cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimally Invasive Approach for Diagnosing TMJ Osteoarthritis

This study's objectives were to test correlations among groups of biomarkers that are associated with condylar morphology and to apply artificial intelligence to test shape analysis features in a neural network (NN) to stage condylar morphology in temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA). Seventeen TMJOA patients (39.9 ± 11.7 y) experiencing signs and symptoms of the disease for less than 10 y and 17 age- and sex-matched control subjects (39.4 ± 15.2 y) completed a questionnaire, had a temporomandibular joint clinical exam, had blood and saliva samples drawn, and had high-resolution cone beam computed tomography scans taken. Serum and salivary levels of 17 inflammatory biomarkers were quantified using protein microarrays. A NN was trained with 259 other condyles to detect and classify the stage of TMJOA and then compared to repeated clinical experts' classifications. Levels of the salivary biomarkers MMP-3, VE-cadherin, 6Ckine, and PAI-1 were correlated to each other in TMJOA patients and were significantly correlated with condylar morphological variability on the posterior surface of the condyle. In serum, VE-cadherin and VEGF were correlated with one another and with significant morphological variability on the anterior surface of the condyle, while MMP-3 and CXCL16 presented statistically significant associations with variability on the anterior surface, lateral pole, and superior-posterior surface of the condyle. The range of mouth opening variables were the clinical markers with the most significant associations with morphological variability at the medial and lateral condylar poles. The repeated clinician consensus classification had 97.8% agreement on degree of degeneration within 1 group difference. Predictive analytics of the NN's staging of TMJOA compared to the repeated clinicians' consensus revealed 73.5% and 91.2% accuracy. This study demonstrated significant correlations among variations in protein expression levels, clinical symptoms, and condylar surface morphology. The results suggest that 3-dimensional variability in TMJOA condylar morphology can be comprehensively phenotyped by the NN.
A comprehensive, multidisciplinary, precision medicine approach to discover effective therapy for an undiagnosed, progressive, fibroinflammatory disease

Precision medicine has generated diagnoses for many patients with challenging undiagnosed disorders. Some individuals remain without a diagnosis despite comprehensive testing, and this impedes their treatment. This report addresses the role of personalized medicine in identifying effective therapy for an undiagnosed disease. A 22-year-old woman presented with chronic severe recurrent trismus, facial pain, progressive multicentric inflammatory and fibrotic masses, and high C-reactive protein. Sites of disease included the pterygomaxillary region, masseter muscles, mandible, lung, pericardium, intrabdominal cavity, and retroperitoneum. A diagnosis was not established after an extensive assessment, including multiple biopsies. The patient was subsequently evaluated under the Undiagnosed Diseases Program at the National Institutes of Health. Large scale genotyping, proteomic studies, and in vitro and gene expression analyses of fibroblasts obtained from a major disease locus were performed. Germline genetic testing did not identify strong candidate genes; proteomic studies of the patient's serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and gene expression analyses of her cells were consistent with dysregulation of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha pathway. The patient's cultured fibroblasts were incubated with selected drugs, and cell proliferation was inhibited by hydroxychloroquine. Treatment of the patient with hydroxychloroquine conferred prolonged beneficial clinical effects, including stabilization of trismus and reduction of corticosteroid dose, C-reactive protein, and size of masses. This case represents an example of precision medicine applied to discover effective treatments for individuals with enigmatic undiagnosed disorders.
Recent onset of eutrophication in Lake Izabal, the largest water body in Guatemala

Recent human population growth has contributed to the degradation of environmental resources in Guatemala. Since 1900, the population of the country grew from 17 million inhabitants. The watershed of Lake Izabal, eastern Guatemala, also experienced rapid population growth, and with it, development of intensive agriculture in areas adjacent to the lake. These recent demographic and land-use changes altered anthropogenic nutrient inputs to the water body, through delivery of raw sewage, and agricultural practices that include excessive use of fertilizers. Currently, Lake Izabal is marked by frequent algal blooms and associated fish-kill events. It also hosts a number of invasive, and in some cases, exotic plant and animal species. We used data from a sediment core collected in the western end of the lake to link past anthropogenic activities in the watershed to the deterioration of water quality and shifts in aquatic ecosystem functioning. We measured total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and δ13C and δ15N of organic matter in a 137Cs- and 14C-dated sediment core from the Polochic Delta in Lake Izabal to infer past limnological changes. The core chronology indicates that 505 cm of sediment accumulated in only the last 370 years (~ 1.4 cm a−1). TOC and TN concentrations increased since about 1950, a time during which the TOC:TN ratio decreased, indicating a relatively greater contribution of phytoplankton to the sediment organic matter. Stratigraphic shifts in δ13C and δ15N indicate recent increasing inputs of raw sewage and fertilizer to the lake during the same time period. Lake Izabal, like many other water bodies in Guatemala, is starting to undergo cultural eutrophication, which probably accounts for the frequent algal blooms, proliferation of invasive species (e.g. Hydrilla verticillata), and decline in fish abundance.
Reinforcement Foundations of a Function-Based Behavioral Approach for Students With Challenging Behavior:

