intraperitoneal and intragastric inoculation with conidia.

Experimental infections with a foodborne isolate of the fungus Sporothrix schenckii were administered to mice by intraperitoneal or intragastric injection and gavage. All injected mice showed evidence of systemic sporotrichosis. Granulomas were observed from day 3 to day 12 in the organs of neonates inoculated by injection; in mice infected by gavage, granulomas were observed only in those inoculated with 107 conidia. Susceptibility (based on cultural recovery) of the neonates to infections with 6×106 conidia of the fungus was 100% with intragastric injection, 91% with intraperitoneal injection, and 21 and 24% (2×107 conidia) with oral intubation. With both intragastric (59%) and intraperitoneal (25%) injections, more neonates died or were cannibalized by the mother than with intubation (14.5%). S. schenckii infected neonatal mice and caused illness by the oral route as well as by injection into the tissues or stomach. Adult mice, however, were susceptible to S. schenckii only by injection into the tissues, but not by gavage.
Discovery of an Orally Active Series of Isoxazoline Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Antagonists

Using isoxazoline XR299 (1a) as a starting point for the design of highly potent, long-duration GPIIb/IIIa antagonists, the effect of placing lipophilic substituents at positions α and β to the carboxylate moiety was evaluated. Of the compounds studied, it was found that the n-butyl carbamate 24u1,2 exhibited superior potency and duration of ex vivo antiplatelet effects in dogs. Replacement of the benzamidin-4-yl moiety with alternative basic groups, elimination of the isoxazoline stereocenter, and reversal of the orientation of the isoxazoline ring resulted in lowered potency and/or duration of action.
cw Measurement of the Optical Nonlinearity of Ammonium Dihydrogen Phosphate

We have measured the value of the element ${d}_{36}$ of the nonlinear dielectric tensor of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate for the doubling of the 6328-\AA{} line of the He-Ne laser. Two measurements were made. The first used a collimated single-transverse-mode laser beam ($\mathrm{focal}\mathrm{spot}\mathrm{radius}\ensuremath{\approx}0.2$ cm) containing several longitudinal modes. The second used a weakly focused single-mode and single-frequency laser ($\mathrm{focal}\mathrm{spot}\mathrm{radius}\ensuremath{\approx}0.03$ cm). In both experiments the crystal was slowly rotated through the index-matching angle. The value of ${d}_{36}$ obtained by either method is 1.36\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}12%) in cgs esu. The experiments also verify the factor $\frac{(2n\ensuremath{-}1)}{n}$ for the enhancement of second-harmonic generation when $n$ independent longitudinal modes are present.