This article provides an overview of how reinforcement serves as the foundation for a function-based approach to support students with challenging behavior. Understanding reinforcement is essential...
Osteoporosis: Mechanism, Molecular Target and Current Status on Drug Development

CDATA[Osteoporosis is a pathological loss of bone mass due to an imbalance in bone remodeling where osteoclast-mediated bone resorption exceeds osteoblast-mediated bone formation resulting in skeletal fragility and fractures. Anti-resorptive agents, such as bisphosphonates and SERMs, and anabolic drugs that stimulate bone formation, including PTH analogues and sclerostin inhibitors, are current treatments for osteoporosis. Despite their efficacy, severe side effects and loss of potency may limit the long term usage of a single drug. Sequential and combinational use of current drugs, such as switching from an anabolic to an anti-resorptive agent, may provide an alternative approach. Moreover, there are novel drugs being developed against emerging new targets such as Cathepsin K and 17β-HSD2 that may have less side effects. This review will summarize the molecular mechanisms of osteoporosis, current drugs for osteoporosis treatment, and new drug development strategies.
Deep three-photon imaging of the brain in intact adult zebrafish

Behaviors emerge from activity throughout the brain, but noninvasive optical access in adult vertebrate brains is limited. We show that three-photon (3P) imaging through the head of intact adult zebrafish allows structural and functional imaging at cellular resolution throughout the telencephalon and deep into the cerebellum and optic tectum. With 3P imaging, considerable portions of the brain become noninvasively accessible from embryo to sexually mature adult in a vertebrate model.
Displaying Values, Scripting Stories: Writing Narratives of Environment Citizenship through Permanent Educational Exhibits at Local Nature Preserves

Material and interactive exhibits are important elements of many sites of learning, including science, technology, history and natural history museums. Parks and nature preserves are not usually identified as museums, and their purpose and mission do not necessarily align with the mission focus of museums. We argue here, however, that permanent environmental education exhibits at preserves should be treated as museums for analytic purposes. Preserve displays typically include collections of objects from within the park’s boundaries, i.e., bones, shells, rocks, skeletons, feathers, pelts, cones, etc., in addition to manufactured displays presenting ecosystems and physical as well as living elements of the environment. Exhibits at preserves have not been the focus of scholarship on museums to date. Bringing together analytic tools developed for museum experiences with evaluative frameworks from the field of environmental education provides a rich set of concepts for understanding the work that nature preserve exhibits do to increase ecoliteracy. We analyze permanent and interactive educational exhibits at three nature preserves in Florida through the application of a series of interdisciplinary and overlapping frameworks. We identify opportunities for transmission of knowledge about the environment and human interactions with local landscapes; opportunities for cognitive engagement with material artefacts and for participation in knowledge construction. We identify messages that use emotional engagement to encourage visitors to become active citizens on behalf of nature and humans; and to ultimately engage in sustainable actions to solve environmental problems.
Success Stories of Males Convicted of a Violent Offense

The United States incarceration rate is the highest in the world. Most research involving individuals with criminal involvement history focuses on predictors of recidivism versus factors contributing to success post-release. Post-release successes are important considerations to inform strengths-based approaches to working with this population. In this qualitative study, perspectives of males convicted of a violent offense in the United States who did not recidivate at least three-years-post release from incarceration were explored. Utilizing narrative inquiry, six participants shared their stories of how they avoided returning to a correctional facility. Through narrative analysis, the researchers identified five themes across participant stories: (a) knowledge as power, (b) paychecks after prison, (c) using to belong, (d) connections, and (e) transformational thinking. This study provides a strengths-based perspective when working with formerly incarcerated persons (FIPs). Implications for counselors and counselor educators are provided.
Pandemic Pause: Systematic Review of Cost Variables for Ambulatory Care Organizations Participating in Accountable Care Organizations.

Ambulatory health care provider organizations participating in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) organizations assume costs beyond typical practice operations that are directly associated with value-based care initiatives. Identifying these variables that influence such costs are essential to an organization’s financial viability. To enable the U.S. healthcare system to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic CMS issued blanket waivers that permit enhanced flexibility, extension, and other emergency declaration changes to ACO reporting requirements through the unforeseen future. This relaxation and even pausing of reporting requirements encouraged the researchers to conduct a systematic review and identify variables that have influenced costs incurred by ambulatory care organizations participating in ACOs prior to the emergency declaration. The research findings identified ACO-ambulatory care variables (enhanced patient care management, health information technology improvements, and organizational ownership/reimbursement models) that helped to reduce costs to the ambulatory care organization. Additional variables (social determinants of health/environmental conditions, lack of integration/standardization, and misalignment of financial incentives) were also identified in the literature as having influenced costs for ambulatory care organizations while participating in an ACO initiative with CMS. Findings can assist ambulatory care organizations to focus on new and optimized strategies as they begin to prepare for the post-pandemic resumption of ACO quality reporting requirements once the emergency declaration is eventually lifted.
Fundamentals of environmental discharge modeling

Fundamentals Physical Concepts in Turbulent Jet Mixing Dilution Concepts Regulations Ambient Considerations Diffuser Concepts Objectives Geometry Diffuser Head Loss Considerations Lagrangian Integral Methods Lagrangian Jet Mixing Theory The UM (PLUMES) 2-D Submerged Diffuser Model The PLUMES Interface Case Studies Using UM Design Problems Eulerian Integral Methods Eulerian Jet Mixing Theory The UDKHG 3-D Submerged Diffuser Model The PDSG 3-D Surface Discharge Model Case Studies Using UDKHG Case Studies Using PDSG Design Problems Empirical and Length Scale Methods Basic Concepts The RSB (PLUMES) Model The CORMIX Models Numerical Modeling Basic Concepts Strengths and Weaknesses Atmospheric Gaussian Plume Models References Appendices
Preliminary View of What Logic is

Of the considerable number of passages in which St. Thomas speaks of logic by name relatively few have as their direct purpose to explain what logic is. Among the few that do, the fullest discussion is found at the beginning of the commentary on Aristotle’s Posterior Analytics. Better than half of the first lesson is devoted to an introduction, not so much to the particular work at hand, but to the study of logic as a whole. This occurs before the commentary proper on the words of Aristotle, even his preliminary remarks, is begun. It is clearly, therefore, St. Thomas’ own teaching, though it is, to be sure, based upon Aristotle’s treatment of logical problems in the whole Organon. It discusses the necessity of logic, its nature, and its divisions and subdivisions, then gives a specific introduction to the Posterior Analytics itself.
A New Method for Creating Electrophysiological Maps for DBS Surgery and Their Application to Surgical Guidance

Electrophysiological maps based on a Gaussian kernel have been proposed as a means to visualize response to stimulation in deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgeries. However, the Gaussian model does not represent the underlying physiological phenomenon produced by stimulation. We propose a new method to create physiological maps, which relies on spherical shell kernels. We compare our new maps to those created with Gaussian kernels and show that, on simulated data, this new approach produces more realistic maps. Experiments we have performed with real patient data show that our new maps correlate well with the underlying anatomy. Finally, we present preliminary results on an ongoing study assessing the value of these maps as pre-operative planning and intra-operative guidance tools.
From Wall street to main street: reaching out to small investors

We present an intelligent agent based portfolio management system, which can be used by the financial services industry to provide inexpensive Internet-based "self serve" offerings to small investors. This system is designed to assist investment banking firms, which offer funds of funds. Banker agents assist mutual fund managers in devising a global efficient frontier from the individual risk-return characteristics of each of the funds from which a portfolio can be constructed. Investor agents offer personalized advice to each individual investor regarding the choice of a portfolio. The various investor agents also learn from each other through "forums" hosted by the concerned financial services firm. Such a system requires minimal human intervention on both sides (the banker and the investor) thereby reducing costs without sacrificing service quality.
Case descriptions of nonfluency and loci: Initial and follow-up conversations with three preschool children

Abstract It has been hypothesized that fluency development may be influenced by linguistic uncertainty, slow speech milestones, and language delay. The purpose of this study was to describe the nonfluent speech characteristics of a stuttering child, a language-impaired child, and a nonstuttering child. Initial assessment results revealed that the stutterer produced more stuttering, the language-impaired child emitted more normal disfluency, and the nonstutterer had only a few normal disfluencies. Six months after therapy, the stutterer had decreased stuttering behavior but increased in normal disfluency. Six months after the initial evaluation and without fluency intervention, the language-impaired child showed an overall decrease in nonfluent behaviors, especially in part-word, whole-word, and phrase repetitions. Both the stutterer and the language-impaired children revised. Minimal nonfluency was observed in the nonstutterer during the initial and postobservation periods. All children produced more nonfluencies on conjunctions and pronouns. Implications for language therapy will be presented.
Interaction of phosphoinositide cycle intermediates with the plasma membrane-associated clathrin assembly protein AP-2.

Several components of the phosphoinositide cycle have been found to interact specifically and at physiological concentrations with the plasma membrane-associated clathrin assembly (adaptor) protein AP-2. These include phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, which are present at the plasma membrane, as well as other polyphosphoinositols. ATP and other polyphosphate molecules complete with the polyphosphoinositols, however, they are at least 80-fold less potent. Also, the effect of ATP, unlike the polyphosphoinositols, is blocked by physiological concentrations of Mg2+. Photoaffinity labeling of AP-2 by [α-32P]8-azidoadenosine 5'-triphosphate and its competition by polyphosphoinositols has been used to identify the α subunit of the AP-2 complex as the site of specific interaction with the polyphosphoinositols and to confirm direct ultrafiltration binding experiments. Proteolytic dissection of the labeled AP-2 demonstrated that binding occurred exclusively on the N-terminal portion of the α subunit. Interaction of purified AP-2 with sub-microM concentrations of polyphosphoinositols has inhibitory effects on a novel AP-2 self-association described in the accompanying paper (Beck, K. A., and Keen, J. H., J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4437-4441), and at higher concentrations on the binding of AP-2 to dissociated clathrin trimers as well as AP-2-mediated clathrin coat assembly. Review of the literature shows that several physiological stimuli that are known to result in increased coat pit formation in intact cells correlate with increased phosphoinositide turnover. These in vivo correlations and the in vitro observations reported here suggest that coated membrane and phosphoinositide cycles may be interdependent within cells.
Institutions or power sharing : Making sense of Canadian peace

Why has Canada managed to avoid violent conflicts in its recent his tory? Jason Kaufman's institutionalist emphasis on the benevolent effects of federalism and group rights (and wealth) is well put. I wonder, how ever, if one can answer this question within the framework of a two-case comparison. There is a large comparative literature on war and peace. Much of this literature is written by political scientists and based on large N, cross-national research. I am surprised that a scholar of Kaufman's erudition and someone as well read across disciplines as he is, would not be aware of this decade-long research tradition. How does Kaufman's interpretation of the Canadian case compare to the more robust results that this tradition has produced? First, he is right in emphasizing wealth as a main factor in explaining peace?the most powerful explanatory variable in cross-national analysis of civil war besides population size. Why should this be the case? Perhaps we should look at the crucial moment (or potential "critical juncture," if you prefer jargon) when Canadian history could have taken another turn: the mobili zation, inspired by the U.S. civil rights movement, of French Canadians during the 1960s against their status as second-class citizens. The Cana dian government reacted with a quite massive program to enhance the position of French speakers in the central administration, to massively increase support for French culture and language, and so forth. Put differ ently, it co-opted the educated middle classes most likely to support a rad ical nationalist cause?similar to the reaction of the U.S. government to the civil rights movement. Only rich governments have the capacity to co-opt social movements in this manner and to avoid further radicaliza tion and violence. But wealth is not enough: only where the ruling circles are willing to share power will such co-optation happen. The contrast
Neutrino Astronomy: Physics Goals, Detector Parameters

This is a review of high energy neutrino astronomy that might be done with a kilometer-scale detector. The emphasis is on diffuse neutrinos of extragalactic origin and their relation to possible sources of the highest energy cosmic rays, such as active galaxies, cosmological gamma-ray burst sources and topological defects.
Economies and families: a further investigation of the curvilinear hypothesis.

The relationship between the complexity of a given society and family complexity is reexamined in the light of previous studies. Data are from an ethnographic atlas published in 1967. Treating family and marital structure as separate dimensions the author concludes that "several components of societal complexity predict the occurrence of frequent polygyny much more effectively than they predict variation in family structure." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA) (EXCERPT)
Hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine is stimulated by Ras proteins during mitogenic signal transduction.

Abstract We have used a dominant inhibitory ras mutant (Ha-ras Asn-17) to investigate the relationship of Ras proteins to hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in the transduction of mitogenic signals. Expression of Ha-Ras Asn-17 inhibited NIH 3T3 cell proliferation induced by polypeptide growth factors or phorbol esters. In contrast, the mitogenic activity of PC-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) was not inhibited by Ha-Ras Asn-17 expression. Similarly, cotransfection with a cloned PC-PLC gene bypassed the block to NIH 3T3 cell proliferation resulting from expression of the inhibitory ras mutant. Hydrolysis of PC can therefore induce cell proliferation in the absence of normal Ras activity, suggesting that PC-derived second messengers may act downstream of Ras in mitogenic signal transduction. This was substantiated by the finding that Ha-Ras Asn-17 expression inhibited growth factor-stimulated hydrolysis of PC. Taken together, these results indicate that PC hydrolysis is a target of Ras during the transduction of growth factor-initiated mitogenic signals.
Helping the In-Group Feels Better: Children’s Judgments and Emotion Attributions in Response to Prosocial Dilemmas

Five- to 13-year-old European American children (N = 76) predicted characters’ decisions, emotions, and obligations in prosocial moral dilemmas. Across age, children judged that characters would feel more positive emotions helping an unfamiliar child from the racial in-group versus out-group (African American), happier ignoring the needs of a child from the racial out-group versus in-group, and greater obligation to help a child from the racial in-group versus out-group. Situations varied by whether the race of the needy child matched versus mismatched that of the focal character. With increasing age, children attributed more positive emotions to people who sacrifice their own desires to help needy others as well as became more discriminating about the situations that call for altruistic action.
Library Instruction and Academic Success: A mixed - methods assessment of a library instruction program

Abstract Objectives – This study examines the connection between student academic success and information literacy instruction. Locally, it allowed librarians to ascertain the institution’s saturation rate for information literacy instruction and identify academic programs not utilizing library instruction services. In a broader application, it provides an argument for a tiered program of information literacy instruction and offers student perspectives on improving a library instruction program. Methods – Focus groups with 15 graduating seniors, all of whom had attended at least one library instruction session, discussed student experiences and preferences regarding library instruction. An analysis of 4,489 academic transcripts of graduating seniors identified differences in grade point average (GPA) between students with different levels of library instruction. Results – Students value library instruction for orientation purposes as beginning students, and specialized, discipline-specific library instruction in upper-level courses. There is a statistically significant difference in GPA between graduating seniors who had library instruction in upper-level courses (defined in this study as post-freshman-level) and those who did not. Conclusions – Library instruction seems to make the most difference to student success when it is repeated at different levels in the university curriculum, especially when it is offered in upper-level courses. Instruction librarians should differentiate between lower-division and upper-division learning objectives for students in order to create a more cohesive and non-repetitive information literacy curriculum.
The preparation and γ‐ray sensitivity of comb block copolymers

A series of comb block copolymers have been prepared and subjected to 60Coγ irradiation. The copolymers contained a polyalkenesulphone backbone, and either polystyrene or polymethylphenylsiloxane as the sidebranches. The alkenes in the polysulphone were one of cycloheptene, 2-hexene, or 2-methylpentene-1 giving a series of backbones of differing low ceiling temperatures. The combs were prepared by creating a macromer of the desired sidearm, and then copolymerizing into the main chain. On γ-irradiation, backbone polysuphones depolymerized leaving behind the comparatively short and radiation resistant sidechains.
Generic asymptotic error estimates for the numerical simulation of hybrid systems

Abstract We examine the convergence of discrete simulations for a large class of impulsive and hysteretic hybrid systems. We use a geometrically intuitive graph-distance metric on a suitable space of cadlag functions, then we develop strategies for constructing numerical approximate trajectories that converge generically (but not necessarily generally) to the exact trajectories. The original conjecture that the metric used here generates the Skorohod J 1 topology was proved by Gokhman in [D. Gokhman, Topologies for hybrid solutions, J. Nonlinear Anal. Hybrid Systems 2 (2008) 468–473].
A Novel Channel Probing/Scanning Scheme for Secure Fast Handoff in IEEE 802.11-Based Wireless Networks

With the proliferation of wireless networks for prac- tical deployments in recent years, secure fast handoff has become significantly important to provide secured access while reduce the latency caused by handoff procedure. Channel probing/scanning delay has been a major contribution to the overall latency of handoff in IEEE 802.11 based wireless networks. In this paper, we present a novel secure fast handoff scheme that adopts network-assisted radio statement (NACS) to eliminate lengthy probing/scanning delay by taking advantage of the knowledge of network topology of neighboring nodes in the network. We apply an opportunistic mechanism to retrieve the channel condition from neighboring nodes close enough to reduce the scanning/probing delay while providing secure wireless access for the handoff candidate node. In this manner, it can reduce the channel probing/scanning delay and achieve secure handoff. We show analysis and simulation results to verify the performance of the proposed secure fast handoff scheme.
Glycosylation and expanded utility of a modified whey protein ingredient via carbohydrate conjugation at low pH.

Abstract Whey protein, at one time considered a by-product of the cheese-making process, is now commonly used in foods for its thickening and emulsifying properties. Currently, approximately 30% of these proteinaceous resources remain under-utilized. Previously, an acidified, thermally treated whey protein concentrate (mWPC) was developed to produce a cold-set thickening ingredient. Mass spectroscopy revealed an approximate 2.5-fold decrease in the lactosylation of β-lactoglobulin in mWPC starting materials compared with commercial whey protein concentrates, manufactured at a higher pH. Potentially, this should increase the number of reactive sites that remain available for carbohydrate attachment. With this study, the formation of glycoprotein complexes was demonstrated between the mWPC ingredient and lactose, naturally occurring in mWPC powders, or between mWPC protein components with dextran (35 to 45 and 100 to 200kDa) materials at low pH. In fact, additional dry heating of mWPC powders showed a 3-fold increase in the amount of lactosylated β-lactoglobulin. Evidence of Maillard reactivity was suggested using colorimetry, o- phthaldialdehyde assays, and sodium dodecyl sulfate PAGE followed by glycoprotein staining. Resultant glycoprotein dispersions exhibited altered functionality, in which case steady shear and small amplitude oscillatory rheology parameters were shown to be dependent on the specific reducing sugar present. Furthermore, the emulsion stability of mWPC-dextran fractions was 2 to 3 times greater than either mWPC or commercial WPC dispersions based on creaming index values. The water-holding capacity of all test samples decreased with additional heating steps; however, mWPC-dextran powders still retained nearly 6 times their weight of water. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that mWPC-dextran conjugates formed a porous network that differed significantly from the dense network observed with mWPC samples. This porosity likely affected both the rheological and water-binding properties of mWPC-dextran complexes. Taken together, these results suggest that the functionality of mWPC ingredients can be enhanced by conjugation with carbohydrate materials at low pH, especially with regard to improving the emulsifying attributes.
A U.S. Youth Apprenticeship Program

Abstract In this article, we address the problem of educating a work force that will be qualified to succeed in the high-paying, high-tech jobs that will be available in U.S. industry as it competes in the global economy. We suggest that for many young people, a combination of work-based and classroom learning will be the most effective approach, and that a program of youth apprenticeships is one way to achieve that end. The German youth apprenticeship model and some of the difficulties in its applicability to U.S. society are described. The article concludes with a suggested U.S. model for the development of youth apprenticeships.
Maximum likelihood and instrumental variable estimation of a consumer demand system for Japan and Sweden

Abstract Working's model (with a substitution term added) is applied to annual per capita data of Japan and Sweden. The model is estimated by ML and IV methods, and the variability of the IV estimates is evaluated by means of bootstrap methods.
Accuracy of Shell and Solid Elements in Vibration Analyses of Thin- and Thick-walled Isotropic Cylinders

Three-dimensional (3D) theory of elasticity solutions for vibration analysis of simply supported cylinders are obtained and used to find the natural frequencies. The results are compared with various finite element models using both shell and three-dimensional solid elements to verify the accuracy of these finite element models. In addition, results are obtained for various hollow cylinders for possible verification of shell theories and shell elements based on such theories. A point is made here that although 3D elements can provide accurate results, they are not practical in industrial applications of thin- and thick-walled structures. Instead, shell elements are needed for such applications. However, further improvements to the shell theory used in the finite element formulation are needed to improve the accuracy of these shell elements.
Effect of saturated versus unsaturated fat on the pathogenesis of copper deficiency in rats

Abstract The type of dietary fat, saturated versus unsaturated, may be an important factor in modifying the pathogenesis of copper deficiency in rats fed fructose. We investigated if saturated fat such as beef tallow as compared with unsaturated fat such as corn oil will prevent abnormalities related to the combination of fructose feeding and copper deficiency. Rats were fed copper-deficient (0.6 μg Cu/g diet) or adequate (6.0 μg Cu/g) diets containing fructose or starch as the sole dietary carbohydrate and beef tallow or corn oil as their fat source. The “typical” pathologies associated with copper deficiency in rats fed fructose such as anemia, pancreatic atrophy, heart hypertrophy, and liver enlargements were not prevented by the consumption of saturated fat (beef tallow). Not only did it not prevent pathologies, but beef tallow raised hepatic iron and increased plasma cholesterol and triglycerides, however, only in rats fed fructose. Plasma triglycerides and cholesterol were also elevated by copper deficiency and fructose feeding. The effect of the interaction among dietary carbohydrate, level of copper, and degree of saturation of fat on excess hepatic iron deposition and on metabolic and biochemical indices associated with heart-related abnormalities needs further investigation.
Action of Radium Salts on Gelatin

HAVING occasion to give a demonstration of the properties of radium some little time ago, I determined to attempt the preparation of some of the organisms as described by Mr. J. Butler Burke.
International Service Learning A Critical Guide from an Impassioned Advocate

International service-learning programs burst with potential and stumble with the weight of contradictions left unattended. Without thoughtful preparation, orientation, program developments and the encouragement of study, as well as critical analysis and reflection, the programs can easily become small theaters that recreate historic cultural misunderstandings and simplistic stereotypes and replay, on a more intimate scale, the huge disparities in income and opportunity that characterize North-South relations today. Integrated into a well-developed program, international service learning can fulfill its potential as a transformational experience for students informing subsequent study and career choices. This article identifies seven loaded issues in international service learning that, if addressed with creativity and forethought, can provide important opportunities for critical analysis, study, and reflection and in the process bring international programs closer to achieving their transformational pote...
Country financial and political risk: the case of Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines

The following research uses the Clark (2002) and Clark and Kassimatis (2004) methodology to calculate the market value of three Asian Countries (Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines) for each year over the period 1990?2004 and to estimate the macroeconomic financial risk premium from 1990 to 2004. It also examines whether and to what extent their stock market's performance is affected by the financial risk premium. The results show that before the Asian crisis, the East Asian Countries had strong economic growth and low levels of debt when compared with the size of their economies.
The Consequences of Income Instability for Children's Well-Being

Income instability is an important and under-studied dimension of the established empirical relation between family income and children's healthy development. Frequent fluctuations in income may influence daily processes and routines of family life, but the nature of such effects also may vary by specific patterns of income instability, parents' responses, and children's characteristics. In this article, we review existing theory and research on income, family functioning, and child development to better understand the potential implications of income instability for children's development. We also integrate theoretical insights from developmental psychology, economics, sociology, and social neuroscience to propose a set of testable hypotheses for social science investigations on this topic.
Effect of the cycling rate on energy collection for bang-bang controllers

Allowing a solar system that is governed by Bang-Bang controllers to cycle is shown to have an effect on the overall energy collection. An analytical method to evaluate the relative increase in collected energy (RICE) is developed and a design procedure for the selection of the set point ..delta..T/sub ON/ of the controller is presented. The performance of several case studies is analyzed and the preference of using the duration of cycles rather than the number of cycles, N, in judging the effect of cycling is discussed.
Low temperature process evaluation for 3DIC integrated thin wafer handling

The goal of temporary wafer bonding for 3DIC thin wafer handling is less topographic issues and high temperature resistance. The wafer thinning and process in vacuum chamber with high temperature are the key for the 3DIC thin wafer handling. In this article a quick adhesive selecting methods, and process improvement results are evaluated and discussed.
The Density of Hydrous Magmatic Liquids.

Density measurements on several hydrous (</=19 mole percent of H2O) silicate melts demonstrate that dissolved water has a partial molar volume (VcH2O) that is independent of the silicate melt composition, the total water concentration, and the speciation of water. The derived value for VcH2O is 22.9 +/- 0.6 cubic centimeters per mole at 1000 degrees C and 1 bar of pressure, whereas the partial molar thermal expansivity ( partial differentialVcH2O/ partial differentialT) and compressibility ( partial differentialVcH2O/ partial differentialP) are 9.5 +/- 0.8 x 10(-3) cubic centimeters per mole per kelvin and -3.2 +/- 0.6 x 10(-4) cubic centimeters per mole per bar, respectively. The effect of 1 weight percent dissolved H2O on the density of a basaltic melt is equivalent to increasing the temperature of the melt by approximately 400 degrees C or decreasing the pressure of the melt by approximately 500 megapascals. These measurements are used to illustrate the viability of plagioclase sinking in iron-rich basaltic liquids and the dominance of compositional convection in hydrous magma chambers.
POST-DIAPAUSE DEVELOPMENT OF SYMPATRIC CHORISTONEURA OCCIDENTALIS AND C. RETINIANA (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE) AND THEIR HYBRIDS

Emergence from hibernacula of 2nd instars of Choristoneura occidentalis was more variable but later than that of C. retiniana. However, early-instar development was faster in C. occidentalis and compensated for the difference in emergence times so that both species entered the 6th instar simultaneously. There were no species-related differences in development beyond the 6th instar. Though they have different resource-tracking patterns early in their life cycle, temporal isolation between these species is unlikely. No developmental morphs were found in either species but there were several instances where individuals that developed at an increased (or decreased) rate in one stage developed slower (or faster) than the mean rate in a substantial stage. Negative correlations between development times were indicative of this. These correlations reduced variation in adult eclosion times induced by extended spring emergence and are indicative of homeostasis in development within populations. Negative correlation coefficients between development periods were more common in C. occidentalis, which also had the more variable spring-emergence pattern. Hybrids were intermediate in almost all development traits.
Survival of the fittest: an active queue management technique for noisy packet flows

We present a novel active queue management (AQM) technique to demonstrate the efficacy of practically harnessing the predictive utility of SSR indications for improved video communication. We consider a network within which corrupted packets are relayed over multiple hops, but a certain percentage of packets needs to be dropped at an intermediate node due to congestion. We propose an AQM technique, survival of the fittest (SOTF), to be employed at the relay node, within which we use packet state information, available from SSR indications and checksums, to drop packets with the highest corruption levels. On the basis of actual 802.11b measurements we show that such a side information (SI) aware processing within the network can provide significant performance benefits over an SI-unaware scheme, random queue management (RQM), which is forced to randomly discard packets. With trace-based simulations, we show the utility of the proposed AQM technique in improving the error recovery performance of cross-layer FEC schemes. Finally, with the help of H.264-based video simulations these improvements are shown to translate into a significant improvement in video quality.
Selective effects of isomeric cis and trans fatty acids on fatty acyl Δ9 and Δ6 desaturation by human skin fibroblasts

Abstract Human skin fibroblasts incorporate and actively desaturate long-chain fatty acids. Growth of these cells in lipid-free medium can be used to enhance Δ9 and Δ6 desaturation of [14C]stearate and [14C]linoleate, respectively. Medium supplementation with cis fatty acids inhibits Δ9 desaturation; effectiveness as inhibitors is linoleate (9c,12c–18:2) > oleate (9c-18:1) > vaccenate (11c–18:1). Linoelaidate (9t,12t-18:2), trans-vcccenate (11t-18:1) and saturated fatty acids are without effect; elaidate (9t–18:l) appears stimulatory. By contrast, the trans fatty acids elaidate and linoelaidate are potent inhibitors of Δ6 desaturation; inhibition by trans-vaccenate is 50% of that of elaidate. Desaturation of [14C]linoIeate is only slightly inhibited by oleate, cis-vaccenate, or (6c,9c,12c)-linolenate. The relative effectiveness of isomeric cis- and trans-octadecenoic acids as inhibitors of Δ9 and Δ6 desaturation in intact human cells is different from that found in microsomal studies. The cell culture system can thus be important in evaluating physiological effects of isomeric fatty acids on cellular metabolic processes.
Cobalt(II) nitrosyl cation radicals of porphyrins, chlorins, and isobacteriochlorins. Models for nitrite and sulfite reductases and implications for A1u heme radicals

L'oxydation de complexes «nitrosyle» de cobalt(II) de diverses porphyrines fournit des radicaux π-cationiques de Co(II) NO. Les especes oxydees sont caracterisees par electrochimie, spectroscopie visible, IR et RPE. Ce sont des especes presentes dans des enzymes qui catalysent des reductions de nitrite en NH 3 ou oxyde nitrique (nitrite reductase). On a d'autre part recemment identifie l'isobacteriochlorine de cobalt dans des sulfite reductases qui sont aussi capables de reduire des nitrites
Cloning and characterization of a novel receptor to pancreatic polypeptide, a member of the neuropeptide Y receptor family.

We report isolation of a murine gene, NPYR-D, which predicts an intronless novel G protein-coupled receptor of 375 amino acids. Percent identities of NPYR-D to the cloned Y1, Y2, rat Y4/PP1 and human Y4/PP1 receptors are 45, 32, 92 and 76, respectively. Southern blots indicate that NPYR-D and human Y4/PP1 receptor genes are species homologues. Rat [125I]pancreatic polypeptide ([125I]rPP) bound to NPYR-D-transfected COS-7 cell membranes with a high affinity, i.e. IC50=90 pM. Pharmacological characterization of [125I]rPP binding showed a rank order of potency of PP > > PYY ≥ NPY, such that PYY and NPY were at least 5000-fold weaker than PP. Interestingly, [125I]rPYY binding produced the same rank order, but PYY and NPY were only 25-fold weaker than PP, which had an IC50 value of approximately 120 pM. Tissue distribution studies in mouse and humans suggest potential roles of this novel receptor in the gastrointestinal tract, heart, prostate, as well as in neural and endocrine signalling.
Production efficiency of Chinese banks: a revisit

Purpose – The last decade witnessed the reform of China's financial sector, during which Chinese commercial banks’ ownership and operation had been significantly changed in order to improve efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to investigates whether these banks have improved their productivity efficiency during their rapid expansion and growth in the post reform era from 2004 to 2011. Design/methodology/approach – Data envelopment analysis is used to investigate the production efficiency of Chinese commercial banks during 2004-2011. First, the technical efficiency (TE) score is constructed to evaluate bank productivity. The TE score is disintegrated into pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE) to examine the effects of technical factors and scale economies. Second, the Malmquist index is constructed to explore the year-by-year productivity. Lastly, regression analysis examines how bank characteristics and ownership structure affect productivity efficiency. Findings – The Big Four ba...
Detecting entanglement with partial state information

We introduce a sequence of numerical tests that can determine the entanglement or separability of a state even when there is not enough information to completely determine its density matrix. Given partial information about the state in the form of linear constraints on the density matrix, the sequence of tests can prove that either all states satisfying the constraints are entangled or there is at least one separable state that satisfies them. The algorithm works even if the values of the constraints are only known to fall in a certain range. If the states are entangled, an entanglement witness is constructed and lower bounds on entanglement measures and related quantities are provided; if a separable state satisfies the constraints, a separable decomposition is provided to certify this fact.
Evaluation of Chemicals with Endocrine Modulating Activity in a Yeast-Based Steroid Hormone Receptor Gene Transcription Assay

There is a concern that chemicals in our environment are affecting human health by disrupting normal endocrine function. Much of the concern has focused on chemicals that can interact directly with steroid hormone receptors. We have used a yeast-based assay to assess chemical interactions with the estrogen, androgen, and progesterone receptors. The yeast transformants used in this study contained the human estrogen, androgen, or progesterone receptor along with the appropriate steroid responsive elements upstream of the beta-galactosidase reporter gene. Chemicals were added to yeast cultures in doses ranging from 10(-12) to 10(-4) M and following incubation, the yeasts were then lysed and assayed for beta-galactosidase activity. Diethylstilbesterol and 17-beta estradiol were most active in the estrogen receptor assay, followed by the phytoestrogen, coumestrol. p-Nonylphenol and bisphenol A were approximately 5000- and 15,000-fold less active, respectively, than estradiol. Methoxychlor, DDT and its metabolites, o,p'-DDD, and o,p'-DDE ranged in potency from 5 to 24 X 10(6) less potent than estradiol. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were most potent in the androgen receptor assay, followed by estradiol and progesterone. p,p'-DDE was approximately 10(6)-fold less potent than testosterone. None of the industrial chemicals tested interacted with the progesterone receptor. These data demonstrate the utility of using yeast-based receptor assays for detecting chemical interaction with steroid receptors and these assays should serve as a useful component of an in vitro-in vivo strategy to assess the effects of chemicals on endocrine function.